THE US REPORT

Commentary by Kay B. Day

For weeks after Jay Leno slipped the late night scene for an earlier time slot, I mourned. I tried watching ABC’s ‘Nightline’—found it dull as an old sock.

David Letterman isn’t funny anymore now that President George W. Bush is no longer in office. His Sarah Palin jokes lack their former verve. Maybe he could write a few adultery jokes and try those on for size since he’s got so much experience. Young woman/old man and all that.

Leno’s replacement on NBC comes up short even though he’s tall; Conan O’Brien is just trying too hard, I think.

Then I discovered George Lopez’s ‘Lopez Tonight’ on TBS. The evening I found it, one of my favorite stars Sandra Bullock  guested, and from that moment, I tuned in despite the fact the host and guest were cracking jokes about Bullock becoming ‘more Latina.’

But Lopez’s show has a feature that no one’s really talked about and it defies political correctness. As a matter of fact it is completely politically incorrect and I hope he will continue in this vein and apply some of that famously correct diversity to future segments.

The feature: ‘Creepy Little White Girl.’

The young actress does a fine job with creepy. The singsong strains of ‘Ring around the Rosie’ bring a slight chill from the first notes. It’s a clever segment Lopez introduces with, ‘When Creepy Little White Girl shows up, it’s always bad news.’ The girl Lopez calls ‘Creepy’ satirizes news headers with prophecies—Serena Williams’ big fine, Nicole Richie’s new sitcom, Tiger Woods’ woes (on Woods canceling an appearance at his own tournament—“His wife canceled all appearances in their bedroom.”)

At first, I was miffed. As someone who is definitely tired of hearing Americans defined by nothing more than skin color, I’ve pretty much had it with the chip on the shoulder towards white people, black people, hispanics, American Indians and whatever other cultural designation pops up. Technically I should call myself a “Swiss-American,” I suppose. Our president is a white Afro-American. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

Then I thought to myself, why not creepy little black girl?  Or creepy little brown girl? Or creepy little yellow girl? Or creepy little red girl?

And come to think of it, why not a creepy little boy?

There’s not a screenwriter in the land I’d bet you who’s brave enough to give that ‘creepy little white girl’ some color, even a solid tan.

Is Lopez’s skit character racist in concept? Absolutely. Do I care, in the scheme of things? A little. Maybe.

So what’s the impact of ‘Creepy Little White Girl’ on my viewing preferences?

Come back, Leno. We need you. There’s a glaring gap in late night TV.