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Conan O’Brien Says TONIGHT Should Not Air In The Morning!!
I am – Hercules!!
"I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting," writes Conan O’Brien Tuesday. "The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show."
His full statement:
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.
Yours,
Conan
The man makes an excellent argument. For once, O'Brien deserves a chance to try to attract an audience to his show (the funniest version of "Tonight" ever, in my view) without Jay Leno's horribly incompatible (and just plain horrible) brand of comedy driving away potential fans immediately beforehand.
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Launching Today!!
In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.
Yours,
Conan
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It's sad that the big chinned egomaniac has turned Conan into just a footnote in the history of the Tonight Show, one of the longest running and most influential brands in the history of television. Hopefully Conan goes on to make them pay for their mistake the way that Letterman has and the world sees Leno for the hideous human being he is and shun him, giving him ratings that Magic Johnson would have been ashamed of
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he's heading over to Fox?
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Glad to see that Conan isn't going to just roll over and be kicked to the curb as a result of NBC and Leno making dick moves.
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I hate looking at his moon face. Hang it up you fuck1
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Screw NBC.
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what does this mean for Max Weinberg and The Max Weinberg 7, or for that matter, Andy Richter?
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NBC does not deserve the brilliant mind that is Conan O'Brien. He's a comedy genius, and will hopefully land a gig for a company that really is worthy of his talents.
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It sounds like we are now at: NBC picks Leno or Conan!
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But, kudos to you. Make the bitches PAY. NBC fucked itself, so you FUCK THEM.
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Just quit, Conan. you're better than those NBC fucks.
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fuck him, and good for Conan.
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I hope it hurts to pay Conan and I hope Letterman destroys Jay
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for having the balls, to telling NBC, to go screw themselves.
We are with you all the way, Conan. -
Sure Leno should stand aside now instead of intentionally screwing up late night tv, but NBC are supposed to be in charge here and they're just useless.
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For sticking it too moon head and the empty suits at NBC. I do not even watch any of these shows but Conan deserves to be treated better. Please take Jay out the pasture.
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Love Conan.
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you've finally earned the name Conan. Leno sucks balls!
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I'll keep watching Conan wherever he goes...too bad this had to end this way--I enjoyed his Tonight Show--but Conan still has many funny years ahead. So, fuck you NBC and Leno!!
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Leno is a hack job and he has single handedly ruined television. I hope your happy you chin fuck
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for the god damned win!
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Fuck Leno.
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just look at the backlash this whole situation has gotten. 99.99999% of feedback has been pro-Conan. Honestly, if NBC "listens to us" and keeps Conan over Leno, I wouldn't be surprised if ratings for the Tonight Show raised significantly since much like Paranormal Activity did well because we "demanded" it, we will have a stake in 11:35 since we all "demanded" Conan!
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it's time for Leno to retire, once and for all!
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...he is who he is (I was born after when he was claimed to be funny and cool)...ya cant hate him for appealin to the masses...but I am definitely TEAM CONAN! Im glad he is leavin cuz that was some shiesty ass stuff NBC did...makin Tonight Show the Tomorrow Show...the big question is...whats gonna happen to Tonight Show?
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Leno will get it back and they will act like nothing ever happened.
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Who watches the Tonight Show anyway, when Dave is on the other channel.
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Poker Night may just a new time slot, though.
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He only cares about himself. Look at Conan not only does he care about the tonight show's legacy he cares about Jimmy Fallon.
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Jay Leno is an egomaniac. NBC is pack of idiots and Conan Obrien has officially won me over forever! Go Monorail!!!
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The gist of the statement is Conan turning down the 12:05am time slot so why the spoiler warning when the headline says that?
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What a slap in the face to Conan! Jay Leno had PLENTY of time to consider his decision to retire. Leno is an asshat that appeals only to the lowest common denominator of America. I celebrated when he left, and I weep that he's still around, just like a dangling dingleberry on my asshole.
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Classy statement. Good riddance, NBC. The sleazy suits at that network and Leno, the self-serving prick, deserve each other.
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Jan 12, 2010 3:16:45 PM CST
God Damn it JETTL93 why don't you snort what Britnay Murphy snor
by jeangrey_x23_lesbosex
and die
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They proposed this plan knowing it would piss Conan off. Sure, Conan owns the rights to "The Tonight Show" for the next five years, and will make a killing selling it back to the PEE-COCK. But, they want Leno back in that slot, on that show. I just hope that my prediction of Rocky Dennis' audience not returning rings true. MIKE TYSON WILL FUCK GAY PHLEGMO IN THE ASS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!
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That is how it should be done, funny but wise; strong but not forceful. Conan O'Brien has been one of the best modern comedic writers of the last 20 years, the fact that The Simpsons made it from the mediocrity of season 1 to the pure, unmatched hilarity of season 4 is due largely to this man.
It's a true shame that NBC cannot recognize the cachet of their history, something they should be able to properly exploit for success. Hopefully, Conan's powerful words here will remind them of the right path and they will figure a better situation out of this mess than to disrespect one of their most consistent talents and one of the most important talk shows of all time.
I hope Conan doesn't end up at Fox, they clearly have no idea how to nurture talent or quality, but no matter where Mr. O'Brien ends up, I wish him the greatest of successes. -
for your balls of steel.
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Let Jay go to Fox.
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...if Leno goes back to Tonight Show, Ill love to watch him re-retire lol...Then maybe Stephen Colbert could takeover!
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Now you have to wonder if they'll keep Conan on thru the Olympic break, or if they'll yank him right away? I'm thinking they'll keep him on if he agrees...&then follows thru...not to rip on Leno and/or NBC too much.
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It's over, Jay! IT'S OVER!
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everyone in a talkback has agreed?!
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...how Leno feels bout this... I could imagine he would feel bad for what NBC did to Conan, but if he doesnt, then that would make him suck a lil to me...Leno should just step down, NBC gives Conan TS at 1135, and THEN both Conan and Leno leave NBC, resultin to NBC makin Fallon the host, makin NBC go bankrupt!...but if it go bankrupt, Ill lose those Thursday night comedies...damn
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Conan's thunder just like Jay steals everything else.
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I hate Leno...but don't pretend for a second that Jay ever CHOSE to 'retire'. He was forced off The Tonight Show, then NBC got worried he would bolt to another network, so they came up with this whole shitteous plan. Fact is, they should have left Jay on Tonight for 2-4 more years, THEN he might have actually retired.
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...nudge nudge wink wink to FOX? "I currently have no other offer". YET.
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NBC sucks. This is really a low blow on Conan.
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As I remember it Leno wanted to retire, then changed his mind after Conans deal was made.
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I don't like him but my understanding is it was NBC's decision to oust him from the Tonight Show in the first place, not his.
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Ill follow Conan. NBC is making a giant mistake
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Jan 12, 2010 3:28:44 PM CST
I call forth the zombie-fied remains of Johnny Carson!
by mr. nice gaius
For he will surely lay waste to those "geniuses" at NBC. May justice be done upon them!"Heeeeere's Johnny!"
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You'll find little to no sympathy for Leno here, and maybe anywhere else after this. Except from his 60-75 year old viewers, who are probably too senile to know any better.
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but when the JAy Leno Shows was sinking Jay opens his big mouth and starts saying shit like "yeah, i'd go back to the tonight show if they gave it to me."planting those seeds baby planting those seeds.
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as a long time Conan watcher (from 93, when he used to bring that kid to the show whose life was shit and then would say 'but at least im not you' and kick him in the ankle) i can say it's been awesome to see Conan move up from that humble start, and become a real tv personality. he's struggled hard to get here. he deserves the tonight show, good for him. he also deserves respect from NBC, and for them to show a little common courtesy when catering to other people. Jay had his chance with his new show. didn't work. sorry. it's over. let it go.
Bill Cosby also knew when it was time to let it go. Jay, just let it go and let Conan do his thing. -
Yes, he does have a big chin.
And Jay can take it, and shove it where the sun won't shine. -
Would love to see how these announcements have affected Conan, Jay, and Letterman. I'm a Letterman man, myself, but I am rooting for Conan. I hope he keeps The Tonight Show, like he deserves and Jay leaves, but if moving to Fox is what Conan needs to succeed, i will fully support and watch him.
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For me to poop on!
Give it up Jay, you left, now it's time for Conan to take over, just like what Carson did for you.
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The Tonight Show has been a shell since Johnny left and when it starts to going back to what it was before, Leno tries to kill it. NBC is full of idiots.
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NO CLASS....(kevin laughs) (Jay giggle) <---Leno style punchline
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"Yeah, I'd go back to the tonight show if they gave it to me."
And people wonder, why we now hate his back stabbing, big chinned, guts. -
I know Fox wants him, but I also heard David Letterman was trying to pull a deal that would have Conan follow him on CBS and take over for him when he retires. If I was Conan, I'd go with Letterman. Fuck Fox!
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...Conan go to cable? I mean, Colbert does well for himself, I know Conan would too... masturbatin bear... pimp bot... whatever else characters they got......PS: anyone remember the Conan/Colbert war? that was fuckin cool!
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Good for Conan.
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...if Leno has anything near the balls that Conan has so respectably put on display here, he would step aside and let his little prime-time show die a peaceful death. Either that or just blow his brains out all over a wall in the shape of an NBC peacock...because he's a company man to the bitter fucking end.(Thank you, Bill Hicks.)
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Other than 'Mr. Show' and a few exceptions, Conan mainstreamed absurd comedy. He's probably influenced at least half of the popular comedians and comedy shows of the 2000s.
I'll never forget Max Weinberg doing perverted shit as one of those "The More You Know" PSAs. I knew then that Conan was on to something.
I have SO MANY fond memories of Late Night with Conan O'Brien that it deeply, deeply saddens me to see how SHITTY that NBC is treating the man who shaped my sense of humor. -
Way back when, Jay claimed he was going to retire, which prompted NBC to make its deal for Conan to take over the Tonight Show in 2009. Eventually, Jay changed his mind and decided he wanted to stay. It is 100% his fault. And he has since shown that he will fuck anyone that gets in the way of him getting what he wants.
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DID Leno say that? And when?
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Which is why I think that he would want a show on Fox... although it's not as old as NBC,ABC,CBS, it's still been around long enough to be considered a traditional network, and Conan wants to be on a traditional network, doing a late night talk show, because that is the legacy.
Cable would just not be the same.
Of course Fox is notorious for destroying good shows, so I would imagine Conan would have the best contract ever if he went there.
What do you guys think are the chances Jay will be the bigger man and walk away?
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Won't walk. He should have left when this whole 11:35 madness for his show started. He supported it. Conan won't. Conan will leave and Jay will return to the Tonight Show at 11:35, or they'll try and bring in a big name to run it at 12:05. Like Seinfeld who was rumored a few weeks back.
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Chances of Jay being a MAN and letting Conan and Fallon grow their shows? ZERO!
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And not in some truncated, bastardized form usually reserved for the Carson Dalys and Craig Fergusons of the entertainment world. I say bring Johnny back from the dead and have done with it. He was the best Tonight Show host of my lifetime. Probably the best ever, though Steve Allen fans would balk at that sentiment.
NBC has been run by people making incompetent decisions for several years now. Journeyman died prematurely in order to make way for the now-aborted Jay Leno Show. I thought it was a terrible idea then and those sentiments must have been shared by millions of others, most of which are either sitting on their hands or on the remote control to keep Leno off their television screens. Too bad for Conan, Leno and all those involved in this asinine endeavor. Heads should roll over what will possibly be considered the greatest debacle in television history. -
Move to Fox, take the show back to NYC, blow leno out of the water. Who is going to watch leno now anyway. what a no talent ass clown. GO TEAM CONAN!
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No respect for that bitter man.
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NBC has offically screwed him. didnt he learn anything from watching what happened to David Letterman. both who have always been funnier then Leno. fuck NBC and fuck Jay Leno
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NBC sucks donkey balls, huh, who would've thought.
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What did Bill say about Leno? I'm not too familiar with that.
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I don't hate Leno. The guy works too hard and seems to enjoy what he's doing too much to dislike him (as compared to Letterman who always seems pissed off and bored with his own show. That said, NBC royally F-ed this thing up. I hope Conan lands at FOX.
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since the whole world feels bad for Conan right now and Leno is finally being talked about instead of being made fun of for his awful 10pm show.
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...on AICN? say whaa? so who are the Cowboys? cuz they will destroy Brett next game...even tho Brett is my fav QB...wait...is Leno my fav host???
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...on AICN? say whaa? so who are the Cowboys? cuz they will destroy Brett next game...even tho Brett is my fav QB...wait...is Leno my fav host???
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http://tinyurl.com/yh8255x
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...cant we blame Herc and AICN for this fiasco due to that "ratings" article...it coincidentally started the season Conan got the Tonight Show...AICN is TEAM LENO?!
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as all this is goin down Southland premires on TNT and will be a huge hit for them. NBC= nothing but cocksuckers
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The only episode of the tonight show i ever watched was becasue you were hosting.
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Vikings will not lose at home. Their D will get to Romo early and he'll have one of his poor playoff performances.
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Suck it, NBC. http://tinyurl. com/ yje3lby
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Remember when Leno first announced he was retiring on the Tonight Show? I seem to recall him saying that a deal had already been reached to give Conan the show. Is it just me or does anyone recall him saying that the reason that decision was made was because he didn't want another debacle like what went down between him and Dave?
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A poor substitution to the job that they guy wanted to do for the next half decade. Thi may be one of the biggest FUs without saying FU of all time.
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Bill Hicks said it best. Jay Leno: Another whore in the capitalist gang bang
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If NBC decides to support Team Conan then Leno will show up on Fox at 11. Either way this thing goes, one of them seems to be headed for Fox.
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Conan's Tonight Show is better for profits in the long run, but they are only concerned about short term profits and bonuses. Yes, the decision to end Leno's timeslot meant a dip in the ratings for the next couple of years, but in the long run Conan will get the ratings.
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...says it all: "My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work."
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Michael Davidson is a GORILLA!
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Of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson are funnier than anything Leno does? It can't be generational . . . Carson rocked. Leno just ain't as funny. And is it me, or was Johnny Carson still rockin' it 30 years in, while almost 30 years in, David Lettermen is not quite as funny? Or do I just miss Chris Elliot?
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Jan 12, 2010 4:16:24 PM CST
ALF could do a better job, of hosting a late night talk show....
by jamie mcbain
than Jay Leno.
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Bring back Arsenio Hall.
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patton is great.
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Shouldn't FOX have a third prime time hour before they start on a late night show?
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Seriously. Call him.
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and actually kick Jay's ass, this time for real.
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of Alf's Hit Talk Show? And that was really in 2004? Man, it seems like it was more like 1994, and went on for years.
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He could interview forgotten 80s celebrities. And then bits could skip and repeat, like a busted CD. It would be awesome.
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Assuming he doesn't get yanked immediately, looks like Conan can throw caution to the wind & bring back the Masturbating Bear!
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As a fan of good TV and a New Yorker I always supported Dave and Conan, Jay just never appealed to me. I used to watch Dave and Conan back to back, but now I have to DVR one. Oh well, I guess for the next few weeks we make sure Conan's ratings go through the roof and avoid Leno like AIDS.
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Thanks for the link. I love Patton and he is absolutely correct. Growing up in the 90's my best friend and I would stay up for Conan and laugh our asses off at the crazy characters and segments. Something you wouldn't get with Leno. Unlike the rest of this talkback I'm not going to bash Leno. Humor is subjective and I know his show was not for me in terms of what it offers comedically. I can't find any fault for him in any of this because ultimately all the decisions are NBC's to make and as usual network execs/studio suits always fuck things up. They've been making bad decisions on this situation from the beginning why would it stop now?
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He has no respect for the Tonight Show. A show he hosted for years. Now Leno has no problem with the Tonight show airing in the morning, just as long as he gets to stay on the air. That's selfish. If Leno had any dignity and respect for Conan and Jimmy. Two young up and comers. He'd bow out graciously, but no Leno only thinks of himself. I'll never watch Leno again, not that I really did anyway lol.
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I never liked Jay Leno, and I have every bit of reason to dislike him even more. Conan o'Brien is pure class. I can't believe they are letting such a talent like Conan go. Jay Leno is one of the biggest douches I have ever seen. Back down down Jay, and get some long needed respect for yourself. What an evil fuck you are Jay.
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What exactly did Bill Hicks say about him? I've got the Bill Hicks "It's Just a Ride" doco somewhere around here, and as I recall, both Leno & Dave are on it praising Bill. Dave Letterman is actually shown to regret some tiff that sprung up between him & Bill that happened because NBC cut Bill out... I have to take a lot of shit people say about Leno with a grain, or a truckload of salt, because many times it's childish, almost insanely hyperbole... especially when their attacks on Leno reek of ageism and personal projection. I love Conzie, but he is getting up there too. He isn't the spring chicken that he once was, but none of us are- you can't fight entropy(yet)! When it comes down to it, it's a total NBC cockup... I never once believed Leno wanted to "retire"... You'd probably have to drag him off in a casket(best ratings ever)! I haven't watched Conan regularly in a while, still DVR him, and drop in occasionally when the guests look interesting, but usually it's Jon Stewart & Steven Colbert that are Conzie's nemeses when it comes to my viewing habits. All I ever watched Jay for was headlines, then I was out of there. I actually checked out his show when it began, insufferable, tedious dreck. Conan certainly deserves better, and perhaps Jay is the asshat everyone always "screams" he is, but ultimately, I blame NBC for NotBackingConan up!
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I watched the Simpsons 20th Aniv. special, and it seemed to feature quite a bit of Conan. I can really see Conan on the Fox network, it would work.
So Conan goes, that means that Leno gets the Tonight Show back? How is that going to work? I would love to hear to the first show back monologue. -
ALF has more talent in one paw, than Jay has in his chin.
http://tinyurl.com/yht9eq6
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NSFW- http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=cfkvpcjNk7c
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Jan 12, 2010 4:38:05 PM CST
Holy shit, what you guys keep forgetting is that Leno was
by coughlins laws
fired for NO REASON!!! He had twice Letterman's audience. He had 3 times what Conan is getting now. Leno never wanted to leave the Tonight Show. He got forced out because NBC foolishly thought that Conan could pull an audience. Then he took their deal to do the 10pm show and pulled in the numbers they wanted. Now, NBC are being sleazy snakes and still trying to keep them both. Leno is in his prime, wants to still have a talk show, and has shown that he can still get 5 to 6 million people to watch him. Sorry if Conan doesn't like it. He never should've agreed to push Leno out. He should've waited his turn or left for another network...
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Conan may not have had the numbers Leno did, but wherever Conan goes, his numbers go with him.
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That's exactly what Jay said back then. He'd said that what had happened before had ruined a friendship, and he didn't want something like that to happen again.
Jay wants everyone to like him and see him as a nice guy. Way back then he even went so far as to completely change his comedy style from a slightly sarcastic and edgy one ( actually kind of similar to Dave's in a way ) to a more watered down one to appeal to the Tonight Show oldsters.
The guy's a douche.Now I'll be shocked and amazed if he does the right thing and bows out gracefully, But I don't see that happening.Conan was exactly right that NBC stuck with Jay for a long time to give him a chance with The Tonight Show. If it hadn't been for Hugh Grant or The OJ trial, Dave would still have been kicking his ass in the ratings. -
McDonald's could bring back Mac Tonight and use Jay Leno. They wouldn't even need the prosthetics.
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Jan 12, 2010 4:41:39 PM CST
I suprised they don't insert "The Jersey Shore" after your local
by thatswhatshesaid
After all...thats what this world is coming too.
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Craig Ferguson is the best lat night show out there. He is doing the best Carson-like show out there now. Unfortunately, his 6 year contract is about to run out.
That said Conan should move to ABC. ABC should axe that Nightline crap, move Kimmel back 30 minutes and give Conan the 11:30 spot
Dave has just turned into an angry bitter old man. Fallon is negative funny. He actually sucks funny out of your living room. -
Leno Steals Bits. Bill Hicks hates that. To Comics thats the worst thing you can do is steal other people work and call it your own.
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Jan 12, 2010 4:44:24 PM CST
Craig Ferguson and Conan O'Brien are my two favorite late night
by jamie mcbain
other than Jon and Stephen.
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Your premise is faulty
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Scab :P
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Plan A: Go to Comedy Central or HBO, up the ante, break barriers and make a show that Jay WISHES he had.
Plan B: Go to ABC and replace Kimmel, who nobody watches.
Plan C: Go to Fox, get on at 10pm CST and steal Jay's viewers before the show starts.
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Conan deserves time to get his audience. Leno wants to weasel his way back to his old time slot. Shoving Coco away while cashing in his checks. Conan somehow turns out to be the most classy out of all this tell me Leno is out for Leno. Better not see your fat ass on the street Jay.
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All this squabbling is pointless.
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That Letterman clip is gold. I love the Dave sits at the desk and tells a story style bits from the Late Show.
Let me reiterate from last week: Jay Leno is a douche.
WB/CW or whatever should TOTALLY bring back Arsenio Hall. -
But Johnny Carson was more funny, more often, than Leno has ever been. And where would David Letterman be without Paul Schaffer? Maybe he's be on the Home Shopping Network, maybe he wouldn't. But I do know that he wouldn't be funny.Johnny Carson. We miss you, Johnny.
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First guest? M.C. Hammer. Then Bill Clinton blowing the sax. I'd tune in for that show. Without question.
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handling of the situation. However, if NBC told Jay "we're not renewing your Tonight Show contract, would you like to be on at 10 instead" he had a choice - take it or leave it. He took it. It was an experiment, some had even said a risky one, and it failed. Leno getting kicked off the Tonight Show, then getting his show cancelled sucks for him. However, shouldn't he have enough respect for the institution of The Tonight Show, and himself, to decline the rather insulting consolation prize of a half-hour show which pushes back the start time of the Tonight Show until the next day? No, because it seems he's hoping Conan will walk, or, as he did in the statement above, refuse to move his Tonight Show to 12:05. That way Jay gets his Tonight Show back, or at least the tainted version of whatever's left of this once iconic show.And then what? How many more years is he going to do it? 5? 10? And then what do we get? The Tonight Show, with Jimmy Fallon?
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Best episodes ever.
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"Have you seen this?" "Have you heard this?" I'd rather watch Jimmy host a talk show. Man Conan, you should definitely take off for Fox. Leno you are a nipple on a porcupine. Don't ask me want that means I've been at work since 4:00 am.
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And he actually had a pretty good interview with Gary Oldman that discussed acting and was funny... Imagine that, a late night host that's funny AND interviews well!!!
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I remember Leno deciding he wanted to leave The Tonight Show. Because he wanted to create a different type of show.
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NBC is really to blame. To get all the talent, writers, band members and producers to pack up and move out to LA just to pull out the rug 7 months later is just ridiculous. You can tell Conan hates LA anyway. I just wish all the people that are supporting Conan would actually watch his show so that there would be no issue in the first place. But I'm curious, what has Stern said about this lately? I had to cancel Sirius for a month. I know he's flippin his shit. Conan rules late night.
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is true. NBC panicked because Conan was getting offers and they thought they had to promise him the Tonight Show to get him to stay. Well, Leno, who has kicked Letterman's ass for 15 years, wasn't ready to retire. So, in this incredibly stupid move to try and keep them both, they ended up pissing everyone off. Your problem is with NBC, not Leno. Plus, it matters not if you like him. Millions of people do, and he will continue to dominate Letterman and even O'Brien when he moves to Fox...
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... class act statement!
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to Fox network at 11 on Saturdays for Wanda Sykes? Why not weeknights?
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SPAAAAAAAACE GHOOOOOOOOOOOST!!!
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Hey NBC, what's going to happen down the road when Jay's older demographic starts dying off? Are you going to bring in Fallon to do 11:35? FUCKING FALLON? You better start kissing Coco's ass and think about how you just fucked over a generation of fans.
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I don't think anything has ever made me laugh so hard.
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The way I remember it Leno WANTED to retire, NBC set a date way to far out in the future, then locked up Conan. Leno changed his mind after everything had been sorted. NBC realized that, with Leno changing is mind, they were letting a strong ratings performer go. Rather then let that happen they let the who Jay Leno Show debacle happen. No one got fired.
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I know this will be hard to miss your favorite shows like.... umm.. well.... umm... Damn, Conan was the only thing i watched on that piece of shit network. So continue not to watch NBC!?! it's not like you were gonna wach the olympics anyways
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...is Coughlins. Are you really the fifth dentist?
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Fuck NBC.
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... was playing passive-aggressive mindgames with NBC during the period when they signed up Conan for The Tonight Show . It seems to be his douchey specialty.
I remember that at the time they announced the succession plan, it was explicitly meant to avoid a repeat of the Carson/Letterman/Leno debacle. WHOOPS> -
Why aren't heads rolling for this? That's what I hate about corporate America, there is no consequences for these idiot suits. Meanwhile my buddy got fired from Fred Meyer's for simply throwing away old produce without permission.
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No firing happened.
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Leno was always like that uncle that thought he was funny, and managed to get obligatory laughs.
Wouldn't it be great if they had a comedy duel? Conan's quick wit would destroy Leno's banal comedic style. -
Thunderdome!!!!!
Two men enter, one man leaves!!!!
Only thing missing, Tina Turner. -
Thunderdome!!!!!
Two men enter, one man leaves!!!!
Only thing missing, Tina Turner. -
remember when they booked Leno leaving and Conan taking over like 6 years in advance, just so this was all laid for them? And now they've fucked it up completely.
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but seriously, that's the best way to solve this.
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http://tinyurl.com/yjtqusy
Love the Ice T as Carson Daly bit! -
http://tinyurl.com/yjtqusy
Love the Ice T as Carson Daly bit! -
Wow, can't believe it. Thought he'd go to 12:05. Nifty. Too bad NBC is going to bounce him anyway. Here's hoping Fox! Or ABC or whatever.
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Every show he's in is great and gets canceled.He must have told go to fuck himself.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msC3uu4KZbg
TEAM TRIUMPH! -
my bad
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Just a little fantasy of mine to have a channel and a show where Conan can do whatever the f*ck he wants, no consequences whatsoever!! And on Fridays, how cool would it be to have Bill Maher and Conan O'Brian on backtoback. But it'll never happen. Because HBO wouldn't want to risk it, Conan probably wouldn't want to risk it, and hell we all know that he's going to Fox anyway, let's not kid ourselves on that!
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Jan 12, 2010 5:36:47 PM CST
Leno wasn't fired for no reason: His audience died; LITERALLY
by mistergreen
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have their Leno-hosted Tonight Show back. Conan doesn't pull the numbers, but he pulls the more coveted demographics. If he made the move to cable and was able to cut loose with the humor, I think he'd be better off. More fun with less network-forced homogenity forced on him.
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but NBC can SIT ON IT!
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Jan 12, 2010 5:40:38 PM CST
Leno never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever said he wanted to retir
by coughlins laws
He announced what NBC did on his show. He never said he wanted out. He was in his early 50s and was by far the King of Late Night. His show was CRUSHING Letterman. Why would he have wanted to leave? He has said every single step of the way that he wasn't ready to retire and wanted to keep doing his show. I understand the vast majority of you guys here don't like him, but don't make stuff up. You can't rewrite history now...
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But I found it on You Tube, and thought it was touching and classy.
http://tinyurl.com/dm4v7f
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Ice-T as Carson Daly. Lol!
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You are correct, but Leno shouldn't have accepted the retirement deal in the first place. He should have fought it THEN, not now.
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if he didn't he should have fucking spoke up. And I'm not making stuff up because I hate Leno, if I was in charge at NBC I would have held my breath and keep the giggling fool.
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Jan 12, 2010 5:51:54 PM CST
And in the UK, Jonathan Ross resigned from his BBC contract
by palimpsest
Coincidence? We'll see.
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I mean Leno is no where near as funny as Letterman (who is no where near as funny as Conan), yet people watched his show more often!? Perplexing to say the least! Honestly though, like most shitty shows that get crazy good ratings, middle america is to blame.
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Jan 12, 2010 5:55:13 PM CST
TMZ says Conan is out and Leno is back at the Tonight Show
by shutupfanboy
NBC's mental time of death is now official.
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Nor have I ever read love for Leno online. -I love Jay Leno! He makes me laugh so much! He's amazing! It's my favorite show- I never read that before, but Letterman & Conan do get that love. They have a following. It seems like Leno only did well on the Tonight Show because the audience just got used to him being there, like an old dog you keep around.
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Jan 12, 2010 5:56:16 PM CST
TMZ loves attention. So they make shit up & hope they're right.
by orionsangels
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http://www.ew. com/ew/article/0,,702402,00. html
He never said the word "retired", that's true, but his intention was clear. -
"After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule."
Wait a second. You're making it sound like they're asking you to leave the Tonight Show. They're not.
"The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show."
The Tonight Show once ran 2 1/2 hours. That's not a typo. Steve Allen came on every night for two-and-a-half ******* hours when the show started. Things change.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:00:27 PM CST
They should really make the 11 o'clock news just 15 minutes long
by mrmysteryguest
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They only gave Leno that slot to keep him from going to Fox or something, and when the 10xperiment failed, they want to shove him back in. Crap. GOOD THEATRE, but crap.
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He was scheduled to retire. Then he decided to keep going. Well his 10pm show and his Crimetime band sucked horse cock. OH WELL - You don't bump Conan. I say Conan should go to Fox, and Leno retire. That forces Jimmy Faillon to 11:35. Instant death to The Tonight Show. NBC tanks...
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The fucking monkeys that are running NBC need to get their heads out of their asses. Go Conan! You are classy all the way.
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Yep. Here's what Jay said back in 2004:"Leno beat out David Letterman for the 'Tonight' job, sparking a feud that lives on and was even the subject of a book and movie, 'The Late Shift.'Leno recalled the animosity on his show Monday, saying 'a lot of good friendships were permanently damaged.''Quite frankly, I don’t want to see anybody go through that again,' he said.Full article is here:http://bit.ly/6E8Xo4And here's another article where Jay talks about making a smooth transition. http://bit.ly/7x8GFW
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Then Jay has one less viewer, that will be watching him.
Talk about getting it in both ends.
I hope that the big chinned bastard is happy.
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Well, so much for that.
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It looks like something the network might have told him to write. All I know is that he's been complaining about it on air ever since. You know what, maybe he was alright with it then and DID change his mind. Who cares if that's even the case? More people watch and enjoy his show than any other late night comedian...
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I was watching vintage Johnny Carson clips on Youtube. Eventually, I came across the Carson tribute that David Letterman held after Johnny past away. He had Peter Lasally on the show. Peter was Johnny's show runner (and now runs the show for Craig Ferguson which is probably why Craig is such a terrific host as well.)
There is a portion of the tribute show where Peter talks about Johnny's retirement and why he left the Tonight Show. Johnny simply did not want to over stay his welcome. He wanted to retire before people got tired of seeing his face.
Seems to me that Leno, the inheritor of Johnny's legacy should take a page from his book and step down graciously to make way for newer, fresher talent. It's not like he's stayed too long at the party. It's more like he stayed a bit too long. Left. Went out boozing. Threw up. And now is drunken NBC friends are saying "Hey! Let's go back to the first party again and stay even longer!" -
I know at 10pm "the Jay Leno show" is a failure. But did he still have more or equal viewers than when he did the Tonight show or was "the Jay Leno Show" even less viewers than his Tonight show?
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Enjoy every one.
http://tinyurl.com/yzs9pj2
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Really, Jay, all the greats have gone out with people wanting more. You are going out with people saying "hurry up" And Conan has a million tons of class.
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Execs are just bending backwards just to hold on to Jay Leno who is past his time. Please Jay, just leave alreay. Your jokes are still corny and you're not going to give Conan a chance to shine.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:16:53 PM CST
I do agree that Conan is getting hosed by this. I'm glad
by coughlins laws
he's not taking it. He should bolt to another network. However, he was a failure as host of The Tonight Show. I'm sorry you guys don't like that...
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they're not ACTUALLY his own words.
I see. -
Jay's 10pm show was fucking up the local news around the country. They were saying ever since you put Leno before us people are not watching us. They were watching the news of the channels of the other 10pm shows. All of the other 10pm shows showed an increase in viewers when Leno went to 10pm.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:21:10 PM CST
Leno is a fucking douchebag of the highest order................
by crackerfarmboy
This is all his fault. His show failed and contributed to Conan's failure and now NBC is trying to pull a time machine by screwing Conan out of the Tonight show, just like they screwed Letterman 17 years ago. Fuck LENO! Fuck him up his stupid asshole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jan 12, 2010 6:24:16 PM CST
You really consider a press release someone's own words?
by coughlins laws
Really? That isn't anything he ever said in public. In fact, this whole last year, before and after being fired, he complained about having to leave his show, even though it was number one. I'm conceding to you that even if he didn't fight this or was fine with it then, he may have changed his mind. But so what? Why fire the top rated Late Night guy at all?
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The Tonight Show back for the fulkl hour then NBC is the biggest back stabbers known. I hope Leno fails miserably like he did at 10pm. Letterman whom I like the most is having the last laugh. But doesn't his contract of 30 years end in 2012? Then what? Craig moves to 11:35? Or will CBS offer Conan the 11:35 spot and fuck over Ferguson?
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Jan 12, 2010 6:26:05 PM CST
Indeed, it is pretty much, the same thing all over again...
by jamie mcbain
And even Dave knows that.
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He has nothing to worry about.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:28:08 PM CST
Battle_Royal, you do realize that 99% of Press Releases
by coughlins laws
are written by publicists, right? I mean, why do you think celebrities hire publicists?
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telling NBC to go chin fuck themselves
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Letterman had at 11:30pm, you realize that, right?
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has to have something on somebody
That's the only way any of this is making any sense -
I don't remember anything about Leno stealing bits with respect to Hicks. I do know that it has been a major point of contention within the comedian / stand-up world that Dennis Leary ripped off (or at the very least emulated it) a lot of Hicks' material.In fact, Hicks even joked about it by saying that it was actually HE that was ripping off Leary but gave his jokes better punch lines.
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Coughlin's Laws, do you think think Conan's statement was written by a publicist, or does that fall into the other 1%? You're obviously not going to change how you feel about Leno, but the bottom line is that if he didn't want to say that shit, he wouldn't have said it. Regardless of who wrote it for him.
And if he is just parroting something his handlers wrote for him, he's a brainless twat who doesn't deserve to have his own show. Which i don't be,lieve he is.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:36:53 PM CST
Bill Hicks was an angry, mean, unfunny, jealous asshole...
by coughlins laws
He's almost like Howard Stern in the sense that he tears down others for getting opportunities he can't get because of their abrasive attitude and down right meanness...
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never mind. Your post about Bill Hicks tells me everything I need to know about you. In the spirit of goodwill, please enjoy this clip, which is probably more your speed: http://www.youtube. com/watch ?v=zXkSEcCwU8A
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That's about the most ill-informed and rather ignorant statement about Hicks that I've ever seen.You are right about one thing though - he was an angry man but not for the reason you've cited.
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You can't compare two different time frames. Way more people are up at 10pm.
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Where ever you go next, I'll tune in. Great letter to the Earth!
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Jan 12, 2010 6:43:45 PM CST
I don't LOVE Leno, I don't even really like Late Night
by coughlins laws
comedy. I think it's an outdated form of entertainment. However, Leno's thing was a little 3 sentence blurb that said nothing. Conan is getting really screwed and I applaud him for not taking it. However, Leno did have the number one show for almost 2 straight decades and it was clear he didn't want to go. Explain to me why Conan should get his job when he can't get a third of his ratings? If/When Conan leaves for Fox, he will be in third place, behind Leno and Letterman. He'll never beat either of them...
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Jan 12, 2010 6:45:18 PM CST
Rectal, Leno had the same amount of viewers at 11:30pm
by coughlins laws
I don't know what you don't understand about that...
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Leave television altogether, and work in a classier business with better people, like hard core porn.
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was a hateful, bitter human being who's ire was almost always directed at those more successful than he was. I'm sorry, I don't think he was funny at all. He came off as just an asshole to me...
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Like you had nothing to do with this behind the scenes. You should have just retired with some dignity.
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Jan 12, 2010 6:51:12 PM CST
Battle_Royal, the difference between you and me is that
by coughlins laws
I don't try to act morally superior to those that have a different sense of humor than me. You can't seem to accept the fact that more people agree with me than with you. You choose to call people that are more popular than your guy as "sell-outs" or "watered down", or whatever demeaning phrase you can come up with. Well, guess what, not all comedy has to be "edgy". Not every joke has to be mean-spirited. Not everyone likes to hear people rip on someone to be funny. Bill Hicks was a failure of a comic because no one wants to hear someone be that mean-spirited for that extended amount of time. I'm not the only one who thinks that way. The public spoke loudly. He never was able to parlay his stand-up into anything. He died a loser...
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Conan gets the royal shaft because of Jay Leno. If I were him I'd take the money NBC owes him from his contract, start his own production company and make his own show on Fox. Letterman did it and it worked. I'd like to say I'm am a loyal viewer of Conan and I'll stop watching NBC late night period if he gets bumped off.
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Leno had more viewers then Letterman. I'm totally aware of that. Does that mean Leno is better, or has more merit, or is funnier? Not quite. He draws a slightly different audience. But Leno is a stupid fuck and Carson didn't like him or the fact that he got The Tonight Show.
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Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Have ever listened to any of his albums or watched any of his stand-up on DVD?! I don't care if you don't think he was funny. But to completely miss his "line of attack" and the reasons behind it is kind of staggering. You couldn't have been listening very closely...
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Jan 12, 2010 6:55:27 PM CST
Yes, Mr. Nice Gaius, I have heard Bill Hicks. Not my cup
by coughlins laws
of tea. I can see how Dennis Leary looks like a rip-off of him, but to me Leary is funnier, because he didn't look like he really hated what he was talking about, he was more of a caricature...
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that's not the only difference between you and me. Also, please show me where I called ANYONE a sell-out or watered down.
It seems to me you've got some kind of inferiority complex. But I'm glad you enjoyed the Larry the Cable Guy clip.
As for more people agreeing with you, it appears that's not the case on this particular website. -
...a big fan of Conan. That's changed, after seeing how he has reacted in this situation. Wherever he goes and whatever he does next I will give a very long and very hard look. Class and loyalty like that should always be rewarded.
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Including you, Coughlins Laws.
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I've watched Conan since Late Night in '93 and hate to see this type of bullshit happen to him. Go fuck yourself, Leno.
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...I'll give you that. But that's exactly why Hicks' comedy was so much more potent and explosive. That's who he was and when he was firing on all cylinders, there weren't a lot of comedians that could come close to touching him.
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You wanna talk about merit? Letterman started his own talk show from scratch. The Tonight Show was handed to Leno. Letterman was the one that got Leno popular by his monthly visits on his show. Leno is a horrible interviewer. All he does is gawk at the female guests. Carson would call Letterman's show and ask if he could have Dave read off some jokes during the monologue. Johnny had no outlet for his material, so he asked Dave to use them. Dave did through-out but didn't ever say anything until Johnny died.
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...your opinions are duly noted.
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Staying Nice?
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I never watch Conan, but I've always enjoyed his appearances elsewhere (the Molecular MaaAAaan!). This letter simply exudes honor, an even temperament, maturity, and class. And although I never understood the late night craze, I truly believe that he believes in the establishment that the Tonight Show is known to be. I don't know this guy much, yet I like him tons.What I shame that the cynics are going to repetitively smash him with this line.
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...stripped the heart and context out of Hicks' comedy... What remained was an angry douche bag with a cigarette. I don't hate Leary. I've even laughed at Leary. But Leary is the Comix Classics version of Bill Hicks. Some people will only read the classics that way.
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I'm doing my best, sir. Staying...Red?
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Boycott the return of The Tonight Show with Leno and send a message. Don't watch it. Make sure he gets the lowest ratings ever!
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...in humid August. Good to see you.
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Some history: Leno and Hicks actually knew each other from their years on the stand-up circuit. In fact, Leno once suggested to Hicks that he should attend his comedy workshop during his early years (Hicks started doing comedy shows in his teens). But when Leno started hawking Doritos (while making millions on the Tonight Show), Hicks thought Leno had sadly sold his soul to Satan and had become nothing more than a shill for snack products.Anyone who as ever heard the RANT IN E-MINOR album should be familiar with the now infamous bit about Leno blowing his brains out upon realizing that he had given up being funny for a life of selling Doritos and interviewing people like Patrick Duffy and Joey Lawrence.Hicks also had a longstanding relationship with Letterman's show and had made a dozen or more appearances. His final appearance (shortly before his death) is now legendary and somewhat tragic because of the issue of censorship. The bit that Hicks performed that night was already approved by Letterman, his producers, and the network. However, after filming took place and the show was being prepared for broadcast, a decision was made (out of fear of offending the religious right) to remove Hicks' appearance from the show in its entirety. I believe it's the only time in broadcast history that a comedian was completely cut from a TV program.The Hicks/Letterman debacle was a major source of regret for Letterman especially since Hicks' death prevented them from ever making amends. In fact, it was only in the past year that Letterman made a somewhat gracious gesture and invited Hicks' mother onto the Late Show in order to apologize for what they did to her son. While the gesture was LONG overdue, it made for a very moving and compelling segment.For those of you who may be interested in viewing this, here are some YouTube links for Mary Hicks' appearance on the Late Show which is broken into three parts: http://tinyurl.com/cmzg9n http://tinyurl.com/cepbu8 http://tinyurl.com/dba7rx
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and those nbc dickheads*
But that would be wrong
So I won't do it -
Leno no matter what the fuck he does. Doesn't he have more cars to buy. The materialistic fuck. And Boycott NBC too. Nothing But Cocks.
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I'm not sure when exactly TPTB decided that we had to make nice with hateful things and people.
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Leno may get The Tonight Show back, but Conan will still be the winner for the way he played the game.
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CoCo is basically a fun way to remind people he's in L.A. now. Question: when CoCo goes to Fox, is he going back to New Yawk or stay in the city of Angels? I would say he stays in L.A. Better movie star guests. And more Shatner.
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right after Carson Daly, when everyone will be asleep and he won't bother anyone. Or, just beam Jay directly into retirement homes, where there is a very slight chance there may actually be people who find his dated concept of humor to still be funny.
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Jan 12, 2010 8:02:19 PM CST
greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting
by takingscorpioscalls
STAR TREK BIATCHES.
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So many Is in that letter it's looking like a greek colloseum.
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You're the punchline.
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Saying this is all "Leno's fault" is delusional. It was Conan who said that if he wouldn't get the Tonight Show by the time he was 50 he would bounce, so NBC got scared and booted Leno out of there. So he sowed the wind and is now reaping the whirlwind from his shenanigans. Conan's "no where to go!" looks like a baby in the woods routine now, i'm betting he wishes he just ate some humble pie and stayed at Late Night.
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results in everyone involved thinking he's a backstabbing douche ... yet all the morons in the country seem to like his inane, pussyshit talk show. Fuck Jay. He ain't fit to tongue swab Conan's taint. I'd like to see how Leno's new Tonight show goes if his lead in was an hour of a man in an executioner hood slaughtering kittens with an axe ... because that's essentially what Conan had to work with for the last 6 months.
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If so, fuck fuck fuck. Conan Was better than that washup sellout could ever hope to be. If Leno gets back the Tonight Show, NBC has no Tonight Show.
Conan, please go with Fox (despite my hatred for them) and start your own Late Show at 11 pm. -
...Coughlin made me interested enough to look on the web for polls of the best stand-up comedians. In one done on Comedy Central in 2004 Bill Hicks was at #19. Jay Leno was at number #27, and Dennis Leary at a respectable #50. Maybe more interesting was the Comedian's Comedian poll done among comedy professionals in England. It's an extremely UK-centric list where for the most part the only Americans appearing are the all-time heavy hitters like Hope, Pryor, Carlin, Marx. But there's the "loser" Bill Hicks at...#13. Neither Leno nor Leary appear on this list. Now the opinions of peers are no more important than anything else, depending on how you look at things. I mean, for instance, if you were voted the greatest guitarist in the history of rock by your peers, but the soundtrack for High School Musical 3 sold more copies than your work, I guess it still must be better than you, right?
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Jan 12, 2010 8:20:32 PM CST
Hack no talent Leno is at fault.................................
by crackerfarmboy
Step aside gracefully Jay and go tinker with your hangar of cars you useless, unfunny fucking douchebag, twat, scummy, bit stealing, pig fucking whore!
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That would mean that he fucks actual swine and spreads his shit around the pig sty with his asshole spread for other pigs. As inane as Leno's show may well be, I doubt he has sex with pigs. Come now, people.
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if Helen was truly the problem before when Jay took over the first time. I think that Jay has always been this way and the true colors are showing.
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... Conan want's Leno to retire gracefully. Something Leno will not do unfortunately.
Out with the old, in with the nucleus. -
First, Conan is right on all points and he did a great job of explaining his thoughts. I love the not so veiled jab at his lead-in programming.Second, why is NBC so afraid to let Jay go? Are advertising dollars REALLY that low? Don't they realize there is no going back? The public at large will never accept Jay back after the fiasco of letting him go to 10:00 and then trying to move him back. Lastly, low ratings are a sign of the times, baby. Nobody in Tonight show time slot will ever have the same share as Leno and Letterman, let alone what Carson used to get.
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I wonder if they can figure a way out to make this happen. It makes sense
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This is the TV host equivalent of Hillary Clinton trying to drag down everyone with her as she self destructed last year. NBC management is acting as the much vaunted superdelegates.
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ha ha ha ha ha! JAY LENO needs to be putting on second coats
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And quit! He can probably get on another network easily enough or just retire. His show got bad ratings and complaints from news networks. What size anvil needs to drop on your head to do what's right?
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Jan 12, 2010 8:50:03 PM CST
Battle_Royal, thank you for proving my point with your smug
by coughlins laws
condescension. You just proved to every honest person here that you think you are better than someone else based on their sense of humor. I hope life as an arrogant, smug asshole is fulfilling for you...
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But he won't.
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No matter what he says. Acting like he's angry at NBC. Whatever, just think about it real hard. After Leno did a finale show. He welcomed Conan on his show to congratulate him. He has the nerve to go back to his old time slot and bump Conan back, wait it gets worse. Now that Conan basically said he is leaving. Leno would go back to hosting the Tonight Show. After all that. He gets his show back. Fuck you Conan! How can Leno even look at himself in a mirror? What a fucking douche!!!
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That leno quote was in a broadcasting mag interview.... I would return to the tonight show if NBC asked.that's a douche move
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wittily said ebonic!
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LONG LIVE COCO!!!!
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"If you move me I will quit" That's the only classy move, team up with Conan.
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That leno quote was in a broadcasting mag interview.... I would return to the tonight show if NBC asked.that's a douche move
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Jan 12, 2010 9:04:48 PM CST
So far Leno only made one joke about it in his monologue.
by orionsangels
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Is that he's genuinely nice to people, but he'd shove you under a bus if it would get him what he wanted without a second thought. He'd backstab someone in a heartbeat after being friendly and helpful to them if that's what he needed to do, and have no remorse about it. (Letterman would stab you too... but not in the back; you'd know it was coming, and he'd have the class to hate himself for doing it afterwards.)
In any event, Television history will record Letterman up there with the true innovators of the medium. If Conan gets the chance to keep his act in front of the wider, 11:30 audience, I'm positive his position alongside Dave, Johnny, and Steve (Allen) as an innovator who changed what late night could be will be cemented as well. Leno will be remembered for being around forever with high ratings, and that's it. -
A drift at sea and Conan & Fallon's food ran out. Leno wouldn't share his, he'd kill Conan and Fallon with an oar and dump them overboard. Leno comes first.
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What did he say about all this?
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Leno must have a fucked-up estranged marriage. They have no kids and seem to want to spend as little time together as possible. If Jay actually retired they'd probably be divorcing within months.
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One year from today:
Conan O'Brien will not be at NBC.
Jeff Zucker will not be at NBC.
Jay Leno will be at NBC.
Say what you want about Jay, but he always manages to come out on top. -
Jan 12, 2010 9:20:08 PM CST
Shabby he barely touched on it. Playing dumb. Ignoring Conan's s
by orionsangels
He started with a Harry Reid joke. That segwayed into the joke - NBC affiliates are apologizing more than Harry Reid. He then said, NBC is pulling the plug on our show Feb 12th. The mayan calendar predicted it. Then he said NBC has no tact. They told me if I gained weight. I could be on The Biggest Loser. Har har! That's it. Yeah it was Hi-larious!
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Could be a really interesting. :)
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All sorts of old folks on there calling Conan a "crybaby" and a "failure".I hate old people.
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http://www.popeater.com/2010/01/13/jay-leno-leaving-nbc/
It's B.S. Why would Jay oust Conan from his job and then walk? Jay's just trying to not look like a weasel. -
Kevin gotta eat
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JOHN.ECK@nbc.com, Jeff.Gaspin@nbc.com, JEFF.ZUCKER@nbc.com, jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com, STEVE.CAPUS@nbc.com, ALLISON.GOLLUST@nbc.com, PAULA.MADISON@nbc.com, CORY.SHIELDS@nbc.com, JOHN.WALLACE@nbc.com, David.Verdi@nbc.com, Jeff.Zucker@nbc.com, Bob.Wright@nbc.com, LYNN.CALPETER@nbc.com, DICK.EBERSOL@nbc.com, MARK.HOFFMAN@nbc.com, MICHAEL.PILOT@nbc.com, david.verdi@nbc.com, MARC.CHINI@nbcuni.com, Alyssa.Corcoran@nbcuni.com, MICHAEL.BASS@nbcuni.com, MICHAEL.PILOT@nbcuni.com, Ron.Lamprecht@nbcuni.com
You can also call Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal at 212-664-2830. -
I don't know if I agree with that. He's one of these fuckers that just fail up. The corporate overlords love him because he's such a stooge and always seems to take the fall for them. If anything, he could be promoted.
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...your lips to God's Ear, but as I understand it Zucker recently got a three year contract renewal. Such things can, in most cases, be bought out. Here's hoping your prediction about Zucker will be right and the GE shareholders decide it's worth the cost to be rid of him.
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Jan 12, 2010 9:37:10 PM CST
Well, if Leno also leaves it can only mean one thing...
by margot_tenenbaum
...Arsenio Hall is a master of three dimensional chess and he's about to check Leno big time.
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There will be no prisoners. No mercy!
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It's finally taking the media's attention off his problems :)
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This "Leno is furious" story is spin control from his camp. NBC offered the spot to him and he took it without hesitation. The man worked overtime manipulating the transition that got him the Tonight Show gig, to the point where he was hiding in closets to overhear executive's conference calls on the matter. He gets what he wants first, then he goes about protecting his reputation. Expect to hear a lot more from Seinfeld types that will paint him as the bigger victim than Conan.
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Jan 12, 2010 9:55:50 PM CST
I just knew something like this would happen when Leno got the 1
by colonelfatheart
Fucking NBC. Fucking Zucker.
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...Michael Richards to call Conan an ethnic slur.
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...all over again. Wow, I thought that was just hyperbole. He's even doing the same "They have put Jay in a terrible position..." and even "Jay is a great guy..." Anybody want to make a little book on whether Jay ends up following through?
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12:05? That's ridiculous. And having Leno right before him isn't giving him a fair shot either. Why was Leno given 2 years to get a chance to catch Letterman when he took over but Conan only is given 6 months.
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But his own words in November will come back to bite him in the ass. He's a back-stabbing bastard and, hopefully, everyone will see that this time. Judging by what I'm seeing here, he isn't going to get off as easily as he did the last time he pulled this shit.
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He's really been tainted by all of this. I don't think he can regain what he had if he went back as Tonight Show host.
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They'll probably exagerrate Conan's hairstyle the same way Leno's chin size was exagerrated in the first movie. I'm already laughing at the vision of that in my head...
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not late show. sorry to be a dick.
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Oh no! NBC don't do this. You're bad NBC. How could you do this to us? I'm so mad at NBC! Well, see you on the Tonight show after the Olympics.
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I realized that right after I made the post. If only we had an EDIT BUTTON here. Sigh...
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The other two guys didn't really resemble Leno or Dave either.
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He really nailed the "character" without making it too much of a parody.
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Leno should be burned at the stake. Everyone in the business knows he is a backstabbing peice of shit.
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...I can't figure out how Jeff Gaspin is an anagram for sacrificial lamb. Ahhh...that's okay. Zucker and Leno will figure it out.
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Their Leno reminded me of that giant-nosed Nixon in Watchmen.
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Nice little reference to the first movie.
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He blowed up real good.
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Yep. Daniel Roebuck. Was also in The Fugitive. Terrible Leno.
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That was inspired casting. He basically played the same character on Seinfeld.
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Fuck you Jay, burn in Hell!
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Affirmative action FTW
Naw, but really I meant Leno -
When some talk show had both ALF and Johnnie Cochran on the couch as guests and ALF was giving Johnnie the hardball questions and not the host? I can't remember if it was Leno or Conan.
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.....HO!
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On the off chance that anyone from NBC is reading this...I agree with all these other posters. GO FUCK YOURSELF NBC. Fire Leno and give conan his props. He's the last half decent thing on the station.
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Join up on Facebook with....Team Conan: Boycott Leno's Return to The Tonight Show. Make it happen.
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...is the Ervin Burrell of late night.
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"Don't mention NBC. I'm trying to have a pleasant evening."
Ha! -
Its not Conans fault that Lenos show is fucken pathetic and cant make the ratings. Conan should switch over to a broadcasting company thats going to respect his work. And Leno, go find work at Midas or something.
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you know, make the show funny again....
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he doesn't deserve to live.
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Tom Brokaw doesn't know wtf he walked into, lol
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Jan 12, 2010 11:34:41 PM CST
Coughlin, yeah, life is a rich tapestry...
by battle_royale_with_cheese
Sometimes my other condescending asshole friends and I sit around smoking pot and making fun of people who like 2 1/2 Men.
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awesome leno impression.
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Nothing could be further from the truth.
And, for all the Leno haters out there, even Conan will tell you that it's next to impossible to maintain a funny, non-offensive talk show for 10 years that the masses will watch.
Leno may not be the funniest guy around, but he's done an admirable job of carrying the torch.
And yes, I still think Conan is right. -
It's a sad, sad day when Conan O'Brien is mentioned in the same breath as Carson. Ah, the youth of teh internets.
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Fact: Leno was drowning the first couple years with the Tonight Show. In fact, it really wasn't until Hugh Grant was caught with a prostitute did Leno actually gain an audience. BTW, anyone notice the shameless attempt to duplicate that "magic" with Kanye West after the Taylor Swift awards thing? I think he used the exact same phrase "What were you thinking?". That was the point I lost all respect for Leno.
Face: Leno's Tonight Show hasn't been funny since the mid 90's. Someone said it earlier, I can spot his punchlines a mile away. The writing is just so stale, that show was on autopilot for at least 10 years while Conan was just getting better and better.
Fact: While Leno had just under twice the viewers on the Tonight Show, he has less than 1/3rd of his old Tonight Show audience on his Jay Leno Show. So the time-slot is KEY.
Fact: Conan and Leno's comedy is very different. You can't expect the Leno audience to fall in love with Conan (or vice versa). But Conan has toned it down a bit with mixed results. But he seems to have some edge back this week.. gee.. I wonder why.
Fact: Leno/NBC's move to keep Leno ahead of Obrien was a dick move. Sure the "Jay Leno Show" is making NBC money, but it's stale. A problem NBC's had for a number of years lately. It's indicitive of a bigger problem there.
BTW.. how does anyone find Lettermans show funny? I don't get it, I've never gotten it. The guy is as exciting as a cardboard box and the having to listen to Schafer parrot him for an hour... WTF PEOPLE?!?! Even Leno fell into that trap with Eubanks about 10 years ago.
Fact: The classy thing to do here is for Leno to properly retire. 17 years, 3 or 4 of them funny, a car collection I would kill for and many many millions in the bank. And this is a guy who shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place! Conan's lucky? No.. Leno was lucky. -
On some poll or NBC affiliated site? God I would LOVE NBC to read this thread. FUCK NBC. Strong Conan supporter.
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Leno is a fucking pron. Yeah...a pron.
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I do not see any evidence of the reported subterfuge and manipulation that occurred during the original Late Shift. I do not like Jay's humor, but it is NBC's behavior that has been deplorable.
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I've been a huge fan for a long time though I missed the Andy Richter season(s?). After so many years of making me laugh I am deeply saddened by this. Bummer.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOQvsuJ5wIA
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...is likely due to this being the *second* time that someone has worked for *years* loyally producing a hit late late night show for NBC with the understanding that, in return, they'd get their chance to take over the Tonight Show, only to have it snatched away when Jay Leno wanted it instead. As others have pointed out, Jay endorsed the promise NBC made to Conan that kept him from pursuing other opportunities, only to later decide he didn't want to go along with it. So NBC sought to pacify him with a 10pm show, and when the ratings were tanking on that he put it out there that he'd be willing to move back to his old timeslot if NBC asked. Now, lo and behold, NBC does just that. It's a dick move that both Leno and NBC are guilty of.
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I think the reason why people hate Jay so much is that circumstantial evidence is that if you are in the way of something that he wants, he'll screw you over and smile to your face will doing it. When time after the results are the same, even a total dullard starts to suspect they're getting screwed, even if they can't quite puzzle out how, I think it's primal. Regarding Bill Hicks, he was kind of a true believer in his own way, and once you disappoint a true believer, they rarely forgive you. So many of Bill's routines have been filtered through lesser comics, anyone listening to him now would ignorantly assume that HE was the douchey stealer. I don't know enough about it to get judgemental about Dennis Leary... and whenever Lewis Black goes there, he always seems to be honouring Bill more than just aping.
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One of the better ones I've seen... "Don't ever tell him about SVU." HAHA
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and not just his NBC stuff, the whole monologue killed. He has always exuded personality in his monologues something Jay never has. Just like a previous poster said he's like Jimmy from South park every joke begins with "Did you hear about this...?"
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I just wanted to express my outrage at NBC for its handling of the Tonight Show. Conan O'Brien deserves more respect from the network. He has been the funniest thing in NBC's late night programming since they foolishly let go of David Letterman. Apparently, NBC has not learned from its past mistakes. Jay Leno has proven that he is no longer a viable choice as a TV personality. And yet, you(NBC)seem to have slavish devotion to this lackluster and utterly mediocre comedian. TV executives truly most be morons if you are choosing to sacrifice your best late-night comedic asset in order to appease an aging ratings-killer like Jay Leno. Now, your foolish decisions may destroy one of the greatest TV programs of all-time, The Tonight Show. If the current course of action continues, I have no doubt that NBC will drop to the bottom of the late-night ratings. Furthermore, NBC will lose the trust of any future and current employee. NBC has shown that it cares little for any of their talent unless his name is Jay Leno. You screwed Letterman and you're currently screwing O'Brien, but in the end you're just screwing yourselves.
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It may not be Leno's fault. That they canceled his show and are moving it to another time, but Leno said goodbye a long time. He announced his leaving date years in advance. He had a final Tonight Show episode. He welcomed Conan with open Arms. Conan comes into his dream job. He's given a lot of time and opportunity to create a great show or so he thought. Now Leno returns to 11:30 and the Tonight Show gets bumped to the morning and Leno accepts this? You don't see anything wrong with this? You don't think it's insulting to Conan? Put yourself in his shoes. If Leno had any dignity he'd bow out. He'd respect not only Conan, but the Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon. Leno had a great run. You gave away your show. Now let the younger guy have his shot. It's like if I gave you a Plasma TV and a week later I told you. Sorry can I have the TV back? My TV broke and now I need a TV. Here you can have this little black and white TV. Sorry it's out of my control.
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Not the biggest fan of Leno, but the old "Your lead-in ratings fucked mine!" whining sounds like bullshit in the present-day, heavily diversified entertainment market...seriously, who the fuck sits there for 2 1/2 hours like a lump, from Leno, straight through the news, to Conan? Bullshit.
It was a bad fit, all the way around. NOBODY wants a prime time talkshow, so it fucked Leno, and Conan's daffy college-boy humor was no match for Letterman's caustic, topical approach. Letterman and Leno were actually in a functional equilibrium...if you found Dave too grouchy, there was always harmless ol' Jay. THE TONIGHT SHOW was never known for cutting edge humor...for all they talk up Carson, I found him corny as fuck as a kid, so Leno was a perfect successor.
Won't exactly miss Conan myself...I always felt like he was trying too hard, and I'm glad Fallon has filled his niche. -
Because now Jay is in check mate. If Jay Leno STILL get the timeslot, he will be responsible for, as the HOST of the Tonight Show said, ruining it. He cannot be seem as a victim neither, because he has the option, the clear option, to cancel the whole thing of. If Jay Leno do the right thing and quit (or go to Fox or to some other timeslot), Conan still wins. Conan did a brilliant, genius move and hitted the clock. Let's wait for Jay's move now.
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At least there will be one person who walks away from this with their dignity intact. Leno's nice guy persona has clearly been revealed as a front.NBC is the real fuck up in all of this, on many levels. First, you don't tarnish and completely mishandle (twice!) one of the crown jewels of broadcasting. You could debate whether Conan is suited to 11:30, but they still mis-timed the transition, forcing them into an ill-conceived experiment at 10 to keep Leno happy. That is added to a poor programming lineup that could ill afford to handle such an experiment and see it fail. Now, they're rushing into another fire drill as the building is nearly engulfed. Yet the idiot presiding over this mess still has his job. Zucker either has some really good dirt, or gives really good head to the GE execs.
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discused much is for ABC to bring Conan to 11:30. They movie Kimmel back a half hour to 12:30, followed by Nightline @ 1:30. This way they get 2 late night comedy shows like CBS & NBC, and Conan gets to stay on a major network instead of having to go to Fox....which is littered w/the corpses of late night talk shows past.
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his humor is sophomoric and toothless---but you're opinion (and the opinions of most on this site) do not reflect those of the general public. Jay appeals to the lowest common demoninator, while Conan's more interesting, bizarre approach leaves the masses scratching their heads and going "Hunh?, why isn't he doing Viagra jokes?" Let's keep our fingers crossed that he gets a spot on Fox and becomes the next, (melanin-challenged) Arsenio; but with more longevity.
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why did NBC start all this bullshit in the first place? poor Conan, fuck Leno!
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His contract doesn't specify when the Tonight Show airs. If he doesn't cooperate he might be minus any show and Fox probably won't pick him up.
I'm on his side, Leno's a douche but it's not looking good at the moment. -
they will be in breach of contract and would have to pay him millions...conan is doing the right thing by staying put in his time spot...hes gonna make them (NBC) do the dirty work and pay him.hes got nothing left to lose
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I'd rather watch Skinemax and naked Shannon Whirry anyway.
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What looks like it will happen is that they'll tell him to do the tonight show a half hour later, and he has said he won't. So in effect he's quitting, not them firing him.
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First off...I'm pro Conan!
With that being said, why does everybody hate on Leno? You may not like him, but he did get amazing numbers. And last time I checked, he kicked the crap out of Letterman. Stop demonizing the man just cuz you don't like his brand of comedy. A LOT OF PEOPLE DO!!!
If people want to blame anybody for all of this, don't blame Leno, blame NBC. They are the ones that screwed the pooch here. While I thought it was daring of them to try the 10pm thing, it simply didn't work. But I applaud them for trying something new.
When this whole thing blows over Conan will stay in his time slot on the Tonight Show. Leno will not want to take the show back, nor will he get it. So calm down people, and stop putting words into peoples mouths. -
It's amazing to see where NBC is compared to where they were in the 90s. They had Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, ER, etc. Now they're pathetic. Their primetime lineup is a disaster, they've screwed their late night lineup, and other networks laugh at them. Hell, they probably would show naked Shannon Whirry on their channel if it would get them ratings. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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It looks like NBC's plan is to fire Andy Richter and replace him with Jay Leno as Conan's sidekick and announcer. It will only be for the remander of Leno's NBC contract (which expires in 2011) then Richter will be hired back
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I do believe Conan should have been given at least a year to build his audience.
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you're fucking insane
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Is exactly why some people don't find Bill Hicks remotely funny.
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He even had a billboard campaign, early on--Letterman--about being #2. Letterman only started being consistently #1 when Conan took over the Tonight Show. However, Leno will start getting slammed by Letterman when he returns to the 11:30 (10:30 Central) time slot. You can't just change everything, then put it all back together the way it used to be, and hope to get the exact same results. Ain't gonna happen.
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Carson had persoanlly groomed Letterman to take his slot, and that no tlaent fuck and his agent (Leno the ass chin dog fucker) fucked over Dave and screwed Carson. Leno rips off old Howard Stern bits. Incredibly unfunny asshole you are Leno.
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...but he has managed to create two highly respectable late night legacies (CBS' Late Show, NBC's Late Night) from absolutely nothing. Ask Alan Thicke, Joan Rivers, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Dennis Miller, Carson Daly, Greg Kinnear, Jimmy Kimmel, Arsenio Hall (who came closest) , etc. how easy it is to pull that off.
Leno has proved that he's nothing without the Tonight Show brand. Conan has the chops to set up elsewhere. FOX and ABC would be fools to not want him. -
That Leno holds sevre leverage over several NBC execs, when a knew one comes along Leno spends sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on private investigators who dig up info which Leno then threatens the execs with to get his way. Rumour has it that back when Carson retired, Leno got the job over Letterman because Leno had info that one of the NBC ecexutives 22 year old son had been arrested for sexually assualt on a 15 year old, it was swept under the rug but Leno threatened to spill the news unless he got the tonight show gig
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If NBC thinks Leno is going to be pulling the same numbers he used to as Tonight Show host, they are sadly mistaken.
1. I know that back in the day, if Dave had a rerun or a lame guest, I'd sit through Leno just to have something on until Conan came on at 12:30. Scratch that now for me personally and I'm sure for many others.
2. Following the whole lead-in train of thought, NBC would often be on after watching ER or Law and Order or The West Wing for millions of people. I doubt anything NBC throws into the 10pm slot will be of that quality or popularity anytime soon, thus bye-bye Leno's lead in audience.
3. A whole lot of folks from my generation, say late 20s - late 30s, are tech savvy are in the midst of joining "Team CoCo", tweeting their disgust and anger at the way "their" host is being treated. Think they will be tuning in for any Leno-helmed show at 11:35? Hell no. If fact, they will passionately follow Conan to FOX or any other network.
4. Dave Letterman has solidified his best numbers ever over the past year, and CBS has insanely popular (not saying good, but popular nonetheless) dramas on at 10pm. NCIS and CSI are literally the most watched things on TV right now save the Super Bowl and American Idol finales. Also, Dave seems to be fired up by all this, like it has re-opened the old 90s wounds at being denied the Tonight Show, and has nothing but venom for Leno. Watching his brilliant deconstruction of the mess will continue to be compelling and maybe even draw in more viewers thanks to Internet buzz.
That and a bunch of other factors, not to mention all the bad publicity for Leno and NBC that has genuinely soured many casual viewers, adds up to a far smaller audience for Leno.
Meanwhile, Conan goes to FOX or CBS and brings a whole legion of young, hip fans that advertisers covet and makes whatever network a boatload of money while eviscerating NBC in the process. Sweet! -
If Leno was as beloved as the NBC suits seem to think why didn't all his viewers follow him to his more viewer-friendly primetime slot? Seems to me that, like SNL, the Tonight Show attracts many of its viewers because it's a friggin' institution, regardless of the current cast. This crazy experiment proved to me that Leno's personal drawing power is not so great, why can't NBC see that??
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Jan 13, 2010 9:35:53 AM CST
What surprises me is that people stay up so late to watch the to
by jettl93
Don't any of you have jobs you have to go to in the morning?
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I exhaust myself trying to get homework done and the kids asleep. After that, I can barely keep my eyes open. I catch most of the latenight stuff I see these days as web clips.
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David Letterman. He is so lucky now that his wife wants him back and he can bring Stephanie Birnik along for a threesome
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Don't make me get Huell Howser in here, cuz that is truly a-mazing!
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The first paragraph really set the tone, as did his shout-out to Jimmy Fallon. Methinks Conan remembers the criticism he endured during his first season at Late Night.
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Just look at the NY Post's (owned by News Corp.) front pages. The new late night war has dominated in recent days. Shit, it even bumped off the Haiti catastrophe from today's. Fox has tried and failed at the late night game before, but they've never had an established late night presence like Conan. Now they sense their chance to seize on a known property to establish a new legacy in late night.
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... as a producer on The Simpsons?
Please? Pretty please? -
Jan 13, 2010 11:20:24 AM CST
Question for everybody: How long before broadcast TV goes kaput?
by colonelfatheart
If at all? Thoughts?
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Thanks to the Internet, and specifically iTunes, I recently got rid of my cable. Why spend $40 a month when I only really watch 5 shows consistently, and I can get an entire season for $40 each. $40 times 5 is way less than $40 times 12.
But, I still like to watch a few shows casually, like Conan O'Brien for example. Luckily, I can pull that kind of show from the air with a pair of trusty rabbit ears.
My prediction is that cable is dead, but broadcast isn't. -
I'm actually being serious. With "wireless" being the "next big thing" in virtually every other communications medium, why should television be tied to a cable in your wall?
Internet + Rabbit Ears = All the TV I Need -
But won't providers of broadcast content want their pound of flesh?
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Instead, TVs and computers (laptops, slates, phones, too) will have a total convergence. Shit it's basically already happened. Everyone's positioning themselves as "content producers" now. Why persist with a loss-generating model (broadcast)? Even the government realizes this, which is why there's this push to increase broadband/wireless access. I can't imagine regulators would get in the way of companies shutting down broadcast operations if there's a total move toward the web.
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...then broadcasters can start making money off of advertising again.
Maybe.
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Fox goes after the younger demographic and Leno's audience can't handle solid food.
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Jan 13, 2010 11:37:15 AM CST
It'd be great for parents whose kids watch too much tv.
by royston lodge
When I got home from school I sat myself in front of the TV for hours.
Imagine if a family didn't have cable, but instead bought their shows a-la-carte as downloads.
A parent could then tell the kid, "sure you can watch your show. But's it's coming out of your allowance."
Makes so much good sense to me. -
Great idea, but how would you keep them from doing shit on their phones?
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Fuck the middle of the road, lowest common denominator viewers. It would be nice if things could always be pitched at more sophisticated audiences and then let the mouth-breathers be expected to play catch-up. And fuck old people too.
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You'd have yourself one hell of a portable entertainment system.
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Man, I wish that were the case. But in this age of unbridled capitalism, the prospect of huge, short-term profit is the primary driving force. A more tempered, sustainable form of capitalism obviously fuels innovation and lofty aspirations, but I'm not sure what can get us back there.
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No need even for a tuner. Just have wireless access everywhere and make episodes on demand at all times. Instead of tuning in at 9 pm to catch, say, "Lost," you can just pull it up when it becomes available at 9 p.m. This way, fans can all "tune in" and maintain the communal experience of talking about shows with big twists.
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... local news, late night talk shows, live events, etc. Stuff that I wouldn't pay $0.99 to download but that I like to watch occasionally.
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Jan 13, 2010 12:13:23 PM CST
Yes, a tuner of some sort is necessary for live events
by colonelfatheart
Especially sports.
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The big sports leagues have enough money that they could host live streaming video for a fee.
For example, the Vancouver Olympics will be the first time when people can watch every single event - live on the Internet. No more complaining that your favourite Olympic event didn't get any television coverage.
Hell, even the entire torch relay was available live on the Internet. They have a camera truck streaming the runners live via the cell phone network. The video quality sucks, but its a harbinger of things to come. -
I guess NBC felt obligated to help Leno, and Coco was too much of a class act to cut into Jimmy's time, but this sucks. Conan is a far better comedic talent than Leno. NOT HAPPY.
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... Clark Kent drinks homebrew concocted by fermenting powdered Kryptonite? ;-)
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It's like a virus.
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Would kick all of your asses. Minds would explode, and the end of days would be upon us.
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Jan 13, 2010 1:13:03 PM CST
Well, he DID write for The Simpsons for some years...
by greatwhitenoise
...of COURSE the man writes a good letter. And this is a good letter. And to boot, his show last night was a scream. I can't imagine NBC is enjoying watching BOTH Leno and Conan taking pot shots at their own network. Hard to believe how badly they've mishandled this. Johnny would be appalled. Proud of Conan, though, I think. (Wonder what Doc Severinsen thinks of all this...nothing good, I'll wager.)
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All of the staff at Conan's show and more specifically their families. Their futures are completely up in the air now a few months after moving and believing they were now going to have a great period of stability. Yikes.
I would say to Conan, just take the 12:05 gig and Leno will get sucky ratings and when his contract runs out in a year NBC will not renew it. -
It's just that 5 to 6 million isn't a big deal in Prime Time like it is in Late Night. Leno doesn't owe Conan anything. Conan didn't care about pushing Leno out, why should Leno care about pushing Conan out? As far as Letterman getting screwed, he never told ANYBODY at NBC he wanted the Tonight Show, he just assumed he'd get it. He even admitted as much. Right now, though, he is looking like an asshole the way he's attacking Leno, who will once again crush the serial adulterer once they are head to head again...
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Jan 13, 2010 2:19:28 PM CST
who are these people??what are these shows? are they good?
by thedannerdaliel
Im Norwegian...we don`t get (or have a clue why you need) this i guess. Late nigth...tonigth show..late late show..entertainment tonigth... later show with a mtv vj....einstein said it best when he said: who are these people.....no wait, that was me:) haha bad joke. einstein said :No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
this network seems to be run by monkeys... -
I'm gonna have a shirt made with that pic. Also, I loved the props Zaq and Tom Broqaw gave to Conan last night. Coco eternal!
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http://tinyurl.com/ydxx4f5
Is this man not made of class? -
Are you seriously still on about this?
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There. Problem solved.
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on this site is a geek to begin with. Attacking someone for taking a stand on something here doesn't make you anymore of a geek. It's like being in a porno theatre and accusing the guy next to you of being a pervert...
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...doesn't get Coughlin's Laughs. Which is Coughlin's Loss.
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But I will say that Conan is 10X funnier than the chin.
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http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/01/13/conan-obrien-cries-breaks-down/
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I don't know...this, the Spidey 4 implosion...every year Hollywood's eating itself alive just seems to get more and more apparent.
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You are just flat out wrong. Letterman consistently beat Leno for over 2 years (and I believe closer to 3). It's a fact. It's not an opinion open to debate. The Hugh Grant interview is where the ratings reversal began to happen.
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Leno's Chin VS George Lucas's Neck. Which has more influence?
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a half years. It's a fact!!! Look it up...
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Jan 13, 2010 3:35:18 PM CST
IT WAS 18 MONTHS, 4 DAYS, 16 MINUTES and 3 SECONDS, DOUCHE
by margot_tenenbaum
YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH NUMBERS I WONT ALLOW IT
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Hollywood publicist Michael Levine of Levine Communications believes Conan, Leno and NBC all need a big reality check.
“The truth is that most people under 30 don’t care about TV, they care about what’s on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Neither NBC, Leno or Conan have any leverage and you can't negotiate without leverage,” Levine said. “The problem is they all still think they’re all important, but perception hasn’t caught up with reality. We’re in a time where the world is changing; the brand that Johnny Carson built doesn’t exist anymore. Nobody cares, and the sooner the three parties recognize that the better. Maybe they should start an Internet site. But Conan can’t stay [at NBC]; it has all been very humiliating for him.” -
the Tonight Show that Leno took over from Carson wasn't really the same anymore. There were already 100 some cable channels then. It's not like in the 60s and 70s where you had only 3 choices if your TV was on at 11:30pm at night. Nowadays, I think all the best programming comes on at that time...
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I agree and disagree. People may not care what time something is on because we prefer to watch on our own schedules these days... but people are still loyal to brands. Tonight Show is a brand.
Just like Jersey Shore, is a brand. The fact that it's on MTV means something. It might be popular too if it was on the Learning Channel, but it would be perceived differently because the brand would have changed.
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They're called Generation X and we like Conan, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog & Andy Richter and we don't give a fuck about how many casino dates a hard-working comic plays in a year, honing the edge off of his moronic jokes.
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Although as I got older I found I couldn't stay up every night to watch. Now with Hulu, I can watch again. Maybe I'm actually hurting the show by not watching live. I have been watching live the last few days though because I want to see what Conan says about all this in his monologues.
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Twenty paces. Turn around. Shoot. That would be entertaining.
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Conan is the only one to show any class in this, AND stays funny at the same time. I laughed out loud when I read that line. The Masturbating Bear must live again!
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Leno should have spoke up, now he needs to retire completely, or be the object of comic ridicule for the rest of his life. Do we agree on this?
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Still longer than 7.
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Why not just go back to his own time slot and continue to kick everyone's ass who is jealous of him, but can't help but attack him. His revenge is the millions he makes and his ratings that double all his competitors...
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He never groomed Dave for the tonight show.
He never made a choice between the two. If he had spoken up for one of them to be his successor, there might never have been a feud. Letterman always assumed he would get the Tonight Show but was never promised by anyone. The reason NBC chose Jay and forced Johnny out, was his ratings were actually higher than Johnny when he filled in.
It does ruin the franchise to play musical chairs like this. Just stick with Conan, and payoff Lenos's contract to leave. Each generation needs its host. Allen 50's, Paar 60's, Johnny 70's and 80's, Jay 90's and 00's, and now Conan. To go back and forth ruins the tradition/legacy element only the tonight show has. -
Carson never appeared on Leno's Tonight Show but he showed up on the Late Show. It wasn't in writing but anyone with half a brain can connect the dots.
Leno's shenanigans regarding his ascension to the gig are WELL DOCUMENTED and no amount of half-assed spin will change the facts. -
But Conan has showed some real class here. Behind that goofy hair there lurks a real man. Who knew?
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It almost sounds like a presidential election, lol. But yes, every several years you need new blood.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7LuYMhfYk
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First you wanted the Lenovo, then the O’Brienvo, and now back to the Lenovo.
more at http://www.woot.com/ -
I loved conan he's the only cat ill stay up to watch because he is geniunesly more funnier. This guy writes for the simpson and probably other shit!!!
Let conan keep the slot and jay leno goes away. He's rich he doesnt need to work anymore. And he's not more funnier than conan. Period!
Conan might just go to cable, FX is still a young channel that might work!!! -
Can't Leno be Conan's new Andy Richter?
Always loved Andy... -
Jan 13, 2010 9:27:24 PM CST
conan's going to be the george lazenby of the tonight show
by cylon_conspiracy
But that will give his run a mythic quality.
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just admit that leno is doing douche moves that he did BEFORE he got the tonight show..and besides nobody told him to leave and go to prime time..he put himself in this predicament with that big fucking ego, thinking he would revolutionize TV...guess what--didnt happen and now HE wants to reboot..fuck him and fuck you. we see whos side you're on, you fucking company man! bill hicks warned me about shits like you..
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With Pauly D doing the music, and Snooki as the funny hand puppet ala Triumph, it's a bona fide winner.
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If you haven't watched it, watch it. When he speaks about calling Johnny Carson and telling him that he will take care of the franchise, you know why he is taking a stand here. link follows (remove the spacing): http://www.charlierose.com/view /interview/ 255
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Starting at 46min of that link, you realize how much Leno fucked this up. There was a plan, he was gracious, and then he bitched out and didn't step aside. I blame NBC, but Leno should have had the stones to turn them down when they offered him the 10pm show.
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http://ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=9151
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What Levine said is total bullshit... last time I checked, car companies weren't lining up to pay for ads on twitter or facebook. The fact of the matter is, internet advertising is almost completely useless. Even Google ads will eventually lose out due to the amount of small businesses that either no longer exist or can no longer afford them, and the fact that Google are a bunch of arrogant pricks (see their total lack of customer service on the Nexus phone... what? When people buy a product from you, they expect some sort of support?! Whooda thunk!?). As much as commentators like to say 'the world is changing, old media is dead', I have yet to see any irrefutable proof that it really is happening. If Levine really believes that, he should watch Fred and the What the Buck show on youtube for a week straight, then compare their 'talent' to people like Conan, a comic genius.
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Conan would be the ratings champ. Hands down.
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and reboot separately, elsewhere. Leno should do a Sunday evening real variety show--that gig would suit him well and he would find his audience there. Could be ABC, could be CBS, could be cable.Conan and Fox seem made for each other.Leave NBC holding their time-slots and looking bewildered....
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Was reading talking points from some bizarre hipster training manual, ranting about old media and the future. For now, old media is the one creating, and new media is aiding in its distribution. There are exceptions, especially in journalism (Pro Publica, Slate, a slew of successful web magazines, etc). But for television, the money is still there to produce. When a graphic design major with a hard on for web 2.0 starts producing Mad Men for free distribution online (what with that easily monetized internet advertising), give me a call. Until then, I see the internet as just another way for quality television programming to be delivered to the masses.
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at 11:30. This will directly compete with The Tonight Show. He'll have 2 years to fine tune his show because Letterman might leave in 2012 and Ferguson will host Late Night. Conan actually would have the chance of being top dog in Late night. Leno just simply needs to LEAVE/RETIRE. Failon gets The Tonight Show. NBC = NoBody Cares!
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seriously, who cares about fuckin late night talk shows?
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Like others have mentioned, Leno is safe and familiar but he’s hardly the glue holding the Tonight Show together. If people love this guy the way somebody like Coughlins Laws claims, why did his primetime show die a swift and embarrassing death? It was an earlier and enviable timeslot that should have given his “millions” of fans a heaping of Jay every night. The fact is that The Tonight Show is a brand name and a well known one at that. It’s also worth mentioning that when Leno first took over his ratings sagged but for some reason NBC gave him time to cultivate and build back an audience where by contrast Conan is getting the rug pulled out from under him after seven measly months, and during a stint where Letterman’s scandal was headline news. But here’s what really sucks: Jay Leno has cost NBC both Letterman and Conan, a hefty price tag for a comedian not at all funny. You want to talk about legacy and broadcast history? People will be mocking NBC for decades to come for fucking up late night not once but twice.
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I think his jokes at NBC's expense are great, but is he just holding his ground and hoping they'll cave and choose him? Or does he just want to go out swinging?
Jay has to drop it... he's going to have a lot of ill will. -
And he just wants to make as many jokes at NBC's expense as possible. I hope Fox (or HBO?) snatches him up, and fast.
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I agree on both counts
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Jan 14, 2010 5:23:53 AM CST
THE SCIENCE CHANNEL COULD DO WITH AN INFUSION OF CONAN
by bringingsexyback
Dr. Michio Kaku could be his hand puppet.
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AOTC at 11, X-Play at 12, followed of coourse by International Sexy Ladies Show.
Middle America is ready. -
viewers for Prime Time. He got about 5 to 6 million viewers a night at 10pm, about the same that he got Late Night. Well, 5 million a night on Prime Time sucks, but 5 million a night Late Night is MORE than enough to be almost double any of his competitors. I don't understand what you guys aren't getting. The show was making money. The affiliates are the ones that forced this. Now that Leno is going back to 11:30pm, he can go back to kicking Letterman's ass every night...
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thats called a flop...sorry but when network affiliates has dropping LENO to replay a local high school game, then you have problems...its not working for prime time and now he wants to go back to his old show like the whiny baby he is...its not about making money...the overhead for a late night show is nothing compared to an hour long drama so yeah its pulling a tiny profit..but what is is doing for the networks reputation? the ratings have dropped sharply, no ones watching it and its not art.are they gonna be able in the long run to profit from this abyssmal show--not from dvd sales or repeats like they would would comedies or dramas..fail yourself, you company man.
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but have you not visited Node 43630? Looks like your theory doesn't jibe with the facts.
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Jan 14, 2010 12:58:05 PM CST
Conan, you moron! The TONIGHT SHOW is shown AT night!
by mrmysteryguest
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...Nikki Finke has just learned over the Ari Emanuel red phone that Jeff Zucker, the upwards-failing, fire-breathing child king of NBC Universal, has all but declared war on the deposed late show host:
Zucker “is threatening to ice Conan”, according to his reps. “Zucker said, ‘I’ll keep you off the air for 3 1/2 years.’ Which doesn’t have a chance in hell of happening. What I really think Zucker wants is to hold him off the market for at least six months to a year until the dust settles and Leno is secure and Conan is squelched.” One of the reps even compared Zucker to “Darth Vader” because the NBCU chief “has been so evil” about this.
http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/breaking-next-week-conan-obriens-last.php -
no way should he be moved, hes the best talk show host out there, fuck leno and fuck carson daly too
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"Not the biggest fan of Leno, but the old "Your lead-in ratings fucked mine!" whining sounds like bullshit in the present-day, heavily diversified entertainment market...seriously, who the fuck sits there for 2 1/2 hours like a lump, from Leno, straight through the news, to Conan? Bullshit.
It was a bad fit, all the way around. NOBODY wants a prime time talkshow, so it fucked Leno, and Conan's daffy college-boy humor was no match for Letterman's caustic, topical approach. Letterman and Leno were actually in a functional equilibrium...if you found Dave too grouchy, there was always harmless ol' Jay. THE TONIGHT SHOW was never known for cutting edge humor...for all they talk up Carson, I found him corny as fuck as a kid, so Leno was a perfect successor.
Won't exactly miss Conan myself...I always felt like he was trying too hard, and I'm glad Fallon has filled his niche.
"
This echoes my feelings on the matter.
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