February 4, 2010

Will Jon Stewart ask ex-roommate Anthony Weiner about these disparaging comments on tonight’s Daily Show?

Jon Stewart’s guest on tonight’s “The Daily Show” is Rep. Anthony Weiner, who many New Yorkers know as the man who almost ran for mayor against Michael Bloomberg in 2009, ultimately decided against it, and probably regretted that decision after seeing how close Bloomberg’s Democratic challenger Bill Thompson came.

But what many may not know is that earlier in their careers, Stewart and Weiner were roommates, living together in a crash pad in Soho back when Stewart was first hitting New York’s stand-up clubs, and Weiner was working for then-Congressman Chuck Schumer. (Technically, Stewart was actually rooming with a girl Weiner was dating, and Weiner was the boyfriend who moved on in.)

I interviewed Weiner for City Scoops magazine last year, when a mayoral run still looked possible, and asked him about his relationship with Stewart. Weiner, who said that he and Jon were still friends, surprised me with some negative comments about “The Daily Show,” calling it a “scam,” accusing it of fostering political cynicism, and claiming it had a “corrosive effect” on politics. Here’s the exchange:

LG: Have you been on “The Daily Show?”

AW: No. I don’t have a book. You gotta be selling something to go on his show.

LG: Well, if you run for Mayor…

AW: If I become Mayor, then they’ll probably waive that requirement. I wouldn’t want to go…I don’t know.

LG: Because it would be too weird?

AW: No, I love Jon’s show, and I TiVo it and watch it every day. But I think it has a bit of a corrosive effect on my business.

LG: In what sense?

AW: Its entire ethos is to make fun of politicians. Colbert’s worse…or better at it, I don’t know. I guess it’s really not fair to say it’s corrosive. It’s just that for a remarkable number of Jon’s viewers, that’s the sole source of news, and that’s both good and bad. It’s good that they’re gonna get it somewhere, and if it’s gonna be at a comedy show I’d rather it be there than Bill Maher or something like that. But on the other side, I don’t like the idea that there’s such a cynical view of politics and government.

LG: But you understand why that cynicism exists, right?

AW: Do I understand why that cynicism exists? Yes. I think it exists because of Jon’s show.

LG: Do you really?

AW: We could have the circular argument if you want. I think it accelerates itself. I think there becomes a feedback loop that’s corrosive. Congressmen do dumb things, yes, then are highlighted for doing dumb things, and highlighted some more, and people watch it and say that congressmen do dumb things, and so then when another congressman does a dumb thing, it’s like, “Well, my audience wants to watch a congressman do a dumb thing,” and then the audience laughs at the congressman doing a dumb thing, and then Jon says, “Hey, I got a great scam here, lemme go find another congressman doing a dumb thing,” and where do I get in? Where do I get in not doing a dumb thing? Not being a bozo?

LG: Have you ever expressed that to Jon?

AW: Oh yeah, we had…yes. The answer is yes.

LG: What did he have to say?

AW: The argument was somewhat predictable.

LG: Well, after last night, we know very well how Jon argues. (This interview took place the day after Stewart’s takedown of CNBC commentator Jim Cramer)

AW: What I thought was interesting about last night was the irony of watching the comedian be critical of the news guy for being funny.

LG: I don’t think that was the reason…

AW: …at the crux of it, it was the news guy defending himself by saying, “I’m being an entertainer. I’m being funny.” And the comedian saying, “Dude, don’t do that. You be the serious one and I’ll be…” which is kind of a theme of Jon’s joust with the “Crossfire” guys. The irony with Jon…we have to remember that Jon was critical of “Crossfire” because it dumbed down the debate. Some of my concern about Jon is that, it’s smart, but it can be just as corrosive, because we’re being treated like we’re dumb. And maybe some of us are.

Weiner’s comments to me were widely reported at the time, appearing on Politico, Wonkette, New York Magazine, and Gawker. So will Jon address these accusations on tonight’s show? Stay tuned.

  • Share/Bookmark
January 25, 2010

Repo Men – Rip-off, or inevitable idea?

Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star in a film called “Repo Men,” which opens April 2, and has been causing a lot of people to wonder where they’re heard this all before.

The first general assumption is that it’s a remake of the 1984 Alex Cox film “Repo Man,” a new wave/punk classic featuring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton as repo men living lives of druggy abandon while the music of Iggy Pop, Circle Jerks and Fear plays in the background. If you’ve never seen it, put it on your Netflix now – it’s a film with addictive energy that makes Emilio’s descent into Mighty Ducks territory all the sadder.

Turns out, though, that “Repo Men” has nothing to do with that film, but is actually a dystopian-future film about a society where artificial human organs are for sale – and, if you don’t pay your bill, for automatic repossession. So while fans of the first film breathed easy, the plot sounds very similar to that of “Repo: The Genetic Opera,” a garish emo-punk opera released last year that achieved semi-cult-hit status, and which I can’t describe in full because I spent nearly three hours after watching it scratching at my eyes and ears with the tenacity of a mountain lion clawing at a dead gazelle trying to remove its sights and sounds from my mind. It was fucking ghastly, like someone took every silly, messed-up idea they had since they were six and threw it up on a movie screen. Consider this: It co-stars Paul Sorvino; Sarah Brightman, the best-selling soprano of all time; and Paris Hilton. Is there any way the three of them make sense together in one project?

After seeing it, the answer is clearly: no.

But while fans of that movie are gearing up the “irate” meter, for me, “Repo Men” is a clear throwback to a classic Monty Python sketch from their film “The Meaning of Life,” a movie the Pythons have described as their least favorite for the subdued creative inspiration that went into making it, but which I find equal to their earlier outlings. There’s a scene in the film called “Live Organ Transplants,” which features John Cleese and Michael Palin ringing a man’s doorbell to inquire, “Can we have your liver?” They then establish that the man has a liver donor’s card – and do their nasty repo business. It’s a classic scene – and remarkably similar (minus its comedy) to the plot of “Repo Men.”

So was “Repo Men” ripped off? Or with organ black markets a reality in certain countries and economic upheaval a societal constant, is it simply one of those creative notions that has a certain inevitability?

Either way, it’s interesting to see who the film will piss off most. Stay tuned – it’s currently scheduled to hit theaters April 2.

  • Share/Bookmark
January 24, 2010

Next Up for Conan O’Brien

The Conan/Jay saga has finally wound down after two insane weeks, a brief impasse until March 1 when the now much-hated Jay Leno returns to The Tonight Show, and he and Dave go at it with a venom beyond any they ever had before as direct competitors. The most interesting aspect of their battle, I think, is that as Jay was winding down The Tonight Show the first time, he and Dave seemed to have made peace with each other. There was even talk, before the 10:00 show came up, that Jay might appear on Dave’s show again at some point. He was even supposedly offered an appearance on Dave’s show the night of Conan’s debut, and while he turned it down out of deference to Conan, both sides left the possibility open. Now, it’s safe to say no matter which show leaves the air first, that guest spot will never, ever happen.

So March 1 marks the beginning of the next battle in the last night wars, and as for the battle after that? Well, if we all keep our fingers crossed and pray really hard, it just might come in early September, as Conan O’Brien enters the fray on Fox as direct late night competitor # 4 (against Jay, Dave, and Stewart/Colbert.)

In the meantime, here are some thoughts/links on the astounding battle now behind us.

1. ESPN’s Bill Simmons, who correctly predicted that Leno would be back at The Tonight Show helm within a year back in March, tells New York Magazine’s Will Leitch that Conan’s show “sucked” at 11:30, that he was “too whiny” in how he handled it, and that if he does land at Fox at 11:00, he’ll fail there as well.

2. The Los Angeles Times’ Neal Gabler, in a piece that includes some fascinating background on how networks became so focused on younger demographics and why that might be a mistake, calls Leno’s ultimate victory here the revenge of the dorky over the hip.

3. Newsweek’s Joshua Alston lays out a road map for Jay Leno to rehabilitate his image, but unfortunately repeats the now established media fiction that Conan “lost his job.” He didn’t. He quit.

4. Johnny Carson’s longtime head writer says that all the hosts – Dave, Jay, and Conan – could learn something about class from his former boss, who he believes would just tell the whole lot of them to man up.

  • Share/Bookmark
January 22, 2010

Rich People’s Problems: Did Conan Make the Wrong Choice?

“There are real people out there with real problems.”

This sentence was spoken last night by Conan O’Brien on his second-to-last Tonight Show. He was referring to the problems in Haiti, but depending on what happens next for him, he might have also inadvertently been referring to members of his staff.

As we’ve all read by now, O’Brien and his reps haggled for days to get every dime they could from NBC for his staff’s severance packages, and Conan himself will donate a large sum – a seven figure amount, according to his management – toward those packages out of his own settlement, which is reported to be around $32 million.

There’s no word on how exactly the severance will break down – given the amount of money involved, maybe each staffer gets six months pay? One year’s worth? More? – but however long it lasts, given both the current weakness of the economy and the generally tough nature of finding jobs in television, there’s no guarantee that every member of his staff will find employment before their severance runs out.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Bookmark
January 19, 2010

What “The Wire” can teach us about Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, and the current late night debacle

So now, if you believe New York Magazine, the intensity of the outrage surrounding Conan O’Brien’s removal from The Tonight Show is a parable for our recessionary anger at the fat cats – “Leno is AIG,” writer Adam Sternbergh claims – who have bullied us little people around, laid us off from our jobs, and generally caused everything bad to happen in our lives.

Conan O’Brien, therefore, is us – the little guy. Conan is he or she who is mad as hell, can’t take it anymore, and is now rising up to claim what is rightfully theirs.

Hogwash.

Because if we’re looking at this situation realistically, a much better comparison – and one that contradicts the Conan-as-revolutionary meme – comes to us from HBO’s landmark series, “The Wire.”

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Bookmark
January 18, 2010

Does Bob Dylan support Conan O’Brien?

As the battle between Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, and NBC roars to a close, and the question of who’s to blame rages throughout the Internet, rock legend Bob Dylan throws in his two cents for Team Conan. Or does he? Enjoy.

  • Share/Bookmark
January 15, 2010

Kimmel, O’Brien, and the truth about Leno-Hate.

Did’ja hear what Jimmy Kimmel said to Jay Leno last night? How he answered every question Jay asked him for Jay’s incredibly awkward 10@10 segment by alluding to the NBC debacle, and placing the blame squarely on Jay’s shoulders?

Oh my god…he eviscerated him! It was incredible!

That’s the word around the Internet, anyway. And it was incredible – but not just for the reasons people are giving.

Yes, Jimmy took him apart. Jay – who’s been placed in an absolute no-win situation, public relations-wise, as people ‘round the ‘Net delight at every joke offered at his expense by Dave, Jimmy, Craig, and yes, even poor little Conan, but rise up in anger when Leno has the nerve to strike back – invited Kimmel onto his show two nights after Kimmel spent his entire show in a Leno wig and chin, talking in a demeaning Lenoesque accent. It was really an incredibly ballsy move on Jay’s part – something no one has really acknowledged – and he took a risk, possibly based on the much-reported friendship the two formed during the writer’s strike, that Kimmel would play nice.

Needless to say, the risk did not pay off.

Instead, Kimmel, sensing the blood in the water, saw an opportunity to throw his name into the “Team Conan” buzz in a huge way – especially important now, since the late night viewing audience is about to be thrown up for grabs yet again – and always having a sharp sense of business savvy, Kimmel grabbed it with both hands.

But it was his ending salvo that added a surreal sense to this already far-too-surreal affair. As Jay was ending the bit, undoubtedly regretting his attempt to play along with all the scorn being heaped on him, Kimmel unleashed the following.

“Listen Jay. Conan and I have children. All you have to take care of is cars. We have lives to lead here. You have $800 million. For god sakes, leave our shows alone.”

And with this one devastating verbal grenade, Kimmel exposed everything backward about this whole “Team Conan” movement.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Bookmark
January 3, 2010

The Clash meets Nick Jonas

It speaks to the awesome diversity of my life that I get to have articles on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. release of the The Clash’s landmark “London Calling” album and an interview with Nick Jonas in the Post on the same day. (And, to carry that one step further, I also have an interview today with Broadway legend Elaine Stritch.)

If I were pressured at gunpoint to come up with two more completely different musical acts in sound, craftsmanship, approach and appeal, it would be a close to impossible task. The mystic creative alchemy that led to “London Calling” was a reaction to the explosion of musical norms at the hands of the Sex Pistols, and the deepening poverty faced by British youth. The Clash elevated punk by defying people’s expectations of it, including the punks themselves. In expressing both the political and the personal through styles from rockabilly to reggae to clear-eyed pop, The Clash not only brought the genre one more step toward defiance of the mainstream (Don Letts, who directed the “London Calling” video and who I interviewed for the piece, passed along a statement he heard long ago declaring that “The Sex Pistols would make you wanna smash your head against the wall, the Clash would give you a reason), but also poked a sharp stick in the eye of the “punk police,” those rebellious style mavens who relished punk for the mohawks and safety pins and a touch of the ultra violence, but missed the message about expression and individuality.

And Nick Jonas? Well, would you respect him more if I told you that one of his greatest influences was Elvis Costello? Named his band and his dog after the man and his work. Gotta count for something, right?

  • Share/Bookmark
December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas – my interview with Kermit The Frog

Kermit, taking in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo courtesy of Macy’s.

Last year, for the debut of the Muppets Christmas special “The Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa,” I got to interview Kermit the Frog, who was busy editing the special from the swamp he calls home, since “when you edit in alligator-infested waters, you get fewer network notes.” Here’s my interview with Kermit for the Post, wherein Kermit gives me the scoop on the love quadrangle between him, Jane Krakowski, Uma Thurman and Miss Piggy, and reveals the inside story on the sizzling Uma/Pepe The Prawn love affair. Merry Christmas.

And, Merry Christmas again.

And one more time:

  • Share/Bookmark
December 18, 2009

FLAMING LIPS TO COVER “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!” (cue inflatable moon)

Well, this just makes sense, now, doesn’t it? The psychedelic weirdo band that sends human-sized beach balls bouncing around the crowd (often filled with actual humans!) covers the classic album from the band that sent inflatable pigs flying over theirs.

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you:

“THE FLAMING LIPS and STARDEATH AND WHITE DWARFS WITH HENRY ROLLINS AND PEACHES DOING THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!”

rick.gershon@wbr.com_154114_DARKSIDEcoverartjpeg

The album, featuring the Lips “unique” take on the Pink Floyd classic (accompanied by fellow Oklahoma City band Stardeath and White Dwarves, and special guests Henry Rollins and Peaches), will be released online only, exclusively through iTunes, on December 22. One week later, it will also become available through other digital outlets. Then, for those lucky enough to live in Oklahoma City, The Lips – accompanied by Stardeath and White Dwarves, which I know little about except that one of the members is Lips’ leader Wayne Coyne’s nephew – will perform the album in its entirety at midnight on New Year’s Eve, following full individual sets by both bands.

The track listing for the recording is as follows:

1. Speak To Me / Breathe (featuring Henry Rollins and Peaches)
2. On The Run (featuring Henry Rollins)
3. Time / Breathe Reprise
4. The Great Gig In The Sky (featuring Peaches and Henry Rollins)
5. Money (featuring Henry Rollins)
6. Us And Them (featuring Henry Rollins)
7. Any Colour You Like
8. Brain Damage (featuring Henry Rollins)
9. Eclipse (featuring Henry Rollins).

If you’re wondering how Rollins and Peaches fit into all this, you’re not alone. Can’t you just imagine Rollins wailing out on that awesome vocal solo in “Great Gig in the Sky?” No? Well, me neither. But since that’s the only song Peaches is featured on, you can pretty much figure she’ll be tackling, and putting her own sexy pervy techno spin on, that classic bit of rock history.

Here’s Lips leader Wayne Coyne telling you how you can get tickets to the New Year’s Eve show – which will include both the world’s largest balloon drop and the world’s largest mirrored disco ball – for only $10.

And, to further set the mood, here’s some rare Pink Floyd from San Francisco in 1970.

  • Share/Bookmark
« Older Entries