(Dennis) Miller Takes a Break to Tweak Format (2 Week hiatus)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/19121.htm

DENNIS Miller is taking a two- week hiatus from his new CNBC talk show - which is being remade while he's gone.
"The main thing we're going to do differently is to have a studio audience," consulting producer Steve Friedman told The Post. "We're not doing the 'Tonight Show' - we want it more like a nightclub, and we're looking at an audience of around 100 people a day." Miller has, thus far, worked without a studio audience - relying only on laughs from his crew.

"Dennis' comedy is terrific, and it really helps if somebody is there to respond to it," Friedman said. "I love the crew, but that's not enough."

Friedman was brought in recently to consult on "Dennis Miller," which has averaged 303,000 viewers (9 p.m.) on CNBC since premiering Jan. 26 - up 131 percent over the timeslot's fourth quarter '03 average. "They were planning on bringing somebody in, and it happened to be me," said Friedman, who formerly oversaw CBS' "The Early Show" and spent years at NBC's "Today" show before that.

With any luck maybe they can't find a 100 Freepers a night to laugh at his lame jokes and suck up to the Bushies.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. I hope it's a permanent break

[Protagoras]

32. His show was so deeply unfunny

I can't believe it got thru the first week. But I guess millions of dollars were worth those 300,000 viewers who were bored enough to tune in for 5 minutes to watch DM humiliate himself with a chimpanzee.

Sad, pathetic, tragic....just say no to Drugs Dennis.

[demoman123]

73. It is borrrrrrrrrring.

n/t

[Dover]

2. I don't know if there are enough young Republicans around to keep

his audience filled. Maybe if they paid them and put them on a rotational system....

Of course, the training they'd have to give them for "laughing on cue" might begin to dig into profit...

[DoctorMyEyes]

7. freepers don't know what the hell he's talking about

freepers don't know what the hell he's talking about anyway - they'll need the cue cards.

[DoctorMyEyes]

3. I've seen a few minutes

worth of two of his shows and from what I saw it was incredibly sad.

Dennis has given new meaning to "jumped the shark". Maybe they should lose him and keep the monkey.

[Go Eagles]

25. He's way beyond jumping the shark

Dennis jumped with Monday Night Football. He's been a complete chump since becomeing a Bush shill.

[bushisanidiot]

4. Bwahahaha! They Have to Find 100 people for a studio audience

every week who they'll have to pay to laugh at Miller's lame "jokes".

I think CNBC knows it screwed up with the miller show and is trying to get out of it.

[RamboLiberal]

9. They have to find a 100 people a night I think

That's 500 a week. Ha Ha - Where's the dead pool on Miller's show?

[K8-EEE]

50. I'll Go!! Seriously!

Would love to groaaaan at DM's lameness and WOOOHOOOOO anybody who takes him on.

[Alpharetta]

5. maybe he could draw a crowd if he taped in parking lots

7-11's, auto dealership tent sales, etc.

[Beetwasher]

6. That's NEVER Good News for a New Show

His days are numbered.

All I can say is HA HA!

[underpants]

8. No it is a sure sign of big trouble

How long has he been on the air? A month?

Huge trouble. Tip for Dennis:Be more funny.

[SoCalDem]

10. Hahahahahahahahha

:)

[Robb]

11. Memo to CNBC execs:

This would be a funnier show without Dennis on it.

I tried to give him a fair shake the other night, but he just wasn't funny. I can't imagine thinking he was funny even if I agreed with his political stance. :shrug:

[Bridget Burke]

12. Like a restaurant "closed for remodeling"....

Usually, it never re-opens.

[Skittles]

13. he is f***ing terrible

he used to be so sardonic and witty; now he comes off as hateful and desperate. I hope this lousy show will be the last wee see of him.

[wicket]

14. his show sucks

I tuned in one night for about 10 minutes, and it was so painful to watch. I almost felt embarassed for him. He's really turned into a bitter unfunny old man.

[JusticeForAll]

17. Agreed

I forced myself to watch the first several tapings the whole way through. There was nothing redeeming, funny or informative about his so-called comedy. I think most of the republican base that watch this show probably don't get half of his stupidly twisted convoluted jokes anyway.

[Khephra]

15. I used to be a big fan of his

But sometime around the point when he got married, his matterial changed. There's an old saying about people growing more conservative once they settle down, get married, and have kids. It's not true in every case, but it is true in his case.

[Protagoras]

34. Ever wonder how drugs can ruin your life?

Just watch the Dennis Miller show. Maybe he can get a tax break if he reclassifies his show as a PSA.

This is your comedian washed up on Drugs.
This is the Chimp the comedian is forced to talk to.
This is the audience who isn't watching.

[Khephra]

38. I don't blame drugs

Look at Bill Hick's material. He was more stoned than I've ever been, but more liberal than me at points.

Maybe it was the brown acid?

[TheDonkey]

16. LMAO!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Dennis Miller's show sucks SO bad it's depressing.
A live audience would probably boo the idiot off stage.
I can't believe they are already re-tooling the show after... what? 1 month of being on air?

[Fovea]

18. Buh-bye Dennis

Au revoir...not.

[coloradodem2005]

19. If he wants to tweak format, he should stop being so partisan.

[maxsolomon]

29. he picked the wrong time to shill for the GOP

that star is descendent.

after afganistan, on the build up to iraq would have been much smarter.

[Sagan]

20. Comedy directed at the powerless is never funny

That's why SNL WAS funny when it ragged on Reagan and Bush1 and Clinton when they were in office. And why it was NOT funny when it kept ragging on Clinton and Gore after Chimpy was appointed by the Supreme Court.

[rustydad]

21. Sooooooooo bad

This is either the worst show I have ever seen or one of the most subtil paradies of comic talk shows. In either case it unviewable for anyone with an IQ above that of bush. bob

[JeebusH]

22. Miller will still suck when he returns from "hiatus" ...

what's the point, MSGOP????

[Nlighten1]

23. Add another monkey?

Maybe 3 is the magic number.

[The Stranger]

24. Dennis Miller is an imbecile.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

26. Waiting for his SUCK-ECTOMY to heal, but it may be terminal. n/t

[sonias]

27. ha ha, now that's funny

Dennis going off the air makes me laugh. Keep it going Dennis.

Sonia

[Crachet2004]

28. Personally, I never liked Dennis Miller....

Even on 'Saturday Night Live', the great writers they had were only able to make him barely acceptable-I thought.

Now that he has gone over to the darkside, he just hasn't got it...the Force has deserted him! His talent is small to begin with-compared to many others who came out of the same stable-and let's face it...the rightwing and their agenda just isn't funny!

And we all know Miller is nothing but a phony, two-faced moneygrubber. Stick a fork in him, he is done. Yukyukyuk.

[proud patriot]

30. Hey where is the prediction thread ?

I made a predition about when The Dennis miller
would be no more .

I want to know who got closest when he gets the boot .

[scarlet_owl]

31. 100 people a day?

They might have to computer-generate them because I don't think that they'll have much luck finding that many people who think Dennis Miller is funny.

[short bus president]

33. replace him with Norm MacDonald and I'll watch

Hell, even Kevin Nealon (doing subliminable man?) would be better. Just steer clear of Colin Quinn - he's already sucking the joy out of late night on Comedy Central.

[TheBlob]

37. Norm MacDonald

may be a lot funnier than Dennis Miller, but he (like Miller) is 100% in the Bush Camp - He's just not as much of an asshole about it.

[stanwyck]

61. Colin Quinn

is going to cause me to have a serious injury. You have to have your Daily Show timing just right or else you catch a glimpse (plus hear) the odious Quinn. Better have that remote ready. He's like a dog whistle. No human can possibly understand his attraction. He's stupid, bigoted, and unattractive. And I'm being nice.

[wryter2000]

35. hahahahahah

Just proving again that wingnuts have no sense of humor. Even if DM did suddenly become funny, would anyone who'd sit in his audience know how to laugh?

Maybe he can get a job in the White House, helping them all work on their smirks.

[MoonAndSun]

36. Wanna bet he won't be back?

:nopity:

[joeunderdog]

41. Nope. This is a less-embarrassing, soft exit. He's toast.

The RW doesn't want to admit that we could've saved them time and money by listening to us about how un-funny this pathetic prick really is. We told 'em so.

He WON'T be back. There won't be any announcement, either.

[RetroLounge]

39. Bwwwwhahahhahahahhah

eom

[SOS]

40. Maybe MSRNC

could bring in Christopher Hitchens to play an Ed McMahon role.
He could sit off to the side in an alcoholic haze and bellow "Ho Ho Ho" every time Miller insults a Democrat.

[jburton]

42. Dead Man Walking

nt

[peacebuzzard]

43. he reminds me of my ex....

A sicko disgusting abnormality excuse of a human. He is so pathetic.
Besides * he is the other one I flip off in a hurry from the tube. freak.

[Manix]

44. Let's face it, he is just another washed up show biz flake desperate

to hang on to what little is left of his miserable career.
He won't last long here.

[R Hickey]

45. I saw Dennis Miller interview Scott Ritter

Miller was poor. He chuckled when he talked, the way Pat Robertson does. But his 'laugh-talk' was the only funny thing about the show.

He insulted his guest, Scott Ritter, then tried to put words into Ritter's mouth, then tried to pick a fight and say Ritter was insulting Polish people. Miller pretended he wanted to defend the proud polish soldiers from "screw in a light bulb" jokes... he sounded desperate, bitter.

[Gabysan]

52. Scott Ritter?

Do you mean Scott Ritter who picks up his underage girls at Burger King?

[thebigidea]

53. I think he means the Scott Ritter that proved your President a liar

[trumad]

75. The best response to a freepr ever...

LOL

[Spirochete]

78. Excellent answer!

[Ripley]

54. Wow another unfounded rumor thrown around.

If that were true and not a Republican Lie, why didn't the police put him in jail?

And if it were true, what does that have to do with his expert knowledge of WMD in Iraq? If it's law breaking you don't like, why would anyone vote for Gee Dumya who has a long arrest record?

[stanwyck]

59. no charges against Ritter

that's the part the hateradio rumor guys always leave out.

[stanwyck]

57. turn off the hate-radio

those guys just makeup trash. Like Kerry and the intern. Get yourself out of the gutter and take a shower. You'll feel better.

[MUAD_DIB]

62. 1 post and you are already giving it up too soon.

You really need a little help in the art of political amore.


BTW: Welcome to DU!

[Gabysan]

63. "1 post and you are already giving it up too soon."

Hardly. Stay tuned

[xray s]

69. Hey Dennis

Ain't you supposed to be reworking your show? What ya' doing here?

[kskiska]

46. Maybe they can find 100 chimps

to fill the audience every night.

I just knew outfitting the chimp in a t-shirt the color of the Homeland Security alert of the day was a bad idea, and the show wouldn't make to the next color change.

[annagull]

47. I bet they have to get an "applause" sign

even his crew couldn't figure out when Miller was being funny.

[Kool Kitty]

48. The crew couldn't figure out when he was being funny,

because he just wasn't funny. I'll bet this break isn't about re-tooling the show, it's to see if he is even missed. If they don't hear anything from the viewers, then the show won't be back.

[yellowcanine]

56. Neither could anybody else

I have never thought that Dennis Miller was funny.

[yellowcanine]

49. They're going to have to do more than "tweak" the format. How about a new

host? I hate that word "tweak" anyway. It is such a postmodern cliche. Why not just say change the format or adjust the format? Adding a studio audience can hardly be called "tweaking" anyway. Makeover is more like it.

[MoonAndSun]

51. They're going to "tweak" him right out of the line-up, and then

he will be replaced with such greats as Newtie, Dick Armey, etc. Or maybe they can have all three on the same show and the can play patty-cakes together.

[symbolman]

55. They are going to

put the Chimp in a suit as the host, and put a collar on Miller - he's going to run around naked throwing shit at people..

wait.. he already does that..

[Buns_of_Fire]

58. A chimp in a suit?

Nah, we've already got one of those in the White House.

That one isn't funny, either.

[symbolman]

60. LOL!

how could I forget that.. but he has Scott McD to thow shit for him - at the press corp, who curiously enough polish it for them..

[Ganja Ninja]

64. He'll be gone before summer.

This kind of thing is a sure sign his show is failing. Good luck trying to find 100 republican's a night to provide a living laugh track. Heck it might make his show worth watching a couple of times just to see the audience boo him out of a job.

[RamboLiberal]

67. It would be fun to get 100 DU'ers in the audience

to groan and boo his ass off the set.

[0007]

65. Dennis Miller is the most insipid and bore - bar none!!

[escapen]

66. Let's face it

It was the monkey! It was that goddam monkey! He ruined EVERYTHING! The chimp was fine, but that monkey man Miller....


es

[xray s]

68. HA! He'll be taking two weeks to yank his wanker and suck his thumb!

Gee Dennis...guess you JUST AIN'T FUNNY! :+

[Snellius]

70. I expect to hear he was found face down in his own self-pity

Miller's biggest problems have nothing to do with politics.

[PurityOfEssence]

71. A team of Proctologists work around the clock

n/t

[sendero]

72. to extricate his head...

... from his arse. But, the patient died on the table :(

[TheWebHead]

74. if DaySide on Faux can find 100 audience members

Dennis probably can too.. especially if they offer free food and drink. As much as I disliked the show unless there was a guest I was interested in, at least he admits his bias, unlike "fair and balanced" Faux.

[Sufi Marmot]

76. "The clown show has been put on hiatus for retooling..." n/t

[bushwakker]

77. Needed to find new super-sized knee pads*