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Conan to NBC: Drop Dead

Ochi Chernye

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Conan O'Brien to NBC: Drop dead.

O'Brien broke his silence on Tuesday with a lengthy statement that left no doubt about his unhappiness over NBC's plan to move "The Tonight Show" to 12:05 a.m. -- declaring he could not "participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction." But the host did leave doubts about his next move given NBC's stated determination to move the show.

Insiders said O'Brien had no intention of resigning and would continue to show up for work and do his show. Biz observers said that NBC and O'Brien now appear to be in a game of chicken, with NBC trying to force O'Brien to quit, while O'Brien appears to be looking to force the network to fire him if it proceeds with the 12:05 move. How O'Brien's contract is settled out is likely to vary greatly depending on whether he quits or is let go.

O'Brien's release of the statement adds another bizarre chapter to an extraordinary public drama that has unfolded during the past six days, ever since word surfaced of NBC's plans to reroute the failing "Jay Leno Show" from its nightly 10 p.m. berth to back to his old 11:35 p.m. time-slot, albeit in a half-hour format.

"For 60 years the 'Tonight Show' has aired immediately following the late local news," O'Brien wrote in the statement addressed tongue-in-cheek to "people of Earth.""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.'"

That assertion raised speculation that the show could wind up at the center of a legal battle with NBC.

While execs may argue that NBC hasn't breached O'Brien's contract -- he is, in their mind, still the host of the "Tonight Show," just at a different time -- O'Brien will likely argue that with former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno back at 11:35, it's a hollow title.

Such a semantic argument could make a huge difference as NBC and O'Brien potentially head into negotiations. The specifics of O'Brien's contract with NBC have been heavily speculated upon, but there's no definitive clarification on how easy it will be for the host to exit NBC.

So far, insiders close to the situation said no talks have been scheduled to hammer out O'Brien's future at the network.

NBC had no comment on the O'Brien statement. O'Brien opened Tuesday's edition of "The Tonight Show" with pointed quips about his precarious situation.

"Welcome to NBC. Where our new slogan is, 'No longer just screwing up prime-time,'" he said. "When I was a little boy, I remember watching 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson' and thinking 'Someday, I'm going to host that show for seven months.'"

Insiders stressed that O'Brien's decision to release the written statement earlier in the day was all about the host addressing his feelings on the NBC proposal. The host was said to be anxious to get his thoughts in the open before things progressed much further.

There is a deadline, after all, for NBC to figure out its latenight setup: NBC Universal TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin told reporters Sunday that he expected a resolution by Feb. 12 -- when Leno's 10 p.m. show ends and the Winter Olympics begins.

O'Brien, who wrote the statement himself on Monday night, stopped short of quitting the Peacock. But he made it pretty clear that he wouldn't accept a proposal that would remove him as host of an 11:35 "Tonight Show."

That means O'Brien is prepared to exit the network without a backup plan in place, despite rampant rumors that his reps are negotiating to move his show to Fox.

"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," O'Brien said. "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."

It's looking less likely that another option could be possible. Leno has already agreed to move back to 11:35, and NBC has already committed to the switch.

It's clear it's not a money issue for O'Brien, who expressed his disappointment at not being given time to grow into the "Tonight Show" job.

"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," he said. "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 primetime schedule," he wrote. "Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both."

In crafting the Leno/O'Brien compromise, Gaspin admitted Sunday that the solution wasn't perfect and wasn't to either Leno's or O'Brien's satisfaction. Indeed, NBC execs privately wondered whether they had in the process damaged all three brands: Leno, O'Brien and "The Tonight Show."

Peacock insiders said that they had considered making a sort of "Sophie's Choice" in choosing between Leno and O'Brien. And that may be what they did anyway, in a roundabout way.

Given Leno's perf at 11:35 vs. O'Brien's, the network apparently made the strategic decision to go with the former incumbent. O'Brien in his statement also expressed disappointment that he wasn't given much time, or much of a primetime lead-in, to prove himself in the "Tonight Show" chair.

variety.com
 
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from coco rocha's twitter :lol:

cococonan.png
 
Interesting...I've heard and seen so much of Patton Oswalt this year that has really led me to respect the guy. I hope everything works out in Conan's favor, and he is given the time and resources to build and shape things into his vision.
 
what a classy statement!go connie!!!!!leno and nbc must be ashamed..:yuk:
 
Team Conan, all the way! :woot: He's 10938303 times more entertaining than Leno, if you ask me. :innocent:
 
conan. his humour is by far more refreshing than the stale crap leno comes up with. and they're not even giving him much of a chance before trying to pull the rug from beneath him. leno had his tenure already and remember how long it took leno to get going with ratings when he first began on the tonight show? i don't think it's at all fair to conan.
 
Hearing Patton's take on it just made me feel even more annoyed about this. Seriously, why does Jay need that spot?
 
Team Conan :magic:.

I really hope everything works out in his favour in the end.
 
last night on ABC, some strange man came out and told a bunch of corny jokes ... ;)


 
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Indeed, NBC execs privately wondered whether they had in the process damaged all three brands: Leno, O'Brien and "The Tonight Show."

I think this is a very valuable point to take into consideration at NBC.

I really hold the NBC responsible for not seeing this coming when Conan O'Brien was hired for the Tonight Show. Both in terms of humor and presentation (not to mention appearance :lol:) Jay Leno and Conan are simply miles apart from one another, and many who enjoyed the more toned down (read: boring) Leno watched the Tonight Show for merely that reason. Although Conan has a huge fanbase, his extravagance also doesn't appeal to a lot of people, and I believe it is precisely these people that were watching the Tonight Show back in the Leno days. And Conan's mannerisms and trademark kookiness haven't exactly changed since he took on hosting the show.

Personally, I'm 174% Team Conan. I think there is something to be said about giving him more time to re-establish his audience, which is by no means insignificant. At any rate, when two talk shows are are performing mediocrely ratings-wise, replacing one with the other within a year of first changing things up is just plain stupid, and possibly the worst decision NBC could make. This is not how to cut your losses.

If NBC really does go through with this, I promise them it'll come and bite them back in the @ss. And they will deserve every bit of it.

Finally, personally, none of today's talk show hosts, whether it be Leno, Kimmel or Letterman, have anything on Conan O'Brien, who's consistency, stamina and whip-smart humor can only be admired (and appreciated). Conan is able to pull a personality out of even the most boring celebrities, which is something not one of the other aforementioned can boast on.

Team Conan ftw.
 
conan03.jpg

The Internet is a-buzz with support for Conan O’Brien, but there seems to be one image that’s the beating heart of the entire campaign. LA-based designer Mike Mitchell’s “I’m with Coco” poster has reached levels of ubiquity we haven’t seen since Shepard Fairey took on Obama. EW caught up with Mitchell, 27, to ask him about designing a movement.
“I’m a huge Conan fan,” Mitchell says. “I went to one of the first test shows [for The Tonight Show] here in LA, and I’ve been a big fan for a long time.” Of the late-night debacle at NBC, he adds: “The whole thing’s just a crappy situation.”
Mitchell set out to design a campaign-style poster, which initially read “I’m with Conan in 2010,” in the hopes that it would “maybe start a movement thing?” A friend suggested just “I’m with Conan,” and Mitchell landed on the far-catchier “I’m with Coco.” It’s a slogan even Swiss Miss could be jealous of.
Mitchell says he’s heard from an O’Brien staffer who told him O’Brien had seen the image, and Mitchell’s hopeful that maybe the host will reach out himself. Ultimately, though, the fan-turned-iconographer just wants the comedian to land somewhere, “and hopefully he can bring his whole staff with him. It’s embarrassing as an Angeleno: We bring Conan all the way here [from New York] and after seven months say ‘never mind’?”
You can join the rapidly-growing I’m With Coco Facebook fan page and, of course, watch The Tonight Show tonight.

ew.com

the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/imwithcoco
 
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