Saving late night: How to stop the nation's living room from becoming more partisan

[CrimsonWhite]

Outstanding article about the direction of late night TV. Take the time to read it. It is worth the time.

Saving late night: How to stop the nation's living room from becoming more partisan scorched Earth

To the long list of casualties of political polarization, are we about to add late night talk shows?

Please, please no. Yet the Sarah Palin-Dave Letterman war has raised the sudden specter that we're going to lose the one safe, nonpartisan funny space left in a land of Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

The wake of Jay Leno's departure from the 11:30 slot is a critical juncture for late night. As snarky celebrity Web site Defamer put it, "it'd be easy and cheap to make a bunch of 'Jay Leno sucks' jokes . . . because the Internet hates Jay Leno, mainly because he's liked by the olds and people who live in red states."

This was ironic. Leno is a liberal who repeatedly had to defend himself against charges of conservative bias. "I'm not conservative. I've never voted that way in my life," he told an LA Weekly writer in 2004. No matter the protestations: His ratings proved him to have strong crossover appeal, as the Hollywood guy who collected gas-guzzlers, rode a Harley and reached deep into the heartland.

So out goes Jay and in steps the funnier, but more liberal-seeming, Conan O'Brien, via Harvard, "Saturday Night Live" and "Late Night." Where Leno was strong among "olds" and the red states, Conan cleans up with younger white men. Translation: He plays largely to the same demographic as Jon Stewart, comedian of choice for liberal America.

Then came the Letterman flareup. On Tuesday night, Dave made some jokes about Palin and her family. One - about Palin updating her "slutty flight attendant" look - was as defensible as a dozen similar jokes that he's told over the years about Bill or Hillary Clinton. The other, about Palin's daughter, went too far.

Saving late night: How to stop the nation's living room from becoming more partisan scorched Earth

 

[KittenKoder]

I have one thing to say ... that few people will like to hear, but it needs to be said by everyone if our country is to ever get back on track:

Fuck television.

 

[nia588]

i have a solution.

turn off the TV!

 

[KittenKoder]

i have a solution.

turn off the TV!

I have been catching up on Robot Chicken ... never knew they had so many episodes, Adult Swim only carries a few ... they are hilarious!

Oh ... and news ... well, prefer the "horses mouth" lately, even McCain has Twitter and a blog ... go figure.

 

[jgbkab]

Why turn it off? Why fuck it? Can people only see TV shows as left or right? Letterman was an idiot for saying what he did. Now people want to stop watching him and boycott his sponsors. Get over it. If every TV and Radio personality that ever said something insensitive were fired, we wouldn't have shit to watch or listen to.

 

[jgbkab]

Why turn it off? Why fuck it? Can people only see TV shows as left or right? Letterman was an idiot for saying what he did. Now people want to stop watching him and boycott his sponsors. Get over it. If every TV and Radio personality that ever said something insensitive were fired, we wouldn't have shit to watch or listen to.

 

[KittenKoder]

Why turn it off? Why fuck it? Can people only see TV shows as left or right? Letterman was an idiot for saying what he did. Now people want to stop watching him and boycott his sponsors. Get over it. If every TV and Radio personality that ever said something insensitive were fired, we wouldn't have shit to watch or listen to.

Why not? TV isn't about facts or truth anyway, and you can see all your shows and entertainment online, with fewer commercials! I never did watch Letterman, I am a Spike Fereston girl, and I can see him online to (he's a geek now, converted).

 

[jgbkab]

Why not? TV isn't about facts or truth anyway, and you can see all your shows and entertainment online, with fewer commercials! I never did watch Letterman, I am a Spike Fereston girl, and I can see him online to (he's a geek now, converted).

Right. It's a form of entertainment. Yeah, you can get it online but if you're anticipating an episode, you don't want to wait a couple days to a week to see it. I never watched any of the late-night talk shows.

My point was that everything isn't partisan. I mean if Hugh Laurie talks trash about my favorite politician and his kid(s), it doesn't mean that I'm gonna boycott House.

 

[KittenKoder]

Why not? TV isn't about facts or truth anyway, and you can see all your shows and entertainment online, with fewer commercials! I never did watch Letterman, I am a Spike Fereston girl, and I can see him online to (he's a geek now, converted).

Right. It's a form of entertainment. Yeah, you can get it online but if you're anticipating an episode, you don't want to wait a couple days to a week to see it. I never watched any of the late-night talk shows.

My point was that everything isn't partisan. I mean if Hugh Laurie talks trash about my favorite politician and his kid(s), it doesn't mean that I'm gonna boycott House.

Hulu - Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.

All you need ... Google for more, but they are standard now, quickly replacing boobtube TV. Face it, television is a dinosaur now, though even our government won't admit it, it is. Hell, you can get Hulu on iPods and phones now.

 

[KittenKoder]

Last but not least:

 

[nia588]

you know i think people need to realize that the news isn't there to inform people anymore its entertainment.

and as for Letterman's comments. what do people expect. he's a comedian. he's not suppose to be tasteful. last time i checked comedians weren't responsible people. and even though i think Letterman's comments are degrading whether he was talking about Willow or Bristol i do not think the writers at CBS would write something so crude about a 14 year old. I think they have no interest in being sued or accused of making perverted comments about a minor.

and most shows have liberal views anyway. Hollywood is full of them. and it always had been.

on the same note conservative media like fox news isn't any better. they are just as sickening.

that's why i say just turn off the darn TV. its full of biast views on both sides. you won't find any balance on TV nowadays.

instead of getting your views and opinions from the garbage box. do some actual reading and research on today's issues and decide for yourself. you shouldn't need MSNBC or Fox news to help you form opinions.

 

[KittenKoder]

My strongest hatred for television ... the FCC ... get rid of them then I'll go back to watching it more. I can't stand them, they are the least focused on but one of the most vile special interest groups. Hell, they annoy and irritate me more than the environazis ...

 

[nia588]

My strongest hatred for television ... the FCC ... get rid of them then I'll go back to watching it more. I can't stand them, they are the least focused on but one of the most vile special interest groups. Hell, they annoy and irritate me more than the environazis ...

and my thing is they hypocritical. they ban some sexual content during the day and yet as soon as 8:00 comes its a free for all. they act all of America's kids go to bed at 8:00. some of the raunchy stuff on TV is so bad i don't even want watch it. and i most certainly don't want my kids to seeing this stuff.

 

[KittenKoder]

My strongest hatred for television ... the FCC ... get rid of them then I'll go back to watching it more. I can't stand them, they are the least focused on but one of the most vile special interest groups. Hell, they annoy and irritate me more than the environazis ...

and my thing is they hypocritical. they ban some sexual content during the day and yet as soon as 8:00 comes its a free for all. they act all of America's kids go to bed at 8:00. some of the raunchy stuff on TV is so bad i don't even want watch it. and i most certainly don't want my kids to seeing this stuff.

Meh, that's the parents job, to make sure they aren't watching what they don't want the kids to watch anyway. I mean they even edit cable now ... seriously, what is the point of being an adult if we don't get to choose what we see on TV at all?

 

[jgbkab]

you know i think people need to realize that the news isn't there to inform people anymore its entertainment.

There is a lot more on TV than news.

and as for Letterman's comments. what do people expect. he's a comedian. he's not suppose to be tasteful. last time i checked comedians weren't responsible people. and even though i think Letterman's comments are degrading whether he was talking about Willow or Bristol i do not think the writers at CBS would write something so crude about a 14 year old. I think they have no interest in being sued or accused of making perverted comments about a minor.

Exactly.

and most shows have liberal views anyway. Hollywood is full of them. and it always had been.

Again, how do you get liberal or conservative views from Animal Planet, The History Channel, etc?

on the same note conservative media like fox news isn't any better. they are just as sickening.

Then don't watch Fox.

that's why i say just turn off the darn TV. its full of biast views on both sides. you won't find any balance on TV nowadays.

It seems like you only watch TV for politics.

instead of getting your views and opinions from the garbage box. do some actual reading and research on today's issues and decide for yourself. you shouldn't need MSNBC or Fox news to help you form opinions.

Exactly. Maybe there are some people that sit and watch Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN all day but I thought only the politicians did that. That probably how wingnuts are born; from watching 24 hour news stations all day long.

 

[Oddball]

and most shows have liberal views anyway. Hollywood is full of them. and it always had been.

Johnny Carson was a well-known and unapologetic lib, yet he still managed to poke equal fun at both sides and went nowhere near the territory of sleaze that Letterman did.

Moreover, even Letterman was pretty much a class act and genuinely funny, until about the time he had his falling out with NBC....From then on, he has pretty much been a bitter pissed of wretch, and his program has suffered from it.

 

[Sinatra]

and most shows have liberal views anyway. Hollywood is full of them. and it always had been.

Johnny Carson was a well-known and unapologetic lib, yet he still managed to poke equal fun at both sides and went nowhere near the territory of sleaze that Letterman did.

Moreover, even Letterman was pretty much a class act and genuinely funny, until about the time he had his falling out with NBC....From then on, he has pretty much been a bitter pissed of wretch, and his program has suffered from it.

Agreed.

And on this occassion, I say let the market hold Letterman to account. He has been driving off the liberal late night cliff for years now and it on this occassion, he went too far. There will be an accounting made on this issue - and rightfully so.

He won't likely lose his job - but Letterman is gonna take some lumps.

 

[Shadow]

i have a solution.

turn off the TV!

I rarely watch TV. And only go to the movies once in a great while when my kids want to see something.

The reason being... the Hollywood crowd uses every opportunity to beat you over the head with their world view. If I wanted to be lectured while watching TV I certainly wouldn't choose Law and Order, CSI or the Academy Awards shows as a source.

Hollywood really needs to get over themselves and their need to "educate" the world to their narrow POV.