Seven months ago I was thrilled that Conan O'Brien had taken over the Tonight Show. He'd been one of my comedy heroes since I was ten years old; I was sure that the new Tonight Show would bring him a whole new audience and inspire others to go after dreams of making people laugh for a living. I'm sure he'll end up on some show somewhere, but there's no denying that losing Conan on the Tonight Show is a sad moment in the world of comedy.
In what should be no surprise to anyone, Conan handled his last show with a whole lot of class. The more I see Tom Hanks, the more I realize what a funny guy he is, and it's hard to beat "Long May You Run", Neil Young's classic ode to his car and/or everyone or everything we've ever said goodbye to, for a musical number. Will Ferrell's final performance of "Freebird" was just classic Conan oddness.
What's most worthy of comment is Conan's final talk to the audience, and to his fans. It was touching, especially for those of us who did indeed stand out in the rain this past week, to see how visibly moved he was by all the fan support. But I think it was the final part of the speech that hit Conan fans the hardest.
"Do not be cynical"? For an audience of 20 and 30 somethings, especially those of us trying to find careers in Hollywood, that's an incredibly tall order. There's disappointment and discouragement around every corner, and they often strike in waves. Forces are working against us every day to try to drain the fun from the things we love. "Do not be cynical"? Asking a young person to give up cynicism is a little like Jesus asking that rich fellow to give up all of his possessions, and we all know how well that went over.
But Conan is exactly right: "Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get" is something it's always good to keep in mind. No one starts out cynical or bitter; they're shields we acquire as we struggle through life, but they're not going to get us anywhere.
"Do not be cynical"? It's not easy. But for the guy who gave us Old Time Baseball, it's worth a try.
Gaming still has a bit of a bad reputation in popular culture. As the Nintendo generation continues to age (and we are aging, let’s deal with it), and people that grew up with video games as a part of life are now becoming parents themselves, a lot of the old social stigma has fallen away. Yet the stereotype of the 30 year old virgin living in his parent’s basement playing Call of Duty has never quite left us, especially among older generations. To many, games are children’s toys, or gratuitous orgies of violence and mayhem, or simple distractions. It doesn’t help matters that, as we speak, the once beloved Nintendo is doing its damnedest to make sure that reputation sticks for all eternity.
Ironically enough, it was a recent Wii game that, through no fault of Nintendo’s, reminded me just how far beyond those old notions games have come, and how far they might still go. After playing through Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Nintendo’s parlor trick excuse for a video game system, I am more convinced than ever that games have a place in the future of storytelling. While movies and TV simply shovel information at you, games, done right, have a way of pulling you into a world and a story that no other medium can achieve.
Don’t get me wrong. One hundred thousand dollars in film school debt should be evidence enough that I love movies. Good movies can be life changing experiences, and the best ones stay with us our whole lives, providing quotable dialogue and life lessons. Who knows how many shark attacks I’ve avoided thanks to Jaws? Video games, though, provide a much different experience, much more akin to reading a book. In movies and TV shows, the story goes on with or without you. In games and books, you play an important part in what’s going on. You react to information as it comes at you, and, in games, actually have an impact on what’s going to happen next.
Silent Hill is only one of many games that give the player an active role in an ongoing story. I could use any number of fantastic games as an example (the Gabriel Knight series is the first to pop into my head—Note to Self: Write about those games in the near future), but since I’ve played Silent Hill most recently it serves as a good benchmark. Instead of a scary action-adventure romp like previous Silent Hill games, Silent Hill on the Wii is more of an interactive psychological horror story. There’s no combat, and the only “action” is running away from things. Most of the game is spent simply exploring an abandoned city as the main character searches for his daughter.
What’s interesting about the game is the way it can change. Based on the choices you make and how you play certain parts of the game, the content can change drastically. Characters can look and act completely differently based on the “psychological profile” you build up during the game. I’ve been through twice (it’s only a 5 hour game) and there are so many differences, subtle and major, that come into play to add to the sense of uncertainly the game tries to achieve. You'll travel around to different locations in the protagonist's life, collecting bits and pieces of memories, trying desperately to get a bead on what's going on only to watch your assumptions shattered again and again. It’s like being part of a good scary story that’s different every time through—to me, that’s what games should be after. I still can’t believe such a fine piece of game making art found its way to the Wii, a system that is determined to restore games to their pre-1980s role as novel time-wasters. Though Nintendo might bitch and moan until the end of time that games are supposed to be toys for children, people aren’t buying it.
Any movie, TV show, or song is subtly affected by what the intended audience brings with them. With a book, the reader takes control of the pacing, the character voices, and sometimes even their appearance. The story forms itself in the mind’s eye as it is read, and so the reader takes an active role in the creative process. Video games have the potential to go even further down this road, blurring the line between audience and character, placing the player in an environment where their choices have a profound impact on the world around them. Best of all, it can all be experienced from the comfort of your mom’s basement.
One of the great things about Hollywood is that some young hopeful out there might grow up to be the next Jay Leno. No matter how little talent you have, no matter how hackneyed and facile your sense of humor, you might be able to strong arm your way onto one of the most cherished shows in the history of television with nothing more than a pocket full of dreams. That’s right, it’s that easy. So don’t worry about all those talented and intelligent Conan O’Brien types out there. Theirs is a passing success, prey to the whims of the powers that be in Hollywood. But if your success is built on a solid foundation, one of bending over backwards for executives and using familiarity as a substitute for talent, no network will ever be able to take your dreams away from you.
Jay Leno has used his considerable skill and class to navigate the Hollywood trenches for decades, providing a safe haven for the type of people who find jokes about Sarah Palin’s lack of intelligence “too controversial.” When Johnny Carson wanted David Letterman to take over his spot on the Tonight Show, only Jay Leno had the courage to stand up and heroically weasel his way into the spot. Knowing that his success was due to the intervention of magic fairies (or merciless agents), Leno at least tried to smooth things over for his own retirement. Seeking to avoid more bruised egos, he announced in 2004 that he would step down in 2009, passed the show to Conan O’Brien, and was subsequently awarded his own primetime show. When that show failed to attract ratings, Leno was punished by receiving his old 11:35 timeslot back, ripping the Tonight Show from Conan O’Brien, and thus the pains of a complicated transition were safely sidestepped.
Everyone should admire what Jay Leno has accomplished. It takes a special kind of man to turn being unfunny into a career. I know plenty of unfunny people that are stuck in menial jobs. Getting paid to not be funny is like getting paid to not fix a car or not cure a disease, and yet Jay Leno not only gets paid for it, but he gets paid for it at the expense of people who actually are funny. In a paranoid, hyper sensitive country, blessed is the man who tailors his comedy to sleepy senior citizens.
When you’re just starting out in life, the road often branches. Down one path: Education, a natural passion for comedy and an innate talent to find the absurd in everyday life, hard work, patience, and a willingness to stick with a joke no matter who it offends; after all your job is to make people laugh, not to make them feel comfortable. Down the other path: A good agent and a willingness to screw anyone over to get what you want. The first path is a temptation, avoid it at all costs. Instead, work on screwing over people now. Cut in line in elementary school, have your mom call the school and complain until they make you the lead in the school play, steal your friend’s girlfriend, and never, never share anything you have with anyone else. Above all, DON’T BE FUNNY!
Act like Jay Leno, and you’re sure to find Hollywood success. Jay Leno will be remembered as the host who got back the Tonight Show. Future generations will speak of him with the same awed reverence they use today to talk about Jack Paar or Ernie Kovacs. Conan O’Brien, who used that useless, pointless sense of humor of his to not only host a show of popular cutting edge comedy, but also to write some of the best Simpsons episodes ever made, will be relegated to the dustbin of history. People will laugh at the situations and characters he brought to life on The Simpsons for as long as there’s a means to watch the episodes, and in being a comedy writer he brought joy to millions and millions yet to come. What a naïve waste of time. All that time he spent being funny could have been time spent being unfunny and climbing to the top of the Hollywood heap. His career will be a cautionary tale to everyone out there who thinks a good sense of humor is a means to a successful career as a comedian.
Jay Leno has shown us all that all you have to do to get your way is whine, and that’s a victory no network executive, however obsequious, will ever be able to take away from him.
