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Conan vs. Jimmy: Whose New Show Is Off to the Best Start?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:41 -0700

These past few months have been like late-night musical chairs over at NBC: First, Jimmy Fallon took over Conan O'Brien's old Late Night gig. Then, Conan slid into Jay Leno's Tonight Show seat. (Leno will be back in September with a new primetime show.)

Settling into a new late-night show can take some time, so how do you think these two are doing? Do you think Fallon's gotten more comfortable behind the desk? Or do you think Conan is doing the best job moving his offbeat brand of humor to Tonight?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Will You Give Jimmy Fallon's Late Night a Chance?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:00:39 -0800

NBC's long-planned late night transition really gets underway tonight, when Jimmy Fallon takes the Late Night reigns from Conan O'Brien. Since December, Fallon's been doing regular video blogs online, and he's already gotten some buzz for a couple of things, including hiring The Roots as his house band and "Jack McBrayer's response to the Internet response to the Republican response to the President's address to Congress."

Nonetheless, O'Brien's bound to be a tough act to follow, so I'm wondering: Will you be giving Fallon's version of Late Night a chance? Check out Fallon's final video blog here, then let me know below if you'll be tuning in for more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Buzz In: Who Should Have His or Her Own Talk Show?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:30:33 -0800

With all the Jay Leno news and Jimmy Fallon buzz lately, it was interesting to read this story suggesting that Joel McHale of The Soup would be a good candidate for a late-night talk show of his own.

According to the story, McHale wouldn't want the job anyway (he'd rather do movies), but I think it's a great idea. From everything I've seen, he's definitely funny enough to hold down a weeknight slot.

That got me thinking about other people whom I'd love to see get their own talk shows. Amy Poehler has that whole NBC sitcom gig coming up, so that will probably keep her busy for a while, but I bet she'd be great behind a late-night desk. And while she's certainly divisive, Kathy Griffin is so funny when she's riffing off other people (say, Anderson Cooper) that I think she'd be a hilarious talk show interviewer.

What about you? Is there anyone you've always thought deserved a daytime or late-night talk show of his or her own?

Source

Jay Leno's Not Going Anywhere: NBC Gives Him a New Show

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:11:52 -0800

Whoa! Here's some breaking news from the late-night TV world: TV Week is reporting that Jay Leno's going to get a new show at 10 p.m. every weeknight starting in the Fall of 2009, leading into Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon's Late Night.

That's certainly a new twist in NBC's late-night plans, which we were just talking about earlier today. According to this story, the plan will be formally announced Tuesday and Leno will "be given a significant pay raise, since his new show will be in prime time."

Just today, NBC's president was talking about cutting back the hours of primetime programming NBC produced, and this looks like a way to do it - Leno's shown he can deliver an audience, and NBC won't have to worry about launching a new drama or comedy in those slots. (On the other hand, that cuts down on the number of scripted shows on broadcast networks - but it's not like NBC's been doing such a great job there lately anyway.)

Obviously, this story's still developing, so I'll keep an eye out for more details. But for now, what are your first reactions? Is it a smart move to keep Leno, even at the expense of the traditional 10 p.m. drama hour? Or is it totally crazy?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Whose Strike Beard Is Better?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:30:13 -0800

So the late-night hosts returned to TV on Wednesday - some with their writers, some without - for the first time since the start of the writers' strike two months ago. There were a bunch of questions: Would David Letterman and Craig Ferguson get better guests since their shows aren't being picketed? And would people be more likely to watch the shows with writers or the ones without? (So far, it's the ones without.)

But I'm wondering about something much more important today: Did Letterman or Conan O'Brien grow the better strike beard? (We ask the hard-hitting questions around here, you know.)

Photos courtesy of CBS and NBC

Are You More Likely to Watch Letterman and Ferguson Tonight?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:30:00 -0800

All of the major late-night hosts - Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, and Craig Ferguson - return to the air tonight with new episodes for the first time since the Hollywood writers' strike began in November. Leno, Kimmel, and O'Brien will be winging it without their writers (and with picketing writers demonstrating outside their shows' studios).

Letterman and Ferguson, however, have their writing staffs intact after Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company, which owns the shows, cut a deal with the Writers Guild of America. That might also help the shows to get better guests since there won't be a picket line to cross - Letterman, for example, is returning with Robin Williams on the couch.

I'm wondering: Are you more likely to watch Letterman (or Craig Ferguson) because the writers' union says it's OK?

Photos courtesy of CBS

All Late-Night Hosts Might Return Jan. 2

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:31:02 -0800

We already knew that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien would be returning to host their late-night shows on Jan. 2, and now it looks like all the other major talk show hosts might be ready to join them.

Jimmy Kimmel will definitely be back on the air then. He issued a statement on Tuesday saying "Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than a hundred people whose financial well-being depends on our show. It is time to go back to work."

David Letterman and Craig Ferguson are looking to return Jan. 2 as well - but Letterman is hoping to find a way to bring their writers along, too. Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company, which owns both shows, is trying to make its own deal with the Writers Guild of America. There's at least one report that the hosts will return, writers or not, but a statement from Worldwide Pants says returning with writers is the company's only focus.

One question that's still not answered: Will any of these late-night shows be able to book guests? Guests would have to cross a picket line to make their appearances, and - as with the Golden Globes - many actors might not be willing to do that.

Photos courtesy of CBS and Source

Late-Night Hosts Could Return in January

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:33:37 -0800

Late-night hosts have been off the air for almost six weeks now, since the Hollywood writers' strike began and the hosts refused to cross their writers' picket lines. But now there's a new report that the hosts could return in early January. Sources told Variety that since late-night ratings are plunging and an end to the strike seems so far off, the hosts are thinking it's time to come back on the air.

Nobody wants to be the first host back - well, nobody except Carson Daly, who resumed taping Last Call earlier this month and already had his show disrupted by picketers once. (Daly said he came back to save the jobs of his crew.) So, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Craig Ferguson might all return together so nobody has to take the hit of being first. Jimmy Kimmel's plans aren't really known, and Variety speculates that Leno and O'Brien could come back together even if Letterman and Ferguson opt out.

Something similar happened during the last strike, in 1988: Both Letterman and Johnny Carson initially went off the air, but both returned before the strike was over - Carson after 10 weeks, Letterman after four months.

What do you think? Would you be upset with the late-night hosts if they returned to work? Or do you think it's fine for them to come back after two months off the air?

Source

Should the Late-Night Shows Bring In Guest Hosts?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Boy, I wouldn't want to solve this dilemma for Jay Leno: If he continues supporting the Hollywood writers' strike by staying away from The Tonight Show, his whole crew will be laid off. But if he comes back to work, he has to cross picket lines. Other late-night hosts are in similar jams this week, as their shows enter a second week of repeats and the networks start to get antsy.

There may be a third option: NBC is pondering having guest hosts come in, saving the jobs of the crew. But it would put the substitute hosts in the awkward position of crossing picket lines. What do you think should happen?

Source

Should Leno or Conan Host The Tonight Show?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

The groundwork has been in place for years for Conan O'Brien to take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2009. But now there's a new twist to the story: Leno doesn't want to leave. Some in the industry are also wondering if Conan's irreverent humor will work in an earlier time slot. Which comedian do you think is more fit to host The Tonight Show?

Photos courtesy of NBC