McMahon’s Affability Demonstrated Real Virtues

The death of television personality Ed McMahon at the age of 86 marks the passing of a true original. McMahon was one of the very first Americans to enjoy the postmodern status of being a celebrity solely by virtue of being famous.

As announcer and second banana to host Johnny Carson during the NBC Tonight Show’s years of greatest prominence and cultural influence, McMahon exemplified what was then a relatively new phenomenon: the ability to become famous, wealthy, and admired without having any particular talent.

That’s not to say there was anything dishonorable about his career or something wrong with McMahon’s public persona. Quite the contrary. He was quite likable, pleasant, well-mannered (an underrated virtue these days), and overall a boon companion both for Carson and the audiences in the studio and at home.

However, he was liked for what he was, not what he could do. He couldn’t sing, dance, tell a joke, or even read the news. His turns as straight man to Carson’s various comical characters were most notable for their, well, charming ineptitude. (more…)

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Tags: Ed McMahon, johnny carson, Star Search, tonight show, virtues
Posted Jun 24th 2009 at 5:53 pm in Entertainment | 168578One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/06/24/mcmahons-affability-demonstrated-real-virtues/McMahon%27s+Affability+Demonstrated+Real+Virtues2009-06-25+00%3A53%3A26S.T.+Karnick

Conan O’Brien: Class Act and Worthy ‘Tonight Show’ Successor

Although I rarely find any interest in the entertainment industry, I am very glad to see Conan O’Brien become the head of the “Tonight Show.” His ascension to the throne continues a tradition that Johnny Carson brought forth and Jay Leno continued. The new host of the “Tonight Show” is a nice guy. (Steve Allen was as well, but many would consider he and Jack Paar to be less relevant since they came before Carson. I avoid this debate since, again, I am not in the industry.)

Yes, Johnny Carson preferred that David Letterman get his job (I watch Letterman, although less so lately), but the network saw Leno as the logical heir. Letterman is just too acid-tongued. It makes for some fun comedy, but the “Tonight Show” is about harmless and lighthearted fun. It made sense that Craig Kilborn, who was harder-edged than Conan, followed Letterman. Craig Ferguson, like Letterman, let’s his liberal political ideology affect his monologues. (more…)

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Tags: Andy Richter, Bill Clinton, Conan O'Brien, Don King, Jack Paar
Posted Jun 13th 2009 at 3:11 pm in Entertainment | 155026One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/egolub/2009/06/13/congratulations-conan/Conan+O%27Brien%3A+Class+Act+and+Worthy+%27Tonight+Show%27+Successor2009-06-13+22%3A11%3A25Eric+Golub

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 | 1563387 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 | 1497746 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

Review: The Great Buck Howard—A Show Biz Valentine

The Great Buck Howard is a funny, knowing gift for anyone who loves old-fashioned show business: It celebrates the entertainer who is in it for the fun of putting on a good show, and for bringing a little pleasure to anyone who cares enough to come out and watch. 

Buck Howard the man is an old-fashioned show-business type: He is a mentalist—a magician who does mind-reading tricks. But he is preternaturally good at what he does (in contrast to his complete lack of self-awareness), and he was once a pop-culture fixture, a regular on The Tonight Show. (“The real one—with Johnny Carson,” he constantly reminds—this will have its intended melancholy effect only on those over 40 or so.) Now he plays half-empty halls in third-tier markets. Not that this tempers his enthusiasm, or that of his fans. Which is exactly the point. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, amazing kreskin, brothers lost, colin hanks, don most
Posted Mar 25th 2009 at 2:51 pm in Reviews | 88770No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mlong/2009/03/25/review-the-great-buck-howard%e2%80%94a-show-biz-valentine/Review%3A+The+Great+Buck+Howard%E2%80%94A+Show+Biz+Valentine2009-03-25+21%3A51%3A07Mike+Long

Narcissist On Wire

Even before it won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary I was curious to see “Man On Wire.” Movies so often reflect the zeitgeist of the time that a lot can be learned from trying to divine what makes a film speak to its audience.

If you haven’t seen it, “Man On Wire” is an engrossing documentary about the French wirewalker, Philippe Petit who, on August 7, 1974, spent about forty-five minutes balancing on a wire illegally stretched between the two World Trade Center towers. Much of the film is put together out of home movies that Petit, his girlfriend Annie Allix, and a variety of cohorts made of themselves during the six years they plotted and trained for their crime. That’s the first indication that something is very much morally awry with Petit and his pals. Talented circus performer that he may be, Petit fancies himself to be such a “great artiste” that his narcissistic desire to defy death while demonstrating his skill trumps all protestations. He merits his obsession to be so important, that it all had to be documented for posterity. There are numerous episodes showing his friends, desperately trying to talk him out of his insane scheme, and even some thirty years later one of his co-conspirators breaks down in tears recalling the stress from the possibility that he might have been complicit in his friend’s death. Nevertheless, Petit’s insufferable self-importance sweeps away all their objections. (more…)

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Tags: Congress, leno, man on wire, narcissism, Obama
Posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 2:51 pm in Entertainment, Politics | 8733446 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ebalogh/2009/03/23/narcissist-on-wire/Narcissist+On+Wire2009-03-23+21%3A51%3A40Endre+Balogh

Obama Apologizes to the Right People

From Politico.com:

After comparing his bowling to the Special Olympics on “The Tonight Show” Thursday, President Obama called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize…[and] White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters…that “[the remark] was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics.”

Well, Obama damn well SHOULD apologize. Just think of how many retards voted for him.

(The above remark was in no way intended to disparage people who are actually retarded.)

(Especially this guy, who was competent enough to not vote for him.)

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Tags: Barack Obama, bowling, handicapped, jay leno, julia gorin
Posted Mar 20th 2009 at 9:40 am in Entertainment, Political Humor | 85330120 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jgorin/2009/03/20/obama-apologizes-to-the-right-people/Obama+Apologizes+to+the+Right+People2009-03-20+16%3A40%3A03Julia+Gorin