Who Is The New King Of Late Night TV?

There are a lot of people talking about NBC’s “big mistake,” the decision to replace Jay Leno with Conan O’Brien on the Tonight Show. Well, memories are short. Or maybe simply short on “free space,” like your camera’s memory card. It’s 1993-1995 all over again.

Yes, initial ratings have David Letterman regaining the lead in the battle of NBC vs. CBS at 11:35. But if there’s one lesson from the set of circumstances that led to the Tonight Show/Late Show face-off (Johnny Carson’s retirement in 1992, Letterman’s bolting to CBS a year later), it’s to not jump to any conclusions about late night supremacy during the first couple years of the new regime.

Letterman trounced Leno in the ratings for nearly two years when they first went head-to-head. So much so that a book was written (The Late Shift by Bill Carter) in which Letterman was triumphantly declared the “King of Late Night,” and NBC execs ridiculed as fools for letting him get away. This was undoubtedly a redemptive time for Letterman, his fans (like myself) who thought NBC gave him the shaft, and for Carson, who’s personal choice, not that NBC cared, for his own replacement was Letterman.

But as we now know, the book was written to soon to reach the conclusion it did. Leno tweaked his show, building a new set that bought him mere feet away from the audience and making his monologue longer, changes that seem obvious now that played to his strengths as a stand up comedian.

Then there was the night Hugh Grant came on. Grant had been recently busted for soliciticiting a prostitute. Even so, he kept a previously scheduled appearance with Jay, who’s first question was famously, “What the hell were you thinking?” Leno beat Letterman in the ratings that night. And never looked back, besting Letterman’s numbers every year after.

So who will prevail? Who will be the new King of Late Night? Hard to say, and it’s probably the wrong question to ask. About ten million people tune into The Tonight Show and The Late Show combined on any given night. But TV viewership across all time-slots continues to trend downward. The competition for eye balls now includes the Internet, video games, and cable TV. Being “King” over the entire nation, a la Carson, is getting harder and harder to pull off. Your best hope is to be “King” of your province.

Like in 1993, there’s factors we can’t see right now. How long before Letterman decides to retire? How soon before Conan warms up to his new time slot? Or middle America to him? Traditionally, the 11:35 time slot has hinged on the monologue. It’s a place America has gone to get jokes about current events. Monologue superiority alone might’ve been the reason Leno beat Letterman. The monologue edge (for the time being) goes to Letterman. That’s never been O’Brien’s strength. But NBC is banking that times are changing. That comedy will prevail. That’s Conan’s terrain. His skits, bits and characters are light years ahead of Letterman, who did this sort of thing much better as a younger man. It’s a weapon in Letterman’s comedic arsenal that he seems to have forgetten he ever had, or refuses to use anymore.

Audience fragmentation is about to get more so with the launch of the Jay Leno Show on September 15. And if it works, if a viable “late night” style show airs at 10 pm, will Jay’s viewers necessarily feel inclined to come back at 11:35 for Dave or Conan? Not only is the pie getting smaller, but there’s more people sitting at the table than ever. The slices are smaller, and that’s that.

A couple years ago, I would’ve said there’s no way a 10 pm comedy/talk show would work. But in today’s changing media terrain, I think it has a legitimate shot. We already know Leno’s legendary work-ethic, and the goodwill with audiences he’s amassed over the last 17 years. And Jay will certainly have the superior monologue going for him.

Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit I was one of the ones who basically rooted against him when he took over the Tonight Show. But I say don’t count Leno out. People did that to him once. We were wrong.

Juno What Happened To My Movie?

Okay, I’m always up for a good conspiracy theory. Three times in the last couple months, Netflix shipped me DVDs that never arrived. Yet each of those DVDs has relatively quickly and mysteriously made its way back to Netflix. Is it a stretch to conclude that people at the Post Office intercept these things, take them home, watch, enjoy and drop in the return mail?

Netflix seems to have a “no-harm, no-foul” policy when you report a disc as never having arrived. They just send out a new one. And from the perspective of a postal employee, seeing as ‘”borrowing” these DVDs involves no mass homicide of co-workers, they probably feel justified, almost like a reward for “not going postal.”

Next up in the queue, Juno. Let me know how it is!

Updated 07/27/09: Not to beat a dead horse. But today a Netflix envelope showed up opened but Scotch taped shut. C’mon! An entire perforated line was (carefully) torn. Then someone (carefully) taped it up. Netflix doesn’t mail it that way. Shadiness.

Updated 10/18/09: I knew it! This sort of thing definitely goes on. Here’s a story about a postal worker caught stealing thousands of Netflix DVDs: http://bit.ly/2uLuzz

Borat vs. Brüno: Ali Da Movies Of Sacha Baron Cohen

After seeing Brüno, me figured it was a good time to re-watch the two other movies spawned by Da Ali G Show, Sacha Baron Cohen’s cult TV classic. On Da Ali G Show, Baron Cohen established three distinct and hilarious (although not equally) characters, each of which has become the basis for a full-length film: Ali G, a wannabe white rapper who puts the ill in ill-informed; Borat Sagdiyev, a clueless Kazakhstani television reporter; and Brüno, a gay, self-absorbed fashionista.

On Da Ali G Show, the road to laughs was simple. They put each of Baron Cohen’s characters into interview situations with real people, who definitely aren’t in on the joke. Comedy ensues as Baron Cohen’s characters ask outrageous questions and violate social taboos, while getting the interviewees to reveal their own ignorance and predjudices. The results have been at times brilliant, crude, and often fearless. And understandably, not everyone’s cup of tea.

Baron Cohen deserves a lot of credit for melting into each character (when he’s Brüno, you forget he’s Borat, and vice versa) and his ability to stay in character and milk the comedy from whatever outrageous situation he’s created. By the way, if you think that’s easy, try and watch without saying (or thinking), “Oh my God, I can’t believe they’re doing this!” They are. And I suspect that even after the cameras are off, Baron Cohen still doesn’t let those people in on the joke.

One thing you have to remember if you want to try and rank Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G  movies is the effect they had on you the first time you saw them. That “Oh My God” factor has to be accounted for. It’s a different experience once you know what’s coming. So here we go, it’s the Sacha Baron Cohen countdown:

3 - Ali G Indahouse (2002) - This was the first of Da Ali G Show characters to be made into a feature. It went straight to DVD, and deservably so. On this one, they made a major swerve from their formula. It’s an entirely scripted story, as opposed to the unscripted tactics of the TV show (and the basis for the two other films). So what you get is one of those “vehicles” where they try and shoehorn an established character into an awkward movie. In that respect, it might as well be Weird Al Yankovic in UHF, or Mr. T in DC Cab. It makes no difference that Baron Cohen co-wrote the script. The movie simply tries too hard. Ali G was always the least interesting character from the original show. D

2 – Brüno (2009) - It was the number one movie at the box office this last weekend, and deserveably so. Crude, vulgar, uncomfortable (a ri-dong-ulous amount of full-frontal male nudity), and funny! Ten times more outrageous than Borat. I’m not surprised by that. In a way, you have to top yourself if you’re Baron Cohen. Even with the thinnest of plots (Brüno searches for a way to become “uber-famous”), this movie finishes stronger than Borat. My original fear was that I’d only like this movie about 60% as much as Borat. I’m not sure where I got my formula for that. But I liked this one a lot–and more and more as I think back on it. B

1 – Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) - Still my favorite Baron Cohen movie. I watched it for the umpteenth time yesterday. Yes, it’s been surpassed by Brüno on the raunchiness. But I still laughed my ass off watching two grown men–one of them very fat–wrestle each other naked, then chase each other nude through a hotel and into a packed convention ballroom. It’s even funnier because this stuff really happened. Everyone involved signs release forms ahead of time without knowing what to expect once filming begins. It’s said that the police were called no less than 91 times during the making of Borat. The thing Borat has over Brüno is heart. You root for this guy. He’s likeable. Which is saying something of a character who’s both misogynistic and anti-Semitic. A

Finally, if you enjoy any of the above, check out Da Ali G Show, which aired on HBO in the U.S. Both seasons are available on DVD.

Greg Valentine
check me out on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gregvalentine

Michael Jackson: TMZ vs. CNN vs. Perez

TIMELINE: 5:20PM ET — TMZ reports that Michael Jackson has died. 7:15PM ET — CNN reports that Ed McMahon has passed.

Both clever and condeming. I wish I could take credit for the above. It was a friend’s Facebook status update last Thursday. The observation gets right to the heart of the matter. Why did it take CNN almost two hours to confirm what TMZ had reported, definitively (and what had spread ferociously across social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook)? And, why did so many people refuse to believe the story until a ‘legit’ news organization confirmed it?

“Michael Jackson Dies” was the TMZ headline. That doesn’t leave much room for interpretation. Yet, there was papable doubt for many people. My suspicion is that many lump TMZ with the likes of Perez Hilton and other celebrity bloggers. Yes, TMZ’s content, their fascination with Britney, Lindsay, “Speidi,” and whatever famous person dined at The Ivy today, is in line with the “Perezinistas.” But their organization has more in common with CNN. TMZ is owned by AOL, who in turned is a subsidiary of Time-Warner, the country’s third largest media conglomerate. If TMZ blew the Michael Jackson story, they would’ve literally destroyed their franchise. The moment I realized what was at stake for them was the moment I realized the sad news of Michael’s passing was true.

There’s a reason every episode of TMZ ends with that silly graphic of Harvey Levin saying, “I’m a lawyer!” It’s a message that what’s being reported will stand up if tested in court.

Up against the likes of Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood, TMZ does like playing the “litte guy card.” That’s great branding on their part. But as I’ve pointed out, they’re just as much part of a media conglomerate as anyone. Time-Warner also happens to own CNN. Interesting that CNN never acknowledged its cousin during those two hours as it stubbornly attempted to report the Michael Jackson story on it’s own terms. Even FOX News noted the TMZ report, as they attempted to confirm with their own sources.

What CNN did give us was a disservice. Updates like, “Michael Jackson Hospitalized.” And the later, erroneous update, “Michael Jackson In A Coma.” The fact is Michael Jackson sadly arrived at hospital deceased. EMT’s who arrived at his house say Micheal was dead when they arrived. So CNN, the “sources” you chose to report and felt were more reliable then TMZ clearly had it wrong.

Now about Perez Hilton. In the immediate minutes after the general news broke that Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital, the controversial celebrity blogger through up on his website what in retospect  appears to be a  particulary insensitive post (below). Working as I have in a medium where immediacy is crucial, I can sympathize with anyone who’s trying to get information “out there” fast. You’re a hero when you get it right. But it can backfire if you fumble. At the very least, Perez should have read the actual words he wrote and thought about what they meant before posting this one:

It’s easy to take shots at at Perez. Especially if you’re among the people that think he’s an ass. But in his defense, Perez is a commentator, not a reporter. If you don’t like his views, don’t read. But with the above post, there was fiery highspeed crash at the intersection of “comment” and “legitimate news.” A statement like Perez’s that Michael Jackson “supposedly went into cardiac arrest” and then to create a theoretical motivation for why Michael would fake such a hospitalization suggests Perez  might want to get out of his mother’s basement more often. He appears to have limitations when it comes to understanding the real world. For starters, Perez might want to bone up on the seriousness of cardiac arrests.

TMZ: Win
CNN: Fail
Perez Hilton: Bigger fail

Greg Valentine
check me out on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gregvalentine

New Transformers Ready For ‘Prime’ Time?

Saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last night. I enjoyed the first film, and was ‘optimistically primed’ for this one. I should say I’m far from a ’Transformer’ expert. So this isn’t so much a review. Just a few random thoughts.

• If you watch most of your TV shows on DVR like I do, then you know this phenomenon: fast forwarding through commercials, keeping the button pressed a half second too long, going back to regular speed and letting the show continue, even though you’ve just skipped over a part of a scene. Every Michael Bay movie reminds me of this. Michael Bay doesn’t have time to tell a story. More like, he suggests a story and leaves the rest up to us.
• IMAX is my favorite format for the big action movies. As long as you’re not sitting in the second row. Those were the only seats we could find at the sold out 11pm showing. When you’re that close, you literally can’t take in the whole screen with your eyes. At best, I saw two-thirds of this movie.
• If you decide to see this movie at 11pm on a school night, you’ll probably agree it’s a skosh too long.
• They had one of those Camaro’s parked outside the theater. That’s a sweet ride! Speaking of sweet rides…
• Apparantly, I know more about girls than Transformers. There’s a big cheer when Megan Fox makes her first appearance on screen. That I get. Later during some of the battles, I don’t always know which Transformer is which enough to start clapping when the rest of the audience does. Every Transformer should have it’s own exclusive color (like the ‘yellow one’) so idiots like me can follow.
• There’s more comedy in this one than the first movie. Some people will like that. My guess is some ‘purists’ will probably grumble that big metallic beings from another planet who can fly through space and change shapes who also have senses of humor is sooooo unrealistic.
• The special effects are amazing. The explosions are awesome. The cars and trucks are downright sexy. The trademark Michael Bay slo-mo? A way to guarantee you leave the theater 20 minutes later than you could have.

Verdict? Impossible to make one based on my experience last night. Yes, I will see it again. Hopefully not so close to the screen that I feel like I’m inside John Turturro’s nose! Plus, there’s at least a third of the flick that will be new to me.

Greg Valentine
check me out on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gregvalentine

A Message To My Future Employer

Yeah, this is (mostly) the same message found on GregValentine.com. It’s my main ‘message’ right now. So naturally, I’d like to get it front of as many eyeballs as possible…

Okay, here it is. This is who I am, and why I believe I’d be an outstanding on-air personality, ratings and revenue winner, team-member, and even programming department leader and brand manager (if called upon) for your radio station.

Recently, I excelled as Assistant Program Director for WKIS/Miami (99.9 Kiss Country) until some unfortunate budget cuts. Before that, I got Memphis movin’ every morning on Snap! 94.1. My radio adventures have had me performing virtually all dayparts, formats and radio duties in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Cleveland. Crucially, I’ve spent an entire career being a thoroughly prepped communicator, entertainer, content-provider, pop culture freak, and friend to listeners of the radio, passionately creating programming that caters to those listeners’ lifestyles and communities.

Since the budget cuts at WKIS, I’ve been poking around, seeing what’s out there, exploring full-time radio options. Meanwhile, I’ve been keeping my chops fresh doing weekends and fill-in at WRMF in West Palm Beach. This has been an incredibly challenging time for the radio industry. I’ve heard it said, if you aren’t doing 12 jobs right now, you aren’t working! It’s true. But I find it a little odd, anyway. Only because I’m a guy that’s been doing his radio that way enthusiastically all along!

My experience, well-rounded skill-set, positive attitude, and “the job’s not done ’til it’s done right” work ethic make me the ideal solution for any number of opportunities at your cluster. By the way, please don’t just take my word for it. Check with the people I’ve busted my butt for:

Bill Pasha, Entercom, VP/Programming email
Dave Labrozzi, CBS Radio Baltimore, VP/Programming email
Ken Boesen, Beasley, WKIS/Miami, Program Director email
Jason Kidd, CBS Radio Baltimore, WWMX email
Bob Neumann, WRMF/West Palm Beach, Program Director email

Finally, GregValentine.com is the right place get a sense of the kind of radio I can do for your company. There’s ample archives of audio, video, and writing. Plus, an all-encompassing resume and pages of photos. Also a full set of links to all my social networking sites. By the way, GregValentine.com is a website that I personally built from scratch after picking up a copy of “HTML For Dummies” (No joke). Strong webskills being another weapon I bring to the battle.

Thanks for reading this and allowing me to share my ‘message’ with you. I hope I’ve strongly conveyed to you my passion for great radio, and my desire to be part of the targeted and successful broadcasting you create every day! If you have any questions, or need any additional material, just drop me a line. Or hey, nothing beats an actual conversation. I hope to talk with you soon!

Regards,
Greg Valentine
http://www.gregvalentine.com