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Conan O'Brien: headed to FOX? "Tonight Show" done on Friday? What's going on?
Supposedly, an announcement is set to be made today that will determine the fate of "The Tonight Show" and where Conan O'Brien will land after (presumably) leaving NBC. The word on the street says FOX, and with all the abuse that's been coming NBC's way in the past few weeks, it's highly unlikely that Conan will announce that he's staying at NBC in any capacity, whether the network would blink and retract their initial offer of a later timeslot or not. Read on for the details, my gentle Examiner readers...
Today, it's expected that Conan O'Brien will announce his intentions towards NBC and "The Tonight Show", and just about everyone's expecting that it'll be an announcement including an end date for his show and a possible start date for a new one.
Over at Variety, they're running an article titled "What's next, Conan?" that covers this very topic, and here's some of what they're saying:
With O'Brien's "Tonight Show" exit expected to finally be announced on Monday – and his last show set for this Friday -- the attention now turns to where he'll be sending the moving vans. Fox is doing nothing to quash speculation that they're the most obvious home for the displaced host.
"We've pretty vocal about wanting to be in business with Conan," Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice told Daily Variety. "It's a bit premature to say where he will be, but first and foremost, it's about where Conan wants to be."
So, Conan's last day is Friday? That's what we're saying now? If you haven't been watching Conan's "Tonight Show" for the past week, you've missed some of the best material the comic's ever had to work with. Conan's been destroying NBC and Leno nightly on his show-- a textbook case of "Ah, screw it" if there ever was one-- and it's been hilarious and heartbreaking to see unfold. If his last night is, indeed, Friday, expect to see some craziness by the end of the week. What else does Variety have to say? Glad you asked:
Lawyers were winding down O'Brien's exit package on Sunday – with a final announcement likely delayed by the Golden Globe Awards (which NBC telecasts). The major portions of the agreement had already been settled upon, however. It's believed that as part of the settlement, O'Brien will be paid a sum worth between $30 million and $40 million.
O'Brien will also now have the opportunity to launch a new late-night program by September, when a short non-compete window expires.(A new show would take at least that long to launch, insiders note.) Included in the exit package are severance and contract buy-out packages for the entire "Tonight Show" staff.
So, sounds like Conan's secured some of that money for his staff, which is a great gesture on his part. Compare that to, say, Jay Leno, who has no problem whatsoever with "retiring" and then shoving someone out of the way to continue the toothless, lame brand of comedy that he couldn't make work at the 9 o'clock hour (Dallas time). If this writer sounds bitter, it's because this writer is firmly on "Team Conan", and Leno can, in fact, suck it.
Stay tuned for what may be a big announcement later today, my precious snowflakes. Who knows what's gonna happen? Well, all of us probably do, but does it really hurt to sound mysterious about it? Hit the "Subscribe" button up top to get all the Comedy Examiner's Conan coverage delivered straight to your email, free of charge, the moment it's published. You can also check out some other recent articles below:
FUNNY VIDEO: SNL COMPARES LENO AND NBC TO A "POLYGAMIST WIFE KILLER", AND IT'S AWESOME (WITH VIDEO)-- in which we check in with Saturday Night Live and see how they feel about this whole Conan thing.
BEHOLD, "THE BIG BANG THEORY" WITHOUT A LAUGHTRACK: CREEPY, BUT IS IT STILL FUNNY? (WITH VIDEO)-- in which we look at some very strange, laugh-less footage from CBS' "The Big Bang Theory". Seriously, it's kinda creepy.
FUNNY VIDEO: SNL SHOWS HOW THE ALIENS OF "AVATAR" HAVE SEX, WITH SURPRISINGLY HILARIOUS RESULTS (WITH VIDEO)-- in which "Saturday Night Live" produces a funny sketch. I know, we were surprised, too.
"GHOSTBUSTERS 3" HAS A DIRECTOR, AND YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO IT IS. OK, MAYBE YOU'LL GUESS-- in which we find out-- for realz this time-- who's directing the third "Ghostbusters", set to go before cameras this year. Click the link, "Ghostbusters" fans.
(photo: radaronline.com)
Comments
What a dweeb this writer is. He wouldn't know a fact if it jumped off his monitor and bit his sack. Conan is taking the "it's my ball and I'm going home" approach this matter. If he was a team player, he move the show to 12:05 until NBC rebuilds the 10PM slot and Jay rebuilds the 11:35 time slot that CoCo lost. But no, he makes up a p*ss poor excuse and runs away. He'll get his *ss kicked on Fox by not only Leno, but by the old, no longer funny coot on CBS. What a red-headed p*ssy Conan turned out to be.
Jay Leno is a scumbag, plain and simple. You don't agree to give up a show and then take it back 6 months later. Jay's the one who should be a team player by honoring his agreement to step aside. Anyone who defends him is living in fantasy land.
I never thought Conan was funny. Weird, yes. Quirky, yes. Funny, not.
The regrettable thing here is that NBC has handled this situation abysmally and with an incredible lack of sensitivity and business acumen. But none of those things matter, just ratings. Both of these men are talented in their own right.
Unfortunately,neither succeeded in their new projects.
It was the choice of NBC to put both Jay and Conan in any incredibly difficult position. Years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Jay Leno and was immeasurably impressed by his kind and humble nature not to mention his self deprecating sense of humour. He is thoughtful and classy. I don't feel that either Jay or Conan are taking advantage of this regrettable situation.
Both are mere pawns and NBC should be ashamed for their incredible oversight and blatant stupidity.
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