NBC denies adding laugh track for Sarah Palin

[sabra]

http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/nbc-denies-using-laugh-track-for-sarah-palin.html

NBC is denying a report that "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" boosted apparent audience enthusiasm for Sarah Palin's appearance by using a laugh track.

A report from liberal site Daily Kos is getting plenty of pickup saying the response of the live audience to Palin's jokes was entirely unlike what NBC aired. Written by a member of the audience claiming to be a sound engineer, here's the relevant portion:

They added laughter where there was none during uncomfortable portions. Well, there was some laughter. Mine, of derision. During those pregnant pauses in her performance I was laughing long and loud, couldn't help myself as much of what she was saying was utterly surreal, ridiculous, hypocritical - nonsense, spewed platitudes, pushed buttons. I was seriously thinking of leaving as it was getting hysterically unfunny.

After sitting through the taping of the show in the studio I can recount many portions where there was little or no laughter or response, but at the later broadcast they are smoothed over with applause and laughter that WERE NOT THERE at the taping. Groans, hoots, grumbling, or just dead silence - all missing.

They should bear some responsibilty for hawking a defective product. This is corporate shilling in the worst way, not only to raise Leno's ratings, but to push Palin on a crowd with fake laughter and applause.


...

Asked about the audio track, NBC replied, "Neither the audio nor the laughs were enhanced for Sarah Palin's segments on 'The Tonight Show.'"

Hmm. If only the "NBC denied" list wasn't so long and fraught with strikethroughs and asterisk marks...

[Blue_In_AK]

1. If I were to choose who was telling the truth

between NBC executives and Symbolman, I'd go with Symbolman any day of the week.

[Journeyman]

2. Then they were passing out marijuana-laced brownies before the show. . .

if it wasn't canned, that's the only other explanation for the laughter. . .

[onehandle]

3. You mean Leno's fans ARE that stupid?

I knew it.

[stopbush]

4. Enhanced? Interesting choice of words.

The sound man says laughs were *added.* Enhanced could be taken to mean that the actual laughs in the studio weren't enhanced. One could say that without admitting that something was added.

[joeybee12]

22. Yup, double-speak at tis finest...their lawyers must have written the "denial." n/t

[fascisthunter]

5. liberal media me arse!

[Spazito]

6. Why did they not simply say...

'no laugh track was used for the Palin segment', why choose, instead, a word, "enhancement", which is less concise, imo, and subject to interpretation?

[quispquake]

7. I think this is my favorite thread title of the day...

eom

[slampoet]

8. BULLSHIT i can Prove that they used the exact same sampled laugh and applause for at least two jokes

Anyone can find this out with free audio spectrogram software.

[tallahasseedem]

9. They should have...

used the laugh track from The Brady Bunch. That one was awesome!

[WeekendWarrior]

10. This is a NON issue. Why?

Because NBC and ALL of the shows sweeten their laugh tracks. Doesn't matter who the guest is.

[trumad]

11. Uhh---

not quite,,, she was doing stand up...

[WeekendWarrior]

13. Uhhhhhh -- The Jay Leno show, the David Letterman Show

The Jimmy Kimmel show, the Craig Ferguson show, the whoever talk show. THEY ALL SWEETEN their laugh tracks. ALL of them. Not just sitcoms.

[slampoet]

16. Prove it. I know someone who worked on Conan for years and an SNL writer and they say different.

Link?

[WeekendWarrior]

17. You know someone who worked for Conan?

And I know someone who can sell you some nice swampland.

It's a well-known fact in the industry -- although they'll deny it until they're blue in the face -- that sweetening is done. Why do you think they tape these things?

As for SNL, that's a different story. It's LIVE.

And, yes, I used to work in the industry. I've since retired.

[slampoet]

20. I'm currently in Rhode Island. and i used to do work in Worcester and at the Ding Ho in Boston.

You can pretty much guess who i know from that information.


Assertion still isn't a link.

[WeekendWarrior]

21. I have no idea if there are any links out there about this --

why does a link automatically make something true or false? It's a ridiculous concept.

I'm speaking from my own PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE. Now you can believe me or not. That's up to you. I don't really care.

[EOTE]

23. So then they're lying their asses off when they say a laugh track wasn't added?

So why would NBC lying their asses off be a non-issue?

[Bluebear]

12. .

withdrawn, I guess I am "WRONG".

No explanation, just Wrong.

[WeekendWarrior]

14. Wrong

[EOTE]

25. Double plus unwrong... no takesies backsies. NT

[slampoet]

15. Ask this question of a Comedian that has been slaving for 15 years in chuckle-huts just .....

..to get that coveted spot on the Tonight show.


For comedians, this event is like someone took a shit on the Heisman Trophy and wiped their ass with the Shroud of Turin.

Everyone who has ever done anything for the Comedy Network or gotten paid for writing a joke is extremely pissed at this.

[WeekendWarrior]

18. Uh-huh. nt.

[katandmoon]

19. Well, it's an issue now because NBC had denied doing it.

[fascisthunter]

27. yee-uh

it's called being caught doing the bidding of a politician, which is propaganda.

[lame54]

24. I wasn't sure if I should believe this story till they denied it...

Now I believe it

[Cetacea]

26. Was she on much longer than the usual guests?

Or did I just feel it was ?(pain always slows down the perception of time)