What better way to remind the world that you are still alive than to put up a Twitter account. Conan O’Brien is currently “in between jobs,” so he decided to be more productive about his free time by joining Twitter.
Conan O'Brien
Jay Leno’s Explosive Cover
I was hoping they’d put Conan O’Brien on the cover, but I guess he’s had his fair share of media attention for the past few weeks. It’s Jay Leno’s turn. Entertainment Weekly featured the Jay Leno Show host on this week’s cover.
Their cover blurb, “TV’s 50 Biggest Bombs Ever” caught readers’ attention in the midst of NBC’s late night shuffle hullabaloo.
“Sometimes TV networks, producers, or actors do something so stupid, it makes you ask: What the heck were they thinking?” wrote the EW staff. “In that spirit, we decided to take time out to honor (if you want to call it that) television’s biggest bombs and blunders. We’re talking the decisions both bad (hey, let’s give Felicity a haircut!) and bizarre (XFL, anyone?). And at the top of our list: NBC’s decision to put Jay Leno at 10 p.m. It destroyed not only five hours of primetime programming, but also the local newscasts that followed.”
Sounds like an intellectually juicy read to me. Grab your copy at your nearest newsstands, if you haven’t already.
Conan’s Farewell Highlights
Did you miss Conan O’Brien’s final episode of The Tonight Show last Friday night? Think of it as the crucial NBA game that you missed, and I’m bringing you the highlights.
1. The ratings skyrocketed. Starpulse reported that Conan “scored a 7.0 rating for his farewell appearance on NBC Friday, compared to a 2.5 rating for CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman, and on ABC, a 2.8 for Nightline followed by 1.3 for Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
2. He nearly cried. Nearly! Just when you thought he was great with translating emotions into sarcastic jokes, Conan actually choked back his tears when he addressed his audience and fans.
3. He had stellar guests. Steve Carell gave him an exit interview; Neil Young performed “Long May You Run”; and Tom Hanks led the crowd’s “Coco cheer.”
4. His farewell speech was honest. Fans were just surprised that he didn’t use his final speech to bash NBC a little more. See the complete transcript of his farewell speech here.
5. He ended with a song. With Will Ferrell dressed as a hippie, they performed Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird.”
What did you think of Conan’s last words?
Conan Bids Adieu to NBC
It’s official. The Tonight Show’s infamous host is finally leaving NBC, ending the comedy shuffle hullabaloo. According to USA Today, Conan’s exit was officially announced by NBC’s Meredith Vieira early Thursday.
January 18, 2010—Conan O’Brien showed his support for his fans as he ran with the crowd from Lankershim Blvd. to Universal Studios on foot. A large crowd in Studio City gathered to cheer him on. As he reached the top of the building, an “I’m with COCO” poster was hung down from the building with O’Brien raising his arms and cheering on the crowd.
“In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew, and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket,” Gavin Polone, Conan’s manager told The Wall Street Journal.
Watch out for this Friday’s farewell show, with special guests Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell. Funnyman Conan still managed to pull this off as he gave the bittersweet news to the audience: “Hi, I’m Conan O’Brien, and I’m just three days away from the biggest drinking binge in history.”
Who says it’s the end of Conan O’Brien? My gut tells me that the other network executives are busy drafting hefty proposals for the 46-year-old comedian as you read this post.
Conan O’Brien: Read Between The Lines
If you’ve been following the NBC late night comedy shuffle crisis, then you probably already heard that Conan isn’t happy. For those who aren’t familiar with the O’Brien-Leno-Fallon hullaballoo, then here’s a news clip that sums it up:
And funnyman Conan has a lot to say about the matter. In fact, he released a lengthy statement for the world to see. Taken from The Hollywood Gossip, here it is:
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
