Exactly. As TV pitches go, its hardly the oddest one to come down the pike.
O'Brien out, Leno back in?
- Thread starter Professor Zoom
- Start date
Taft is a great example too, but I specifically picked J.Q. Adams because he happened to fit what Snaploud said didn't make sense.Teddy Roosevelt set up everything in the Presidency for Taft, and Taft utterly HATED being President. After leaving office, he was quite happy having been appointed to the Supreme Court.
Also, I had an interesting conversation with one of my co-workers tonight... we'd discussed the Conan/Leno kerfuffle previously, with me obviously being with CoCo, and she being on Leno's side because she likes his humor better than Conan's. She tuned in to the finale, and said she really enjoyed it... loved the bit with Steve Carell, thought the "Free Bird" jam at the end was awesome, but what she really had praise for was Conan's farewell message. She said it was incredibly classy of him, and that she would definitely at least check out whatever new show Conan gets come September.
yeah, it might be a little crazy to get this emotionally invested. But, I think it's in the air, people feel powerless--and here comes someone (Conan) who turns to his boss and says "No, Kiss my ass, I won't be pushed around." and I think there's something very excited by that.
It IS crazy, we're cheering on the guy who is getting over 30 million for a severance package.
It made for great TV.
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
So what? Conan was exceptionally generous. Yeah, these guys make good money, but to pay salaries out of pocket was something that most people probably wouldn't have done. That Leno also did it, was impressive. (I doubt Conan or Leno were ever reimbursed in any way, perhaps someone knows otherwise.) It was reported that during the strike, when no new episodes were being produced, Leno and Letterman were losing $100,000 a night. But Conan fans/Leno haters spin it like Leno was the goddamned Grinch who stole Xmas then saw the light after a lot of prodding. It wasn't Leno laying people off; it was NBC and it was the writers strike that caused it.
Thought one of the more entertaining parts of that was that Will Farrell's wife had her kid pretty much right after the taping of that segment...
Thought one of the more entertaining parts of that was that Will Farrell's wife had her kid pretty much right after the taping of that segment...
Shoulda named the kid Conan
Yes, it's true, NBC and the strike caused the situation, but Conan and Letterman, also members of the WGA, without hesitation made sure their staff was taken care of. Leno had to be guilted into doing it--which sorta betrays his nice guy image, doesn't it.
AND, Leno, also a member of the WGA, may or may not have crossed the strike lines to write his own monologue--it's very murky--so, again, not quite the Everyman he portrays himself to be.
Kimmel took Leno to task for his Oprah interview: http://www.youtube.com/JimmyKimmelLive#p/u/11/ujo9FRh8nf0
All this controversy Kimmel has injected himself into hasn't hurt him, probably helped him.
"TV is not fair".
Yes, Jay Leno, because we're all very sad to see you lose your show. Wait, though, you're getting your old one back? Why are you talking about the unfairness of TV? You still got a show!
Yes, Jay Leno, because we're all very sad to see you lose your show. Wait, though, you're getting your old one back? Why are you talking about the unfairness of TV? You still got a show!
I thought he had a good point.
While as a general rule I find his show unfunny, Kimmel's commentary on this whole debacle has been not only funny, but also sharp-witted and relevant. It's amazing how controversy can bring out the best material from some of these guys. I've begun to wonder - is there some prior bad blood between Kimmel & Leno? Or is Jimmy just completely on Conan's side in all this?
I have to say, all this mess has drawn me into watching late night shows for the first time on my life, and of course the only one I enjoy is the one that got dumped. As is virtually always the case with anything I like on tv.
I think Kimmel -- like the rest of us -- just doesn't find Leno funny, and a bit of a douche in all of this.
Because he is an ass.
What's confusing is that some of Leno's staff are saying it was NBC who came up with the idea and not Leno. BUT, that doesn't mean he had to take it. He should have retired with dignity. He had his run.
Or find a new job somewhere else.
Kimmel probably just realizes that the proper, cool, "hip" attitude lately is to be anti-Leno. He's jumping on the anti-Leno bandwagon, nothing more. Following the trend - the fad, as it were.
Comedians seem really conscious about comedic "territory" whether it's a routine or a show so it's no surprise practically every comedian and their dog sided with Conan.
He was negative about Leno long before this whole thing, mostly on the Stern show though, not so much elsewhere.
The battle lines were drawn long ago. Conan must have already had a lot of friends anyway. Somebody decided that he was to be the blameless golden boy, the put-upon oppressed victim, and that Leno was the evil dictator son-of-a-bitch. Others fell right into line after that. They're following the crowd. They're saving their own careers by picking the "right side".