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BY STACY ST. CLAIR and WHITNEY WOODWARD -- Chicago Daily Herald -- Thursday, May 11, 2006 What makes him special By Stacy St. Clair He had me at edelweiss. At the close of his very first show in 1993, Conan O'Brien offered a lullaby for insomniacs. He and guest Tony Randall then sang "Edelweiss," as the cameras cut to a nun and a Nazi officer weeping in the audience. The duet created a hilarious awkwardness that would become the show's foundation. If this man could love the "Sound of Music" and the guy from "Love, Sidney" as much as I did, he deserved - just like that Austrian blossom of snow - to bloom and grow forever. That allowed me to forgive a lot over the years: C-list guests, indiscreet bears, his stilted interviewing style and his Boston Red Sox worship, among others. But it also helped me appreciate his gift, as a few examples demonstrate: • He helped launch the career of the greatest puppet since Kermit the Frog. With his biting interviews, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has angered everyone from Eminem to the Canadian Parliament. "Have you ever talked to a woman who didn't ask for a credit card number?" Triumph once asked a group of costume-clad "Star Wars" fans. • He takes chances. Though some skits fall flat, he routinely strikes comedy gold. Case in point: "Inside the Actors Studio" host James Lipton recently appeared on the show in a trucker's cap and recited the lyrics to the Kevin Federline song "PopoZao." • He doesn't exude an Ivy League smugness. Though he's the past editor of the Harvard Lampoon, his humor is more self-deprecating than self-indulgent. Consider what he told students during a 2000 commencement speech at his alma mater. "I thought exactly what you're thinking now," he said. "What's going to happen to me? Will I find my place in the world? Am I really graduating a virgin?" • He gives Mr. T. work. The former "A-Team" member frequently appears in sketches on the show. On Monday, he drove O'Brien around Chicago, a segment the South Side-born T referred to as "Driving Mr. Daisy." • Finnish people love him. O'Brien traveled to Finland earlier this year to meet with President Tarja Halonen, with whom he bears a striking resemblance. "Once I conquer Finland, I'll head south through the Baltics and on to Belarus," he said before leaving. "Soon all the world will find me mildly amusing." Conan's juvenile By Whitney Woodward While Conan O'Brien may have a strong grip on the youth demographic, his comedy leaves much to be desired - to wit, taste, tact and consistency. I admire that O'Brien takes risks, but some of his attempts have left much to be desired (a certain immodest bear comes to mind). Chicagoans scavenging for tickets to his remaining Chicago shows should remember some of O'Brien's less-than-impressive comedic moments. • A former "Simpsons" writer, Conan O'Brien clearly has some comedic skills. But, his big-headedness - and I'm not just talking about his hair - gets in the way. In "Conan Hates My Homeland," the redheaded stand-up began a verbal assault on countries across the globe. The egotistical act was O'Brien's attempt to garner angry letters so he would know how many countries his show was airing in. Narcissistic? Nah. • Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, is the most obvious example of O'Brien's less-than-discriminating taste. Using jokes better suited for an audience of ages 5 to 9 than 25 to 39, former head writer Robert Smigel's cigar-puffing puppet pooch dishes out insults (often reliant on bodily humor) that should impress only the most childish of viewers. • Half of O'Brien's show is often wasted on the host himself commenting on the audience's less-than-enthusiastic responses to jokes. Take a hint, Conan: If the people coming to see you aren't laughing, maybe your jokes aren't that funny. • Jay Leno's "Headlines" segment has ruled the late-night scene for years and for good reason. O'Brien has copied this segment in a display of uninspired comedy: He displays altered clips and vainly attempts to pass them off as authentic and funny. He succeeds on neither front. • Conan thinks his hair is hot stuff - and often, his pseudo-pompadour is the most amusing part of the show. Conan's cameramen often zoom in on close-ups of the comic's poofy, unmanageable, red mane. I can only assume the show must resort to this stock segment when there's a shortage of real material. |