Jordan Schuman
 Multimedia Journalist
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Leno's Last Tonight

2/7/2014

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If you can imagine the world of television as a high school cafeteria, I can tell you exactly who would sit where.

At one table, you have mornings: Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Al Roker, Willie Geist, Norah O'Donnell, Charle Rose, Gayle King, Lara Spencer, Robin Roberts, Josh Elliot, George Stephanopoulos and Ginger Zee.

At another table, you have evenings: Brian Williams, Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley.

There's entertainment: Giuliana Rancic, Terrence Jenkins, Ryan Seacrest, Mario Lopez, Catt Sadler, Jason Kennedy, Nancy O'Dell, etc.

Midday: Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, Ellen Degeneres, Barbara Walters, etc.

The legends: Dan Rather, Roone Arledge, Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, David Brinkley.

And then the late night: Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno.

I always pictured the evening news table the "popular kids." Cool, collected, classy, kind. If only for a day, that's where I want to sit. Or at least I'd want an invite to the prom to come from their table. The entertainment table is definitely the most fun. I feel like they'd just laugh until the bell rang? I'd like to sit with mornings too - trust me, that's the dream... but I feel like they're not as liked across the board as the evenings are. But late night is the party table. Late night has genuine good fun, is there to bid goodnight to America. And I'm pretty sure they have Dunkaroos and Sunny D (but you didn't hear it from me.)

Late night is full of rich history, it explains society and the world through laughter, and the hosts are as much of our family as our parents are. For those of us who turn on a certain show every night without fail, it is a big deal when the host leaves. Late Night tucks you into bed on your good days, and cuddles for a little on your bad.

Jay Leno has hosted The Tonight Show with Jay Leno since 1992 (this was before I was born). He left for a brief 146 episodes but returned, and in total hosted 4,610 episodes. He has never had an agent, and does not have a manager. He has interviewed Presidents, musicians, news makers and culture-shakers, and commented on tragedies, celebrations and just an average Wednesday.

In his final goodbye, Leno thanked his audience, and said he would not have been on the air without them. He said these have been the greatest 22 years of his life. Please do not forget the immense prestige, power and potential The Tonight Show boasts. He calls The Tonight Show an institution. I love love love that word. It is based in rich history, tradition and professionalism. He quoted Johnny Carson, and he cried. There is something so so special about sitting in a seat that an icon has sat in before you. I say special but even that doesn't seem enough. Please recall Jay Leno is only the 5th person in the entire world to ever do what he did: Host The Tonight Show.

Watch Leno's Goodbye Here.   And please do yourself the favor and watch it.

Jimmy Fallon, formerly on SNL and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, will be taking Leno's seat and bringing Tonight to NYC on February 17th, which is also the 60th anniversary of the show. I happen to love Jimmy Fallon. Leno said it makes total sense that Fallon takes over his job- he is young and connected. He's collaborated musically with both Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus. He will surely usher in the new generation (I think this means me?) into the Late Night television world. The new generation will grow up with this show, the way my parents' generation did with Leno.

Further, Fallon does everything with such excitement and vigor. You can tell he is still the kid who came home from school and stayed up late to sneak in some late night television. I'm excited to see where he takes the show. But what I really love the most is watching these men navigate the transition. You can see how grateful and humbled Leno is in his final moments on the show, and you can see how hopeful and wide-eyed Fallon is as the torch is passed to him.

I'm curious to watch it happen. Torch-passing is not always easy, as we learned from The Today Show and the book that inspired this blog post.

At the close of his show, Leno joked that now that he had brought the room down, everyone needed some lifting up. Out came Garth Brooks to sing Friends in Low Places. Please understand I've cried every time I've watched this clip.

Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
and ruined your black tie affair

I knew the lyrics to this song before I was in 1st Grade. If you will, this song is in my roots. I have vivid memories of this song blasting in the living room in our Melville, Long Island house. My dad would play it, and I'd sing and bop along. I love this song. I would argue this song is the reason my love of country music resurfaced years later.

In his last goodbye, Leno said, "And when people say to me, 'why don't you go to ABC, why don't you go to Fox?' I don't know anybody there." It got a laugh but I don't think it was supposed to be funny. The point is, NBC is Leno's roots. 

And you know what they say about roots. You're never supposed to forget them.

Thank you, Jay Leno! Fallon promised that whenever you want a stage, you've got one. And I think it's a sure bet your seat at the cafeteria table is safe too.

You heard it here first,
Jordan

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Day 9: Lunch is on Them

1/31/2014

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I make coffee every day before I leave for work or class. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge that my whole Resident Assistant staff shares today unable to locate my Coffee-Mate. I keep it on the door, and it was actually laying on its side on the shelf. The rule with the fridge is that if it's not labeled, it's communal. My coffee-mate says my name on it a few times: JORDAN SCHUMAN. JORDAN. JORDAN. And around the lid, it reads, "JORDAN TAKES HER COFFEE VERY SERIOUSLY." I also take my coffee light with two Splenda but that is not important in this moment. I am not accusing any of my RA staff of using my Coffee-Mate. I actually think it was the night staff.

Once I got past this weird start to my morning, I got in the car and made pretty great time. It only took me a half hour instead of the usual 45 minutes it does to get to work. In the car, I thought again about my interview with CBS News for a summer internship that I had yesterday. I wondered how long you're supposed to wait in between haircuts. I also realized everyone in the traffic on the way to work is really getting in each other's way and we could all be nice to one another and get out of the way once in a while. These are real thoughts I have sometimes.

Work is pretty slow today. I'm typing at 11:30 a.m. and none of us have done much today except small tasks around the office. I'm feeling very sleepy and I was hungry early on today, but I'm glad to be at work. I really genuinely love the people I work with. It's a mostly female staff, and the conversation is flowing and fun. I realized the other day that in only my third week here, I know I'm going to miss it when it's over.

Today I'm wearing black pants, a coral sweater, two-tone boots riding boots and my black fake-leather jacket. I do love waking up on a Friday and not having to get all dolled up. I'm usually the only one wearing heels so I know I get a pass when I take advantage of a casual Friday. Today for lunch I brought vegetable stromboli and  roasted potatoes... but like my outfit choice, that doesn't much matter either.

Lunch is on NBC.

After the hectic storm coverage we put together, NBC decided to treat both our Birmingham and Atlanta affiliate folks. Oh, and while we were at it, we decided to treat ourselves.

I love how classy it is to recognize good work and reward it. (If we do say so ourselves?) When I left work after covering the storm, the staff at the bureau said they were glad I was there that day. They thought I was helpful. It was a pretty cool pat on the back while I know I would've been fine leaving never hearing it.

I enjoy the tradition of acknowledging busy and tedious work, like the Chicago Tribune did for the Boston Globe after the marathon bombing:
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In response, the Globe sent the Tribune hundreds of doughnuts.

More than ever, we’ve been honored to be journalists these last weeks, helping our community understand and process the Boston Marathon bombings and related events — but, as you guessed, the experience left us exhausted emotionally and physically. Then your surprise lunch arrived, feeding out appetites and lifting our spirits. Since you helped keep us going, let us return the favor.

Your friends at the Boston Globe  

I so frequently feel in my life that 99% of what I do goes unrecognized by the public. I work 9 to 5 three days a week and I still manage to carry a full-time job on campus and go to class. I was on the Homecoming Executive Committee! I'm in a sorority! Look how well I match my clothes and do my makeup!

But you do not do anything for recognition, or you will not do a job that is true to yourself. You must do what you to because you are intrinsically motivated to do so. You must do it because you feel it is right. You should do the best job you can because that's what Jordan is about, not because you'll get praise for that.

I so frequently want friends at the various Globes and Tribunes in my life to pick up lunch and say, "You know, Jor. You're killing it lately." At the end of the day, it's important to compliment those who we think deserve to hear the outside confirmation, even thought they might not need to.

We are, after all, all in this together. And, after all, we do not do it for the recognition. 

I'm so glad NBC gets that.

You heard it here first,


Jordan 
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