David Letterman Is Retiring

David Letterman autographed photoSome presents are meant to be remembered. While we were dating, Helaine got me an autographed photo of David Letterman. This was at the beginning of the morning show era. He was my hero.

What a caring gift. Thank you again, baby.

David Letterman has done some of the funniest off-the-wall material seen on TV. Not recently.

Since the heart attack? Since his affair? Since the birth of Harry? At some point his TV spark went away.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d see him tomorrow. I’m still a huge fan. He is not doing his best work today.

letterman-ticketWith Leno gone and Jimmy Fallon very strong out of the gate, it’s time. He said so a few nights ago.

So, who? The NY Post says CBS likes Colbert.

Are they talking the character he currently plays or legit Stephen Colbert? Is either a good choice? With the real Stephen, you risk fans who might not like his actual persona as much as his alter ego and feel cheated.

I like Jon Stewart a lot. That choice would make me happy and I think he could be a force.

letterman-studioHoward Stern is a good choice too. He’s intellectually curious and a great interviewer. Does he play close to the line a little too often for CBS? Maybe.

Stern had major public battles with Les Moonves who runs the network and its attendant empire. It got very nasty.

Does money trump personal animosity? Here? In SoCal? In show biz? Survey says, yes!

CBS needs to hit a home run. Late night is fabulously profitable in an era of pinched bottom lines. They will suffer greatly without the revenue Letterman brought.

This will be interesting to watch. Dave said his run ends in 2015.

Rediscovering Jimmy Fallon

He comes off totally unaffected, a really nice guy trying hard and having a good time.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is on the TV at the moment. It’s a show I don’t watch often. What was I thinking? This show is edgy like early Letterman or Steve Allen.

He comes off totally unaffected, a really nice guy trying hard and having a good time.

The show started with a bit featuring audience members asked to do something obviously impossible. It worked, but what I liked happened at the very end. It was obvious the show was going to commercial, but first Jimmy sat down and without saying a word went into a very quick and totally unrelated bit. It took 30 seconds tops, but it was like a bonus.

I finally tuned away during an interview with Bear Grylls. No one could have saved that.

I’m not making a long term commitment, but I’ll be back more often. I liked what I saw.

Saturday Night Live

I sat and watched Saturday Night Live tonight with Steffie. It’s a fairly regular ritual for us. She wanted to watch this week because of the appearance of the Olsen Twins (it’s good to be the Olsen Twins).

This was the last episode of the season. Jimmy Fallon said goodbye. I’m not sure anyone else is leaving.

Saturday Night Live has had its share of break out stars… and flops. I think this cast has at least two huge stars and one guy who will work constantly, making more money than nearly everyone else.

First the stars:

Horatio Sanz – Laughs all the time, especially at his own stuff. There is some non-quantifiable attribute that certain people have, which makes them likable on TV. He has that something, and has a lot of it. I know nothing about him but fear he might have a self destructive side.

Fred Armisen – I was not impressed when I first watched him last season. I sense that writers need to find the performer’s sweet spot on Saturday Night Live. This year they found Fred’s. He is very funny playing hapless geeks. He is funniest when he’s totally over-the-top.

Now, the guy who will always work:

Chris Parnell – He is Phil Hartman, Fred Willard, Harry Shearer, Dan Akroyd funny. There will always be a need for him, though probably not as the lead.

These guys are great. It was a pretty good (though not the best) year.