NBC May Pull Plug on Disastrous Leno/O’Brien Experiment

Press reports and even jokes on last night’s Jay Leno Show point to the likelihood that NBC’s experiment with moving Leno from late night to prime time is over, and that the instigator of the changes, Conan O’Brien, will have to accept a diminished role as a consequence of his successful campaign to force Leno out of his 11:30 slot.

The reports are that the Jay Leno Show will stop producing new episodes on February 1 or possibly February 12 when NBC begins broadcasting the Olympics, and will not return thereafter. Leno will go back to 11:35, and O’Brien-well, nobody is quite sure what’s happening with him yet. NBC execs are reportedly considering having a half-hour Leno show at 11:35, the Tonight Show with O’Brien at 12:05, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 1:05. Carson Daly will presumably remain the only thing in the world that’s not funny at 2 in the morning (hat tip to my number 2 son for that joke).

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Tags: Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno SHow, jimmy fallon, Late Night, leno
Posted Jan 8th 2010 at 3:45 pm in Entertainment, Television | 29078243 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2010/01/08/nbc-may-pull-plug-on-disastrous-lenoobrien-experiment/NBC+May+Pull+Plug+on+Disastrous+Leno%2FO%E2%80%99Brien+Experiment2010-01-08+23%3A45%3A24S.T.+Karnick

When Late Night Attacks: Left Worries Obama Becoming Punchline

As a candidate, Barack Obama was just as comfy on a late night couch as he was on the stump. The late night comedians and writers spared Obama from the barbs and prods they use to turn formidable politicians into laughing stocks. After all, they had their scopes set squarely on you know who… (paging Tina Fey).

A few weeks ago, a funny thing happened — call it a late night political paradigm shift. Conan O’Brien put some extra bite to his bark by featuring a tape of Sesame Street characters who earlier in the day had visited with the First Lady to talk about healthy eating. Conan overdubbed the clip and, suddenly, instead of talking about food, the muppets questioned Obama’s ‘United States birth certificate’ and his ’socialist health care agenda.’ In the past, satire like this might have been automatically assumed to be an attack on the right, but the skit ended up taking some Obama fans aback. Perhaps it struck a nerve. (more…)

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Tags: Conan O'Brien, Late Night, Obama, snl
Posted Oct 21st 2009 at 6:44 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 246230138 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/10/21/snl-isnt-funny-but-left-still-worry-obama-may-become-punchline/When+Late+Night+Attacks%3A+Left+Worries+Obama+Becoming+Punchline2009-10-21+13%3A44%3A30Jason+Killian+Meath

The Mystery of David Letterman

David Letterman has been much in the news lately due to his fondness for the flesh of young female staffers, and the alleged blackmail plot regarding his exploits in that direction. It seems that old Dave is a bit of a lech who — like many powerful and wealthy individuals — uses his high social status to gain access to the sexual organs of women who would not look at him twice were he not so illustrious a figure. And so the furious debate rages in the papers, online and on cable news — will Dave survive the scandal? Will his audience follow him? The mystery for me however is much simpler — how did Letterman ever achieve the status he enjoys today? 

Allow me to explain. I’m not from around these parts. I grew up in Scotland, spent a decade in Russia, and arrived in the US three years ago. As something of a night owl I soon found myself confronted with America’s strange, televisual dream-world of nocturnal gibberish, and the even more perplexing national obsession with the personalities, rivalries and ratings battles that played out between the competing purveyors of this gibberish. The big one of course was Leno vs. Letterman, but who could forget the death struggle for comedic dominance between Conan and Craig Ferguson? Then there was the mystery of Jimmy Kimmel, floating around like some moth that had lost sight of the moon, detached from these wars as if no one expected him to succeed anyway. And lurking in the deep, deep darkness was the awful horror that is Carson Daly: charmless, entirely unfunny and visibly drowning in his own misery.  (more…)

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Tags: David Letterman, Dennis Hopper, jay leno, Late Night, sarah palin
Posted Oct 13th 2009 at 6:44 am in Celebrity News, Culture, Featured Story | 24499091 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dkalder/2009/10/13/the-mystery-of-david-letterman/The+Mystery+of+David+Letterman2009-10-13+13%3A44%3A22Daniel+Kalder

Confessions of a Letterman Intern

David Letterman inspired my broadcasting career.  Twenty years ago, he was an awkward, self-deprecating guy who wore tennis shoes with his blazer and tie. He was edgy, silly, and unconventional compared to the traditions of variety television at that time.  He resonated with an awkward high school kid watching at home in Missouri.  Carson was still the king of late night, and some guy named Leno filled in for him a lot.  But Dave was cool because he didn’t seem to fit in.  Yet, when Carson announced his retirement, Letterman was said to be the heir apparent to the Tonight Show. 

As a fan, I didn’t want Letterman to move into Carson’s chair.   Not because Letterman couldn’t handle it.  It just seemed too refined for someone as eccentric and edgy as Letterman.  Turned out NBC saw it that way too when they awarded “Tonight” to Leno.  It pained Letterman.  But it helped to foster that continued edgy, underdog status that led fans like me to follow him to CBS. (more…)

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Tags: Carson, cbs, Late Night, letterman, Midwesterner
Posted Oct 8th 2009 at 6:41 am in Entertainment, News, Uncategorized | 242486104 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cstigall/2009/10/08/confessions-of-a-letterman-intern/Confessions+of+a+Letterman+Intern2009-10-08+13%3A41%3A34Chris+Stigall

Madonna Bashes Bush

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Tags: bush, David Letterman, Late Night, madonna
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 3:37 pm in Celebrity News, Politics, Video | 23980286 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/02/madonna-bashes-bush/Madonna+Bashes+Bush2009-10-02+22%3A37%3A26Big+Hollywood

Will Letterman Face the Fire He Threw Without Mercy?

When felons were induced to talk, they were shown first the instruments of their torture. The King is shown the instrument of His… to induce Him NOT to talk.  - The Madness of King George

And with the full knowledge of what will happen next, the current King of Late Night. David Letterman announced to the world that he has been guilty of sexual indiscretions with some of his staff.

 That had to be difficult. Over the past 27 years we’ve enjoyed watching Letterman take apart people who have fallen prey to simple human urges. From Gary Hart’s Monkey Business, through Woody Allen and Soon Yi, into the Clinton years, and right up to the Palin scandal that forced an apology; David Letterman has been right on top of others’ indiscretions.

So he knew what he is facing. In a stifled apology on his show last night that sounded like it was written by Garrison Keillor, he got remorseful with the audience: (more…)

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Tags: cbs, Dan rather, Handlemann, Late Night, letterman
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 2:59 pm in Culture, Featured Story, Politics, Television | 239626129 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2009/10/02/will-letterman-face-the-fire-he-threw-without-mercy/Will+Letterman+Face+the+Fire+He+Threw+Without+Mercy%3F2009-10-02+21%3A59%3A29Tim+Slagle

Barack Obama on Letterman

Watch CBS Videos Online

Obama on Jimmy Carter: “I think it’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election… So the American people I think gave me this extraordinary honor and that tells you I think a lot about where the country’s at.”

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Tags: Jimmy Carter, Late Night, late show, letterman, Obama
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 12:13 am in Political Humor, Video | 23266654 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/09/22/barack-obama-on-letterman/Barack+Obama+on+Letterman2009-09-22+07%3A13%3A18Big+Hollywood

The Ghost of Johnny Carson

David Letterman was just rising – earlier than you might think for a guy who’s show is on late enough for college partiers and “freelancers” to enjoy without fear of feeling tired the next day. You’d think that only if you didn’t know the show is taped earlier in the day – and what was taped this week certainly stirred the pot.

“You think maybe you would have edited that, David?” Mr. Carson asked, standing in the lavish bathroom.

“I mean your producer had the time. They could have cut it, right?”

Carson looked very young. Circa ‘66 young.

Letterman was incredulous.  “Johnny… what the heck are you doing here, how can this be possible?” the aging late night host queried. (more…)

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Tags: David Letterman, johnny carson, Late Night, mccain, nbc
Posted Jun 12th 2009 at 6:04 pm in Entertainment, Media Criticism, News, Political Humor, Politics | 158830136 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/emannix/2009/06/12/the-ghost-of-johnny-carson/The+Ghost+of+Johnny+Carson2009-06-13+01%3A04%3A59Ernie+Mannix

Letterman ‘Jokes’ About the Statutory Rape of 14-Year Old Willow Palin **Updated** Sarah and Todd Palin Respond **2nd UPDATE** Letterman Responds

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To be amazed at how low David Letterman will stoop in order to humiliate Sarah Palin means we still think of him as an entertainer, instead of what he is: a leftist ideologue willing to do whatever it takes to destroy a perceived threat to the Democrat majority. Letterman’s nothing special or unique. He’s merely joined the whole of the entertainment industry in sacrificing his place as an entertainer and legacy as an artist to wage ideological war.

Maybe our first step in fighting back is to wake up to this fact and stop being amazed. (more…)

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Tags: cbs, David Letterman, jay leno, johnny carson, Late Night
Posted Jun 9th 2009 at 11:09 pm in Celebrity News, Politics | 156338486 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/09/letterman-jokes-about-the-statutory-rape-of-14-year-old-willow-palin-funny/Letterman+%27Jokes%27+About+the+Statutory+Rape+of+14-Year+Old+Willow+Palin+%2A%2AUpdated%2A%2A+Sarah+and+Todd+Palin+Respond+%2A%2A2nd+UPDATE%2A%2A+Letterman+Responds2009-06-10+06%3A09%3A29John+Nolte

O’Brien Plays it Safe, Smart in ‘Tonight Show’ Debut

Conan O’Brien played it safe in his debut as host of NBC’s Tonight Show last night. That’s a good choice, actually. The big question is: Will it last?

As I noted in an article reporting on NBC’s choice of personable Saturday Night Live alum Jimmy Fallon to host its Late Show as O’Brien moved to the Tonight Show, Fallon was closer to the style that had worked so well for the latter program in the past: intelligent, likable, and not too challenging or edgy.

O’Brien, I noted, was much less winsome and much more ambitious in his comedy, and for the Tonight Show to have success, either he or the audience would have to change, with the latter being highly unlikely except through serious shrinkage. And of course that would be a disaster for the Peacock Network.

Fallon has done well at Late Night since taking the reins on March 3, in both entertainment value and audience ratings. Late Night appears to be in very capable hands, and although it’s simply a timewaster, that’s all it is intended to be, while delivering consistent audience numbers for NBC’s advertisers. (more…)

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Tags: Conan O'Brien, jimmy fallon, johnny carson, Late Night, talk shows
Posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 3:33 pm in Entertainment, Reviews | 14977424 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/06/02/obrien-plays-it-safe-smart-in-tonight-show-debut/O%27Brien+Plays+it+Safe%2C+Smart+in+%27Tonight+Show%27+Debut2009-06-02+22%3A33%3A59S.T.+Karnick

Scoring Late Night’s First Hundred Days

April 29, 2009. 100 days. In case you were in a sensory deprivation tank, you probably know full well that Wednesday was the 100th day of the Obama Administration, and most of the news shows used it as an excuse to give Him the same exact grade they would have given Him for His first day in office.

That grade is completely unchanged by all the goofs and blunders made by this handsome community organizer, who was rushed into an office that was clearly over His head. Their grade was unbesmirched by the other grades given to Him by Wall Street, the President of France,  the North Korean missile launchers, or by four Somali pirates. (The same pirates who were allowed to humiliate the US Navy for three days before the Commander in Chief gave the order to shoot.)

What a great day to do another Late Night Review, and an opportunity to grade the Nation’s Premiere Satirists on their 100 days. In the time since the last review, we saw not only the aforementioned tense situations; but also an Air Force One flyover that created a panic, one heck of a carbon footprint, and a third of a million dollar addition to the deficit, all for the sake of a pretty photograph.

Certainly there must be something worth making fun of by now. We saw Obama calling for an end to privacy, giving a gag gift the Queen, and a bow to the Saudi King. We learned that He works out three hours a day (no wonder He needs a teleprompter to stay current), and thinks Austrian is a language. He again proved that Harvard isn’t so good at teaching American History, claiming He was only three months old during the Bay of Pigs. No news there, He didn’t think He was in government when the deficit occurred either. (more…)

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Tags: Bill Maher, comedy, Craig Ferguson, David Letterman, jay leno
Posted May 1st 2009 at 1:11 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 12328246 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2009/05/01/late-night-update-100/Scoring+Late+Night%27s+First+Hundred+Days2009-05-01+20%3A11%3A00Tim+Slagle

Letterman: Another Intolerant Robot for the Left

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Given the choice between watching Letterman or Leno, I choose Leno and have for years.  Leno lines up much better politically and I think his humor is much stronger than Letterman.  I also think Letterman is shallow.  Not much between the ears.  He pans to those who really aren’t well informed because he isn’t well informed.  He can give you a headline but no content.  When I have seen or heard his “Top Ten,” it’s most often just dumb and not worth the energy to even smile.  He’s a book with no pages.  During an exchange with Bill O’Reilly I caught on Fox this week, I was reminded why Letterman’s a dweeb.  Letterman wanted to talk about Rush Limbaugh, “He’s too smart to believe what he’s saying.  You (O’Reilly) are too smart to believe what you say.”  HUH?  I don’t know about you, but when someone says that to me, I get a little hot under the collar.  How do you say “thought police?” (more…)

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Tags: Late Night, leno, letterman, O'Reilly
Posted Apr 2nd 2009 at 3:33 pm in Entertainment, Politics | 9538691 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/04/02/lettermans-a-dweeb/Letterman%3A+Another+Intolerant+Robot+for+the+Left+2009-04-02+22%3A33%3A24Brian+Jennings

Late Night Wimps Still Won’t Mock Obama

What a bountiful two weeks of comedy material we had. Our elegant man in the White House thought the capital of Canada was Iowa and proved that they don’t teach Industrial History at Harvard. There was also this photo… And so I thought it was about time to check in again with the Late Night hosts.

Monday marked the debut of Jimmy Fallon’s “green” talk show. According to USA Today he has recycled carpet, used seats and bamboo floors. I wonder if he also lights the stage with CFLs, limits guests to one square of toilet paper, serves warm tap water and vegan treats, and takes the subway to work? But enough of the negative. I thought I should check in and see if Late Night’s newest host has decided that it’s okay to make fun of the President. (Fallon also claims to have three bloggers on staff, so if you three are as sharp as I hope, Welcome To Big Hollywood!) This Monday I reviewed Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert. (more…)

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Tags: Daily Show, Fallon, Late Night, leno, Lettermen
Posted Mar 4th 2009 at 9:39 am in Media Criticism, Political Humor | 55410106 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2009/03/04/obama-update-3/Late+Night+Wimps+Still+Won%27t+Mock+Obama2009-03-04+17%3A39%3A39Tim+Slagle