Tag: jay leno
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How to Create a New Comedy/Talk Show
You have a host. Your assignment is to build a new comedy/talk show around him or her. How do you even begin to do that? Recently The New York Times went behind the scenes to give a glimpse into how James Corden and his staff are creating their version of Late Late Show, premiering on…
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How the Two Jimmies Can Prepare for Colbert
As I write this, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is dominating its competition. Since its premiere on February 17, 2014, Tonight has earned a 1.28 rating in Adults 18-49, compared to a .65 for Jimmy Kimmel Live and a .51 for Late Show with David Letterman. But the game is changing. Sometime in 2015…
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The Hugh Grant Fallacy
This week, on June 18, Access Hollywood perpetuated a longstanding misconception about The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A voiceover referred to “the game changer, when in 1995 Hugh Grant came on shortly after his dalliance with a prostitute. Jay beat Letterman in the ratings that night and stayed number one for nineteen years.” Game-changer?…
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When O. J. Simpson Killed, So Did Jay Leno
As a host of the Tonight show, Jay Leno was typically regarded by the media as dull, not edgy. For example, a February 2014 article by Daniel D’Addario on the website Salon bears the headlines: “Jay Leno thrived by being America’s dullest man. With less edge than David Letterman or Conan O’Brien, Leno was the perfect…
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5 Reasons To Do Field Pieces
Why aren’t Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers doing more field pieces on their shows? Field pieces, or “remotes,” are comedy pieces that are shot outside the studio. They’re great for comedy/talk shows. Here are 5 reasons why. 1) It’s fun to see the host out in the real world for a change. Watching the same…
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Comedy Writing Is Not Rocket Science
If you know the techniques, tricks, and rules, comedy writing isn’t as hard as it looks. When I was co-head writer of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno I directed a sketch featuring Jay and astronaut Story Musgrave. The sketch was a comedy tour of Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of the Lyndon…