I find myself less interested than I used to be in what celebrities have to say. At times, I'm not just uninterested, I'm borderline annoyed. Now, I watch Dave and Conan not for who the guests are, but for the bits they do before the guests come on. I just don't care where Kevin Costner went on vacation, or what crazy hijinks Danny Devito's kids got into. (Does Danny Devito even have kids? I don't care about that either.)
Talks show interviews are all very contrived and scripted, and so not only the subject matter but the lack of opportunities for spontaneity both make for and very unarresting television experience. The older you get, the more celebrity interviews you've watched. And among the things you learn about them is this: most celebrities don't have anything any more interesting to say than you do. Some of them are naturally funny - like Nathan Lane or Kevin Spacey - but the vast majority of them are simply there to plug their latest project and really offer no more than you could get by picking people at random on a street corner and interviewing them.
I'll keep watching late night television. Just bring on the stupid pet tricks and the host adventures outside of the studio. Leave the celebrities backstage. They can watch if they want.
