Late Night

[Boz]

Conan O'Brien's monologue from last night:

www.hulu.com/watch/120072/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-mon-jan-11-2010#s-p1-so-i0

Wow, he's pretty Editeded (with good reason I guess). The entire monologue is basically about NBC screwing him over.

Be nice to see Fox or ABC pick him up. I always liked Conan. Even though I don't watch the late night shows that much anymore, I try to watch clips when I can.

[SFHoya99]

Conan is much funnier than Jay.

However, when Jay was going to 10 pm, there were a few articles that made me see Late Night in a different light. I never really watched because it was 11:30 -- and while I'm a bed at midnight kind of person, at that point I'm not usually surfing the networks.

But I guess the audience isn't really 11:30 -- it's the 10:30 Central time audience -- or at least that's a big part. Most people getting ready for bed or whatever. Since Leno is sort of the Muzak of comedy, I can see that.

[ScreamingHoya]

Seriously, is there a single person who is on Jay's side? I literally cannot recall the last time I actually laughed at a joke in his monologue, as opposed to Conan who is funny night after night. Patton Oswalt has a great rant where he talks about his dislike (and apparently most legit comedians' dislike) for Leno. One of his great points is that can anyone honestly say how Leno has made the show better? Headlines and Jay Walking- that's all I got- those are the only things I can recall finding humorous. Meanwhile, Conan is legitimately someone who wanted the Tonight Show gig to make the show better and take it in new directions. www.deusexmalcontent.com/2010/01/comedy-clubbed.html

[Bando]

Jay might leave NBC too (Link). Reportedly he's furious at being the bad guy in this situation, and he's not going to trust the same guys who backstabbed Conan.

[ScreamingHoya]

TMZ says otherwise: www.tmz.com/2010/01/12/the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno-take-two-nbc-conan-obrien-contract-deal-leaving-late-night-network-television-deal/

[Coast2CoastHoya]

Whatever happens, at least that monologue was funny. Hopeful for the best for Conan. Always been a fan.

[superan]

Not only are they not treating him fairly now, but Conan was never put in a position to succeed. Do you know where Leno would have been with only 7 months and Johnny Carson 1.5 hours in front of him? Nowhere, because it's impossible to build up a following.

It took Leno 19 months before he finally brought the Tonight Show back to #1 in the ratings and that was without any competition within the network from Carson.

[DFW HOYA]

I think this is what really upsets Conan's peers: he was promised the job in 2004, but Jay didn't plan on leaving and the move to 10:00 was an excuse to reposition himself in the Tonight show chair. It's not inconceivable to learn later that Leno was negotiating in the back rooms like he did when he leapfrogged David Letterman for the Tonight Show job in 1993.

As for Conan, it's an who-cares comedy strategy until NBC pulls the plug. Reportedly, NBC was calling talent agencies yesterday to scout for guest hosts until February should the suits get tired of the criticism. David Letterman had a brief bit on the deal:

tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/01/12/law-and-order-leno-victims-unit/

Meanwhile, over at ABC, the oft-forgotten Jimmy Kimmel did his show...as Jay Leno.

content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/01/jimmy-kimmel-dresses-up-as-leno----for-an-entire-show/1

[theexorcist]

Jan 13, 2010 10:12:04 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

I think this is what really upsets Conan's peers: he was promised the job in 2004, but Jay didn't plan on leaving and the move to 10:00 was an excuse to reposition himself in the Tonight show chair. It's not inconceivable to learn later that Leno was negotiating in the back rooms like he did when he leapfrogged David Letterman for the Tonight Show job in 1993.

As for Conan, it's an who-cares comedy strategy until NBC pulls the plug. Reportedly, NBC was calling talent agencies yesterday to scout for guest hosts until February should the suits get tired of the criticism. David Letterman had a brief bit on the deal:

tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/01/12/law-and-order-leno-victims-unit/

Meanwhile, over at ABC, the oft-forgotten Jimmy Kimmel did his show...as Jay Leno.

content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/01/jimmy-kimmel-dresses-up-as-leno----for-an-entire-show/1

I feel sorry for Jay Leno in this scenario, too. Jay was #1 in late night in 2004 when Conan was promised the job. Conan was promised the job to keep him from bolting somewhere else, not because Leno necessarily wanted to retire. Leno kept on doing well at Late Night - not just well, keeping it at #1 (and I go by the Stewie Griffin assessment - he's out there every night making jokes and he's charming).

Then, to placate Jay, NBC gives him something which hasn't really been tried before with much tougher competition - hmm, do I watch a new scripted show or do I watch Leno - to cover for its poor show development. Leno gets put in a no-win situation and doesn't win.

Really, NBC is the villain here. Not Leno, not Conan.

[The Stig]

Agreed with exorcist. NBC promised Conan a seat without making sure the seat was empty first. All the rest has been trying to cover up for that initial mistake.

[guru]

Jan 13, 2010 10:29:47 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

Jan 13, 2010 10:12:04 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

I think this is what really upsets Conan's peers: he was promised the job in 2004, but Jay didn't plan on leaving and the move to 10:00 was an excuse to reposition himself in the Tonight show chair. It's not inconceivable to learn later that Leno was negotiating in the back rooms like he did when he leapfrogged David Letterman for the Tonight Show job in 1993.

As for Conan, it's an who-cares comedy strategy until NBC pulls the plug. Reportedly, NBC was calling talent agencies yesterday to scout for guest hosts until February should the suits get tired of the criticism. David Letterman had a brief bit on the deal:

tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/01/12/law-and-order-leno-victims-unit/

Meanwhile, over at ABC, the oft-forgotten Jimmy Kimmel did his show...as Jay Leno.

content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/post/2010/01/jimmy-kimmel-dresses-up-as-leno----for-an-entire-show/1

I feel sorry for Jay Leno in this scenario, too. Jay was #1 in late night in 2004 when Conan was promised the job. Conan was promised the job to keep him from bolting somewhere else, not because Leno necessarily wanted to retire. Leno kept on doing well at Late Night - not just well, keeping it at #1 (and I go by the Stewie Griffin assessment - he's out there every night making jokes and he's charming).

Then, to placate Jay, NBC gives him something which hasn't really been tried before with much tougher competition - hmm, do I watch a new scripted show or do I watch Leno - to cover for its poor show development. Leno gets put in a no-win situation and doesn't win.

Really, NBC is the villain here. Not Leno, not Conan.

True, but Leno has a history of conniving and watching out only for himself. That's what has caught up with him here.

This is a short-sighted decision by NBC caused by the panic of their current primetime slump. Leno is almost 60 - how many more years can he stay on top?

[Filo]

I can't feel sorry for Leno -- the guy has made millions and he has done his fair share of power-grabbing. I can't really blame him for doing what he can to advance and then preserve his career, but the bad press and the ridicule by other late-night hosts is the flip side of the coin -- you reap what you sow.

I have to say, Leno was unbelievably funny as a stand-up (before he started hosting the Tonight Show).

[DFW HOYA]

CBS' Craig Ferguson: "But for now, it looks like Jay’s back on at 11:30. Now people are getting their old jobs back. How long before Dick Cheney shows up at the White House?"

(Probably sooner than Lane Kiffin returns to Tennessee...)

[hoyatables]

I can see all sides of this. Conan assumes that the "tonight show" means the tonight show. Jay took a creative risk with NBC. And NBC needs to try to make sure it is making money and also has to try to respond to a rapidly-changing industry (more cable competition, changes in viewing habits with Internet and TIVO). Hopefully NBC can come up with a better solution, and will be smart enough to negotiate in PRIVATE first rather than try to wage a public pressure campaign.

[kchoya]

Jan 13, 2010 10:43:06 GMT -5 guru said:

Jan 13, 2010 10:29:47 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

I feel sorry for Jay Leno in this scenario, too. Jay was #1 in late night in 2004 when Conan was promised the job. Conan was promised the job to keep him from bolting somewhere else, not because Leno necessarily wanted to retire. Leno kept on doing well at Late Night - not just well, keeping it at #1 (and I go by the Stewie Griffin assessment - he's out there every night making jokes and he's charming).

Then, to placate Jay, NBC gives him something which hasn't really been tried before with much tougher competition - hmm, do I watch a new scripted show or do I watch Leno - to cover for its poor show development. Leno gets put in a no-win situation and doesn't win.

Really, NBC is the villain here. Not Leno, not Conan.

True, but Leno has a history of conniving and watching out only for himself. That's what has caught up with him here.

This is a short-sighted decision by NBC caused by the panic of their current primetime slump. Leno is almost 60 - how many more years can he stay on top?

So you blame Jay for trying to get the Tonight Show gig when Johnny left?

[JimmyHoya]

Hysterical.

Rot in hell, Leno.