12 boxes to fill in
i put in show of a doubt, but doesnt make sense!

Thanks for posting the Conan tribute to Ed McMahon. You're right, he was talented. I moved to L.A. in '83 and made a regular habit of seeing the Tonight Show, especially if anyone visited from out of town. The in-person experience is quite a bit different than what you'd see on TV. Ed's job was to warm up the audience, but it was more than that. He'd come out before the show started, and for 8, 10, 12 minutes, he'd tell stories, a few jokes, take a few questions, and it was stuff you'd never hear watching the show. He was very entertaining, very funny, and never fail, he'd always have the crowd roaring. Soon as you thought you couldn't laugh any harder that's when you realized the show had already started. Perfect timing. "Heeeeere's Johnnny!" He was the sidekick, the straight man, the second banana … but he was #1 at what he did.

I do dislike an awful lot of theatre but that's only because an awful lot of theatre is awful. There are few things I'd rather do than sit and be entertained by a wonderful play or musical. Unfortunately, that just doesn't happen that often.

And I saw that revival of Into the Woods and while it wasn't a masterpiece, it was still Into the Woods which is one of the greatest musicals EVER. Laura Benanti's performance was worth the price of admission alone (which for me was nothing since I went to opening night but that's beside the point). Ryan, you seem to dislike an awful lot of theatre…it occurs to me that perhaps you feel more comfortable being an out-of-work actor than an employed one.