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.''

[Taliesan]

You may be the first person in the world to ascribe amusement at farting to the "sense of joy and wonderment" children have.

Also, boogers are really tasty.

[FreeTally]

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

If you look, sometimes you can see something comming out of one of his back pockets or the back of his pants. This may just be a microphone, but it sure looks like it could be a receiver. Notice his hair is kind of long and shabby around the ears too.

[discostu]

Frank Zappa called it "mongoloid entertainment", stuff that appeals to your baser instincts and you know it's stupid but it makes you laugh so who cares (he used this term to describe a lot of his own work BTW). Life is short and it always ends in a pine box, have some fun while you're here. Laugh at farts, admire curves in the right places, and admit that on some level you wish you could live on a diet of nachos and beer.

[Hildy]

Between Snoop Dog and the guy from Tampa Bay Bucs, George Clooney looked like a scared little White Man.

[ewing]

Last night was hilarious, the 'special report' on the Daily Show was the cable news networks coming up with music and graphic themes scary enough to 'scare the hell' out of the audience..

[JimRed]

I imagine Married with Children is a really big hit among you people too.

My all time favorite! I don't see enjoying low comedy as a sin, so long as we don't follow its' example in our actions!

Of course I'm old enough to know the difference; young kids could think the characters are practicing accepted or recommended behavior, so I'd keep them away from it.

[Selective Fire]

Also, there wasn't a soul in the audience that saw the SOTU. I'm only forty, but I felt old at that moment. Clooney is a guest? Clinton praise? I've seen enough.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

This is the crowd I am ashamed to share any kind of conservative viewpoints with.

Fine. Feel free to take your opinion and shove it up your *ss, m'kay?

[sinkspur]

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.

I experience all kinds of joy and wonderment.

Unlike you, apparently, I don't find a dirty diaper to be fascinating.

[Moosefart]

Aw hell John, this is what our society has become. No sense in getting upset. People by and large have no principles or morals, so why wouldn't this stuff be funny to them. Just do as I do...fart in their general direction and carry on. What your saying doesn't even register to most, yer speakin greek dude.

[discostu]

Nope, I stole it from George Carlin, the track "Cute Little Farts" on the album "Occupation: Foole" (spelled with the final e just to pi$$ people off). Quite a good bit about how we learn not to laugh at farts because we're told that's kid stuff. Oversharing side note for those familiar with the routine: I never got "the ones that goes woosh" until I got old enough to drink beer. That's also the routine with "captain who?" (funniest response he ever heard to a fart).

Never got into booger tasting even as a wee one, but the way I see it so long as you're not gonna make me watch eat all the boogers you want.

[Sam's Army]

Yeah, but you forget to tell him to put a new cover sheet on those TPS reports.

[L.N. Smithee]

Not too uptight, are you?

If by "uptight" you mean he will refuse to laugh at anything no matter how sick and disgusting just because people told him it is funny (for example, a boy getting revenge on a classmate who sold him phony pastable pubic hair by killing his parents and feeding them to him as dinner), I would guess that he is "uptight."

I am "uptight" too. What's it to ya?

[discostu]

Dirty diapers don't fascinate, I avoid them. Farts aren't fascinating either, but they can be damn funny. Try this out next time you're around liberals if the bodily timing is right, say "my opinion on Bill Clinton is rather concise" then rip it out loud and proud. That's comedy.

[Sam's Army]

If by "uptight" you mean he will refuse to laugh at anything no matter how sick and disgusting just because people told him it is funny (for example, a boy getting revenge on a classmate who sold him phony pastable pubic hair by killing his parents and feeding them to him as dinner), I would guess that he is "uptight."

Huh?

[ewing]

I loved it when the 'Man Show Boy' asked old ladies to go to the store and buy him malt liqour in his boy scout uniform.

[Sam's Army]

"my opinion on Bill Clinton is rather concise" then rip it out loud and proud. That's comedy.

I would pay good money to see that happen!

[Hawkeye's Girl]

A boy (Eric Cartman) getting revenge on a classmate who sold him phony pastable pubic hair by killing his parents and feeding them to him as dinner happened on "South Park".

Was it funny? Yes. Was it gross? Also yes, but that's why "South Park" is rated as an adults only show.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Yeah, but you forget to tell him to put a new cover sheet on those TPS reports.

Nice reference!

[cherry]

"My all time favorite! I don't see enjoying low comedy as a sin, so long as we don't follow its' example in our actions"

ah.......a disclaimer!!!

getting a laugh out of all you conservative, Republican, America-loving men.....you know, the ones that want the old-time AMerican values of God, service to our country, and strong traditional families with virtuous wives and dtrs ... ....yep that's you guys.....living and preaching the all the right values ..

as opposed to the Democrat left...that teaches that morals and character are not important.....that there really is no depravity, its a choice, that abortion is none of your business, and giving out condoms to 6th graders is the way to go....

yeah for the American conservative!!!