On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 12:08 AM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > Of course I disagree with you about Dave, who is not only still worth > watching, but in some ways better than he was at NBC. For one, he is a much > better interviewer. I happen to be looking for some Beatles stuff the other > day and watched the Pete Best interview Dave did in 1982. No question that > the Dave of today would have done a much more interesting job than young > Dave did with that. Young Dave was quicker and sharper, but Old Dave is more > interesting.
I concede Dave's ability to ask more poignant questions has improved. The interview he did with O'Reilly a few years back should be required viewing in broadcasting schools. But I just don't think his heart is in it anymore. It could be me projecting that somehow, but the events of his clash and subsequent apology to Sarah Palin demonstrated to me that he just doesn't give a sh*t anymore. So I concede he can be better than he was, but I just don't believe he has the drive to be better anymore. > More surprisingly perhaps, I disagree with you about Carson. Lord knows I am > no Leno fan, but in his last couple of years I was more eager to watch Leno > do the Tonight Show than Johnny. I thought Carson was trying to hard, and at > times embarrassingly, to be relevant and with it, and almost always failing. Your argument is probably more easily made than mine in this case. One needs only look at the final episode, when Johnny attempted (quite embarrassingly) to mimic the then popular "not!" catch-phrase from SNL and your argument is won (I wish that moment could be erased from television history). But I would contend that his continuing stalwart bits such as Carnac and Art Fern as opposed to trying new gags was a nod to the fact that, if it ain't broke -- don't fix it. Yes, Carson tossed a few hip, pop-culture references out there from time to time, but when they fell flat as they always did, he could mug the camera or slip off a one-liner to remind viewers why he was the king. Leno, on the other hand, featured a lot of young hip-hop and R&B acts in his early years as host (due mostly to the influence/insistence of Branford Marsalis) in his attempt to hit the younger demos, and nobody looked more disingenuous than Leno introducing the acts by saying things like, "These guys are great," or "One of my favorite new singers." I guess my only response to your argument is that Carson never tried to feign sincerity when he incorporated elements of the show which were not to his personal taste -- can't say the same for Leno. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
