Day 654: Leno vs. Conan – Part 2

When it comes right down to it NBC claims their problem with Conan was all about the ratings… but I find this odd.  When Jay Leno took over for Johnny Carson, his initial ratings were a fraction of Johnny’s.  In fact, it took Leno over a year to build a new audience base. 

In turn, when Conan took over for Leno… his initial ratings drop was proportional to Leno’s when he took over.  Due to the similarity, one could argue this is a mathematical trend which would suggest, if given the time, Conan would have rebuilt his audience in a proportional amount of time.  However, NBC was extremely impatient and Leno wanted his job back. 

Programming wise, this is a major problem for NBC.  Late night programming has ALWAYS been about long-term investments not short-term goals.  And right now, NBC does not seem interested in making that investment, an investment in a younger audience.  When a network switches hosts they make a commitment to a young generation in order to develop a new audience base.  It’s a cycle.  And NBC has broken the cycle… which will most likely be their undoing.

Food for thought:  Leno’s rating NOW is not any better than Conan’s was.  The only time he has beaten Lettermen in the ratings is when CBS airs repeats.  This illustrates the root of problem because Leno is no longer in a position to cultivate a fresh audience base.  Sure, Leno has his faithful, but I don’t see any signs of his faithful growing.

Over the next few years, as my generation becomes the foundation of the late night audience, I predict Kimmel and Ferguson will slowly climb in the ratings, which should make for a very interesting battle.     

Day 653: Leno vs. Conan – Part 1

I know this is old news, but is anyone else as floored as I am about the whole Leno/Conan debacle?  The whole thing was and IS totally ridiculous and I don’t believe for an instant that Jay Leno will ever FULLY recover as an entertainer now that America has seen his true colors.

He was playing dumb just like he did with the whole Letterman thing years ago.  “I have no idea what’s going on”… “You know what NBC stands for?  Never believe your contract… Har-Har.”  No, if Jay Leno had an ounce of dignity he would have taken his licks, moved on, and supported Conan… as he did before his 10pm experiment failed. 

No, instead Jay simply played dumb until the smoke cleared and jockeyed to get his old job back.  Throughout the ordeal, Leno referred to himself as being “fired” from his old job as Tonight Show host.  On one occasion, addressing the cancelation of his Prime Time show, Jay said something like, “They fired me from that other show and now they’re firing me from this show”. 

This quote really bothered me because Jay was not fired from the Tonight Show.  He retired.  In fact, he announced his retirement in 2004.  At which time, to avoid embarrassment similar to the Letterman debacle, NBC announced Conan as his successor.  That’s right, 2004! 

The truth is this.  Back in 2004, ABC wanted to enter the late night talk show market.  Not only did they want to compete with Leno and Letterman, they wanted their show to appeal to a younger demographic.  Conan ultimately turned this offer down and the show went to Jimmy Kimmel.  Why did he turn it down?  Because NBC promised he could take over the Tonight Show in five years.

Follow me?  When NBC caught wind that Conan might leave… they scrambled.  NBC had invested 10 years in Conan and saw him as Leno’s replacement… however; Conan was obviously ready to move on to a better time slot.  So, NBC executives went to Leno, explained the situation and asked one very simple question, “how much longer do you see yourself hosting the Tonight Show.”  Leno said, “No more than 5 more years.”   

In the end, Conan decided it was worth waiting 5 years to host the Tonight Show… and the deal was made and Leno even announced his 2009 retirement date publically.  

But he changed his mind.  Can you say “bait & switch”?

The version of the story I shared with you was the version shared in 2004.  However, as you will see below, Jay Leno is telling a different version of the story today:

And here is a very interesting rebuttal on the situation from David Letterman:

Day 652: London - Ummm… a Catholic Mass?

Before I joined the rest of the family in London Serena was a woman on a mission. She wanted to find a church close by for us to go to Christmas service. She was very excited to find this beautiful small Catholic Church around the corner. The parish itself had existed since the 1200’s and its current building was built in 1882. The church is beautiful… and if Serena says she found a Catholic Church, I would tend to believe her… not that she’s Catholic or should be able to recognize the subtle nuances that sets Catholicism apart from other denominations like… say… Anglican. After all, we were in England, right?

Now, being born and raised in to the Catholic faith, my parents are products of Catholic schools… and my mom was in a convent for a while… almost becoming a Nun… but Ladies and Gentlemen… it took me almost a full hour to figure out that I wasn’t in a Catholic Church.

I had always heard that the Anglican (Church of England) and the Catholic Church were almost identical… and I’m here to tell you… they ARE almost identical. Literally… I know there is some doctrinal difference, but to this common church goer, the only difference seems be an administrative difference… the recognition of the Pope.

However, there are some other small service differences… like only one reading before the gospel, no crucifies only crosses, and the invitation of all baptized and/or confirmed individuals (of any denomination) in attendance to receive communion. Other than these three things… the service was identical to the Catholic Mass….

I know, I know… to a Catholic, these are pretty major difference… however I have a tendency to believe my wife when she tells me something… so I wasn’t looking for these differences… until they all came together in my head all at once.

In fact, until I spotted the Church of England patch on the shoulder of one of the ushers, I thought I was attending a very tradition Catholic Mass. The priest kept his back to the congregation during the preparation of the Eucharist… and to receive you had to go to the altar and knee along a railing where the priest presented the bread and wine. It was like going to the old masses my parents would talk about… only it wasn’t.

My bad!

Day 651: London and Snow

Seriously, I haven’t quite figured out the deal with snow in London. It’s was sheer pandemonium. It’s like they’ve never seen the stuff before. I don’t get it. It’s as if London is in the Deep South. Granted, London winters are known for its cold miserable rain more than snow… but I would figure at 51 degrees north latitude, roughly the same latitude as Calgary, Canada, London wouldn’t behave like a “southerner”. Quite frankly, the whole city seemed to shut down. People raid the supermarkets and stayed home.

The day my best friend Jeff was flying in to visit us there. His plane which was scheduled to land at Gatwick Airport was diverted to Manchester due to snow fall in London. Honestly folks… the snow fall was mild.

BTW: There is a lot more to the “Jeff Manchester” story. Stay tuned.

Day 650: Movie Review - Alvin and the Chipmunks

A few months ago I get the esteemed pleasure to accompany my son to the sequel of his favorite movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks. He was very excited. As for me? Well… I was just thankful Jason Lee plays the part of David. Jason Lee is one of those actors who can entertain me and make me laugh no matter how many crazy CGI animals are spinning around his head.

I wonder how Jason was cast as David in the first place. If I was casting a children’s movie Jason Lee would probably not be on my list (he’s career isn’t exactly child friendly). But his performance ended up making the movie for me… the first movie that is… Alvin and the Chipmunks… not the Squeakuel.

Oh and I can’t forget giving credit to David Cross (also not known for children’s entertainment) who played the bad guy music producer/agent.

Anyway, as an adult I gave Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 out of 5 stars… Both stars for Jason and David. But as a parent, I have Alvin and the Chipmunks 4 out of 5 stars for being a children’s movie I don’t mind watching 100 times in a seven day period… however… the sequel… was… HORRIBLE.

Somehow Jason Lee was about weasel his way out of the movie, simply book ending the whole picture. Within the first five minutes of the movie he gets sent to the hospital and he isn’t heard from again until second before the end credits began to roll… I was heartbroken… I was confused! Jason Lee where were you when I needed you most!?!

I thought I knew you! Call me!

Day 649: London Movie Review - Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies

Well, I was flipping through the channels again and I came across something very odd: “Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies”. My first thought was, “Great, just what the world needs, yet another sequel to overly sophomoric, lewd and drug themed misadventure of Harold and Kumar.” But, sophomoric drug humor aside, don’t be too judgmental, Harold and Kumar launched the careers of two relatively no-name actors and revitalized one child-star legend:

· John Cho is a former High School English teacher turned actor who has taken over the role of Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek and is currently in the television Drama “Flash Forward”.

· Kal Penn has a sociology degree from UCLA, went on to play Dr. Lawrence Kutner on “House”, and is currently Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Plus, Kal is a strict Hindu… he doesn’t drink, smoke, or eat meat. While making the Harold and Kumar movies, he did a remarkable thing… he acted.

· Neil Patrick Harris… well this is the performance that got him the role on “How I Met Your Mother”… Neil plays a drug sniffing/womanizing fictional parody of himself. In a word: his performance is Legend… wait for it… -dary.

Okay, yes, sure, I admit it… I’ve seen both movies, “Harold and Kumar Got to White Castle” and “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”. “White Castle” was pretty funny, but “Guantanamo Bay” was skippable (except Neil’s camero… that’s worth seeing).

Anyway, I found it disgustingly unnecessary to see there was a 3^rd movie: “Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies.” Now, you, my loyal reads may have figured it out… it only took me a minute or two, myself… but “… Get the Munchies” is the alternative, overseas, title for “… Go To White Castle.”

And just as quickly as the light of recognition began to dawn I began to feel a bit dirty… and dejected… and, quite frankly, discriminated against. I’m from Georgia, folks! We don’t have White Castle in Georgia. In fact, White Castle only exists in thirteen US States. Which means New Line Cinema found it perfectly acceptable to market the title “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” in a United States, were 74% of the county, geographically, does not have access to a White Castle, yet, for some reason found it necessary to change the title for an overseas market.

“… Get the Munchies”? Why not release the film in the Deep South under the title “Harold and Kumar Get the Hankerin’ for Some Vittles”? No, seriously, the entire point of the movie isn’t for Harold and Kumar to quell their appetite with munchies… it’s to quell their appetite with White Castle burgers.

Seriously. To change the title of a film that is already seeping in such regional tradition is unnecessary. I don’t know… maybe it’s me… maybe I am over thinking it… which I am known to do... but in the spirit of New Line Cinema, from now on, I will be referring to the following films by their alternative titles:

Moulin Rouge: “Gentlemen’s Club”

Letter from Iwo Jima: “The Good Clint Eastwood War Movie”

Seven Years in Tibet: “That Brad Pitt Movie”

Australia: “Gentlemen’s Club 2”

In Bruges: “Sightseeing with a Midget before Ralph Fiennes Tries to Kill Us”

Anyway, you get the point…

In other news, I regret to inform you that there really is a 3^rd Harold and Kumar movie on its way next year… but I am sure this one will be a bit more wholesome… after all… it’s going to be a Christmas movie!

Day 648: 1960s Batman Revisited!

You know? This is a great time for being a boy’s dad. For the most part, toymakers haven’t come up with any new ideas… so as a dad you get to revisit all of your favorite characters, shows, and toys from a new perspective. It’s pretty crazy… everything marketed to boys today are the same things that were marketed to me: The Ninja Turtles, Batman, Spiderman, Transformers, GI Joe and Star Wars… oh man! Star Wars is awesome the second time around! And the best part about having a boy who is obsessed with Star Wars is the fact I get to watch the movies all the time! Seriously, when Grayson gets to pick the movie for Family Movie Night and Grayson wants to watch Star Wars Serena doesn’t put up much fight… and then I get to watch Star Wars! How awesome is that?!?

But… besides Star Wars there was one other childhood obsession of mine that I am revisiting and seeing in it in a whole new light: The 1960s Batman series with Adam West. When I was a kid, I was OBSESSED with this show. I can’t remember what station aired it… probably Nickelodeon. When I was growing up Nick wasn’t really making original programming and was airing other shows… like The Monkee’s… which is another obsession of mine.

But anyway, the fact that Batman was originally marketed to adults was completely lost on me until now. This show is hilarious. It has probably been close to 20 years since I’ve sat down to watch an episode of this show… and honestly, it’s like watching a completely different show.

This rediscovery was, of course, by complete accident. We are actually pretty careful about the TV and Movies Grayson is allowed to watch. Hiding Star Wars and Marvel Superheroes, due to marketing campaigns is almost impossible to avoid and about a year ago Grayson started asking me who Luke Skywalker was… and Spiderman… The Ninja Turtle, Superman, Batman… you get the idea.

And you know what? It’s pretty hard to deny your kid an explanation… especially since you know the kids in the neighborhood who are a couple years older are the ones planting the seed.

So, when Grayson asks I’ll normally sit down and tell him stories and show him pictures and present the characters in a pretty watered down fashion. And we planted one very specific seed of our own, “The things in books, tv, and movies are not real. They are make-believe.” And Grayson has accepted that… and because of this, he’s already grasped the concept of actors pretending and playing parts.

Anyway, eventually he started asking about Spiderman and Superman movie. He wanted to see these heroes in action. But, honestly, he’s not ready for most of the material out there… although Serena found the old Spiderman cartoons from the 1960s on youtube, so we watched those… and then he looked at me one day and said… “I want to see Batman”. Now Batman is a different story… the animated Batman series is not Grayson approved (yet), and at the time he hadn’t been introduced to live-action shows… mainly just animated. So… you know? We took a leap and showed in the original 1960’s two hours Batman TV movie that ended up launching the entire series. Grayson loved it… and I found myself catching things I never realized was there. Inside jokes and tongue in cheek social commentary.

It was great!

I recommend everyone go and revisit something you thought was awesome as a kid… except for MacGyver. If you thought MacGyver was awesome when you were a kid… then keep on thinking it without looking back… I don’t want to crush your memories.