ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY THE ONLY THING I’M GOING TO POST ABOUT NBC’S PROGRAMMING DECISIONS

I grew up with Johnny Carson (who my mom couldn’t stand because he had too many ex-wives), but was influenced more by David Letterman, who I watched religiously on Late Night until he took his act to CBS, where I also watched him until I moved to Asia, after which my American late-night programming intake dropped considerably.

The point being that Carson and Letterman defined, for me, what late-night talk shows could be within the inherent limitations. So I was one of millions who had to be convinced that Leno and Conan were up to the task of meeting those standards and raising the bar.

O’Brien succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Leno never did.

Granted, this is in part because I think O’Brien is a lot funnier. But I think it’s fair to say that O’Brien impressed me in part because he took risks with the formula and tried new things. Leno, for the most part, played it safe – maybe out of reverence, maybe out of fear.

But only one of them deeply believes in the legacy and fate of The Tonight Show that he’s willing to give up his post rather than see the nitwits at NBC kill it by pushing it until past midnight just to keep Jay Leno from jumping ship.

Maybe it’s just as well. Despite O’Brien’s point that time slots still matter in the age of DVRs and YouTubes, the fact is that the nature of broadcasting is changing, and many broadcast executives have been caught staring at the headlights in dumb fear. The old business model is sinking and they really have no idea what to do about it except come up with even more bizarre soul-sucking reality shows like Man Sushi Takeout.

Put another way, rarely has network television deserved to die more than it does right now.

Or is that too nihilistic?

Anyway, the point is that if The Tonight Show doesn’t survive this, well, every show gets canceled eventually. And while O’Brien’s reverence for the show is admirable, it may not be worth saving as long as NBC is run by hack bean counters who are more interested in fast cash than talent.

NBC get off the air,

This is dF

CHUCK NORRIS AND THE TEMPLE OF INTERPOL

I wasn’t going to post anything about last month’s conservative freakout over President Barry HUSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIN! Obama’s executive order that grants Interpol full rights and exemptions under the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 – which everyone from Glenn Beck to the National Review took as Obama giving Interpol the power to arrest and lock up Americans without due process as part of Obama’s evil plot to make America a gay Muslim nation of Socialist Mexicans. Or something.

It’s not true, of course – the executive order gives Interpol full exemptions under the IOIA, but seeing as how Interpol doesn’t actually have field agents in the first place, much less the power to arrest anyone, I didn’t see the point of passing it on. (Plus, look, if I posted every single Obama conspiracy theory that these dingbats cook up, I’d never get any work done.)

Besides, even the NRA didn’t buy that one (though notice that nifty disclaimer at the end). So I just filed it under “Batshit Hysteria” and moved on to more important issues threatening America – like the Illuminati/Lady Gaga connection.

Leave it to Chuck Norris to crack the case and figure out Obama’s REAL plan with Interpol.

See, Chuck noticed that the order makes Interpol immune to FOIA requests. And there’s only one possible reason why Obama would want to give Interpol that immunity:

I have no doubt that Interpol will become Obama's secret vault for terrorists' criminal records and evidence – and whatever else he and his Cabinet want to place in there.

Like his Kenyan birth certificate, say. And evidence that would get his Muslim pals convicted of terrorism in NYC. And God knows what else.

Classic.

And soon to be a major motion picture starring Chuck Norris and his megatight jeans. (See upper right)

All of which ought to give Sarah Palin plenty to talk about, now that she’s started her new broadcasting career at Fox News. (And I didn’t post about THAT earlier because hell, Jim, why not? Fox quit pretending to be a news channel ages ago, so they might as well hire Sarah Palin. I hope she does a one-on-one interview with Rep. Michele  Bachmann. That will take Fox into completely unchartered batshit territory. Trust me.)

Open the vault,

This is dF