el-
on our friend, johnny ... note the
dreaded clinging parenthesis syndrome <g>
-la
Johnny Carson: (1925-2005)
The box for idiots and boobs,
The brainless mess of wires and tubes
That makes stupidity a sport,
And gives the ship of fools its port,
Became much sharper when he spoke --
Not just the standard Carson joke
That cleared away the daily fog
In breezy bursts of monologue
(Though, truth to tell, his rapier wit
Could seem a scripted show-biz bit),
But more the knowing sidelong glance,
The raised-eyebrow, seat-of-the-pants
Delight at filling in the dots
With sudden late-night afterthoughts.
He walked away. "Who needs TV?"
He seemed to say -- as ego-free
As when he occupied the chair
And said more with his knowing stare
Than lesser hosts whose non-stop gab
Makes interviews seem smash-and-grab.
Jay Leno serves up tepid gruel
Compared to Johnny's sense of cool,
And though he had his share of bores
(Think Tiny Tim, all those Gabors,
And stand-ups from some vaudeville past),
One quality will make him last:
Immune from stardom's worst disease,
He lacked that deadly need to please.
By JOHN ALLEMANG
UPDATED AT 2:58 PM EST Saturday, Jan 29, 2005
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