February 17, 2006
(2-17-2006) Today I want to mention a few comments about a few positive people and things in passing: Cornell University graduate Bill Maher of Real Time on HBO and formerly of Politically Incorrect on ABC TV. It is so sad that Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect had to leave national network tv exposure(albeit in a limiting late night spot) for the much more limited pay for play HBO.
Bill Maher surfaces periodically as a guest on Larry King Live and amazingly guest hosted Larry King Live to my pleasant surprise on one occasion. Bill Maher I wish would be a regular guest host on Larry King Live instead of Prosecutor Nancy Grace. Larry King immitates this Walter Winchell-like over dramatic annoucing of the guests and also loud, over dramatic repititive announcing of his own name right and left that so and so is going to be on 'Larry King Live' or stay tuned for more 'Larry King Live' and Your Calls. Terrible! It's the guests which are never announced in the tv listings which make Larry King Live and Ted Turner putting him in this incredible gatekeeper position to the often good guests.
Larry King who I remember vaguely listening to once or twice when he had an all night radio show WORKED WELL as a radio announcer BECAUSE of the all night option --often the only option--for his listeners when he was in Miami.
From chain smoking the cigarettes like his close butt fiend Mike Wallace; Larry got and still has what I call the 'radio announcer's deep chain smoker voice'. I don't recall this loud, dramatic Walter Winchell guest introduction on the talk radio show from Miami the once or twice I accidently listened to it when I lived in Miami for a year.
One on the one hand is reluctant to put Larry King down and on the other hand feels he shouldn't be so lazy about improving given his now International TV audience and consequent gatekeeper position --because of the exposure he can thereby offer--to interesting guests--sometimes.
So one feels Larry King deserves very qualified praise and, alas, I feel I have to check out his program--at least enough to see if the guest is worth it--and then--boom--he let's Bill Maher guest host that once--and has him on regularly as a guest.
It hurts to have Bill Maher and Al Franken in such ultra limited viewer domains(the latter with a talk radio show).
So now you have Jon Stewart on - again - a limited, Comedy Central Cable channel, but at least on nightly, and with the all important guests from various spectrums that one misses from Politically Incorrect. Let's face it, we're a tv nation. There's lots and lots of general common denominator crap on tv --true--but the longer, better sometimes(Charlie Rose on PBS--sometimes)interview shows and the History Channel and PBS documentaries. The news is canned but easier and quicker from the tv--endless repetitious and negative --but that's what news is--one wants to check it out quickly and get it over with--the bad news...and the good news is often boring 'human interest stories' or 'soft news' as it's called.
Jon Stewart on basic cable Comedy Central vs. Bill Maher on pay for play HBO? It's not so much apples and oranges as you would think. But the exposure is different with different coverage and result or significance like different camera exposures so to speak. And the more the merrier, by the way, of voices and outlets and guests like Jon Stewart
and Bill Maher attract and get. Their 'progressive'/liberal-centric guests are more interesting and even their conservative guests are more interesting and have better sense of humors which is ultra necessary when discussing politics interestingly.
When Jon Stewart hosts the Academy Awards it will be a good thing in the sense that it will bring more attention to him and his show. Bill Maher has a great sense of humor but is not a good comedian. He's a good political comedian. I have seen both him and Jon Stewart field live criticism of themselves on tv unphased, with humor, and that is an important test for me of watchability too. They appear secure enough in themselves to take a hit--so to speak--and come back with humor and even one-upsmanship so to speak.
Bill Maher's immitation Johnny Carson stand up--including the same facial expressions and doubletakes and everything; is the weakness in my opinion. It's when he sits down and starts talking to his guests that he shine in my opinion.
And lastly, with Jon Stewart, as Katrina Vanden Heuvel the current editor of The Nation, hinted at when she was talking about his tv show: The Daily Show--his news satire--and the very good Stephen Colbert spinoff--it sometimes comes off as a kind of cynicism--Jon Stewart's sarcasm and satire--against both democrats and republicans--understandable enough. Jon Stewart can take the live digs and hits without batting an eyelash--but sometimes he seems a little too sure of himself and self-satisfied in his confidence. And more so with Stephen Colbert's new spinoff: The Colbert Report.
Still, these criticisms are slight, all in all, relative to the other talk shows and alternatives. And to be fare, though it is rare, the occasional guest who feels he knows Larry King well enough --especially the comedians--can't resist chiding and making fun of Larry King to his face and he too seems to take it. But that dum laugh of his--'uh-uh-uh' always at the wrong time--always missing the jokes more often than not--can wear on you and become nauseating to watch and listen to.
Bill Maher surfaces periodically as a guest on Larry King Live and amazingly guest hosted Larry King Live to my pleasant surprise on one occasion. Bill Maher I wish would be a regular guest host on Larry King Live instead of Prosecutor Nancy Grace. Larry King immitates this Walter Winchell-like over dramatic annoucing of the guests and also loud, over dramatic repititive announcing of his own name right and left that so and so is going to be on 'Larry King Live' or stay tuned for more 'Larry King Live' and Your Calls. Terrible! It's the guests which are never announced in the tv listings which make Larry King Live and Ted Turner putting him in this incredible gatekeeper position to the often good guests.
Larry King who I remember vaguely listening to once or twice when he had an all night radio show WORKED WELL as a radio announcer BECAUSE of the all night option --often the only option--for his listeners when he was in Miami.
From chain smoking the cigarettes like his close butt fiend Mike Wallace; Larry got and still has what I call the 'radio announcer's deep chain smoker voice'. I don't recall this loud, dramatic Walter Winchell guest introduction on the talk radio show from Miami the once or twice I accidently listened to it when I lived in Miami for a year.
One on the one hand is reluctant to put Larry King down and on the other hand feels he shouldn't be so lazy about improving given his now International TV audience and consequent gatekeeper position --because of the exposure he can thereby offer--to interesting guests--sometimes.
So one feels Larry King deserves very qualified praise and, alas, I feel I have to check out his program--at least enough to see if the guest is worth it--and then--boom--he let's Bill Maher guest host that once--and has him on regularly as a guest.
It hurts to have Bill Maher and Al Franken in such ultra limited viewer domains(the latter with a talk radio show).
So now you have Jon Stewart on - again - a limited, Comedy Central Cable channel, but at least on nightly, and with the all important guests from various spectrums that one misses from Politically Incorrect. Let's face it, we're a tv nation. There's lots and lots of general common denominator crap on tv --true--but the longer, better sometimes(Charlie Rose on PBS--sometimes)interview shows and the History Channel and PBS documentaries. The news is canned but easier and quicker from the tv--endless repetitious and negative --but that's what news is--one wants to check it out quickly and get it over with--the bad news...and the good news is often boring 'human interest stories' or 'soft news' as it's called.
Jon Stewart on basic cable Comedy Central vs. Bill Maher on pay for play HBO? It's not so much apples and oranges as you would think. But the exposure is different with different coverage and result or significance like different camera exposures so to speak. And the more the merrier, by the way, of voices and outlets and guests like Jon Stewart
and Bill Maher attract and get. Their 'progressive'/liberal-centric guests are more interesting and even their conservative guests are more interesting and have better sense of humors which is ultra necessary when discussing politics interestingly.
When Jon Stewart hosts the Academy Awards it will be a good thing in the sense that it will bring more attention to him and his show. Bill Maher has a great sense of humor but is not a good comedian. He's a good political comedian. I have seen both him and Jon Stewart field live criticism of themselves on tv unphased, with humor, and that is an important test for me of watchability too. They appear secure enough in themselves to take a hit--so to speak--and come back with humor and even one-upsmanship so to speak.
Bill Maher's immitation Johnny Carson stand up--including the same facial expressions and doubletakes and everything; is the weakness in my opinion. It's when he sits down and starts talking to his guests that he shine in my opinion.
And lastly, with Jon Stewart, as Katrina Vanden Heuvel the current editor of The Nation, hinted at when she was talking about his tv show: The Daily Show--his news satire--and the very good Stephen Colbert spinoff--it sometimes comes off as a kind of cynicism--Jon Stewart's sarcasm and satire--against both democrats and republicans--understandable enough. Jon Stewart can take the live digs and hits without batting an eyelash--but sometimes he seems a little too sure of himself and self-satisfied in his confidence. And more so with Stephen Colbert's new spinoff: The Colbert Report.
Still, these criticisms are slight, all in all, relative to the other talk shows and alternatives. And to be fare, though it is rare, the occasional guest who feels he knows Larry King well enough --especially the comedians--can't resist chiding and making fun of Larry King to his face and he too seems to take it. But that dum laugh of his--'uh-uh-uh' always at the wrong time--always missing the jokes more often than not--can wear on you and become nauseating to watch and listen to.
# posted by PHILIP NURENBERG @ 3:04 PM
