Look, Jon Lovitz is a comedy god, but at a time when The Tonight Show is struggling for relevance and ratings, I can’t help but think appearances like this are why: It’s lukewarm at best, and seems like it could have been taped, oh, 10 years ago (if not for the glimpses of Bradley Cooper). Isn’t The Tonight Show supposed to be intensely of-the-moment and funny?
Bonus points for busting out a “that’s the ticket!,” but minus a point for doing a bit covering such well-worn, borderline dated territory as Scientology. Also, for the love of the styling gods, Lovitz, the necklace? The Chandler Bing shirt? Wear a suit! It’s The Tonight Show!
PopWatchers, this is why I’m not a late-night network person. What makes you tune in — or out?
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That clip was cute… seriously, Margaret, someone’s got a stick they need to remove from some dark place.
I caught the Lovitz segment and thought it was great. It was simply Lovitz schtick, and having not seen him in a long , long while, I thought it was silly, funny, and a lil endearing. Did it feel dated? To think of it, yes – but I prefer the term nostalgic. I was reminded of the comedy gold of The Critic, and some of his best SNL quips from back in the day.
I wish I could have seen it…unfortunately, it’s blocked out since I’m in Canada. I really like Conan and Jon so I THINK I would have found it funny. The few bits I’ve seen of Conan on Tonight Show looked very funny, much better than Jay. We need to give him time to find his feet. He’s my favourite tall redhead!
It’s a fair assessment – The Tonight Show is about being current and clearly current. Conan’s brilliance was in the return of pastiche comedy (Old Tyme Baseball, Apple picking, even the Masturbating Bear is conceptually a throwback to 50’s comedy), so that’s probably Conan’s struggle. He pioneered the absurdism that led the Simpsons to define a generation of comedy, but again, it was throw-back. All he can do is be himself on his new show, and I’ll be there for him, but I can’t say for certain that middle-America or even LA will.
Honestly I have been a little dissapointed since Conan’s move to 11:30. I really think he has almost become neutered. No masterbating bear, very little triumph and the only really funny skit is twitter tracker….the new “year 3000,” seems less relevant then before.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Coked-Up werewolf or Pimpbot 5000, but the Tonight Show is a bit more… broad than Late Night. Comes with the territory/timeslot.
Pimpbot 5000!
The Tonight Show hasn’t been “intensely of-the-moment and funny” since Carson left.
the tonight show sucked the minute jay left. conan is so terrible. he should never have been picked to be the successor. better yet, they shoulda never let jay leave.
People actually liked Jay? I mean, I know he drew big ratings but I never met someone who actually found his show funny.
Jay Leno was a nice guy, but in the 10 years or so that I would turn him on when Letterman was on commercial, I never laughed once. Leno was never funny. Sorry.
Wait a minute, a magazine excitedly declaring a Seinfeld reunion (something that’s being treated as a joke on Curb Your Enthusiasm) is complaining about something being old and stale? Lame.
Oh, snap!
HAHAHAHA!!
You know a blog post fails when the comments section is wittier than the article.
Tonight used to jab both sides of the political aisle. Now it’s totally left leaning, and not really very funny.
What the hell does that have to do with anything? Some of us can actually view the world in a larger spectrum than right wing/left wing, thankyouverymuch.
Why are you covering this if you’re not a late-night network person? It’s pointless, just like if I had to cover whatever is airing on CMT (nothing good to say at all). I personally love it when Jon comes on the show. They have such an easy rapport and no matter what he talks about, it amuses me. According to your views, Norm MacDonald would be just a dated but he’s not. It’s the power of longevity.
Great point.
Conan’s still trying to find his footing in this new timeslot. Does nobody remember how terrible Leno and Letterman (and Kimmel but he’s still pretty lousy) were when they first started at the 11:30 timeslot? Give it time.
I enjoy Conan’s show, I think it’ s more hip and relevant than when Jay Leno hosted but it does get old after awhile. He just needs to keep it funny with things like the creepy wax figures and going to stores to meet people.
At first when I saw Lovitz was a guest, I was like “meh”– not really worth my time. But the segment was funny and got me actually laughing out loud. I think Conan just needs time to get things rolling. I hate that he’s in LA. New York is a better backdrop for classy. I’m a huge fan of Conan’s so I’m not losing hope.
When was Leno EVER intensely of the moment? Letterman’s still bringing out never-weres like Gary Mule Deer and Jeff Altman. You’re acting like the alternative guest if Lovitz wasn’t there would have been some charming new actor or comedian with amazing anecdotes, as opposed to it being the 5th lead from Gossip Girl talking about the time he went bungee jumping.
I like Conan, but not the Tonight Show. Not with Carson, or Leno either. Tries too hard to keep the Medicare crowd watching as their Geritol buzz winds down. In a few weeks, with Leno at ten added on, watching NBC is gonna feel like a visit to your grandfolk’s retirement community – you love ‘em and all, but it’s gonna be slow-metabolism central; and that weird smell will be with you all night…..
Conan has definately changed tone since moving to the Tonight Show. However, he still offers a great alternative to David Letterman. I think the banter between Conan and Andy is great, and Conan is at his best when he is just improving the hell out of the show. He needs to lose the stupid “live via satellite/standing right next to me” segments and focus on more crowd/public interaction. Those segments try to showcase the funniness of his writers, and honestly, they normally just fall flat imho…
I agree with Josh’s comment…being in LA (specifically at Universal Studios) seems to have taken something out of the show. I still think Conan is hilarious (although, admittedly, not for everyone), but something is definitely off. I think it’s that his studio audience now consists of tourists, many who are probably a little older than Conan’s target audience. The NYC audiences seemed to have sought out going to see Conan. Now it seems they’re stuck on the Universal lot and have nothing else to do in the afternoons but to go see a free show.
And Margaret…I hardly think having Jon Lovitz as a guest on a show is an example as to why the show’s ratings are down. And plus, why are you watching this if you’re “not a late-night network person?” Couldn’t your bosses give you another daypart to criticize about?
Huh? Jon Lovitz is a “comedy God?”
I have never so much as cracked a smile at his schtick. He is NOT funny and if The Tonight Show relies on a no-talent hack like him for ratings, then dream on.
The Tonight Show is struggling? Since when? Last I checked it wins its time period in the all-important 18-49 demo every night.
no matter how unfunny conan is, i’d still choose to watch him over the bitter, nasty letterman.
Scientology is still an issue – not dated, as evidenced by the recent 3-part series in the St Petersburg Times. And what’s wrong with Lovitz’ huayavera shirt? It’s the height of fashion!
That was highly enjoyable. I smiled the whole way through.
If there is any problem with the show, it’s the studio. Way too big for Conan. He was terrific in that small group setting. The crowd interaction was great. Another problem would be that the crowd is the wrong demographic. Tourists. Old people. Not what Conan needs. All that being said, even in his worst episode, he’s still way funnier than Jay ever was.
Scientology dated? No way. It was the scam of the last century and the joke of this one.
Even lame Popwatch blog entries can’t save ‘Entertainment Weekly’
When has The Tonight Show EVER been intensely “of the moment” or intensely funny? It exists to play people off to dreamland with amusing comedy bits and celebrity interviews. Conan might not be as good as Leno at doing lukewarm, unsurprising comedy (although he seems to be getting closer everyday), but Conan is still funnier than Letterman by a country mile.