Not as Late, But Still Lamented

Today, David Letterman turned 70. (I know, I know, *only* 70.) This milestone would probably not elicit much merit if not for two things: an extensive, newly released biography written by NYT comedy critic Jason Zinoman, as well as Dave's typically self-deprecating induction of Pearl Jam into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. The former has been years in the making, the latter happened on 48 hours' notice after Neil Young backed out. Both have vaulted the erstwhile late night funnyman back into the spotlight, albeit with some reluctance.

The first time I was ever allowed to stay up to watch a late night talk show was Dave's first CBS show in August 1993. I had just turned nine, and I only knew of Johnny Carson et al. by reputation at the time. Even at the formative age, I found his sardonic wit and no-guff approach refreshing. My father, however insisted on watching Jay Leno most nights; I had my first taste of Leno's Tonight Show a night or two later, and was thoroughly underwhelmed. Once I had my own TV, I didn't hit the hay until after I watched Dave.

If you want a better understanding of how Dave was the late night sui generis, I highly recommend visiting Don Giller's YouTube page. Where Carson and his predecessors hosted a talk show that happened to air after the late news, Letterman reinvented the whole sub-genre of late night comedy. These clips, mostly from the "Late Night" years (1982-1993) are not just of historical value but are still fairly entertaining.

Also, if you want to read my tribute to Dave from three years ago, you can click here.

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Sketches in Tuscan Leather: My Review of Drake on SNL (1/18/14)

A Review by "HelloStuart," Amateur Critic and Gubernatorial Bully

Scroll down for a special bonus review!

With tonight's episode, a smidgen of history is being made as an already swollen cast grows by one. First off, welcome Sasheer Zamata to the show; a veteran of UCB, Miss Zamata first auditioned last summer, then was invited to a special "cattle call" after the SNL came under fire for a lack of diversity. She's the first African-American woman in the cast since Maya Rudolph and only the fifth in the show's long history. (The two runners-up for Sasheer's job were brought on board as writers.) The expectations are weighty, but I wish her nothing but the best. Also, for the first time in SNL history there are seven women in the cast, doubling the median of three or four that had been the unofficial norm. That also balloons the cast to 17 actors, trying the 1991-92 ensemble for the largest in show history, and one can assume that this will further hinder airtime for the six actors hired at the beginning of this season.

This week's host and musical guest is Drake, the Canadian rapper and former child actor who previously appeared three seasons ago. On paper, Drizzy's pedigree gives him a 60/40 shot of succeeding as a host; "Degrassi: The Next Generation" wasn't exactly "Downton Abbey," but his charisma more than made up for it.

And now, the sketch-by-sketch analysis:

COLD OPENING: Another week, another jigsaw edition of "Piers Morgan Live." A quick, self-deprecating jab at Piers (TK) gives way to the current litany of troublemakers in the news, circa early 2014. Gov. Chris Christie (BM) is defensive and tense in the wake of Bridgegate, then threatens the smarmy Brit. Drizzy comes out of nowhere to take down Alex Rodriguez, who blames his suspected steroid abuse on faulty texting and misleading emojis. The revelation was Kate's dead-on imitation of Justin Bieber, looking vague and aloof in the face of possible vandalism and drug charges. It was kind of strange that he/she said LFNY, though if it was for time constraints I perfectly understand.

OPENING CREDITS: Howdy, Sasheer!

MONOLOGUE: Drizzy's opening words segues awkwardly into what should have been an individual sketch about his bar mitzvah, circa 1999. Either he didn't have much to say, or the writers wouldn't let the opportunity pass them by. Sasheer makes her first sketch appearance (with a brief ovation) as Kenan's gold-digger ladyfriend, the high point in a parade of hacky stereotype jokes.

"Hip Hop Classics": Partially or entirely pre-recorded imitation showcases have quickly become the norm in Year 39, offering the young, bloated cast an opportunity to share their wares in a rapid-fire assembly line. Rather than focus on one performance, you almost have to look at the sketch as a whole. With that said, former MTV2 talking head Sway (KT) shows fake clips of today's hip-hop stars before they were famous, mostly on parodies of '90s TV shows. What worked was pretty damn funny: Lil' Wayne (Drake) was the original Urkel, Rihanna (SZ) was Barbados' answer to Blossom, Rick Ross (KT) as a Teletubby. If "That's So 2 Chainz" (JP) becomes a recurring sketch, I will not complain.

"Nancy Grace": The southern-friend lawyer/attention hog will never stop bloviating, so perhaps a revival of this sketch was inevitable. Tonight's edition extends Grace's opposition to legalizing marijuana, then fails to connect with a 420-friendly bakery owner (KT) and the chronically chronic comedian Katt Williams (Drake). Noel's Nancy pales to Amy Poehler's salt-of-the-earth egomaniac, though she makes a valiant effort.

FILM: "Resolution Revolution" ultimately doesn't know if it's a straight music video parody with jokey inclinations or just a dry lampoon. In spite of some questionable editing, the clip looked like a lot of fun to shoot, and Sasheer looked fiiiiine.

"Slumber Party": An alleged pre-teen (AB) swoons illicitly over the father (Drake) of her friend (SZ) as a gaggle of other jejunes just want to talk about girl stuff. This sketch is a somewhat overdue showcase for Aidy's skills as a physical actress, a commodity in her Chicago days but particularly unused in her stint on SNL thus far. Further points to Drizzy for playing the oblivious dad with goofy charm.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Under a red filter, Drizzy keeps it real and remembers his roots on "Started From The Bottom."

WEEKEND UPDATE: With the Meyers/Strong era ending nearly as soon as it began, it's hard to judge whether the mentor and protege had any chemistry or if Seth was politely showing the new kid the ropes. Even though Cecily is steadily finding her rhythm, it's still Seth's Update and 60% of the stronger material is moving in his direction. Tonight's edition featured a rare running gag/wraparound in the form of Jacqueline Bisset (VB), the recent Golden Globe winner whose confused journey to the stage and perplexed acceptance speech was an unintentional highlight. Bayer doesn't imitate Bisset so much as nail down the beats of her bewildered "journey," complete with heavy breathing. In comparison, Nasim's latest commentary as Arianna Huffington was a little more off the rack, a stew of witty analogies and half-conceived catchphrases underlying some dead-on political commentary.

"Indiana Jones Experience": A Disney World cast member (Drake) fights to remain chipper as foreign tourist Rahad (NS) fails to grasp the one-of-a-kind experience her American hosts have dropped on her lap. Like "Slumber Party" earlier this evening, this is Nasim's time to shine; Rahad's childlike confusion ruins every element of the experience with abstracted aplomb. This won't be the last we'll see of her.

"Detention Poetry": Reprising a character introduced in the Miley Cyrus (which dates back to Vanessa's SNL audition 3 1/2 years ago) quirky Miss Meadows persuades a class full of delinquents to write out their feelings. It's a slight improvement over the first go-around, yet covers most of the same territory; two misfits (AB, KT) present their writings, while a third (Drake) puts the moves on Meadows. POB does a nice job as the understated monitor/straight man.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Have you noticed how nearly every second song so far this season has been a ballad or slow jam? And it's seldom a single, usually a deep cut near the end of the album? Well, Drake keeps that trend going with this doleful mash-up of "Hold On We're Going Home" and "From Time." The second half is a duet, and Drizzy's goo-goo eyes with singing partner Jhene Aiko (who?) drags on so long that he actually asks her to stop the song. Oy gevalt.

"Mornin' Miami": Oh hey, another encore from the Miley Cyrus show. It's the same strategy as last time, only the segment teasers are more absurd than before. One must wonder if all local morning chat-fests are this prickly behind the scenes.

FILM: Kyle constantly says "I Know" to an increasingly annoyed Beck, but a near-fatal accident puts their friendship in perspective.  It's not as surreal as other efforts, but they're unilaterally charming and at this point, the Good Neighbor boys own the ten-to-one slot.

To say Drake was a revelation is a bit much, but he was a very good host at the center of another very good show. He only played himself in a sketch once (twice if you count the monologue), an indicator that he checked his ego at the door and jumped into the group effort. Sasheer had a very strong first show, and though I doubt her early showcase won't last there's not much to criticize so far. If one mere episode is any indicator, Miss Zamata is a cross between Maya and Cecily, a workmanlike and multifaceted actress that can play sexy and zany at the drop of a hat. Considering how almost all the women in the cast were front and center at some point tonight, I think Sasheer will do just fine.

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And now, a quick recap of the first half of Season 39:

Midseason MVP: Kate McKinnon by a hair. In a transition year someone had to take the reigns and steady the ship, and Kate has done a better job of doing so than Cecily, Taran, or Bobby.
Midseason ROY: So many rookies, yet so little to analyze. On the strength of the aforementioned filmed pieces, I'll let Beck and Kyle share the honors. Noel ranks a distant third, and the jury's still out on everyone else.
Midseason Most Improved Player: Another close call, but I'll take Nasim over Aidy. After getting lost in the shuffle during the Kristen Wiig era, Miss Pedrad is finally showing the promise she first flashed over four years ago.

Best Host: Kerry Washington
Worst Host: Josh Hutcherson
Best Musical Guest: Arcade Fire
Worst Musical Guest: One Direction
Best Episode So Far: Kerry Washington/Eminem
Honorable Mention: Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake
Worst Episode So Far: Miley Cyrus

If you have any questions for Stuart, either PM him or catch him in the forum.

Night Flight

Last week, my parents went to Las Vegas for a four-night breather from the bitter Chicago cold. Upon returning Friday night, one of the first things my dad asked me was, "so, did you hear the latest about Jay Leno?" I knew about he was talking about, and I knew right where the conversation was going. He watched Leno's monologue almost religiously when he hosted "The Tonight Show," and he knew I'd been a Conan fan for years. He's as baffled by my taste in late night comedy and I am of his viewing choices. Obviously, I responded by defending O'Brien and stating that NBC made a mistake in backing Leno. "You only say that because you hate him," he declared. He walked out of the room before I could elaborate on what I said.

If Jay Leno is returning to 11:35/10:35c, than NBC has followed one big mistake with an even more consequential misfire. By giving "The Chin" five hours of prime time a week, NBC inadvertantly overshadowed Conan O'Brien's move to to the old Leno slot and minimized his role in the network's lineup. To move Leno's show back to its old time slot is more than rectifying a wrong, it's a concession of defeat, and above all it's a slap in the face to a tremendously funny and distinctive comedian that has been loyal to The Peacock for almost 17 years. If I were running NBC, I would simply cut bait on Leno; I wouldn't care if he jumped to another network, Letterman and Conan would soundly beat him ratings-wise night after night. Leno was a cash cow for the network, but now he's just hamburger.

Of course, I can't rant about NBC's future without acknowledging the man behind the curtain, Jeff Zucker. In the nine years since he ascended to the network's upper throes, Zucker has proven to be an ineffectual, nearsighted syncophant, and the Leno/Conan situation merely reinforces his status as an idiot in a suit. On his watch, NBC went from #1 to fourth place, from torchbearer to punchline, from record profits to being bought out by Comcast. The number of bona fide hit shows that he developed during his "reign" can be counted on one hand. In moving Leno back to 11:35/10:35c, Zucker and his peons have five hours of prime time real estate that they don't know how to fill. They may as well concede 10/9c to Shamwow and the newest Jack Lalanne juicer.

In 2005, New York magazine slammed Zucker (and rightfully so) as the embodiment of bloated self-confidence, a Hollywood outsider that tried too hard to one-up his rivals, the captain of a great ship slowly sinking in an ocean of hubris and complacency. Five years later nothing has changed, and inexplicably Zucker is almost unscathed, still large and in charge. As it stands now, the collateral damage is staggering and somebody has to clean up the mess; NBC hemorraged ad revenue with Leno in prime time, the shows that once thrived at 10/9c are barely registering in earlier time slots, and local newscasts keep losing viewers. The Peacock might be molting its feathers, but I doubt that this incomparable debacle will curb Zucker's yen for experimenting. What he'll do next is anyone's guess, though for many Hollywood insiders the reason of a doubt is long gone.

Thanks... and No Thanks

Ladies and gentlemen, just in time for Turkey Day I present my 5th annual "thanks/no thanks" list. Like the previous four editions of this list, I keep the context to a bare-bones minimum; it's merely an acknowledgment of all the things that have been in my peripheral in the past year. While I'm grateful for my friends and family, this list tends to focus on the intangibles in my life. It's my way to letting you know me better, one ambiguous morsel at a time.

THANKS: The stupifyingly easy Yahoo! daily crossword, the continued brilliance of The Onion, my DVR, NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup, the fact that I'm still employed, hockey's newfound relevance in Chicago, Zach Greinke, and all my new friends and classmates at Second City.

NO THANKS: Another Yankees World Championship, Glenn Beck, the coldest summer in recent memory, anything involving Nadya Suleman and the Gosselins, old friends that never check their e-mail, still living at home, writer's block, and the system errors and various other maladies that plague this otherwise wonderful web site.

Other notes:

+ NBC is about to be gobbled up by Comcast. Is this what broadcast television is being reduced to? This is almost as sad as it is symbolic of how much mass media has evolved (mutated?) in the past few decades.

+ Let me reemphasize the fact that the Bears' woes are not Jay Cutler's fault. The players won't listen to the coaches, the secondary is middling, there's no running game, and our defense is too small and too old. When I alluded to Jay's prima donna attitude before the season started, I was half-kidding. The best player on this team right now is Robbie Gould, can we all agree on that?

+ Detained terrorists in Illinois? The prospect of having them in my home state is a little off-putting, though tiny Thomson is inexplicably welcoming the idea with open arms. In all honestly, I'm on the fence; if it creates jobs for this dying Mississippi River town, so be it. Besides, isn't driving 150 miles on I-88 a punishment in itself?

+ Speaking of hockey, last night I met Dustin Byfuglien of the Chicago Blackhawks. What an incredibly nice guy.

Next week: the year in music, 1974.