Conan O'Brien Slams Arizona & Racial Profiling On Twitter, Plugs Pacman

Here's Conan's slap at Arizona's new Racial Profiling law via his official Twitter account:


"Pac-Man’s 30th birthday was marred by the sudden deportation of the Super Mario Bros. What were those fools doing in Arizona?" posted about 7 hours ago via web


Conan O’Brien Slams Arizona Racists With Pac-Man 30th Anniversary Joke


Conan O’Brien used today’s thirtieth anniversary of the Pac-Man arcade game to poke fun at the white supremacists attempting to legalize racism in Arizona while trying to disguise it as “immigration” reform, with a joke he posted on Twitter:

“Pac-Man’s 30th birthday was marred by the sudden deportation of the Super Mario Bros. What were those fools doing in Arizona?”

Nice to see that Conan’s temporary banishment from television hasn’t prevented him from continuing to use humor to attack stupidity.

Meanwhile, Conan O’Brien has about 990,000 followers on Twitter, putting him close to the million mark despite being a relative newcomer to the service. Yesterday he finally met Sarah Killen, the person he randomly turned into an internet celebrity when he decided to follow her – and only her – back. Conan is in the midst of a national live comedy tour while he waits for his new late night talk show on TBS to launch in November.


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Sources: Beatweek.com, Twitter, Google Maps

Corey Booker Launches His Re-Election Campaign

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Kicks-Off Re-Election Campaign

Newark Mayor Cory Booker kicked off his re-election campaign today, touting crime reductions, parks expansions, and new schools among the reasons to re-elect him and his slate of incumbent candidates.

"Let the work I’ve done speak for me," Booker said yesterday, sounding the same theme throughout his remarks this morning at the New Hope Baptist Church. A crowd of nearly 1,000 supporters came out for Booker as he cited a laundry list of accomplishments during his administration and that of the current city council.

"None of it would have been accomplished by the mayor alone," Booker said, adding that a "united government" was crucial to what he cited as continued progress.

Several city council members are facing tough political challenges in the May election. Their contenders include Ras Baraka, John Sharpe James, Charon Motayne, Darrin Sharif, and Richard Whitten. Booker led off in defense of incumbents Oscar James II, Charles Bell and Carlos Gonzalez, but made pitches for every member of his team.

"If you don’t vote for that ward councilman or that at-large councilman, I do not want your vote," he said.

Booker did not attack any of the challengers by name, but dismissed the major criticisms his opponents have leveled throughout the campaign. Among the most persistent are accusations that Booker has brought in "outsiders," and that he spends too much time outside of the city.

Clifford Minor, who is running to unseat the mayor, could not be reached for comment.

But in a recent forum on the South Ward race, Baraka accused the mayor of hiring non-Newark residents for well-paid city jobs. "How can you watch unemployment in the community and watch him give his friends raises and lay workers off in the city of Newark?" he said to thunderous applause.

"We have to stop this mess," Booker said about the "outsider" charge. "Everyone of God’s children is important."

Booker has repeatedly defended his travel, citing millions of dollars in philanthropic donations he has brought to Newark from figures like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.

"We created the state’s largest fund for the expansion of charter schools," Booker said as well as "the largest parks expansion Newark has seen in a century."

Much of the parks expansion is also credited to Essex County executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who joined North Ward Center founder Stephen Adubato Sr., state assembly members Alberto Coutinho, Grace Spencer, Cleopatra Tucker, and other state and city leaders at today's rally.

Also onstage was Booker’s mother, Carolyn Booker, who introduced her son with recollections from his youth and a mild shot at the 40-year-old mayor.

"Behind every successful child there are often two very astonished parents," she said.


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Sources: NJ.com, Coreybookerdotcom, Youtube, Google Maps

Conan O'Brien's Last Show Viewed By 7 Million Fans

Conan O'Brien Ends Final NBC's "Tonight Show" With Over 7 million Viewers


In the last two weeks we've seen Conan O'Brien become himself again.

We saw him stand up to his bosses and win - sort of.

We also saw the guy be funny in ways he wasn't for most of the seven months he hosted "The Tonight Show."

Now that he's free from NBC, he's got to use that same intestinal fortitude - and comic genius - to create his next opportunity.

Armed with a load of cash, and the benefit of time, O'Brien needs to get back to what made him desirable in the first place - edgy comedy targeted at a younger audience.

Not the kind of stuff he did for most of his seven-month run on "Tonight," but what he did for nearly 17 years on NBC's "Late Night."

O'Brien was different at 11:35 p.m. than he was an hour later, and that's a downside to broadcast TV.

"That's the problem you always face," says analyst Bill Carroll of the Katz Media Group. "We want you for who you are and now we make you who we want you to be."

Reaching a mass audience means softening the edges, a bit, which O'Brien did.

"Every comedian dreams of hosting the 'Tonight Show' and, for seven months, I got to," O'Brien said near the end of his last show Friday night. "I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second."

Viewers, however, may argue that what they saw was somehow different, at least up until the end, when all bets were off - and O'Brien's ratings soared.

And his final show didn't disappoint. It attracted more than 7 million viewers, according to preliminary numbers released by Nielsen, clobbering David Letterman's 2.8 million viewers and Jimmy Kimmel's 1.4 million.

Part of O'Brien's exit talks with NBC centered on who gets the "intellectual property" rights to stuff he and his team created in his run there. One most often mentioned was the Masturbating Bear, a guy in a bear costume who, well, enough said.

The bear was a huge hit with O'Brien's "Late Night" crowd, yet, wasn't used on "Tonight" for the first time until Wednesday, when, frankly, it was too late.

The point is that while he's losing the bear in the $45 million divorce with NBC, O'Brien has a chance to get something bigger back - his sense of humor.

"The networks never really counter-program in late-night," Brad Adgate, a senior vice president at Horizon Media said of O'Brien's options now that he left NBC. "I would offer his 'Late Show' [the next time]. To do something that's exactly what Leno and Letterman are offering, I don't know if that's what viewers want."

Fox officials have said they're interested in O'Brien. And Fox, no doubt, can provide marketing muscle and reach. Anyone doubting that should look at the way Fox promotes "American Idol" to the point that you half-expect Simon Cowell to anchor the news alongside Ernie Anastos.

Going the broadcast route might provide the most money, and audience reach, but that could be a mistake.

O'Brien would be better off going to a cable network where he could push the boundaries of content and further unleash his creative spirit in ways broadcast networks could never provide.

O'Brien appropriately ended his last "Tonight Show" with an all-star rendition of "Freebird," a song that includes the line, "Cause I'm as free as a bird now, and this bird you cannot change."

He had changed on "Tonight." And, in many ways, though he was leaving, in the end it was good to see an old friend emerge in O'Brien - the same one we'd like to see back in the fall.











Sources: NBC, NY Daily News, Youtube

Conan O'Brien's Swan Song Show

Conan O'Brien Thanks Fans, NBC On Final "Tonight Show"


On his final "Tonight" show, Conan O'Brien said walking away instead of accepting a demotion is the hardest thing he's ever had to do.

Despite the rancor that led to his $45 million buyout, the red-haired comic urged fans not to be cynical and said their support made a sad situation "joyous and inspirational." He thanked his viewers and even thanked NBC for more than 20 years of employment but not before getting in a few final jabs during an earlier monologue.

O'Brien will be replaced March 1 by the man he took over for seven months ago — Jay Leno. In the interim, reruns will fill the slot, followed by Winter Olympics programming next month.

Faced with the flop of its prime-time Leno experiment, NBC sought to move him back to 11:35 p.m. and asked O'Brien to move "Tonight" a half-hour later, past midnight. O'Brien refused, opening buyout negotiations that ended early Thursday, and triggering a remarkable period of late-night comics taking brutal shots at NBC and at each other.

Despite his sense of loss, O'Brien told fans Friday that "I really feel this should be a happy moment.

"Every comedian dreams of hosting the `Tonight' show and, for seven months, I got to," he said. "I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know, and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun."

Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell and Neil Young joined O'Brien for his final show.

His future is uncertain. Fox has expressed interest in having him do a late-night show, but the network is checking with its affiliates to see if they would support it. Under his exit deal, O'Brien is free to start another show after Sept. 1. He's not allowed to give interviews or make other television appearances for three months.

During his monologue, O'Brien tossed around a few ideas about what NBC might do with the studio it constructed for him when he moved to California from New York in the middle of last year.

One suggestion: "Leave the studio cold and empty and rename it `the world's largest metaphor for NBC programming.'"

O'Brien told the audience that "we have exactly one hour to steal every single item in this studio."

As soon as fans had been let in the studio, workers walked around to unscrew and remove signs posted all over that said "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Audience."

Although NBC had sought to keep O'Brien, who hosted the 12:35 a.m., New York-based "Late Night" for 15 years while waiting for his shot at "Tonight," executives said the network was losing money with his show. O'Brien had lost half the audience that Leno had drawn in the time slot, slipping behind CBS' David Letterman in the ratings. O'Brien's managers said he needed more time and blamed some of the ratings troubles on the sinking fortunes of Leno and the local news programs that preceded "Tonight."

Also: Where will Conan O'Brien go?

Fans waiting to see the final show expressed their support. Three fans from San Diego put up a tent and camped overnight in the rain to get in.

"He's just generally a likeable guy," said Lesley Vamous, a fan from Australia. "I think that's why I like him and I watch him. He seems like an approachable guy, and most of the things he does are kind of funny."

Juliet DiFranco of West Toluca Lake, Calif., said she couldn't watch Leno like she did before. "He just seems like such a jerk for not retiring," DiFranco said.

O'Brien didn't mention Leno in his closing statement, according to a transcript.

He asked his viewers not to be cynical.

"I hate cynicism," he said. "It's my least favorite quality and 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."


Sources: MSNBC, Youtube

NBC Grants Conan O'Brien Sweet $45M Deal To Leave Quickly

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Conan O'Brien Signs Deal With NBC, Ending Run as "Tonight Show" Host



Conan O'Brien is getting a $45 million package to walk away from NBC's "Tonight Show."

O'Brien's seven-month run as host of the venerable franchise will end Friday, and comes after more than a week of intense negotiations between his camp and NBC.

"NBC confirms a deal is signed and an official announcement will be made this morning," said a network source.

NBC's "Today" first reported the deal, which is believed to include a payout of upwards of $33 million for O'Brien and the remainder going to pay severance to his staff, most of whom moved to California from New York, when he took the job.

The deal sets up Jay Leno to return as host of "Tonight" — a show he was on for 17 years until last May — to return on March 1.

For more than a week, O'Brien and NBC officials have been at loggerheads over his future.

It started when NBC officials decided to end Leno's struggling prime-time show and move him to 11:35 p.m., thus pushing "Tonight" to 12:05 a.m. followed by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

O'Brien refused to move, kicking off a fight over how much money he should get to leave, and when he'd be able to work elsewhere.

Moreover, NBC will retain the "intellectual property" rights to some of the material he created during his run at the network, including the Masturbating Bear.

O'Brien joined the network nearly 17 years ago as the host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Leno left the show last May, ending a five-year plan to have O'Brien take over.

However his prime-time show struggled, which, combined with O'Brien's struggles on "Tonight," forced NBC's hand.

O'Brien took some parting shots in his monologue on Wednesday night's show.

"Over the past week, ratings for the 'Tonight Show,' are up by 50%," he said. "When NBC executives heard this they told me, 'See, you really don't fit in around here.'

"This whole experience has been so surreal. I never thought I'd be jealous of the long, illustrious run that NBC gave 'Joey.'"

The dispute brought a heap of scorn on NBC and boss Jeff Zucker, who told Charlie Rose earlier this week he'd gotten death threats over what he called a business decision to move the shows.

Even CBS' David Letterman has gotten in the routine of slamming NBC over the mess.

"Let me ask you this: in contractual negotiations, are you fascinated by legal detail?" Letterman joked Wednesday night. "Listen to this: Conan O'Brien, he had 'The Tonight Show' and now he's leaving, and NBC is negotiating with him and it's that intellectual property – he can't take his signature comedy bits with him. But that's okay, Jay will take them."

O'Brien's last show will be Friday, with Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell the scheduled guests and Neil Young the musical guest.
Where O'Brien goes next is the big question.

Fox officials have said they're interested in talking to him about a show, although there are numerous hurdles to get that off the ground. Sister cable network FX is also interested.

ABC officials have said they're not in the running.



Sources: AP, NBC, NY Daily News

Rosie O'Donnell, Howard Stern, David Letterman Slam Jay Leno

Sources: Sirius, CBS, NBC, Wikipedia, Youtube

Conan O'Brien Sings "NBC Moron" Song

Conan Blasts NBC's "Incompetent Morons" In Song


Conan O'Brien ended rumors that he's not allowed to say anything negative about NBC on-air by calling people at the network "incompetent morons."

He began the "Tonight Show" on Monday with a creative work-around, then continued to blast his soon-to-be-former employer, which has reportedly agreed to a $40 million buyout. He also addressed the rallies held by "Team Coco" in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and, of course, at NBC in Los Angeles.

His monologue included pictures of items that fans have offered in exchange for the show, which he listed on Craigslist last week. Finally, Conan announced that he's putting himself for sale on the Casual Encounters section of the Website.


Sources: NBC, Huffington Post, Mediaite, Facebook

Jay Leno Explains His Side; Praises Conan O'Brien

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Leno: "Conan O’Brien Has Been a Gentleman"


Jay Leno turned serious on his show to discuss the late-night chaos at NBC, telling viewers that he'd been doubtful about launching a prime-time show but was prevented by NBC from going to another TV network instead.

Leno, in explaining events from his standpoint, also said Monday that he had told NBC he'd return to the "Tonight" slot only after Conan O'Brien rejected the network's plan to put both men on in late night.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

NBC continued negotiations Monday on an exit deal with O'Brien that would clear the way for Leno to reclaim the 11:35 p.m. EST slot occupied by "Tonight," which he hosted for 17 years before turning it over to O'Brien last spring. According to various reports, the deal with O'Brien could cost the network up to $40 million.

NBC is ending its prime-time experiment, "The Jay Leno Show," because of low ratings and affiliate station complaints.

When NBC told him they wanted to end his new show, Leno told viewers Monday, he asked to be released from his contract.

" 'No, you're still a valuable asset to this company,' " he said the network told him. His reply: "How valuable can I be? You fired me twice."

That was a reference to NBC's decision six years ago to ask him to eventually make way for O'Brien to take over "Tonight," which Leno kept atop the ratings until he left.

He and O'Brien have traded increasingly edgy monologue jokes as NBC tries to extricate itself from its scheduling mess, but Leno told viewers his attitude toward his colleague is unchanged.

"Through all of this, Conan O'Brien has been a gentleman. He's a good guy, I have no animosity toward him. This is all business," Leno said. "You know, folks, if you don't get the ratings, they take you off the air."

Neither of them was a ratings winner, he said, either with "The Jay Leno Show" at 10 p.m. EST or O'Brien's "Tonight."

O'Brien did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

History lesson?

Leno gave his audience a history lesson, or what alternately might have seemed a skillfully timed effort to repair any damage to Leno's trademark heart-of-gold image before the deal is made official, as soon as Tuesday.

In his recitation, Leno opened with an NBC executive telling him in 2004 that he would have to surrender "Tonight" to O'Brien to keep the gangly, redheaded host of "Late Night" from going to a competitor.

"I said, 'Well, I've been No. 1 for 12 years.' They said, 'We know that. We don't think you can sustain it,' " Leno recounted the executive telling him. He joked that he asked if he could at least wait until his show fell to No. 2, but agreed to the hand-over plan.

"Don't blame Conan O'Brien. Nice guy, good family guy, great guy. He and I have talked, and not a problem since then," Leno said.

He told NBC he would retire " 'just to avoid what happened the last time,' " he recounted with a chuckle.

Like a repeat

What's happening now at NBC turned out to be reminiscent of the contest between Leno and David Letterman to win "Tonight" after Johnny Carson's retirement and NBC's similar dithering at the time.

With a plan in place for Leno to leave "Tonight" in May 2009, before his NBC contract ended, he would be prevented from starting at another network for at least a year, Leno said. He asked to be freed but NBC refused, instead suggesting that Leno could do well with a prime-time show that the network acknowledged would get "killed" against first-run episodes of shows like CBS' "CSI" but could get traction against summer reruns.

Leno said he agreed, in part, because it would allow him to keep his staff of about 175 people working. But the network's plan for patience was unraveled by affiliate TV stations, who said his low ratings were sinking their local late newscasts, which the show precedes.

O'Brien had his own ratings woes, which Leno said — pointedly — started in summer before they could be blamed on Leno's poor prime-time performance.

"Tonight" with O'Brien is drawing about half of the roughly 5 million viewers Leno attracted as its host, although O'Brien has gotten a significant ratings bump since the network flap started.

When NBC suggested a half-hour show, Leno told the network he wasn't crazy about doing it but said OK. He asked if O'Brien would agree to be moved to midnight and was told yes — it was almost guaranteed.

Leno may have been restrained with his comments, but he couldn't resist a hard-edged joke at NBC's expense.

"CBS is now developing a new sitcom about the troubles here at NBC," he said. "It's called 'Two Men and a Half-Assed Network.' "

O'Brien let loose on his show Monday, too.

"Last night at the Golden Globes, Julia Roberts said that NBC was in the toilet. NBC was upset and toilets were furious," he said.


Sources: MSNBC

NBC To Regret Conan's Departure? "I'm With CoCo!"...Last Show Friday

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"I'm With CoCo!" As Haggling Continues, Conan O'Brien Supporters Plan Protests, Promise Loyalty



As NBC and Conan O'Brien come close to reaching an agreement, fans of the late night host are planning protests.

A settlement that would let former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno reclaim the job from O'Brien, and allow O'Brien to leave the network, could come as early as today, ABCNews.com reports.

NBC will reportedly pay the ousted host between $30 and $40 million, a source close to contract negotiations told ABC.

Other "Tonight Show" staffers - many who followed O'Brien from New York to Los Angeles when he left "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" to take over the "Tonight Show" from Leno – will reportedly receive severance and buy-out packages.

Negotiations began last Wednesday, a day after O'Brien announced his refusal to go along with NBC's proposal to move his "Tonight Show" later, so that "The Jay Leno Show" could occupy the 11:35 p.m. time slot.

The staff severance packages are an apparent sticking point in contract negotiations, says ABC, since O'Brien's team wants "to make sure everyone's treated really well," says their source.

O'Brien isn't the only one offended by NBC's move. Fans in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle were planning to hold rallies to "show love" for O'Brien, whom they call "CoCo."

"I don't think we're going to change NBC's stance on what they want to do with late night – I think that's already been inked," rally organizer Mike Mitchell told ABC. "I think hopefully we're going to show Conan's got a huge following and we're behind him no matter where he ends up."

Mitchell also runs the Facebook group, "I'm With COCO," which grew from 200 to more than 315,000 members in days.

"Now is just a good time to support him because he's kind of been put in a tough spot and people can relate to his situation," the 27-year-old freelance illustrator says. "Everybody's had a bad boss that has maybe put them in a position that they didn't want to be in."

Even O'Brien's crew members are part of the movement.

"Everybody on the show has 'I'm With Coco' avatars on Facebook," Mitchell says. "I know personally they want to follow Conan wherever he goes. . . They love him and they respect him."

Meanwhile, the last "Tonight Show" featuring O'Brien as host is set to air this Friday.


Sources: NBC, NY Daily News, MSNBC, Facebook, Youtube

Conan O'Brien Is Tired Of Being Leno's Flunkie; He's Leaving NBC!

O'Brien Rejects NBC's Proposal To Follow Leno At 12:05 a.m.


Conan O'Brien says he's rejecting NBC's attempt to move "The Tonight Show" to a post-midnight slot to accommodate Jay Leno's return to late-night.

In a statement Tuesday, O'Brien says that NBC has given him a scant seven months to try to establish himself as host of "Tonight."

NBC wants to move "The Jay Leno Show" out of prime-time and to the 11:35 p.m. EST daily slot, bumping "Tonight" to 12:05 p.m. EST.

O'Brien said he hoped he and NBC could resolve the issue quickly so he could do a show of which he and his crew could be proud — "for a company that values our work" — raising the possibility he might go to another network. But he said he has no such offer.

O'Brien released the statement below on Tuesday afternoon:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over "The Tonight Show" in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. 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.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my "Tonight Show" in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move "The Tonight Show" to 12:05 to accommodate "The Jay Leno Show" at 11:35. For 60 years "The Tonight Show" has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. "The Tonight Show" at 12:05 simply isn't "The Tonight Show." Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the "Late Night" show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of "The Tonight Show." But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with "The Tonight Show," I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan



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Sources: MSNBC, NY Post, Associated Press, Google Maps

NBC Drops Jay Leno's Prime Time Experiment...Retirement Looms

Perhaps its time for Jay Leno to retire. Hasn't he already made enough money? Just a thought.






NBC Ending Leno's Prime-Time Show


NBC decided to end the Jay Leno experiment when some of its affiliates started talking about dropping the nightly prime-time show, its top entertainment executive said Sunday.

NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said Sunday that Leno's nightly prime-time show will end with the beginning of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12. NBC wants Leno to do an 11:35 p.m. show each night, a return to his old time slot, Gaspin said.

Gaspin said despite lower ratings for NBC at 10 p.m. compared with last year, the network was making money off the show.

But affiliates were upset that the show was leading fewer viewers into their late news programs, costing them significant advertising revenue. Some affiliates told NBC in December they would go public soon about their complaints if a change wasn't made, or even take Leno's show off the air.

"The drumbeat started getting louder," Gaspin said.

Gaspin has proposed moving Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" to 12:05 a.m., and Jimmy Fallon's show, "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," would start an hour later. But the late-night hosts had not agreed to the move. Gaspin said he expected NBC's late-night situation to be cleared up by the start of the Olympics.

Asked if O'Brien and Fallon expressed anger at his proposal, Gaspin said both men were professional and understanding when they talked.

"Beyond that, it was a private conversation," Gaspin said.


Sources: AP, MSNBC, Youtube, Wikipedia

Conan O'Brien Addresses Late Night Shake Up Rumors...$45 Million Dilemma

Conan's $45 Million Dilemma



With Leno reportedly moving back to 11:35, NBC has humiliated Conan O’Brien. Will he get a $45 million payout for his troubles? Kim Masters reports on the latest latenight ripples.

You could say Conan O’Brien is now The Biggest Loser on NBC. If you call it losing to get millions of dollars no matter what happens next.

Hollywood is still in awe as the drama at NBC continues to play out. What seems to be set is that Leno will go on the air at 11:35 p.m. after the Olympics. What’s not set is the fate of O’Brien, who is said to be enraged at NBC’s clumsy handling of the matter. His option appears to be to remain as the man in the chair on what would still be called The Tonight Show but would begin at 12:05 a.m.

What’s mesmerizing the entertainment industry is that O’Brien has a contract requiring NBC to pay him a staggering penalty, reportedly $45 million, if his circumstances as host of The Tonight Show change. It is unclear what would trigger that penalty and whether pushing the show out of its time slot would do the trick.

“If they put themselves in a position where they have to pay him if they move him, they’re the biggest idiots ever,” says an industry veteran who, despite being well-connected to the key players, doesn’t know the exact details of what would activate that payout clause.

If O’Brien wants to stalk off, his options may be limited. The perception at this point is that he’s been damaged by his less-than-successful run at 11:35. “So many people like Conan at 12:30,” says this source. “But it’s not working at 11:35. There’s something that makes people antsy about Conan at that time.”

ABC is not believed to be pursuing O’Brien. Fox—seen as the more youth-oriented network—is still a question mark, although it seems likely that they would at least want to price out a deal. But a source with firsthand knowledge of Fox’s thinking seems to feel that O’Brien will probably stay at NBC after exacting a huge payment in exchange for his fealty. “However humiliated you might feel you are, however sleazy you might feel NBC is, wouldn’t that go a long way toward making you feel better?” this executive says. “It’s only moving the show by half an hour.”

Meanwhile, another executive says Leno is more than willing to do a 30-minute show. “Everybody’s so surprised,” he says. “But he gets to do his monologue and a guest. He doesn’t like the other stuff he has to do now. He doesn’t like the program.”

A top executive at a rival network puts it this way: “Good deal for Jay. Gets paid for an hour. Works a half-hour.”

Meanwhile, NBC is left with a gaping chasm at 10 p.m. It takes lots of time and money to rebuild a schedule, so, short-term, these might be good times for Dick Wolf, who has his handy Law & Order shows that could fill the gap. (The most obvious candidate to put back into a 10 p.m. slot is SVU, which had to move from its Tuesdays at 10 position to Wednesdays at 9 because of Leno. There’s also the so-called mothership, the original Law & Order, which could move back to its Friday at 10 hour.)

A prominent television writer-producer says he’s happy that NBC will return to scripted programming at 10 p.m. But he says the issues that drove the network to put Leno in that time slot haven’t gone away: Programming is still expensive and the audience is hard to get. “It’s been a disaster at 10 o’clock and it’s not just Leno,” he says. “This is about nothing working at 10 p.m.” He points out that ABC has failed to capitalize on the opportunity that opened when NBC—one of its two broadcast rivals—got out of the game at 10 p.m. And he says CBS hasn’t done much better.

But he reserves most of his scorn for NBC. The network “hasn’t had a real hit since 1994,” he says (though Will & Grace and West Wing certainly did well in their times). “Nothing that has gotten really big numbers in 15 years. Nothing like Fox with American Idol or CBS with the CSI franchise. That’s not because of changing viewership but because they haven’t put a damn thing on that people wanted to watch.”

Just look at Leno’s ratings last night, after a day of gigantic publicity about his show, he says. “It got a 1.4 last night,” this producer marvels. “Nobody gives a shit. Isn’t that crazy? A 1.4, after all that.”


Sources: NBC, The Daily Beast

Will Conan Stay Or Go To Another Network?

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NBC to Conan O'Brien -- The Choice Is Yours


As TMZ first reported, after the Olympics, Jay Leno will get his 11:30 PM time period back. We're told network execs have told Conan they will let him decide if he wants the midnight to 1:00 AM time slot. If he does, Leno's show will only be a half hour. If Conan walks, Leno will get a full hour, informed sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say Conan has not decided what he wants. We do know he's pissed, because he was given no advanced warning this was coming. Conan's people told NBC they are considering the offer. Translation: Mr. O'Brien -- I have Rupert Murdoch on line one, Stephen McPherson on line two, John Landgraf on line three, Jeff Wachtel on line four ...

We're told if Conan gets another offer, even though NBC could block the move, they will let him go and give Leno the full hour.

Stay tuned ...







NBC Plan Would Move Leno Back to Late Nights


Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O’Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.

NBC executives held extensive discussions with Mr. Leno and Mr. O’Brien on Thursday about the future of the network’s late-night lineup.

And while NBC officially said no final decision on the plan had been made, two senior NBC executives who had talked to the top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed, Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O’Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hourlong show.

“We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC,” the network said in a statement Thursday evening. “He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years, and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”

The third NBC late-night star, Jimmy Fallon, would then begin his show at 1:05 a.m., the executives said. The revised lineup would go into effect after NBC concludes its coverage of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 28. NBC will pre-empt its prime-time and late-night lineup for more than two weeks to cover the Olympics, creating a natural break in which to put the late-night changes into effect.



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Sources: MSNBC, TMZ, NY Times, CNN, The Daily Beast, Youtube, Google Maps

Jay Leno Trumps Conan O'Brien Again

NBC Plan Would Move Leno Back to Late Nights


Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O’Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.

NBC executives held extensive discussions with Mr. Leno and Mr. O’Brien on Thursday about the future of the network’s late-night lineup.

And while NBC officially said no final decision on the plan had been made, two senior NBC executives who had talked to the top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed, Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O’Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hourlong show.

“We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC,” the network said in a statement Thursday evening. “He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years, and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”

The third NBC late-night star, Jimmy Fallon, would then begin his show at 1:05 a.m., the executives said. The revised lineup would go into effect after NBC concludes its coverage of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 28. NBC will pre-empt its prime-time and late-night lineup for more than two weeks to cover the Olympics, creating a natural break in which to put the late-night changes into effect.




NBC Shakeup -- Jay Leno Comes Out on Top

Earlier today TMZ learned Jay's 10:00 PM show will go on hiatus February 1. After the Olympics, Jay will take back his 11:30 PM time slot. What has not been decided -- whether Jay's show will be a half hour, followed by Conan, or whether Jay's show will be an hour and NBC says sayonara to Mr. O'Brien.

Jay and Conan have both been told of the changes. As for Jay, interestingly, he'll get what he always wanted -- his 11:30 PM time slot.



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Sources: NY Times, TMZ, CNN, NBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Palin Trades Barbs With Shatner On Conan's Show

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin spars with William Shatner on 'Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'



"Going Rogue" author and former GOP VP hopeful Sarah Palin has a sense of humor after all - maybe.

The former Alaskan governor showed up on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" to trade barbs - of sorts - with actor William Shatner.

The iconic "Star Trek" captain has made several appearances on the late-night talker in recent months, mocking Palin's speeches and tweets via her Twitter page by reading them as beat poetry.

Friday night had the 78-year-old Emmy winner parodying Palin's recent tome, "Going Rogue."

"I looked down to see the moose's eyeballs lying in his palm, still warm from the critter's head," Shatner said, her book open in his hands.

Palin, who has been touring the country to promote her book, came out on stage and turned the tables - making poetry out of lines from the original Captain Kirk's 2008 autobiography, "Up Till Now."

"My whole being resonated with incredible feeling that I was going to go visit with an elephant, on a starless, moonlit night in Africa," Palin said, Shatner's book in her lap. "And I was going to visit that elephant in my underwear."

The gag scored laughs, and both Shatner and Palin departed the stage holding hands.

"It's good to finally see those two together," Conan quipped afterwards.


Sources: NY Daily News, NBC