I’m not sure when I first noticed that Byron Allen owned the late late night airwaves, but it was probably when I saw an episode of Entertainers with Byron Allen. The whole show – which I admit I watched – was a big fluff piece for upcoming films. Allen would sit down with the stars and talk with them about their movies. Nothing hard hitting or insightful… really, it was lighter fare than even Entertainment Tonight. And yet here it was, and according to Wikipedia, it’s been on the air for 11 seasons.
How?
Frankly, this is a show a robot could do. Just let it sit there opposite the celebrities and ask softball questions. “Tell me, Angelina Jolie, how is BRAD PITT?” (Yes, the robot would yell “Brad Pitt”.) Easy. Done.
Byron’s low-budget late night empire has expanded into comedy with Comics Unleashed. Yes, I watched it and yes, it… didn’t do anything for me. The Wikipedia entry compares it favorably to Rough Crowd with Colin Quinn. If this is true, Quinn’s show was a snoozefest. Comics of mild popularity sit around in chairs and do inoffensive, Jay Leno-ish comedy. That’s about it.
Allen’s lack of personality gives me hope that the Ping could have a half-hour show in most major markets. We’ll use robots.
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music
jk June 22, 2007, 2:21 pm
Didn’t he get his start on Real People?
Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember that show.