Moods

Why does Carson Daly have his own late night show? I just don't understand. His show, Last Call follows the Emmy Award winning Late Night with Conan O'Brien which in turn follows the number one late night show for years and years - the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno is funny - he caters to a more mainstream crowd due to his earlier time slot so the show does not get too rowdy but it's classy and fun and - well - it's an institution in this country. Jay Leno has done a fantastic job of staying on the top of the ratings game for decades - and he started his career as a stand up comic - an entertainer. Conan O'Brien is just plain hysterical. His show takes full advantage of its later time slot with goofy, seemingly random sketch comedy, twisted humor, and his own right on the mark comic sensibilities. Conan began as a writer for Saturday Night Live - a perfect fit for the New York based late night show and showcase for the man's talents.

But as soon as Conan is over, another show comes on. It's the third in the lineup and I've come to believe the show that tells the nation, "Hey--it's time for bed. No more TV. We will now make you wish you hadn't stayed up so late." The show is Last Call with Carson Daly. The equation simply does not make any sense. Daly came into the public eye (as far as I know - and correct me if I'm wrong) with the MTV show, TRL (Total Requests Live). It was a format perfect for a clean cut and moderately hip HOST - not a COMEDIAN but a host. He stood around in New York and interviewed "hot right now" musicians and performers and introduced music videos in front of a wild live crowd. He was good at that job. He was a good HOST. He was not funny. He didn't need to be funny. He had only to show enough personality to fill in for where the screaming crowd and the rock stars fell short.

So now here he is: Un-funny, non-comedian, HOST GUY who was somehow given his own late night variety show. Writers write jokes for him but it's like watching Tiger Woods attempt stand up. He has guests but can never seem to ask them anything interesting and instead appears to hide behind his desk, growing visibly uncomfortable with any personality variance that might require improvisation or comic relief. As a matter of fact, I've seen him apparently make guests feel uncomfortable with his odd nervous banter as they attempt an on the air conversation. It is as though someone gave him the job assuming that hosting a show and hosting a late night COMEDIC variety show are the same thing.

How many great comics would love to have a chance at Last Call? How much talent was overlooked in order to decide on such a lackluster follow-up to NBC's late night classics? How much ass kissing and executive statistical chart reading had to occur in order to justify an attempt at creating a funny man out of a preppy but visible(?) snorefest with the swagger of a freshman journalist instead of giving the opportunity to a true comedian - a performer with charisma, a keen sense of comic timing, and showmanship that have made the variety show what it is since the beginning of television?

Seeing this guy on the air completely baffles me. Perhaps the executives sleep through that part of the broadcast and just check the stats on prime time. Or perhaps I'm really missing something. Anything's possible.

Good luck with this one...really.

©Copyright 2007 Jason Loya
Ink and Pencil on Paper

I meditate on
The silent, silent sound;
The sexual spiritual
Semblance of a man--

The sound that echoes reason,
Treason,
Disease, and all that feeds
On emptiness and endlessness
And ceaseless busyness--

And somewhere in the din
Behind the howling wind,
A gentle warming breeze
Whispers quietly
The simple secret:

be

And it's clouded by the noise
Once again...

©Copyright 2007 Jason J. Loya
Note: This is my 100th post. I have had this blog since January 2, 2005.

I recently completed my first website gig for someone other than myself or my company. It is a site for actor, Matt Ritchey and I think it turned out rather well. You can see my handiwork at mattritchey.net

I find it interesting that I can add "web builder" to my resume because I have for so long shunned digital art in favor of fine art (painting, sculpture, drawing, etc). While I am still not a huge fan of straight "digital art" - as in "paintings" done on computers, web building is a bit different. It started because I needed a site and didn't have the money to build one - but did have all of the top notch web building programs.

So over the course of the last couple years, it became sort of a challenge to myself to figure out how to use the tools to create something not just functional but unique. So far, I have been pleased - though I'm sure I've lost a lot of sleep and A LOT of hair in the process.

So while I do not see myself becoming a career web designer, it is not a bad way for an otherwise starving artist to make a living being creative and I'm proud of my work to boot. So if you want, check out jasonloya.com (parent to this blog), mutinyuniverse.com, and the latest: mattritchey.com I know I'm no übergeek with all the young web gurus out there - but I'm trying! :-)

I have had some of my work available through a site called imagekind.com for a while but being that I am an artist and not a marketer, I haven't spread the word much. Below is a banner that links to my imagekind.com galleries. I chose this site because they not only offer prints but also the option for custom framing in many different styles and a wide selection of paper weights and textures. I have some prints available through my cafepress.com store but they do not offer the wide variety of services found at imagekind.com.

So if you are one of the 4 people who look at this site and have an interest in a quality art print, take a look!

So it's really very rare that I write anything here informational. Usually it's poetry or pictures. That is probably why I don't get as many hits to this site as I'd like. It may also be because I'm not selling some hip product. In any case, this one's for the bloggers. My good friend, Ryan (www.deramos.org) discovered this cool widget system called Blog Rush. It's free and very cool because you sign up and put the widget on your blog. Then other people's blogs with similar content show up in the little window and likewise, your blog shows up in everyone else's window. It's a VERY new service but a very good one for making a visit to your blog more enjoyable for readers while getting plugging your site at the same time! Anyway, given that most people who read these things also have one themselves, I thought I'd share. You can go HERE to sign up or check it out. Thanks for stopping by JasonLoyaCreations!

Oil, Pastel, and Ink on Canvas
18"x24"

I used a different technique for this one. Normally I like heavy oil and glazing. For this one, I started with thick paint and oil and then went to turpentine washes with oil paint and pastel. I like the illustrative look that I achieved. It's different than my usual fare...whatever that may be.

Charcoal and Oil Pastel on Paper
11"x14"

Christine slowly raises her hand, petrified with fear. The Stranger grins and holds out his hand. Suddenly, Christine's body seizes. She grabs her throat. She seizes again and heaves, finally opening her mouth and pulling something out...

You can order prints of these and some of my other art at imagekind!







All images ©Copyright 2007 Jason J. Loya

Here is another video by the same filmmaker who made "Women in art." Wonderful!

This is a fantastic video that I found on youtube:

Oil Pastel, Pencil, and Ink on Paper
11"x14"

This woman is fantastically full of passion and inspiration. I only know her in that cyber sort of way but she must be a kindred spirit. Check her work out at http://www.myspace.com/poetickhaotique and http://www.myspace.com/kacie954. Always support people who spew passion - they give this world the hope that it needs to go on in such wild, wild times.

Oil on Canvas
18"x24"

Alone - a loss -
A brief confusion--
And in the end
He took the time
To -- wait -- who?

The man behind the curtain--
The one who keeps you guessing--
The one with self disaster
Written on his eyes.
There's a man with
Catastrophic self destructive madness
Hidden in the being on the lawn--

It's catching you know
It's not what they say it is--

It's some kind of fervent flu -
A virus with a potent punch
And a plague to follow through...

He stands there on the lawn
Seemingly not blinking
Or not seeing
what he's done -
He waters all the plants
He does a lifeless dance
He frolics with the ants
And he waits for the final curtain call
But to no avail
For the stale stately smile
That washed up on his face
Is sterile as the sand upon the shore
And poisonous and bland
As a thousand tiny ants
As they dance a wicked dance
Or maybe more...

©Copyright 2007 Jason J. Loya

Headlong
A wayward wind
A wayward man
A toxic din

Long last
A Sanity
A vigilance
A rarity

What's wrong
With undue guilt?
With what you've felt?
With hand made hell?

Cuts deep
And bleeds a bit
And bites your lip
And takes a sip

Not that
You had a chance
You wore the pants
You stood your stance

Knew well
It wouldn't last
It had to pass
It had to crash

Just when
You thought you won
You had your fun
You made your run

Headlong
A waning trend
A fading wind
A fallen man.

©Copyright 2007 Jason J. Loya

Hoorah! Hooray!
It's yesterday!
And tomorrow
Has come and gone!

©Copyright 2007 Jason J. Loya