OT: Conan says FU to NBC...
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_430…
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 PM ^
..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."
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:38 PM ^
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.
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
I think the Leno is a villain meme isn't just about this controversy. To people that have paid attention, this is "the norm" for Leno. He forced Carson's hand on his retirement. He "stole" the Tonight Show from Letterman. After signing the agreement to walk away from the tonight show he started threatening NBC trying to get them to keep Conan off the air in the first place.
NBC has certanily been his "partner-in-crime," and yes, many if not all of these moves were just smart business moves on Leno's part, but there's a reason why very, very few comedians/entertainers are on Leno's side.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:32 PM ^
"there's a reason why very, very few comedians/entertainers are on Leno's side"
I think the real reason is they just can't compete with him. It's hard for me to believe that the other comedians have true compassion and love for poor Conan. Look at Kimmel, the guy has been milking Leno for a week.
January 23rd, 2010 at 3:43 PM ^
And not Leno. Besides all the practices he listed, Leno's people were also blackballing guests from the Tonight Show if they did other shows like Dennis Miller's, which caused rifts between a lot of them too. Leno likes to play the innocent, but somehow his management team does a lot of dirty things without his say then.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
I don't see how anybody has time to watch any late night show with Adult Swim on
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:42 PM ^
I need an out in case of emergency.
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^
It is quite amazing to me how partisan discussions of Conan vs. Leno quickly become. Methinks I am the only fellow who enjoys both of them (albeit rarely).
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:19 PM ^
Last night's final Conan O'Brien-hosted "Tonight Show" was flippin' awesome. I said to my girlfriend before it started, "You know, he could just make this a giant F-U to NBC on tonight's show, but I think he's too classy to do that. I really think it will be a pretty heartwarming show."
It turns out I was right. Conan was very cordial and even ranted against cynicism. He said he loved NBC for the opportunities that it gave him.
Anyway, between Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Beck, the dude from ZZ Top - and was that Ben Harper on steel guitar? - it was a great show. I especially liked Beck's seeming lack of self-awareness as they rocked out on "Free Bird" - with Conan on guitar - with Beck wearing his cowboy hat and bandanna.
January 23rd, 2010 at 3:45 PM ^
But a much better way to handle things. He's only increasing his good pub and image.
I think I would have been more one of those cynical guys he was talking about...but he went through a hairy contentious situation, and managed to come out staying classy all the way. He's either a smart cookie, or has great advisors.
January 23rd, 2010 at 7:18 PM ^
was Billy Gibbons.
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
Conan is intellectually funny because he uses big words occasionally and he makes little comments about politics and literature every now and then. But he doesn't go over the top like Dennis Miller would.
However, Jay Leno's most intellectual comedy is when he does "Jaywalking" and laughs at people for not knowing the capital of California.