Let's be glad there are plenty of sinning politicians and celebrities in the world. "The Jay Leno Show" has an easy time finding laughs.
That was clear tonight, when Bill Maher argued that not all cheaters are equal; Gov. Mark Sanford, he argued, is a true romantic. To prove that, he juxtaposed portions of two E-mails -- the florid ones from Sanford and the crude ones from former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. The result was sad, but terribly funny.
And it fit right in with the evening. In his monolog, Leno had told about Sanford's bike accident. ("Every time he mounts something, there's trouble.") And the guy arrested for planning terrorism with his father? ("Terrorism with your dad? Even Michelle Phillips went "eeeeww"). And he said it was so hot this weekend that "everyone was sweating like Roman Polanski at a Hanna Montana concert."
As long as we have an infinite number of famous sinners, Leno will thrive. Otherwise, tonight's show was bad and good:
-- Bad. A guest "correspondent" had a relatively weak bit, making up jingles for small businesses. A somewhat similar bit with Dan Finnerty worked because there was some witty songwriting; this one had none of that. It reminded us that attempts at "found" humor aren't nearly as funny as well-written bits.
-- Good. Maher was a great guest. As always, he had lots to say and said it with wit.
-- Bad. When talking with Maher about Sanford's Argentine mistress, Leno repeated his "sleep America first" joke. On his 11th episode, he shouldn't be repeating jokes.
-- Good. The "Headlines" -- which appear every Monday -- are hilarious. These are real things in newspapers, from misprints ("Ladies' State Porker Championship") to someone who lost his finger (and his chainsaw) in a woods.
-- Both. Brad Paisley's "Welcome to the Future" is a wonderful song. Adding Sheryl Crow, however, added nothing. The same thing happened during the first week, when Eric Clapton was wasted alongside Bruce Hornsby. On nights like this, the notion of celebrity duets seems like an empty gimmick.