Leno or O'Brien?

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Conan! :love:

Besides the fact that he's about a thousand times funnier than Leno, what makes Conan's show more entertaining is that the whole thing just feels more spontaneous. He'll do unexpected things and interact with the audience, etc. Everything on Leno is just so set in stone and routine. But with Conan, you never know when he's gonna jump on his desk, or randomly start pulling things out from under his desk, or start messing with his tie/microphone. I think it helps that Conan's background is in improv, not stand up. I just really, really, really hope he doesn't lose all of his magic when he takes over the Tonight Show in 2009.
 
Canadiens1160 said:
And I suppose gags about Walrus porn and dancing on desks is high art compared to Leno? Come on, this is late-night TV, it's all lowest-common denominator.

For the record I go with Craig Ferguson, my naughty little donkeys.

frisky little pony!
craig ferguson has completely won me over in the last year or so, i find him to be the most intriguing interviewer and when his monologue is funny it's fucking brilliantly funny. though i must admit i cannot stand the Prince Charles skits whatsoever, that's about the time I switch it to Conan and then roll my eyes at the lame standard late night one liner jokes.
 
DreamOutLoud13 said:
Conan! :love:

Besides the fact that he's about a thousand times funnier than Leno, what makes Conan's show more entertaining is that the whole thing just feels more spontaneous. He'll do unexpected things and interact with the audience, etc. Everything on Leno is just so set in stone and routine. But with Conan, you never know when he's gonna jump on his desk, or randomly start pulling things out from under his desk, or start messing with his tie/microphone. I think it helps that Conan's background is in improv, not stand up. I just really, really, really hope he doesn't lose all of his magic when he takes over the Tonight Show in 2009.

Ditto!

I used to love Leno, but now he's meh. :|

Conan all the way, baby! :love:
 
Is this a serious question?

Why don't you just ask "who's funnier, Chris Rock or Cancer"?

Conan's 8th best writer is funnier than Leno on his best day.
Funniest parts of Leno=Headlines, Jaywalking, and the All Stars, even the two dumb kids.

Leno NOR his writers write any of that shit.

Conan was funnier in his first year than Leno has been in 14.
We watched that shit when it first came on the air, back in '94/'95 Conan was the funniest show ever back then, still is very funny, muich more tame and streamlined now. Monoloque jokes are always crap, no matter who does them, it's between the guest skits, wit during the interviews etc. This is an ass kicking assault.

Name one respected, current stand-up comedian who thinks Leno is funny. Name one awards show Leno has hosted. Why does David Letterman hate Leno so much? Well, yeah he screwed him over out of that job (he and Tartikoff) but mostly because he's not fuckign funny. Not anymore.

Not in a solid decade.

Hey look dancing Judge Ito's!!!!!
He didn't write that either.

What's on Ebay!!!!1
He didn't write that either.

Pitch to America!!!!!
Nope.

This is like comparing Rosanne Barr and Rebecca Romijn.

Toss in, lowest brow Kimmell and it's even worse.

Craig Ferguson is alright, let him last 14 years, create an undeniable impression on the American comedic culture and then talk to me.
 
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Conan most certainly is the superior of the two. His interviews always seem to capture the guest in a very comfortable and somewhat uninhibited state, which makes them much more entertaining than those of Leno. The only guest I have seen that seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with Conan was, ironically, Bono.
 
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If this thread topic were posted on a site frequented by 50 year olds and up, Leno would likely win in a landslide. It's not about safe and risky, it's about knowing your audience. Conan is not funny to me because he does not play it safe, he is funny to me because he has a strong writing staff, because he does not take himself seriously at all and because he commits to everything he does, no matter how silly. Conan's interview skills still are a bit lacking after all these years, but his monologue and pre-taped pieces are strong. So, it's Conan in a landslide for me.

Give me Jon Stewart over both of these guys, by the way.

Lila is right, though...years and years ago, on Letterman's show on NBC, Leno was a frequent guest...they were still friends at the time, and they had good chemistry. Back then, Leno's act was a lot different, and he was a great guest, very funny.

Nothing in the late night talk show genre will ever be funnier to me than Dave's early years on NBC, just great great stuff. Conan took over Dave's NBC slot, and has done it justice, I feel.
 
Well put my friend, well put. :hi5:

And the only late night show that I try to make sure is in my daily TV watching routine, albeit live or TiVo'd is Jon Stewart's Daily Show and Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report. Two of the funniest guys around these days. :yes:

I still watch Letterman whenever I can, Just not enough hours in the day. Usually I'll make the effort when there is a guest on I have to see, like Elvis Costello. And Chris Elliott. Man, those were the good ol' days. Remember when he'd do his Marlon Brando :lmao: He's still great when he & Gerard make appearances, though I don't always know in advance (though I'm on the Letterman weekly newsletter list). And I did catch one of Dave's anniversary shows in Vegas back in the 80s (did I already say this, deja vu).

\memories
 
Conan by a nautical mile.

That said, I think Craig Ferguson is easily the funniest of the late-night circuit. His monologues are hysterical; he's the only one of the bunch who just goes up and does 12 minutes of standup rather than reading one-liners from cue cards. His interviews are always fun, too. I like Letterman, but he's gotten progressively worse as the years go by.
 
I'm rarely up late enough to catch Conan but if I was to judge after seeing him as a guest on Leno a couple weeks back then I would say Conan by a mile!! He was brilliant, very witty. In fact, since then I've been watching Conan more and more and am looking forward to him taking over Leno's slot :up:

I prefer Leno's opening monologue over Letterman but then usually switch back to Letterman's interviews.
 
It never sucked when Sandra Bernhard was on Letterman, or Larry 'Bud'. The song the band used to play when Chris would come out as Brando- they would yell "banana" at one point, and once he came out as Santa Claus brando in a sleigh being pulled by little people:lol: Those years were brilliant :applaud:

Oh yeah, the thread. Conan
 
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