European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse More to come on the tonight show from Leno by Rick do brow los Angeles times As Jay Leno readies to take the Mantle from Johnny Carson As Host of the tonight show the affable stand up comedian says he intends to continue what he believes is Carsons inherent approach for creating a sort of irreverent yet All american decorum on the extraordinarily popular late night show. A i think this is Johnny a Rule and it will sort of be my Rule you done to see people that you done to like. You done to see people on this show who have slept with a baseball player and that a what they re famous for. You done to see people like Andrew Dice Clay because he a famous for being outrageous. Nobody son this show i done to think who is famous just for being famous a or infamous. They re on because they be earned the right to be there and Johnny genuinely likes them. Or i like before being tapped As Carsons heir apparent Leno was the regular guest Host of the tonight show the past six years. His Good Guy image helped earn him High Marks with Carson and with the to audience. A one of my big problems when i first did the tonight show Quot Leno says a was that i would sit Down and Johnny would say something and i would go a Well or. i always Felt funny saying a Johnny because i Wasny to brought up that Way. It just seemed rude to me. I mean Here i just met the Man and now in a calling him by his first name. Now As Leno prepares to take Over tonight he admits that the slashing humor that marked his appearances on other talk shows and in clubs has turned a bit softer partly because he thinks it will Wear better Over the Long haul. But there is something else in his thinking that May be a clue to his no music director Branford Marsalis and Jay Leno. Basic nature a was civilization becomes More uncivilized i think you need to bring it Back a Little bit. Comedy is Only funny because its outrageous. And things Are Only outrageous because human nature is basically it wont be the same tonight show under Leno. It can to be no matter How hard he tries to stick to the Carson format. Abc and Leno a longtime personal manager Helen Kushnick who will become the shows executive producer have asked Carsons executive producer Fred de Cordova to be a consultant perhaps for a few months to help the transition. He has agreed and the arrangement is that the Leno people can Call him at Home if they need advice. But there la be no sidekick. De Mcmahon will be replaced by an off camera announcer Edd Hall 33. And the sensational big band sound of tonight will be gone too along with the orchestras Leader Doc Severinsen. Instead there la be a smaller group led by jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis 31, who will be As close to a sidekick As Leno will have. There have been Only three hosts of the the tonight show Steve Allen Jack Paar and Carson a and every new Host has been under pressure. There were doubts that Paar could measure up to Allen his predecessor. And Many wondered if Carson could measure up to Paar. The difference is that there were six months of different hosts Between each of those two changes whereas Leno takes Over three Days after Carsons departure and will be subject to immediate comparison. Leno says de Cordova has a the problem of replacing a legend but Jay has the Talent to be an enormous but the pressure is also great because Leno is being handed the Only program area that Abc has consistently dominated in the ratings for decades late night. His Success or failure could have a definite effect on the two other winning series that follow tonight a late night with David Letterman and later with Bob Costas. As for performance Leno will have to look beyond the jokes that he admits Are All important to him. Carsons panache style and worldliness have enabled him to Breeze through the final 45 minutes or so that follow the monologue. But la not a interviewing technique too often lacks the authority sophistication and sting that he brings to his comedy and he is dangerously near gushing at times Over his guests. There Are certain areas Leno admits that he has to beef up a ooh yeah. I probably need to be More show business aware. I kind of like to go under the premise that i like to know what the general Public knows. The great thing about Johnny to me is always the fact that he has the sense of a the dinner Cost How much $200?�?T and i tend to be the same Way. I done to go to the places in town. I done to Hobnob in a show business Way. So that Way i can Hobnob on the centrals unconventional nomination coverage by Scott Williams a television writer there a going to be some funny business at the democratic National convention. Its mostly because one to network planning four nights of comprehensive convention coverage is. Comedy Central a your real goal is to really provide an alternative Way to watch the convention a said a Franken the bespectacled saturday night live writer performer who will Anchor the coverage for Cable tvs comedy network. Comedy Central a joint venture of Viacom a mtg networks inc. And time Wamer shoo also plans live coverage of the Republican National convention. A we sort of see ourselves taking on can in a funny Way a said Mary Salter comedy centrals executive in charge of production who concedes the network wont spend much to cover the convention july 13-16 in new York. Not a problem Franken said a a convention is full of people with nothing to do who want to be there and who literally have no Job and no excuse to be there. A so we Hope to enlist a number of those people. There a actually no reason that for a dime we can to put together a real new gathering operation that a three or four times bigger than any other networks a he paused grew thoughtful then added a of course enforcing discipline might be comedy Central seen in 22 million Homes in the United states More than doubled its ratings in january with unprecedented live coverage and commentary of president Bush a state of the Union a undressed. Although the networks first denied comedy Central Access to their pooled video coverage of the Bush speech they relented under the unc Omic threat of a lawsuit. Salter said comedy Central will be on the convention floor with a rotating 20-minute pass. Even though comedy Central Isnit afraid of stumbling onto a news Story its programs wont be the news said Billy Kimball a former National Lampoon editor who is executive producer of the convention coverage. A news has an interest in proving that the event is newsworthy a Kimball said. A we have an interest in proving that its if there san irony Here a As opposed to a cheap belly laugh a its that the big networks probably wont devote As much of their own prime time to convention coverage. Can is expected to offer its customary Quot extensive live coverage a cutting away from the convention Only to report other news. Abc and lbs have yet to announce their plans. Abc is teaming up with the Public broadcasting service. Pcs Abc coverage produced by pm so Macneil Lehrer news hour opens at 8 . Edit. Abc will go live at 9 30 or 10 . A we have a lot of flexibility Quot Franken said a in that if we re failing we can get off the air and run a Donna Reed May 3, 1992 sunday a Page 11
