Conan OBrien

[crokett]

Today is the end of his first week hosting the Tonight Show. Anybody else watch it? What do you think? So far I think he is funnier than Jay Leno. Tonight he said that the staff from Late Night moved out to LA with him and he brought out all the kids that he said were conceived during the run of his old show in NY. All the kids were wearing red wigs with the hair styled like Conan's. Hilarious.

[MilDoc]

He's no Allen or Carson or Leno. But he's still better than Letterman.

[SARGE..g-47]

I personally don't think he is funny and have never cared for his style. He seems to try to be funny but... he just comes up a dollar short and a day late in my view. I am sure there are those that might think otherwise. I really don't care for Letterman either really. Lets just say that time slot got re-directed to more History and International History Channels..

[Pappy]

Have to agree with Sarge. Never liked him or his style. I do like the band better but enough to get me to watch.

Always found Letterman to be rude and obnoxious toward his guests. A cleaned up for TV version of Stearn.

[gary]

I agree with Sarge. I stayed up the first night to watch and it's an hour of sleep I'll never get back.

[cgallery]

Leno was okay (I liked headlines). I like Conan more.

Tastes in each are probably generational. The older you are, the more you're probably going to like the vaudevillian style of Leno. All I can say is, give Conan a few more chances. If he doesn't make you laugh so hard that you're going to wake someone up, then fine, watch something else.

Leno: Tell lots of jokes, hope some of them are funny (most of them are pretty obvious). Sketches just another opportunity to tell jokes. Some of the street stuff was okay (Jay Walking, for example), but I don't know how much credit Leno gets for finding dumb passers-by.

Letterman: Has mostly given up on monologue and sketches. Also takes a hit for Paul Shaffer (can't stand the guy). But he still has class in spades and is a great interviewer.

Conan: Less desperate than Leno. Works at crafting original sketches. Kinda like the Simpsons of late-night TV, which isn't surprising given his background. Often tries too hard to find something funny during interviews.

Craig Ferguson: Great, long monologue. Lots of good punchlines. Rest of the show is okay, nothing great.

[jhart]

Absolutely loved Johnny Carson, So-so on Leno and don't care for Conan at all. I've tuned in a couple of times this week, during the first part of his show and noticed that the audience doesn't seem to find his jokes funny either, at least very little laughing, at the times I've been watching. Will find something else to watch! Guess I'm really getting to be an old Foggie!!

[docrowan]

I never really liked any of the late night talk-show hosts, although I remember Carson often had very interesting guests. Somehow they seemed more relaxed than they often do now.

I never watch any of them at home. Sometimes if I'm flipping through channels at a hotel I'll stop and watch Craig Ferguson. He's the only one who is funny to me, and he seems to really enjoy himself. You get the feeling he realizes he's riding a wave and having a great time while he's on it.

[scmhogg]

[QUOTE=docrowan;413944 Somehow they seemed more relaxed than they often do now.
.[/QUOTE]

Maybe they don't get high in the green room any more.

Steve

[germdoc]

I used to be a late night fanatic, but now it's past my bedtime...

I think that the current crop all represent various parts of Carson's talent--only Carson was the total package.

I agree that Leno is the best stand-up joke teller and O'Brien gets marks for inspired silliness, which lest we forget Carson had in spades. Letterman is the best interviewer and host and continually pushes the envelope of the format. He can be cranky, and his style rubs some people the wrong way, but he is great at what he does. Sometimes this includes taking on difficult or controversial guests. All tail-end baby-boomers my age (47) are cynical as he**, so Letterman comes across as one of us.

I think if you're over 50, Leno's your man. 35-50 probably Letterman, 20-40 Conan. And if you like a wee dram of single-malt every now and then, Ferguson. Just an observation.

[BobSch]

I'm glad they gave the Tonight Show to Conan — it gives me an extra hour of sleep every night.

[herb fellows]

61, loved Carson, like Conan, couldnt stand Leno. Letterman, hit and miss, sometimes great, sometimes awful.