Last night's (Wednesday, 12 January) episode of Conan was a reminder that no matter how bad the opening jokes are, Conan O'Brien will make the first ten minutes worth it. The monologue jokes were weak, so weak in fact that I suspect they were purposeful stinkers, but I still laughed a lot, because Conan can salvage failed jokes almost as well as he capitalizes on good jokes. The snow joke was outstandingly bad, which made it good for a laugh.
Andy Richter's reaction to the story about masturbation was priceless, and then he mocked the opening jokes as well. The final joke, about the 'Nintendo Wii Wii" was so awful that I think my theory is entirely correct. La Bamba's snowstorm was classic, though, "All trombone music has been suspended for the rest of the show". When James Lipton showed up and was denied work the show had redeemed itself. And nobody even made a height-related joke, which is a mark of maturity.
When Denis Leary brought up typewriters and Conan derailed him in the 20's style was awesome, if you go in for that kind of humor. It's late-night comedy at its finest when Conan O'Brien pretends to telegram a Twitter posting while Denis Leary wipes away a tear of laughter. Plus, Leary said his mother was on Facebook, but said so in a Twitteresque way, which means that at least one of my predictions has already come true, even earlier than I thought. So keep an eye on local bears. The show ended well, with Ice Cube (who is not on Late Night shows that often) and a comic (Tim Minchin) on a piano (which sounds trite but he made it work). But the opening was really surprisingly funny.
This brings me to 2010 Retrospective Pt. 4 (or 5): State of the Late-Night Talk Show in 2010
Jimmy Fallon had a great year, and his show is definitely getting better, but I think his best years are still ahead. Leno and Letterman are doing as well as ever, and Letterman even crashed into a Christmas tree on stage a few weeks ago, so you know those shows are doing fine. Ferguson's show is still excellent and irreverent. They've all been stable and working in much the same manner as ever.
So there is a fair bit of competition, but Conan O'Brien had the comeback. And I read TV critics saying Conan was "uncomfortable" and "awkward" and that his show wasn't funny. Those TV critics are the same who ignored Community, so they obviously live in a time before 2009 and don't qualify to make judgments on contemporary TV. Conan wins because his show had only a month in 2010 to prove itself, and it was damn funny in that time. It's a comeback, and that is the kind of story you can't invent and have to watch while it happens. And I want to know how it plays out, so I know if I was right in my completely unimportant internet judgment.
Showing posts with label Late Night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Late Night. Show all posts
12/11/10
Conan Attacks the Youth, DC Comics
I had to laugh at the Thursday episode when I caught it on the web just now. Somebody points at Conan and he points back, then a whole row of audience members point back, and it begins a thing. Leno does the high-five thing and contributes the flu, everyone claps, but Conan O'Brien consistently involves the audience some types of chicanery. Not all types of chicanery, of course.
Then Conan actually, if you'll believe this, told a member to point at the stage for the entire show. I don't know if it's just me, but when Conan said "That's what's wrong with your generation." I laughed but moreover, was deeply offended. Nobody can hold up their arms that long... it's discouraging to see him promoting this kind of angst just about finger pointing.
The entire DC Comics segment was great. The criticism of various lame superheroes and Conan even made the artist laugh. Or payed him to laugh. Either way, the criticism part made laugh heartily, though it was as heartless as his assault on the youth during the opening. Sarah Silverman is the kind of guest who is bound to act funny and kind of steal the show, and Michio Kaku is the intellectual twist and obligatory science guest. Sounds like a good Thursday night to me, except, well, the e-show delay. It's still good a day later.
Obligatory science guests, in this case speaking about sacred quests. Bit of rhyming. Really a good guest though, you really don't hear enough about Unified Field theory these days.
EDIT: If you look right now (Sat, ~4 AM EST) on the film & animation section on YouTube you can see a large amount of trailers posted for the new Transformers movie, and to be honest the number is not what you'd expect after Transformers 2. This fan enthusiasm has to be synthetic as the robot monster it has become.
Then Conan actually, if you'll believe this, told a member to point at the stage for the entire show. I don't know if it's just me, but when Conan said "That's what's wrong with your generation." I laughed but moreover, was deeply offended. Nobody can hold up their arms that long... it's discouraging to see him promoting this kind of angst just about finger pointing.
The entire DC Comics segment was great. The criticism of various lame superheroes and Conan even made the artist laugh. Or payed him to laugh. Either way, the criticism part made laugh heartily, though it was as heartless as his assault on the youth during the opening. Sarah Silverman is the kind of guest who is bound to act funny and kind of steal the show, and Michio Kaku is the intellectual twist and obligatory science guest. Sounds like a good Thursday night to me, except, well, the e-show delay. It's still good a day later.
Obligatory science guests, in this case speaking about sacred quests. Bit of rhyming. Really a good guest though, you really don't hear enough about Unified Field theory these days.
EDIT: If you look right now (Sat, ~4 AM EST) on the film & animation section on YouTube you can see a large amount of trailers posted for the new Transformers movie, and to be honest the number is not what you'd expect after Transformers 2. This fan enthusiasm has to be synthetic as the robot monster it has become.
12/3/10
Late Night Talkshows: Conan O'Brien, the "Jesse" episode of Dec. 1
Of all the shows that air late at night or in the early morning, I have watched Conan's the longest. I didn't watch it in the 90's when it was god-awful (or so they say, and by 'they' I mean Fallon apologists) and I don't know if it ever was. The show was always a great change of pace from Letterman or Leno. The writing was hit-or-miss but Conan knew how to wring a laugh out of the most execrable joke his hack writers could throw at him.
His format isn't as inventive as Jimmy Fallon his replacement. Conan does all the things that other talk-shows do. His house band is not stupendous (though LaBamba has become legendary) and he does all the same things as other hosts. If anything, Ferguson is the only inventive host from the start, but he no longer competes with Conan for viewers, and I discussed him a bit in the post about Fallon.
There's still some originality about Conan O'Brien that people either love or hate. Most people I know either don't watch Conan because they don't care, or outright hate him. I don't know why people feel this way, since lots of funny things go on in his show. Like this Wednesday's episode (which I watched last night on the internet) where he took an audience member's hat, wore it, and made a long-running joke out of what happened afterward. Hat-sniffing, hair-fetishes: these are things you don't find on any other show, no matter how wacky it may be. The episode might as well be referred to as "The Jesse Episode", as even the later guests got into the action.
Joel McHale was one of the guests and he was merciless with poor Jesse, throwing out a series of insults about how he was dressed or who dressed him. It was a strange and disheartening scene to see an actor who plays everyone's favourite character berate a spectator for dressing casually. If a man doesn't want to dress well, it's not really anyone's business, and certainly not talk-show material. Community wasn't mentioned overmuch, but what was plugged was the Christmas episode which sounds outstanding even at the distance of a week. All in all, though, McHale's curmugeonliness was probably just an act by an otherwise great man who no doubt impersonates beggars in his spare time to help afford his suit habit.
The recurring bit about Dion parking in the studio was funny – another stunt you don't find on any other show. Ferguson has Secretariat and techno music and a fair bit of swearing, but he doesn't have Andy Richter as a parking valet. Speaking of Andy Richter, he still delivers solid laughs every night and I am glad to see him return. LaBamba is there too, so what I'm really waiting for is a new iteration of "In the Year 2000...", which NBC has probably copyrighted just to spite Conan.
That was just Monday, and the guests were good (I say this because I am in support of Community alumni making awkward scenes and half-heartedly plugging the show) even the fashion guy stood up for Jesse, making McHale the perfect villain. He stayed for the whole show, so he's obviously a gentleman into the bargain, and let's face it, he probably either apologized to Jesse or explained the nervous disorder that made him launch that triptych of personal insults.
His format isn't as inventive as Jimmy Fallon his replacement. Conan does all the things that other talk-shows do. His house band is not stupendous (though LaBamba has become legendary) and he does all the same things as other hosts. If anything, Ferguson is the only inventive host from the start, but he no longer competes with Conan for viewers, and I discussed him a bit in the post about Fallon.
There's still some originality about Conan O'Brien that people either love or hate. Most people I know either don't watch Conan because they don't care, or outright hate him. I don't know why people feel this way, since lots of funny things go on in his show. Like this Wednesday's episode (which I watched last night on the internet) where he took an audience member's hat, wore it, and made a long-running joke out of what happened afterward. Hat-sniffing, hair-fetishes: these are things you don't find on any other show, no matter how wacky it may be. The episode might as well be referred to as "The Jesse Episode", as even the later guests got into the action.
Joel McHale was one of the guests and he was merciless with poor Jesse, throwing out a series of insults about how he was dressed or who dressed him. It was a strange and disheartening scene to see an actor who plays everyone's favourite character berate a spectator for dressing casually. If a man doesn't want to dress well, it's not really anyone's business, and certainly not talk-show material. Community wasn't mentioned overmuch, but what was plugged was the Christmas episode which sounds outstanding even at the distance of a week. All in all, though, McHale's curmugeonliness was probably just an act by an otherwise great man who no doubt impersonates beggars in his spare time to help afford his suit habit.
The recurring bit about Dion parking in the studio was funny – another stunt you don't find on any other show. Ferguson has Secretariat and techno music and a fair bit of swearing, but he doesn't have Andy Richter as a parking valet. Speaking of Andy Richter, he still delivers solid laughs every night and I am glad to see him return. LaBamba is there too, so what I'm really waiting for is a new iteration of "In the Year 2000...", which NBC has probably copyrighted just to spite Conan.
That was just Monday, and the guests were good (I say this because I am in support of Community alumni making awkward scenes and half-heartedly plugging the show) even the fashion guy stood up for Jesse, making McHale the perfect villain. He stayed for the whole show, so he's obviously a gentleman into the bargain, and let's face it, he probably either apologized to Jesse or explained the nervous disorder that made him launch that triptych of personal insults.
11/28/10
Late Night Talkshows: Fallon vs. 'The Veterans'
I'm talking about the really late shows, even though 'really late at 12:35' isn't late at all if you're nocturnal or caught up in something. Craig Ferguson is the veteran of that time-slot. Conan is obviously out of it for good now. Fallon is the plucky newcomer. These three names mean (or meant) late night TV.
Craig Ferguson is probably the best interviewer on TV right now. I don't know if he manipulates the guest or the situation but generally his interviews are enjoyable to watch, he remains very funny, involves the guest and doesn't fall back on hack discussion half as much as anyone. Of course that approach isn't 100% successful, and there are still interviews where I know I'd be better off brushing my teeth and going to sleep. His openings can throw off newcomers who expect things of TV, but the show despite its grim set is mostly fantastic. There's a type of weirdness that's unlike Conan O'Brien - in some ways more direct. I realize weirdness is subjective, but if anyone has a monopoly on weird puppets it is Ferguson.
Fallon replaced Conan in 2009 and it was lamentable how it worked out in the end, but the important thing is that in many ways his show (especially in the last few months) has supplanted the hipness factor of Conan. The fact that The Roots play on the show is mind-boggling, and Fallon and guests graciously remember to acknowledge that. Of course that also lets you know that the show is backed all the way. It's less vicariously crazy than Ferguson, and less subtly oddball (?) than Conan was, but it works.
I don't know why people dumped on Fallon so much at the start. I get the feeling many of them are Conan loyalists and the rest didn't like Conan anyway and just carried over the old prejudices. Fallon's definitely nervous on TV and this is even true a year later, but if anything that humanizes the man. Just because Larry Sanders was on laudanum or Xanax all the time and Letterman and Leno know how to work crowds does not mean that Fallon is totally incapable of being on TV.
Sure, Fallon does not always nail interviews. Ferguson outclasses him here in all respects, but Ferguson's show caters to a different audience. Fallon's interviews are usually on par with Leno and Letterman, and sometimes he gets a better reaction. The games he plays with guests can be seen as gimmicks, but they do create instant rapport and more importantly they shake up the format; the late night TV format can be very grim if the guests are bored or jaded, or the host is hungover.
Fallon's monologue delivery seems absolutely canned in comparison to Ferguson or Conan or even L&L on a good night. This is more or less what I would expect from somebody whose background in stand-up isn't particularly outstanding. Also, and you hear this a lot, he has some dead weight writers which make the problem worse than it is. If he got better material to open with I think he could do it justice.
Jimmy Fallon banks on his impersonations, especially during the opening sequence. Most of the time they are on the right note. Recently he did Neil Young and sang with Bruce Springsteen which was probably one of the best things I've seen on late night TV. That anecdote brings me to the other focus of the show: music. No other late night talk-show is as intense about it.
The whole Bruce Springsteen episode also highlights the guests on Fallon's show, who used to all be character actors from SNL but now are actually real celebrities. It's largely what you'd expect to see on a 'hip' 'youth-segment' type of show, but it's usually a good lineup.
I've been watching this show more often since August '10 and I have to say it is sporadically brilliant. There was a Hubble Space Telescope Rap which sounds like a failure waiting to happen but was actually good. There was an audience claque in one instance who went into free-associative rants with Fallon, and then walked out in affront after getting out-rhymed, which was an honest attempt at hilarity. To me, it was a rousing success, because I actually laughed after 12 on a weekday. So you know not all the writers are slacking.
The Clip Remixes on Thursdays are worth seeing at least once. If the clips don't amuse, the technical prowess of Questlove is a treat. The audience contests get a little too 'zany' sometimes, but you have to admire the effort that goes into some of them, and some of the contests deliver. I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Fallon becomes established in 2 years or moves on due to uncontrollable, crushing anxiety. Either way he has a show he can be 50% proud of.
Craig Ferguson is probably the best interviewer on TV right now. I don't know if he manipulates the guest or the situation but generally his interviews are enjoyable to watch, he remains very funny, involves the guest and doesn't fall back on hack discussion half as much as anyone. Of course that approach isn't 100% successful, and there are still interviews where I know I'd be better off brushing my teeth and going to sleep. His openings can throw off newcomers who expect things of TV, but the show despite its grim set is mostly fantastic. There's a type of weirdness that's unlike Conan O'Brien - in some ways more direct. I realize weirdness is subjective, but if anyone has a monopoly on weird puppets it is Ferguson.
Fallon replaced Conan in 2009 and it was lamentable how it worked out in the end, but the important thing is that in many ways his show (especially in the last few months) has supplanted the hipness factor of Conan. The fact that The Roots play on the show is mind-boggling, and Fallon and guests graciously remember to acknowledge that. Of course that also lets you know that the show is backed all the way. It's less vicariously crazy than Ferguson, and less subtly oddball (?) than Conan was, but it works.
I don't know why people dumped on Fallon so much at the start. I get the feeling many of them are Conan loyalists and the rest didn't like Conan anyway and just carried over the old prejudices. Fallon's definitely nervous on TV and this is even true a year later, but if anything that humanizes the man. Just because Larry Sanders was on laudanum or Xanax all the time and Letterman and Leno know how to work crowds does not mean that Fallon is totally incapable of being on TV.
Sure, Fallon does not always nail interviews. Ferguson outclasses him here in all respects, but Ferguson's show caters to a different audience. Fallon's interviews are usually on par with Leno and Letterman, and sometimes he gets a better reaction. The games he plays with guests can be seen as gimmicks, but they do create instant rapport and more importantly they shake up the format; the late night TV format can be very grim if the guests are bored or jaded, or the host is hungover.
Fallon's monologue delivery seems absolutely canned in comparison to Ferguson or Conan or even L&L on a good night. This is more or less what I would expect from somebody whose background in stand-up isn't particularly outstanding. Also, and you hear this a lot, he has some dead weight writers which make the problem worse than it is. If he got better material to open with I think he could do it justice.
Jimmy Fallon banks on his impersonations, especially during the opening sequence. Most of the time they are on the right note. Recently he did Neil Young and sang with Bruce Springsteen which was probably one of the best things I've seen on late night TV. That anecdote brings me to the other focus of the show: music. No other late night talk-show is as intense about it.
The whole Bruce Springsteen episode also highlights the guests on Fallon's show, who used to all be character actors from SNL but now are actually real celebrities. It's largely what you'd expect to see on a 'hip' 'youth-segment' type of show, but it's usually a good lineup.
I've been watching this show more often since August '10 and I have to say it is sporadically brilliant. There was a Hubble Space Telescope Rap which sounds like a failure waiting to happen but was actually good. There was an audience claque in one instance who went into free-associative rants with Fallon, and then walked out in affront after getting out-rhymed, which was an honest attempt at hilarity. To me, it was a rousing success, because I actually laughed after 12 on a weekday. So you know not all the writers are slacking.
The Clip Remixes on Thursdays are worth seeing at least once. If the clips don't amuse, the technical prowess of Questlove is a treat. The audience contests get a little too 'zany' sometimes, but you have to admire the effort that goes into some of them, and some of the contests deliver. I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Fallon becomes established in 2 years or moves on due to uncontrollable, crushing anxiety. Either way he has a show he can be 50% proud of.
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