I would contend old farts is a state of mind, not a specific age. By all statistical accounts, I should be eating dinner at Norm's at 4 pm and spending extra time in the medical supplies department at Rite-Aid. But I digresss...
My observation is not specific to anything other than the absolute obsession so many have to pass any judgement at all sight unseen. I learned that lesson myself from producers who would come in with salespeople to pitch their shows and my bosses would encourage me to use ratings books correlations to poke holes in their pitch--e.g. the last time our client tried a word game head-to-head with WHEEL it was a disaster, so therefore your word game can't be any good. Rightfully, the producer would rear up in anger and ask "Do you even WATCH TV?? You're paid to advise stations what their VIEWERS might want to watch and you're drawing a conclusion before you even see a second of what my staff worked several YEARS to fine-tune, test out among staffers, focus groups and yes, even our friends and families and you're basing that on how a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT program fared among a few hundred diary keepers who didn't think a one dollar bill was enough incentive to be fully accurate??"
If you think that sounds ludicrous, you should have seen the look on the salesperson's face who would now have to deal with bruised egos that would be taken out on them on a unrelated manner.
My point: Until we actually SEE someone do a job, any expectation, good or bad, is indefensible. If Jay sucks, you're right, he'll be in the majority of those that have failed. But at least wait until the show premieres to see if the Batsignal should go out for Pat Finn.
PS: I saw the Mark L. tape. Under the strict rules of the then-outgoing Price regime, he was relatively stiff. Personally, I thought Dave Price was the best of that crop. But since none of us have the surname Moonves, that really doesn't matter, does it?
