Tag: The Tonight Show

The Angel, the Sidekick, and the King of Pop.






“Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world.” Farrah Fawcett, 1947-2009.

Also leaving us of late, Ed McMahon, 1923-2009. “‘Quit? Oh, I’ll never quit,’ he told Entertainment Weekly in 2005. ‘This is what I do. If I’m in a wheelchair, I can still do radio. I tell everyone that there is only one way that I’m going to go. I’ll be on TV, we’ll be going to a commercial break, and I’ll look dead into the camera and say, “They’ll be back. I won’t.” And that will be it.’“

Update: “‘Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color,’ the Rev. Al Sharpton said. ‘To say an “icon” would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by.‘” Michael Jackson, 1958-2009.

Write your own quippy headline.

Writers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your residuals. A writers’ strike in Hollywood looks increasingly likely after eleventh-hour talks fall apart and the deadline — midnight November 1 — passes. “If a strike occurs, it would probably happen within a week and possibly as early as Friday, according to people close the guild.The writers’ previous strike, in 1988, lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry an estimated $500 million.” By the way, hope you like reality tv. “If history is any guide, late night television would see the most immediate impact. Dave Letterman and Jay Leno, whose monologues depend on union writers, would go dark, as would Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.” Update: The strike begins Monday at midnight.

Right Said Fred?

“I’m running for president of the United States.” Really? No kidding. While his Republican rivals debated in New Hampshire, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson at long last officially entered the presidential race on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Given both his fumbling entry thus far and his pro-choice past, it’s hard to believe the conservative Republican base will find him any more palatable than Giuliani or Romney. That being said, could television gravitas translate into the real thing? Admittedly, there are a lot of Law & Order aficionados in this country, so he’s probably good for a lot of votes there (although, to be honest, not as many as Chris Noth might’ve pulled.)