Joan Rivers, Dead at 81

This is the Joan I remember most.

Well, crap. Joan Rivers--love her or hate her (or a little of both)--was something of a force of nature. She was clearly a pioneer, and one of the few unfiltered celebrity voices out there. She's the only woman to ever have hosted a network late-night talk show. She reinvented herself (and, can we talk, her face) countless times. And she arguably got cooler as she got older.

I have been wondering what would happen to some of our aging icons, particularly the ones like Rivers and Joan Collins, women who refused to look or act like little old ladies. And I haven't decided yet whether it's better that Rivers died rather quickly and unexpectedly rather than having to suffer an age-related decline.  No one could say that 81 is "too young to die," but then again, she was so vibrant and vital, it's clear that she would be with us if not for the botched surgical procedure last week. It would have been nice to see her get to Phyllis Diller's age when she died. Can you imagine a 95-year-old Rivers on the red carpet?

Comedy has lost some big, big names.
Image from The Daily Trash.

Joan Rivers had her biggest heyday in the early-to-mid 1980s. Her standup comedy was filling auditoriums, her album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most was a huge hit, and she became the permanent guest host on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She then began the very first show on the FOX-TV network, then called FBC. The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers caused a falling out with Carson, and didn't end up becoming a success, though I believe I saw nearly every episode. And she had a bit of a last laugh by having had better ratings than any of the shows that replaced her.

During that program, Rivers had an "anyone can host"-type contest, with video submissions. I helped my Mom, along with my brother, to put together an entry. Though Mom didn't win, she did get a nice letter from Joan that mentioned specific parts of the video, which was nice. If I ever get that VHS tape converted to digital, I may share it in this space.

So, my biggest memories of Joan Rivers are from that FOX/Tonight Show/Heidi Abromowitz era, before her later reinvention as a daytime host, QVC jewelry seller, red carpet fashion reviewer. But I was impressed with her staying power. And it feels very odd to be writing about her demise. RIP, Joanie. I'm not a believer in afterworlds, but if I'm wrong, I hope you're with Edgar and Spike!

[Excerpt]

Comedian Joan Rivers dead at 81
 
Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81. Rivers was hospitalized last week after she went into cardiac arrest at a Manhattan doctor's office following a routine procedure. Daughter Melissa Rivers said she died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends. . .

Read more at: AOL

And now, from the first episode of The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, a must-see with Elton John and surprise guest Cher.

 

Rachel Maddow Discusses ISIS and Ferguson on The Late Show with David Letterman

The Colbert Report Has a Replacement: Larry Wilmore

Image from source, Daily Beast

Not a bad choice, and not a predictable one either. I thought they'd go for Chris Hardwick, who's having quite a bit of success with his show, @Midnight, which airs right after The Colbert Report. But apparently, either Comedy Central didn't want to monkey around with that show, or more likely, Jon Stewart had more to say about who would replace Stephen Colbert than the network.

The Daily Show had a lengthy roster of regulars that could have handled the gig, including Jason Jones, Samantha Bee and Kristen Schaal. But Larry Wilmore, while not as knee-slappingly funny as those choices, is consistently funny, and a bit more substantial. It also makes him one of the only non-white males in late night, though he is still male. I wonder where Chelsea Handler is going to turn up.

[Excerpt]

Meet Larry Wilmore, Stephen Colbert’s Replacement and Host of the New Series ‘The Minority Report’

The most recent development in late night’s version of Game of Thrones will see Wilmore, who serves as The Daily Show’s “Senior Black Correspondent,” take over the post-Daily Show 11:30 pm ET time slot now occupied by The Colbert Report. Wilmore’s show will be called The Minority Report with Larry Wilmore and the move, which comes in the wake of Colbert taking over David Letterman’s Late Show on CBS, will go into effect in January 2015. . .

Read more at: The Daily Beast

Craig Ferguson Leaving CBS and The Late, Late Show

Image from source, Salon

On those nights when I'm having trouble sleeping, it's not unusual for me to turn over to The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It's an odd show. A very odd show. There's a gay, robot skeleton. A dancing horse. Sometimes, it's nothing but goofing around for the first half of the show, before a guest is brought out. And it's got a great theme song.

I wasn't surprised that CraigyFerg didn't get the plum Late Show slot being vacated by David Letterman, simply because Ferguson's show is so strange. I just can't see it playing at 11:30. So, whether Ferguson is upset by the lack of promotion, or if he simply feels it's time to leave, CBS will be tasked with finding a new host, or scrapping the show altogether. A shame, but hey, ten years is a pretty good run.

[Excerpt]
 
Craig Ferguson to leave CBS, and “Late Late Show”

Another seat in late night is now open, as “Late Late Show” host Craig Ferguson has announced he plans to leave CBS. Ferguson is the longtime host (since 2005) of the show airing immediately after David Letterman’s “Late Show,” and had been perceived as one among the potential successors to Letterman, who will be retiring next year. CBS opted to hire Comedy Central personality Stephen Colbert over their own employee, and Ferguson’s future seemed at once foreclosed. . .

Read more at: Salon

Stephen Colbert to Take Over for David Letterman on The Late Show

 

I'm of mixed feelings about this one. As a Daily Show with Jon Stewart fan since it was . . .with Craig Kilborn, I of course have watched The Colbert Report since the beginning. At first, I wasn't sure he could sustain his pompus, "educated Archie Bunker" news reporter character through a regular series. But sure enough, he could and did. Colbert's show was the perfect follow-up to Stewart's, and the interplay was terrific. And it has to be said, Colbert's in-character roasting of George W. Bush at the White House Correspondent's' Dinner was masterful.

I've also watched The Late Show with David Letterman since it was Late Night. I watched from episode for all of the above. And though, more often than not, I watch the Comedy Central line up instead of CBS's, I'd come back to Dave whenever Jon and Stephen were in reruns. And it's only due to those guys that I ever left. I still find Dave preferable to the Jimmys. But Dave is leaving. And Stephen is moving in!

But not Stephen Cole-bear. This will be Stephen Cole-BURT. The real guy, not the character. Having seen the real Stephen in other things--not to mention being able to see through the character to the brilliance of the real dude--I'm cool with that. While he'll surely need to tone down the politics a bit, and will have to spoon-feed a little more to the larger general audience, I believe he's deft enough to pull it off. Still, I'm hoping he retains the old guy in some capacity. Whether it's a Colbert Report show-within-a-show segment, or just one of a roster of characters, I'd hate to see that persona retired forever.

As for Comedy Central, I think they may have as tough a choice as CBS had. They fortunately have a lengthy list of performers to choose from, many from The Daily Show, past and present, or from other Comedy Central shows. They'd be wise to create  something in the mold of either Stewart's or Colbert's current shows, to be a companion to The Daily Show, rather than trying to plug in a Tosh.O or Workaholics, and hoping it keeps the audience.

My choice--though I'd miss his current new-ish show--is Chris Hardwick. His @Midnight is a hoot, and I never miss The Talking Dead. He's smart, funny, irreverent, cute and nerdish. The perfect combination. But I'll bet you John Oliver is sorry he deserted for a weekly HBO show.

[Excerpt]

Why Stephen Colbert is the perfect choice for CBS

CBS nailed this. Stephen Colbert, just named to replace David Letterman, might seem in some ways an odd choice for a late-night broadcast host: He's an intensely satirical comedian who at least until now has hosted his show in the guise of a self-righteous buffoon. But he may also be the smartest person in late night. And the most likable. . .

Read more at: MSN

David Letterman Set to Retire

Dave with Betty White, coincidentally, also a Mary
Tyler Moore costar. Image from source, Huffington Post.

Back in the 1970s, America's Sweetheart, Mary Tyler Moore had a critically-acclaimed and massively popular sitcom, called (oddly enough) The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Then she quit, and the show ended while on top. But Mary wasn't tired of TV, she just wanted to do a variety show, and so she did, called (oddly enough) Mary. This show was neither critically-acclaimed, nor massively popular. But it had one very important ingredient: repertory player David Letterman.

A couple years later, somebody realized that Dave was a talented and funny guy. There was a big media campaign to get us to watch the daytime series, The David Letterman Show (where do they get these names?). It tanked, fast. But somehow, the schmucks behind the scenes at NBC realized they had something on their hands, and they created Late Night with David Letterman, to follow The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. It was a cult hit right off the bat, and became a late night institution.

I am old enough to remember all of the above. Though I don't think I caught much of Mary or Dave's original daytime show, I was enough of a pop culture sponge to have seen both, and was up on the stories behind them. And I watched Late Night from episode one.  I followed Dave to CBS when NBC snubbed him for Jay Leno. And though I long ago became a Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, I still often catch Dave on Fridays, on Daily Show/Colbert Report rerun weeks, and whenever he has Rachel Maddow on! So, congratulations to Dave Letterman on three-plus very successful decades on late night TV. I'll miss him when he goes, even if I don't always watch.

[Excerpt]

David Letterman Retiring After 33 Years As Late Night Host
 
David Letterman is retiring in 2015 after 33 years as a late night host. Letterman announced the news during a taping of Thursday's episode of "Late Show." He called CBS president Leslie Moonves before the program, "And I said ‘Leslie, it’s been great, you’ve been great, and the network has been great, but I’m retiring.'" The late night host explained that "Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. . ."

Read more at: Huffington Post


And here is a video from Mary with the star singing "With a Little Luck" with her cast, including David Letterman, Swoozie Kurtz and David Letterman. It's pretty bad.