Posted on 04/13/2014 7:28:49 AM PDT by dynachrome
The choice of comedian Stephen Colbert as the replacement for David Letterman ignited a battle of words online Thursday: While little doubt exists that Mr. Colbert is as funny, clever, charming, and goofy as Mr. Letterman, some media voices loudly complained that the decision by CBS now means that network late-night television will largely remain the domain of white male hosts.
When Letterman announced last week that he will step down from the “Late Show” in 2015, television critics immediately started pooling names of possible replacements: comedians W. Kamau Bell, Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, Tig Notaro, Amy Poehler, Retta, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Aisha Tyler, among others – all of whom are either female or black or both.
“Looking at the hilarious women across the rest of the TV dial – in sitcoms, Comedy Central shows, and Saturday Night Live – the idea that there are no women funny and likable enough to helm a TV show past 11:30 p.m. is increasingly absurd,” Esther Breger wrote
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
They weren’t available.
Just what I was thinking. Besides, I think Arsenio is back. Makes me think of Dana Carvey doing “Carsenio”. Hilarious.
tried it..didn’t work...ARSENIO anybody ?
The off switch on my TV is flawless. My cable bill
is also a flawless $0. Yammer away about diversity on
something that has zero influence. My life is never
conflicted over a TV show schedule.
Did anyone ask Ellen about this? She seems to be doing fine on her own.
Dennis Miller would be awesome.
Not that anyone noticed.
They seem to have plenty of lesbians in daytime TV, why not leave late-night to white men?
No Bush hispanic love for Arsenio?
part if the problem with the niche celebrity mentioned is not that they don't appeal to broader audiences, butt hat they have shown no interest in doing so. If you are making fun of people outside you're core demographic, then you can't expand your demographics. When thrust into the spotlight, they will flip the channel.
you have to have someone that's, foremost, going to entertain, not going to pursue an agenda. Rosie O'Donnell, for all who will complain about her, had an entertaining show in NY, revived Broadway, brought our culture to the country ... Until she had Tom Selleck on her show. She thought her popularity meant people would automatically agree with her. Instead it was the beginning of the end.
As for Colbert, I think this is great. the Colbert Report will go off the air. His "character" will have to "die" maybe to be briefly resurrected in 5 minute segments, and he'll have to be himself, if we can figure out who that is. The guy who was on Whose Line, maybe? I predict massive ratings, like whine letterman first went up against Leno. And I predict that Fallon's slow and steady course will win the race, like when letterman went up against Leno? Colbert will fail miserably, after a fashion, and leave or be dumped in about 5 years.
A better model might be Howard Stern's popularity before and after going to satellite radio. That will be colbert's future. the big fish in the small pond will disappear in the ocean of late night.
Stern made his living by pushing the envelope.....In Satellite Radio, there's no more envelope to push.
You’re gonna make me look up that last one, aren’t you. Google is your friend.
That as the point. I don’t know who the last name in my list is either.
Don’t forget Tig!
Haven’t they already try “diversifying” late night with Arsenio Hall in the 1990’s and George Lopez on TNT a few years ago? As a matter of fact, Arsenio Hall has a new late night show now on one of the lesser networks.
Regardless, his show, like those before will probably fail due to low ratings because you can only scream “kill whitey” or “racism” for so long before the advertisers highly desired white demographic gets fed up or bored and turns the channel.
He also cut off his base of people who might’ve sprung for a book or a movie but didn’t have money (or inclination) to pay for a monthly fee. They wanted free Stern not pay Stern.
I agree. Where is the Bible believing Christian host?
The networks are obviously bigoted.
All the names listed above are people who are not funny.
He has the politics/racism of Malcolm X and is about as "humorous".
Besides Amy Poehler, not one is in the least way even "likeable".
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