jay leno

And, So, It Has Come To This: Conan O'Brien Is Gone From The Tonight Show

I don't watch The Tonight Show. It hasn't been on my television watching schedule for years and years. These days, if I find myself awake and in the mood for some mindless entertainment, I normally tune in and watch The Hour or Late Night with Conan O'Brien. (Yes, I know he has not had that show since 2008, but if I DID find myself up that late.) I never really watched Jay Leno. I do remember catching his first night and I have vivid memories of his one year anniversary show but that was a long time ago. Other than those two nights, I haven't watched.

Jay just "didn't do it for me". He has a smugness that is only amplified by his well known garage. But, really, who cares. It is late night television and that format hasn't changed since it started. I do think Leno is a decent guy and he has a lot of talent - but I prefer Conan O'Brien. I think his comedy style is far closer to my own taste and I believe he takes more risks that pay off. Jay Leno just isn't funny any more. He became stale somehow. He became a product.

I think this whole situation has received far too much coverage. It is a business dispute and, for whatever reason, NBC felt Conan was not working for their ratings. Of course, if Jay is as popular as they think he is, his audience would have followe. But what do I know, I am not much of a watcher of television that isn't on DVD these days. The Conan/Jay is just some silly situation that has produced a lot of content both over the airwaves and online (hey, look at me, I am adding to it!) and it makes absolutely no sense. For the record, this is what Conan had to say:

Then I started thinking. When did I last enjoy late night television? Have I fallen off some virtual wagon I am supposed to be on? Did I stop watching because I was getting older and felt I had some weird responsibility to get to bed early? I don't think so. What I do know is that I have cried thinking about the departure of Johnny Carson from The Tonight Show. Has it really been that long since I was dedicated to watching the late night programs? I suppose so. I thought I would look it up and this is what I found. My heart broke all over again.

Sorry, Conan, sounds like you were good but no one has touched Carson - yet. Maybe it is time for one of those risk taking situations where the host kills the format and makes something entirely new that everyone likes.

January 23rd, 2010

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About Me

Shane Birley is a blogger, huge geeky nerd, web developer, poet, and creative writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is a partner at Left Right Minds, a web development, arts management, business blogging and on line marketing company.

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