I saw him give his performance on Leno last night too. And I have to say that repeating his jokes was okay. But not great. The problem with mass media is that you really can not repeat the same jokes too many times even if they are funny because people get bored very, very easily.

I've seen Robin Williams use one or two jokes over again per interview, but that's it. Hopefully Dat will keep working on his jokes. And get some writers to help him out. Because right now he needs an arsenal of jokes but it looks like he has simply a pea shooter of a repetoire.

RE: The interview process... why Dat blew it.
I have to say that Dat is great. I really admire the guy, but he needs a good publicist at this point. The problem with television and film is that once one's words are capture they're forever. And that means to be a bit more mindful of the topics that should be discussed prior to going into Leno or any of the other big guns. For example:

1.) Talking about how is brother thought he was gay.

I think Dat may have overthought this one. Maybe in his determination to show that he is a heterosexual asian man in this culture he felt that he had to say something. But less in this case is more.

I think people already accepted him for who he is. And they make no judgment about his race. The vast majority of people in America pride themselves on being fair, especially in this PC culture. It is best to accept this fact that people just want to have fun and they will like those entertainers who help them accomplish that goal.

Leno was correct in stopping the interview at that point. Think: damage control. If Dat had continued on with the interview, who knows what he might have said! Egads!

2.) Dat almost pulled a "Ben Affleck" with the girlfriend question.
Now we do not really know if Ben Affleck cheated on JeLLo/JLo or not. But the fact is, right now the general impression is that he did. And if there is one thing that the American public will not tolerate is unfaithfulness. If you are dating someone, then the answer to Leno's question is very simple. "Yes, I'm currently seeing someone right now." And if you're interested in the possibilities of moving on to other girls, joke about it. "Why? Would someone really like to date me?"

And then play stupid and unassuming. Don't come off as cocky at any point. But be confident and respectful of the honor of being in any situation that warrants media attention.

3.) And watch the pride issue.
I do not think that Dat has this problem. However, I also think that when he goes on to shows like Leno he will need to make certain that he always seem a bit unassuming and grateful. Otherwise, if he ever sees proud or boastful, he will seem like a jerk. Study the way that some of the biggest celebrities tackle the role of interviewee and you will notice that those with staying power are composed, do not indicate any feelings other than appreciation and friendliness and an unassuming nature. There is tact involved here. A lot of it. It's like going to an interview, but the interviewer is 275 million people who WANT to believe in you, get to know you, and be your best friend. So, be courteous, kind, and gracious.

Don't pull a Russell Wong/Ben Affleck...
The problem facing a lot of young performers will be to want to feel that they've "made it" by being on Leno, or some other show, or even on television at all. However, it does not mean that they have. They are simply being given their 15 minutes of exposure for the moment.

As a result, it may seem more like an opportunity to beam with pride. It is not. To do so would be to "pull a Russell Wong" during the earlier part of his career when people were saying how egotistical/vain/egocentric he was. Was he? I have no idea. But it certain was the general impression surrounding him.

The same can actually be said about Ben Affleck (no offense to the guy, don't know him personally, but he's allowed a lot of this to happen to himself). On project greenlight and elsewhere he has bragged openly about being People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, and spoken from the place of being a Player in Hollywood. Don't do this. Don't toot your own horn. Let someone else do that. Think: Bob Hope. Did he ever do that? He's a good example of what to do. Affleck and the early Russell Wong are not.

No, the idea is to go into the interview, have fun, be funny, witty, silly and GRACIOUS. Remember, at the end of the day, entertainment is just entertainment. Nothing more or less.

Social stigmas that seem to plague the image and attitudes of a lot of young Asian American entertainers is the impressions of being cocky and arrogant. Especially if one is male. However, this is not a good tactical move because arrogance (false confidence) only turns people off.
Wisdom counts. Cockiness does not.

Anyway, wish Dat the best of luck. I think he's a good guy, will be rooting for him.

carefull... eddie is his publicist

Heecheechee had some good points. Life is a process of learning.
I think the repetition of the jokes was done on purpose. Why?

First, the audience of the Tonight Show (aired very late at night) could be different from that of the Last Comic Standing (aired earlier). As a result, majority of the Tonight Show audience might hear of him and never watch his performance.

Also, new materials and new jokes require time. There was very little time left for Dat to compose new jokes after the final competition. And, new materials and jokes that seem funny to a comedian, might not be funny to his/her audience, especially a new and different one.

I think it was a great risk for Dat to use completely new materials and jokes for his first time appearance on the Tonight Show.

These are only my opinion.

I agree that i thought he played it safe and didn't risk new material on national telivision. I think he'll probbly work on some material and display on the comedy central special.

I feel sorry for San Diego's comedy scene if that's the case, that's just pathetic ... Most good comics develope atleast one new act a year. Dennis Miller brings 10-15 min of new jokes to Leno's show every month or so.

...as for last night, the Tonight Show appearance was added to the top prize for LCS at the last moment, so Dat probably had no time to even think about writing and shopping [testing] new material.

But if Dat's Comedy Central Special is all or much old material, I'd be disgusted [if I had feelings that is].


The Dr.

jeeg, everyone should just lay off of dat for a while, he's doing top-knoch work. It's one thing to do once-a year material that isn't funny, it's another thing to do material worth telling again and again.

i think the arguement is that it isn't worth telling again and again

Lol Deja Vu,

But really we haven't made much progress in this discussion in any of the threads. We'll have to wait to see what he does now that he has some breathing time.


Anyways it's a personal thing, you can like his jokes or not. Personally they still crack me up.

It's easier said than done.

Try to win a competition, see how things go, then come back and tell everybody your conclusion. That would be fair.

We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are.

Good judgement usually comes from experience.

I agree, nobody is in a posistion to judge Dat, unless they have lived his life and were able to get to where he has gotten.

he's been performing often, give him some time.

?

[quote="Phil"]The only comics most people see are the ones on tv, and those comics have teams of people writing thier jokes, at all times. <snip>

Some have writers. For the most part, this statement is inaccurate.

Pauly

I doubt he has 30-60 minutes of *great* stuff or he wouldn't have done 100% repeats in a 3 minute debut on Leno.

Pauly

once again we have a critic

I also noticed that Dat was using the same material, but you guys have to realize that he said he starts off by developing something and if the crowd likes it, then he develops on it to make it better. He's probably just trying to see what works and what won't work. His jokes on Leno were the same, but I noticed that he also add a lot of little phrases that he HAS NOT used before. Keep working at it Dat

To be a critic doesn't mean one is wrong.

Pauly


PS I like his bathroom bit/Mortal Kombat. If he was going to repeat one, that's the one he should have done.

To be a critic doesn't mean one is wrong.

Pauly


PS I like his bathroom bit/Mortal Kombat. If he was going to repeat one, that's the one he should have done.