lastdecember said:

WRONG.
It's WELL-DOCUMENTED in print and on film that Carson wanted Letterman to succeed him. Leno and his long time good friend/agent Helen Kushnick dirty dealed and schemed Leno into that gig. And afterwards, Leno threw her under a bus so he could look like the good guy.

How the hell was Conan ever going to get a fair chance to succeed on the Tonight Show in SEVEN MONTHS, with LENO ON AN HOUR BEFORE HAND and with no real ratings from the primetime schedule to help carry the viewership over? That's not Conan being "too quirky" or having a "cult following" that's being SET UP TO FAIL, PERIOD.

Ace said:

Thank you. What I'm hearing here is, this isn't fair. Please, this happens all the time in business period.

And Kimmel goes on the attack:

TD3 said:

huh? sure, it happens but when these things impact a star's likability, well, it hurts their careers and that's whats happening to Leno. I don't think anyone here is being irrational in their thinking...not sure why, uhh, two of you don't realize that.

Lammastide said:

Lawd, I ain't never watched Conan but it just happened to be on last night and that muthafucka went ALL THE WAY IN on NBC. It seems like he's not even beefing with Jay. Damn that shit was funny as hell

sosgemini said:

Uhh, if like-ability was truly a factor, both men would have had the rating to sustain they're shows in their respective time slots, wouldn't they? I think the ratings have spoken, the viewing audience didn't like either. I don't have a dog in this race and NBC suits have surely screwed this up in a Big way, but they're cutting their loses. To Mr. Conan credit he's trying to save these dumb bunnies from NBC from themselves.... in the end, it's "Tonight Show" brand that may have been hurt. To hold either Mr. Leno or Mr. Conan responsible for this fiasco or view either as less likable to me, is silly and naïve. (IMO)


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[Edited 1/14/10 20:01pm]

TD3 said:

so, uhh....leno's got his shoes deep in this shit twice now...and it's silly and naive to point out the obvious? okay, whatever butters your muffin mate.

TD3 said:

Now he's gonna have to toughen the hell up, cuz there's no crying in late night tv.

Insider: Conan O’Brien Breaks Down Talking to Staff

(Fox News) - The NBC time-slot soap opera that has developed between funnymen Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno is taking its toll on O’Brien, Fox News reported Wednesday.

According to a “Tonight Show ” insider, O'Brien, who released a statement Tuesday announcing that he would not accept the move to 12:05 a.m. ET as proposed by NBC, was absolutely devastated when addressing the issue with his team the same day.

"Everybody has been walking around really sad and it's really weird as far as going on with the show. It's miserable around there and Conan gave a speech to all of his staff and he broke down crying,” a source told Fox News. “He is incredibly tight with his staff. This is the staff from his inception, from when he first started, which is why this is pretty unreal. This is the staff from the start."

Most of O’Brien's team uprooted from New York to Los Angeles when he moved from his "Late Night" slot just seven months ago, and many are fearful of the future, the source said.

“They all moved out here to come and work on the show and they don't have the monetary resources that Conan has. They started their lives out here (in LA) and didn't have cars before, they were taking the subway, and now they've purchased cars, they've purchased homes, and they've done a tremendous amount to make a life out here because they thought they were in it for the long haul,” the source said.

But all may not be lost. Another NBC insider told Fox News the general “Tonight Show” mood is still fairly optimistic. The source said the process of finding O’Brien a new home is moving “incredibly fast” and the staffers feel confident it will all work out.

“Conan and Jay are both embarrassed and hurt. I’m sure NBC executives are pulling their hair out over what’s been a tough couple of weeks,” said Todd Gold, managing editor of entertainment site Fancast.com. “Conan is making a smart stand. NBC is dealing with a very messy mistake. Somebody is going to go; somebody’s feelings will get hurt.”

Hollywood publicist Michael Levine of Levine Communications believes O’Brien, Leno and NBC all need a reality check.

“The truth is that most people under 30 don’t care about TV, they care about what’s on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube,” Levine said. “The problem is they all still think they’re all important, but perception hasn’t caught up with reality. We’re in a time where the world is changing; the brand that Johnny Carson built doesn’t exist anymore. Nobody cares.”

The O’Brien insider remains hopeful.

“I think it'll bounce back, but it's going to take time," the source said. "Ultimately I think that Conan will be the winner."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/en...eaks-down/

SCNDLS said:

For real? Damn, I'm gonna tape tonight's episode on my DVR then. I saw some clips they played on the news this morning and they were hilarious. That man is mad as hell.

whatever happens Conan has to keep that set.
The stage kills anything that is and has ever been on a latenight/talk/variety show

missfee said:

He did the fool and didn't give a fuck. It was hilarious.

SCNDLS said:

I'm a Conan fan. Dude is funny as hell

bboy87 said:

I love Conan, too. I used to be able to stay up that late and catch him.

ButterscotchPimp said:

Actually ITS NOT sorry to say that is incorrect. Johnny was testing Jay and also Garry Shandling, he loved DAVE BUT he knew DAVE had his thing, and he was right in that format type show, Letterman wanted because he felt it was his right. This was documented by Ed McMahon who was questioned on this matter and who knew Carson better than anyone. Lets not forget CARSON had the call, he owned much of the Tonight Show and his estate still has partial claim to that name "the tonight show" which is why i said that if Jay left that NAME should have gone, since Johnny is dead, Conan wasnt a good fit EVERYONE said this , im tired of hearing he had no time to build, this isnt 1992 when Leno took over and had no ratings and then kicked Lettermans ass on the nightly by routine, different times, u dont get to build, just like the network cancelled Jay's 10PM show, they originally said they wanted to wait to see what he did in the summer and then make the call, did they wait....NO, money is money and its alot more scarce. Is it fair NO but the fact that this BULLSHIT of Conan vs Leno and then Jimmy Kimmel getting in jokes, Kimmel who should not even be allowed to WATCH TV let alone be on it, this is all on NBC, Jeff Zucker and his bald fucking head, lets not forget that, they are in charge, leno and conan have NO POWER in the end they are HIRED HAND. And someone needs to just cancel Fallon and Carson (didnt this guy get cancelled about 10 years ago? i didnt even know he was alive still)

Vendetta1 said:

I used to love him on the Late Show, it was perfect for him and Andy. I DVR's last night's Tonight Show and Conan was hilarious as hell. He's still taking a lot of shots at NBC and Leno.

i'm a letterman/ferguson fan myself.

good luck to conan and staff. hope FOX makes them an incredible offer

missfee said:

I think Conan is getting bigger rating right now just for his monologue and how he'll take AIM at NBC. Ricky Gervais was hysterical last night.

XxAxX said:

Leno needs to go to Fox. The Tonight Show is now Conan's baby, and at 12:05 it's not "TONIGHT" anymore, it's TOMORROW. Leno should bow out and do his thing elsewhere. He's addicted to fame and celebrity though. IF Conan leaves because they move him to 12:05 (and he should), then yes he should jump to Fox or cable somewhere.

Ferguson is the smartest and funniest man on TV right now.

ernestsewell said:

Agreed! Gervais and Conan were hilarious! And I also agree that Leno should go to Fox - that would be the optimal (albeit unlikely) end to this scenario.

DiminutiveRocker said:

It was funny when Ricky said, "Let's go mental. What are they going to do...fucking fire you?" HAHAHAHA

Well, per tmz it's over. Leno is back at 11:30 and via the Tonight Show and Conan is toast. I wonder how all of this will play out in the near future. Unlike others, within this thread, while I have my theories...I would never dare to say I can predict the future.

Letterman's latest assault:

Jimmy Kimmel was just on the Jay Leno Show and just owned Jay.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Here's the link.

Vicious!!!

http://tv.gawker.com/5448...-monologue

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Yes, he certainly did. Wow.

Paris9748430 said:

good for jimmy.

i love Jimmy!

Ouch!!!