The NEW "Tonight Show".

Joe was on and gone so fast that I didn't recognize him until he was announced...Lady Gaga took advantage of every second.

All in all, a good first Tonight Show for Jimmy. He seemed relaxed though he confessed off camera that he was nervous, carried the show well with jokes that were funny and a smooth style. Can't say that I care for the design of his studio - IMO, it needs to be a bit more glitzy.

 

Either more glitzy or more old-school - what he has now comes off as extremely bland.


I watched Carson on and off since he took Tonight over, then Leno all the way through. I think Fallon will be successful in picking up where Leno left off; my biggest question is 'who will replace Letterman?'

 

A test pattern would be an improvement.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I don't understand the point of moving it to NY. If you fly the overnighter from LA to JFK, it's usually has in 1st class guests for Letterman from Hollywood on it who then fly back the same night. It's going to be harder to get guests this way.

 

1+

I would have kept it in CA. A different vibe than Letterman.

 

When Leno came on full time, he subbed for Carson many times building up some credibility with the audience.

Conan never did and neither has Fallon. I think Fallon is extremely talented but I wonder if it's going to lose it's middle America appeal. Conan was just too kooky for them.

Letterman has to go. He's been doing the same routine for 30 years now. If I turn him on, it's like I just went back to 1985.

 

I like Dave Chapelle better. I like Fallon but his delivery is just a bit too much like Bob Saget's, and I can't stand him. He made America's Funniest Home Videos very unfunny.

 

IMO, Fallon is just the right guy to continue Leno's middle America appeal - he's a good looking college-type white boy with a pleasant, no-rough-edges personality and the talent required to pull it off. His time in the spot after Leno has brought him a loyal audience and the needed credibility.

Letterman's time to go is indeed coming. Craig Ferguson is also an extremely talented guy who's had a big success in his ten years in the spot following Letterman, but as much as I like him, his act as it is now is too kooky and kinky to bring to Letterman's spot. I'm sure that he could tone it down to suit Dave's audience, but in Craig's own words, "I can't be tamed!"

 

Generally speaking, PR types (and the shows themselves) don't like a celeb to be on both Letterman and Tonight two days in a row. It's extremely rare. Therefore, they both vie for wooing hot guests to appear. Lets face it, people do turn in to see the biggest and most interesting celebs. It can also be a bit insulting to appear on one show first and the other second. The second show is really old news by then.

So, with both big shows in NY now, it's going to be a ratings game to see who gets the lion's share. When it was LA vs NY, it was easier. LA had an advantage, which was one of the reasons it moved there in the first place. Then again, jet travel today is a lot better than it was in the 70's.

This was one of the problems that Conan's drop in the ratings encountered. PR firms wanted to get the biggest bang for their buck and Conan was losing the game.

I can see Fallon whiping up Letterman in the ratings. He's fresh, new, and NBC will spend a ton of cash to make sure he's on top. If he doesn't though, Letterman will have a big advantage in getting the best guests to do their normal PR stunts for movies and projects.

The winner in all this could be Jimmy Kimmel.

 

NBC spent a ton on Fallon from the get-go...after Conan, they had to have him well groomed to take over from Leno.

Maybe I'm an aberration among late-night watchers, but I tune into the guy who makes me laugh, with the celebrities at choice of on or off.

 

Fallon laughs way too much at his own jokes. Did it on SNL and his old show...definitely a turn off. I hope the best for him, but I prefer The Late Late Show and Conan to them...probably because both are very weird with their shows.

 

I always recorded Leno and watched it later for the monolog, an interesting guest, or an interesting band.

I don't feel Fallon to be as likeable or as funny.

 

Leno may be back with another network
Which IMO will further fragment the late night audience.

 

Just saw an ad that Leno is still doing the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa beach every Sunday night.

The guy just likes working in front of an audience. He's worth millions and millions and still wants to make people laugh.

 

He was funny in 1985. Good spirited and hilarious.

I don't recognize him now. Yes, it's still the same stuff, but there's an undercurrent in him that seems bitter and even nasty now.

Matt

 

I dont think Letterman is going to go, I think he will pick up the middle America audience that Leno had, if Leno does come back to a different network that may be a different matter..

 

What's the deal with moving the show to 12 now ?

The new time change is making it difficult for me to stay up, I can't take 1 hr of news , I fall asleep.

I missed the second night, lets see what happens tonight.

Ps. Mariah Carey still looks hot, even with the 20lbs weight gain.

 

I think that's a temporary "Olympic" thing.

 

I believe you and I are the younger generation Fallon is after. I just don't him funny. He may be a nice guy, but his political bias in his shows and his impression that he comes off like he is trying too hard doesn't work for me.