Last week, I linked you to General Larry Platt’s American Idol tryout where he sang the words, “Pants on the ground”. Now, as silly as the song was, it became somewhat of a viral phenomenon. My kids were singing it, their friends were singing it, and people were sending it all around Facebook and Twitter and singing it (to themselves).
It’s now gone late night. While Conan, Jay, and Dave squabble like the spoiled millionaires that they are, Jimmy Fallon, Randy Jackson, and The Roots are doing their own rendition of Pants On The Ground.
My opinion of the current talk show wars…is probably not worth reading. After all, I’m usually in bed by midnight (and if I’m not in bed by midnight, I’m definitely NOT watching TV). So the whole Leno/Conan thing really doesn’t mean a lot to me.
Leno’s kinda funny. Conan’s kinda funny. Of the 11:30 guys, I’ve gotta go with Letterman. Carson Daly’s boring as hell. Jimmy Fallon sucks BUT he has The Roots as his backing band, which is enough to get me to watch episodes on nbc.com. To me, the only legitimately hilarious late night host is Colin Ferguson, and by the time he comes on, I’m in la la land. Truthfully, the last late night show I stayed up and watched religiously was “Politically Incorrect”.
The last (and only) late night talk show (in the traditional sense) that I ever watched religiously was “The Arsenio Hall Show”. While I must admit that the caliber of guests has gotten better over the years, back in the early Nineties there was no way in hell I was sitting through either Johnny Carson OR Letterman. Arsenio had the best guests and he pretty much had the ONLY show that paid any attention to R&B or hip-hop. No one else was putting NWA or Tupac on late night TV. No one else at the time was able to get Prince or Michael Jackson to go on their show, either.
Arsenio Hall was the first talk-show host to speak to my generation and reflect my tastes. So screw Leno and Conan. Bring back Arsenio and his extra-long fingers.
Wyclef was hitting Twitter hard the instant word came out about Haiti’s tragic earthquake, and we’ve been happy to do just our little bit in helping retweet and spread the word.
If you have not made plans to donate or help (or even if you have and want to do more), please support his relief effort.
Do that by texting YELE to 501 501
There will be a small $5 charge on your cell bill next month. You get the chance to double-confirm that you want to donate, and you get the chance to help.
I heard today that my cousin George is down with a fire and rescue team from Fairfax County, and I know these guys have done awesome work for years. I can’t go down there and move stuff, but I can sure skip Starkbucks today.