On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 1:03 AM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 11:15 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> He also apparently again cites one source of his anti-Lenoism the >> experience back when Leno was rumored to be contemplating a move to ABC, >> and, from JK's POV, Leno made like he wanted to be friends, only to drop >> him like a hot potato once it was clear the ABC move was off. Kimmel is >> convinced this was a dick move intended by Leno to sweet talk him into >> giving up his slot. I have heard/read him talk about this at least twice >> before, and it seems he is not going to forget that anytime soon. >> > > I'm not in the business of defending Leno, but it seemed to me that the > friendship sparked between Jay and Jimmy occurred during the WGA strike > when guests and content were hard to come by; both networks were more lax > with the hosts appearing on their respective shows because the pickings > were slim. Once the strike ended, the temperature between the two networks > went back to what it usually is. I never saw it as having anything to do > with his potential (never realistic) move to ABC. > > Regardless, Kimmel has discussed this at great length in multiple outlets, > and whenever he does, it strikes me as evidence that he does not understand > the entertainment industry at all. Back when I taught film students (back > when I earned a paycheck), I made a point of explaining to the entry-level > people that Hollywood friendships are different than actual friendships, > and they need to be treated as such. When I'm doing well, my Hollywood > friends cannot wait to show their support. When I'm down, they are the > first to bail out. That is the nature of the business. As Clapton sang, > "nobody knows you when you're down and out," and nowhere is that more true > than in Hollywood. Leno doesn't need Kimmel's friendship, just as he > doesn't need Conan's or Dave's, which is why he has no trouble screwing > over any of them. Such is Hollywood. If Kimmel believes the people who pal > around with him on the air are genuinely his buddies, then clearly the pot > he very proudly admits to smoking has gone to his head. (SNIP) > I believe that in Kimmel's mind this incident is about much more than the usual Hollywood insincerity during Late Night talk show appearances. The period he is referring to does begin with the writer's strike, but overlaps with the period when Leno was flirting with ABC. We will recall the night that Kimmel appeared on the Tonight Show with Leno, during the strike when both commiserated about how horrible it was doing their shows without writers (that was January 10, 2008, per http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166754/). My memory is that Kimmel, who had publicly been bashing Leno for some time by then (remember his line when he first started his ABC show: ''I want to do the comedy version of The Tonight Show.'' ) was charmed that Leno reached out to him during that time, calling him personally without going through assistants, saying how they were both in the same boat, and that they should hang out more. Out of that call came Kimmel's appearance on the Tonight Show, and apparently through much of the rest of 2008 Leno and Kimmel did chat occasionally on the phone - and Kimmel appeared on the Tonight Show again on September 26, 2008. In the summer of 2008 rumors of Leno moving to ABC heated up (see this for example: http://www.deadline.com/2008/07/jay-leno-hints-that-abc-is-in-his-future/) and continued through the Fall (see this: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20230341,00.html). Those rumors imagined Leno doing an 11:35 show on ABC vs Dave and Conan, with Kimmel moving down a half hour to 12:35 (and the death of Nightline). Sometime between October and early December Leno decided to stay at NBC and do the primetime show (this was publicly announced on December 9, 2008, according to the wikis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jay_Leno_Show). And sometime between October and December was the last friendly phone chat Kimmel had with Leno. In Kimmel's mind it was clear that Leno had made an effort to establish a friendship early in 2008 (during the strike) and maintained it for about 9 months for one purpose only, and that was to sweet talk Kimmel into moving his show back 30 minutes; as soon as Leno no longer needed that from Kimmel, he dropped him. I don't think Kimmel is naive about how common insincerity is among Hollywood types - after all he has hosted a Late Night talk show for more than 10 years. If this were merely a matter of Leno being friendly during a Talk Show segment but giving the cold shoulder during commercials I am sure it would be a non-issue. But In Kimmel's mind, he was perfectly happy not having a relationship with Leno at all, then Leno sought him out, developed a friendship solely for self-serving manipulative reasons, and then dropped it when he no longer needed it. In Kimmel's book, that makes Leno a douchebag (probably in my book too). -- 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
