I do not watch late night television as a rule, and if we are speaking candidly, while I used to love stand-up, I find all the late-night hosts too crude for me --not just the jokes, but their generally graceless interviews. No one is Johnny Carson, you know?
It's all very well to dump on Leno for jumping at the chance to be on at 11:35 again when offered, but I don't recall any similar fellow-feeling for Leno when Conan used his contract negotiation to push Leno prematurely out of the Tonight Show. In both instances, NBC pursued what it perceived to be its ratings interests, and both men were happy to take what shots were offered them, presenting the other with a fait accompli irrespective of each other's feelings. This particular change appears abrupt and stupid on the network's part, but I'm afraid I don't really see Jay Leno in the role of supervillain. (Conan rose to the occasion and handled his last show with grace, by the way. His parting words were great --gratitude to NBC for what it's done for him for 20 years in spite of the current disagreement, and telling young fans not to be cynical, because he hates cynicism and no one ever gets exactly what they want in life, but if you work hard and are kind, amazing things happen anyway)
I did have a wee bit of a dog in this hunt, however, because my spy in LA has been part of Team CoCo for many years, and I always root for my spies. Here he is at the rap party. With CoCo...and with his good friend Jameson. (And do I detect a wee bit of comic ambition on my friend's part? See -- in Hollywood, one seizes opportunities.)
