ABC Puts An End To Drinks On Jimmy Kimmel's new show.

Webcenter News ^ | January 29, 2003 | Associated Press

[ConservativeMan55]

Last call at Jimmy Kimmel's new ABC talk show NEW YORK (AP) - It's last call at Jimmy Kimmel's new ABC talk show.

After a boisterous premiere during which actor George Clooney passed around a bottle of vodka and an audience member vomited, the bar that serves drinks to audience members has been shut down.

Kimmel's late-night talk show, to run regularly on weeknights, premiered early Monday two hours after the end of the Super Bowl and was seen by an average of 4.8 million viewers.

Besides Clooney pouring drinks, rapper Snoop Dogg tested censors by several times making an on-camera obscene gesture.

``We were not comfortable with the systems in place for serving wine and beer,'' ABC spokesman Kevin Brockman said.

Daniel Kellison, the show's executive producer, said, ``They just said `let's chill out on it and take it away for now,' and we said fine. We have bigger fish to fry.''

ABC is hoping to build a late-night franchise by replacing ``Politically Incorrect'' with a new show led by Kimmel, former co-host of ``The Man Show'' on Comedy Central. ABC had resisted letting the show operate a bar in the first place, but Kellison pointed out drinks are served at the Disney-owned California Angels' games.

Kimmel, speaking earlier this month, said he wanted to make going to the show a more pleasant experience than it normally is for audience members.

``You stand out there for three hours,'' he said. ``They poke you with cattle prods to get in, and then you're forced to laugh and applaud at certain times. I want to make it more of an evening out where people actually enjoy themselves from the beginning of the experience until the end.''

Drinks aren't served to audience members at Jay Leno's ``Tonight'' show and David Letterman's ``Late Show.'' On-air guests at ``Tonight'' are asked backstage if they want a drink; Letterman's people won't ask, but will get something if it's requested.

Last June, ``Tonight'' show guest Tom Green got progressively drunk on the air as a gimmick, an experiment thought to quickly spiral out of control.

For a new show seeking attention like Kimmel's, publicity about a raucous opening night and bar shutdown might not necessarily be a bad thing.

``It gives us some stature in terms of people thinking this is a different show and not a conventional talk show,'' Kellison said. ``Honestly, what we want to do is create a place where the young audience and young talent feel like this is a fun place to come.''

[GoreIsLove]

you must be a whole lotta fun at parties.

[sinkspur]

I find it very telling when I find out that someone listens to Stern or watches trash like this.

I agree with you. Laughing at farts is something you expect teenagers to do.

But not grown men and women. I just don't get Kimmel and Stern, but the real stooges are those who watch and listen to them.

[Aquinasfan]

The ABC suits had Jimmy Kimmel and John Stewart (the next Letterman) as their final 2 choices.

ABC failed the no-brainer. My favorite Daily Show segment is with the "serious" guy who does "special reports." He's hilarious.

[BrooklynGOP]

Oh man...the beach was great! Where did they find that kid??

Did you see the one where Carolla asked strangers to watch "his kid". So the man show boy is standing on the street with this woman who is watching him... and he goes "I sure hope people won't think that I am standing with a hooker".. huhu. I don't know where they found him, but he's great! Probably going to have his own show...

[Bella_Bru]

Didn't he say something like, "Last time he left me for 24 hours?" ?

[newgeezer]

Jimmy Kimmel is a no talent hack who always uses the gutter as his source of jokes. He will not last.......

If he doesn't last, it's only because he's slightly ahead of his time.

[TontoKowalski]

Also don't forget the classic line, "I can't believe he left me standing here with two gay Asian guys."

[Hawkeye's Girl]

I like Jimmy's new show. Very laidback and freewheeling, so I hope it survives.

As for the Man Show, the 3 best skits are:
1. Jimmy and Adam pose as drunk airline pilots and ride around the airport on luggage.
2. That kid went around rating women with lines like "I give you two a 7. Split it up among yourselves."
3. Adam poses as Tobias, famous psychic fortune teller and author of The Third Eye who reads women's palms and then adds "You are attracted to Tobias, yes?"

[Bella_Bru]

And when he was helping old ladies across the street:

You have more wrinkles than my dad's...." ;-)

[Sam's Army]

I like the one where they act like they are running for office and campaign door to door against each other:

Kimmell: "And I promise to be tough on minorities"

[discostu]

One of my goals in life is to never get so stodgy and boring that I forget why farts are funny. What a lot of people call maturity is really nothing more than losing your sense of joy and wonderment at the world.

[SandfleaCSC]

If they would put Benny Hill back on, I wouldn't have to watch Kimmel anymore. As it is right now, South Park and The Man Show are about as satirically funny as anything on TV.

[FreeTally]

Where did they find that kid??

I think he is a relative of Jimmy or Adam. He is coached alot and I believe he has an ear-piece on where they are telling him what to say.

[discostu]

Wheel of Destiny, best bit ever. Best prize: ride in the Batmobile with Adam West.

And people are forgetting that a lot of their bits are totally making fun of men for being such pigs and idiots. Any time they send Juggies out into the world the men are the victims, my favorite was catching guys walking with their woman scoping the Juggy then showing both of them the tape.

[Bella_Bru]

He must be wearing an earpiece. I always wanted to go see a taping of the Man Show, but never got around to it.

[TontoKowalski]

I consider myself well-educated and moderately sophisticated. Still, you've got to let your hair down sometime. I got suckered into watching Dumb and Dumber at a family gathering. It was a movie I thought I'd never ever lower myself to watching.

Say what you want about bathroom humor, but when the blond one was on the toilet in the girl's house when he went to get her for their date, I laughed harder than I have ever laughed at a movie.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: Jimmy Kimmel is THA MAN! Sometimes you FReepers are so wrapped up that anything less than a one-hour prayer show isn't up to your holier-than-thou standards.

I could say, "I'll drink to that!" Yet I drink to the sun rising or the the fridge light coming on when I open the door. Heck, I even drink during those one-hour prayer shows I watch from noon to Happy Hour.

};^)~

[ContemptofCourt]

Anytime a comedian has to resort to either bathroom or sexual humor, they cease to be funny, and begin only to shock. It is the most base of all humor, something most mature, functional people laughed last when they were 12....

Not too uptight, are you?

[Hawkeye's Girl]

I also couldn't stop laughing at the one where they go to a buffet and start putting food on people's plates because they should be eating more (like maple surup on mashed potatoes).

[L.N. Smithee]

It definitely pushes the envelope as far a vulgarity goes, though. But no more than, say, South Park.

Not a chance. South Park is more vulgar in so many different ways, and with children.