O'Brien out, Leno back in?

[Data Holmes]

Oh, I agree...I think that the chances that NBC will keep him are less than nothing...to me, it seems that NBC is trying to get him to just walk away rather than the network firing him or letting him out of his contract so that they don't have to pay the penalty to Conan. And his team is trying to outlast them to force them to fire him and pay that penalty...

Oh, right. I see what you're saying. Yeah, that I agree with.

Indeed. Conan's people are playing it perfectly.

 

[Sci]

Scenerio: Letterman retires by 2013, with no replacement groomed. Who would take over, Craig Kilbourn? That stupd Brit from "The Drew Carey Show"?

1. Mr Scott should certainly recognize its actually "that stupid Scott from the Drew Carey Show"

Actually, it should be, "That stupid Scot from The Drew Carey Show." One T.

And Scots are also Britons. A Briton is by definition a citizen of the United Kingdom, and Scotland is one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. "Brit" doesn't necessarily mean the English -- it includes the Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

And Scots are also Britons. A Briton is by definition a citizen of the United Kingdom, and Scotland is one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. "Brit" doesn't necessarily mean the English -- it includes the Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish.

Although there are some Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish who'd punch you in the face if you called them a Brit.

 

[Ryan]

It's looking more and more like Zucker was out to screw Conan from the get go in all of this.

Never blame on malice what can be explained by stupidity. If Zucker was to screw Conan he probably could have done it without causing a PR nightmare and a huge monetary hit to NBC.

 

[Sci]

And Scots are also Britons. A Briton is by definition a citizen of the United Kingdom, and Scotland is one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. "Brit" doesn't necessarily mean the English -- it includes the Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish.

Although there are some Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish who'd punch you in the face if you called them a Brit.

Then they're playing into the unspoken assumption that "Brit=English" and are therefore inadvertently supporting the idea of English supremacy over the United Kingdom. "Briton" ought to be seen as an egalitarian term that encompasses every citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not as a synonym for "English."

-- Sci, proud descendent of English, Irish, and Welsh immigrants

 

[Squiggy]

Well, I'm sure something will be resolved before the Winter Olympics.

Regardless, it'll be dead by then. The only thing keeping this going is the fact that both Leno are Conan are both on the air. When their not on the air, it'll die down quickly. There's only so much Letterman and Kimmel can drag this out.

OR...what if Conan appears as a guest on both their shows during the Olympics? Hmmmm.

As much as I'd like the euphoria of an unlikely Conan triumph, the better option for Conan is for him to leave with a HUGE payday (as is a possibility now according to reports) and then signing a similarly large contract for FOX at 11pm. I'd love to watch Conan's monologue and bits at 11. Hopefully they will let him be more 'late night' Conan. Bring back the bear!!! He'll get a huuuge amount of cash and big buzz to start a new show.

Yeah, but it's sounding like a move to Fox is FAR from a sure thing. The affiliates don't appear to be all that crazy about the idea.

Conan might have better luck on cable.

What Conan should do (and this could easily be spun as him giving up his riches for the good of his crew) would be to pay for the FOX show (studio, syndication buyouts) himself using his NBC money. He'd be revered as a saint and have the eternal loyalty of his crew.

 

[Data Holmes]

It's looking more and more like Zucker was out to screw Conan from the get go in all of this.

Never blame on malice what can be explained by stupidity. If Zucker was to screw Conan he probably could have done it without causing a PR nightmare and a huge monetary hit to NBC.

Revenge is rarely logical... And it can appear to be simple stupidity. "I will ice you for 3 and a half years" doesn't sound like simple stupidity. It does sound like someone who is out for revenge.

 

[TheBrew]

What Conan should do (and this could easily be spun as him giving up his riches for the good of his crew) would be to pay for the FOX show (studio, syndication buyouts) himself using his NBC money. He'd be revered as a saint and have the eternal loyalty of his crew.

If he did that, I would want his babies.

 

[Data Holmes]

Well, I'm sure something will be resolved before the Winter Olympics.

Regardless, it'll be dead by then. The only thing keeping this going is the fact that both Leno are Conan are both on the air. When their not on the air, it'll die down quickly. There's only so much Letterman and Kimmel can drag this out.

OR...what if Conan appears as a guest on both their shows during the Olympics? Hmmmm.

Conan should book Letterman, Ferguson, and Kimmel during the olympics.

As much as I'd like the euphoria of an unlikely Conan triumph, the better option for Conan is for him to leave with a HUGE payday (as is a possibility now according to reports) and then signing a similarly large contract for FOX at 11pm. I'd love to watch Conan's monologue and bits at 11. Hopefully they will let him be more 'late night' Conan. Bring back the bear!!! He'll get a huuuge amount of cash and big buzz to start a new show.

Yeah, but it's sounding like a move to Fox is FAR from a sure thing. The affiliates don't appear to be all that crazy about the idea.

Conan might have better luck on cable.

What Conan should do (and this could easily be spun as him giving up his riches for the good of his crew) would be to pay for the FOX show (studio, syndication buyouts) himself using his NBC money. He'd be revered as a saint and have the eternal loyalty of his crew.

Is there any way he could stand to profit from such a set up?

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Then they're playing into the unspoken assumption that "Brit=English" and are therefore inadvertently supporting the idea of English supremacy over the United Kingdom. "Briton" ought to be seen as an egalitarian term that encompasses every citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not as a synonym for "English."

-- Sci, proud descendent of English, Irish, and Welsh immigrants

What I meant is that there are Scots, Welsh and (especially) Northern Irish who are fierce advocates of separation and independence from Great Britain.

 

[IndyJones]

Scenerio: Letterman retires by 2013, with no replacement groomed. Who would take over, Craig Kilbourn? That stupd Brit from "The Drew Carey Show"?

1. Mr Scott should certainly recognize its actually "that stupid Scott from the Drew Carey Show"

Actually, it should be, "That stupid Scot from The Drew Carey Show." One T.

Actually, it should be "that stupid Yank," as Ferguson is now an American citizen.

And he's hi-larious.

 

[Squiggy]

What Conan should do (and this could easily be spun as him giving up his riches for the good of his crew) would be to pay for the FOX show (studio, syndication buyouts) himself using his NBC money. He'd be revered as a saint and have the eternal loyalty of his crew.

Is there any way he could stand to profit from such a set up?

He'd be more likely to have a job...so yeah.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Eh. It's textbook harassment. Conan deserved more than just an arrest.

A medal for a great prank. Zucker is a total idiot who must have some smoking evidence on certian people because thats the only possible reason why he has NOT been sacked

Conan is the real life NuKirk

 

[Broccoli]

^ "History says Conan O'Brien was a great man. Went on to host The Tonight Show. But that was another life."

 

[Sci]

Then they're playing into the unspoken assumption that "Brit=English" and are therefore inadvertently supporting the idea of English supremacy over the United Kingdom. "Briton" ought to be seen as an egalitarian term that encompasses every citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not as a synonym for "English."

-- Sci, proud descendent of English, Irish, and Welsh immigrants

What I meant is that there are Scots, Welsh and (especially) Northern Irish who are fierce advocates of separation and independence from Great Britain.

Certainly, but they don't make up the majority of their populations.

1. Mr Scott should certainly recognize its actually "that stupid Scott from the Drew Carey Show"

Actually, it should be, "That stupid Scot from The Drew Carey Show." One T.

Actually, it should be "that stupid Yank," as Ferguson is now an American citizen.

Well, sure, but unless he lost his British citizenship, he's still a Briton. And he'll be a Scot for the rest of his life, because that's an ethnicity, not just a citizenship.

 

[Roger Wilco]

And I bet NBC will blink...

I don't think they will. It's more likely O'Brien will be out.

Either way: NBC's loss.
[and I say that as someone who doesn't really think any of the Late Night hosts are funny, except Stewart and Colbert who aren't quite in the same league.]

 

[shivkala]

I didn't see this posted, http://[URL="http://www.nytimes.com...ia/15conan.html?scp=2&sq=Dick Ebersol&st=cse"Dick Ebersol weighs in...against Conan and Letterman. Kind of makes you glad NBC is tanking right now with people like this leaping to its defense. The article can be found here.

Some choice quotes:

The executive, Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports, said the reason for Mr. Leno’s return to NBC’s late-night roster after a short stint in prime time this season was a simple one: disappointing ratings for Conan O’Brien’s “Tonight Show.”​

Referring to the pointed jokes made this week by Mr. O’Brien and David Letterman of CBS, Mr. Ebersol said it was “chicken-hearted and gutless to blame a guy you couldn’t beat in the ratings.”
He added that “what this is really all about is an astounding failure by Conan.”

Mr. Ebersol said Mr. Leno had not pushed for any of the changes, not the original decision to guarantee Mr. O’Brien the show five years in advance, nor the plan to put Mr. Leno in prime time.
“Jeff and I are big boys,” Mr. Ebersol said, referring to Mr. Zucker. “When we do something big in the public forum and it doesn’t succeed, we know we’ll be the butt of criticism. But you don’t personally attack someone who hasn’t done anything.” In this case, he added, “we bet on the wrong guy.”

“They’re just striking out at Jay,” Mr. Ebersol said. “It seems like professional jealousy.”​

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^
And Marriage Ref & Parenthood sound like guaranteed smash hits too.

 

[Sci]

Dick Ebersol is not taking into account the fact that Leno had years to build up his audience before he began regularly beating Letterman in the ratings, nor is he taking into account the fact that decreased lead-ins from Leno's failure makes it that much harder for Conan to build up his audience.

Dick Ebersol is just pissed that Conan's been calling NBC on their dickish behavior.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

^ "History says Conan O'Brien was a great man. Went on to host The Tonight Show. But that was another life."

Because he's the host The Tonight Show deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So they'll fire him because he can take it. Because he's not our host. He's a silent comedian, a watchful entertainer. A late knight.