I agree that Dave can be a very good interviewer, but I give Stewart the nod over him for one reason: when Stewart does a serious or substantive interview, he makes no pretense at being well-informed or knowledgeable about the topic (or he admits what he doesn't know). Dave, on the other hand, too often retreats into his "Well, I'm just a dumb guy" persona and defers to the guest, rather than engaging or challenging him or her, which Stewart will often do. (That, and Dave's habit of using blowhards like Brokaw as authoritative analysts of current events).
Colbert is very good, too, but is always looking for the punchline or a way to get his character to say something stupid. I chalk this up to his improv skills, where listening to the other person is everything, Given the chance to do "straight" panels, I think he'd be very good. I think Ferguson does the best panels, but as "interviews," they're lacking. As interesting conversations, they're usually good (at least the ones I've seen ...). I am afraid, though, that if Dave were given a chance to interview only people who interest him, the lineups would consist of race-car drivers and washed-up comics from the 70s. --Dave Sikula On Tuesday, December 18, 2012 10:38:47 AM UTC-8, PGage wrote: > > On Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 10:27 AM, Jon Delfin <[email protected]<javascript:> > > wrote: > >> I think Colbert would be bored in a standard talk-show format. But >> while the idea of Letterman doing a PBS/HBO interview show makes me >> laugh unreasonably, I suspect Ferguson could evolve to that >> eventually. He, at least, knows how to listen and respond. > > > I am not a Ferguson hater, just not as big a fan as many here are. I have > been impressed by many of the extended conversations he has had with > guests, but also have found many of his interviews with celebrities to be > not just silly but, I guess worst of all for someone in his position, > boring. I know this is a charge frequently leveled at Dave, and it is true > to a large extent, but it seems to me to be even more true of Ferguson - > that he gets bored himself with doing a talk show, and if he is not really > captured by his guest, his attention and focus seem to wane. > > In my eyes Dave is consistently the best serious interviewer of all the > late night TV shows, and I would include the two Comedy Central guys in > that. It is true that he often has little patience or interest in many of > the various entertainment celebrities that flow by, but when he gets > someone that he is interested in he produces riveting television. I am at a > point where more often than not I will fast forward through the monologue > and start watching with his desk piece, which, especially when they forgo a > scripted bit and just let Dave by Dave for 5 minutes, can often be the > highlight of the television day. If he has an interesting guest (and mostly > here I mean not a guest who is interesting to me, but a guest that seems > interesting to Dave) I will watch the rest of the program. > > This is why I say that I would like to see Dave in retirement have a show > where he only invites guests that he is interested in talking to, without > the pressure of interviewing the stars of that week's blockbuster films or > current television programs. Maybe I am the only one, but I > would definitely watch all of that program once or twice a week. > On Tuesday, December 18, 2012 10:38:47 AM UTC-8, PGage wrote: > > On Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 10:27 AM, Jon Delfin <[email protected]<javascript:> > > wrote: > >> I think Colbert would be bored in a standard talk-show format. But >> while the idea of Letterman doing a PBS/HBO interview show makes me >> laugh unreasonably, I suspect Ferguson could evolve to that >> eventually. He, at least, knows how to listen and respond. > > > I am not a Ferguson hater, just not as big a fan as many here are. I have > been impressed by many of the extended conversations he has had with > guests, but also have found many of his interviews with celebrities to be > not just silly but, I guess worst of all for someone in his position, > boring. I know this is a charge frequently leveled at Dave, and it is true > to a large extent, but it seems to me to be even more true of Ferguson - > that he gets bored himself with doing a talk show, and if he is not really > captured by his guest, his attention and focus seem to wane. > > In my eyes Dave is consistently the best serious interviewer of all the > late night TV shows, and I would include the two Comedy Central guys in > that. It is true that he often has little patience or interest in many of > the various entertainment celebrities that flow by, but when he gets > someone that he is interested in he produces riveting television. I am at a > point where more often than not I will fast forward through the monologue > and start watching with his desk piece, which, especially when they forgo a > scripted bit and just let Dave by Dave for 5 minutes, can often be the > highlight of the television day. If he has an interesting guest (and mostly > here I mean not a guest who is interesting to me, but a guest that seems > interesting to Dave) I will watch the rest of the program. > > This is why I say that I would like to see Dave in retirement have a show > where he only invites guests that he is interested in talking to, without > the pressure of interviewing the stars of that week's blockbuster films or > current television programs. Maybe I am the only one, but I > would definitely watch all of that program once or twice a week. > -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
