Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Conan owns the night

So I checked, and yep, Conan still rules late night. I haven't watched any late night TV in over a year, but the post-strike return of the majors got me curious, and just as I suspected, Conan is still the boss of them all. We've got a grade-A strike beard, inane stunts (laser light shows! a zip line! making Tom Brokaw go through a cardboard maze!), and surprisingly great guests. The seemingly neverending parade of NBC newscasters has yielded actual hilarity, and the lack of boring celebrities has paved the way for guests like...Sue Johanson! Now listen: Sue Johanson rocked my world when I was a college freshman. The novelty's worn off now (for the most part), but when I was 18, seeing a little old lady demonstrating sexual positions with plastic figurines, reviewing sex toys, and answering clueless viewers' intimate questions in graphic detail was awesome. Awesome and a little bit scary. I think Conan was a little bit scared of her, too.

What's great about returning to Conan is that the show has seemingly been tailored to my tastes all of a sudden. Not only did Sue Johanson appear, the Max Weinberg 7 launched into "Immigrant Song" the other day, complete with Conan riffing on the lyrics. And last night, he had INGRID MICHAELSON on as a musical guest! I LOVE Ingrid Michaelson! My friend Lauren introduced me to her music about a month ago, and I was instantly besotted. And she made Conan a little clay figurine in his likeness, with detachable strike beard, which is about the cutest thing ever. Click on the link above to see the performance (and the clay Conan!). So awesome.

Here's her MySpace page: yay Ingrid! She's coming to Dallas on March 14th, and I plan to be there with a giant goofy grin on my face.
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Y'all should try some roasted Brussels sprouts. They're yummy, I promise; I wouldn't lead you astray. Until I was 23, I didn't eat any vegetables but corn and potatoes, let alone green things. So imagine my surprise when, about a year ago, I bravely tossed some sprouts in the oven and ended up enjoying them. Immensely! If you've never had 'em, or you think you hate the (unfairly maligned) sprout, give this a try: Oven at 400 F; rinse & stem your sprouts; halve 'em, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Pop in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until they're browned on the cut sides. Remove from oven, sprinkle a bit more salt on top, and devour! They're good with a squeeze or two of lemon juice, too.
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New (to me) music I'm enjoying right now (look out for an extended post later!):

Radiohead, In Rainbows
Silverchair, Young Modern
Suzanne Vega, Beauty & Crime
The Decemberists, The Crane Wife

1 comment:

Gail Dixon said...

Oooh, I love this post - especially your thoughts on the return of late night tv. Interesting to see how the networks are coping with the writer's strike and what we, as viewers will get treated to, that's out of the ordinary.

Sue Johanson, huh? *giggles* I've caught her late at night before and though she's a little dry in comparison to Dr. Ruth, she still captures one's attention. Maybe that's why she is so captivating because she explains how to use a dildo as though explaining how to open a can of tuna!