[rrpjr]

Carson was without peer, then or now. He had an authentic Nebraskan "everyman" ease leavened by just the right amount of urban cheekiness that perfectly suited the tastes of his time. And his time just kept lasting: Carson bridged the transition from a Jack Benny sensibility to an edgy, self-referential style, yet held off the vulgar advances of the latter for perhaps a decade with the effortless strength of a show business Titan. The day he left late-night television, it all fell part. Leno took control with an oafish eagerness to prove himself, and proved only to me at least that he didn't have half the grace of Carson. His show has become a grotesque parody of Carson's. Letterman is just plain sour. But to his credit, Letterman had the wit to note yesterday that "There was only one Johnny Carson. All the rest of us are pretenders."