Conan The Late Nightarian

Gothamist is still excited about the prospect of Conan O'Brien being the new Tonight Show host - though we'll have to wait until 2009 for it to happen. Since we ate up the Letterman-Leno saga when Johnny Carson stepped down from the Tonight Show, we've been obsessed with this news and found this tidbit from Bill Carter's NY Times article fascinating:

But the people involved in the negotiations said that Mr. O'Brien's representatives had been completely satisfied that NBC's commitment was real. They said that the contract Mr. O'Brien signed yesterday included a multi-million-dollar financial penalty if he did not get the "Tonight" show, a penalty payment so substantial that the network surely had no intention of ever having to pay it, according to people involved in the deal.

Carter was on the Today show yesterday saying that it was a little risky for NBC to do this. He also questioned Leno's "willingness to do this" because Leno is a notorious workaholic (he's still works in the clubs on the weekends) and noted that O'Brien is more conceptual, whereas Leno is a monologue guy, suggesting that O'Brien may test new material in the next couple years to get ready for 11:35PM. More: Carter thinks O'Brien will leave NY for LA, which means Gothamist needs to organize some websites, petitions, and a letter writing campaign. An NBC source says there was interest to refresh the Tonight Show, which is why they went with Conan...and no argument from us - The Tonight Show is hokey. Yes, Middle America loves it, but we enjoy Conan's antics better.

Carter reports on the TV business for the NY Times and wrote a book about the Leno-Letterman fight, The Late Shift. In our opinion, it's the best book about issues in current state of television - money, talent, and ego. And in today's paper, Carter analyzes the decision to give Leno a five year good-bye. The NY Daily News' TV critic, David Bianculli, who had complained about NBC giving the Tonight Show's 50th Birthday the short shrift the day before, thinks that NBC made the right decision. And after the jump, NBC's press release of Conan's statement last night:

NEW YORK -- September 28, 2004 -� On tonight's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Conan reacted to yesterday's announcement that he will take over the Tonight Show in 2009.

After his monologue, O'Brien crossed to his desk and said the following:

"Some of you probably saw this in the newspaper today. It was announced yesterday that I guess I'll be doing this show for � how many more years, Jeff? [executive producer Jeff Ross] 52 more years? I'll be doing this show for about four and a half more years, and then I'm going to take over the Tonight Show here on NBC."

After a round of applause, O'Brien joked, "Huuuuge mistake."

"This is a huge thing for me. This is something I've dreamt about for a long time. I think people in comedy only can dream about something like this. I am incredibly humbled and thrilled to get this amazing opportunity and I did want to give my heartfelt thanks to everybody at NBC that made this possible and particularly to Jay Leno.

Jay has been a big supporter of mine, a good friend to me for eleven years when I first showed up at this network. He's been incredibly kind and gracious about the whole thing. He's a class act. And so to everybody at NBC but particularly Jay Leno � a huge thank you and I hope I can live up to that challenge, but I have some time to figure it out.

In the meantime, there's a lot that I'd still love to do with this show; a lot of things we still want to try and I'm looking forward to doing that. We're going to be here for quite a while still, but to everybody thank you very much � it's very cool."

After another round of applause, O'Brien joked about what he could and couldn't do on an 11:30 show � "I don't think at 11:30 I can jump around and go (Conan hisses like a cat). Yes I can!"

O'Brien also joked that his hair would go even higher at 11:30 � and jokingly demonstrated it to the crowd.

Before returning to his "Actual Items" comedy bit at his desk, O'Brien joked, "I think they're changing their minds in Burbank."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts and Events on September 29, 2004 1:50 PM

Comments [rss]

Leroy Johnson

All you boorish morons who claim moving Conan to L.A. would be a mistake are out of your minds. What is it with New Yorkers being so obsessed with themselves? YOU'RE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. People who complain about Los Angeles being a city of snobbish jerks don't know what they're talking about; it's New Yorkers who are cocky, arrogant, self-absorbed hacks. I wouldn't care if NBC moved "The Tonight Show" to Alabama; it's STILL the same show. It won't change the "flavor" or any of the other crap you morons from Manhattan are blabbing about. I support moving Conan to Hollywood just because that's where "The Tonight Show" has been for so long and that's where it belongs. Besides, I want to be able to hear, "From Hollywood, it's 'The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien!'" Oh, by the way, stop ragging on Leno. He is what I like to call an "old soul" and a marvelous comedian, so shut up.

www.sorryaboutleroy.com/davidl...

Nicole

As jamie noted, describing the Tonight Show as "hokey" and then saying it appeals to Middle America seems off base. We sit through the Tonight Show because we know Conan is next.

Bec

I really, really hope Conan isn't forced to change the format or the humor of the show. When will people learn that hiring talent because they're funny and then forcing them to water down the funny in order to appeal to a larger audience NEVER WORKS? Leave him alone and let him do what he does best. Um...in 5 years.

ken

Last night "Entertainment Tonight" was using phrases like "in transition". They made it sound like Conan was replacing Leno in 5 days, not 5 years.

Not the Real Triumph

You know, LA is a great place.....FOR ME TO POOP ON!!

jamie

I disagree with that "Middle America" comment about Leno. Why is the Midwest always ragged on? Conan is just as popular here as any place else.

jamie

I disagree with that "Middle America" comment about Leno. Why is the Midwest always ragged on? Conan is just as popular here as any place else.

Dazzle2112

Peter, everything you're saying right now can be applied towards peoples opinions of Letterman taking over an 11:30 spot about 10 years ago. And the Johnny Carson conspiracy theory is just irrelevant. Not too many people know or care, because not too many people know or care. Carson is a non-issue nowadays. More than ever.

Here's the deal. Jay Leno is not Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson was not Jack Parr. Nobody who succeeds another in the business is ever like the previous. Dorks like you theorize what is best for everyone, but in the end people accept it and like it.

Conan will do well.

Also, as far as moving to the West Coast, that is only a rumor. And nothing else. So please calm the heck down. It's five years down the road. By then they could even build a new studio here in NYC to accomodate Conan's show.

X.O.

Who cares about any of this-- it's years away! I'm a Conan fan but really now.

slam

I agree dirk. The thought of Conan leaving the East Coast is just plain sad. He's too humble for Hollywood!

dirk

Moving Conan to Burbank is a bad idea. Conan has a sort of East Coast vibe and he would seem out of place in front of a live California audience. Let the petitions start...

Speaking of late night shows, who's going to replace Conan and Kilbourne (who had the personality of a cardboard box). Actually, the one with a cardboard box personality is Carson Daly. Whoever had the bright idea of giving that frat boy his own show should be flogged publicly in Times Square.

crank

Pete, you're a dork. Conan kills.

Peter Everhard

PS: what are the chances that Jay Leno's people didn't at least EXPLORE with NBC the idea that maybe Leno should have a deal like Letterman has with CBS. After all, as said, Leno has bested Leno from day one in the ratings.

I'm think that Leno's people have raised the idea of a Carson/Leno type deal with NBC the day before NBC announced The Jay Leno Succession Plan

Peter Everhard

I don't think that there is any chance in Hell that a no-talent like Conan O'Brien will ever host The Tonight Show. Regis Philbin actually joked that his ratings are four times higher than Conan O'Brien's ratings.

NBC's Leno Succession Plan may just be intended as a warning shot to Leno not to even think about GOING CARSON.

It is very interesting to note that at the height of Johnny Carson's strangle hold on NBC, Carson fisted NBC into turning ownership and production rights of The Tonight and The David Letterman Show over to Johnny Carson's production company.

As if the above was not in itself sufficient to justify NBC using Saturday Night Live to humiliate Johnny Carson, Johnny Carson's production company actually had this clause in its contract with NBC that REQUIRED that NBC put a certain number of TV Shows from Carson's production company on NBC prime time schedule.

When Carson finally had enough of being humiliated every Saturday Night my his own network on Saturday Night Live, Carson accepted being kicked into obscurity, surely for some hefty payout. However, David Letterman was STILL working for Carson's production company and Carson's production company OWNED Letterman's Show on NBC.

I haven't seen this reported anywhere, but I think the main deal breaker for David Letterman hosting the Tonight Show was the fact that NBC wanted to finally get rid of everything Carson once and for all. And, working working against Letterman (as host of The Tonight Show) was the fact that He was under contract to Carson's production company.

Now to add horror to the shock of the above, based on what I've read, David Letterman currently has the exact same strangle hold on CBS that Carson had on NBC.

David Letterman's production company produces The Letterman Show and Craig Kilborn's Show. And, Letterman's production company has a clause REQUIRING that CBS put a certain number of tv shows from Letterman's production company on CBS's prime time schedule.

Personally, I think this is in fact WHY Ray Ramono and Craig Kilborn have decided to quit they TV Shows (i.e., because Letterman's production company technically OWNS their shows and them and they (rightly so) don't see any reason to have Letterman's parasitic production company taking a percentage of everything they make).

The thing is that Leno actually deserves to have a deal like Carson had and like Letter has because he has ALWAYS bested Letterman in the ratings. However, NBC Carson experience clearly was so distasteful that it is willing to publicly disembowel Leno just to show him that they don't want anymore Johnny Carsons.

See: Craig Kilborn and Johnny Carson's Stank http://www.tempcity.com/dramanyc/index.php?showtopic=2702