Conan conducts the annual staff performance reviews.
I don't understand how anyone can question Jordan Schlansky's work. The guy has various tasks and duties!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
The Last Late Show: The Video
There's no way to embed it but you can see the last episode of the Late Show in full here.
I'm posting a couple highlight clips but I can't recommend enough watching the full episode. The whole episode is highlights and besides that, it's kind of historic television.
Given that this is the remote chosen for the last show, I guess this is the one they think is the best remote of all-time. That seems strange to me but I can't think of a better one off-hand... "Dave works at Taco Bell"
This is just amazing. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into it.
I'm posting a couple highlight clips but I can't recommend enough watching the full episode. The whole episode is highlights and besides that, it's kind of historic television.
Given that this is the remote chosen for the last show, I guess this is the one they think is the best remote of all-time. That seems strange to me but I can't think of a better one off-hand... "Dave works at Taco Bell"
This is just amazing. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into it.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The Last Late Show: First Take
The last Late Show with David Letterman just aired and I thought it was fantastic. It's hard to imagine a more perfect hour of television. It was amazing how it could be so funny and yet how it could be such an emotional an experience.
From the time I was made aware that David Letterman existed I wanted to watch every piece of television of his that I could get my hands on. I have so many great memories wrapped up in the show - not just watching (alone, mostly in my bedroom), but sharing it with friends and talking about the jokes. It's impossible to see the old clips of the show without remembering where I was in my life when it first aired and what I was doing. For these reasons, I couldn't help but be swept up in a wave of nostalgia and the bittersweet look at an era that is officially gone. As of tonight, it's gone.
Dave is nothing if not unpredictable and so one of the things I've loved to do through the years is "play the Dave" and try to predict things. One of the things I would have predicted about the end of the last show - that I would have predicted wrongly - is that he would end the show sitting on a stool. Jack Paar signed off for the last time while sitting on a stool, Johnny Carson signed off his last show while sitting on a stool, I thought Dave would make that nod to tradition but it didn't happen.
But there was one thing like that, I think. If you read the reviews of the show tomorrow (and, really, why would you?) it's altogether possible that they will cite the "A Day in the Life of Dave" segment as the only weakness and an "uncharacteristic" one at that. But in his final days Johnny Carson did a segment like that and so Dave's doing it too.
From the time I was made aware that David Letterman existed I wanted to watch every piece of television of his that I could get my hands on. I have so many great memories wrapped up in the show - not just watching (alone, mostly in my bedroom), but sharing it with friends and talking about the jokes. It's impossible to see the old clips of the show without remembering where I was in my life when it first aired and what I was doing. For these reasons, I couldn't help but be swept up in a wave of nostalgia and the bittersweet look at an era that is officially gone. As of tonight, it's gone.
Dave is nothing if not unpredictable and so one of the things I've loved to do through the years is "play the Dave" and try to predict things. One of the things I would have predicted about the end of the last show - that I would have predicted wrongly - is that he would end the show sitting on a stool. Jack Paar signed off for the last time while sitting on a stool, Johnny Carson signed off his last show while sitting on a stool, I thought Dave would make that nod to tradition but it didn't happen.
But there was one thing like that, I think. If you read the reviews of the show tomorrow (and, really, why would you?) it's altogether possible that they will cite the "A Day in the Life of Dave" segment as the only weakness and an "uncharacteristic" one at that. But in his final days Johnny Carson did a segment like that and so Dave's doing it too.
Conan - Letterman Goodbye
As anticipated, Conan's on-air goodbye and "thank you" to David Letterman. Very emotional.
Late Show - Best of Bill Murray
This is amazing. There isn't enough time or detail in any of the clips to really do them justice but the sheer number... the sheer number of amazing clips from over the years is so impressive...
The full Bill Murray interview (this interview) is worth watching but doesn't exist as a separate clip. You can see it within the full episode here.
The full Bill Murray interview (this interview) is worth watching but doesn't exist as a separate clip. You can see it within the full episode here.
Late Show - Best of Rupert Jee
On David Letterman's second-to-last show, Rupert Jee makes one last appearance.
Rupert Jee goes right back to the "old days" of the show where part of the fun was putting people on TV who had no business being on TV - and by extension, making celebrities out of people who were simply "normal" people. And Rupert Jee always seemed like a just a really nice guy.
Watching these clips again, I'm amazed at how quickly it feels like it's from an ancient era. Not due to the video quality or technology, the entire zeitgeist is gone forever. Today the "comedy of annoyance" feels mean-spirited, whereas back then it was just the cutting-edge of comedy. Not only that, this is cutting-edge comedy that still feels new and fresh today - and how often does that happen? I was uncomfortable watching it then, I'm uncomfortable watching it now.
"It was my thumb."
Rupert Jee goes right back to the "old days" of the show where part of the fun was putting people on TV who had no business being on TV - and by extension, making celebrities out of people who were simply "normal" people. And Rupert Jee always seemed like a just a really nice guy.
Watching these clips again, I'm amazed at how quickly it feels like it's from an ancient era. Not due to the video quality or technology, the entire zeitgeist is gone forever. Today the "comedy of annoyance" feels mean-spirited, whereas back then it was just the cutting-edge of comedy. Not only that, this is cutting-edge comedy that still feels new and fresh today - and how often does that happen? I was uncomfortable watching it then, I'm uncomfortable watching it now.
"It was my thumb."
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