THE TONIGHT SHOW: IS CONAN ANY GOOD?

Ok, Conan O'Brien has taken over Jay Leno's position on The Tonight Show. But is Conan any good?

All I can say is that Conan takes a bit of getting used to? He does try hard -- but it looks like sometimes he is trying too hard. Hosting The Tonight Show and interviewing celebrities does not come easily to him. It only shows that the writers he has on his show have not really tapped into the "feel" of the The Tonight Show.

Conan's New York "thang" is just not translating very well.

I do miss Jay Leno. I wonder how he is doing?


Photo credits:
1. Conan O'Brien picture from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20281580,00.html
2. Jay Leno picture from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20211733,00.html

BEST OF 2008: GLOBAL STARS -- KATHY GRIFFIN: BEST COMEDIENNE ON TV

One of my favorite comediennes is Kathy Griffin. She is the funniest comedienne working on TV today.

Kathy Griffin has an Emmy-winning My Life of the D-List -- one of the most hilarious side-splitting shows on tv.

Kathy Griffin has appeared on Larry King and was so good that Larry King had her host an episode of his show (the topic was on paparazzi and Kathy Griffin ripped through it in the funniest manner imaginable. Does CNN have the episode stored anywhere online? I am sure people who love comedy would love to get their hands on it!) Kathy Griffin also has appeared on Jay Leno and always has the audience in stitches -- although sometimes it looks like she is just too sharp for the audience to catch some of the nuance/speed of her jokes!

She is one of the best things working on TV today and brings much needed laughter into the world.

She has her own website: http://www.kathygriffin.net/

(Photo of Kathy Griffin from EW)

HENRY CEJUDO ON JAY LENO... BRILLIANT YOUNG MAN!

In a recent episode of Jay Leno, impressive Henry Cejudo made an appearance. This endearing young man, 21 years old, won a gold medal at the recent Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

What was most excellent about Henry's appearance was how likable he was. He was very relaxed and had a lovable sense of humor and Leno's studio audience -- like the audience watching Jay Leno at home -- expressed their fondness for his honesty and disarming frankness in a big way.

Cejudo spoke of the hardship and the poverty of his youth and through it all, his effervescent spirit came through. Is it any surprise then that he won the gold medal in the 55kg category in his event (wrestling) at Beijing?

Photos:
Henry Cejudo and his mom (this picture from:http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=19472)
Henry Cejudo victorious at the Olympics

JAY LENO

SHORT STORY...

Jay Leno's anxious moment...


"God, I wish I hadn't seen that beauty," Jay Leno anxiously thought to himself, as he stood at the wings of his Tonight Show stage, waiting for his cue to appear on stage. He outstretched his arms to his sides, closer to his hips, rather than sideways like a make-belief airplane, then bent his arms a bit and pretended to jog-on-the-spot quickly.

Why was this world famous man of TV anxious? He had, to put it politely, a pistol-in-his-pocket moment. It was a mild case, but it would most definitely look odd, AND OBVIOUS, on TV. He was nervous. What can I think about... what can I think about to cancel out this state of semi-excitement, he kept asking himself. Aha, then he thought he'd think of his wife. Which he did.

Woosh! No more pistol-in-the-pocket. Just in time, too, as that's when John Melendez announced, ".......Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Leno!" As he happily hopped and skipped onto stage, Jay thought to himself, no more looking at car magazines before the show from now onwards for him! Instinctively, he then celebrity-slapped his audience's outstretched hands, greeted the studio audience and proceeded to focus on the cue cards!

   
• Jay Leno