The selfie:
I do not claim to be pure, I sometimes watch TV with a DVB dongle or download shows when available; but I feel like BB is doing recaps on quite a few shows now. It used to be a TV or movie bit every few weeks and only for something amazing or shocking not a weekly serial. Before anyone flames I recognize that this is your(BBâs) forum which I visit so due respect. This article for instance would be one of the ones that would have made BB three years ago.
Oh S#!T, I know about the onion story they did on me but they got my picture on the net too?!
Just spent an hour watching letterman YouTube clips.
I spent many, many late nights in the 80âs watching Dave after working the swing shift. He was really the king of late night to me as opposed to Carson. Besides, Johnny was an asshole.
Itâs been more than a decade since I watched Letterman, mainly because I donât usually stay up that late (although when I do I always stay for Craig Ferguson, since I was a fan back when he was still Bing Hitler), but I have so many fond memories.
One of my fondest goes way, way, way back to the early 1980âs, the first time I saw Letterman. He did a parody of after school specials in which he helps a boy named Jimmy deal with the cancellation of Voyagers!
That humor like this was making it onto TV was a revelation. Hereâs a little bit of it from Lettermanâs 1985 book:
Colbert seems like the perfect inheritor of Lettermanâs legacy.
I like both of these guys, but âfantasticâ conversation? Er, no. I thought it was pretty boring. I do trust that Stephen will dial the energy and wit back up to his normal levels when he gets behind that desk.
You have just made my week. I owe you a beverage of your choice.
Agreed, boingboing really covers a ton of TV now. But, I suppose thatâs the most appropriate way to jump the shark, right? (Aside from actually waterskiing over a shark, natch.)
Jimmy could be playing a young Conan. Love the open mockery of NBCâs schedule. I suppose some of the 12:30 guys can still get away with it, but late night shows are really more of a tool for network promotion these days.
This is it. Being accustomed to the Bradys, Different Strokes, etc⌠the humor was just so flat and boring. Daveâs humor was different, smart, and unexpected.
Dave was so subversive, glad to have him flipping my pre-adolescent mind way back when. Apparently this was from 1987: I was but twelve years on live, as they sayâŚ
Terrible for America. On cable, Colbert was actually influential. He actually made people think about the issues. On mainstream TV he will be muzzled and sink into nothing but another talking head who has to toe the corporate line of the station owners. If he resists that theyâll screw with him until his ears bleed and he finally gives up and quits. I think the Republinazi party bought the job for him knowing this will happen. Itâs worth a few million to them to shut him up.
Iâve loved his stuff ever since he played with the Attractions; do you suppose his theme song will be âRadio Radioâ? (Srsly, I wonder if the glasses are his way of breaking with the âColbert persona.â)
Iâm amused by your implication that Comedy Central, a subsidiary of MTV which in turn is owned by Viacom, is somehow neither âmainstreamâ nor âcorporate.â But, honestly, how many years do you think that the Colbert persona has? Heâs been doing this for nine years now.
If youâd been paying attention to the news, youâd see that the âRepublicanaziâ party, or at least their loudest mouthpieces, have been horrified and furious about Colbert getting this job, because they donât understand the concept of satire and parody, or that Colbert is playing a character on his current show. Given how sharp and witty he is when not being âStephen Colbertâ, letâs give him a chance, yes?
