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31 Jan 2012 00:12

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Culture: Ferris Bueller Sells Out: Matthew Broderick’s Super Bowl ad

  • Bueller … Bueller … So, question for you all — is it awesome that Matthew Broderick’s reliving his faux-childhood memories, or just sad? “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” came out a solid 25 and a half years ago, and is arguably his crowning achievement (though “The Producers” on Broadway comes close). This early Super Bowl ad, which openly references “Bueller,” albeit with some modern touches, should remind you of two things: Matthew Broderick is going to be 50 in a little over a month, and a Honda CR-V is not a Ferrari. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? (By the way, when you’re done with this, Jerry Seinfeld also has a past-referencing car ad.) source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2011 15:24

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Biz: Jeff Zucker’s last gasp with NBC: “I leave you in good hands”

  • For me, that chapter’s ending, but for all of you it’s an exciting new beginning. With Comcast, I leave you in good hands and have no doubt that you will continue to do great things. I look forward to following your progress.
  • Departing NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker • In a memo to his employees on the company’s financial performance, the last such report before the soon-to-complete Comcast deal. Zucker, the man probably most responsible for the Jay Leno/Conan mess, is leaving a company he’s worked at for a solid 25 years. Sorry, we’re finding it hard to type. We have something in our eyes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Dec 2010 10:16

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Politics: Romney drops strong hints of his 2012 aspirations on Leno

  • If someone’s looking for me to say something negative about Sarah Palin, why, that’s not going to come from me. I mean, did you see what she did to the halibut the other night on her show? Yeah, I’m not in for that …
  • Presumptive 2012 candidate Mitt Romney • Dodging the issue of what he thinks of Sarah Palin by ripping on her fish-clubbing skills. Slick, Mit, slick. He was on Jay Leno (boo) talking about himself (boo), and was sounding awfully presidential. Will he run for president? Is water wet? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2010 10:51

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Culture: (Most) other late-night hosts commend Conan’s return

  • I want to congratulate Conan O’Brien and his crew. They’re back on television tonight. I don’t know when… son of a bitch! They’re on the same time as me. Now I’ll never be able to watch me.
  • Jon Stewart • Making a hilarious but well-placed commendation of Conan O’Brien’s return to late night on last night’s “The Daily Show.” Letterman, George Lopez and Craig Ferguson also made some pretty good send-offs to the returning late-night host. Note that none of those guys are on NBC. Just saying. (On a side note, Leno’s getting fellow pariah Christine O’Donnell later this week. Fitting?) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Nov 2010 10:30

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Culture: Conan does Playboy: That’s right, he did an interview, not a spread

  • He can come as the musical guest, because that I want to see. No one knows he has an operatic range [sings as Jay Leno]. No, there are certain things I will not do, regardless of the price.
  • Conan O’Brien • Explaining that no, he will not have Jay Leno on his new TBS show, which premieres next week. Other highlights from his interview with Playboy: He explains how his doctor once thought he was a cocaine user (he’s not, but he likes to drink), notes how the business has changed in the last 17 years (reality TV was the biggest single change), and suggests that actors pay the audience for plugging their latest project on his show. “If Jim Carrey or Tom Hanks accidentally mentions his project,” he says, “I think the viewer should be compensated in some way. That would be a way to turn this economy around.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2010 11:37

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Culture: Months after Conan screw-up, NBC head Jeff Zucker is out

  • You win, Conan fans. And TV fans in general. It took a few months to hit, but Jeff Zucker – a.k.a. the guy who set up the disastrous Jay Leno lineup switch last season – is headed out the door in the wake of the Comcast merger, and not by his own choosing. “in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place — and I didn’t want to end up being a guest in my own house,” he said. While NBC’s cable networks did great, the mothership struggled, and as a result, Zucker’s out. Good riddance. You deserve it for what you did to Conan O’Brien. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2010 09:19

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Culture: Conan should take solace in Leno’s tanking in the ratings war

  • 1.1 Conan’s rating during his fifteenth week of the “Tonight Show”; he was beating Letterman at this point
  • 0.9 Leno’s rating during HIS fifteenth week of the “Tonight Show”; he’s currently tied with Letterman source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 May 2010 11:33

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Culture: Diehard Conan fans fight Leno on all fronts – including Hulu

  • Yeah, that’s one way to handle Leno angst. Some smart Conan fans on Hulu have been tagging episodes of The Tonight Show to trash on the guy who got “The Tonight Show” back. While it’s funny, it’s also against Hulu’s own terms. Still pretty funny. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 May 2010 10:51

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Culture: How Conan O’Brien picked himself up from a crappy situation

  • beard “That was my small victory,
    you know. OK, so I lost ‘The
    Tonight Show,’ but I’ll show them – I’ll stop shaving.”
  • tour “When we started putting this tour together, I started to feel better almost immediately. There is almost no better antidote.” source
  • » But what about Jay Leno? The comic didn’t mince words in talking about his new adversary. “Jay’s got The Tonight Show. I have a beard and an inflatable bat. And I’m touring city to city. Who can say who won and who lost?”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Apr 2010 12:25

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Culture: Jay Leno’s new “Tonight Show” looking like Conan’s in the ratings

Faint lines: First weeks of Conan vs. Letterman last year. Bold lines: First weeks of Leno vs. Letterman this year. Note that Conan and Leno are doing about the same. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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