The decline of community in America.

Sincerely,

Le Cram

A guest post from Le Cram follower David, on what we all lost when NBC took "The Tonight Show" away from Conan O'Brien.

Le Cram follower David shares his thoughts:


"Why I'm so pissed at NBC

I've always been a night owl. So, when I was a little kid I used to stay up, much to my parents frustration, and watch The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Carson was amazing. He was funny, sophisticated, graceful and one hell of an interviewer. I watched Carson pretty much religiously till he went off the air. I remember a couple of the shows that Leno guested for but he never did it for me so after Johnny left I stopped watching the Tonight Show. I watched Arsenio for a while, till he went off the air. I watched Letterman, he was funny unlike Leno. So, for most of my teens I would watch Letterman on CBS and then switch over and watch Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC. That was my late-night viewing. But I still missed Johnny. Nothing and no one would ever replace him. Over time this freakishly tall kid with even taller red hair hosting Late Night really started to grow on me. He was funny, in a bizarre conceptual way, charming and witty and most importantly he was a good interviewer - something that in all their years Leno and Letterman have never quite nailed. I should say that somewhere in my late teens I stopped watching late night programming, scheduling no longer worked for me... So, five years ago, when NBC made the announcement that Conan would take over The Tonight Show I thought "great, I'll have to check this out". Right from the start I was impressed by the show. For starters, I like "CoCo" - he's funny, in the way that Leno isn't. Second, the studio that they are shooting in is worthy of the legacy of The Tonight Show - the layout is very reminiscent to Carson's set and layout, something that Leno's set never was. The new set is grand and feels like "showbiz", it feels like The Tonight Show. And third, Conan has the qualities I want in a late-night host. He isn't Carson, no one ever could be. But in several important ways The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien has the potential to be, for my generation, for ME, what The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was for my parents - that show that we watched year after year. So, the reason that I'm so pissed off with NBC is that they fucked up my plans. They fucked up my plan of getting to watch an entertainer that has the potential to be my generation's Carson and who has a great appreciation for the legacy of The Tonight Show and of broadcasting history in general. If this truly is the end of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien then, for me, it is also the end of The Tonight Show. And that makes me very sad."


Steve Allen 1954-1957


Jack Paar 1957-1962


Johnny Carson 1962-1992


Jay Leno 1992-2009


Conan O'Brien 2009-2010


Jay Leno 2010-?

Le Cram would like to thank David for his thoughtful analysis, and just add that NBC at the very least should have given Conan the five years they gave Jack Paar.

-Le Cram

An open letter to Wendy's

-Le Cram

SHAME ON YOU NBC! SHAME ON YOU JAY LENO! CONAN O'BRIEN IS THE FUTURE OF LATE NIGHT TV. LENO IS THE PAST!

No wonder NBC is in last place. Look how they "manage" their business. Le Cram is a big fan and supporter of Conan O'Brien(Le Cram is part of Jim Gaffigan's "Team Conan" on Twitter!) Here is Conan O'Brien's statement from earlier today:

"People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan"


Jay, why not show everyone you have a sense of decency, and not stab Conan in the back? Show NBC and the world that you are not a man of weak character. You are telling a lot of jokes that imply that you feel you are a victim here, and that you don't think this is being handled right. Well, if that's how you feel, you should not go along with returning to 11:35PM. Show some integrity like Conan! Live up to your "nice guy" image. If you don't do the right thing here, Le Cram will be forced to boycott you, and "Cool Ranch" Doritos.



Angrily,
Le Cram

Which One Do You Prefer?

Le Cram loves classic television. For instance, Le Cram loves Gimme A Break, starring the brilliant Nell Carter, so much that he can't choose which Gimme A Break theme song he prefers. This is why it is up to you to decide, which Gimme A Break theme song is the superior Gimme A Break theme song.

Gimme A Break: Season 1


Gimme A Break: Season 3


We will discuss our findings at the Shakey's Pizza in Reseda.

Le Cram's homework assignment.

Your assignment is to check out how kickass Richard Widmark is.


A good place to start is with these films: "Kiss of Death"(1947), "Road House"(1948), and "Pickup on South Street"(1953).


Write a report about what you think makes Richard Widmark so awesome.


Le Cram will evaluate the the submissions, and the best one will be published on the site.




You're welcome!

Le Cram