I can’t say enough about Tomorrowland — but I’m wary of saying too much, so delightful are the surprises within.
The film’s charming. It champions optimism and creativity. My heart swelled; my
eyes moistened. If there are flaws, and of course there are, they’re easily reconciled with the larger piece. It’s an inspiring thrill ride full of wonder with just enough schmaltz and grown-up danger, made for the whole family.
And it’s not what I expected. I didn’t read a single review before going, which I’m glad about because most of them overshare. I’m also confounded in disagreeing with them and by seeing how they disagree with one another on its merits and faults.
Me, I was transported.
Welcome to one among thousands of posts about David Letterman’s last day in
late night.
I had a typically punnish title ready to go before realizing that the survey of my
favorite things begun here for my 40th birthday hadn’t been updated in over a year.
A click on Dave’s name in the labels below will show that his brand of television, unsurprisingly, merits the designation.
Honestly, I’ve been watching David Letterman since before any of us knew who he
was. Once he was tapped by NBC to replace Tom Snyder at 12:30 a.m. following Johnny Carson’s Tonight, I remembered seeing him pop up as a weatherman on Mork & Mindy and catching part of his short-lived morning program in my grandparents’ kitchen. The David Letterman Show started (and ended) in 1980; Late Night began in 1982 and he left to launch The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS in 1993. Although 35 years of appearing on television more days than not has earned him a break — us too, he’d surely joke — I was happy to hear that he qualified his departure by adding “… for
now”.
At least two observations I want to share I’ve made here before: I find Jay Leno unfunny, his delivery poor, and his conversational skills lacking, which you’d think would be the kiss of death for a talk-show host. For those reasons as well as certain behind-the-scenes conduct by his staff before and since he took over for Johnny, I’m solidly Team Dave — even though I know Letterman is no saint. I also very much appreciate that Dave was able to transition into more of an establishment role after moving into the earlier hour, opposite Tonight, providing thoughtful interviews
while maintaining a healthy amount of irreverence towards institutions up to and including his own.
I’d love to see Letterman in a role similar to the one Snyder had on the original
post-Dave Late Late Show, talking only to people he wants to about subjects that interest him — scientists like Michio Kaku and Neil DeGrasse Tyson, political observers like Rachel Maddow, genuine off-screen friends or acquaintances like Michael Keaton, Amy Sedaris, and Tom Brokaw — perhaps just one night a week, Fridays, when the alternative is often repeats.
At this week’s TV “upfronts” we got trailers for CBS’ new Supergirl, to air Mondays at
8 p.m. ET come November, and the CW Arrow/Flash spinoff DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which bows at midseason. [bad links]
Ra's al Ghul is practically a millennial next to the immortal Vandal Savage, who’s mentioned in the latter. I’d love to find out that he or some continuity-altering character from the comics (say, Glorith or the Time Trapper) has prevented Kal-El from becoming Superman on the current “Earth-CW”. Perhaps once Rip Hunter’s motley crew properly resets history the Arrow/Flash universe could merge with that of Supergirl or otherwise establish Superman and Batman as existing in that universe — and Man of Steel as but a glimpse into a sad, twisted parallel reality.
Promo image © 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Related: Kind of Blue • When Barry Met Ollie • Live-Action Comics
