Oh Jimmy, why do you laugh every time?

So, about the NBC lat night talk show problem...who else thinks that it's entirely Leno's fault?

My theory is that when he announced his retirement years in advance, he hadn't expected those years to move so quickly, and suddenly he was like, "OMG, it's 2009, what will I do with my life once Conan takes over?"

The dude changed his mind about retiring, plain and simple. Look at the trouble he's caused. If he hadn't announced his retirement he would have remained on the Tonight Show, Conan wouldn't have given up Late Night, and poor, poor Jimmy Fallon wouldn't currently be on a downward spiral towards obscurity. (Of course, Jimmy would never have climbed his way out of the obscurity hole in the first place, so it's a trade off.)

I think I have a talent for predicting the downfall of talk shows. I remember when Tony Danza got his show a few years ago. I watched the first one and thought, "He's so cute and funny, and proud to have this show. Too bad the show is doomed."

I knew the moment Leno's primetime show was announced that it wouldn't get the ratings it needed.

I felt the same way about Jimmy Fallon. Conan is a hard act to follow.

But Jimmy is so cute, I'm routing for him. I loved him on Saturday Night Live. He was funny because he never got through a skit without laughing. Seriously, he laughed every time. If anyone can find a single clip of Jimmy Fallon on SNL not laughing, please, send it to me.

He's great. Go Jimmy!

Lost is Awesome, and it Really Shouldn't Be.

Last night Tom and I once again fell into the nasty trap of staying up all night, watching Lost DVD's in bed. We watched the first three episodes of season 5.

It occurred to me that, while this show is awesome, to explain the total amazing-ness of Lost to a non-fan would be impossible to do fairly, because in synopsis it sounds terrible.

At the end of season 4, Ben Linus "moved" the island by turning a giant wheel, whilst a thoroughly constipated look graced his evil face, and the island dissapeared into the ocean. The new season started with the survivors moving through time spontaneously, encountering the actual Dharma people who had been dead for decades. The Oceanic Six were back in the United States, living hellish lives, and it's three years later. It sounds like a terrible, impossible to follow show, but it's truly fantastic.

Lost is the best show that's been on TV for ages. I expect a few late nights while I work my way through season 5.

I have an enormous amount of respect for any show that ends while still at a high level of popularity. As a kid, I was a huge fan of the show Road to Avonlea. The producers ended the show voluntarily at the height of its popularity because it was largely based on the children in the show, and the children were growing up.

As much as I adore Lost, I'm thrilled that the producers are ending the show after the sixth season, because their reason is noble. They have an ending planned, and they're not going to allow an entirely un-artistic thing like the opportunity to make more money interfere with their story. Good for them.

Lost is awesome. More power to them.