Wednesday, December 26, 2012
David Letterman Talks About His Feud With Jay Leno
Next week, David Letterman will be on Oprah's show and one of the subjects they discussed is his feud with Jay Leno which David says is not because of David being passed over for the Tonight Show. Dave says that Jay is the funniest person he has seen and the most insecure.
I know Dave is a bit of a horn dog, but I prefer him to old superchin any day.
ReplyDeleteI love when Letterman imitates Leno. So funny!
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of Leno.
My boyfriend at the time and I ran into Leno at B Dalton in our mall in Reno in the early 90's. He was super nice. Never been a fan of Dave.
ReplyDeleteLetterman is full of it. He wld love the mass appeal leno has, but just isnt that sort of person. He just cant accept that.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about David Letterman that makes him seem really mean and negative to me. That is why I never watch his show. In spite of all the people talking crap about him, Leno seems like he isn't mean-hearted.
ReplyDeleteSo Oprah and Dave kissed and made up huh? This video wouldn't load for me but I prefer Dave over Leno.
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ReplyDeleteForget 'em both, let the Scottish guy do all the talking!
ReplyDeleteI'd take Dave over Jay any day. Actually, I'd take Craig Ferguson, Conan or the two Jimmys over Dave. I can't believe Dave said Jay was funny. His jokes are so lame, it's pathetic. And it's been documented that Jay steal many of his jokes and bits from others. Doesn't matter how nice Jay is. He's a weasel.
ReplyDeleteDave's old show on NBC was great when Merrill Markoe was the head writer. I watched it every night...back when I was in high school and college. Dave's act has not aged well and he is more cranky old man than hip and cool.
ReplyDeleteMy husband likes Leno as a car guy and really enjoys the webcasts from his garage. I think his Tonight show is corny, but I don't feel the hate for him.
Dave, Conan, Jay...what a twisted PR debacle. All three of them wanted the Tonight Show gig, and all three went to great lengths to try to secure it. However, only Leno has taken heat for it.
ReplyDeleteDave felt he was heir to the throne because Johnny Carson wanted him to take over. Network brass had a different opinion about it, and Dave just cannot get over it. Dave fully expected everyone else to step back and not lobby for the gig. Leno did not step back, and has been pulling knives out his back ever since. In the end, all of them played dirty tricks. Not just Leno. But Leno won.
Dave had his fingers in the pie with Conan when Conan made the play for the Tonight Show. Five years before his contract was up with NBC, Conan made it very clear to NBC brass that if they didn't give him the Tonight Show, he would jump ship to another network. It took almost another two years of negotiating before the deal was sealed. I don't know why everyone conveniently ignores this fact. It was Conan (through NBC) who forced Jay out of the job.
Leno beat Conan at his own game, and Conan won the PR war, but that doesn't change the fact that Conan (with Dave coaching him) played hardball to get the Tonight Show from Jay.
Dave seems to feel all comedians owes him because they were showcased on his show. Dave introduced Leno to the world and is bitter that Leno did not follow the rules and be his bitch for life.
I understand that Dave felt his friend should not go after the same gig, but I think that expectation was completely unreasonable. Almost two decades later, and Dave is still acting like a sulky baby. I have zero respect for him.
And everyone thinks Conan is a great guy. He can be a total prick. I have this info from a very big producer in the film industry who had a book published at the same house, and at the same time as Conan. Conan was rude, condescending and a completely miserable S.O.B to the staff. They HATED him and said he was the worst celebrity author they had ever worked with.
So when Conan went splat on his face, I kind of did a slow clap. He is the author is his misfortune. So is Dave. Dave should have spent his energy proving he was the best person to take over for Johnny Carson. Instead, he spent his time forcing other comedians to back off, and attempting to sabotage those who proceeded to compete against him. I can't feel sorry for Dave. He threw the first punch, and can't get over the fact that Jay knocked him out.
@ Chilie
ReplyDeleteNot sure if what you posted is your own observation or someone elses but props to you for posting it. I appreciate a "Different" opinion which actually sheds a totally different light on the entire situation!
@ Sadie
ReplyDeleteThe Team Coco stuff just kills me because it ranks right up there with the Flat Earth society, imo. It's based on emotion, not facts.
If it is a popularity contest, then fine, call it that and be Team Whoever.
But to claim to be Team Coco or Team Dave because Leno is sneaky and bad... wow.
Lots of sleazy, nasty antics went down behind the scenes by EVERYONE involved, and this has been well documented in numerous business articles, and in a book. All of them should be given the side eye for how it went down.
My opinion on the Tonight Show battle is shaped by these sources. I don't have inside knowledge of the battle. Only 'inside' knowledge' I have about Conan's behaviour is with regard to a publishing house. Plus I know a producer who has hired Leno a few times for shows (she said he is very polite & professional). Maybe Conan is a saint with most other business endeavors, but he sure left his mark on folks at the publishing house in question. (I was shocked when I first heard this info, to be honest.)
Oh yeah, I'm team Craig Ferguson ;-)
ReplyDeleteDave would have never been a hit with Carson's audience. As good as the ratings were/are, they're driven by a much older crowd than Letterman. His audience has aged for sure, but more to the younger side...ie people advertisers want.
ReplyDeleteI like Lenos monologues but hate his interviewing style.
ReplyDeleteDave enjoys making his guests squirm, which I also do not like.
Cant wait till Jimmy K comes on an hour earlier.
I will throw both the old coots under the bus.
Anyone else remember when Dave had a daytime talk show? Definitely wasn't quite the right guy for a daytime demographic, obviously they found an audience for him on late night.
ReplyDeleteDave calling Jay insecure is like a Kartrashian calling someone a fame whore!
ReplyDeleteDave is without a doubt the single most neurotic person in the entire entertainment industry!
Both of them have acted like a couple of spoiled brats with this feud, now going on over 20 years.
The only difference between the two of them during the feud has been Dave making fun of Jay & Jay ignoring the entire thing except for a couple of offhand references.
As for the shows, Jay's monologue is great at least three nights a week, but he interviews suck as they are all pre-scripted, except for a few fellow comics.
Dave's monologue is so-so, but his interviews are great, he won't agree to not ask questions of someone who's embarrassed to answer something.
That's why Romney refused to do Dave's show & Dave did said in September, the road to the White House ran through the guest chair.
He was correct!
team coco
ReplyDeleteDave seems to be very gentlemanly. The bits of schtick he does tho' are usually cheesy, and very low budget.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's partly an East coast West coast thing, but as a westerner I *get* Jay's comedy. I love headlines, and especially Jay walking, even if it does convince me that our future is in the hands of idiots, college educated idiots.
I love Craig and Jimmy Fallon. Craig cuz' he's actually funny and Jimmy because of his musical prowess.
Conan looked a little bit like a jerk on that documentary he did, the "not allowed on tv" or whatever that tour was called. He seemed extremely bitter, angry, and kind of like a jerk to people. So I lost any love for him after watching that.
ReplyDeleteTeam Craig. What a hot piece.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, Jay did a book signing in a large bookstore I worked in, and our experience was that he was one person when the public was present, and someone totally different in private. Not the worst celebrity I've met in those circumstances, but not the nicest either. He could turn it on and off as needed.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Dave--for all his issues, I think what you see is what you get. I like that he is opening up about his issues with depression--I've always thought he might struggle with it--he is such a perfectionist and he is very hard on himself.
To me, Dave is funny and Leno is not.
ReplyDeleteCraig Ferguson is the only one I ever even watch anymore. Love CraigyFerg!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Craig fan and only watch him and Geoff.
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Team Dave......
ReplyDeleteTeam Dave also. No-prah!
ReplyDeleteTeam Dave too. My brother and I pretends he's our uncle. He seems like he'd be a cool uncle. Also love Colbert. He is just high-larious.
ReplyDelete*pretend
ReplyDeleteI say bring on the next generation already. Dave used to be funny, now he's just old, ornery Dave. Jay has always been the easiest interview and the most obvious jokes. Why do networks hang on to their main talk show hosts until they're 90?
ReplyDeleteI was sad when dave didn't get The tonight Show, but soon after he had on Marilou Henner and she said it would be weird if he left bc he's "Mr New York" and she's completely right. It IS an east coast west coast thing, and it's ok whichever u like or think is the jerk based on the few rumors that reach us mortals
ReplyDeleteOoooh burrrn. They both suck in my opinion. Conan's wayyyyyyy funnier.
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