Late Night Talk Show Thread

[Fresh8]

If Conan was a flop, imagine if Rove actually got the gig.

I was reading about this yesterday and it was interesting to see Letterman and Kimmel come out to defend Conan.

[Andrew]

I think most folks can see the situation for what it is and Letterman in particular can relate to the situation, still having few nice things to say about NBC or Leno.

[koberulz]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cl ... 63643.html

[Andrew]

It's now been flagged for removal, but I saw it on the show last night. He's certainly going out in a blaze of glory.

[ixcuincle]

Perhaps some of the funniest Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien moments have come this week. It's a real shame this kind of quality comedy will likely cease to exist on NBC after next week, if rumors are true.

"HO"

"PIMP"

[Andrew]

Absolutely, I'm loving his "Go ahead, throw me off the air" stuff right now. The porn titles he rattled off in the Thursday show were great, "Two Hosts, One Slot" was my personal favourite.

[Andrew]

http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videol ... an-trailer

[buzzy]

Anyone caught the Letterman impression by Jason Sudeikis on SNL? Pretty spot-on.

[kibaxx7]

Anyone caught the Letterman impression by Jason Sudeikis on SNL? Pretty spot-on.

Ah, spoiler alert, buzzy! Was just downloading the episode. But with all the Leno-Letterman-Conan-even Fallon controversy, I think I could expect an impression on SNL.

[Andrew]

Apparently both Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser are speaking out on behalf of Jay Leno. It's expected that they'd stick up for their friend but with some of their remarks, I can't help but feel they're missing the point. Meanwhile, here's an interesting take on Leno's comedic style:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/01/ ... eno-essay/

These clips were linked, well worth watching given how things changed when Leno got the Tonight Show gig:

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[kibaxx7]

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I found this when looking for the last Tonight Show with Jay (guest: Conan) and the last Late Night with Conan (guest: Jimmy Fallon).

Stern had the truth three years before.

[Andrew]

Awesome. Yeah, seems like Stern knew what he was talking about. Conan looked a little uncomfortable when Stern took a shot at Leno, not sure he'd have the same reaction these days.

[ixcuincle]

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[Andrew]

Saw that on Conan. Bizarre.

[air gordon]

i've been a fan of Conando since his late nite days. i think he's getting screwed. i've heard a good # of fans say they liked Conan better when he was in the late slot. bah whatever. i know this for sure- these past few weeks he's been at his best

never been a fan of Leno. he's not funny and i don't like his interviews. maybe i need to age 30yrs and i'll start 'getting' his act


on a side note- some online betting sites are taking bets at which network Conan will go to. Fox being the favorite...al jazeera is a 500-1 underdog

[Andrew]

It's probably because he's dropped some of his signature bits or for some it could be the presence of Andy Richter changing the dynamic from the one Conan's show had following Andy's departure from Late Night all those years ago.

[benji]

It's because it seems expensive and a spectacle instead of a borderline public access show.

[shadowgrin]

"Unleash the Masturbating Bear" - a Twitter comment.

[ixcuincle]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-best-signs-from-the-im-with-coco-rallies

[Andrew]

It's Official: Leno Replacing Conan

"We're pleased that Jay is returning to host the franchise that he helmed brilliantly and successfully for many years," Jeff Gaspin, the chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, said in a written statement today. "He is an enormous talent, a consummate professional and one of the hardest-working performers on television."

O'Brien reportedly won't be allowed to take his best-known characters and skits with him when he leaves NBC, but The Wall Street Journal reports that O'Brien will receive a severance package of about $32 million while his staff will receive some $12 million. Staff severance was a sticking point in O'Brien's protracted negotiations with the network, O'Brien's camp told ABCNews.com.

O'Brien is happy with the package but is also supplementing staff severance out of his own pocket with a seven-figure sum, O'Brien manager Gavin Polone said today.

Good for Conan and good on him for supplementing his staff out of his own pocket as well, classy move. Not being able to take his skits and characters with him hurts though, NBC has obviously learned their lesson from Letterman's departure all those years ago.

[kibaxx7]

Good for Conan and good on him for supplementing his staff out of his own pocket as well, classy move.

Yep, props to him. It's just like when the Newark feud happened and the mayor Cory Booker went to the show, Conan gave him 50k in donations and NBC matched it for the city charity.

I also read that Conan can't start a new show in other network until September 1st

[Andrew]

Another smart move by NBC there, enough time for the controversy to be smoothed over and forgotten. If Leno regains his old ratings, NBC can spin it as getting rid of dead weight (with Conan haters everywhere jumping on board with that line of thinking) and avoid having to go up against Conan on a rival network with all the momentum he's built up in the last couple of weeks.

[benji]

NBC's not afraid of Conan. He's not a threat.

The only threat to Leno's old dominance is that his advantage has got used to going to bed earlier.

[Andrew]

Then why not let him go to another network immediately and let him take his characters/skits with him?

[el badman]

Last night's episode was pure mayhem, with Robin Williams being his usual self and both ending up dancing on Irish folklore. The $4.8 million horse wearing a snuggie was also classic...