February
19Turmoil in the Land of Leno
There’s turmoil in late-night TV. Conan O’Brian is in his last week at NBC’s “Late Night” before he prepares to replace Jay Leno. He tells Bill Carter of the New York Times, “I’ll probably cry like a baby on Friday night.”
Jimmy Fallon will soon see whether he has the right stuff to replace Conan, beginning in March. Brian Lowry says he hopes Jimmy won’t follow in the footsteps of Chevy Chase, Jane Pauley, Magic Johnson, John McEnroe or all the others who have hosted late night “train wrecks.”
Since I do an occasional stint as a guest on Craig Ferguson’s late-night show, I figured I’d detect his nervousness about all this, but the Scot (now a U.S. citizen) seemed as jovial as ever.
He should be. According to Carter, Ferguson “has been winning fans and defying expectations” and is consistently first among viewers.
Part of it is personality. Despite all his years on TV, Leno rigidly stays within prepared boundaries. Ferguson, who is a free-spirit and also a novelist, resists these rigidities.
To be a guest on Ferguson’s show is the opposite of a Leno gig. Ferguson is freewheeling and occasionally downright eccentric. His producers will brief you on the topics he plans to cover, then warn, “you know Craig – he’ll probably talk about other things entirely.” That rule has held true on all of my visits.
But Ferguson has his boundaries, too. Like, references to David Letterman are off limits.
Last night we were talking about the recession and I remarked (in jest) that CBS, like GM, may also ask for a bailout. Just as the government will require GM to give up its Saturn and Pontiac brands, I suggested the government may ask CBS to give up on Letterman.
Ferguson laughed and said, “He’s my boss, you know.’ He seemed happy about the conversation.
The Letterman exchange didn’t make the final cut.
So these are edgy times in the edgy world of late-night. Everyone’s talents will be tested by the new formats. Leno has to do some reinvention. Conan has to figure out how to cope with his new slot. David Letterman has to figure out how to cope with Joaquin Phoenix.
But Ferguson will continue on his merry way. He’s off to Vegas, finishing a new book and enjoying his ratings.
Jimmy Fallon will soon see whether he has the right stuff to replace Conan, beginning in March. Brian Lowry says he hopes Jimmy won’t follow in the footsteps of Chevy Chase, Jane Pauley, Magic Johnson, John McEnroe or all the others who have hosted late night “train wrecks.”
Since I do an occasional stint as a guest on Craig Ferguson’s late-night show, I figured I’d detect his nervousness about all this, but the Scot (now a U.S. citizen) seemed as jovial as ever.He should be. According to Carter, Ferguson “has been winning fans and defying expectations” and is consistently first among viewers.
Part of it is personality. Despite all his years on TV, Leno rigidly stays within prepared boundaries. Ferguson, who is a free-spirit and also a novelist, resists these rigidities.
To be a guest on Ferguson’s show is the opposite of a Leno gig. Ferguson is freewheeling and occasionally downright eccentric. His producers will brief you on the topics he plans to cover, then warn, “you know Craig – he’ll probably talk about other things entirely.” That rule has held true on all of my visits.
But Ferguson has his boundaries, too. Like, references to David Letterman are off limits.
Last night we were talking about the recession and I remarked (in jest) that CBS, like GM, may also ask for a bailout. Just as the government will require GM to give up its Saturn and Pontiac brands, I suggested the government may ask CBS to give up on Letterman.
Ferguson laughed and said, “He’s my boss, you know.’ He seemed happy about the conversation.
The Letterman exchange didn’t make the final cut.
So these are edgy times in the edgy world of late-night. Everyone’s talents will be tested by the new formats. Leno has to do some reinvention. Conan has to figure out how to cope with his new slot. David Letterman has to figure out how to cope with Joaquin Phoenix.
But Ferguson will continue on his merry way. He’s off to Vegas, finishing a new book and enjoying his ratings.
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With Conan going to 11:30 Craig will be #1 at 12:35!
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