Conan on TBS

[The Squirrel]

BAH! Leno should just retire like he should have done when he left the Tonight Show. His craving for work is what is killing NBC.

 

[Ziggyman]

Someone's gotta change the title...for the sad reason that...he will not be hosting "The Tonight Show" after the Olympics...

NBC was forced into this situation and now have to back out of a promise from 5 years ago when Conan coulda left...I think it's time to get back to his Late Night charm and move to some other network...always felt that Tonight Show status kinda held him back from being more "edgy"...

 

[Conebone69]

Someone's gotta change the title...for the sad reason that...he will not be hosting "The Tonight Show" after the Olympics...

NBC was forced into this situation and now have to back out of a promise from 5 years ago when Conan coulda left...I think it's time to get back to his Late Night charm and move to some other network...always felt that Tonight Show status kinda held him back from being more "edgy"...

Dude, conan is still hosting the "tonight show" it will just air at 12:00 now!

 

[Shifty]

11:00 for me.

Did anyone see the 20th Anniversary Simpsons Special, Conan got quite a bit of screen time and got to close the special with how he thinks the show should end, loved his idea.

Letterman grew up watching Carson, all talk show hosts under 50 grew up watching Carson/Letterman. I don't want to see the show where the host was a fan of Leno, I want to see the Conan fan.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Mo 1/11: Gary Oldman, Dax Shepard, Vampire Weekend
Tu 1/12: Tom Brokaw, Rosanne Cash
We 1/13: Ricky Gervais, Bryce Dallas Howard, Whitney Cummings
Th 1/14: Rob Lowe, Jane Krakowski
Fr 1/15: Jeff Bridges, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Lifehouse

Mo 1/18: Colin Firth
Tu 1/19: Paul Bettany, Spoon
We 1/20: Joss Stone

 

[Ziggyman]

Dude, conan is still hosting the "tonight show" it will just air at 12:00 now!

You didn't understand...

...I am pretty sure he's gonna leave NBC...that gives Leno the Tonight Show gig...

 

[Kane52630]

Mo 1/11: Gary Oldman, Dax Shepard, Vampire Weekend
Tu 1/12: Tom Brokaw, Rosanne Cash
We 1/13: Ricky Gervais, Bryce Dallas Howard, Whitney Cummings
Th 1/14: Rob Lowe, Jane Krakowski
Fr 1/15: Jeff Bridges, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Lifehouse

Mo 1/18: Colin Firth
Tu 1/19: Paul Bettany, Spoon
We 1/20: Joss Stone

 

[Dr. Evil]

I wonder if Conan will annoy Tom Brokaw again, like he did back when he hosted Late Night. Now that he's in Los Angeles, I miss him annoying Brokaw, Brian Williams and Matt Lauer. I remember how especially annoyed Lauer was at the wacky waving inflatable Conan and his attempts to take it down.

 

[Catman]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118013576.html

Conan O'Brien was stung by NBC's decision to downgrade him to after midnight, insiders close to the host said over the weekend.
While it's still unclear whether O'Brien will accept the NBC proposal, it's pretty clear the host – who only assumed the "Tonight Show" chair in June – is not happy about it.

"It's radically unfair what happened to him," one source said. "He turned down a massive offer six years ago with the promise of eventually getting the 'Tonight Show.' And then he never really got the 'Tonight Show.'"

It was Fox's overtures to O'Brien in 2004 – with a salary believed to be as much as three times what he was making at NBC – that led to the Peacock's unusual five-year "Tonight Show" succession plan.

Under that setup, O'Brien agreed to remain on "Late Night," but take over for Jay Leno on "Tonight" in 2009.

O'Brien did indeed receive the "Tonight Show" gig – but ultimately, he still wound up airing second on the night behind Leno's 10 p.m. primetime strip.

Industry players characterized the new plan – half-hour Leno at 11:35, "Tonight" at 12:05 and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" at 1:05 – as just the latest quick-fix solution employed by NBC.

"The 'Tonight Show' is not the 'Tonight Show' at 12:05," an insider said. "By definition, 12:05 is tomorrow."

NBC said talks with O'Brien's camp will resume on Monday, although nothing has been scheduled yet.

"I think Conan's motivation will become more clear as time goes on, but what was important to me is that I gave Conan something that was very important to him, which was 'The Tonight Show,'" said NBC Universal TV Entertainment chair Jeff Gaspin.

Also at the NBC portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour, former NBC star Jerry Seinfeld –now exec producer of the Peacock's "The Marriage Ref" – got into the fray.

Seinfeld, who was Leno's first 10 p.m. guest, said he didn't think O'Brien had reason to be upset.

"I don't think anyone's preventing people from watching Conan," Seinfeld said. "I don't think anyone has done anything to Conan. There are no rules in show business."

Leno's 10 p.m. play may have just delayed what may now be an inevitable fact: That between Leno and O'Brien, there may be only room for one at NBC -- and Peacock execs have thrown their weight behind Leno.

"After 17 years of late night success they know what works, and now they're trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again," said one exec.

One sage pointed out that the Leno/O'Brien five-year plan was a very General Electric-style solution to the problem of trying to keep both hosts at the Peacock – but it's now coming back to haunt the net, right when Comcast is poised to acquire a controlling stake in the net from GE.

Much of O'Brien's decision will rely on his other options – and it's still unclear whether he'll be able to find a more attractive setup.

Cable would still mean a smaller audience, and no late-night talker has worked in syndication since Arsenio Hall (and even Hall's show was ultimately hurt by the fact that syndie shows can easily be downgraded to worse time slots).

The most obvious alternative to NBC remains Fox, which at the very least was looking on Friday to play the role of spoiler in NBC's attempts to keep Conan O'Brien.

As the Peacock and O'Brien continue to hammer out his future at the network, Fox is now sending not-so-subtle hints that it would be willing to launch a late-night franchise around the carrot-topped comedian.

"We've always been interested in late night and we're always looking to bring great new talent to Fox," a network source said. "While Conan would be a great fit for Fox, he's still under contract with NBC, so we'll just see how all of this plays out."

(ABC, meanwhile, seemed to close the door on O'Brien: "With all due respect to Conan, we like the late night hand we are currently playing," the Alphabet said in a statement.)

How serious Fox might be about luring O'Brien away remains to be seen. Some Fox insiders were earlier dismissing the idea, noting that Fox's owned and affiliated stations do quite well in late night with off-net sitcoms.

Stations wouldn't make nearly as much money by giving up that local time to clear a network talker -- and the ratings declines experienced by "Tonight" under O'Brien (although much of that can be attributed to NBC's woes, not O'Brien) wouldn't help.

Fox has made rumblings through the years that it would like to get back into the late night game, having recently launched the Saturday night yakker "The Wanda Sykes Show."

But the net -- which first launched in late night, with 1986's "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" -- has been scared away from the daypart ever since 1993's "Chevy Chase Show," considered one of network TV's biggest debacles of all time. (Its other foray into the time slot, the news/comedy hybrid "Wilton North Report," was another disaster.)

Insiders confirm that under Fox's deal with affiliates, it has the right to clear a late night talker.

The net wouldn't do so without first consulting with stations, however. Fox may offer an attractive alternative to O'Brien, who would air at 11 p.m. on Fox -- a full hour earlier than his best-case scenario now at NBC. What's more, he'd be going from the last-place network to the first-place web among adults 18-49.

There's also the issue of O'Brien's contract with NBC, and how tough it might be to negotiate an exit.

Quipped O'Brien on Friday's "Tonight Show": "I do have to let you know that until this whole thing is sorted out NBC lawyers have asked me to refer to this program as 'The Sometime-at-Night Show With Some White Guy'."

 

[Shifty]

Patton Oswalt's thoughts on Leno/Conan. Even with Jay going to 30 minutes he won't be appearing on his show ever again.
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/01/patton-oswalt-on-leno-and-conan-shakeup-audio.html

 

[JP]

Jeez, NBC.

 

[Lighthouse]

As much as I would love to see Conan give NBC the finger and move to Fox, I think he should stay on the Tonight Show. I think the Fox thing could be incredibly risky, and he's already moved his family and crew to LA for the Tonight Show. Maybe this move will give Conan more freedom with what he wants to do.

Still, this is a royal screw up by NBC.

 

[Go Web Go!]

I doubt Conan would move his show out of Southern Cal. if he moved to FOX. The ENTIRE Late Night staff made the move just over 6 months ago. They can't just pack up their bags and head back east just like that. They have to stay in California.

 

[Catman]

Yeah, Conan isn't moving back to NY. Does FOX (the entertainment division not the news one) even have studios in NY?

 

[Wolfwood]

Seriously, it's the only way I can stalk him...er..see his show.

 

[Roy Batty]

I think Conan should stay at NBC, despite everything that has happened. I also think that Jay's new 11:30 show will fail and will be cancelled by June.

 

[Iron_Stark]

Conan should give the finger to NBC and walk.

 

[Gold Samurai]

Ready to leave?

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...onan-obrien-ready-leave-nbc-late-night-shake/

 

[Kane52630]

GMA talks about Conan/Jay situation
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/

 

[hippie_hunter]

I kinda think that Conan would be better off staying at NBC. NBC knows that the failure is a direct result of Leno and the only reason why he's being kept around is because they don't want to pay him. Just wait for the two year mark to end and get rid of him and move the Tonight Show back to it's original slot.

 

[Raiden]

Although I think Conan shouldn't be the one to move, the fact is that he agreed to stay with NBC six years ago, with the promise of getting The Tonight Show's gig, and NBC has been undermining him with Leno ever since. I wish Conan would've stick the finger in NBC's face and bolt to Fox (since ABC isn't interested), and we'll see who will eventually come out on top.

 

[Shifty]

As most know Rupert Murdoch owns Fox.
He also owns the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Just call him Conan O'Flyin

'Tonight Show' star set to bolt over network snub

By SEAN DALY in Pasadena, Calif., and MICHAEL SHAIN in NY

Last Updated: 12:25 PM, January 11, 2010
Posted: 2:58 AM, January 11, 2010
The peacock ruffled Conan O'Brien's feathers -- and now he's ready to fly the coop. The "Tonight Show" host feels like the redheaded stepchild of late-night TV after NBC's abrupt decision to cancel Jay Leno's 10 p.m. experiment after just five months -- and return the car-loving comic to O'Brien's coveted 11:35 p.m. slot. "This level of sh- - -iness was not expected," one source said. "He's done a great job for NBC. He moved his entire staff, he moved his family to LA. And five months later, they repay him like this?" As it stands now, the source said, "Conan would be happier somewhere else." The pompadoured host has "many options," including a move to Fox, which for years has been looking to create its own late-night show. In fact, he has already spoken with Fox, The Wall Street Journal's Web site reported last night.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/just_call_him_conan_flyin_ThND8Mdv5MI5Pv8udof1LJ#ixzz0cKM2sRFo

 

[The Squirrel]

Ugh. Just fire Leno already. His show failed miserably. Moving back to 11:35 isn't going to make him funny again.

 

[Octoberist]

i don't blame Conan; like what many have said, he moved his family, his band, and his staff from NYC to LA. And barely months later, he's getting screwed over. Hell, Jay never ever gave Conan a break, because he started HIS ten o clock show in Sept.

I've lost all respect for Jay. Like what Patton Oswalt said, Jay is probably a dude who seems nice but his passive aggression will screw you over.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Good lord, it's no wonder NBC is 4th place. They'd be in much worse shape if they did not have the NFL or the Olympics.

Pretty sure Letterman will have something to say about this tonight, which will probably include shots at NBC and Leno (in a humorous manner of course).