Whenever a celebrity cook appears on a talk show like The Late Show or The Tonight Show, it's hardly ever a real cooking demonstration. Letterman will start drinking cooking sherry right out of the bottle or Conan will just go nuts and spread butter all over something he shouldn't.
Last night was particularly crazy, as Conan, Garry Shandling, and Andy Richter helped Paula Deen make... something for Halloween. It gets kinda hectic so I'm not sure what it was.
the tonight show-related stories
What You Missed Last Night: Garry Shandling "helps" Paula Deen
Continue reading What You Missed Last Night: Garry Shandling "helps" Paula Deen
Conan O'Brien uncovers President Obama's sexist agenda
"Girls need to shop for clothes. Period." Words of wisdom from our president. The crack editing staff at The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien has created an amazing clip of President Obama putting women in their place. They took an interview Obama recently gave to NBC news and edited it so it's just a full minute filled with random, nonsensical sexist remarks.
In addition to the quote I mentioned above, he alludes to a nefarious-sounding "strategy" that the men have in place, while a graphic of female politicians, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, hovers ominously. The clip is amazingly well-edited, to the point that if you didn't know what it was, you would swear it was real. In fact, I give it a day before the clip, or at least the quotes, start making the media rounds as fact. Ah, behold the power of late night.
[Watch full clips and episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and more on SlashControl.]
In addition to the quote I mentioned above, he alludes to a nefarious-sounding "strategy" that the men have in place, while a graphic of female politicians, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, hovers ominously. The clip is amazingly well-edited, to the point that if you didn't know what it was, you would swear it was real. In fact, I give it a day before the clip, or at least the quotes, start making the media rounds as fact. Ah, behold the power of late night.
[Watch full clips and episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and more on SlashControl.]
Comedy mission accomplished: Newark mayor booked on Conan
You've got to give Cory Booker credit: he could have completely fallen on his face trying to match Conan O'Brien laugh for laugh. I mean, politicians are never the most talented folks in the humor department to begin with; even armed with his speechwriters, the Newark mayor was bringing pop guns to the comedic battle with the dual cannons Conan and his veteran writing staff could bring. But he held his own. Now he can reap his reward: Booker's been booked on The Tonight Show for October 16.Newark hasn't been in this big of an entertainment spotlight since Howard Stern hosted his New Year's Eve beauty pageant there fifteen years ago. So if Booker had to throw out some semi-lame jokes and suffer some gentle ribbing from Conan in order to get his city some publicity, so be it.
Continue reading Comedy mission accomplished: Newark mayor booked on Conan
What You Missed Last Night: Clinton solves the Conan/Newark feud
At first I thought it was kinda lame that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was going to solve the Tonight Show feud with Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker via video instead of in person, but it actually worked out better this way (plus she's probably busy with, you know, world stuff).
She was able to intervene in the dispute but at the same time make it clear that she didn't even know what it was about and didn't want Conan to ever bother her again.
She was able to intervene in the dispute but at the same time make it clear that she didn't even know what it was about and didn't want Conan to ever bother her again.
What You Missed Last Night: Conan responds to Newark's mayor
Recently, Conan O'Brien made a joke about the city of Newark, NJ. I've never been to New Jersey so I've never quite understood the constant jokes about the state that you hear from... well, every comic. But this time Conan went too far. So far that Newark mayor Cory Booker had to respond. So Conan had to respond to that response, of course.
What You Missed Last Night: Conan hits his head
You don't often see actual video of a celebrity hurting themselves on the set of a TV show (unless it's some YouTube thing, but even that's pretty rare), but Conan O'Brien knew that fans would be interested in seeing it so he showed footage of the accident. It also gave him a chance to make some jokes.
Here's the clip. Conan was running a faux marathon with Teri Hatcher, and it seems the floor was very slick...
Here's the clip. Conan was running a faux marathon with Teri Hatcher, and it seems the floor was very slick...
[Watch episodes and clips of The Tonight Show and other shows at SlashControl.]
Yes, Conan is doing a show tonight
If you didn't hear, Conan O'Brien hit his head while doing a sketch on The Tonight Show on Friday and had to be rushed to the hospital. They stopped taping and put a rerun with Jeremy Piven on Friday night instead.
But there's good news! Conan is out of the hospital, he's fine, and there will indeed be a new episode of The Tonight Show tonight. Now the real question is this: will Conan show footage of the accident? They were filming so footage exists and I wonder if Conan will show it so fans can see what happened and so he can make some jokes about it.
[Watch episodes and clips of The Tonight Show and other shows at SlashControl.]
Macy's magical commercial: 150 years in the making
Recently, when I shared my view about a certain Dell computer commercial, some of you thought I was a moron. Okay, we'll call it a difference of opinion. However, just to show you that I'm not a grumpster, allow me to extol the virtues of the Macy's commercial that celebrates this iconic American department story that's been around for over 150 years. What makes The Magic of Macy's so much fun is that it doesn't tell you why the place is legendary, it shows you why. All those film clips from movies and television, years before anyone was using mentions like these for commercial purposes, underscore how much a part of pop culture Macy's was.
(It still is, to some extent, but the days of one brick and mortar store dominating the business landscape are long gone.)
Continue reading Macy's magical commercial: 150 years in the making
The Jay Leno Show: Robin Williams
"I guess obviously you've downsized. You had to sell the desk." -- Robin WilliamsLeno's had a couple of nights now to get a feel for what kind of show he wants to do, and figure out how to stay relevant in prime time. Most of the feedback that I've seen from people who saw it hasn't been very positive. They're disappointed that it feels so much like The Tonight Show.
If one of the ways he's trying to differentiate himself is by having longer comedy bits and fewer guests, then I think that's backfiring a bit because every single comedy video he's shown has gone on way, way too long. It's as if they're trying to create internet viral-worthy videos like Saturday Night Live has with their "Digital Shorts," but they're missing the mark.
Continue reading The Jay Leno Show: Robin Williams
What You Missed Last Night: Conan gets kicked in the chest
A lot of Conan O'Brien's bits go on way too long. This segment is a lot longer than I thought it would be, but it's okay because there are some great payoffs. Stuntman Steven Ho showed up on The Tonight Show last night to punch and kick Conan and to make him jump through a window. This was practiced, of course, but it could have gone wrong. Conan is pretty funny with stuff like this.
(Side note: TV Tattle wonders if Conan is having trouble getting guests since this is Ho's third appearance since June. Or maybe Conan just loves doing stunts.)
(Side note: TV Tattle wonders if Conan is having trouble getting guests since this is Ho's third appearance since June. Or maybe Conan just loves doing stunts.)
The Jay Leno Show: Jerry Seinfeld (series premiere)
(S01E01) A lot is riding on this little NBC pet project. Like one-third of their primetime lineup. But despite all their promises and promotions that this was a comedy show, vastly different than Jay Leno's work on The Tonight Show, I saw virtually the same exact show on a different set. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you're NBC. Leno was incredibly successful for a long time on that show. Just call it what it is.
The promise that it would stay topical was brought to fruition. In the opening monologue, just like those Tonight Show monologues of yore, he drops a joke right away about the situation last night at the Video Music Awards involving Kanye West and Taylor Swift. Conveniently, Kanye was a booked guest tonight, as well, so with a little shuffling, he wound up on the chair next to Leno to talk about it.
Continue reading The Jay Leno Show: Jerry Seinfeld (series premiere)
The Beatles Rock Band creates another British invasion on my TV
The Beatles Rock Band video game came out yesterday. The only way you couldn't have known that is if you took your head off your neck, preserved all of the necessary blood vessels and spine connections, and then placed said head (heh) in cryogenic storage for the last two days.
That's because my TV was filled with not just advertisements, but personal appearances, morning show demos, and even news stories about the release of the game.
Even Jesus doesn't get this much attention in the media. Oh crap.
Continue reading The Beatles Rock Band creates another British invasion on my TV
Gone Too Soon: Andy Richter Controls the Universe
When Andy Richter left Late Night With Conan O'Brien to establish his own career in acting, nobody knew that he'd come full circle and rejoin O'Brien years later. At the same time, nobody knew that creator Victor Fresco would do much the same thing.
Andy Richter Controls the Universe was one of those quirky shows that most people, who enjoy a dash of nonsense in their comedy, really dug. It was a very playful show about a guy working in a massive company. It featured a small ensemble with great chemistry on-screen, and had a unique look at big corporations.
A few years later, Fresco tapped that well again, and we got Better Off Ted, another comedy with absurdist tendencies set in a massive corporation with a small cast. Like Andy, it eked out a second season based more on critical acclaim than ratings. As someone who enjoys both shows, I find myself worrying that Ted will share Andy's ultimate fate, cancellation after the second season.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Subtle Subtitles: Mad Men
If you haven't seen our game before, we give you a picture from a recent episode of a TV series and you provide the caption!
Last week's winner is ac with this: "Yes my clone, wreak havoc on The Ed Sullivan Theater! Destroy them all!"
This week's picture is from the most recent episode of Mad Men:
DVD cover art and release date for Andy Barker, P.I.
I love Andy Richter, but he seems awfully stiff every time I watch him on The Tonight Show. I prefer to remember the guy from his early days on Late Night, his short-lived show Andy Richter Controls the Universe, and his other short-lived show, the hilarious Andy Barker, P.I. Like Danny reported back in May, Andy Barker, P.I. is finally coming to DVD. Shout! Factory will release the entire series on Nov. 17. The two-disc set will include all six episodes, some with commentary by Richter and producer Conan O'Brien, plus a retrospective feature and a doc about the show's amazing writers, including Jonathan Groff (How I Met Your Mother), Josh Bycel (Psych), and Jane Espenson (Buffy, BSG). Click through for a better look at the DVD cover art.
Continue reading DVD cover art and release date for Andy Barker, P.I.
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
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