Edwards, Leno, Conan
The appalling workings of the popular culture has regurgitated two stories of interest: the Leno / Conan story and the John Edwards saga. The human interest angle trumps the careerist aspect; the insight into consensus reaction is fascinating.
Leno almost appeared human in his appearance with Oprah. Leno could not be anyone’s favorite stand-up comic, but he is being excoriated for…taking a job? According to polls, many feel that Conan lost his job because of Leno. You have to hold your nose in saying it, but Leno is being treated unfairly in public perception.
Conan’s support boils down to his being likable. This is an unusual trait in a comedian — most are smart-asses. Conan presents as an authentically decent guy. Consonant with this idea, Conan fought to get his staff a nice slice of a rich pie in his parting with NBC. Loyalty counts for a lot. (Cynically, Leno represented his concern for his staff on Oprah, after seeing it as a useful tactic. It wasn’t a tactic for Conan, but it is for Leno. Leno also attempted to affect victim status, saying how hurt he was at being let go by NBC, with watery eyes too-easily marshaled for the occasion.)
If NBC had not hired Leno to replace Conan, they would have hired someone else. It is all about money. Conan was not doing well. Pop Culture=Money. They were going to fire Conan so The Tonight Show didn’t lose money for the first time in its history under any circumstances.
If NBC had let Conan go and replaced him with an array of revolving hosts while they “thought about it”, and then, at some date in the future, said, well, believe it or not, we think Jay would be good back at his old slot, the two events, of Conan going and Leno coming back, would have been separated in time and association.
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The Edwards’ case almost made you feel dirty. The cynicism, grasping for power and status mongering of the players had a wanton quality. There is probably something of that in all who seek office (and those who surround them). Politics is a dirty game — it corrupts even the well-meaning. Edwards and his wife seem particularly redolent with the costs of unbounding ambition. There was something sad underneath it. People running after they know not what.
