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Tag: Johnny Carson

  • Joanne Carson, Ex-Wife of the Late Johnny Carson, Dies at 84

    Joanne Carson, ex-wife of the late Johnny Carson, has died at her Los Angeles home at the age of 84.

    According to Ed Rada, the executor of her estate, Joanne Carson died on Friday. She had been in declining health for some time and was receiving hospice care at the time of her passing.

    ABC News reports that Joanne Copeland married Johnny Carson back in 1963, just a year after he first hosted The Tonight Show. The two were married for nine years, divorcing in 1972.

    “Johnny kind of said to me on our first date, ‘You love comedy so much, would you like to come up and see a show that I did?’” Joanne Carson said on CNN’s Larry King Live in 2007.

    Following her divorce from Johnny Carson, Joanne became quite close to writer Truman Capote. He even had a writing room in Joanne Carson’s home, where he died in 1984.

    Capote urged Carson to write an autobiography and she started on it.

    “I was going to write a lovely story about my friendship with all these people,” she said in an interview just last year. Capote even edited a chapter. The book was never published.

    Joanne Carson married later in life, many years after her divorce from Johnny Carson. That marriage–to Richard Rever–also ended in divorce.

    Ed Rada says Joanne Carson will actually be buried next to Truman Capote.

  • Jay Leno to Receive America’s Top Humor Prize

    Jay Leno to Receive America’s Top Humor Prize

    Jay Leno may have retired from The Tonight Show and handed the reins to fellow funny man Jimmy Fallon back in February, but he’s still known as being among the funniest people around. He will be awarded for his uncanny sense of humor–and deliverance of said humor–this fall when the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is bestowed upon the comedian during an event in Washington, D.C. This is the nation’s top award for humor.

    A performance by fellow comedians will take place on October 19th at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It will be broadcast on PBS stations on November 23rd. The prize Leno will receive is given annually to those “who have had an impact on American society through their humor and social commentary.”

    “Like Mark Twain, Jay Leno has offered us a lifetime’s worth of humorous commentary on American daily life,” Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein said when he announced the recipient of the award. “For both men, no one was too high or too low to escape their wit, and we are all the better for it.”

    After learning that his name was announced as the recipient of the prestigious prize, Jay Leno issued a statement saying he’s honored and is a big fan of Twain’s. He also said A Tale of Two Cities is one of his favorite books.

    Ummm, Jay? A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens–not Mark Twain. He must have been kidding–right?

    Jay Leno inherited The Tonight Show seat from Johnny Carson back in 1992, beating out David Letterman, and was the top-rated late-night host for years. Letterman was the first between them to win the Kennedy Center Honors, but Leno was first to win the top humor prize. Kennedy Center producers aren’t saying which of the two comedians and late night hosts they think are funnier.

    For many years Leno also has kept an incredibly busy schedule of stand-up gigs. In fact he tests his humor in nightclubs and theaters with more than 100 performances a year.

    Since leaving NBC’s late-night schedule, Leno has gained a huge international following on the internet with his new creation, JayLenosGarage.com, which highlights his love of cars. His YouTube channel now boasts more than 938,000 subscribers.

    Congratulations to Jay Leno on receiving this prestigious honor. Now if only the former late night funny man would somehow find his way back to network TV–even occasionally–his fans would love him even more.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Don Rickles to Get Tribute from Jimmy Kimmel, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart

    Don Rickles will get an all-star tribute from an impressive lineup of comedic celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel, Bob Newhart, and Jerry Seinfeld next month. Robert De Niro, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Regis Philbin, Ray Romano, Martin Scorsese, John Stamos, and Jon Stewart are also slated to appear at the event.

    The 90-minute tribute titled One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles will be taped on May 6 at the Apollo Theater, a New York City landmark located in Harlem. The show will air May 28 on Spike Network.

    “The genius of Rickles is in the danger, nobody is safe, and what you can expect is a night of comedy from these superstars worthy of a legend. It truly will be One Night Only,” said Casey Patterson, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Event Production & Talent Development, Viacom Entertainment Group, which owns Spike.

    Rickles, a native of Queens, will turn 88 on May 8.

    Often referred to as the “Merchant of Venom” or “Mr. Warmth,” Rickles is considered comedy’s master of the insult.

    Early on, Rickles abandoned his dreams of becoming a serious actor to hone his nightclub act. In 1957, Frank Sinatra saw the act at Slate Brothers in Los Angeles and quickly became Rickles’ champion.

    It wasn’t long before Rickles had caught the attention of Dean Martin and Johnny Carson and was headlining performances in Las Vegas.

    ”My humor is so over the top you’d have to be an awful fool to think I’m embarrassing you,” Rickles said in a 1996 interview with The New York Times. ”When I pick someone from the audience, their eyes say, ‘I can take it.’ But if I’m wrong, I’ll never let them know it. When you sell yourself you just can’t back down. I absolutely believe that. You’ve got to stay with what got you to the dance. It’s an old expression but true.”

    Rickles and his wife Barbara celebrated their 49th anniversary in March. They’re the parents of two children, Larry and Mindy. Mindy followed in her father’s comedic footsteps.

    One Night Only is a relatively new annual event on Spike. The first installment, which aired in 2012 and paid tribute to Eddie Murphy, remains the highest rated show in the network’s history.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kevin Spacey: Playing Johnny Carson in Biopic?

    Kevin Spacey can do a really good Johnny Carson impression. But would Spacey want to do a whole movie as Johnny Carson?

    In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the star of the Netflix series House of Cards dished on lots of topics, including the possibility of his playing Carson in an NBC biopic about the life of the late-night talk show host.

    Spacey had already narrated a PBS documentary about Carson’s life, and soon after the idea of a biopic was floated, his name was floated too. But Spacey is a Hollywood outsider in a lot of ways. He says he has not been approached to do the movie, and would likely not do it if asked. Not that he would not be interested, just not with NBC.

    “If [NBC] wants to start writing as if they’re a cable network, then absolutely I’d take a look at it,” he says. “But I’m afraid it would just be too marshmallow, and Johnny deserves something that’s tougher and with more expletives.”

    Spacey does lots of impressions quite well: Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Clint Eastwood, John Gielgud, Marlon Brando, Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, William Hurt, Bill Clinton, and many others.

    When he played Jack Abramoff in the biopic Casino Jack, he had the opportunity to poke fun at Abramoff’s tendency to do bad impressions. In particular he did an impression of Al Pacino in the Godfather, badly. This was particularly odd, since Spacey does a really good Al Pacino, himself.

    House of Cards show runners have said that they hear so much of Spacey doing impressions, keeping them in stitches, that they have considered writing in a bit where his character, Frank Underwood, does a Marlon Brando impression.

    Image via YouTube

  • David Letterman Announces He Will Retire In 2015

    He is the one that has been around the longest of the current late night talk show hosts, and after many years on the air, David Letterman will finally be calling it quits with CBS in 2015.

    David Letterman has had his spot on The Late Show for the past 22 years, and is set to officially announce his retirement on the episode of the show that is set to air tonight. He has been on the air as a late night talk show host longer than anyone in TV history, and just passed the record set by Johnny Carson last year.

    It is truly the end of an era for late night with the exit of Letterman, and it will be interesting to see who will come in to replace him. The schedule of late night talk shows already switched around a lot in the past year with Leno leaving The Tonight Show, and being replaced by Jimmy Fallon. Seth Myers took over for Fallon in his regular time.

    David Letterman made his debut on The Late Show on August 3rd, 1993, and has outlasted several other talk hosts that have come and gone on other channels and time slots. He was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, being hailed as “one of the most influential personalities in the history of television, entertaining an entire generation of late-night viewers with his unconventional wit and charm.”

    Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation, spoke about the situation when saying “There is only one David Letterman. His greatness will always be remembered here, and he will certainly sit among the pantheon of this business. On a personal note, it’s been a privilege to get to know Dave and to enjoy a terrific relationship. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye. Fortunately, we won’t have to do that for another year or so. Until then, we look forward to celebrating Dave’s remarkable show and incredible talents.”

    A timetable for the closing of the show has not been figured out yet, but it has been decided that it will be done sometime in 2015. He will be turning 67 years old next week, and has enjoyed great success with his show over the years.

    Prior to his 22 years with The Late Show, David Letterman got his start on Mary in 1978, which co-starred Mary Tyler Moore. Just a few months later, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for the first time, where he would appear a total of 22 times, and become good friends with the legendary late night show.

    He also hosted a couple shows before getting to the current incarnation of The Late Show, including The David Letterman Show and Late Night With David Letterman.

    Image via Youtube

  • David Brenner, Tonight Show Fav, Dead at 78

    David Brenner, who made more than 150 appearances on Tonight Show, died Saturday at the age of 78.

    Brenner died peacefully at his home in New York City with his family at his side after a long battle with cancer, said his friend and publicist, Jeff Abraham.

    Brenner, the one-time documentary film maker, also briefly hosted his own syndicated talk show in 1987 and starred in four HBO comedy specials. He was the author of several books.

    Brenner was raised in working-class south Philadelphia and graduated with honors from Temple University. He became disillusioned with filmmaking and decided to give comedy a try.

    “You don’t change the world by doing documentaries,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2013.

    His first appearance on the Tonight Show changed his career overnight, literally. He went from being nearly broke to receiving job offers of $10,000 the day after he appeared on the show, a huge sum in that day.

    He said Johnny Carson always expected him to do a monologue each time he appeared when most other comedians headed straight for the couch to talk to the host.

    “Carson’s explanation was ‘I like to sit back, smoke a cigarette and laugh for six minutes’,” Brenner said.

    In a 1995 interview with the AP, Brenner said he believed he would have been the host had Johnny retired earlier.

    “I really believe that had … Johnny Carson retired in the early ’80s, then I would be sitting behind that desk,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt.”

    Brenner made a career-changing path when he decided to put family before career.

    After a long custody battle with his girlfriend over their son, Cole, Brenner decided he needed to spend more time with his boy.

    “In a nutshell, I couldn’t work more than 50 nights a year [out of town] or I’d be an absentee father,” he said. “That was when they were giving out the talk shows, the sitcoms.”

    Brenner said he never regretted his decision to give up his career for his family.

    “I didn’t even make a decision. I didn’t even think about it. How could you not do it? I don’t mean to sound noble,” Brenner said. “Besides, I come from the slums of Philadelphia and everything in my life is profit. My downside is what most people would strive a lifetime to get to.”

    Brenner is survived by his wife, Ruth, sons Cole, Wyatt and Slade and a grandson, Wesley, according to a statement from the family.

    Despite some reports that Brenner’s surviving spouse is Olympic skating champion Tai Babilonia, the two were never married. The pair had been engaged at one time, Abraham said.

    Many stars have taken to Twitter to express their grief and expressions of admiration for the comedian.

    Image via YouTube

  • David Brenner: Comedian Dies Saturday at 78

    David Brenner, a beloved comedian who guest starred often on The Tonight Show, died Saturday at his New York City home in the company of his family at the age of 78. He had been battling cancer.

    It was while Johnny Carson held The Tonight Show reins back in the 1970s that David Brenner became a fairly regular guest performer, but his humor–a brand of observational comedy–was studied and undertaken by more recent stand up comics like Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld. He actually appeared on The Tonight Show more than 150 times between the 1970s and the 1980s, and he even guest hosted for Johnny Carson. He was the most frequently recurring guest Carson ever had on the show.

    “David Brenner was a huge star when I met him and he took me under his wing. To me, historically, he was the godfather of hip, observational comedy,” comedian Richard Lewis said in a statement following news of Brenner’s passing. “He mentored me from day one. … His passing leaves a hole in my life that can never be replaced.”

    Recent years found Brenner’s style changing a bit to keep up with the times. He swapped out some of his every day humor for social and political jokes instead. His last appearance was a four-day gig in Pennsylvania over the New Year’s holiday where he showcased some up and coming young comedians.

    Jimmie Walker was just one of the young comedians David Brenner mentored years ago.

    Walker called Brenner “a true comic genius” who was “my mentor and taught me about life and comedy.”

    David Brenner was always the first to admit he put his family before his fame, and following a custody battle with his girlfriend over his son back in the 1980s he cut down significantly on his performance dates.

    “In a nutshell, I couldn’t work more than 50 nights a year (out of town) or I’d be an absentee father,” he said. “That was when they were giving out the talk shows, the sitcoms.”

    Once asked during an interview if he ever regretted that decision, Brenner had the following to say.

    “I didn’t even make a decision. I didn’t even think about it. How could you not do it? I don’t mean to sound noble,” Brenner said. “Besides, I come from the slums of Philadelphia and everything in my life is profit. My downside is what most people would strive a lifetime to get to.”

    David Brenner is survived by his wife Ruth, and sons Cole, Wyatt, and Slade. He also had one grandson named Wesley. No information has hit the media yet regarding funeral plans.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jimmy Fallon’s Debut On The Tonight Show Goes Over Well, Joined By Several Guests

    There has been plenty of talk and controversy about Jay Leno leaving, and Jimmy Fallon taking over The Tonight Show, and last night, it finally happened. Fallon made his debut with a couple of big scheduled guests, and many more who came in to surprise everyone.

    On his debut of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon was host to Will Smith as an interviewed guest, and U2 as the musical guest. It is hard to imagine two others to match their star persona for someone’s debut show. His flashy new credits also debuted, with direction from Spike Lee, and musical accompaniment by his house band, The Roots.

    Before his transition to the late night talk shows, Jimmy Fallon became famous as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He was the co-anchor of “Weekend Update,” and after leaving in 2004, he went on to a career in film–but it did not last long. His film credits include Fever Pitch and Whip It.

    Will Smith graced his show as the first guest, and as Jimmy Fallon has been known to do funny skits with guests, he got up for a hip hop dance routine with the popular actor, who is also a former hip hop artist.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTpn30Pms8I

    U2 performed their new song “Invisible,” and after that, sat down for an acoustic version of “Ordinary Love,” the Oscar-nominated song from the film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. “Invisible” was preformed on the roof in a surreal looking setting, which made for quite a performance for their debut of the song.

    In addition to Will Smith and U2, the stars continued to show up throughout the show, and it seemed that all of Fallon’s celebrity friends wanted to welcome him in his new time slot. The long list of celebrities that showed up included Tina Fey, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Seth Rogen, Lindsay Lohan, Mariah Carey, Joan Rivers, Tracey Morgan and Mike Tyson.

    He had previously proved to be a natural while hosting NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and has earned his spot on The Tonight show, with its earlier time, and legendary brand name. With his new show, Fallon showed a bit of honesty, and a touch of nervousness when saying “I just want to do well. If you guys let me stick around long enough, maybe I’ll get the hang of it.”

    A significant part of the new version of The Tonight Show is that it has been moved back to New York, and while the show had spent more than 40 years in Los Angeles, it has now been moved back to Rockefeller Plaza. Jay Leno was the host of the show for much of the past 20 years in Los Angeles. The show now airs in the same studio that was once witness to well-known host Johnny Carson, and before him, Jack Paar.

    Image via Youtube

  • Jay Leno Sent Off With Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks

    Jay Leno bid farewell to The Tonight Show and his beloved cast, crew and fans on Thursday night, accompanied by Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks and a bevy of fun and poignant surprises. Following Jay’s final monologue a few pre-filmed goodbyes were shared. Steve Carell sat at his desk from The Office and wished Jay well. Martha Stewart made overt sexual innuendoes. Even President Obama filmed a clip to say goodbye to the late night host.

    Billy Crystal was the perfect guest for Jay Leno’s last show. Not only does he know Leno personally, he also knows his style of comedy. The two played perfectly into one another’s hands. Crystal wasn’t without a bit of sentimentality, however.

    “You work so hard because you love this job, and more than anybody I know, you love being a comedian,” he told Jay–and he even choked up a bit as he said it. “It’s been such a thrill to watch you be one of America’s friends, who they turn to before they go to sleep at night.”

    He then segued into a rendition of The Sound of Music’s song Goodbye, Farewell, with a string of celebrities walking or dancing on stage singing their own lyrics dedicated to Jay. Jack Black, Sheryl Crow, Jim Parsons, Kim Kardashian, Chris Paul, Carol Burnett–who did her famous Tarzan call–and even Oprah Winfrey sang a few lines.

    “So long, farewell, you really raised the bar,” Oprah belted out. “If you were me, you’d buy them all a car.”

    Justin Timberlake bid Jay adieu via Twitter.

    Following this segment of the show it was clear the end was near. Leno queued up his good friend Garth Brooks who performed The Dance. The song set the tone for what was to come. When it finished, Jay Leno sat at The Tonight Show desk for one last time.

    “This is the hard part,” he said, with his voice cracking and his eyes welling. “This is tricky. I have to thank the audience. We wouldn’t be on the air without you people. This has been the greatest 22 years of my life.”

    “I am the luckiest guy in the world. I got to meet presidents, astronauts, movie stars,” he continued, wiping away a few tears. “First year of this show, I lost my mom; second year, I lost my dad. Then my brother died. I was pretty much out of family. The folks here became my family … When people to say to me, ‘Why didn’t you go to ABC? Why didn’t you go to Fox?’ I didn’t know anybody there. These are the only people I’ve ever known.”

    Leno lauded Johnny Carson as “the greatest” to ever hold The Tonight Show seat, and he quoted him before queuing Garth Brooks one last time.

    “I bid you all a heartfelt goodnight.”

    Brooks closed out the show with Low Places.

    Leno’s last words on The Tonight Show as he symbolically passed the torch to Jimmy Fallon were directed at wife Mavis, who sat in the audience for Jay’s final show.

    “I’m coming home, Honey!” he shouted.

    There was likely not one dry eye in the audience.

    Image via YouTube