http://www.tmz.com/

Jay Leno will get his one-hour show back, and it will be called "The Tonight Show".... sources tell TMZ.

We're told NBC honchos still have to sit down with Jay's rep and put the finishing touches on a new deal, but NBC has signed off on the plan if Conan O'Brien leaves ... and Conan has made it clear that he's leaving the network, and not on good terms.

O'Brien took several cheap shots at Leno in his blistering letter, denigrating Leno's show as a "comedy program."

Sources tell TMZ Jay and Conan have not spoken with each other since NBC announced the switch.

It's looking increasingly like Conan may be making a deal with Fox for a late night show from 11:00 PM to midnight.

Good for Conan.
I've never been much of a Late Nite show person. When I do watch (unless it's to catch Prince perform) it's always been Letterman. Leno's not nearly as funny.

Can we get rid of Wanda Sykes' show now?

SCNDLS said:

and Mo'Nique and Wendy Williams

Good for him. Jay Leno should have just gone tha fuck away.

Vendetta1 said:

He shoulda been sprayed in the face with mace!

bboy87 said:

Nah, Wendy's my gurl but they can drop Monique off the planet fa sho!

Coco's a no go with the twelve oh oh?

Paris9748430 said:

Already!

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2...monologue/

Conan O'Brien Rips NBC During 'The Tonight Show' Monologue
Posted 10 hrs ago by Kyle Anderson in Television


With the news that Jay Leno would be returning to his old late-night slot after the Olympics, "The Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien is being muscled out of his place after only a handful of months on the air. But the talk show veteran is not about to take it lying down. While he made sideways references to the situation at NBC on his show last Friday (January 8), his Monday night (January 11) monologue was devoted to shots at both the network and Leno.

"Good evening everybody. I'm Conan O'Brien, the new host of 'Last Call with Carson Daly,'" the comedian said as he opened his monologue last night, kicking off eight minutes of scathing commentary. O'Brien then busted out his Leno impression, joked that he was already stealing office supplies and took pleasure in the fact that NBC announced that they're going to lose $200 million on the Olympics.

In the evening's best moment, O'Brien ran down a series of alternatives for himself (he did not bring up any of the suggestions we had yesterday). Those alternatives included "Go to ABC and star in a male redhead version of 'Cougar Town' called 'Redwolf Village,'" "Convince NBC to let me keep this time slot if I can gain 10 pounds of chin" and "Leave television altogether and work in a classier business with better people, like hard core porn."

Even when the show moved on to other things, the time slot war remained an elephant in the room. In a really funny bit, Conan introduced his new Na'vi assistant (who he hired in order to capitalize on the success of "Avatar"). That upset his "Twlight"-themed assistant (a "sexy brooding vampire" named Cody), who thought that his job was being taken away from him. "He's not replacing you, he's just splitting up the job," Andy Richter told Cody.

"Yeah, you can even star a half hour later," O'Brien added. Check out O'Brien's full monologue below (it's eight minutes, but it's as solid a block of comedy as you can find right now). O'Brien is keeping his plan close to his chest, though we'll remind him that a certain singing show on Fox suddenly has an opening.

Wait.

Leno had agreed to "leave" the 'Tonight Show' because NBC suits came up with this scatter brain idea that Conan would replace him in 6 years or whatever. Leno didn't want to retire; I thought the plan was for him to have a show just not the 'Tonight Show'? As someone mentioned in another thread Conan wasn't a good fit for that show and never was going to be.

I don't blame Conan if he steps. He's a stand up guy for saying he doesn't want to tamper with the 'Tonight Show' tradition and push the time slot to midnight, that would be distarous. Some NBC executive heads need to roll.....

mcmeekle said:

i'd tune in for that!

I think Leno should do the right thing and step down. NBC gave him a shot at prime time, the ratings were not there so thats how things go.

Conan is a class act. I can proudly say I never watched one episode of that Jay Leno show at 10.00 PM. I rather watched the news.

kpowers said:

He's not gonna step down after they gave him what he wanted all along.

NBC has royally fucked this up.

Paris9748430 said:

Yes, they have. Not defending Leno but if he'd retired, Conan ratings were going to be fine or increase? I don't think so.

Never cared for either one of them-Letterman for me

TD3 said:

I agree, but Letterman was kicking Jay's ass for a long time until Hugh Grant.

NBC should've given Conan a lot more time to build his ratings.

Paris9748430 said:

That's a fair argument. I think NBC thought Conan could pull in a younger viewership. I don't know what these fools at NBC were thinking but it didn't happen and the traditional demographic fleed the show in droves. Maybe they're in panick because they think the could lose the 'Whole kit'n Cubotal'. Once people leave (really anything) it's hard to get them back... with 10,000 channels to watch. NBC isn't willing to give Conan the time to see if he could build his ratings. It's all a hot mess.

bboy87 said:

Wanda and Mo'Nique, yes. But leave my Wendy alone.

And to Conan.

NBC:

Who the fuck pulls a guy (Leno) who's dominating his time slot? Now, don't get me wrong: I'm no Jay fan. But, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Conan's screwed any way he turns (damaged goods). Leno's somewhat tainted now, too.

The real is the guy or gal who gave Conan the get-The-Tonight-Show-by-2009-or-collect-X-million-dollars deal. I mean, Why? As for Conan, as Stern said, 'He was barely beating Craig Ferguson! You take the payout and stay in your no-pressure 12:30 slot!'.

Biggest Idiot: NBC exec who cut Conan's deal
2nd-Biggest Idiot: Conan
Third-Biggest Idiot: NBC exec who greenlighted Conan taking over Tonight.

Ace said:

It's just a cavalcade of dumb motherfuckers.

Vendetta1 said:

'Zactly.

And let's keep this thread on the real. Conan has NOT quit his show. He said that moving it would destroy the show (which could be a backwards way of saying "I'm leaving it if you do"). There was a blog today, by Bonnie Fuller, stating that Conan refused to tape his show tonight, yet he did. She printed a huge boner of an entry. Howie Mandel confirmed that the show did tape w/ Conan because Howie stopped by for a Deal or No Deal segment.

NBC has NOT made a final decision on all this either. It's been a big rumor day, but most of them are false.....so far.

Hell, if anything, Conan's rating are probably rising daily with this drama going on! But if NBC lets Jay Leno cut in line.....NBC will officially be the most horrible network.....AGAIN (re: LETTERMAN).

Ace said:

Leno is majorly tainted. Letterman is letting loose on him on his show. Patton Oswald let lose on him. Those two are giving all the other comedians the permission to say how they honestly feel about Leno. NBC is #1 to blame but Leno has not been a friend to his fellow comedians and has "allowed" Carson, Letterman and now Conan to be screwed over by NBC. Oh, Leno's time getting off easy is over.

ernestsewell said:

Do you really think so? I mean - as the old saying goes - it's called "show business", not "show friends".

Wouldn't NBC be trying what it can to regain the lost revenue at 11:35?

sosgemini said:

And this is why I have watched Letterman on and off the last 20 years.