You know what’s Crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.
The new Jay Leno show is crazy.
Jay got the boot from his late night home so Conan could move in.
This week; Jay took over the 10est/9cst time slot on NBC. It was controversial when they announced the move, it may be more painful now that its on.
Leno is the consummate performer with decades of working a live audience. He’s interviewed the biggest stars in the world and been on TV for as long as anyone can remember. That’s why it seem so odd, how do I say this, well he seems nervous.
A million hours on air and he seems unrehearsed, a little lost, disinterested, and at times, his enthusiasm feels forced.
Maybe Jay misses his desk and his disheveled clothes. NBC has taken both from him.
As part of the new look, NBC removed that big clunky desk with two bright blue chairs. They are aesthetically pleasing, but they don’t look comfortable. My grandmother had chairs like that in her pure white living room that was accentuated with crystal. It was a place to stand and gaze, but it was always hands off. No living ever happened in that room.
“Are your shoes off? Are your hands clean?”
“Yes NANA.”
Who feels comfortable when Nana is yelling at you. And that is the way I think Jay feels. It’s as if my grandmother is producing this new show.
Prime Time Jay? His hair is longer. His suit is more Italian. The set is slick and full of blue glass and shrubbery lit with colored lights.
I find myself gazing past the entertainers to the back drop. The sound fades down and I wonder how my living room would look with a panel of blue glass illuminated with purple highlights.
The ratings started off like a moon rocket. People were curious. What would the new Prime Time Leno show look like?
The New Jay opened with 18.4 million viewers. That is a butt load of TV viewers. That’s dancing with the stars big.
But Daily Magazine reports: night two dropped more than 40 percent Tuesday, with 10.7 million viewers. That’s Dancing With Tom Delay, all by himself. It’s not good.
That does not portend good things for NBC.
But Jay is trying hard this first week, and his star buddies are lining up to help launch this show. Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld and Halle Barry made appearances.
But the Leno show also paraded out 2nd rate entertainers like Michael Moore who was so fat that his groin seemed to collapse into his own lap in the tiny little blue chair. With no desk I was forced to look at massive Michael Moore’s uncomfortable fidgeting. It made me a little queasy and I was glad my dinner was all ready settled in my stomach.
Jay gave a somewhat obscure comedian a chance to make me laugh. He did, sort of. I never heard of him before. It was humorous, but I found myself wondering what else was on.
America is use to watching dramas before their late local news. It begs the question, what’s the problem NBC? Was there no more Law and Orders you could ram down our throats. I mean Law and Order special interest group. Law and Order bikini inspection squad. Law and Order is moved to 9pm. WHY? They should make a citizen’s arrest on the Jay Leno Show.
The new Leno show is a lot like the old Leno show. That’s how a 4th place TV Network reinvents itself. It literally cancels a guy and gives him a bigger time slot and tells him to roll out the same old tired act.
The show starts with a monologue and some polite clapping at jokes that only sort of work. It worked better as a Late Night vehicle. The humor is still based on news of the day. Leno still does Headlines and Jay Walking, and funny 9 1 1 calls. But it just all seems so disjointed. It’s like his covers came off in bed and he’s chilly.
Jay still has his band, and Kevin Eubanks, the quintessential yes man, is still hiding that bald head with a funky new hat.
There’s just something missing.
Some parts of Hollywood are hoping the new show fails. Rumor is, if the new Jay Leno show makes it, it could change the face of TV entertainment forever. You see the Jay Leno show can be produced a lot cheaper than dramas like Law and Order and CSI Miami. If the cheaper reality format succeeds, other networks might go to a similar format. It’s been said that reality TV takes much less manpower to produce, so that would reduce the number of jobs while maximizing profits for networks, and potentially limiting the entertainment value for viewers.
Battle lines are drawn only time will tell they say.
There are some comedic correspondents who do field reports. Two un-funny guys did a skit called ghosting where they sneak up behind joggers and see how long they can run behind them before getting caught. It went on 5 minutes too long. I’ve seen better videos from Junior High kids on You Tube.
I did enjoy DL Hughley whose field report focused on saving California by having a bake sale. It was funny, and it probably cost a hundred bucks to produce. That’s real “bake” for your cake.
Can anyone say sianora law and order, hello reality based tv.
News papers are all ready dead. I think it’s just a matter of time before tv dies as well.
Leno was asked this summer how he felt being called upon to save NBC, which is basically dying in prime time. “Screw them,” he said.
Good Night Everybody!
And that is crazy.