Tag: Leno

Jimmy Kimmel Bashes Leno — Playground Bully?

Though I’m an adamant fan of both Howard Stern and Jimmy Kimmel, I’m officially putting a public stop to their Leno bashing. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Kimmel put a predictable hit out on Leno, saying, “As a comedian, you can’t not have disdain for what he’s done. He totally sold out. He was a master chef who opened a Burger King.”

I certainly take shots at celebrities I dislike, but that’s mostly driven by my inside knowledge about how they treat their staff. And my inside sources tell me Leno treats his staff with the utmost respect. Additionally, if it’s true that the guy sold out, then I’d like to scream “SO WHAT” from the rooftops. He’s employed a plethora of people, and if selling his soul includes telling schmaltzy jokes publicly while maintaining his comedic integrity during his stand-up gigs, then so be it. Lastly, I will once again reiterate that I do not hold Leno accountable during the NBC/Conan debacle. Conan pushed Leno out, and Leno fought to maintain his gig. Anyone in their right mind would do the same — including Kimmel. Have some tact.

Conan’s Ratings Dip on Night Two — Duh

There’s been a lot of talk in the media about Conan’s ratings dip on night two, and I’d just like to send a collective “suck it” to all the Negative Nancys out there. It’s obvious that he’d have huge ratings his first night out. People initially tune in because of the insane press coverage for the first show, and then Conan’s regular audience sticks around thereafter. In this case, his regular audience was about 30% of the initial viewing audience, which is pretty good. Sure he came in third against Leno and Letterman, but keep in mind that Leno and Letterman are network shows, and the fact that Conan can even come close to those ratings is pretty pathetic for the Network big-wigs. Cable has less eyeballs, and even with less eyeballs, Conan is a contender. That’s pretty damn good.