Cast your vote and explain your reasons why.
Personally I like Letterman.
Personally I like Letterman.
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Leno or Letterman: Who has the more entertaining show?
- Thread starter Mark Giardina
- Start date
Personally I like Letterman.
Me too. I am more into satire & the absurd.
Me too. I am more into satire & the absurd.
Mark: So what is the reason YOU like Letterman? 
;D
My opinions, YMMV:
I also vote Dave. I've been a fan since his (ill-scheduled) morning program, and his NBC late-night program was appointment TV.
He's mailing it in these days, but he's entitled. Even in his current state, his wit runs circles around Leno. Of course, I've always been drawn to acerbic and sarcastic humor. That, and Letterman's appreciation for and curiosity about broadcasting, down to all the funny bits he did in the '80s (the 360-degree show - at the middle break he was upside down). For Ernie Kovacs to have been alive to see David Letterman's star rise ... to have seen the two of them together. Can you imagine the lightning in a bottle had Kovacs guested on Dave's show? The cigar ashes alone.......
Jay Leno is a glorified stand-up comedian WHO SHOUTS THE PUNCHLINES BECAUSE WE'RE TOO STUPID TO GET THE JOKE IF HE DOESN'T DO THAT!!! Jay has his moments, and I've been known to chuckle a time or two during his monologues. But the whole "nice guy/blue-collar/hard-working/denim shirt and cheap tennis shoes" image comes across to me as phony. And I won't get into the, ummmm, "borrowed and repurposed" bits.
I look at Leno and I see a man trying to be a modern-day Bob Hope.
(And thankfully, my phone number is private/unlisted, so Jay can't call me were he to read this)
Those are my two pennies, need change?
--Russell
;DMy opinions, YMMV:
I also vote Dave. I've been a fan since his (ill-scheduled) morning program, and his NBC late-night program was appointment TV.
He's mailing it in these days, but he's entitled. Even in his current state, his wit runs circles around Leno. Of course, I've always been drawn to acerbic and sarcastic humor. That, and Letterman's appreciation for and curiosity about broadcasting, down to all the funny bits he did in the '80s (the 360-degree show - at the middle break he was upside down). For Ernie Kovacs to have been alive to see David Letterman's star rise ... to have seen the two of them together. Can you imagine the lightning in a bottle had Kovacs guested on Dave's show? The cigar ashes alone.......
Jay Leno is a glorified stand-up comedian WHO SHOUTS THE PUNCHLINES BECAUSE WE'RE TOO STUPID TO GET THE JOKE IF HE DOESN'T DO THAT!!! Jay has his moments, and I've been known to chuckle a time or two during his monologues. But the whole "nice guy/blue-collar/hard-working/denim shirt and cheap tennis shoes" image comes across to me as phony. And I won't get into the, ummmm, "borrowed and repurposed" bits.
I look at Leno and I see a man trying to be a modern-day Bob Hope.
(And thankfully, my phone number is private/unlisted, so Jay can't call me were he to read this)
Those are my two pennies, need change?
--Russell
Then why did you respond? You're not required to, you know.johnnyu said:
I've never been a fan of Leno's comedy, so my preference would be for Letterman. But to me, that's like saying I prefer hemorroids over colon cancer. Letterman's show used to be witty and original, but (in my opinion) it's been resting on its laurels for years now. On the occasions I tune in, I find that he's doing the same old bits...when he even bothers.
I know this is a minority opinion, but I think Conan's show is the most watchable - it's fresh and original. Of course, I rarely watched his old Late Night show on NBC, so perhaps its not as original as I think. And for the record, I thought Conan was sub-par on The Tonight Show. His new show on TBS is much better.
I'm leaning towards Letterman, but I don't watch the late night talk shows as regularly as I used to.
B
BobSacamano
Guest
Letterman for me as well...Leno to me is just,..LAME..
Anyone notice that a lot of Leno's bits, were actually done by Dave years ago..
Jay appears to be turning into the "Bob Hope" of our generation
Anyone notice that a lot of Leno's bits, were actually done by Dave years ago..
Jay appears to be turning into the "Bob Hope" of our generation
F
flashback
Guest
i prefer letterman`s show to leno`s.
having said that i miss the spontanious way letterman did his late night NBC show.it definitly went out the window on the CBS show.
i am not suggesting he has everything written up in advance.i am suggesting he controlls too many details as opposed to letting things happen as they just do.
he did a bit on his CBS show where something was happening outside and he walked outside and it was obvious everything was planned in advance.the outdoor shots seemed recorded in advance.on the NBC show he would have shown what was happening and walked out and let what happened happen.
i also miss the eclectic levils of the guests on the late night NBC show.
having said that i miss the spontanious way letterman did his late night NBC show.it definitly went out the window on the CBS show.
i am not suggesting he has everything written up in advance.i am suggesting he controlls too many details as opposed to letting things happen as they just do.
he did a bit on his CBS show where something was happening outside and he walked outside and it was obvious everything was planned in advance.the outdoor shots seemed recorded in advance.on the NBC show he would have shown what was happening and walked out and let what happened happen.
i also miss the eclectic levils of the guests on the late night NBC show.
I vote Conan. Used to be a huge Dave fan. Watched Dave in high school & college (i'm 42 now). He spent too much time bashig Bush and not being funny anymore. Conan seems much funnier than Dave or Jay. Never liked Jay. I DVR Dave and Conan every night. Keep 5 episodes and then they record over. Never watch Dave. Should stop recording so the DVR shuts off 35 minutes earlier to save a little electricity.
The "headlines" segment is about the only thing on Leno worth watching. His monologue smacks of a smoke-filled nightclub where the patrons are already drunk (PERHAPS THAT'S WHY HE SHOUTS). The "band" makes noise, not music. He doesn't give his guests the time or opportunity (most of the time) to be interesting - just plug their latest project. And the "musical guest" segment is an exercise in "have you ever heard of this group before? Generally pitiful.
Dave is a dirty old man whose face you've seen hanging out at the grade school bike rack. And he is s-l-o-w. I've been known to go to sleep between sentences. Bandleader is a dork but band and music is much better than Leno's. Dave's mom is funnier than he is.
Dave is a dirty old man whose face you've seen hanging out at the grade school bike rack. And he is s-l-o-w. I've been known to go to sleep between sentences. Bandleader is a dork but band and music is much better than Leno's. Dave's mom is funnier than he is.
Going off the page to say Craig Ferguson has the most entertaining show. The combination of a low budget set and virtually no advertising that it exists by CBS make the show work. Craig's skits run the gambit from bad to horrible but thankfully that has never been the show's main point. Craig's show is one you have to find for yourself. Like it or hate it, the man does the format just a little bit different and it's refreshing to watch evolve.
Craig's ability to have an actual conversation with his guest and not a stilted unilateral back and forth of "movie plug, movie plug, prepared witty anecdote" surpasses anyone currently in the Late Night field by an enormous margin. Jay is the worst offender of this type of canned conversation. All he does is hit the talking points the guest's P.R. agent drew up and does nothing more to flesh out any human aspect that we can all relate to. It doesn't help that Leno has been running the show on autopilot like a robot for 2 decades.
A typical Craig interview will have Craig and his guest chatting about everything or nothing in particular. The movie/book/appearance plug almost always gets mentioned in passing if brought up at all.
Craig's ability to have an actual conversation with his guest and not a stilted unilateral back and forth of "movie plug, movie plug, prepared witty anecdote" surpasses anyone currently in the Late Night field by an enormous margin. Jay is the worst offender of this type of canned conversation. All he does is hit the talking points the guest's P.R. agent drew up and does nothing more to flesh out any human aspect that we can all relate to. It doesn't help that Leno has been running the show on autopilot like a robot for 2 decades.
A typical Craig interview will have Craig and his guest chatting about everything or nothing in particular. The movie/book/appearance plug almost always gets mentioned in passing if brought up at all.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
I find Jay's bits to be funnier (Jaywalking, Headlines, etc.).
Dave's Top Ten lists have not been keeping up to the mark lately in my view.
He seems somehow oddly disconnected or disinterested these days. The show
seems to definitely need an injection of something fresh. And it seems his
days of donning the Velcro Suit are far behind him.
Dave's Top Ten lists have not been keeping up to the mark lately in my view.
He seems somehow oddly disconnected or disinterested these days. The show
seems to definitely need an injection of something fresh. And it seems his
days of donning the Velcro Suit are far behind him.
I admire Dave and Jay as people, I think they're both really funny, talented people. But in deciding between the Late Show or the Tonight Show, I would have to pick the Tonight Show. While Dave is overall a more entertaining interviewer, his show can get monotonous and he'll repeat the same subjects for months. Jay, on the other hand, stays relatively fresh in hitting all subjects and points in the news during his monologue. He also is a better monologue presenter than Dave. His comedy bits are pretty good. But his interviews always seem canned and are typically the worse among all late night hosts. The final product of his show is still very well done after all these years unlike Dave's product, which has been decaying faster than you can say "say hello to Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra"
I'm gonna have to say Letterman, although the CBS show is lacking the comedy bits that made the NBC version funnier.
As for Leno, he's a total tool for NBC. I watched him tape segments of "Jaywalking" in person a couple of times... it must be pretty easy when his staff is with him and they are feeding him material & telling him what kind of expressions he should have on his face. :
As for Leno, he's a total tool for NBC. I watched him tape segments of "Jaywalking" in person a couple of times... it must be pretty easy when his staff is with him and they are feeding him material & telling him what kind of expressions he should have on his face. :
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