David Letterman is not funny
05-02-04 | 12:28 AM
#76
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From: Exit 15W, NJ
Everytime I see the David Letterman on TV, I'm always thinking "why are the people in the audience laughing?". The guy is just not funny and the humor seems so dry? I'm surprised how long he's actually lasted on TV.
Letterman has been my personal favorite since I was in high school. The only talk show host that made me laugh more was Carson.
Last edited by GaryEA; 05-02-04 at 12:34 AM.
05-02-04 | 12:36 AM
#77
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally posted by Michael Corvin
You can't honestly say that Dave doesn't deserve kneepads as well. He used to tell it like it was. If he hated a guests movie he would tell 'em and ask em what the hell they were thinking. Now there is 0 edge with all the kneepad action he gives.
You can't honestly say that Dave doesn't deserve kneepads as well. He used to tell it like it was. If he hated a guests movie he would tell 'em and ask em what the hell they were thinking. Now there is 0 edge with all the kneepad action he gives.
And when Paris Hilton backed out after her sex tape thing, Dave kept making jokes about it, even mentioning they received a call from her manager saying she wouldn't come on if he made jokes about her sex tape. To which he basically said go **** yourself and made jokes about it.
05-02-04 | 12:49 AM
#78
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I have never really watched Letterman or Jay Leno for that matter, but the few nights I have seen either of them, I thought they are both funny in different ways. My favorite is Jay Leno's headlines.
05-02-04 | 08:08 AM
#80
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally posted by shaun3000
You obviously didn't see his interview with Janet Jackson, then.
And when Paris Hilton backed out after her sex tape thing, Dave kept making jokes about it, even mentioning they received a call from her manager saying she wouldn't come on if he made jokes about her sex tape. To which he basically said go **** yourself and made jokes about it.
You obviously didn't see his interview with Janet Jackson, then.
And when Paris Hilton backed out after her sex tape thing, Dave kept making jokes about it, even mentioning they received a call from her manager saying she wouldn't come on if he made jokes about her sex tape. To which he basically said go **** yourself and made jokes about it.
05-06-04 | 12:44 AM
#81
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: David Letterman is not funny
Originally posted by Fok
Everytime I see the David Letterman on TV, I'm always thinking "why are the people in the audience laughing?". The guy is just not funny and the humor seems so dry? I'm surprised how long he's actually lasted on TV.
Everytime I see the David Letterman on TV, I'm always thinking "why are the people in the audience laughing?". The guy is just not funny and the humor seems so dry? I'm surprised how long he's actually lasted on TV.
You are crazy !!!! He is the funniest talk show host on TV ! That is why he has lasted so long !
05-06-04 | 02:01 AM
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Letterman is funny-- deadpan, old school funny with class, plus he's a smart guy and it fun to watch him.
Connan-- I like him-- but he's college frat boy dumb ass funny.
And on top of it all, the shows are talk shows and Letterman is the king of interviewing. Connan on the other hand always somehow finds a way into turning the interviews all about him.
Eh, whatever... when I get my show it'll blow em' all out of the water... now I'm going to bed.
Connan-- I like him-- but he's college frat boy dumb ass funny.
And on top of it all, the shows are talk shows and Letterman is the king of interviewing. Connan on the other hand always somehow finds a way into turning the interviews all about him.
Eh, whatever... when I get my show it'll blow em' all out of the water... now I'm going to bed.
05-06-04 | 03:11 AM
#83
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I know this is a Letterman thread, but I have a Jay Leno comment. Has anyone been to a taping of the Tonight Show? I've been to several (I used to live down the street from Burbank), and from my live observations, I get the impression that Leno has poor social skills. Pretty much everything he does up there, he goes straight from his notes, and between segments when they are on commercials, he just sits there and doesn't communicate with the guests. As they are cutting for commercials, he sometimes leans over to the guests and gives the impression that he's friendly, but as soon as they cut, he just sits there and talks to nobody ... so during most of the commerical breaks, it feels really awkward.
Anyway, back on topic, Letterman is very funny. If you think he's not, then you just don't get it.
Anyway, back on topic, Letterman is very funny. If you think he's not, then you just don't get it.
05-07-04 | 05:57 AM
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From: The Quad-city area of Melonville, Meckling, the Boro of Melon, and Party Town
Re: David Letterman is not funny
Originally posted by Fok
Everytime I see the David Letterman on TV, I'm always thinking "why are the people in the audience laughing?". The guy is just not funny
Everytime I see the David Letterman on TV, I'm always thinking "why are the people in the audience laughing?". The guy is just not funny
05-07-04 | 08:42 AM
#88
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Leno is at best a second rate actor (look at his track record before he got his current stint) and an even worse comedian. I stopped watching "The Tonight Show" when Carson left.
Letterman's CBS show was far more funnier the first few years, particularly the early stuff when he consistently took jabs at his former employers and the use of proprietary material (i.e., "The World's Most Dangerous Band") or made visits to people's homes to take silly polls. Even though I don't find the humor to be as necessarily fresh as it was back then, average/mediocre Letterman is still far better than Leno at the top of his game.
Letterman's CBS show was far more funnier the first few years, particularly the early stuff when he consistently took jabs at his former employers and the use of proprietary material (i.e., "The World's Most Dangerous Band") or made visits to people's homes to take silly polls. Even though I don't find the humor to be as necessarily fresh as it was back then, average/mediocre Letterman is still far better than Leno at the top of his game.
05-07-04 | 08:57 AM
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From: England, UK
Originally posted by Kal-El
I've seen Conan a few times and whenever I do I always end up asking myself, what's so funny about the guy? Take last night's telecast for example. There was a "If they made it" gag where they combined the pics of celebrity couples to see what their babies would look like. Are you kidding me? How is something that's been done on the internet countless times funny?
I've seen Conan a few times and whenever I do I always end up asking myself, what's so funny about the guy? Take last night's telecast for example. There was a "If they made it" gag where they combined the pics of celebrity couples to see what their babies would look like. Are you kidding me? How is something that's been done on the internet countless times funny?
Funny stuff!!!
05-07-04 | 09:27 AM
#90
DVD Talk Godfather
Leno had a couple of good ones last night on the friends set.
With Friends and Frasier going off air, where does that leave NBC. ABC. Or something to that effect. I thought it was great.
I also was lauging out loud at one part during the celeb montage to friends. When Kelsey Grammer appeared about halfway through to promote his final show. Great stuff.
With Friends and Frasier going off air, where does that leave NBC. ABC. Or something to that effect. I thought it was great.
I also was lauging out loud at one part during the celeb montage to friends. When Kelsey Grammer appeared about halfway through to promote his final show. Great stuff.
05-07-04 | 03:17 PM
#92
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All this talk of carson makes me wish I had the money for this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd
05-31-04 | 03:50 AM
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it seems lots of people bash leno but give no logic behind it. why? maybe cuz his humor requires his audiences to be somewhat conscious of the world around them? tell me why he ain't funny.. me curious. also, conan is almost a polar opposite of leno but is very funny, cuz he always seems like he just goes with the flow. the one thing i don't like bout leno is he is predictable but conan is just funny in a different way. go walker texas ranger!
05-31-04 | 08:29 AM
#96
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Geez, Dave is even a better car guy than Leno:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes
INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- For David Letterman, watching the team that he co-owns with Bobby Rahal win the Indianapolis 500 was the latest example of how some of the best things in his life have happened since he turned 52.
When Buddy Rice won Sunday's race, no one was more proud of the accomplishment than the most famous man in pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"When I was 52, I woke up after eight hours of heart surgery -- that's a big deal," said the 57-year-old Letterman. "I had my first son last year, that's a big deal. Now, I'm part of the team that won the Indianapolis 500. Those are three pretty good things to have in your life."
Rice gave the famed host of The Late Show on CBS something he dreamed of as a kid, but never in his wildest imagination thought ever would come true.
Rice was fearless and relentless, leading the race five times for 91 laps and picking the right time and the right place to score his first career IndyCar victory.
Rahal stepped back and allowed his driver to take center stage in victory lane.
"I don't belong here," Letterman said. "What am I doing here? It's crazy, absolutely crazy. I'm the luckiest man in the world today, believe me"
When Letterman was 52, he already had achieved the peak of stardom in a professional career. He was one of the most famous entertainers on television with a show that is the last thing many viewers see before turning the lights out and heading to bed.
But one day he went in for a checkup and before he knew it, he was being rushed into surgery for a quintuple bypass. When he returned to The Late Show the ratings were the highest they had been in six years.
Last year, Letterman received what he called his greatest gift with the birth of his son, Harry Joseph, named after his father who had died of a heart attack in his early 50s.
Born and raised in the Broad Ripple section of Indianapolis, Letterman was a true fan of the Indianapolis 500. It was something he looked forward to every year with great anticipation.
"I guess when I was a kid, there was no Major League Baseball except in Chicago and Cincinnati," Letterman recalled. "We didn't have anything here. So the Speedway became my Major League Baseball. Every month of May, the world would come to you. I can't begin to describe the magic that there was when you were a kid and you just tough it out through these long, lousy Indiana winters. I, of course, lived outside.
"Then you get to go out to the Speedway, and there's just this excitement and this drama, and the place is sacred. The greats of the sport have competed here and given their lives here."
Letterman forged a friendship with Rahal when the latter was a champion race driver in CART. Rahal won the 1986 Indy 500 and three CART championships.
At the beginning of May, Letterman increased his involvement in the team and it was renamed Rahal-Letterman Racing.
"I go where Bobby goes, and he tells me what we're going to do and I say, sure, let's do it," Letterman said. "But obviously, in the beginning, it was a disappointment not to be here."
Time has a way of healing old wounds and Letterman discovered that he could return to Indy again.
"This win today has so many interesting, worthy facets," Letterman said. "Bobby touched on Buddy coming in, getting a good ride. Was there a stronger car in the field today? Was there a stronger driver in the field today? My God, Buddy just would not stop, and it was eating everybody alive. There's something about it, it was I think preordained certainly. You could feel it. You could feel it from the start of the race."
Rice's victory put an American driver in victory lane for the first time since Eddie Cheever won in 1998. The 28-year-old Rice has the look of a pit bull and he drove like one on Sunday.
"Hopefully it gives people a little bit of a shot in the arm right now," Letterman said. "Hopefully this shows to some of the other kids and some from go-karts to circle track to whatever they are doing, that they can make it here and they can come here and win."
Rice drove with the same hard-charging racing style of some of the heroes of Letterman's youth, but the co-owner wasn't about to draw comparisons.
"When I was 16, I couldn't make a fist, so, there was not much I could do," Letterman said. "As far as I think the first guy I saw drive this track was a fellow named Bud Tinglestad. Does Buddy remind me of Bud Tingelstad? I don't know."
Tingelstad never won the Indy 500 but Letterman has after the latest special moment of his adult life.
When Buddy Rice won Sunday's race, no one was more proud of the accomplishment than the most famous man in pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"When I was 52, I woke up after eight hours of heart surgery -- that's a big deal," said the 57-year-old Letterman. "I had my first son last year, that's a big deal. Now, I'm part of the team that won the Indianapolis 500. Those are three pretty good things to have in your life."
Rice gave the famed host of The Late Show on CBS something he dreamed of as a kid, but never in his wildest imagination thought ever would come true.
Rice was fearless and relentless, leading the race five times for 91 laps and picking the right time and the right place to score his first career IndyCar victory.
Rahal stepped back and allowed his driver to take center stage in victory lane.
"I don't belong here," Letterman said. "What am I doing here? It's crazy, absolutely crazy. I'm the luckiest man in the world today, believe me"
When Letterman was 52, he already had achieved the peak of stardom in a professional career. He was one of the most famous entertainers on television with a show that is the last thing many viewers see before turning the lights out and heading to bed.
But one day he went in for a checkup and before he knew it, he was being rushed into surgery for a quintuple bypass. When he returned to The Late Show the ratings were the highest they had been in six years.
Last year, Letterman received what he called his greatest gift with the birth of his son, Harry Joseph, named after his father who had died of a heart attack in his early 50s.
Born and raised in the Broad Ripple section of Indianapolis, Letterman was a true fan of the Indianapolis 500. It was something he looked forward to every year with great anticipation.
"I guess when I was a kid, there was no Major League Baseball except in Chicago and Cincinnati," Letterman recalled. "We didn't have anything here. So the Speedway became my Major League Baseball. Every month of May, the world would come to you. I can't begin to describe the magic that there was when you were a kid and you just tough it out through these long, lousy Indiana winters. I, of course, lived outside.
"Then you get to go out to the Speedway, and there's just this excitement and this drama, and the place is sacred. The greats of the sport have competed here and given their lives here."
Letterman forged a friendship with Rahal when the latter was a champion race driver in CART. Rahal won the 1986 Indy 500 and three CART championships.
At the beginning of May, Letterman increased his involvement in the team and it was renamed Rahal-Letterman Racing.
"I go where Bobby goes, and he tells me what we're going to do and I say, sure, let's do it," Letterman said. "But obviously, in the beginning, it was a disappointment not to be here."
Time has a way of healing old wounds and Letterman discovered that he could return to Indy again.
"This win today has so many interesting, worthy facets," Letterman said. "Bobby touched on Buddy coming in, getting a good ride. Was there a stronger car in the field today? Was there a stronger driver in the field today? My God, Buddy just would not stop, and it was eating everybody alive. There's something about it, it was I think preordained certainly. You could feel it. You could feel it from the start of the race."
Rice's victory put an American driver in victory lane for the first time since Eddie Cheever won in 1998. The 28-year-old Rice has the look of a pit bull and he drove like one on Sunday.
"Hopefully it gives people a little bit of a shot in the arm right now," Letterman said. "Hopefully this shows to some of the other kids and some from go-karts to circle track to whatever they are doing, that they can make it here and they can come here and win."
Rice drove with the same hard-charging racing style of some of the heroes of Letterman's youth, but the co-owner wasn't about to draw comparisons.
"When I was 16, I couldn't make a fist, so, there was not much I could do," Letterman said. "As far as I think the first guy I saw drive this track was a fellow named Bud Tinglestad. Does Buddy remind me of Bud Tingelstad? I don't know."
Tingelstad never won the Indy 500 but Letterman has after the latest special moment of his adult life.
05-31-04 | 11:28 AM
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The Letterman Show is more prone to being on streaks of funny or unfunny because it seems very dependent on Letterman's talent. A lot of the jokes seem spontaneous and some of the running gags as written wouldn't be funny whatsoever if it weren't for his odd delivery (eg, repeating words and calling people "Larry"). So he'll have good times and bad, and they will reflect directly on his work.
Whereas Leno is just kind of a goofy, charming, peppy figurehead. He's just there to be a nice guy and deliver what they tell him to deliver. The humour on his show is always either already funny on paper (skits) or not reliant on him at all (Jay walking, headlines). There's nothing wrong with that though. I find him a lot more consistent than Letterman.
Another thing: Leno's set and music and overall style is very cheerful. I like to watch that at the end of the day. On Letterman, their set is all gray tones. Combined with Letterman's sometimes less-than-cheerful face, it feels like you're looking at closed circuit of a mortuary.
Whereas Leno is just kind of a goofy, charming, peppy figurehead. He's just there to be a nice guy and deliver what they tell him to deliver. The humour on his show is always either already funny on paper (skits) or not reliant on him at all (Jay walking, headlines). There's nothing wrong with that though. I find him a lot more consistent than Letterman.
Another thing: Leno's set and music and overall style is very cheerful. I like to watch that at the end of the day. On Letterman, their set is all gray tones. Combined with Letterman's sometimes less-than-cheerful face, it feels like you're looking at closed circuit of a mortuary.
Last edited by John Spartan; 05-31-04 at 11:37 AM.
05-31-04 | 12:31 PM
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From: Texas, our Texas! All hail the mighty state!
Originally posted by bhome83
it seems lots of people bash leno but give no logic behind it. why? maybe cuz his humor requires his audiences to be somewhat conscious of the world around them? tell me why he ain't funny.. me curious. also, conan is almost a polar opposite of leno but is very funny, cuz he always seems like he just goes with the flow. the one thing i don't like bout leno is he is predictable but conan is just funny in a different way. go walker texas ranger!
it seems lots of people bash leno but give no logic behind it. why? maybe cuz his humor requires his audiences to be somewhat conscious of the world around them? tell me why he ain't funny.. me curious. also, conan is almost a polar opposite of leno but is very funny, cuz he always seems like he just goes with the flow. the one thing i don't like bout leno is he is predictable but conan is just funny in a different way. go walker texas ranger!
Dave and Conan seem a little more willing to try different bits that may or may not be funny, and some may fall on their face, but some are great.
05-31-04 | 06:42 PM
#99
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Originally posted by Static Cling
To me, Leno is just a little bit too safe.
To me, Leno is just a little bit too safe.
06-01-04 | 01:13 AM
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IMO, no one is as funny as Letterman was in the 1980's. I still love Dave, but he's no longer the risk taker that he once was, but that's understandable considering the fact that he is in his late 50's.
Jay Leno was a great stand up in the 80's, and his appearances on Letterman's show were legendary, but since he took over The Tonight Show, he goes for the lowest common denominator material in hopes of pleasing the largest number of viewers...it's bland and unfunny as far as I'm concerned.
Conan is great, but the show really lost a lot when Andy left.
Jay Leno was a great stand up in the 80's, and his appearances on Letterman's show were legendary, but since he took over The Tonight Show, he goes for the lowest common denominator material in hopes of pleasing the largest number of viewers...it's bland and unfunny as far as I'm concerned.
Conan is great, but the show really lost a lot when Andy left.