January 25, 2010
Monday Comedy Roundup
Coco Done It Classy
Mirriam-Webster, cf. "class".
I've said all along I wasn't into the whole Leno/Conan debacle and that's still true. I don't usually watch the late-night shows, so I honestly didn't have a strong allegiance. But I tuned in to see what Conan would do for his last show, and was truly humbled by his awesomely classy exit. I loved that he prefaced his goodbyes with the observation that no one gets exactly what they want in life (you tell 'em, Conan!) but nevertheless implored us to be kind and not cynical. That's an especially apt concern since, from what I'm seeing on Facebook, his departure has mobilized the typically cynical Gen-Xers to an astounding degree. Now if only he'd run for office, he could show those petty elected mofos a thing or two. So I hereby add Conan O'Brien to my fantasy government.
The bad news: Leno has been chosen as the entertainment for the White House Correspondents' Dinner in May. Look, nothing against Leno here, but last year's entertainment was Wanda Sykes and I think going from an edgy black lesbian to a good-natured white Baby Boomer is a big step backwards. It also strikes me as an attempt to pacify everyone, which isn't gong to work anyway. So between Leno's cultural win, Scott Brown's political win, and the Supreme Court's dumbass decision to let corporations have free speech, my fears of an impending apocalypse have not yet been laid to rest.
But as a mark of respect to Conan, I'll try not to be cynical and we'll end on a good note. At the SAG awards, funny lady Betty White received a much-deserved lifetime achievement award on Saturday. She also treated Sandra Bullock her trademark "mean little old lady" barbs, which Bullock returned enthusiastically. I'd forgotten that Betty White has been with television basically since its inception, though I knew she was doing edgy before it was cool. At 88 years old, she's still doing it and that's pretty freaking awesome. It would be a good life, wouldn't it, to be a mischievous oldster, then to make a graceful and joyous exit when it was time to go -- to the strains of "Free Bird", of course.
