Why
Visit "The Tonight Show?"
The Media and Society class discusses the
tremendous impact that television has on our lives, so it makes sense to take
students to an actual television production. BC journalism students have seen "Leeza"
tapings, as well as a forgettable MTV relationship game show that kept us
trapped for hours. But the one show they seem to enjoy the most is "The Tonight
Show."
"The Tonight Show" offers a quality experience in which students can observe a television production that is filmed in real time. Unlike some talk shows or sitcoms, segments are not filmed again and again. As Jay Leno tells the audience before the show, everything stays in, including the mistakes.
With the help of the show's incredible staff, we reserve a spot for our class ahead of time, not knowing who the guests will be. We find that out about a week before the show through its website. Like everyone else, we wait in line, but that allows students to get to know each other.
Our experiences at "The Tonight Show" have been very positive. Some highlights include:
- A Star Is Born
A BC journalism student appeared on the show as part of a short skit with Jay Leno and Ed McMahon.
Back To Top - "Meeting Cher"
Journalism students posed for pictures with a Cher drag queen, who was in line because Cher was a guest on the show. Some students thought the drag queen looked better than the entertainer.
Back To Top
- The Rip Makes "Headlines"
Journalism students were thrilled when their own newspaper, The Renegade Rip, was featured in the show's "Headlines" segment in 1999. The article featured was 'Gade Feedback, a weekly student poll. The question asked was, "What was the most interesting or bizarre thing you saw at the fair?" The student answer that Jay featured was, "I seen some pigs doing it." That said it all about higher education.
Back To Top - Meeting Jay Leno
Michael D. Ross, Rip editor in chief, took that featured edition of the paper with him during a "Tonight Show" field trip that fall. Jay Leno autographed it and posed for a photo with Mike before the show began. Back To Top - Tom Hanks' Autograph
A BC journalism student, perhaps the ultimate Tom Hanks' fan, wore a sweatshirt like those worn in his film, "The Wonders," because he was a guest on the show. She luckily was seated in one of the first rows close to the stage. During a break, she signaled to Tom Hanks and pointed to her sweatshirt. Smiling, he wrote out this line from "The Wonders" and signed it. Back To Top
