01-16-2010, 09:08 AM | #121 |
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You guys ever see that 90's HBO original movie called "The Late Shift"? It was all about the Leno/Letterman drama. They're going to have to make "The Late Shift II" now.
Anyhow, I remember back in 2004 when Jay announced on his show that in five years, he was going to pass the torch to Conan, and that one of the reasons why he was doing it was because he remembered all the issues he had with Letterman, and he wanted to avoid that with Conan. .....Now he's getting the same amount of heat all over again. It's sad because Jay does seem like overall that he's a generally nice guy, and a victim of circumstances. |
01-16-2010, 09:33 AM | #122 |
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I caught a little bit of The Late Shift once, but I was not as fascinated by the television industry as a whole as I am now. I'd love to go back and watch it. Conan O'Brien could probably play himself, since he may not be working on an actual talk show for a while.
I wonder just how much Jay has to do with it, though. I mean, didn't he threaten to jump to another network and compete if he didn't get his prime-time show, even though it was a ridiculous idea (that failed and apparently cost a news programs a 40-50% weaker lead-in in some markets)? If Jay really wanted to pass the torch to Conan, he would have left NBC last year. Leno wanted to stick around, and that congestion has really added to this mess. |
01-16-2010, 09:39 AM | #123 | |
Von Killer
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01-16-2010, 09:40 AM | #124 |
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It's not exactly Jay's fault. Conan is the one who failed to bring in ratings. NBC is just trying to cover their asses.
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01-16-2010, 09:42 AM | #125 |
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Gross. I hope this backfires on NBC. I really do.
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01-16-2010, 09:45 AM | #126 |
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The lead-in Leno provided has been really, really weak, though. I'm sure that is not the only reason for Conan's low ratings, don't get me wrong. But Leno isn't some magnificent saviour for NBC. During this whole debacle, his audience has actually dropped. People aren't even watching Leno for the car-crash television. Maybe when he goes later, his ratings will go back to once they once were. I hope the damage has been done to Leno, however.
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01-16-2010, 09:45 AM | #127 |
Von Killer
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If he still is able to do the show until Friday and gets a deal with another network before then, I'd love to see what he has to say on the show all week
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01-16-2010, 09:46 AM | #128 |
Von Killer
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01-16-2010, 09:48 AM | #129 |
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I don't think we'll be seeing a conformist Conan. He tried to placate NBC when he first started, but I think we'll continue seeing the unleashed Conan we have seen this past week. I hope his ratings keep growing and growing, as well. Just for Conan's own bragging rights.
I also hope to see the return of The Masturbating Bear. Why the hell not? |
01-16-2010, 09:52 AM | #130 | |
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Part of me wishes that Conan would stay on with NBC, take the hit and go back half-an-hour, and then compete with Leno from within. He already has the good will, and Leno's show will be horrible, especially with only 30 minutes to work with. Eventually Conan would have taken The Tonight Show back to 11.35. The man sticks to his principles, though. I've got a feeling that Leno/Fallon are going to have a hard time taking down Letterman/Ferguson right now, though. Last edited by Mr. Nerfect; 01-16-2010 at 09:58 AM. |
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01-16-2010, 09:58 AM | #131 |
Von Killer
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He'll do fine at FOX if that's where he goes. They obviously allow riskier stuff than NBC ever would so we hopefully will see the return of many of Conan's trademarks. Here's hoping for the best for the guy, incredibly shitty situation to be thrown into, especially after achieving what was a dream of his only a short while ago
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01-16-2010, 10:02 AM | #132 |
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Conan seems like a pretty optimistic guy, though. I mean, I think even he would have laughed at you if you had told him he was actually going to host The Tonight Show back even 18 years ago. He's achieved his dream, and now he gets to go forward and create his own late night staple. Rather than following someone's format, and trying to please a network looking for "someone's replacement," he will hopefully get the opportunity to break new ground.
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01-16-2010, 11:03 AM | #133 | |
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I think he'll save the day again. Jay is better at what he does then some people give him credit for. That's why he beat out Letterman in 92', and why he is going back to hosting the show again. They should have just let Conan go in 2004, and let Leno remain the host. I'm sure that is what they are wishing they had done now. |
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01-16-2010, 12:48 PM | #134 |
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Especially since this whole mess has made Conan a bigger star than he ever was prior to it.
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01-16-2010, 12:58 PM | #135 |
Soundly Defeated Wadding
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01-16-2010, 01:10 PM | #136 |
Jamiroquai Bodega
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01-16-2010, 01:14 PM | #137 |
He's Here
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The worst part about this is that the crew and everyone who moved to Cali are now completely fucked because of Conan, not NBC, unless he requires them to come with them, which I doubt will happen (outside of Andy and the band).
Conan's only thinking for himself here. So is Leno, but the Conan sheep will try to refute what I just said up and down. Last edited by Xero; 01-16-2010 at 01:17 PM. |
01-16-2010, 01:21 PM | #138 |
A Property of Matter
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It's true that they're fucked, but I don't blame Conan for it. If Conan had gone on at 12:05 there is no guarantee that it would have helped the ratings, or that this wouldn't become an issue six months down the line. It's hard to say what would have happened. They have regular show lead ins, but then they have the condensed Jay Leno Show up against Letterman. That seems like it would have been a bad strategy too.
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01-16-2010, 01:41 PM | #139 | |
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And then like others have said, the lead-in to his show was pretty bad because of Leno, and it didn't set him up for a very big audience to begin with. |
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01-16-2010, 01:43 PM | #140 |
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Also. Leno is not funny.
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01-16-2010, 02:16 PM | #141 |
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I don't think Leno is bad. The thing about the show though is that it is pretty much the same thing over and over and over again. With Conan his ad libs usually give each show a fresh feel sort of. It was fine the way it was with Leno and then Conan. Now it is fucking Jay Leno/Jimmy Fallon/Carson Daly.
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01-16-2010, 02:22 PM | #142 |
Retired Prolly.
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Yup, looks like the only thing I'm watching NBC for is The Olympics, Penguins games and the Stanley Cup finals from now on.
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01-16-2010, 02:28 PM | #143 |
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Jay's 2004 Announcement - watch more funny videos
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01-16-2010, 03:11 PM | #144 |
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Jay Leno finally lets David Letterman have it!
Exactly. Who is Letterman to be judging anyone? Top ten reasons it sucks to be David Letterman: 10) In a few years his “baby momma” is going to leave and take half his stuff. 9) 30-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, kind of cute; 60-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, just creepy! 8) Held onto double-breasted suit look longer than Billy Ray Cyrus had his mullet. 7) Amount of Botox needed to smooth out face would kill a humpback whale. 6) Wanted to be racecar driver but couldn’t find crash helmet big enough to cover ego. 5) By the time his son graduates from college he’ll be dead. 4) Once his stalker got to know him she started following Leno around. 3) Has lower ratings than Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly. 2) Got passed over for Leno, O’Brien, Fallon, Kimmel, Ferguson, and Kilborn. 1) Three words, “You’re on CBS.” Credit goes to http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeffrey...avid-letterman |
01-16-2010, 03:14 PM | #145 |
Inno Knows.
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Nbc affiliates were threatening to drop leno because of how shitty he was at 10
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01-16-2010, 06:56 PM | #146 | |
Retired Prolly.
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Someone should email that Leno so he remembers he said he didn't want this kinda stuff to happen again. |
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01-16-2010, 09:08 PM | #147 | |
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I'm fairly certain his writing staff, graphics department, wardrobe and such will jump with Conan to wherever he goes. Conan's writers have appeared in sketches since the debacle went down, which imply their support for Conan. It's good you're thinking of the smaller guys; but many have beat you to it. |
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01-16-2010, 09:09 PM | #148 | |
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01-16-2010, 10:07 PM | #149 |
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Okay, Xero, I owe you an apology. I just read this:
Conan O'Brien isn't the only person affected by NBC's decisions. Sources are saying that his staff on The Tonight Show are all livid and feel "betrayed" because Conan did not accept NBC's offer to move the show to 12:05AM, thus costing everyone their job. "They all uprooted their lives and their families' lives to move to LA for him, and now they feel like they have simply been forgotten," said the source. "There are 200 people losing their jobs while he walks off with a payoff worth $30 million. The mood on set and backstage is dismal." The show's producers have said that there's been "no discussion over severance," while Conan is telling his staffers he "simply doesn't know what will happen." Many of the staff moved to LA to work on the show when Conan took over. Sounds like there are stresses. I trust that Conan will do his best to either take them with him, or make sure they get some sort of payment. Part of me is wishing that Conan would have eventually accepted the move back. He could have looked at himself as the first man to have done it, and then he could have moved back when Leno fell flat on his ass. But Conan is a smart guy -- he knows that if he fucks over his staff (which is not in the man's character, anyhow), he will lose A LOT of the good-will he has built-up over this situation. Last edited by Mr. Nerfect; 01-16-2010 at 10:15 PM. |
01-16-2010, 10:28 PM | #150 |
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Another interesting article relating to this split:
The Masturbating Bear is dead. As a deal nears for Conan O'Brien's exit from NBC, one thing is certain: the characters and recurring comedy bits O'Brien originated during his 16-plus years on "Late Night" and "The Tonight Show" will not follow the host when he leaves NBC. The Peacock owns the intellectual property behind such popular O'Brien characters as Pimpbot 5000 and Conando, as well as recurring segments such as In the Year 3000 and Desk Driving. Sources involved in the settlement negotiations say NBC is keeping the copyrighted and trademarked elements of O'Brien's shows as part of the deal. That means the bits and characters will likely never be seen after O'Brien's "Tonight" ends its run Jan 22. While the vast majority of the characters O'Brien introduced are said to owned by NBC, it's unclear who controls Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the crass canine puppet that is perhaps O'Brien's most popular recurring bit. Triumph was originated by writer and longtime O'Brien pal Robert Smigel, whose reps declined to comment on whether Smigel or NBC owned rights to the character. In 1993, David Letterman got into a dustup with NBC when he departed "Late Night" for CBS's "Late Show." NBC attorneys attempted to prevent Letterman from taking intellectual property originated on "Late Night" to the comic's new home. Letterman responded by dropping certain bits and renaming other recurring segments--"Viewer Mail" became "CBS Mailbag" and frequent guest Larry "Bud" Melman began referring to himself by his real name, Calvert DeForest. Letterman mocked the dispute on his first "Late Show" when NBC anchor Tom Brokaw interrupted the monologue and stole cue cards in the name of securing NBC's intellectual property. O'Brien, if he lands at another late-night show, might be in a tougher spot. Unlike comic personalities Letterman and Jay Leno, O'Brien began his career as a writer on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons," and his shows relied more heavily on the cleverly scripted bits and outrageous characters. Losing those assets could hurt O'Brien as he looks for another home, although his "Tonight" had featured fewer of the characters than "Late Night" and the host--who is considered one of the top comedy writers in the business--may be looking for a fresh start. Sources close to him said he was not interested in taking his NBC characters with him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that just sucks. They are bits designed by Conan and his writing team for his sense of humour. Keeping them is just a big "fuck you" to Conan and to Letterman, when they pulled it with him. I guess it's smart business -- making Conan work overtime, but it's kind of sad we will never see them again. |
01-16-2010, 10:33 PM | #151 |
He's Here
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The Jack-off Panda.
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01-16-2010, 10:44 PM | #152 |
Former TPWW Royalty
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So does this mean Andy Richter belongs to NBC as well since he was a "character" on the show?
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01-16-2010, 10:51 PM | #153 | |
Rigged from the start
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01-16-2010, 11:40 PM | #154 |
LIMITLESS
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01-17-2010, 12:06 AM | #155 |
He's Here
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Big Black Guy Rubbing His Peacock
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01-17-2010, 12:53 AM | #156 |
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The Time-Killing Large Land Mammal.
This could actually help Conan. His charm is a perfect match for a guy trying to work his way around copyright issues. |
01-17-2010, 02:24 AM | #157 |
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Ratings rise for O'Brien as nasty NBC exit nears
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer – Sat Jan 16, 8:43 pm ET PASADENA, Calif. – Conan O'Brien's ratings are soaring as he nears a bitter exit from NBC's "Tonight" show, his ridicule of his network executives apparently resonating in a country filled with the unemployed. His ratings Friday were 50 percent higher than they've been this season, and he beat CBS' David Letterman, according to a preliminary Nielsen Co. estimate based on large markets. In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that NBC relies on to set advertising prices, O'Brien even beat Jay Leno's prime-time show. Settlement talks continued Saturday on a deal that would let O'Brien leave NBC and restore Leno to the 11:35 p.m. time slot he occupied for 17 years through last spring. O'Brien's ratings have been rising through the week, which was an extraordinary one in late-night television and saw O'Brien and Letterman hurling barbed remarks at Leno, and Leno firing back. O'Brien's team sees the ratings as vindication. His manager, Gavin Polone, on Saturday compared it to when Leno, trailing Letterman in the ratings in the mid-1990s, drew attention for the memorable appearance of Hugh Grant after his arrest. Leno passed Letterman in popularity and never looked back. "People who never watched Conan before are saying, `I'll try it,'" Polone said. "Now they're saying, `this is good, I'll stick with it.'" It's doubtful they'll get the chance. O'Brien sounded halfway out the door on Friday's show, an exit prompted by his refusal to move his show to 12:05 a.m. at NBC's request. "By the time you see this, I'll be halfway to Rio in an NBC traffic helicopter," he said in his monologue. He aired a skit where he was assaulted by gunfire after pulling his car into the studio parking lot. He also is showing "greatest hits" of his seven-month tenure. The audience's energy level noticeably went down when he joked about topics other than himself. "I didn't love it either," he said as one joke fell flat. "At this point, I really don't care." He laughed maniacally when telling the audience that NBC is expected to lose millions of dollars from its coverage of next month's Winter Olympics. But he pulled back from jokes about Leno. On Friday, Jeff Gaspin, chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, had said the crossfire between hosts "has definitely crossed the line. "Jay is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television," Gaspin said. "It's a shame that he's being pulled into this." Leno took a retaliatory strike on CBS' Letterman on Friday. "Even Dave Letterman is taking shots at me, which surprised me. Usually he's just taking shots at the interns," Leno said, a reference to the CBS host's admission last year that he had affairs with women who worked on his show. Meanwhile, Polone denied a New York Post item Saturday, quoting an anonymous source, that said O'Brien's staff members are "furious" with O'Brien for negotiating an exit payment reportedly approaching $30 million while they are losing their jobs. Polone noted that O'Brien paid staff members himself during the Hollywood writers' strike, and was negotiating severance packages for his employees, many of whom moved from the New York area last year when O'Brien started on "Tonight." Polone is also angry at NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, who told The New York Times this week that O'Brien was "an astounding failure" who had stubbornly resisted advice to broaden his show's appeal. O'Brien's people blame the show's ratings problems on the poor ratings of NBC's late local news and Leno's show before that. Leno averaged 5.2 million viewers per night on his last season at the "Tonight" show, Nielsen said. O'Brien is averaging 2.5 million this season. ___ AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report. |
01-17-2010, 03:14 AM | #158 |
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So Conan today is still trailing Leno's stint on The Tonight Show. It should be taken into consideration that CoCo has a poorer lead-in, and that his ratings are apparently somewhere in the 3.0 range now, and that the 2.5 takes into consideration Conan's lower rated stint. I really, really wish he was staying. But his new show on FOX will probably be more exciting.
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01-17-2010, 04:53 AM | #159 |
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Conan can go wherever he wants whenever apparently. My guess is FOX this fall though that will mean no more 11 pm Simpsons/Seinfeld or whatever other syndicated shows are on.
they should call it Later Tonight on FOX, instant plugs everytime they do "Later Tonight on FOX its ..." for other shows |
01-17-2010, 06:11 PM | #160 | |
Von Killer
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