This is hilarious: http://www.getwhirled.com/jaybombs.html
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This is hilarious: http://www.getwhirled.com/jaybombs.html
I had a hard time pulling myself away from that. Glad it started to cycle over.Quote:
Originally Posted by frenetic wave
It's funny 'cause it's true!Quote:
Originally Posted by frenetic wave
Maybe his contract called for a bigger buyout. Add to that the attorneys fees NBC would have to pay an outside firm to litigate if it went to court (standard practice, as most in-house attorneys aren't litigators). While they could win, they could also stand to lose big, not to mention the ongoing bad press as things drag out, and a big case like this could drag out for years. When you look at it from that angle, $30-40 million might be the more palatable option.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sea Ray
Anyway I look at it, NBC screwed up bigtime.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yachtzee
Tonight is Conan's last night. I may tune in to see the fireworks. Should be interesting.
I think NBC has made a big boo-boo.
You and everyone but Zucker and LenoQuote:
Originally Posted by Roy Tucker
I am not a Conan fan (I almost never stay up that late and I don't DVR, so I'm not a fan of any late night shows) but I will definitely watch the show tonight. It should be great tv. I did watch last night, his interview with Robin Williams was definitely no holds barred.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy Tucker
I can't for the life of me understand how NBC can think that this is the right move. Do they actually think they are going to automatically plug Leno back into the same slot and, bam, his ratings go right back to where they were?Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy Tucker
I really think Leno is going to struggle. He acts like he's been a saint through all of this, but he could have decided that what NBC is doing to Conan is just wrong, and done the right thing and walked away. The Tonight Show franchise is bigger than one person.
I'm still confused about the buyout. If NBC offered to let Conan keep The Tonight Show (albeit at 12:05) and he refused, why do they owe him anything? He's the one stepping away from his contract. :confused: As far as I've heard, there was nothing in the contract that stated what time the show would air.
Bill Simmons' take...
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment...ts_guy_sa.html
Quote:
Bill Simmons, ‘the Sports Guy,’ Saw Talkshowgate Coming, and Now He’s Got Advice for Conan
1/21/10 at 4:00 PM
The news that Conan O’Brien would be leaving the Tonight Show was broken by an unlikely source at the end of last week: a tweet from ESPN’s Bill “the Sports Guy” Simmons, which read, “FYI: Next week is Conan's final week hosting the Tonight Show. His staff is trying to book big guests so he goes out with a bang. It's true.” Within hours, NBC was confirming it. Simmons had it first.
For a sportswriter, Simmons knows his late-night talk shows. He was one of the charter writers for Jimmy Kimmel Live — he and Kimmel remain close friends — and back in March, he accurately predicted that Jay Leno would be back in the Tonight Show chair “within a year.” With that kind of track record, we couldn’t resist asking him if he had any advice for Conan, any guesses on the next turn for this story to take, and any predictions on how this will affect his pal, Kimmel.
Do you think Conan worked at 11:30? Do you think if he goes to Fox, he should do the same show? The old show? An entirely new beast?
Conan's show sucked at 11:35. That's the reason the ratings were down — not because of his lead-ins. What's Jon Stewart's lead-in? What's SNL's lead-in? Conan did a watered-down, toothless version of his 12:35 show, and even his die-hard fans weren't crazy about it. These are the facts. Only after they canned him did he show flashes of the old Conan again. Look, he's not Johnny Carson; he's a gawky, super-witty, awkward, hyperactive goofball who isn't going to appeal to everyone. I don't see Fox at 11 working, either. We just saw him fail at 11:35 ... Going head-to-head for the egghead demo with Jon Stewart [at 11] will be better? If he were smart, he'd go to Comedy Central at 12, follow Colbert and Stewart, and just be himself.
Do you think Conan handled this situation the right way?
I thought he was too whiny. Look, it's television. His job was to deliver ratings and revenue; he lost nearly 50 percent of Leno's 11:35 audience in six months, but took none of the blame and made no effort to fix his show. This wasn't his fault? And besides, he's the one who stupidly passed up all that Fox money in 2004. I never understood that. What was so special about a Tonight Show that had twelve years (and counting) of Leno stink on it? How iconic could it have been? Plus, it was foolish of him to think Leno would fade into the sunset in 2009. We're gonna have to chop Leno's head off like Jason Voorhees to get him off TV.
How do you think this affects your friend, Jimmy Kimmel? It seems like he's been incredibly smart by injecting himself into this madness at just the right times, and backing away at the right times.
I'm glad you mentioned him because he has his name set to Google Alert. Now I know he'll read this. Hey, Jimmy! Anyway, I thought it was the most important month of his career; his "Fake Leno" show was really funny, two of his competitors were damaged as brands, and he crushed Leno on his own show. Not enough was made of that, by the way. There's Jimmy going on Leno's show and just skewering him, and Leno's own audience is laughing at Leno! Letterman's audience never would have done that.
Does it really hurt Leno if the commentariat dislikes him? The people who have made him so popular probably aren't paying any attention to this in the first place.
Yes and no. He dumbed down his show intentionally knowing he'd win the ratings game that way. And he did. You're right, his audience could give a crap: They're too busy applying to be on the next Hoarders. But that same audience splintered when he abandoned that 11:35 slot. Some stayed with Conan, others went to Colbert, Nightline, SportsCenter, online, wherever. Once people stop getting in the habit of seeing you, it's hard to get them back. By the way, the same goes for hookers.
Isn't this all kind of silly? Isn't the theory that everyone just watches everything on Hulu and DVR anyway?
Normally, I'd agree with you, but did you see the numbers? Leno's 11:35 show made $35–40 million profit for NBC; Conan's show was on pace to lose $5 million and had zero critical buzz. So it was a big deal, I think; look at where Conan was five years ago and where he is now. It's one of the biggest falls in TV history. NBC paid $43 million to get rid of him! It was the TV version of the Knicks buying out Stephon Marbury last year, only without tattoos, Kathleen Decker, and a truck party. Anything that leads to a legitimate Conan-Marbury comparison has to mean ... something. Right?
Read more: Bill Simmons, ‘the Sports Guy,’ Saw Talkshowgate Coming, and Now He’s Got Advice for Conan -- Vulture http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment...#ixzz0dNfaetOr
Sadly I think the fireworks will be tamer then say Tuesday or Wednesday due to the supposed "No insulting the head honchos" language in his buy out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy Tucker
Fallon is still not funny but he did have a good line last night, he's learned from all this he has no shot of ever hosting the tonight show :D
The final show was great.
I disagree that Conan's show declined in the earlier time slot. I think the writing was actually stronger and more consistent. No masturbating bear, but I didn't really think the new show was scaled back at all. I do agree with Simmons that Conan's quirkiness doesn't play well with certain audiences (read: old people).
You mean people who are Conan's age, soon to be 47?Quote:
Originally Posted by cincinnati chili
Yes. I find it un-entertaining to see a 47-year old man acting like he's 5 years old. That was funny when I was 8, but not now.
Loved the last show, though. Thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the "exit interview". A below average Johnny Carson show was as good, though.
They talk about Kimmel's impression of Leno, which was great but I couldn't get the audio and video to synch correctly when I watched it, here's something way back in the 80s of Chris Elliott doing his impression of Leno.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmCBsQPEmA