New 'Jay Leno'? Nah. And That's the Silver Lining (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Washington Post ^ | September 15, 2009 | Hank Stuever

[abb]

They said "The Jay Leno Show" wouldn't feel like going to bed really early, that it would feel new.

But it's like going to bed really early. It feels old. For a lot of people, "The Jay Leno Show," which premiered Monday in its game-changing 10 o'clock weeknight format, it might feel perfectly comfy.

There was an uncomfy moment with a chastened Kanye West, who 24 hours earlier acted like a jerk by interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. "What would your mom have said about this?" Leno asked the rapper, who sat frozen at the mention of his mother, who died in 2007.

What was weird about this was how quickly West stammered through his repentance ("Obviously, I deal with hurt"), saying he needs to take a vacation from performing and the celebrity grind under which he lives, then recovering immediately to perform with Jay-Z and Rihanna, proving that really, after all the talk, Jay's show is still a place to promote your product, your song, your movie -- and in special guest Jerry Seinfeld's case, your "Seinfeld" reunion on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Leno and his producers kept saying it wouldn't be like this, this usual shill game.

The jokes are the same. (Why wouldn't they be?) The theme song is different but the same, accompanying opening-title pictures of Leno as a young man, the all-American boy who grew up to love cars and tell jokes. The guest spots take place sans desk, in easy chairs. Seinfeld came on and made playfully condescending jokes about the Leno "farewell" show in May on "The Tonight Show": "In the '90s, when we quit a show, we actually left," a tuxedoed Seinfeld said. "But not in the Brett Favre-Lance Armstrong double-oh's."

snip

[abb]

"By the end of this decade or shortly thereafter, television networks as we know them today will cease to exist. They will be just another url on the world wide web competing against millions of others."

"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."

Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer, blogger and commentator

[abb]

ping

[abb]

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/14/patriots-win-bills-and-jay-leno-lose/27124
Patriots win; Bills and Jay Leno lose

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-leno15-2009sep15,0,326654.story
‘Jay Leno Show’ stays on familiar ground

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/15/so-far-only-thing-new-leno-his-time-slot/?features&zIndex=166026
So far, the only thing new with Leno is his time slot

[WestCoastGal]

I turned it off immediately after he made fun of Bush and Cheney.

I thought when it came on it’s the same Tonight show only earlier.

Blah :p

[Chuck54]

I DVR’d the show.
Huge disappointment.
Leno, seemingly on NBC’s orders, got in jabs at several Republicans, including GWB.
Old and stale jokes on Republicans only.
Show will not be a ratings winner.
Good for NBC. Hope the show and network tanks.
I actually liked the 11:30PM show.

[albie]

Good question for Kanye...”How do you think the media would’ve reacted if this were a white guy bullying a black girl”?

[kittymyrib]

Who in the world would watch that tired old liberal when Monday Night Football is on? And last night’s game was a humdinger.

[Ditter]

Why don’t I know who Kayne West is and why do I NOT care?

[abb]

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941062.html?categoryid=32&cs=1
The Jay Leno Show

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/09/so_how_was_jay_lenos_first_sho.html
So How Was Jay Leno’s First Show?

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/09/the_jay_leno_show_thoughts_on.html
The Jay Leno Show: Thoughts on the premiere

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Bill O’Reilly (I know, I know) on his show remarked that if Leno fails, NBC’s whole operation will go down the drain.

[abb]

I saw that. So far from the reviews I’ve seen, it doesn’t appear to be an auspicious start for Leno’s show. And it is true that Zucker (NBC’s boss) is under tremendous pressure.

[GeronL]

CBN actually has something like an online TV channel. Its a start I guess. They even do a midday ‘broadcast’.

[Babu]

Good. May they all go down in flames. I will party on the grave of the National Barack Channel.

[GeronL]

It deserves to fail. Did it have to be as bad as everyone thought it might be? apparently.

[Dr. Ursus]

This self absorbed douche-bag should take a page from
Beyonce,a classy lady.

[abb]

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/09/15/two_bidders_visit_globe_third_group_may_drop_out/
Two bidders visit Globe; third group may drop out

[SlowBoat407]

If Leno had any class, he’d have cancelled West and booked Taylor Swift in his place.

[LS]

"Bill O’Reilly (I know, I know) on his show remarked that if Leno fails, NBC’s whole operation will go down the drain."

I find that silly. NBC's big guns are "Heroes," "Law & Order" (variations 1-5), and NFL football.

[albie]

“If Leno had any class, he’d have cancelled West and booked Taylor Swift in his place”.

...agreed 100%! Did Swift ever get a chance to opine?

[Vermont Lt]

Yeaah, i guess.... But he slammed Kayne pretty well with the “mom” question. You could just feel him be really pissed off when he asked, and then he realized that his mom would NOT be proud.

That was well done.