New faces of late night: Mo'Nique, Wanda Sykes

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http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/new-faces-of-late-night-mo-nique-wanda-sykes-1.1557197

Ask Sykes why it has taken so long to incorporate some diversity into late-night and she offers a sly, tongue-in-cheek response.

"White people," she says. "There are too many of you."

Following Oprah's example

Meanwhile, daytime talk TV has become the domain of women - including Oprah Winfrey - largely because females make up the daytime target audience.

Mo'Nique, who says she was inspired by Winfrey and has long yearned to do a talk show, says she's looking forward to joining the "boys' club." Her show, however, originates from Atlanta - not the typical late-night hub - and will offer a distinct alternative.

"What makes me different is I wear dresses every night," she says. "Now, if George wears dresses, that's his business. But I hope he don't do it out in public."

While the newcomers bring change to the late-night landscape, it remains to be seen what kind of impact they can make. Lopez says his show's position on basic cable will allow him the "freedom to take greater liberties," but his ratings aren't likely to approach Leno or Letterman level. The same can be said for Mo'Nique on the niche BET.

Meanwhile, Sykes is on a broadcast network, but her platform will be limited by the Saturday night time slot.

Still, these shows can have an influence, claims Deggans, who believes other networks will get involved if viewers respond. It also will depend, he says, on whether they can "distill something special" that the network shows have not.

"Arsenio offered a window into a vibrant, often-black entertainment culture that was mostly absent from the late-night mainstream," he says. "But these days, Jimmy Fallon has the Roots as a house band. Jay Leno had Kanye West and Jay-Z as his first musical guests [in his new time slot]. If any of these other comics can tap a special vibe, they will stick out as vibrant alternative. If not, they're just the same old shtick in a different-hued wrapper." (That's pretty much the definition of minorities on soaps right now - marceline)

Wanda Sykes is psyched for her new talk show

Heading to the set of CBS’ “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” where she plays acerbic Barb, and fresh from her latest hilarious HBO special, “I’ma Be Me,” Wanda Sykes is exhausted yet exhilarated from work and caring for the 6-month-old twins she and her wife have. Her new late-night show hadn’t been taped at this writing, but Sykes, 45, explained the premise to Zap2it.

Will anything be off limits?

No. I told the writers as long as it’s relevant, if I can see why we are doing it, it has to be grounded in reality, let’s not be mean-spirited. I’m not going to just call somebody fat.

What’s the format?

I am going to do a monologue. It will be the big story — whatever the hot story is everyone is talking about this week. I have a sidekick, Keith Robinson. We have been friends for over 20 years. He’s a very funny comic who opened for me on the road. The audience can see me with my real friends. He pushes my buttons.

So you can riff on anything from reality shows to philandering politicians. Then what happens?

Then it’s just a big hodgepodge. We’re calling it “Wandarama.” That will be video clips and photos, doing all of the stories of the week, then a three-minute produced piece, a man-on-the-street or correspondent. This weekend I went to Adultcon, the convention for the porn industry, asking them to go green. What’s wrong with a solar-powered vibrator?

That should be rich territory. After the produced piece, what do you do?

Then a panel. That’s where the drinking begins. There’s a bar onstage. And we will have a panel, a pundit or an author and a celebrity and maybe a comedian. Not straight-on interviews, more about whatever pop culture, another pushing the buttons. It will not be interviewing a star about his new movie. It’s a little bit like Bill Maher, but not so stiff, more laid-back. Just hanging out with your friends on a Saturday night.

Who would be your ideal guests?

I would love to have Jane Fonda, Chris Rock and Andy Roddick, would be a great panel. Throw Michael Phelps in there.

Anyone you don’t want on?

Jon and Kate, no thank you. And I don’t know if I need to talk to real housewives, but I don’t want to rule anyone out. I am not going to have anyone on if I’m not going to be pleasant.

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Given the pitiful state of daytime and the fact that NBC has brought Jay Leno into primetime, I'm very interested to see how this works. I love Wanda and I hope she can turn this into something amazing. I've been watching the interviews she's been doing and I especially like the fact that she talks about her wife and their life together with complete openness and nonchalance. I'm also a fan of George Lopez. (Mo-Nique, not so much, although I wish her the best.)

[DRW50]

I've always liked Wanda Sykes.

[JackPeyton]

I watched a clip of Mo'Nique talk show, idk, she came across fake to me.

But i love Wanda!

[ReddFoxx]

It's about time there was a little diversity in late night. I look forward to Wanda's show, she's a good comedian. I'm not the biggest fan of Monique, but I like her interview style, she really asks good questions and the guests get to answers candidly.

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I like the fact that the guests on Wanda's show will be openly drinking. Let's face it plenty of late might guests have been in various states of chemical intoxication so that's not new but I like the fact that she's going for the cocktail lounge atmosphere.

I would be very happy to see Wanda and George Lopez pick up a nice chunk of audience but more than that I want to see them make some kind of pop culture impact even if it's a something as simple as a buzzphrase that catches on. That's the kind of stuff Madison Ave. pays attention to. Arsenio did it with "Things that make you go hmmm..." and the "woof-woof" fist pump. Colbert managed to make a splash with "truthiness." The time is ripe for something new.

[All My Shadows]

I wish the best for them all. I have never *ever* gotten the appeal of lameasses like Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, and the rest. I hate those shows with white hot intensity...these dorkos come out, say a joke that's been said A MILLION TIMES during the day already, and grin while the audience laughs uncontrollably at them.

[Chris B]

My favorite late night show is Jimmy Kimmel. He has the best produced show, the funniest monologue and it's the most consistently funny show. The new Mo-Nique show is terrible. Her monologue sucks, the band sucks and she makes her guests uncomfortable. She preaches too much about how brilliant all of her guests are. She just plain sucks. I do look forward to Wanda's show, but I wonder how successful it can be airing once a week on Saturday.

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I've heard nothing but lukewarm to bad things about Mo'Nique's show and I'm not surprised. Unfortunately, we're talking about BET so...

I'm halfway through Wanda's HBO special and I've laughed so hard that my ribs hurt. She's got good material and a great perspective, I hope she can parley it into talk show success. The Chris Rock Show did okay on HBO so maybe it's Wanda's time.

Of the existing people in late night, I think Craig Ferguson is brilliant. I have a lot of affection for Letterman and Conan but Ferguson really works for me. Perhaps it's the accent.

[Cheap21]

The Mo'nique show is HORRIBLE!. I tried to watch it but I cant stand how she keeps screaming and shouting as if she's feeling the holy ghost at church. She talks as if she's preaching. Very annoying. I hate that BET bumped Wendy Williams (a much more enjoyable show) back an hour to give her time slot to Mo.

[bellcurve]

My favorite late-night show is "Nightline." I used to get the day's topics and headlines from that show.

With that said, I think Ferguson is cool. Jimmy Fallon fails at life.

And FOX would never do this, but I really want them to turn Wanda show into a daily engagement. Make it a 10-11PM show. I think urban audiences would love Wanda(especially people in L.A.). I could see her making FOX alot of money in the late night genre. But I don't think today's FOX would ever touch five nights a week of Wanda.