I have a feeling you're right. There is nowhere for Conan to go but up. Someone will score a PR victory out of this, and it's not going to be NBC.
O'Brien out, Leno back in?
- Thread starter Professor Zoom
- Start date
I have a feeling you're right. There is nowhere for Conan to go but up. Someone will score a PR victory out of this, and it's not going to be NBC.
I think that the statement he released proves your point perfectly...he managed to put a big ole' extended middle finger right in the face of the network, all but daring them to fire him...and he worded it in such a classy and funny manner that it doesn't look like he's wallowing in pity or fuming with resentment...
Conan's managed to set himself in the position of Chief Protector of the Tonight Show Legacy with NBC as the bad guy...he needs to go out and give his PR people a nice fat bonus...
It's NBC. They're going to let Conan walk, suckle Jay's teet and give him whatever he wants. Leno was saying on his show last night that his Tonight Show was canceled.
I just dont get all the love for leno? He has had his time. He tried someithing new and it failed. I just don't get it. NBC bastards. God, Comcast with there 51% soon to be controling share can't come in fast enough and fire all these NBC network exec clowns. Fuckers
Network Buttfucks Conan!
Network Buttfucks Conan!
I think that the statement he released proves your point perfectly...he managed to put a big ole' extended middle finger right in the face of the network, all but daring them to fire him...and he worded it in such a classy and funny manner that it doesn't look like he's wallowing in pity or fuming with resentment...
Conan's managed to set himself in the position of Chief Protector of the Tonight Show Legacy with NBC as the bad guy...he needs to go out and give his PR people a nice fat bonus...
Conan is a smart man, and I think the way he has played this shows that. It almost seems like he's been playing a chess game for the last week. He took his time, read the board, and is moving pieces.
As a side note, there was something mentioned in one of the articles I've read about this I found interesting Apparently, Conan still has an office at the Simpson's production offices. They use it for storage at this point, but they never removed his name plate from the door, note his desk from inside of it, and have said it was his office and it would be there if he ever wanted it back. Sounds to me like Conan really is a class act in real life, and has the respect of many in the industry.
I wouldn't put too much faith in Comcast fixing NBC's messes. It's Comcast, after all.
Leno said in 2004 that he was going to retire in 2009. Then he pulled a Brett Favre.
I think that if it can work out legally and contractually, this would be the perfect opportunity for Fox to get into the late night talk show business. One article mentioned how difficult and expensive starting a late night show from scratch is. For Fox to start out with someone who is already a star, has a full crew and great writing abilities, and has a large following is beginning way ahead of the curve. What more could you ask for? Especially since Letterman and Leno will have to retire some time in the next few years - and Conan would be the one sitting in an established show while the others find their audience.
Maybe if he did more "swapping dialogue from unrelated franchises" humor. You know, having Jack Bauer spouting lines from The Dark Knight, etc.
I bet that'd be HI-larious.
You know, something like, "He's the comedian late night deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll put him on FOX because he can take it."
GOLD!
The sad thing is, Leno can still make this right. He still can fix it, if he were just willing to. If he cared about NBC and if he were the "company man" he always claims to be and has claimed to be since the day he entered primetime, he'd do what he needed to do and walk away with a modicum of class. Instead, he makes bullshit up about "getting cancelled" and threatens to walk to FOX. Hell, he did it again last night.
The difference between guys like Letterman and Conan and someone like Leno is that the first two are broadcasters. Carson was a broadcaster. These guys have a respect for a dying industry, they see the roots going back to the '50s and '60s and radio before that. They care about the product.
Leno is a stand-up comedian. He could not possibly care less about the Tonight Show's legacy and what time it's on, so long as he's on television. If the Tonight Show name were to disappear a month from now, forever, Leno would still be happy as long as he was on five nights a week. And this is proof of it.
That is some completely self-serving PR bullshit being spun by Leno's PR staff. Conan's letter was dead on exactly what he should have written, and as a result, he's framed Leno as looking like the bad guy he is. Leno, though, thrives on having a positive reputation. He has to have that nice guy image, at least publicly. Leno really doesn't do self-deprecating humor, because he's protecting that image at all costs.
Conan's letter exposes Jay as the little shitstain he is, and he can't stand that. So, he needs someone in the media to pipe up that he, too, is furious about the way Conan's being treated, even though the way Conan's being treated is a direct result of Leno's behavior. This way, when Conan leaves NBC, Jay can pretend, "I didn't like how they treated Conan, but I thought about it long and hard and decided that I owed NBC enough to stay and steal Conan's timeslot," to try to spin his decision to take the Tonight Show back as a decision he's making with humility.
I don't buy it for a minute.
Rumors are already swirling that, after Conan's bombshell letter today, NBC is desperately looking for guest hosts immediately (to be on the air as soon as later this week). I'm guessing that between last night's show, and tonight's potential for amazing television, the network is now scrambling to save face (which it could do by telling He of the Big Goddamn Chin to just fuck off and retire like the contract he signed, by which he gave his word, said he would).
In addition, TMZ has already reported that the decision has been made to re-install Leno as the host of the Tonight Show, and that Conan and Leno are refusing to speak to each other right now.
In conclusion, fuck Leno, fuck NBC, and I'm with CoCo.
The difference between guys like Letterman and Conan and someone like Leno is that the first two are broadcasters. Carson was a broadcaster. These guys have a respect for a dying industry, they see the roots going back to the '50s and '60s and radio before that. They care about the product.
Leno is a stand-up comedian. He could not possibly care less about the Tonight Show's legacy and what time it's on, so long as he's on television. If the Tonight Show name were to disappear a month from now, forever, Leno would still be happy as long as he was on five nights a week. And this is proof of it.
That is some completely self-serving PR bullshit being spun by Leno's PR staff. Conan's letter was dead on exactly what he should have written, and as a result, he's framed Leno as looking like the bad guy he is. Leno, though, thrives on having a positive reputation. He has to have that nice guy image, at least publicly. Leno really doesn't do self-deprecating humor, because he's protecting that image at all costs.
Conan's letter exposes Jay as the little shitstain he is, and he can't stand that. So, he needs someone in the media to pipe up that he, too, is furious about the way Conan's being treated, even though the way Conan's being treated is a direct result of Leno's behavior. This way, when Conan leaves NBC, Jay can pretend, "I didn't like how they treated Conan, but I thought about it long and hard and decided that I owed NBC enough to stay and steal Conan's timeslot," to try to spin his decision to take the Tonight Show back as a decision he's making with humility.
I don't buy it for a minute.
Rumors are already swirling that, after Conan's bombshell letter today, NBC is desperately looking for guest hosts immediately (to be on the air as soon as later this week). I'm guessing that between last night's show, and tonight's potential for amazing television, the network is now scrambling to save face (which it could do by telling He of the Big Goddamn Chin to just fuck off and retire like the contract he signed, by which he gave his word, said he would).
In addition, TMZ has already reported that the decision has been made to re-install Leno as the host of the Tonight Show, and that Conan and Leno are refusing to speak to each other right now.
In conclusion, fuck Leno, fuck NBC, and I'm with CoCo.
Leno is safe and old people like him. His 10:00 show was a dismal failure and even his Tonight Show viewers didn't like it. Conan wasn't doing great in the 11:35 timeslot anyway so NBC decided to reverse the situation.
I applaud Conan for not accepting that offer. He doesn't need NBC to shit all over him, any network would be happy to do that to him.
And, of course, NBC fails to remember that Leno took forever to regain the full audience of Carson, just as it was taking time for Conan to regain the full audience of Leno.
Jesus Christ. If it weren't for Law & Order (which I continue to watch because I'm helpless for police procedurals and would likely go gay for Sam Waterston), I'd have no reason to turn to channel 7 ever again after Conan gets shitcanned this week.
Sorry, I didn't realize Letterman's target audience needed positive reinforcement. Would it make you feel better if I just said "Oprah, Uma" a lot?
Oh yes. The DVR will be humming tonight!
I know I'd follow Conan to where ever he goes. I've always liked watching him.
Did Leno ever fully regain Carson's audience? I know that he finally bested Letterman in the ratings because of the Hugh Grant thing, but I thought that Carson's audience was pretty much split between Leno and Dave.
I wish he would just retire and go live with his 400 cars. He's what, 60 years old? At some point he'll retire and then NBC will have to figure out what to do. Neither Jimmy Fallon or (god forbid) Carson Daily are their future. Conan is their best bet and they're just letting him go. Stupid fucking NBC... Why the hell am I getting so pissed off about late night talk shows?
Why the hell am I getting so pissed off about late night talk shows?
I think it's because NBC used to be a great network with great shows and they threw it all away.
Or maybe because this drama is better than 99% of TV.