Nobody did it better: Canadian comics pay tribute to Johnny Carson
TORONTO (CP) - In so many ways, Johnny Carson was an original - one of the few show business personalities who played the showbiz game and won big, leaving at the top of his game.
Undefeated champion of late night. Never pushed out. And when he retired, barely another sign of him - no infomercials, no appearances at political conventions, just the odd joke sent to his friend David Letterman.
"He had the classiest exit ever," Canadian comedian Rick Mercer said Sunday. "He retired and he never looked back, and he was never really in the public eye again. It was very classy."
For 30 years, Carson ruled the TV talk-show world, spawning imitators and parodies, including a legendary re-working of the signature "Herrrre's Johnny!" line by Jack Nicholson in the 1970s horror movie The Shining.
Canadian comedy impressario Mark Breslin said he would always think of Carson as "a gleaming figure."
"They talk about how stars emit a kind of light and you saw that with him," Breslin said.
There were indelible on-air moments: Johnny quipping that he'd give up a month's salary for a peek beneath Dolly Parton's blouse (with his huge salary, not likely); Johnny giving that dead-pan Jack Benny look whenever one of those cute zoo animals crawled on top of his head; Johnny shamelessly, giddily ripping off Jonathan Winters (his Aunt Blabby was really Winters' Maude Frickert).
His impact on the TV talk-show format was enormous. When Carson took over The Tonight Show in 1964, he returned it to its lightweight populist routes, away from the more erudite conversation encouraged by Jack Parr during his term in office from 1957 to '62, and back to the fluffiness of originator Steve Allen.
Carson also humbly returned to Tonight's original title when he took over the show. NBC was so impressed by Paar that they briefly renamed the show the Jack Paar Show, but Carson would have none of it.
The quality of TV conversation might have taken a dip under Carson, arguably until Dick Cavett came along and gave it another try, but at the same time he created a virtual comedy empire that lasted three decades.
His influence was such that the career of any rising comic who got a crack at Johnny's show was launched into the stratosphere if he got the nod of approval or, even better, was invited to sit at the couch for awhile. When Canada's Jim Carrey didn't get asked onto the couch after an appearance, he feared his career was over.
"Certainly, being asked to come over and sit down next to Johnny was considered the great honour," Breslin said, adding that Canadians like Howie Mandel, Martin Short and a handful of the SCTV gang appeared on the Tonight Show - sometimes making it as far as the sofa.
Carson was also the first late-night personality to face serious competition with the proliferation of new channel options in the latter half of his era. He also made the groundbreaking move from New York to California in the early 1970s, a controversial decision that nevertheless put more superstars within the show's reach.
Is there anyone like him now?
"It's all broken down," says Breslin. "There's somebody doing a great part of each of the things he was able to do, but nobody who can synthesize it and put it all together."
Mercer agrees, saying Carson "set a gold standard" for monologues, in particular, that few can match with any consistency.
"I know that any comedian in any comedy room remembers Johnny's monologues - it's amazing that right now you still see people trying to match them."
Breslin summed it up this way:
"I think Letterman is a fabulous broadcaster, but ironic and he represents that ironic side of him, and then I think that Jon Stewart's show is amazing and Jon Stewart is incredible and that represents the political side of him ... but there's nobody who can put it all together like Johnny Carson did."
He will be missed. He is missed already.
Tautou May Decipher 'Da Vinci Code'
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - French actress Audrey Tautou, who stars in the World War I drama "A Very Long Engagement," may have a chance to run around modern-day France for her next project.
The gamine actress will reportedly play opposite Tom Hanks in the film adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code," according to Le Parisien newspaper.
The project centers on symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks), who must clear his name of murdering a museum curator by deciphering a series of codes left by the dead man that point to the location of the Holy Grail. Tautou will play Sophie Neveu, the curator's granddaughter who helps Langdon crack the code.
Tautou, 26, beat out Sophie Marceau, former Miss France Linda Hardy and Julie Delpy for the coveted role. Also recently cast is Jean Reno as Bezu Fache, the captain of the French Judicial Police.
Director Ron Howard will begin shooting this summer, aiming for a May 19, 2006 release date.
Tautou's other film credits include "Venus Beauty Institute," "Dirty Pretty Things" and her breakthrough film "Amelie."
'Are We There Yet' Arrives Atop Box Office
LOS ANGELES - The road trip comedy "Are We There Yet?" earned $18.5 million to quickly arrive at first place in the weekend box office.
The family picture starring rapper-actor Ice Cube in its opening weekend sent "Coach Carter" back to the bench when the basketball drama brought in $11 million for second place, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
"Assault on Precinct 13," a remake of the 1976 "cult classic" about cops and criminals joining forces against a jail siege by gang members, took in $7 million in its first weekend and finished sixth in the box office tally.
Final figures were to be released Monday.
"Are We There Yet?" follows Cube as he embarks on a road trip with two manipulative children who he tolerates only because he is trying to woo their attractive divorced mother.
Showing in wide release at 2,709 theaters, "Are We There Yet?" averaged $6,829 a cinema.
"It's a total family picture," said Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures. "It's very funny and Ice Cube did a terrific job. He's just hysterical in it."
Cube, 35, next will be in "XXX: State of the Union," scheduled for release in April. The action film sequel also will feature Samuel L. Jackson, star of "Coach Carter."
The PG-rated comedy continued the trend of family films performing well at the box office, especially over the past six months, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"It's a very appealing genre. Families are always looking for entertainment, something that is suitable for the whole family," he said.
The comedy played well across demographics, with an audience breakdown of 43 percent white, 26 percent black and 18 Hispanic, Bruer said.
"Meet the Fockers," a PG-13-rated film, continued to do well and is marching toward becoming the highest grossing live-action comedy of all time. The in-law farce collected $10.2 million over the weekend to push its five week total to $247.7 million.
The blockbuster comedy moved into second place in the live-action comedy category behind record-holder "Home Alone," which earned $285.8 million. The God-comedy "Bruce Almighty" dropped to third place at $242.7 million.
The blizzard that swept across the Midwest and clobbered the Northeast kept many movie fans from the theaters, but the numbers remained slightly higher than the same weekend last year, Dergarabedian said.
Revenues from the top 12 movies were up 3.9 percent from last year.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.
1. "Are We There Yet?" $18.5 million.
2. "Coach Carter," $11 million.
3. "Meet the Fockers," $10.2 million.
4. "In Good Company," $8.5 million.
5. "Racing Stripes," $7.06 million.
6. "Assault on Precinct 13," $7.02 million.
7. "The Phantom of the Opera," $5.02 million.
8. "White Noise," $5 million.
9. "The Aviator," $4.8 million.
10. "Elektra," $3.8 million.
Oscar Nominations to Be Announced on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - And the nominees are ...
Hollywood is betting three films and one actor will dominate when the movie industry rises at dawn Tuesday to discover the players nominated to take the field in the 2005 battle for the Oscars.
In an annual ritual that has the media hordes descending bleary-eyed on the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the names of the nominees are read out for television cameras at 5:30 a.m. local time so the news can catch commuters on the way out the door on the East Coast, where it is three hours later.
Jamie Foxx's electric performance as soul singer Ray Charles in "Ray" and films about an ambitious female boxer, two losers looking for love in California wine country and a billionaire aviation visionary with a passion for movie stars and washing his hands all loom large in Oscar nominations.
The guessing around town is that the Martin Scorsese epic biography about Howard Hughes, "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood's dark and tear-stained boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" and Alexander Payne's heartbreaking comedy "Sideways" will lead the pack in nominations, with each expected to win six or more nominations in the major categories.
Saturday night, the Producers Guild of America named "The Aviator" its best picture of the year. In 11 of the past 15 years, Producers Guild of America members have honored films that went on to win the best-picture Oscar -- including last year with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Foxx may pull off an Oscar acting double if he gets nominated for best supporting actor for his role as Tom Cruise's taxi-driving captive in "Collateral" as well as for best actor in "Ray." Actors have been nominated in both categories before, but it is rare.
Some film experts dismissed 2004 as a poor year for films in general but an outstanding one for male actors.
Right now, the town is in love with Foxx. His heartfelt acceptance of a Golden Globe award for acting last Sunday had people cheering and giving him a standing ovation.
In an unusual tribute, Chris Rock, the comedian who will host the Oscars on Feb. 27, told a New York Times interviewer that if Foxx did not win, "I'm gonna talk about it on the show. ... Jamie Foxx is not going to walk out of that place without an Oscar."
COMPETITIVE RACE
While critics hail his performance as Ray Charles as nothing short of a cinematic transformation, no actor is an island and Foxx will have plenty of competition for the best acting Oscar.
Among the possible contenders are Spanish actor Javier Bardem for his performance as a man paralyzed from the neck down in "The Sea Inside," Don Cheadle as the hotel keeper out to save lives in an ethnic slaughter in "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp as Peter Pan's creator in "Finding Neverland" and Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes in "The Aviator."
Also seen as possible nominees are Paul Giamatti as the wine-loving teacher in "Sideways," Clint Eastwood as the trainer in "Million Dollar Baby" and Liam Neeson as the pioneer sex expert Alfred Kinsey in "Kinsey."
The best picture and best director categories might end in a classic "High Noon" showdown between two of the town's major filmmakers, Eastwood, who directed "Million Dollar Baby" and at age 74 seems to be getting better with each film, and Martin Scorsese, creator of "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver" and "Mean Streets."
While his works may be studied in film schools, Scorsese has never won a best director's Oscar or a best picture one.
The other films vying to be nominated for the best-picture Oscar are the year's most controversial political movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," drama "Finding Neverland," "Hotel Rwanda," "Sideways," "Ray," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Kinsey."
In the best actress category, it might again shape up as a battle between Annette Bening, for her performance as the actress with an ego and heart as big as Buckingham Palace in "Being Julia," and Hilary Swank, who plays the gritty boxer dangerously searching to "be someone" in "Million Dollar Baby."
The two faced off in the 2000 Oscars when Swank, in an upset, won for her portrayal of a woman living as a man in "Boys Don't Cry."
Other possible best actress nominees are British actress Imelda Staunton as the kindly abortionist in "Vera Drake," Kate Winslet as the disappearing love interest in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Catalina Sandino Moreno as the drug mule in "Maria, Full of Grace" and Emmy Rossum as the love interest in "The Phantom of the Opera."
Carson's parting words on Tonight Show
(AP) - Some quotes from Johnny Carson on his final show, May 22, 1992: "I am taking the applause sign home, putting it in the bedroom." (On his sons in the audience and the death of another son, Rick, in a car crash): "It would have been a perfect evening if their brother Rick had been here with us. But I guess life does what it's supposed to do and you accept it and go on."
(On then-vice-president Dan Quayle, whose remarks on single mothers and the TV show Murphy Brown were making headlines): "I really want to thank him for making my final week so fruitful."
"And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."
"You people watching, I can only tell you that it's been an honour and a privilege coming into your homes all these years to entertain you. And I hope when I find something I want to do and think you would like, I can come back and (you will be) as gracious in inviting me into your homes as you have been."
"I bid you a very heartfelt good night."
Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies
LOS ANGELES - Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79. Carson "passed away peacefully" early Sunday morning and was surrounded by his family, his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press.
Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or the location.
The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.
His wealth, the adoration of his guests — particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched — the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.
"Heeeeere's Johnny!" was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."
But America never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992. In his final show, he told his audience: "And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."
His personal life could not match the perfection of his career. Carson was married four times, divorced three. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-old Ricky, was killed in a car accident.
Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from his postwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades with NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."
Carson choose to let "Tonight" stand as his career zenith and his finale, withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusing involvement in other show business projects.
In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.
"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."
He was open to finding the right follow-up to "Tonight," he told friends. But his longtime producer, Fred de Cordova, said Carson didn't feel pressured — he could look back on his TV success and say "I did it."
"And that makes sense. He is one of a kind, was one of a kind," de Cordova said in 1995. "I don't think there's any reason for him to try something different."
Carson spent his retirement years sailing, traveling and socializing with a few close friends including media mogul Barry Diller and NBC executive Bob Wright. He simply refused to be wooed back on stage.
"The reason I really don't go back or do interviews is because I just let the work speak for itself," he told Esquire magazine in 2002 in a rare interview.
The former talk show host did find an outlet for his creativity: He wrote short humor pieces for The New Yorker magazine, including "Recently Discovered Childhood Letters to Santa," which purported to give the youthful wish lists of William Buckley, Don Rickles and others.
Carson made his debut as "Tonight" host in October 1962. Audiences quickly grew fond of his boyish grin and easy wit. He even made headlines with such clever ploys as the 1969 on-show marriage of eccentric singer Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki, which won the show its biggest-ever ratings.
The wedding and other noteworthy moments from the show were collected into a yearly "Tonight" anniversary special.
In 1972, "Tonight" moved from New York to Burbank. Growing respect for Carson's consistency and staying power, along with four consecutive Emmy Awards, came his way in the late 1970s.
His quickness and his ability to handle an audience were impressive. When his jokes missed their target, the smooth Carson won over a groaning studio audience with a clever look or sly, self-deprecating remark.
Politics provided monologue fodder for him as he skewered lawmakers of every stripe, mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixon were seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1974.
He made presidential history again in July 1988 when he had then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton on his show a few days after Clinton came under widespread ridicule for a boring speech at the Democratic National Convention. Clinton traded quips with Carson and played "Summertime" on the saxophone. Four years later, Clinton won the presidency.
Carson dispatched would-be late-night competitors with aplomb. Competing networks tried a variety of formats and hosts but never managed to best "Tonight" and Carson.
There was the occasional battle with NBC: In 1967, for instance, Carson walked out for several weeks until the network managed to lure him back with a contract that reportedly gave him $1 million-plus yearly.
In 1980, after more walkout threats, the show was scaled back from 90 minutes to an hour. Carson also eased his schedule by cutting back on his work days; a number of substitute hosts filled in, including Joan Rivers, David Brenner, Jerry Lewis and Jay Leno, Carson's eventual successor.
Rivers was one of the countless comedians whose careers took off after they were on Carson's show. After she rocked the audience with her jokes in that 1965 appearance, he remarked, "God, you're funny. You're going to be a star."
"If Johnny hadn't made the choice to put me on his show, I might still be in Greenwich Village as the oldest living undiscovered female comic," she recalled in an Associated Press interview 20 years later. She tried her own talk show in 1986, quickly becoming one of the many challengers who could not budge Carson.
In the '80s, Carson was reportedly the highest-paid performer in television history with a $5 million "Tonight" show salary alone.
His Carson Productions created and sold pilots to NBC, including "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes." Carson himself made occasional cameo appearances on other TV series.
He also performed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J., and was host of the Academy Awards five times in the '70s and '80s.
Carson's graceful exit from "Tonight" did not avoid a messy, bitter tug-of-war between Leno and fellow comedian David Letterman. Leno took over as "Tonight" host on May 25, 1992, becoming the fourth man to hold the job after founding host Steve Allen, Paar and Carson.
Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk, Neb. He started his show business career at age 14 as the magician "The Great Carsoni."
After World War II service in the Navy, he took a series of jobs in local radio and TV in Nebraska before starting at KNXT-TV in Los Angeles in 1950.
There he started a sketch comedy show, "Carson's Cellar," which ran from 1951-53 and attracted attention from Hollywood. A staff writing job for "The Red Skelton Show" followed.
The program provided Carson with a lucky break: When Skelton was injured backstage, Carson took the comedian's place in front of the cameras.
Producers tried to find the right program for the up-and-coming comic, trying him out as host of the quiz show "Earn Your Vacation" (1954) and in the variety show "The Johnny Carson Show" (1955-56).
From 1957-62 he was host of the daytime game show "Who Do You Trust?" and, in 1958, was joined for the first time by McMahon, his durable "Tonight" buddy.
A few acting roles came Carson's way, including one on "Playhouse 90" in 1957, and he did a pilot in 1960 for a prime-time series, "Johnny Come Lately," that never made it onto a network schedule.
In 1958, Carson sat in for "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar. When Paar left the show four years later, Carson was NBC's choice as his replacement.
After his retirement, Carson took on the role of Malibu-based retiree with apparent ease. An avid tennis fan, he was still playing a vigorous game in his 70s.
He and his wife, Alexis, traveled frequently. The pair met on the Malibu beach in the early 1980s; he was 61 when they married in June 1987, she was in her 30s.
Carson's first wife was his childhood sweetheart, Jody, the mother of his three sons. They married in 1949 and split in 1963.
He married Joanne Copeland Carson in 1963; divorce came in 1972. His third marriage, to Joanna Holland Carson, took place in 1972. They separated in 1982 and reached a divorce settlement in 1985.
On the occasion of Carson's 70th birthday in 1995, former "Tonight" bandleader Doc Severinsen, who toured with musicians from the show, said he was constantly reminded of Carson's enduring popularity.
"Every place we go people ask `How is he? Where is he? What is he doing? Tell him how much we miss him.' It doesn't surprise me," Severinsen said.
The brisk sale of the video collection "Johnny Carson: His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show," released in 1994, offered further proof of his appeal.
He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1992, with the first President Bush saying, "With decency and style he's made America laugh and think." In 1993, he was celebrated by the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for career achievement.