Good-bye Conan... [Archive]

English Mobster

January 23rd, 2010, 12:03 AM

So tonight's his last night of The Tonight Show.
For those who are not in the know:
Conan got his dream job since he was a kid as the host of The Tonight Show. Leno got a new show after he lost The Tonight Show, coming on at 10:00.
Ratings tanked.
Leno was not happy and wanted The Tonight Show back.
NBC obliged without giving Conan a chance, breaching Conan's contract and forcing him out of a job.
Conan has been causing NBC as much trouble as physically possible in an act of revenge. This involves VERY expensive stunts (buying most expensive car in the world, dressing it up like a mouse, then buying the song "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones to play whenever the car gets on the air, for example) for the amusement of the general public.
NBC pays Conan $45 million for breach of contract, PLUS his staff $12 million.
Everybody hates Leno because he's a douche for ruining not one, but TWO Tonight Show careers (David Letterman and Conan O'Brien).

Anyway, tonight's Conan's last show. Who's going to be watching with me to say good-bye to CoCo?

jcap

January 23rd, 2010, 01:39 AM

Yes, good riddance!

Leno didn't want his show back. (Well, he didn't demand the show back, contributing to NBC firing Conan.) NBC's affiliates were withdrawing because Conan's ratings were plummeting. NBC gave him a chance for the past 7 months, but he failed to produce good ratings. If they didn't want him, they would have never signed him onto the show. So yes, let's call Leno a douche for good corporate business decisions that he had no involvement in!

NBC is fucking stupid for everything that went on here. They should have never signed a deal with Conan 5 years ago to take over the show. Heck, they should have never signed a deal with Conan, period. The biggest mistake was forcing Leno out of his show. It would have been proper for Leno to retire when he wanted. Additionally, Conan should have co-hosted the show for at least 6 weeks prior to Leno's retirement from NBC to help Conan, the affiliates, and the viewers to adjust.

NBC also was NOT in breach of contract. There was never a time clause defined in his contract. Conan shouldn't have received a single cent from NBC, but I'm guessing it's more of a courtesy gesture from NBC to Conan for fucking everything up.

Personally, I'm glad as fuck Conan's gone. I was never happy to see him take the show. I NEVER saw anything funny or charming in him, ever. His first episode sucked ass and so did everything that followed. His main stage looked like ass and his behavior is on par with that of a 6 year old. His funniest episodes came only in the past week as he made fun of everything since he was canceled. Overall, the show had very low production standards. It seemed like there wasn't even a formula they created for episodes, which I guess is why I never really found myself following any segments.

Although there's rumors of FOX picking him up, they don't want him. FOX's affiliates decide on the programming after 10 PM, and they don't want Conan either.

Kornman00

January 23rd, 2010, 02:17 AM

Booooo, jcap

u gay? u gay.

CN3089

January 23rd, 2010, 02:20 AM

I'll miss you, CoCo. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/CN3089/Emoticons/conansmith.gif At least until September :neckbeard:

Yes, good riddance!

Leno didn't want his show back. (Well, he didn't demand the show back, contributing to NBC firing Conan.) NBC's affiliates were withdrawing because Conan's ratings were plummeting. NBC gave him a chance for the past 7 months, but he failed to produce good ratings. If they didn't want him, they would have never signed him onto the show. So yes, let's call Leno a douche for good corporate business decisions that he had no involvement in!

NBC is fucking stupid for everything that went on here. They should have never signed a deal with Conan 5 years ago to take over the show. Heck, they should have never signed a deal with Conan, period. The biggest mistake was forcing Leno out of his show. It would have been proper for Leno to retire when he wanted. Additionally, Conan should have co-hosted the show for at least 6 weeks prior to Leno's retirement from NBC to help Conan, the affiliates, and the viewers to adjust.

NBC also was NOT in breach of contract. There was never a time clause defined in his contract. Conan shouldn't have received a single cent from NBC, but I'm guessing it's more of a courtesy gesture from NBC to Conan for fucking everything up.

Personally, I'm glad as fuck Conan's gone. I was never happy to see him take the show. I NEVER saw anything funny or charming in him, ever. His first episode sucked ass and so did everything that followed. His main stage looked like ass and his behavior is on par with that of a 6 year old. His funniest episodes came only in the past week as he made fun of everything since he was canceled. Overall, the show had very low production standards. It seemed like there wasn't even a formula they created for episodes, which I guess is why I never really found myself following any segments.

Although there's rumors of FOX picking him up, they don't want him. FOX's affiliates decide on the programming after 10 PM, and they don't want Conan either.

get out you stupid douchebag, jay leno is a worthless unfunny uncreative corporate shill without a conscience and NBC should never have fucked over Letterman in '93 t:maddowns:t

CN3089

January 23rd, 2010, 02:36 AM

Ladies and gentlemen, before we bring this rodeo to a close, I think a couple things should be said. There's been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC, and, this isn't a joke, to set the record straight, and this is true, tonight I'm allowed to say anything I want. *asshat in audience laughs* No that's not a joke, but thanks sir. Tonight I am really allowed to say whatever I want, and what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on the Tonight Show, I've worked with NBC for over 20 years. Yes, we have our differences right now, yes we're going our separate ways, but this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I'm enormously proud of the work we've done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible. I really do.

A lot of people have been asking me about my state of mind, and I'll be honest with you, walking away from the Tonight Show is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. I will fight anyone who says I don't, uhh, but no one would. Despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting the Tonight Show, and for 7 months, I got to do it! And I did it my way, with people I love, I do not regret one second of anything that we've done here. And I encounter people when I walk on the street now who give me a sad look, but I have had more good fortune than anybody I know, and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we will find a way to make it fun, we really will. I have no problems. (I don't want to do it in a 7-11 parking lot, but whatever)

Finally, I have something to say to our fans. This massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming for me. The rallies, the signs, all this goofy outrageous creativity on the internet, the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain...it's pouring! It's been pouring for days, and they're camping out to be in our audience. Here's what all of you have done: you've made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. So to all the people watching, I can never ever thank you enough for the kindness to me. I'll think about it for the rest of my life, and all I ask is one thing. I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch. Please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism, for the record it's my least favourite quality, it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, it's just true. As proof, let's make something amazing happen right now. Here to close out our show are a few good friends led by Mr. Will Ferrell.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/CN3089/Emoticons/conunsmith.gif

n00b1n8R

January 23rd, 2010, 03:25 AM

Leno and me may be chin-bro's but I still can't stand that unfunny coot.

paladin

January 23rd, 2010, 05:34 AM

RedEye is the only late tv worth watching

jcap

January 23rd, 2010, 10:56 AM

Oh, and to make my post more clear, I wasn't supporting Leno as much as I was defending him against false accusations. I don't think Leno is the greatest, but he certainly has a better show format and flow than Conan's clusterfuck. I do give him props for creating many original segments, but unfortunately many of those segments weren't funny enough or just plain stupid.

Limited

January 23rd, 2010, 10:59 AM

Team CoCo!

Sad to see him go, fucking Leno, not a man of his word.

Dwood

January 23rd, 2010, 11:27 AM

Never found any late night tv show funny.

blind

January 23rd, 2010, 11:33 AM

only good shows on tv anymore are hannah montana and wizards

Jean-Luc

January 23rd, 2010, 12:09 PM

I can't stand Conan's comedy so I'm rather indifferent about this.

Now if Letterman was going, I might be more :maddowns:

ejburke

January 23rd, 2010, 12:50 PM

Leno wasn't forced out of anything. He was planning to retire for 5 years and then just flat-out changed his mind at the last minute.

And it was Leno's 10 O'clock ratings that the affiliates were pissed about. Their local news programs -- where they make their money -- were getting killed because of a shitty lead-in. Conan's show wasn't doing well, but that was partially an effect of HIS lead-ins (news) tanking because of THEIR lead-in (Leno). Initially, Leno's show was CANCELED, Conan's was not.

There was simply no way Conan was ever going to win over Leno's audience of geriatrics and simpletons. The only chance he had was to build up his own audience over time and he never had that chance.

Aerowyn

January 23rd, 2010, 12:57 PM

Honestly, I find that both Leno AND O'Brien to be extremely unfunny and uninteresting. Conan tries too hard to be funny.

Screw the late night; I love me some Ellen.
DHiqVygN-w0

NuggetWarmer

January 23rd, 2010, 01:15 PM

Also, David is not funny. He's just a blatant asshole and can't come up with a decent joke.

Conan was funnier when he wrote all his own stuff.

Jay was funnier before he got this new spot.

end

Huero

January 23rd, 2010, 01:21 PM

the only funny thing on any of those shows is when jay asks people on the street things they should know
e: actually I take that back ellen is hilarious

English Mobster

January 23rd, 2010, 01:55 PM

As much as I hate ranting on admins, jcap, you're wrong.

Yes, good riddance!

Leno didn't want his show back. (Well, he didn't demand the show back, contributing to NBC firing Conan.)
First things first. Yes he did (http://www.celebitchy.com/78501/jay_leno_i_would_take_tonight_show_back_if_they_of fered/). He didn't demand it, no, but he probably went up to NBC and demanded it once he saw an opening to get his way. He's a sneaky douchebag, this is the SECOND time he's kicked someone out of The Tonight Show seat. NBC's affiliates were withdrawing because Conan's ratings were plummeting. NBC gave him a chance for the past 7 months, but he failed to produce good ratings. If they didn't want him, they would have never signed him onto the show. So yes, let's call Leno a douche for good corporate business decisions that he had no involvement in!
It's Leno's fault for the bad ratings. Conan had okay ratings for the first 3 months, e.g. before Leno went on the air. When Leno went on, his ratings plummeted. Viewers stopped watching him and instead watched something else, and those viewers typically remained on the same channel the whole time.
It's not that they didn't like Conan. It's just that the average audience member doesn't want to get the motivation to turn back to NBC when they have late night shows on the other networks, too.
In summary, this is how viewers normally end their nights:
Primetime -> News -> Late Night Show
Since Leno's show in Primetime sucked, viewers just changed the channel. The other networks still had news and a Late Night TV show, so they didn't see any reason to switch back.
They didn't give Conan enough time at all. In Conan's own words (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/conan-obrien-statement-i_n_420521.html):

It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.NBC is fucking stupid for everything that went on here. They should have never signed a deal with Conan 5 years ago to take over the show. Heck, they should have never signed a deal with Conan, period. The biggest mistake was forcing Leno out of his show. It would have been proper for Leno to retire when he wanted. Additionally, Conan should have co-hosted the show for at least 6 weeks prior to Leno's retirement from NBC to help Conan, the affiliates, and the viewers to adjust.
The same thing happened when Jay first went on the air. Ratings were shaky for the first year or so. Leno was given a chance. Conan wasn't.
They didn't force Leno out of the show, either. Leno willingly gave it up. (http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/102616/lenoleaving_news.php)

Leno also agreed that [in 2009], he would hand the show over to Conan O'Brien.NBC also was NOT in breach of contract. There was never a time clause defined in his contract. Conan shouldn't have received a single cent from NBC, but I'm guessing it's more of a courtesy gesture from NBC to Conan for fucking everything up.
It was too a breach of contract (http://www.mediaite.com/tv/nbc-did-breach-conans-contract-heres-why/). If it wasn't, NBC wouldn't be paying Conan for leaving, now would they?
Carter knows perfectly well it was a breach of contract. In his words:

Carter refers to it as “the coveted 11:30 period, made famous by Jack Paar and Johnny Carson”; lest we miss the point of just how important that 11:35 slot is, Carter also calls it “the prize” and “that hour-earlier dream.”Personally, I'm glad as fuck Conan's gone. I was never happy to see him take the show. I NEVER saw anything funny or charming in him, ever. His first episode sucked ass and so did everything that followed. His main stage looked like ass and his behavior is on par with that of a 6 year old. His funniest episodes came only in the past week as he made fun of everything since he was canceled. Overall, the show had very low production standards. It seemed like there wasn't even a formula they created for episodes, which I guess is why I never really found myself following any segments.
The lack of formula is part of the reason why Conan was funny.
You have to remember, as well, that Conan had to leave his more... "Inappropriate" segments back in New York (ex: "The Masturbating Bear", among others). Those were some of his most popular segments, but he just couldn't take them to 11:30 with him. I realize this is your opinion, so feel free to do with your opinion as you wish.

Although there's rumors of FOX picking him up, they don't want him. FOX's affiliates decide on the programming after 10 PM, and they don't want Conan either.
Ahem (http://www.blippitt.com/fox-registers-conanonfox-com). They even had a URL up for a little while, "conanonfox.com".
http://steadyoffload.com:8080/5XN9BY2Q68.aHR0cDovL2JsaXBwaXR0LmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW5 0L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAxMC8wMS9jb25hbi1vbi1mb3guZ2lm....
Sure, there hasn't been an official announcement yet, and they sure covered their ass once it got leaked to the internet, but the whois for the URL read "Fox Entertainment Corporation".
I doubt that it was a hoax. I think there seriously is something behind it.

Limited

January 23rd, 2010, 02:21 PM

The only guy I find funny is Kimmel.

Conan does try to hard, but Leno tries even harder.

ejburke

January 23rd, 2010, 03:06 PM

"Tries too hard."

Hey, Conan, we're giving you millions of dollars and your dream job, look like you don't give a shit, will ya?

A guy like Leno, with an extremely limited ability to think on his feet can "try too hard." Conan -- one of the quickest and wittiest people to ever be on television -- would have a much tougher time exposing his limitations in that way.

Conan's humor is often self-deprecatory, which might make certain people uncomfortable. But for the rest of us, that's the bulk of his charm. He doesn't mind making an ass of himself and that's why he's great.

English Mobster

January 23rd, 2010, 03:38 PM

Anyone else remember when a duck took a shit on his stage and ate it (something even Conan wasn't expecting), and the next day he turned a formal apology to NBC for saying the word "shit" on national television into a full-on shit-tastic commercial for "Quackers the Shit-Eating Duck"?

CN3089

January 23rd, 2010, 04:55 PM

Conan Saves His Best Ratings For Last Tonight Show

Conan’s last turn as host of The Tonight Show garnered a 4.8 rating with adults 18-49 in the 25 local markets with Nielsen people meters.

If those numbers hold up, not only is it a series high with adults 18-49 it’s 85% higher than the previous series high set Thursday night (2.6 rating), it’s over 40 percent better than the 3.4 rating with adults 18-49 Jay Leno got in his not-so-final Tonight Show after all on May 29. Leno’s not-so-final episode also scored nearly 12 million viewers. Viewer numbers for last night’s episode won’t be available until late next week.

Not only was it better than all the late night and primetime competition on Friday — not really a huge feat with most networks broadcasting the Hope for Haiti Now benefit between 8p-10p, it was also a better 18-49 rating than any show got on Thursday night.

Update: the previous series high, at least in final numbers (again the numbers above are preliminary) was a 3.8 rating with adults 18-49 for Conan’s Tonight Show premiere last June.

:realsmug:

jcap

January 23rd, 2010, 06:02 PM

words
Sorry, but you're the one who is terribly mistaken.

Leno was approached by NBC in 2004. He asked if he would consider leaving The Tonight Show in 5 more years because they didn't want to lose Conan to another network. Jay said sure, he probably will be ready in 5 years. You can't predict what your life is going to be like in one year, how the hell are you supposed to predict what it's going to be like in 5 years? They should have never done the deal at that time. The future of The Tonight Show shouldn't have been decided until a month in advance of when Conan would be planned take over. Yeah, sure, they had to promise Conan the show in 2004 so he wouldn't leave, but they probably could have approached it in a way that would allow the agreement to be nulled if the Leno's show still met a certain standard. Yes, he agreed to leave in 2009, but the reason I say he was "forced out" was because it was dependent on a deal finalized 5 years prior to his departure!

The CoCo-nuts are always coming back to calling Leno a douchebag for ruining Conan. If you were kicked out of your top rated spot and you were offered it back, would you not want it? He said he would take it back if they offered. NBC offered after Conan said he was leaving. Leno took it. Leno's acceptance had no influence on Conan because it came AFTER Conan said he would leave if his show was pushed back. Had Conan not left, the offer would have been void.

NBC giving Jay a new show hurt everyone. Some might claim that his lower ratings were because he sucks, but if that was true he wouldn't have held the top spot in late night before he moved. Although his show format was a little different, it was mostly the same. The logical reason for the lower ratings, and the one that explains Conan's lower ratings as well, is that each show had its own individual audience. The Leno fans tried to catch his show at 10, leaving Conan's show at 11:35. Conan's fans stayed to watch him, but he lost a good deal of his viewers to Leno's earlier time slot. Leno also had it hard in his 10 PM time slot because there's other shows on competing with him. I'd much rather watch something like CSI at 10 than Leno. If Conan and Leno swapped times, the ratings would probably remain unchanged.

NBC was absolutely not in breach. In a legal contract, everything is black and white. There is nothing implied in a contract. Unless stated explicitly that The Tonight Show was bound to its 11:35 PM time, it is not ever assumed that The Tonight Show must be at 11:35 because it has been for so long. That's all that matters. All this circumstantial bullshit that dumbass dyke blogger is spewing at that link you posted is nonsense, and even Conan is full of shit. If NBC was so stubborn, it would be no contest in court because there is NOTHING to support Conan in the contract. The reason NBC paid off Conan is all in good faith. NBC knew they fucked up huge and screwed Conan over. They knew they were wrong for putting Conan through hell and back again and didn't want to go legal with a lawsuit Conan would walk out completely empty-handed on. It was just a way for NBC to save face, because a headline of NBC screwing over Conan and then winning a lawsuit against him would have hurt them more in reputation and financially.

Heathen

January 23rd, 2010, 06:33 PM

The Late Night is supposed to be funny?

Who knew???

Aerowyn

January 23rd, 2010, 06:38 PM