Spending $1.5M for a one minute segment by featuring the most expensive car in the world dressed up as a mouse, and playing music by the rolling stones. Funny? No. Expensive? Most definitely.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/21/conan-blowing-nbcs-money_n_4308...
He did a similar segment last
I laughed too...
BUT
1) That was not Mine That Bird
2) The TV was showing a USFL game not a Super Bowl
Original, though.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
He should've painted the car
He should've painted the car green and smashed the shit out of it.
If you follow the link, the
If you follow the link, the car was only on loan, they didn't actually buy it. Not quite sure smashing it would fall totally on NBC.
Dude, this is so hysterical.
Dude, this is so hysterical. Conan is awesome.
Edit: Here's the Mine That Bird video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDaD5qdJnqU
The Human Torch was denied a bank loan.
I can't wait to see what he
I can't wait to see what he does tonight. I am betting on a 10 million dollar bit.
The Team, The Team, The Team.
Why is he pissed?
He went on a show, received ratings that were worse than his predecessor (so, he failed), and got a $45 million severance.
He should be thanking God for his good fortune.
"They're stuck with that quarterback (sophomore Braxton Miller) for the next two or three years, that's fine with me. He throws worse than (Tim) Tebow. - Steve Everitt
No one in the history of that
No one in the history of that show has been given only 7 months to develop an audience.
The Team, The Team, The Team.
Everyone with that attitude seems to be forgetting
That Leno was getting killed in the ratings by Letterman until Hugh Grant decided to get blown by an ugly hooker. If they had assessed Leno after 7 months, he'd have been gone too.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
Also,
Leno's 10:00 show is tanking, driving viewers to other networks. Some sources say that those viewers are not changing the channel back after his show, which is a boost for the other networks.
"In desperation there's that shred of hope; people who are down and not desperate are resigned." - Brian Cook
True, and Leno took a lot of
True, and Leno took a lot of his audience with him. If there was no Jay Leno Show and Conan was still getting killed by Letterman, this ratings argument would have more merit.
His predecessor took over a
His predecessor took over a show which was providing Conan with about 85% fewer eyeballs than the predecessor received as a lead in due to drama-based television. I'm not sure why we're surprised Conan's ratings were lower.
Plus, it was the affiliates who revolted due to his predecessor's disastrous show, which caused Zucker to panic and blame Conan because he couldn't pay out both to leave.
Conan is right to be pissed.
Conan is right to be pissed. The Tonight Show was his dream job. His predecessor got a lot more time and patience to build a following.
And NBC gave Leno better support in the 10pm slot to maintain an audience into and through local affiliate news at 11.
Conan also got stuck with his predecessor moving to the 10pm slot with a godawful quasi comedy show (rather than a drama, the historical occupant of the 10pm slot) that stunk in the ratings so much that the affiliates revolted because it was torpedoing their own ratings in the 11pm news slot.
Conan wasn't killin' it in the ratings, but he wasn't stinking up the joint either. Considering the other factors involved (weak 10pm and 11pm ratings), NBC should've given him support for another year or so, at least. Instead, they let Leno shank him and, once again, picked Leno over the superior comedic talent.
$45mm will soothe the blow, but he's not wrong to be pissed.
Well...
Well, he's pissed for a couple of very good reasons.
First, he only had the show for 7 or 8 months, when Jay took over his ratings didn't start to look okay until at least 1 full year. Conan wanted that full year the same as Jay got but they wouldn't give it to him.
Second, even though they gave Conan the show, they still gave Jay another show. It's not that Conan doesn't like Jay, but it does mean that NBC was essentially splitting the Tonight Show audience and then being angry when Conan didn't get all of Jay's audience. Of course Conan didn't get Jay's audience, they were still watching Jay!
NBC should've told Jay once he's done then he's done. But, Jay didn't want that (he's quite the workaholic, he'll do shows routines and comedy shows the day after Christmas rather than spending time with his family). Since NBC knew that he'd go somewhere and get another show, they placated him by giving him another show. But that just moved the problem of Jay hurting Conan from another network to Jay hurting Conan on the same network.
The real problem is probably that Jay should never have agreed to let the Tonight Show go until he was ready to be done. But, NBC didn't want to let Conan go so they kind of forced it on Jay. Then NBC continued to be greedy with its talent by trying to get Jay to stay. It's a bad situation.
Back to what I was talking about... third, Conan is mad because he's being forced to give up his dream of hosting the Tonight Show. It's tough to get your dream then have someone take it away.
Fourth, he feels that NBC's solution to all this (moving the Tonight Show back an hour) would be a sacrilege against the Tonight Snow.
So, those are probably some of the reasons that he's upset.
Fair enough,
and I understand, but Conan is getting $45 million and will get an opportunity to host another late night program, probably similarly competing against Leno (& Letterman).
There really is no way to prevent Leno, Letterman, and Conan from competing for essentially the same viewers, no matter what happens. All this means for Conan is a change of stage from the NBC Tonight Show to the Conan FOX Show, + $45 million.
"They're stuck with that quarterback (sophomore Braxton Miller) for the next two or three years, that's fine with me. He throws worse than (Tim) Tebow. - Steve Everitt
Well, that's true if it
Well, that's true if it wasn't the Tonight Show. That's like a coach who's dream it was to coach Michigan, goes 3-9, gets fired after one year, gets a nice buyout, and gets a job at Nebraska. He's got essentially the same job, but it's not what was the ultimate prize for him.
And if you want to get technical, he's getting $33 mil, the rest is going to severance for his staff (about 70 of whom moved all the way from New York to LA for 7 months....depending on where his new show will be).
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
Fail.
Leno was a fucking
Fail.
Leno was a fucking trainwreck. He was so bad that NBC news affiliates across the country were down as much as 40%. That then resulted in fewer TVs tuning in to NBC at 11:30 for Conan's show.
Also, Conan had to dumb down his show to play to the red states. His show was much better when it was edgier and he had more creative freedom. Hopefully that will again be the case on his Fox show this fall.
Get your facts straight because you just failed.
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” - Benjamin Franklin
Good point there on the 'Red
Good point there on the 'Red States.' Since the TV's in those states automatically turn off after midnight they never were able to see Conan before his time switch. Being 'edgier' and having 'more creative freedom' had to do with the fact that he came on after midnight, dumbass, not because he had only one particular political group watching. Leave politics outta here.
i only respect other superfans
What facts were not straight?
1) Conan's show received worse ratings than when Leno was host... true
2) He got $45 million for his failed show... true.
Why does Leno not doing as well as planned = Conan getting fired?
If Conan was destroying ratings, why doesn't NBC cancel Leno and let Conan proceed as planned? Isn't that a logical business decision?
NBC decided that it was worth $45 million to get Conan out of there and bring back Leno probably because they believe Leno will get better ratings than Conan as host.
By the way, your opinion that Conan had to dumb down his show is just that, an opinion.
"They're stuck with that quarterback (sophomore Braxton Miller) for the next two or three years, that's fine with me. He throws worse than (Tim) Tebow. - Steve Everitt
I read somewhere, that to
I read somewhere, that to "fire" Leno, they would have had to pay his production company $150 million. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised with how amazingly bad NBC's executives are. If true, it certainly shoots hole's in your theory that NBC believes Leno will have better ratings (and even if they do, and he does, much of that can be contributed to having actual lead ins at 10 PM).
One factor that I don't think gets considered enough in regards to Conan's "struggles," is that his audiance and The Colbert Report's audience are very similar. On Late Nite they could get the same young people watching, on the Tonight Show, those people had to choose.
Dumbing down isn't necessarily the right phrase (though I think it's apt), but he was definitely told by NBC he had to appeal to a larger portion of the national audience on the Tonight Show. It's not opinion to say that this changed the show to some degree.
You are an idiot.
You are an idiot.
Well, Leno had left the
Well, Leno had left the cupboards bare for Conan when he started, and there was unusually high attrition and Conan didn't have writers that fit his system... oh wait a minute...
It was amazing, but I don't
It was amazing, but I don't think the segments have actually cost as much as he's saying... the car is worth $1.5M, but I highly doubt he bought the thing.
No, the car was a loaner, but
No, the car was a loaner, but I bet playing the Rolling Stones cost a pretty penny. NBC cut the skit from Hulu since they would have had to pay for the song again.
the song
NBC had the rights to play the song once on air too. It would have cost them a lot to put it on hulu, but nothing to play it once on the show.
"Y'all wanna win? Put Boobie in"-Boobie Miles, FNL
That's interesting
For me Conan is and was the only late night show I ever watched and I consider him vastly superior and miles and miles funnier than the competition. To be honest this might be the first time I've read something from someone who thought that he sucked.
I'm interested to see if you're the minority view or the majority because most of the people I know share the same opinion on Conan's comedy. I'll leave the possibility open that it's a generational thing as well.
"Well, I think I made my position clear there."
- L.C.
I think most people either
I think most people either think he's hilarious or just plain not funny.
Let's put it to the test
"Well, I think I made my position clear there."
- L.C.
I need an option for I don't
I need an option for I don't find any "Tonight Show" - type show that entertaining.
And the winner is...
Letterman! I think he has a better show than them all, and he probably couldn't be enjoying this more.
Doubt it.
Like Conan, Letterman grew up dreaming of hosting the Tonight Show.
Like Conan, Letterman got knifed by Leno when he got the Tonight Show in the first place.
Like Conan, Letterman is pissed and being less than civil (rightly IMHE) in his public treatment of the issue.
Age
I think a lot of if you like Conan comes down to age. Conan is for younger people and younger people definitely have a different sense of humor than the generations before them.
I love Conan as do all of my friends but I'm in the just-out-of-college are range. My parents, on the other hand, don't really like Conan but love Jay. I think it's mostly that the different generations have such vastly different senses of humor that it's hard for the older generation to switch to Conan (especially when they have Jay's show on anyway).
Yea, I love Conan and Colbert
Yea, I love Conan and Colbert but my pops who's in his 70s doesn't like silly humor, including The Office and all the Will Ferrell/Ben Stiller etc. type movies. He grew up watching Ed Sullivan... certainly different tastes there.
Glad to see I'm not the only
Glad to see I'm not the only person who detests Conan.
There are contrasting styles.
There are contrasting styles. Don't get me wrong - Carson was great. If you grew up watching Carson, yeah, you'd probably like Leno.
But Conan has a different kind of humor. He used to write for Saturday Night Live and "The Simpsons." He's off-beat, self-deprecating, and nerdy.
Leno sucked/sucks. This is not opinion (okay, yeah it is) but fact. I could write for Jay Leno, and the jokes wouldn't get any better or worse. There would be no noticeable difference. There's a reason I'm in BFE with a day job and not writing for a big-time late night show, but Leno and his writers should probably be working alongside me rather than making millions of dollars in Hollywood. I swear to God, when I watch Leno's show, I fill in the jokes before he does.
Agreed. As far as I'm
Agreed. As far as I'm concerned, Leno is formulaic, mechanical, uninspiring and unexceptional. Leno's material is weak and as predictable as a bad sitcom.
Conan was, at minimum, unpredictable, and his content was much more challenging, without reaching Dennis Milleresque obliqueness.
You had me right up until
You had me right up until "even Fallon is better than Conan."
I list the three main late night guys as:
Conan - sometimes intellectually funny, sometimes too hyper
Letterman - sometimes intellectually funny, sometimes way to dry
Leno - seldom intellectually funny, but usually at least funny
Let's eat Grandpa.
(Opinion) Leno is almost
(Opinion) Leno is almost always not funny.
And what is intellectually funny? Conan is not David Foster Wallace... Conan is funniest when he is being silly i.e. the Chuck Norris lever, etc. much like Steve Carrell and Will Ferrell at their brightest moments.
I could see the argument that Colbert Report is intellectually funny, however.
The Conan people have seen at
The Conan people have seen at 11:35 is different than the Late Show version that everyone remembers. At 11:30, he has to be a bit more universal and "safe" than after midnight, and that has led to some tired jokes and the lack of charisma that was a hallmark of his earlier show. Personally, I think Leno is better at 11:30 and Conan is better either later or on a more lax network like Fox or even Comedy Central. Leno plays to the heartland and comes across as the everyman that has inhabited that spot for decades. Conan is the brainiac type from Harvard who pushes ironic humor. Not saying it is good or bad; just a different type of comedy.
I have a similar debate with people about shows like The Office and Archer. You're feelings about those shows is completely reliant on whether or not you like sardonic humor. Same with Leno and Conan.
I agree in spirit
Although won't comment about AIDS, I do think that Jimmy Fallon isn't funny in the slightest. I've watched his show a number of times when I just didn't want to or couldn't go to bed and it was never funny.
I feel that he tries far too hard. Nothing that he does feels very natural.
Also, he never really stopped that thing he did on SNL where he'd just start laughing during a bit, that annoyed me then and it annoys me. I don't think that professional comedians should be so undisciplined that they can't make it through their own routine without breaking!
I don't know if I've heard of anyone really defending him, it's more like he's just there and since NBC has nothing better they just keep him.
To Fallon's credit
I think his show has gotten better as he's gotten more comfortable and he's doing some different things with it, although his love of reality TV and game shows is pretty lame. The best part of his show is The Roots and the collaborations they've done with some of the musical guests.
I think Conan has every right to be pissed and I agree that the Conan/Leno/Letterman debate depends on age and style of sense of humor. I sort of remember the Tonight Show with Carson but I bet it would seem pretty tame by today's standards and not that funny. I personally think Leno sucks. The bits on the show he's known for - headlines, Jaywalking - are him reading things people submit to the show and him asking idiots questions. What does Leno do that's actually funny? When Conan goes out of the studio and interacts with people those bits are hilarious and you can tell that he's a naturally funny person. Plus, when one of Conan's monologue joke bombs he acknowledges it and tries to mine humor out of that situation. Leno's monologue jokes never make me laugh.
AMEN!
Fallon is by far the WORST late night talk show host in the history of late night talk shows.
Nothing he has done has encouraged me to watch more of his show and to get hooked.
He was mediocre on SNL and to this day I don't understand how he has a job in comedy and television. How did he even get the Late Night gig in the first place? Was there really nobody else available?
A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato
The only person who laughs at
The only person who laughs at Jimmy Fallon's jokes is Jimmy Fallon
And even that's a pity laugh
And even that's a pity laugh
Let's eat Grandpa.
My roomies and I once tried
My roomies and I once tried to watch Jimmy Fallon's late night show and laugh.
We failed.
HOKEAMANIA RUNNIN' WILD
Formerly, TheLastProphet
If this isn't funny than I don't know what is
I was really
hoping that this whole thing would have been a ploy by NBC. Just a complete fake to get a ton of ratings, because they've gotten so many people tuned in. Just come out and say, "Jay and Conan worked it out. Conan's staying." That really would have been genius.
I don't watch those shows much...
..but last night was compelling TV, and tonight should be better. As a bonus for me, anyway, Neil Young is supposed to be there. I wonder if he has a new song for the occasion. His thumbing of the nose to corporate sponsorship "This Note's for You" is still one of the best gestures that has ever been made toward "the business."
Don't make Leno out to be a
Don't make Leno out to be a villain. He was moved to an unestablished time slot when he had the highest rated entertainment show. He bombed (although his viewership stayed about the same; there are just more potential viewers at 10), but Conan also attracted 2 million less viewers a night. My point is that NBC made a stupid business decision. You don't pull someone as successful as Leno when they want to stay longer. You also don't pull Conan off after 7 months. I had never seen Conan before, and I've seen him a couple times in the last couple weeks and appreciate what he does a lot more now. I'm sure his audience would have grown overtime and young viewers, his core demographic, are more valuable to advertisers. But none of that is Leno's fault. He has every right to want to come back to the Tonight Show and he would have had every right to leave the network and compete against the Tonight Show if they pushed him out. Blame NBC for this mess, don't blame Leno.
He did a similar segment last night with the Kentucky Derby winner watching Super Bowl highlights. 4.8 million. This past week has been great late night tv.
The Team, The Team, The Team.