USA Today article grades late night talk shows.
04-17-05, 01:15 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
USA Today article grades late night talk shows.
I would put Letterman at #1 and Stewart at #2, but I agree with almost the entire article and the observations made about each show and their host. Leno is at the very bottom where he belongs.
Seven past 11: A critic's guide
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
If you want TV at its best these days, it helps to stay up late.
An ever-evolving (or sometimes just revolving) part of the day, late night is probably at a momentary apex. There are some great shows running after 11 — and the ones that aren't great are still, for the most part, capable of providing the kind of easy-to-take entertainment that people crave at the end of the day. As for the one awful show — well, it's also the most popular, so it's obviously pleasing someone.
As usual with TV, this golden era won't last. Some hosts will leave, and some who stay will grow bored. We may even lose an entire show: Ted Koppel retires from Nightline and ABC in December, and it's unclear what will happen to his show when he goes.
We figured the time had come to take a late-night snapshot, now that the newest hosts have had a little time to settle in and the oldest are still in place. So what follows is a critical guide to the seven most important shows running in the most competitive time slots. (If you're still up for NBC's out-there-on-its-own Last Call with Carson Daly, you're on your own, too.)
Robert Bianco loses some sleep to bring you his take on late night's big entries (listed in order of preference, best to worst):
Have a good night.
1. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
Are your kids getting their news from Jon Stewart's Daily Show? Hey, they could do worse.
Obviously, they won't get all the facts or both sides of an issue; The Daily Show is a comedy show, not a newscast. But they will get a daily dose of current events that might inspire them to turn to an actual news source for more details.
And if not, they'll still get a lesson in comedy from Stewart, whose aghast-but-bemused mockery of the conventions of TV news and the nonsense spouted by news-makers is one of TV's funniest and most accomplished acts. Stewart and his show can sometimes be irreverent for irreverence's sake alone. But the humor also can be joyously pointed, a sharp-witted attack on pomposity and hypocrisy.
Blessed with impeccable timing and a good grasp of shtick, Stewart is the ideal star for The Daily Show. He is neither a talk host nor an anchor, though he plays at both roles. He's a thoughtful, clever comedian with a knack for pulling off gently mocking interviews with news-makers, most of whom either don't realize he's making fun of them or feel compelled to play along. That's not an act that would travel to, say, Nightline.
2. Nightline
ABC, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
As it approaches its 25th anniversary, Nightline remains perhaps our best daily network news broadcast ever. Naturally, its future is in doubt.
The show's quality has never wavered. Ted Koppel remains one of TV's strongest and most straightforward interviewers, and the show's introductory pieces are usually the best-produced news stories you'll see all day.
The problem is that the show's viewers are older than ABC would like, which is why the network may consider dumping an invaluable news outlet that draws a larger audience than any cable rival. My fear is ABC will chase away the current audience without attracting a new one. My hope is that the network will leave the format alone and turn the show over to CNN's Anderson Cooper, who could put his own dryly witty stamp on the show. My advice? Watch while you can.
3. Late Show with David Letterman
CBS, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
If you don't like Letterman now, you probably never will, because he has never been better.
Even at his best, Letterman will never be to everyone's taste. Where most late-night hosts are modeled after Johnny Carson, Letterman is the heir of Jack Paar: edgy, volatile and capable of working with every nerve ending exposed.
Yet without sacrificing any of what makes him so special as a TV presence, Letterman has become unusually comfortable and relaxed of late. Where other long-running hosts seem to have checked out, he seems more engaged than ever.
He's not a stand-up, and he knows it: His monologue goes by quickly and relies on humorous understatement. (Letterman on Michael Jackson: "I'm beginning to think this guy is weird.") And while he has his favorite bits, he isn't overly reliant on them. The driving force for the Late Show is, as it has always been, Letterman reacting to doing the Late Show.
4. Late Night with Conan O'Brien
NBC, 12:35 a.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
If Nightline is the past and Letterman is the present, O'Brien is the future.
If things go as planned, O'Brien will take over TheTonight Show when Jay Leno retires in 2009. But there's no need to wait that long to watch him. In late night, only The Daily Show is more consistently funny than Late Night, and when O'Brien is at the top of his game, no one is funnier. O'Brien has created a gleefully original comic character out of his professed insecurities.
So why a second-tier grade? He still tends to push too hard when his pre-planned bits aren't working (and sometimes even when they are), and he has yet to learn how to handle a bad interview.
Still, he has until 2009 to learn. He already is better than Leno. Master a few more skills, and he may rival Carson.
5. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
CBS, 12:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
Surely there's a place in late night for the pleasantly inoffensive.
The newest host of the group, Ferguson also is the least likely: a Scottish actor with no prior hosting experience. Which is why his show, as he announces almost every night, is still a work in practice.
Ferguson is a naturally funny man, but he's not a comic, and when the show tries to force him into that role, the results can be painful. But when left on his own, he has great reserves of charm.
6. Jimmy Kimmel Live
ABC, 12:05 a.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
To those who are surprised to hear that Jimmy Kimmel is still on the air, I'll add even more surprising news: He's not bad. With O'Brien and Kimmel, you get the twin poles of current American comedy. O'Brien is the ironic, Harvard Lampoon wiseguy. Kimmel is just "the guy" — affable, if a little insensitive.
When he began, there was too much of The Man Show in him, and those rube roots can still show when he's around pretty girls or star athletes. But to his great credit, he has come up with one of late night's better bits, an opening routine built around TV clips. It may owe something to The Daily Show, but it stretches beyond newscasts to make fun of everything from Nancy Grace to WB's The Starlet.
7. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
NBC, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Forget it, get some sleep
Is it 2009 yet?
That's the date set for Leno's retirement, though you'd never know, since he seems to have retired already.
Granted, I've never been a fan. Leno's monologue has always struck me as repetitive and pointless. And while all the shows make Michael Jackson jokes, Leno's are the most numerous and tasteless.
Never a good interviewer, Leno has somehow managed to become even worse. Now and then, someone seems to catch his interest. But far too often, this talk host doesn't actually talk to his guests at all. He just feeds them a cue for some prepackaged anecdote and lets them ramble on.
At that rate, it's going to be a long four years.
Seven past 11: A critic's guide
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
If you want TV at its best these days, it helps to stay up late.
An ever-evolving (or sometimes just revolving) part of the day, late night is probably at a momentary apex. There are some great shows running after 11 — and the ones that aren't great are still, for the most part, capable of providing the kind of easy-to-take entertainment that people crave at the end of the day. As for the one awful show — well, it's also the most popular, so it's obviously pleasing someone.
As usual with TV, this golden era won't last. Some hosts will leave, and some who stay will grow bored. We may even lose an entire show: Ted Koppel retires from Nightline and ABC in December, and it's unclear what will happen to his show when he goes.
We figured the time had come to take a late-night snapshot, now that the newest hosts have had a little time to settle in and the oldest are still in place. So what follows is a critical guide to the seven most important shows running in the most competitive time slots. (If you're still up for NBC's out-there-on-its-own Last Call with Carson Daly, you're on your own, too.)
Robert Bianco loses some sleep to bring you his take on late night's big entries (listed in order of preference, best to worst):
Have a good night.
1. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
Are your kids getting their news from Jon Stewart's Daily Show? Hey, they could do worse.
Obviously, they won't get all the facts or both sides of an issue; The Daily Show is a comedy show, not a newscast. But they will get a daily dose of current events that might inspire them to turn to an actual news source for more details.
And if not, they'll still get a lesson in comedy from Stewart, whose aghast-but-bemused mockery of the conventions of TV news and the nonsense spouted by news-makers is one of TV's funniest and most accomplished acts. Stewart and his show can sometimes be irreverent for irreverence's sake alone. But the humor also can be joyously pointed, a sharp-witted attack on pomposity and hypocrisy.
Blessed with impeccable timing and a good grasp of shtick, Stewart is the ideal star for The Daily Show. He is neither a talk host nor an anchor, though he plays at both roles. He's a thoughtful, clever comedian with a knack for pulling off gently mocking interviews with news-makers, most of whom either don't realize he's making fun of them or feel compelled to play along. That's not an act that would travel to, say, Nightline.
2. Nightline
ABC, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
As it approaches its 25th anniversary, Nightline remains perhaps our best daily network news broadcast ever. Naturally, its future is in doubt.
The show's quality has never wavered. Ted Koppel remains one of TV's strongest and most straightforward interviewers, and the show's introductory pieces are usually the best-produced news stories you'll see all day.
The problem is that the show's viewers are older than ABC would like, which is why the network may consider dumping an invaluable news outlet that draws a larger audience than any cable rival. My fear is ABC will chase away the current audience without attracting a new one. My hope is that the network will leave the format alone and turn the show over to CNN's Anderson Cooper, who could put his own dryly witty stamp on the show. My advice? Watch while you can.
3. Late Show with David Letterman
CBS, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Stay up late, and if you can't, tape it
If you don't like Letterman now, you probably never will, because he has never been better.
Even at his best, Letterman will never be to everyone's taste. Where most late-night hosts are modeled after Johnny Carson, Letterman is the heir of Jack Paar: edgy, volatile and capable of working with every nerve ending exposed.
Yet without sacrificing any of what makes him so special as a TV presence, Letterman has become unusually comfortable and relaxed of late. Where other long-running hosts seem to have checked out, he seems more engaged than ever.
He's not a stand-up, and he knows it: His monologue goes by quickly and relies on humorous understatement. (Letterman on Michael Jackson: "I'm beginning to think this guy is weird.") And while he has his favorite bits, he isn't overly reliant on them. The driving force for the Late Show is, as it has always been, Letterman reacting to doing the Late Show.
4. Late Night with Conan O'Brien
NBC, 12:35 a.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
If Nightline is the past and Letterman is the present, O'Brien is the future.
If things go as planned, O'Brien will take over TheTonight Show when Jay Leno retires in 2009. But there's no need to wait that long to watch him. In late night, only The Daily Show is more consistently funny than Late Night, and when O'Brien is at the top of his game, no one is funnier. O'Brien has created a gleefully original comic character out of his professed insecurities.
So why a second-tier grade? He still tends to push too hard when his pre-planned bits aren't working (and sometimes even when they are), and he has yet to learn how to handle a bad interview.
Still, he has until 2009 to learn. He already is better than Leno. Master a few more skills, and he may rival Carson.
5. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
CBS, 12:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
Surely there's a place in late night for the pleasantly inoffensive.
The newest host of the group, Ferguson also is the least likely: a Scottish actor with no prior hosting experience. Which is why his show, as he announces almost every night, is still a work in practice.
Ferguson is a naturally funny man, but he's not a comic, and when the show tries to force him into that role, the results can be painful. But when left on his own, he has great reserves of charm.
6. Jimmy Kimmel Live
ABC, 12:05 a.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Watch if you're up anyway
To those who are surprised to hear that Jimmy Kimmel is still on the air, I'll add even more surprising news: He's not bad. With O'Brien and Kimmel, you get the twin poles of current American comedy. O'Brien is the ironic, Harvard Lampoon wiseguy. Kimmel is just "the guy" — affable, if a little insensitive.
When he began, there was too much of The Man Show in him, and those rube roots can still show when he's around pretty girls or star athletes. But to his great credit, he has come up with one of late night's better bits, an opening routine built around TV clips. It may owe something to The Daily Show, but it stretches beyond newscasts to make fun of everything from Nancy Grace to WB's The Starlet.
7. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
NBC, 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Late grade: Forget it, get some sleep
Is it 2009 yet?
That's the date set for Leno's retirement, though you'd never know, since he seems to have retired already.
Granted, I've never been a fan. Leno's monologue has always struck me as repetitive and pointless. And while all the shows make Michael Jackson jokes, Leno's are the most numerous and tasteless.
Never a good interviewer, Leno has somehow managed to become even worse. Now and then, someone seems to catch his interest. But far too often, this talk host doesn't actually talk to his guests at all. He just feeds them a cue for some prepackaged anecdote and lets them ramble on.
At that rate, it's going to be a long four years.
Last edited by dolphinboy; 04-17-05 at 01:29 AM.
04-17-05, 01:19 AM
#2
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Atrocious list. I don't watch Jon Stewart and never got the buzz around him. Conan rules all. How he's 4th on this list is beyond me.
04-17-05, 01:27 AM
#4
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Originally Posted by Deftones
Atrocious list. I don't watch Jon Stewart and never got the buzz around him. Conan rules all. How he's 4th on this list is beyond me.
04-17-05, 01:38 AM
#5
DVD Talk God
Originally Posted by dolphinboy
Wow, if you could just get past his spot on the list and actually read what the writer wrote about Conan, which was highly complimentary, you might not think the list was so atrocious.
Conan doesn't force anything. In fact, he makes fun of that fact on his show quite often. He shows that he doesn't take himself seriously and alot of his humor is self-deprecating.
That's not a good list.
Last edited by Deftones; 04-17-05 at 01:41 AM.
04-17-05, 01:57 AM
#6
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I kind of agree with the article, but to me it's more like a 5-way tie for last place. I get tired of any of them if I watch them too much, so I tend to switch around. They all get repetitive eventually and I don't think I'd tape any of them. I agree that Leno is the worst interviewer of the lot and he has a horrible lineup of unfunny annoying regulars like Ross the Intern, the Fruitcake Lady, Tom Green, Harland Williams. It's like a Who's Who of unfunny and obnoxious people. Most of the time he's the only one that's laughing at those people. I like Mitch Fatel, Stephen Schirripa, Gilbert Gottfried and Fred Willard, who he also uses frequently. He used to have Dave Chapelle, before he made it big. Leno used to be a really funny standup comic and I suspect he's probably still the funniest of the lot.
Letterman has fallen into a lazy routine, where he uses half of the show to plod through his worn-out regular routines like "Know your current events" and "Will it float?"
Conan used to be funnier. He seems to have gotten really conceited recently. Of course I normally only watch him on Fridays, since I have a job and he's on too late. The same with Kimmel and Ferguson, although I kind of like both of them, probably because I haven't seen them enough for them to have become tiresome yet.
I liked Jon Stewart the few times I've seen his show. Being cable-less, I don't see it unless I'm at someone else's house. I agree with D-Ball that Nightline shouldn't be on the list. It's really nothing like the others.
Letterman has fallen into a lazy routine, where he uses half of the show to plod through his worn-out regular routines like "Know your current events" and "Will it float?"
Conan used to be funnier. He seems to have gotten really conceited recently. Of course I normally only watch him on Fridays, since I have a job and he's on too late. The same with Kimmel and Ferguson, although I kind of like both of them, probably because I haven't seen them enough for them to have become tiresome yet.
I liked Jon Stewart the few times I've seen his show. Being cable-less, I don't see it unless I'm at someone else's house. I agree with D-Ball that Nightline shouldn't be on the list. It's really nothing like the others.
04-17-05, 07:27 AM
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I'm glad Craig Ferguson got some "props". I totally agree with the writer about his Natural comic ability. That's what impressed me when they had him guest host before they chose him. But alas, some of the "forced comedy" bits don't do him justice. His best was "Scottish Elvis" auditioning for CBS's "Elvis" movie by sneking into the real auditions. 
Last edited by Giantrobo; 04-17-05 at 07:45 AM.
04-17-05, 08:57 AM
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1. Conan
Both the funniest and most consistently funny. I don't understand how the write can complain about Conan "pushing too hard" when a bit is bombing. He's just trying to make lemonade out of lemons, would the reviewer prefer if he just sat there and ate it?
2. Daily Show
I get annoyed by the one sided political humor which makes up an increasing portion of the show, but that's a personal problem and I can still appreciate the humor of the show. which it always delivers.
3. Leno
It's hip to say Leno is too 'white bread' and Letterman is cool, but Leno just flat out puts on a much better show. His monologues are the best on TV today, bar none. Leno seems to get the best guests too and he isn't afraid to let a guest shine, including standups.
4. Kimmel
I don't watch this regularly, but I'm rarely disappointed when I do. Kimmel doesn't have the charisma of Conan or Stewart, but he does bring the funny.
5. Letterman
I'm never disappointed when I turn on Letterman, because I never expect anything funny to happen. Not that it never happens, it's just far from the norm. The most overrated host on TV.
6. Nightline
It's hard to rate it compared to the others. It greatly depends on the topic of the night. With several 24-hr cable news channels and the internet it's rare that Nightline is covering a topic I haven't already learned about. Perhaps if I only had OTA TV it would rate higher.
Not rated: Late Late Show
I've literally only seen 10 minutes of it with the new host. Nothing against Ferguson, I'm just usually watching Conan at the time.
Both the funniest and most consistently funny. I don't understand how the write can complain about Conan "pushing too hard" when a bit is bombing. He's just trying to make lemonade out of lemons, would the reviewer prefer if he just sat there and ate it?
2. Daily Show
I get annoyed by the one sided political humor which makes up an increasing portion of the show, but that's a personal problem and I can still appreciate the humor of the show. which it always delivers.
3. Leno
It's hip to say Leno is too 'white bread' and Letterman is cool, but Leno just flat out puts on a much better show. His monologues are the best on TV today, bar none. Leno seems to get the best guests too and he isn't afraid to let a guest shine, including standups.
4. Kimmel
I don't watch this regularly, but I'm rarely disappointed when I do. Kimmel doesn't have the charisma of Conan or Stewart, but he does bring the funny.
5. Letterman
I'm never disappointed when I turn on Letterman, because I never expect anything funny to happen. Not that it never happens, it's just far from the norm. The most overrated host on TV.
6. Nightline
It's hard to rate it compared to the others. It greatly depends on the topic of the night. With several 24-hr cable news channels and the internet it's rare that Nightline is covering a topic I haven't already learned about. Perhaps if I only had OTA TV it would rate higher.
Not rated: Late Late Show
I've literally only seen 10 minutes of it with the new host. Nothing against Ferguson, I'm just usually watching Conan at the time.
04-17-05, 09:21 AM
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While I agree that Conan's humor isn't for everyone, I don't see how Letterman or hell, Nightline could even pass it. Letterman is, as mentioned, way past his prime. He often has a highly good level interview with someone he has a bond with or some connection with. But for the most part, a letterman interview is down the list some for me. Conan is always spot on and does anyone even pay attention to the interviews with Stewart? I'm usually tuned out by that point as everything before it brings the funny.
Daily Show is great, Really great. It does deserve to be high on the list for the comedy bits. But again, this is late night entertainment, I don't see why news and facts are weighed in so highly to this writer's article. I can honestly say that I enjoy the nightly news does this just fine. Leave the Late night wars fight it out with those who are actually shooting to be funny.
Daily Show is great, Really great. It does deserve to be high on the list for the comedy bits. But again, this is late night entertainment, I don't see why news and facts are weighed in so highly to this writer's article. I can honestly say that I enjoy the nightly news does this just fine. Leave the Late night wars fight it out with those who are actually shooting to be funny.
04-17-05, 01:37 PM
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(talking about conan)Still, he has until 2009 to learn. He already is better than Leno. Master a few more skills, and he may rival Carson.
thats some strong praise, and i couldnt agree more
thats some strong praise, and i couldnt agree more
04-17-05, 03:10 PM
#12
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Yeah my problem with Stewart is that I rarely feel compelled to watch the interviews. It's funny because the only time I do watch them is when he has a political guest on because the actors are usually a little boring.
04-17-05, 06:17 PM
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Nice list....I still feel that they've bashed NBC: Conan should be #1...the laughs I've had with him....wow........ and Leno still can make me laugh, I wouldn't say "forget about him"....Where was Carson Daly?
04-17-05, 06:38 PM
#17
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All credibility went out the window as soon as they said Letterman is better than he's ever been. That can't possibly be true until he puts the Rice Krispies suit back on.
04-17-05, 06:49 PM
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With about 16,000 votes cast at USAToday.com for best host, Stewart leads with 33%, Letterman is right behind with 32%, Leno is in third with 18%, and Conan is in fourth with 12%. Kimmel, Koppel, and Ferguson all have 2% or less.
04-17-05, 06:52 PM
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It's surprising that he compliments even the second to last place on his list, but I feel he's totally off about Kimmel. I hated Kimmel in everything he did before he got his own show. I don't really like the Man Show type of humor and the comedy on Win Ben Stein's Money made the show unwatchable. OTOH, I've been amazed at how good his talk show is. He hired an excellent team of writers and I really enjoy the topics he covers and how he covers them. Even when I loved Conan and Letterman, I couldn't stand their monologues. Kimmel doesn't really do a traditional monologue, but I think he manages to have the only funny monologue I've ever seen on TV.
It's so hilarious to me that the writer, and I imagine most people, think of Conan as intelligent comedy and Kimmel as more of the dumber average guy. Last week I caught a Conan rerun where he did an entire bit about a guy traveling by getting hit by cars. I couldn't believe that Conan was still basing entire jokes on just a guy getting hit by car since he and Letterman have done that to death. That night Letterman had a short bit with the end resulting in a guy getting hit by a car. IMO, Kimmel has never done anything that stupid. Some of Kimmel's jokes may be a little puerile, but they can never touch the absolute stupidity Conan displays on a nightly basis by dancing around like an idiot. Sure it's funny occasionally, but how can anybody enjoy that every night?
Even when choosing funny clips to show, nobody is as good as Kimmel. For awhile Letterman was showing clips of Bush every night. While they were mildly ammusing, anytime Kimmel shows a Bush clip it's usually a clip that I didn't see on any other show and it's normally far funnier than the inane clips the other shows use.
It's so hilarious to me that the writer, and I imagine most people, think of Conan as intelligent comedy and Kimmel as more of the dumber average guy. Last week I caught a Conan rerun where he did an entire bit about a guy traveling by getting hit by cars. I couldn't believe that Conan was still basing entire jokes on just a guy getting hit by car since he and Letterman have done that to death. That night Letterman had a short bit with the end resulting in a guy getting hit by a car. IMO, Kimmel has never done anything that stupid. Some of Kimmel's jokes may be a little puerile, but they can never touch the absolute stupidity Conan displays on a nightly basis by dancing around like an idiot. Sure it's funny occasionally, but how can anybody enjoy that every night?
Even when choosing funny clips to show, nobody is as good as Kimmel. For awhile Letterman was showing clips of Bush every night. While they were mildly ammusing, anytime Kimmel shows a Bush clip it's usually a clip that I didn't see on any other show and it's normally far funnier than the inane clips the other shows use.
04-17-05, 11:25 PM
#20
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Originally Posted by dolphinboy
Granted, I've never been a fan. Leno's monologue has always struck me as repetitive and pointless.
Don't agree with letterman either. Top of his game? I don't think so. When was the last time the top 10 list was funny? 1989?
Agree with the Daily show, although I haven't watched it much this past year, it is always solid.
Niteline doesn't belong on the list.
As for Conan being the next Carson... uh, right. With more time he will be great, but to do that he needs to drop the whole self-pity, "I'm a loser" schtick. It gets old quick. At least cut it back from a dozen references a night to maybe one or two.
04-17-05, 11:37 PM
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If you don't like Letterman now, you probably never will, because he has never been better.
I don't watch late night talks shows as much as I used to, is Letterman still doing the Bush-bashing jokes every 4 minutes where he plays a short clip of Bush coughing and thinks it's hilarious?
04-18-05, 01:25 AM
#22
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Originally Posted by Deftones
Atrocious list. I don't watch Jon Stewart and never got the buzz around him. Conan rules all. How he's 4th on this list is beyond me.
04-18-05, 02:04 AM
#23
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Originally Posted by Charlie Goose
This is inaccurate and completely invalidates the entire article.
I don't watch late night talks shows as much as I used to, is Letterman still doing the Bush-bashing jokes every 4 minutes where he plays a short clip of Bush coughing and thinks it's hilarious?
I don't watch late night talks shows as much as I used to, is Letterman still doing the Bush-bashing jokes every 4 minutes where he plays a short clip of Bush coughing and thinks it's hilarious?
It's one man's opinion and because you don't agree with something doesn't make it wrong and it certainly doesn't invalidate anything.
If you want to look at something close to an actual study, the non scientific poll at least is close to something like that and it seems, by a large margin, that a lot of people think Letterman IS on top of his game. He's 58 now, he's not going to be wearing velcro suits or jumping in a bowl of milk.
Conan will change his show as he slides into the Leno time spot and as he gets older. That won't mean he's not as good or as sharp as he is now.
And Letterman doesn't bash Bush. Get real.
04-18-05, 02:51 AM
#24
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Originally Posted by dolphinboy
With about 16,000 votes cast at USAToday.com for best host, Stewart leads with 33%, Letterman is right behind with 32%, Leno is in third with 18%, and Conan is in fourth with 12%. Kimmel, Koppel, and Ferguson all have 2% or less.
04-18-05, 03:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Charlie Goose
This is inaccurate and completely invalidates the entire article.
I don't watch late night talks shows as much as I used to, is Letterman still doing the Bush-bashing jokes every 4 minutes where he plays a short clip of Bush coughing and thinks it's hilarious?
I don't watch late night talks shows as much as I used to, is Letterman still doing the Bush-bashing jokes every 4 minutes where he plays a short clip of Bush coughing and thinks it's hilarious?
Letterman repeats the same jokes over and over again? No way!