Conan O'Brien "quits" The Tonight Show

[StylinRed]

so are you suggesting that NBC Fire Leno (even though he's making them a shit load of money and is more popular) and Hope all those viewers decide to watch Conan?

and again its not Leno's decision... it never was.... if it was his decision he'd be able to keep his Tonight Show job he'd never have left (its silly to believe Leno that works 24/7 and was looking at moving to another network so he can keep hosting a show was willing to give up The Tonight Show)





edit: and Jassanova instead of just lurking and failing, it'd be really interesting to hear ur p.o.v.

[spoon.ek9]

had leno stepped aside in the first place, there wouldn't be any controversy. if conan failed on his own, this would be an entirely different scenario. that's what i'm saying.

[StylinRed]

very true, if Leno just left NBC there wouldn't have been a problem

He probably should have, i agree, and bring his show to another network but i guess the big pay cheque and maybe some backroom promise (like if Conan fails we'll bring u back) kept him there

[Meowjin]

double viewers doesn't matter when the other half is a demographic that wont buy the shit they advertise

[static]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...551463643.html

Conan put his show on sale on craigslist hah

[spoon.ek9]

^ hahahahah

[hotong]

Originally Posted by static

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...551463643.html

Conan put his show on sale on craigslist hah

lol!

[nabs]

Did anybody watch Jay Leno show right now???

Jimmy Kimmel was just ripping it to Jay Leno...

It was soooo funny.

[spoon.ek9]

Originally Posted by nabs

Did anybody watch Jay Leno show right now???

Jimmy Kimmel was just ripping it to Jay Leno...

It was soooo funny.

it's posted above in this thread

[Grandmaster TSE]

i'm starting to like jimmy fallon late night, hes still pretty awkward at times, but its getting better

[FN-2199]

^ Yeah, since he's started, some of his segments have been pretty decent so far.

BTW, Conan is so good right now!!

[nabs]

Originally Posted by spoon.ek9

it's posted above in this thread

that was on Jimmy Kimmel Live...

I'm talking about on Jay Leno... Jay Leno interviewed Jimmy Kimmel and for every question Jimmy had a smart ass comment about the whole situation.

[raygunpk]

Originally Posted by nabs

that was on Jimmy Kimmel Live...

I'm talking about on Jay Leno... Jay Leno interviewed Jimmy Kimmel and for every question Jimmy had a smart ass comment about the whole situation.

yea. posted above.

[ScizzMoney]

I assume Jay isn't 'responsible' for much here, but, I think he could have prevented a bit of this fiasco by trying to stay at the primetime spot or exercise other options. From what it appears, it seems Conan doesn't want the 12:05am slot partly because it wouldn't be fair to Fallon or Carson. Forcing them to push their shows 30 mins later than they already are would really hurt their ratings. That is not something Conan would have liked happen to him and does not wish to do to others.

I have a hard time seeing Conan reaching #1 if he does get an 11:30 show on another network. Duking it out with Letterman and Leno would be tough to do, but out of all of the late night hosts, he would be the one that could pull it off.

[Grandmaster TSE]

props to jimmy kimmel

[youtube]axwO6BkCtIo[/youtube]

[StylinRed]

i missed Lenos monologue twice today, turns out it was pretty good

its posted here
http://tv.gawker.com/5448615/the-lat...&autoplay=true

but here's what was said

Originally posted by Jay Leno

* "Welcome to the new show, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Off NBC!"
* "Sarah Palin has signed on to Fox News to be a correspondent. Well, in a statement today, Fox said that—if Palin does a good job—they'll sign her to a long term contract. If she doesn't work out, they'll just blame Leno."
* With all the controversy going on here at NBC, actually the Tonight Show, ratings have gone up, So... you're welcome!"

[ScizzMoney]

Another thing I never thought about is that there are alot of families that have probably sold their places in NY and followed Conan to LA. Like his band and whatever other staff had to move along with the show. That would suck ass.

[Laundry]

Conan could just spite NBC by taking the 12:05 slot... but he probably has too much class for that...

[Tim Budong]

my views...
Leno "created" the audience for CoCo when he first started doin the late show, wasnt too good, but got better and became CoCo. I love CoCo for that. Conan than used the momentum from Leno and built his following.

Leno on the other hand, is good, but needs to stick to his words. Tellin NBC to fuck off then taking it back really doesnt cut it

Kimmel's final comment on the 10 at 10 was the best. said it true to heart(hopefully).

Who knos...If CoCo moves to fox, it prob be a worst move, since Fox puts a short leash on their shows.

He should pitch to ABC and have the "raunchiest" talk show programming on TV

[akalic]

Originally Posted by ScizzMoney

I assume Jay isn't 'responsible' for much here, but, I think he could have prevented a bit of this fiasco by trying to stay at the primetime spot or exercise other options. From what it appears, it seems Conan doesn't want the 12:05am slot partly because it wouldn't be fair to Fallon or Carson. Forcing them to push their shows 30 mins later than they already are would really hurt their ratings. That is not something Conan would have liked happen to him and does not wish to do to others.

I have a hard time seeing Conan reaching #1 if he does get an 11:30 show on another network. Duking it out with Letterman and Leno would be tough to do, but out of all of the late night hosts, he would be the one that could pull it off.

Conan wants to protect the integrity of his own comedic act (as a host) and for the tonight show (he dreamed of being in johnny carson's seat). That's why he doesn't want to move it to 12:05am, simple as that.

[stuff99]

Why Some Comics Aren’t Laughing at Jay Leno (Essay)


Many professional comics consider Jay Leno one of the best stand-up comedians of his generation. In his prime, Leno was a brilliant craftsman with sharp material, impeccable delivery, fantastic timing and an affable everyman persona. Even future enemy David Letterman had enormous respect for him as a stand-up comic in the beginning.

So why has seemingly the sum of the comedy world turned on Leno with shocking viciousness? Why has he raced past the reviled likes of Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia on the list of popular stand-ups comedians love to hate? What is behind the widespread sense that Leno sold his soul when he took over “The Tonight Show”? Why do Leno’s peers in the comedy world, like Howard Stern, view him as a stand-up version of scheming “What Makes Sammy Run?” anti-hero Sammy Glick, a sentient ball of runaway ambition willing to destroy anyone who gets in his way?

In this current late-night melodrama Conan O’Brien, a beloved figure among comedy geeks for his generosity towards comedians, eagerness to explore uncharted comic terrain and deep respect for the art, craft and history of comedy, has emerged as the wronged party and Leno as the villain.

Late night television quickly turned into “Everybody Hates Jay.” The response was quick, vitriolic and widespread. In an audacious move, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel donned a gray wig, affixed putty to his chin and performed an entire episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the guise of Leno.

In his finest hour, Kimmel nailed everything that people hate about Leno: the cheap, pandering jokes, the maddening way Leno’s whole head shakes with delight when he’s particularly amused by one of his quips and the nauseatingly sycophantic banter between Leno and band leader/sidekick Kevin Eubanks.

Kimmel followed this up by going on “The Jay Leno Show” as a guest on its “10@10″ segment and making pointed remarks about Leno’s treatment of O’Brien. “Conan and I have children,” said Kimmel. “All you have to take care of is cars. We have lives to lead here. You’ve got $800 million for God’s sake. Leave our shows alone.” Leno had achieved the seemingly impossible: he single-handedly made a late-night also-ran like Kimmel seem hip, edgy, relevant and borderline dangerous.

Not to be outdone, Letterman, Leno’s old arch-nemesis and competitor for “The Tonight Show” slot following Johnny Carson’s retirement, has fired shots at Leno as well, deriding him brattily but amusingly as “Big Jaw”, taking great delight in his current woes and proposing a “Law & Order” spin off called “Leno Victims Unit” featuring all the people Leno has hurt in his mad grab for power, money and ratings: O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Carson Daly, all of whom would have much worse time slots if Leno’s show begins after the nightly news.

The normally mild-mannered O’Brien has done little to conceal his contempt for Leno. He appears visibly upset when he discusses his long-time lead-in. His jokes about Leno and NBC betray a newfound nastiness. Letterman and O’Brien have both indulged in cruel impersonations of Leno as an asinine chatterbox with a high-pitched nasal whine of a voice. The gloves are off. Everyone is suddenly gunning for Leno.

As a kid, I used to look forward to Leno’s appearances as a guest on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” He was an ideal talk show guest: quick, funny and enormously likeable. For proof, check out some of the comedian’s 1980s appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman” and experience cognitive dissonance watching a loose and lively Leno crack Letterman up as they pal around like old college buddies. In his ’80s heyday, Leno had few peers in the realm of observational comedy.

After taking over “The Tonight Show” everything changed. In the words of comedy guru Patton Oswalt, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Leno stopped evolving and began devolving rapidly. Leno no longer seemed interested in the art of comedy. He pandered to the lowest common denominator with material that didn’t even attempt to hide his contempt for his audience.

To me, the quintessential Jay Leno bit is Jaywalking, a sourly misanthropic endeavor where Leno derives cheap laughs from the abject stupidity of everyday folk. Leno asks these dullards easy questions, then luxuriates in a smug sense of superiority when they come up with “comically” idiotic answers. What makes this enterprise so abhorrent, beyond the overwhelming air of snide condescension, is that these easily amused half-wits double as Leno’s core audience.

To comedy writers, Leno’s massive success represents the triumph of mediocrity. It’s the tragedy of a prodigiously talented stand-up making a conscious decision to dumb down his material to reach the widest possible audience. He won over the masses while alienating comedy geeks. He came to symbolize everything crass and mercenary about comedy. As the years went on, Leno became synonymous with Monica Lewinsky and O.J. jokes. His name became shorthand for lazy, dumb and obvious comedy. To comedy snobs, “The Tonight Show” under his nightmare realm was one long Dancing Itos sketch.

Comedy writers had an antithetical response to O’Brien. He was one of their own, literally. He graduated from Harvard and wrote for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons” during some of their glory years before making an exquisitely unexpected transformation to on-camera performer as host of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.” More than that, they responded to his sensibility; gleefully absurd, quirky, caffeinated, jazzy, smartass and just plain smart. He had a weakness for the kind of weird, conceptual sketches comedy writers love. If the Dancing Itos represents Leno’s signature bit, characters like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and the Masturbating Bear epitomize O’Brien’s warped sensibility.

Getty Images
Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno in happier times.

Like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, O’Brien numbers among Letterman’s creative progeny. Letterman is the beloved cranky uncle who brandishes irony, sarcasm and world-weary cynicism like swords of righteousness. Moreover, Letterman has the personality and disposition of a comedy writer. He embodies the essence of black comedy; the belief that you have to be able to laugh at the darkness and stupidity of the world or it will destroy you.

Comedy writers are, on the whole, a troubled lot. Funny people drink too much. They squander their money. They use drugs. They’re prone to depression, insomnia and mental illness, to tumultuous relationships and serial divorces. So when Letterman recently confessed that he’d slept with members of his staff and was the subject of a blackmail attempt it only made comedy writers love him more.

The lives of comedy greats are supposed to be messy: think Richard Pryor or Peter Sellers. We’re addicted to the archetype of the sad clown, laughing on the outside, weeping uncontrollably on the inside.

Yet Leno never seems to have wrestled with drugs or alcohol problems.

He’s been married to the same woman for decades. He has amassed a vast fortune working nonstop yet never spends his money on anything other than his overflowing collection of sports cars. He seems devoid of angst.

He suffers from a terrible dearth of personal demons. Leno is so normal and functional that he’s practically a freak. That creeps out comedy writers who would rather have their heroes stagger into the gutter, penniless and filled with contempt for a world that has shunned them, than play yet another Indian casino to pay for that 32nd Maserati.

Bitterness is an almost universal trait among funny people. They hate it when their friends become successful. They grow positively apoplectic when success comes to someone they consider unworthy. The bigger the success, the bigger the resentment and Leno has attained a level of fame most comics can only dream about. Even more unforgivably, that success came at the expense of more worthy souls: first Letterman and now O’Brien.

I cringed during the part in the very last “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” where its eternally gracious host thanked Leno for all he’d done for his career. I wanted to scream at the television, “No! Jay Leno is not your friend! I don’t care how good he’s been to you, he’s nobody’s friend! He’s the enemy!” So it’s been strangely exciting seeing O’Brien fire verbal darts in the direction of his longtime lead-in.

Comedy writers have enjoyed a highly concentrated blast of Schadenfreude since Leno’s show was cancelled but it comes tainted with the knowledge that Leno is dragging O’Brien, Fallon and even poor Carson Daly down with him. This scuffle has transformed O’Brien from a cult figure on the brink of conquering the mainstream to a contemporary folk hero. The Internet has raced to O’Brien’s defense in his battle against this preeminent monster of banality. Mike Mitchell’s popular “I’m With Coco” mock campaign poster and T-shirt featuring an unusually serious-looking Conan (Coco is one of O’Brien’s many affectionate nicknames) in front of an American flag has become both a rallying point for fans and the late-night comedy equivalent of Shepherd Fairey’s iconic image of President Obama.

It remains to be seen whether NBC will back down or if O’Brien will leave the network acrimoniously, possibly for a spot on Fox. It seems certain, however, that Leno’s once-vaunted reputation among his peers has sunk well beyond the point of rehabilitation or redemption.

Nathan Rabin is the head writer of the A.V Club, the entertainment section of the Onion, and the author of “The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture” (Scribner).

Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/...say/tab/print/

[stuff99]

Jay Leno Criticizes NBC On 'Tonight' Cliffhanger
By BILL CARTER
Published: December 23, 1992

Jay Leno, expressing what he called "surprise and disappointment" with NBC executives, said yesterday that he believed his performance as the host of the "Tonight" show should have more than satisfied the network and that he did not deserve to be threatened with losing the leading show in late-night television to David Letterman.

"Am I crazy?" Mr. Leno said in a telephone interview. "The ratings are going up, the advertisers are happy and so are the affiliates." And yet Mr. Leno said he had not received any assurances from NBC executives in New York that he would not be dropped in favor of Mr. Letterman by Jan. 15. That is the deadline NBC is facing to match a CBS offer to give Mr. Letterman about $16 million to star in a nightly talk show at 11:30, the same time as the "Tonight" show.

"I am disappointed," Mr. Leno said. "I feel like a guy who has bought a car from somebody, painted it, fixed it up and made it look nice and then the guy comes back and says he promised to sell the car to his brother-in-law." Go Elsewhere? 'Of Course'

Mr. Leno said he would "obviously leave NBC immediately" if the network decided to give the "Tonight" show to Mr. Letterman. He said he would absolutely refuse to do a show in the 12:30 A.M. spot now occupied by Mr. Letterman's show, "Late Night," and would indeed consider creating the same problem for NBC that Mr. Letterman's proposed deal with CBS caused.

"Would I go to CBS if they asked me?" Mr. Leno said. "Of course. I'm not going to do some little happy hour from Omaha at 12:30."

In the last week, factions inside NBC have been taking sides between Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman. "NBC's West Coast executives have said everything is O.K.," Mr. Leno said of Warren Littlefield, the president of NBC Entertainment, and John Agoglia, the president of NBC Enterprises.

"But the East Coast people won't say that," he added. Specifically, Mr. Leno said he had heard from Robert C. Wright, the president of NBC, to whom both West Coast executives report. "He said they don't know what they're doing yet," Mr. Leno said. "I appreciate the candor, but it does disappoint me."

The comedian became the host of the "Tonight" show in May after Johnny Carson retired after 30 years on the show. At the time, NBC chose Mr. Leno over Mr. Letterman for the position. 'A Guy With Two Girlfriends'

Now it faces the same choice, but the stakes are much higher. Beyond the $16 million to Mr. Letterman, NBC would have to pay Mr. Leno about $10 million if it breaks its commitment to him to be the host of "Tonight." NBC now pays Mr. Leno $3 million a year as the host of "Tonight."

"NBC is like a guy with two girlfriends who doesn't know which one he's going to marry on Jan. 15," Mr. Leno said. "And the longer you wait, the madder they both get."

He said NBC's indecision was hurting him even if he survived the Letterman threat, because the network executives were letting it be known publicly that they have some doubts about him, doubts, he said, that are unjustified. 'This Isn't About Dave'

To compound the emotional aspect of the conflict, Mr. Leno acknowledged his own debt to Mr. Letterman. "I would not have this job if not for Dave," he said. Mr. Letterman had Mr. Leno on his own show as his most frequent guest in the early 1980's. "This isn't about Dave. Dave is worth whatever somebody wants to pay him. Anything I can do toward keeping him at NBC, I'd do." Short of giving up his own show, that is.

"It's a tricky situation," Mr. Leno said. "Dave is truly a star and terrific, and this is a terrible position NBC is in. But fragging your own soldier doesn't make any sense to me."

He argued that he ought to have satisfied NBC by now because his ratings have shown growth in recent weeks, after a period of turmoil when Mr. Leno's former manager and the show's former producer, Helen G. Kushnick, enraged NBC executives with her tactics in booking guests. 'We Have Great Morale'

NBC fired her. Since then, Mr. Leno said, the show has been running smoothly. "We have great morale," he said. "Everybody is having fun, except for some long faces when we read all these bad things about the show in the newspapers."

Mr. Leno reached about a 4.9 national rating in recent weeks, which is up from a low of about 4.2 in the summer. (Each rating point represents 931,000 homes.)

"I've always said, 'Just judge me by my performance,' " he said. "I've done stand-up comedy for a lot of years. When I go out and see a full house of 3,000 people, I know I'm making money for somebody. If I see only 1,200 people and the house is half-full, I know I've got to do another show to make it up to the guy. But the affiliates, the advertisers, they're all happy."

Mr. Leno said he would not be reluctant to have to face-off against Mr. Letterman at 11:30 each night. "In the comedy clubs I used to say, put me on after Richard Pryor," Mr. Leno said. "Competition is really the only way you get better."

Despite the indecision in New York, Mr. Leno said he did not believe that NBC would force him out. "I don't think it will happen," he said. But he added, "I'm not sure, and that's the annoying part."
A version of this biography appeared in print on December 23, 1992, on page C9 of the New York edition.


http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/23/ar...l?pagewanted=1

[StylinRed]

whoever has time to read all that is crazy

[spoon.ek9]

i must be crazy then haha. i'm at work too

[Tim Budong]

That was a good read on the mtr hahahaha
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