Late Night Soap Opera

I don't understand this move. Many corporate moves leave the watcher shaking his or her head. This is one of them. It has to do with age, which is a offense that a court of law can rule on. Any company in the world who tells an employee--- regardless of their worth in dollars and job performance--- that they are ''going young'' can be subject to a lawsuit because of age discrimination. And, if in this case, the person being shoved out the door for newer blood wants to press the charges, he will be looking at some compensation. But, show business plays by its own rules. And, besides, Jay Leno sure does not need the money...... In the wake of such bad news in the last month, an item flew under the radar for the public. Jay Leno will relinquish his hosting of ''The Tonight Show'' in the spring of 2014 so that Jimmy Fallon can assume the mantle of King Of Late Night. The reason, as I have stated above, is simple: NBC perceives Jay Leno as having an older audience and Fallon having a young, hip crowd. Since a young person is more likely to spend money than an older person, you put the younger guy in an earlier time slot and then the profits will roll in, so the experts at the network believe. Never mind that NBC tried this a few years ago when it forced out Leno [ who is and has been Number 1 in the late night ratings for years ] to bring in their idea of a young, hip performer, Conan O'Brien. This experiment failed miserably, and, within nine months, Leno was back at ''Tonight'', while Conan licked his wounds and eventually slid over to TBS, where he is all but forgotten. Now, NBC is throwing Leno out again and feels that lightening will not fail to strike twice again and they are putting all of their eggs--- and, sizable profits--- in the Jimmy Fallon Experiment...... There is supreme irony in what has happened to Jay Leno. Here is a guy, through the evil manuevers of his now deceased manager, Helen Kushnik, forced the King Himself, Johnny Carson, from ''The Tonight Show'' seat in the early 90's. Kushnik, with what appears to be Leno's consent, planted items in the news about NBC shoving Johnny out the door in favor of Leno taking over. By then, Carson had run out of steam pretty much with hosting the show. But, Johnny Carson was a proud man who wanted to go out on his own terms. He earned the right to say when he would step down. And, privately, Johnny Carson wanted very much for David Letterman to succeed him on ''Tonight.'' When Johnny did decide to depart--- and, say what you want about the backstabbing of Leno and Kushnik, but it do serve its purpose to give the crown to Leno--- Carson departed with the class and dignity that was his hallmark. When he said goodnight in May, 1992, America still wanted more, but, we understood. He was being phased out for a new guy. Someone, NBC felt, that could attract a ''new, young, hip audience''....... Jay Leno took over in May, 1992. He was a disaster. Bad press, bad ratings, and, the bitter after-taste in the public's mouth about how he and his manger sneakily aced Johnny out of his job, all came together to turn the public against him. Jay Leno's public image has always been the ''Everyman'' persona, someone who did not take show business seriously, and who would make fun of the backstabbers and thieves in it. Now, the public saw how he hurt Carson with his grab for power. The profits for ''The Tonight Show'' took a sharp hit, although it still made big money for the network. And, over at NBC there was an even juicier story brewing: David Letterman. Letterman, a host of ''Late Night'', which followed Carson for years and was produced by Johnny, was very unhappy with being pushed aside. David Letterman, along with most TV observers, assumed that ''The Tonight Show'' would be his when Johnny retired. Letterman never made the slightest move to force Johnny out. In fact, Dave was in awe of Johnny. And, Carson was very fond of Letterman and was looking forward to handing off the baton when Johnny sailed into the goodnight. The Leno coup prevented this and left all parties involved with a bitter aftertaste. So, David Letterman was considering his options---- should he stay at NBC or go someplace else. The list of suitors was impressive. Every network came to him and wanted him once NBC released him. Even NBC, once it had realized how badly it blundered, eventually offered ''The Tonight Show'' to him a year after Leno took over. There were catches, however. The biggest was that Letterman would sit out a year waiting for Jay Leno's contract to expire. thereby, putting Letterman in a spot very similiar to Jay Leno when he pushed Carson out. It is confusing, I know. The bottom line is NBC, after hiring Leno in 1992, was badly shaken by the poor ratings and bad press happening. They decided to keep Letterman [ who they knew was beloved by the press and would be a tough foe to go against head-to-head ] but, the deal was in such a way that Letterman had to decline. Eventually, David Letterman went to CBS, where he went against Leno. The first year and a half, Dave trounced Jay. Then, slowly, Leno gained the ratings advantage and became Number 1, where he has stayed for all of these years. The audience demographics for these two shows breaks down like this: Leno, an older, conservative crowd. Letterman, a young, hip audience....... I find it sad that Jay Leno turned out like this. He was a hilarious stand-up comic in his prime, arguably, the best alive. In the 1980's he was a welcome guest on his friend, David Letterman's ''Late Night'' show. He was scheduled once a month and he always hit a home run when on. His act was a lot sharper and more pointed then, mainly, because he had nothing to lose. The highlight was at the end when Dave would ask, ''Jay, what's your beef?'' And, then, Leno would run a five minute tirade at whatever was pissing him off. It was always brilliant. Letterman, along with the audience, would be helpless with laughter. This was ''Our Jay, the Everyman'' who was looking out for the ordinary guy. And, I believe he was that man back then. There was no bullshit about him. Unfortunately, as what happens so often with successful people, he lost his comic edge as he became more popular. Soon, he was shaking hands with the very people he had once ridiculed. He became Safe. No longer did he have that edge to him. By the time he took over for Carson, he was a wax comedian, playing it safe, not wanting to really offend anyone. His once friend, David Letterman, still stayed true to his outsider's persona. That is the reason he is Number 2. He is not safe for the American public that just wants to have the TV on as they fall asleep. Leno is a good nightlight. Letterman is the spark in the room....... So, now it has come full circle for Jay Leno. He is being pushed out for the younger guy, Fallon. Jimmy Fallon is as perplexing to me as any comic in history. Why this man has been successful has to be seriously examined. He was not funny on ''Saturday Night Live'', where he constantly broke himself up with his self- perceived comic gifts. His ''Late Night'' show is a muddle of self-indulgent, self- promotion designed to benefit no one but himself. Someone really has to tell him that his impressions really suck. His delivery, the lifeline of any stand-up, is too hurried and inaudible. Many times, I have no idea of what he said and what the joke is. He should not be rushing through comedy. The audience likes comedy slow and easy. But, he has Lorne Michaels behind him all the way, and, Lorne is a TV legend. With this Godfather covering for him, Fallon will be untouchable. That is until he formally takes over ''The Tonight Show''. My prediction is he will be a success in the beginning. The media attention will draw in the curious. After a while, however, his limited abilities will become more noticable and he will slide down the ratings hole. Perhaps, a year after he started, he will be looking over his shoulder at who is nipping at his heels....... Maybe, someone who appeals to a ''young, hip audience''........