Fans of comedy like myself waited with baited breath to see what their favorite talk shows would be like when they returned from the strike.
Dave Letterman, having made an interim deal with the WGA has settled back into usual comedy groove and Jay Leno, in all his scabby glory, has surprised millions by becoming even lamer than before. The one talk show host who stands out as really making an effort to please everyone is Conan O' Brien.
If you've been watching Conan, you've noticed that all of his sketches and bits are gone and in their place are what can only be described as stunts. Guest mazes, zip lines and interviews with the staff have all replaced pieces like "If they mated" and "Actual items."
However, Conan is still a writer at heart. Having written some of the best sketches on Saturday Night Live and helming the writing for The Simpsons for a number of years, Conan has clearly been unable to avoid being funny on paper.
Lucky for us, he has written down his funniest thoughts during the strike and Entertainment Weekly is publishing them.
The diary reads like the day by day goings-on of a disaster survivor trying to keep his sanity by sharing every thought he has. True fans will find it a hilarious and a pleasant reminder why Conan won the Emmy last year for best writing in a comedy program.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-20-2008 @ 11:37AM
SilentGuy said...
What a surprise...Another "Jay Leno is lame" comment. If only we Tonight Show viewers would come to our senses and listen to sage has-beens from Beat The Geeks.
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1-20-2008 @ 12:17PM
Cody said...
I think Leno is one of the unfunniest people alive, but man Goebel, you got burned.
1-20-2008 @ 1:32PM
Joey Geraci said...
Leno is a sad pathetic little man. It is sad that America so identifies with him.
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1-21-2008 @ 1:33AM
MonkeyAttack said...
While I certainly understand not finding him funny, I don't understand why people equate them not liking someone's act, to the person being sad, or pathetic.
While I certainly wish the majorities' tastes where more in sync with mine, so that shows I like would stop being canceled, I hate people that just dismiss anything that "Middle America/Joe Everyman/Flyover States" like as pathetic. Yes, I wish Joss Whedon was in charge of every show, and reality TV was dead. I wish Equilibrium was on thousands of screen and White Girls was never made. But come on. The average person just wants some safe filler that they can stare at and forget about everything for a while.
As long as we have enough channels, bandwidth, screens, and blank DVDs that the things I like continue to be made, let them have their mental oatmeal programming. Buy the Venture Brother's DVD. Pickup a few season's of just about any show HBO has aired. Hell, pickup Weeds and let Showtime know they did something right. Don't just get online and post a one line comment that makes you sounds like a douche (not saying you are, just saying you can make a point another way).
1-20-2008 @ 2:05PM
MJL said...
Conan didn't win the Outstanding Writing Emmy last year, his staff did. Sure, he's part of that staff but let's not be so quick to write off the people behind the scenes even though they're on strike.
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1-20-2008 @ 2:51PM
Paul Goebel said...
Yup, I sure got burned. No one has ever called me a has been before and that sure hits home seeing as how being on a basic cable game show for two season was the crowning acheivement of my life. It sure does burn when anonymous commenters ironically named "SilentGuy" take cheap shots. I guess I deserve to get burned for insulting a class act like Jay Leno. Thank goodness, SilentGuy is around to pick up the mantle dropped by Helen Kushnick and defend Mr. Leno as I'm sure he was deeply wounded by my comments.
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1-21-2008 @ 8:55PM
sitruc said...
Hopefully, you won't respond to this, but there was no need for you to you to respond to that other poster. It just makes you look bad. It was a joke and really... c'mon now... Beat the Geek sage. Don't hate on the truth.
1-20-2008 @ 4:01PM
Brent McKee said...
The only thing I like about Jay Leno is his cars.
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1-20-2008 @ 7:32PM
Jeff said...
Jay Leno is funny, however, on his show he tries way to hard. Reminds me of old comedy where the comedian says the cheesy punch line and then waits for laughter and applause.
Conan's show has always been better than Leno's
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1-20-2008 @ 8:11PM
Karen said...
I've never been a huge fan of Conan's show, but damn, this diary was hilarious. I was laughing so hard I scared the cat.
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1-21-2008 @ 1:11AM
MonkeyAttack said...
Jay Leno's tonight show is not funny to me, and never has been. He seems like a good, hardworking comedian, stuck trying to please a demographic, not an audience. Go watch the Inside the Actor's Studio episode he did. I think you will respect the man as a performer, even if you don't like the show. Or at least that is how it made me feel.
As for Conan, I think he looks a little desperate in the bits of the show I have seen, but that really has been his thing forever anyway. I respect that guys like him, John Stewart, and Stephen Colbert are doing there jobs, but still making sure they do what they can to support the writers. I wish there was a way to watch the shows to support them, but also punish the corporations to push them back to the table.
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1-21-2008 @ 2:14AM
E.T. said...
I can't disagree more I have never found Letterman funny at all, he was a C level Stand-up comedian at best, his jokes are lame even with writers the only funny segment he has ever had was the top ten list.
Leno on the other hand was a top 5 Stand-up comedian during his time.
Also unlike Letterman he doesn't suck up to celebrities.
I never understood the appeal of Letterman.
I am sick and tired of all this Letterman Nutt-hugging..
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1-21-2008 @ 2:32AM
SJ said...
Man I really love Conan. Ever since his show has come back it has been hilarious...he is definitely the best late-night host right now...he is so quick on his feet. The zipline and the maze have me in stitches. I wonder what else they are cooking up.
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1-21-2008 @ 2:34AM
SJ said...
Btw yeah Leno is quite lame but his monologue can be funny (considering how he is a stand-up comedian). His interviews do suck though but then again he's not built for this.
I watched old Leno on Letterman clips a while back and he was hilarious whenever he came on. Very sharp observations and really quick thinking...wonder what happened to that guy...
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1-21-2008 @ 5:10AM
Joe said...
Just because Jay Leno doesn't appeal to the internet intellectuals, doesn't mean he's lame or pathetic. And Paul; are you going to get all riled up and pissy every time somebody disagrees with or insults you? If you're trying to seem cool about it, the best thing to do is just leave it alone.
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