There are differing schools of thought concerning the cancellation of The Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert.
Some conspiracy theorists lay the blame at the feet of President Trump, because of course they do. They point out that CBS recently settled a lawsuit with Trump, and an undisclosed part of the deal may involve canning Colbert, who has always been a vocal critic of our President. I concede that it’s a theory that contains a strain of logic and is entertaining in the surreptitious sort of way that such stories tend to be.
Another idea involves the television viewing habits of the audience, especially younger demographics, which are constantly evolving in the Digital Age. It paints late night television as archaic and predicts that the demise of the Late Show is a death knell for the entire concept. Will Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, or Jimmy Fallon be next on the chopping block??
The most prosaic rationale for the decision is financial, which is what CBS & Paramount stated.
My vibe is that all of the above can be atleast partially true. I used to be a big fan of late night TV…Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Tom Snyder, Craig Ferguson. However, it’s no secret that my viewing habits have changed in the past several years for multiple reasons.
Have these shows become too political?? Absolutely. If you happen to agree with their…perspective…that’s fine, and you are probably entertained, but that freezes out the other half of the country who see things differently, which isn’t a wise business strategy. Do I really think Donald Trump got The Late Show cancelled?? No, but I believe that there is a certain level of TDS fatigue. People used to watch late night shows to escape the tedium of “real life”. Now?? These guys won’t let us escape. Love Trump?? Fine. Hate Trump?? Okay. Either way, can’t we talk about something else for an hour??
Is the end of late night television altogether on the horizon?? I’d hate to see that happen, but say that thru the prism of nostalgia. These legendary programs, and more importantly their hosts, have been a cornerstone of the entertainment landscape almost since television began. Carson was the undisputed King of Late Night, and I grew up watching Letterman. While those two stand head & shoulders above the rest, others have done the job well. I understand that many found Leno somewhat pedestrian, but his style made the Tonight Show transition smooth. Fallon was fantastic when he took over Late Night from Conan O’Brien, but he’s a sycophant who has followed his buddies Kimmel, Myers, & Colbert down the wrong path in recent years. I really enjoyed Snyder & Ferguson, who both marched to the beat of their own drum, with the audience reaping the benefits.
Having said all of that, it is undeniable that, like so many others things in the world, entertainment evolves. When I was a kid we only had a smattering of television channels, whereas now there are hundreds. Johnny Carson ruled late night before The Internet existed. Celebrities making the rounds on late night TV to promote their latest movie/book/album/show seems rather quaint when there are myriad ways for them to achieve the same goal, most notably thru direct interaction with fans on social media. The perceived importance of late night television has been greatly diminished, while the influence & talent level of the people fronting those programs has declined precipitously.
I am at an age where I have had to say farewell to many things that we thought would always be around, but then again “nothing lasts forever”. It is one of those trite maxims that is nevertheless true. If you still enjoy what television networks offer after your local news each weeknight, that’s cool, but count yourselves amongst a dying breed.
When David Letterman retired a decade ago I stated that I’d probably “begin my own transformation into a cantankerous old geezer and be in bed way before 11:30pm more & more often”, and I now laugh at the accuracy. MY GOD…the accuracy!! Just last week I was tired after a particularly arduous day and went to sleep at 9:30pm. I have embraced my hermit lifestyle and put a premium on peace, tranquility, and mirth. Late night television hasn’t provided those things for awhile now. So go ahead…cancel Kimmel. Finish Fallon. Mothball Meyers. They’ve not adequately filled the shoes they were hired to anyway.
analyzing college bowl games. Stay in your lane. After four months of college basketball it’s a little weird to have NBA guys suddenly pop up to break down March Madness as if they’re experts. Having said that, it’s not a huge deal. However, what was done to the Selection Show a couple of days ago was sinful. After finally locating the show on TBS I tuned in to see them listing all of the automatic qualifiers in alphabetical order, and then start to announce at-large teams the same way. What?!?!?!?? What kind of BS was that?!?!?!?? Where were the damn brackets?!?!?!?? What about the seedings & matchups?!?!?? My understanding is that they eventually got around to all of that, but too late for this guy. I changed the channel and decided I’d watch ESPN’s analysis a bit later. Then…as I have learned to do in such situations…I logged onto Twitter and located the appropriate hashtags. Now THAT was entertaining!! Dear TBS…in case you haven’t heard by now…America collectively despised your idiotic Selection Show. It was almost unanimously reviled. Hopefully the powers-that-be hear the cries of despair from disillusioned basketball fans and next year everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be, allowing us to forget 2018 like a drunken night back in our youth when we may have done something particularly vile & unlawful but somehow escaped illness, injury, & incarceration, thereafter successfully blocking it from our consciousness.
At any rate, you’re here for my two cents on the tournament. Unfortunately I am unable to put up actual brackets, so we’ll just improvise. I’ve italicized first round winners, and any further predicted upsets are discussed in the comments. I only do one bracket and use it for any & all “competitions” I may enter. My picks are based on minimal research, elementary understanding of college basketball as a casual fan, and my infamous vibes, which longtime citizens of The Manoverse know are mostly unreliable. I don’t give a rat’s petoot about play-in games because I think they are stupid. This year’s field was supposed to be wide open, but to be honest I think you’ll see a lot of chalk, especially in the first two rounds. There are probably ten or twelve teams at most that are legit title contenders, which I suppose still leaves us with plenty of opportunities to be entertained. With the godawful Selection Show behind us I think we can look forward to a really fun few weeks of Madness.
the Oklahoma Sooners 100% absolutely should NOT be in this tournament. The “experts” can spin things any way they choose, but the Sooners getting a bid ahead of their in-state rival Oklahoma St. is absolutely criminal. The Cowboys defeated Oklahoma head-to-head 2 out of 3 times this season, plus they beat Kansas 2 out of 3 times. If that’s not good enough I’m not sure what possibly could be. ESPN has fellatiated freshman guard Trae Young all season, to the point that college basketball fans everywhere loathe an 18 year old kid. He led his team to a rather pedestrian 18-13 record, so I’m left with the impression that he is mostly hype & potential, a guy that the geniuses in Bristol, CT decided to promote as Steph Curry 2.0 but who has been unable to live up to the concocted storyline. He probably needs to stay in college another year or two, but instead he’ll enter the NBA Draft where a team will waste a first round pick on him and he’ll become an epic disappointment. Anyway, after Round 1 I have Kansas meeting Duke in the regional final, with the Blue Devils advancing to San Antonio.
The Manofesto 