Posts Tagged "jay leno"
CoCo – The Movie
HBO has released their poster for their movie adaptation of the Conan-Leno “fracas” (soup holder) that’s transpired over the past few weeks.
Read MoreEither NBC is Really Really Smart or Really Really Dumb
http://www.sirmikeofmitchell.com/
In this age of Internets, it’s very easy to neglect our beloved television. Oh, TV, you’ve been there through the best times and through the worst times. Through the times when The Simpsons was the funniest show on TV to now when they’re a rip-off of a rip-off of their own show (Family Guy). However, the age of Internets has changed things drastically. Now things are all literally at our fingertips. I can Google search Mother Teresa and just as fast segue into a search for celebrity nipple slips. Never before has society had the power to have all their questions answered, even if those questions might be something along the lines of “what would happen if you stuck a firework up your ass?” Naturally, people would also use Internets to replace T.V. I mean, with sites like YouTube, just about any douchebag out there can have their own show (warning: this video will make you feel like you’re wasting your life away). Whether it’s good or not, is a different story, the point is we’re the ones who choose what we want to watch. I don’t have to schedule my life around TV anymore. No need to hurry up and finish my homework so I can catch The Simpsons. TV, on the internet, now happens at my leisure. I’m catching up on LOST thanks to the Internets.
If you’re an avid Interneter, then you’ve probably heard about the whole NBC fiasco between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. If you haven’t, Google it, and get up to speed. What’s happening is that NBC wants to move Conan to 12:05 to put Jay Leno at 11:35. The thing is, Conan refused to be moved to 12:05 which means that his days at NBC or on The Tonight Show might be numbered… or so it seems.
Pehraps with the chance in schedules, Conan moving to L.A. to take over the Tonight Show has probably caused a certain shift in ratings which didn’t please NBC. So, I’m guessing, they’re trying to revert to the way it was, kind of like trying to suppress the memory of walking in on your parents having sex. Or maybe this whole thing is deliberate. Think about it, I’ve never been more interested in watching Conan O’Brien’s show. I’m a fan of Conan O’Brien but I admit not watching his show regularly. I’ll watch if I manage to catch it but that’s about it. But with all this, I find myself wanting to watch his show rather than scouring the Internet for clips of Conan bashing on NBC. This whole thing is working in NBC’s favor cause it’s getting eyeballs off the Internet and onto the T.V. screens.
Here’s how I see the whole thing playing out. Jay Leno wants to retire, instead of shutting down his show and saying “that’s that”, they start up this controversy. And if there’s anything we could learn about Passion of the Christ or Hugh Grant, it’s that controversy gets people interested. Just look at the whole Tiger Woods thing, people feel the need to know every detail about the life of a man who spends most of his time smacking small white balls across a giant field with a big metal rod (this sentence sounds delicious). So, with this whole Jay Leno and Conan controversy, I’m sure NBC’s getting a nice surge in ratings as people tune in to support their favorite hosts. Conan seems to be the side that’s winning as his ratings have shot up recently.
I can see this going two ways. NBC keeps Conan where he is (and Conan stays) and he now has this new influx of ratings or Conan leaves NBC and while juggling networks he produces some online content that catches the attention of everyone and, BAM, another nail in T.V.’s coffin. Conan’s fan base is predominantly on the Internet, I say this, cause the Internet is ablaze with this story. People are showing support for Conan left and right. Whatever is happening, NBC is either doing something very strategic or is further pushing the demise of television.
As an audience, we tend to be loyal to the things we like and when the things we like are in danger, we tend to retaliate. Take Arrested Development for example, probably one of the finest shows of the decade (okay, not probably, it is the show of the decade), which was cancelled by FOX way ahead of it’s time. How did fans retaliate? Well, we purchased the DVDs of the seasons. Same thing goes for Family Guy, which got resurrected after FOX saw how well the DVD sales were doing. Even Futurama, which spun off into 4 original made-for-DVD movies, after FOX saw that DVD sales were high. Do networks make more money this way? Introduce a show everyone likes and then cancel it before it’s time so that people can retaliate by buying the DVDs? Then spin that show off into movies, made-for-DVD films, and even other shows?
I just find the whole thing very meta. It’s like a Television show brought to the fore-front of it all. Except, this Television show makes it’s way through our Twitter and Facebook streams, our News feeds and our YouTubes. This is the T.V. of the 21st century, with tentacles and eyeballs that reach out of the idiot box and into our phones and laptops. We’re watching a different show these days, one that blurs the lines between fiction and reality (I just wanted to say that line).
Read MoreDISCLAIMER: It’s hard to write a blog post like this making it seem like this late-night show fiasco (i keep using this word) is the biggest thing in the news, but it’s not. I wish it was, but it’s not. No, the biggest thing in the news is the devastation caused by the Haitian earthquake. The earthquake has shaken up one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, it has left thousands dead and thousands more injured, without shelter, food, or water. It’s easy to ignore this seeing as we’re thousands of miles away (depending where you live) but it’s a lot more fulfilling and human to do whatever is in your power to help out. An easy way to donate is to simply text the word “HAITI” to 90999, which in turn sends a $10 donation to the Redcross. You can also donate via the Redcross. Please, let’s try not to ignore this one. TV shows can battle it out all they want for our eyeballs but in the end, they’re doing it so they can provide us with entertainment and moments where we can shut off our brains and unwind. But when there’s an opportunity to help out humanity, I say take it on full force, do what you can cause there’s nothing more blissful.
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