On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 6:51 AM, Greg Diener <[email protected]> wrote:
> Wow what a jerkoff. If you want to see someone who can handle how to do > handle those sorts of topics, just look at Ferguson or Dave's great 9/11 > monologue on how to handle serious situations. More proof Big Jaw couldn't > fill or even fit the shoes of Johnny. Not trying to defend Leno, but this notion that he can't handle those topics seems a bit off. I would state he very consciously chooses not to handle them, for which he can be criticized, but not that he can't. In interviews, Leno has stated he doesn't view the Tonight Show as a place for grand social commentary or contemplative reflection; it is a place to poke fun at the day's headlines, so he veers away from the tough stuff, not because he is incapable of it, but because it isn't in keeping with his incarnation of the show. I was too young to be watching Johnny Carson when John Lennon was shot or during the Iran hostage situation that resulted in the creation of Nightline on ABC, so I don't know how Johnny handled the somber stuff. What I will say is the one time I personally witnessed Jay Leno be real, he f-ing nailed it. I was an NBC Page at the time (late 1990s) and Leno did his usual monologue, but after the commercial break he was leaning against the front of his desk instead of sitting behind it. Then he did something he rarely does on the Tonight Show -- he looked away from there his producer and head writer are sitting. He faced the audience, and he started talking. His mother had passed away the night before. And Jay Leno just talked. He was open and honest and real and everything he is accused of not being. You could have heard a pin drop as Leno spoke for the entire segment about his memories of his mother, and everyone in the room felt connected to him at that moment. I only cite this example to say he can do that sort of thing, and when he does it is something to behold. But he just doesn't use the Tonight Show like that very often. So if anyone feels the Tonight Show ought to be the place where we come to heal the wounds of the day, then I suppose Leno can be criticized for not wanting the show to be that. But I'd refrain from stating he can't do that. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- 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 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
