late night talk show

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>

Late-Night Takes it Easy on Obama
Late-Night
Takes it Easy
on Obama
ANALYSIS

Late-Night Takes it Easy on Obama

From racism to favoritism, comedians explain lack of jokes

(Newser) - John McCain has been skewered by late-night comics throughout the presidential campaign, but Barack Obama has escaped relatively unscathed. As this week's New Yorker cover flare-up made clear, satirists are struggling to find an angle on the Democratic nominee. The New York Times speaks to half a dozen late-night hosts...

Where Will Jay Go After Tonight ?
 Where Will Jay
 Go After 
 Tonight
ANALYSIS

Where Will Jay Go After Tonight?

Comedian may be getting the boot, but tomorrow's looking pretty bright

(Newser) - Jay Leno might be losing his beloved "Tonight Show," writes the Hollywood Reporter, but the host still has a ratings punch and an enviable set of options (in decreasing order of probability):
  1. Take ABC’s 11:30pm-12:30am slot, displacing Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live and competing with
...

Is Leno Jaywalking Out of NBC?
Is Leno Jaywalking
Out of NBC?

Is Leno Jaywalking Out of NBC?

Comedian unlikely to stay after O'Brien takes over show

(Newser) - Jay Leno is probably leaving NBC when Conan O’Brien takes over the “Tonight Show,” an NBC executive said yesterday. After a news conference unveiling Jimmy Fallon as O’Brien’s 12:35 replacement, NBC Entertainment co-chair Ben Silverman said the network would try to keep Leno on...

McCain Yuks It Up on 13th Daily Show

His veep? Right-wing nerd Dwight Schrute of The Office

(Newser) - John McCain did his best to catch Jon Stewart's curveballs on his 13th Daily Show appearance last night, Political Radar reports. In his first visit since the GOP field narrowed to one, McCain quickly quashed Stewart's suggestion of a McCain-Clinton ticket, but drew big applause when he announced his "...

Jimmy Fallon Scores Conan's Late Night Spot

Ex- SNL actor to host when O'Brien takes Tonight Show in '09

(Newser) - Jimmy Fallon will take Conan O’Brien’s Late Night desk when Conan leaves for the Tonight Show, writes Roger Friedman for Fox News. O’Brien is set to replace Jay Leno in May 2009; the former Saturday Night Live star is rumored to be “thrilled and ready, if...

'Colbert Bump' Real, at Least for Dems

Candidates see boost in funds after Report appearances

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert and his fans often point to a “Colbert bump”—a boost for politicians who appear on his show—and research shows there’s truthiness to the claim, LiveScience reports. A scientist found that Democrats appearing on the Colbert Report raised 44% more funds afterward. Republicans, however,...

Ferguson Overtakes Conan

For the first time, CBS late-night show carries higher overall ratings than NBC's

(Newser) - It appears the tides are changing for Conan O’Brien—well, sort of. Last week, and for the first time, the NBC late-night host was beaten in overall ratings by CBS rival Craig Ferguson, the New York Times reports.

It's No Joke: Colbert Boosts Democracy
It's No Joke: Colbert Boosts Democracy
book review

It's No Joke: Colbert Boosts Democracy

New book blasts talk shows but hails political satire

(Newser) - Political satire that "means it" is missing from late-night TV, Russell L. Peterson argues in his new book, Strange Bedfellows: How Late-Night Comedy Turns Democracy Into a Joke. In Salon, Louis Bayard applauds Bedfellows for advancing a "decidedly moral argument," even if it undervalues Conan O'Brien and...

Mass. Rep Vows to Legalize Pot
 Mass. Rep Vows to Legalize Pot 

Mass. Rep Vows to Legalize Pot

Barney Frank says public is ready for change

(Newser) - Rep. Barney Frank will move to legalize “small amounts” of marijuana, Politico reports, citing Americans who think use of the drug is no big deal. “It's time for the politicians to catch up to the public,” said the Massachusetts Democrat on "Real Time with Bill Maher....

Letterman to Spitzer: 'Get Out of Office!'

'Who is running the state?' demands serious late-night host

(Newser) - David Letterman has made as many Eliot Spitzer jokes as anyone since the governor’s indiscretions broke, but last night he went on a punchline-free rant against Client 9. “He should have stepped down yesterday,” he said. “Get out of office. Who is running the state, for...

Leno's Secret: He's Beloved Boy Prince of Mediocrity

Despite strike, Jay still has Dave on the ropes

(Newser) - Despite a dearth of guests willing to cross Writers Guild picket lines and near-scab status himself, late-night host Jay Leno has still managed to trounce rival David Letterman in ratings. Not that either is that funny, but Letterman at least returned with "a fetching gray beard, and the moral...

Obama's Top 10 List for Dave
Obama's Top 10 List for Dave

Obama's Top 10 List for Dave

'Campaign promises' include renaming 10th month 'Barack-tober'

(Newser) - Barack Obama tonight became the latest presidential hopeful to appear on David Letterman, where he counted down a list of campaign promises we can be pretty sure he won't keep, the Chicago Tribune reports.
  1. Three words: Vice President Oprah
  2. Pronounce the word nuclear, nuclear
  3. I'll find money in the budget
...

Edwards Appearance Gets Hairy
Edwards Appearance Gets Hairy

Edwards Appearance Gets Hairy

David Letterman asks: 'Has it ever been messed up?'

(Newser) - David Letterman started it, when he couldn't resist giving John Edwards' perfectly coifed hair an exploratory  tousle. Letterman did get permission, asking “Could I just mess your hair up a little bit? Has it ever been messed up?" Edwards was game. “You want to? Go ahead,” the...

Late-Night Hosts Return With Laughs, Politics

Huckabee and Clinton appear in returning talk shows

(Newser) - Late-night talk shows returned to the air tonight for the first time in two months with a dose of politics mixed among the laughs, the AP reports. Mike Huckabee appeared on Leno, apparently a bit confused by the status of the writers' strike, while Letterman got a taped intro from...

Dave, Jay, Conan Back Tonight
Dave, Jay, Conan Back Tonight

Dave, Jay, Conan Back Tonight

Leno will be hindered by picket lines and restrictions on scripted materials

(Newser) - The nation's late-night hosts return tonight after a two-month hiatus because of the writers' strike, with a decided advantage going to David Letterman, reports Reuters. He will return with his writers and top 10 lists intact after negotiating his own deal. Not so for Jay and Conan, who also may...

A-Listers Don't Want to Be Like Mike
A-Listers
Don't Want
to Be Like Mike
UPDATED

A-Listers Don't Want to Be Like Mike

Leno books Huckabee as strike keeps big stars off the couch

(Newser) - Mike Huckabee will be Jay Leno’s first guest when the “Tonight Show" resumes for the first time since the writers strike began last month, the Hollywood Reporter says. The Republican presidential candidate will enjoy the spotlight on Wednesday, the eve of the Iowa caucuses. The late-night talkers have...

Late-Night Hosts at a Loss for Words
Late-Night Hosts at a Loss for Words

Late-Night Hosts at a Loss for Words

Guild rules prevent headliners from writing monologues, sketches

(Newser) - The late-night talk shows will be back next week, but they’ll be virtually unrecognizable, the Wall Street Journal reports. Broad, vague Writers Guild rules prohibit the hosts, many of whom belong to the striking union, from providing their shows with “writing services.” That means no scripted monologues,...

60% of Viewers Favor Writers Over Studios

Strike prompts switch to reality shows—and reading, sleeping

(Newser) - The sympathies of viewers affected by the Hollywood writers' strike lie squarely with the writers, not the studios, a new poll shows. USA Today reports that 60% of Americans side with the scribes, and only 14% with their erstwhile employers. Reactions to the strike are varied: Many viewers watch more...

Late-Night Hosts May Defy Strike
Late-Night Hosts May Defy Strike

Late-Night Hosts May Defy Strike

Leno, Letterman, and others contemplate January return

(Newser) - Late-night talk-show hosts are considering getting back on the air even as the writers' strike continues, Variety reports. Although Jay Leno, David Letterman, and others initially supported the strike, network sources say a breakdown in negotiations between writers and producers and late-night shows’ plunging ratings have the hosts planning a...

Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers
Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers

Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers

Criticized comic finally joins colleagues to help workers

(Newser) - Talk-show host Jay Leno stepped up to the plate this weekend, saying he will use his own money to pay, for at least this week, the 80 non-writing employees of "The Tonight Show"  who were laid off by NBC Friday. Staffers blasted Leno when they were pink-slipped for...

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>