Leno or Letterman?

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=darkviolet]Ok, I don't know why I thought of this except that both of these men had apperances on the tonight show with Johnny Carson and they were both influenced by the late comedian. They were also friends for a while until Johnny chose Jay Leno as the new host of the Tonight Show in the 90's over David Letterman and Letterman started his show on CBS opposite the Tonight Show at the same time.

So I wonder who do you like better, if you're familiar with them....I keep forgetting that there are people from otehr countries who may not know about them.


As for me, I tend to lean more towards The Tonight Shwo with Jay Leno. I love headlines and Jay walking. Those are two of my favorite segments. The Late Show just doesn't seem as entertaining to me and the monolog isn't as funny. So I like LEno more.[/color]

[Tigervx]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Teal]Neither, Conan has always been the true late night king ;D. I mean, come on, its the best late night show ever. I absolutely love the random trend of the show, from Vomitting Kermit to The Walter Texas Ranger Lever, its all good. I also really like his monolog, but the best part of his show is when he has "Surprise" (AKA pictures with mouth moving) guests on the show. Those skits are absolutely hilarious.
"Arnold, how do you plan to solve the California Economy?"
"Uhhhh... Iz it zomethink I kan blow away wiz a bazooka!?"
God, just comedic gold =D[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Xander Harris]

Amen. Conan O'Brian is the greatest of the late night talk show hosts. Everyone I know who has seen him agrees. My personal favorite is 'Frankenstein wastes a minute of our time' lol

I also really appreciate his ability to use physical comedy and performance skills to compensate when jokes fall flat.

[NorykoAngelcry]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet']Ok, I don't know why I thought of this except that both of these men had apperances on the tonight show with Johnny Carson and they were both influenced by the late comedian. They were also friends for a while until Johnny chose Jay Leno as the new host of the Tonight Show in the 90's over David Letterman and Letterman started his show on CBS opposite the Tonight Show at the same time.[/color][/quote]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]Actually. . I don't believe it was Johnny Carson who selected Jay Leno as his replacement. NBC chose him for the replacement. Carson and Letterman were actually really good friends, and continued to remain friends well after all the stuff with Jay and David went on. Carson was the one who suggested that he go for the offer that CBS was giving him, instead of having to wait to see if NBC would want him if Leno didn't work out.

David Letterman always seemed to butt heads with NBC officials, so I think he just decided it would be better to move somewhere else. . And now, years later, they are still having a ratings battle, but it's seemed to settle down a bit. But, in closing, I think that David and Johnny were much closer friends then Jay ever was with him. Johnny Carson was even reported, lately, from David Letterman as his secret joke writer.

As for which one I prefer? I think both are good for certain things, but I am a bigger fan of Conan, and actually think Craig Ferguson is pretty funny in his own right.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Mykul]

A big clap on the back for everyone who follows the teachings of the cone zone. Truth is, no late night host comes anywhere close to being as funny as him. Not for lack of trying, however. Jay leno stays up till the AM every day writing fresh material for his monologue, and you really have to respect that. When i have to choose between Leno and Letterman, the vote obviously goes to Leno. He's much more charming and does more to help the community. Plus he has exquisite taste in cars.

David Letterman is considered by most to be the worst academy awards host of all time, jtluk.

[Gravy Train]

I don't like playing follow the leader, but Conan is my favorite out of all of them. The "real items" segment is the funniest, even though they are actually fake. And all the random mascots and Triumph. It's crazy good.

[OtakuSennen]

As great as Conan is, Johnny Carson will always be the king of late night. I'm not saying this "in honor" of him because he recently died, but because he essentially defined the genre.

As for the actual question, Letterman bores me to death and Leno is barely tolerable. I, too, am a Conanite. So many of his segments are so intentionally half-assed and lowbrow that I sometimes laugh hysterically for ten minutes. Last night, for example, he talked about how he got a duffel bag from the people who make Chocolate Lucky Charms plus a sample box in hopes that he would promote it on the air. Instead, he talks about how god-awful the cereal tastes, along with how it gets him high. He gave the bag to somebody in the audience and offered every guest on the show that night some of the cereal.

Admittedly, I'm tired of the fake interviews with Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martha Stewart, and whoever else is constantly beaten with the sticks of pop culture satire. Those are very, very tired.