Conan O'Brien & The Great NBC War

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Well, as much as we hate to admit it, it IS true that a lot of people only started watching Conan again after NBC made a stink. Yes, NBC did a lot to create the problem in the first place, an it's to be EXPECTED that The Tonight Show would struggle a bit while finding its feet, but that doesn't make the observation less true.

Also, just because I'm thinking about it, Stuff White People Like isn't one of the things I like either.

[Cognitive Gear]

Incoming SWPL entry:

Hating on SWPL.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

...and then that entire section of the internet imploded from too much meta.

[ShiroiHikari]

He's coming back! He's coming back! AAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Conan O’Brien headed to TBS for new late show
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 12, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) - Conan O’Brien is headed to TBS to host a late-night talk show expected to debut in November. The network said Monday that the program will air Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. Eastern, shifting TBS’ “Lopez Tonight,“ starring George Lopez, to midnight.
Monday’s surprise announcement comes the same day O’Brien starts a two-month, 30-city live tour in Eugene, Ore., amid persistent reports that he was likely to claim Fox as his new late-night home.
O’Brien left NBC in January after hosting “The Tonight Show” for just eight months. His predecessor in that slot, Jay Leno, then reclaimed the hour. As part of his parting deal, O’Brien is barred from appearing on TV until September.

Also:

Sources tell TMZ the idea of bringing Conan to TBS was hatched by Turner's entertainment chief Steve Koonin. We're told Koonin went to George Lopez and said he would only approach Conan if George gave his blessing. We're told George immediately figured out that having Conan as an 11:00 PM lead-in would be nothing short of amazing for a midnight show.

With Lopez on board, we're told Koonin then approached Conan with the idea. Conan's first reaction -- he didn't want to do to someone else what was done to him, referring to NBC's decision to blindside Conan. Koonin told Conan that George had signed off, but Conan wanted to make sure. George then called Conan to reassure him he was on board and thought they would be great partners.

We're told Koonin then began negotiations last week and the deal was in days, even though the Fox deal was still alive.

As for why Conan chose TBS .... the average age of a "Lopez Tonight" viewer is 33, decades younger than the other late-night shows. TBS is the future ... so thought Conan.

And there's this ... George Lopez is saying, "I totally support Conan's decision ... We'll have the best hair in late night."

Sauces:

http://www.tmz.com/2010/04/12/conan-obrien-george-lopez-tbs-steve-koonin-fox-late-night/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100412/ap_en_ce/us_tv_conan_o_brien

[battletech]

"Best hair":lol:

[Cognitive Gear]

TBS is kind of a downgrade, but I'll take it. Even if I don't have cable to watch him on, I can probably catch his show on Hulu or something similar.

I still wish that he had a chance to go head to head with Leno, though.

[ShiroiHikari]

Going head-to-head with Leno would be cool but I'm just glad he's getting back on TV. :>

Also I wish to heck I could've gotten tickets to his live show but they announced it all ninja-like and I didn't have time to save up the monies. :<

Oh and TBS could use some quality programming. XD

[Radical Dreamer]

I just read about this, and I'm so stoked. XD I'm also glad that they were so cautious in taking the 11PM spot from Lopez. That was both a classy move on their part, as well as on Lopez's part, to actually personally offer the spot to him. XD At any rate, I'm glad to see that Conan has a home again! XD

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Frankly, I'm glad Conan's not on one of the Networks anymore. The pressure for ratings will be much lower, and I don't think anything but good can come from being someplace his target demographic actually pays attention to (though I still say that Conan doing an online show would be epic)

Also, I too REALLY wish I could see the traveling show. They seem to have deliberately scheduled the tour to avoid my whole state

[Nate]

That's great, because when you think of TBS, you think of comedy. Well, you think of repeated Shawshank Redemption airings first, then the Atlanta Braves, but then you think of comedy.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Hey, TBS is Very Funny... because they say so... repeatedly.

[Cognitive Gear]

Here's a link to the 60 minutes interview with Conan.

I'll post my thoughts once I've had a chance to watch it.

[ShiroiHikari]

I just watched it, but I don't have much to say about it except that I was kind of surprised at how "real" he seemed in this interview compared to some of the other interviews he's done in the past.

[Cognitive Gear]

I just watched it, but I don't have much to say about it except that I was kind of surprised at how "real" he seemed in this interview compared to some of the other interviews he's done in the past.

I just watched it, and this is just about the only thing I can say right now. It's pretty obvious just how heavily this whole thing has weighed on him.

[Radical Dreamer]

I watched it this morning, and I agree; it's pretty clear that it's weighing him down. Also interesting was how he seemed to handle a lot of the subjects he was interviewed about with humor. Also it seemed like there were a lot of things he wasn't allowed to say about Jay Leno and NBC, and even though he said the interview wouldn't be any different even if he didn't have guidelines for how he approached the issue, I thought it was interesting that the guidelines were even there to begin with. Anyways, it was a good interview!

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Honestly, the interview was pretty much what I expected to hear. I really do think that Conan would have avoid saying much about Leno or the network even without the gag orders. It's just not his style to bitterly dwell on things.

I do wish we'd seen more of the live show, though. I'm still mourning my inability to see it in person.

[Yamamaya]

To be honest, I prefer Craig Ferguson to Coco and Leno.

Although Craig's humor can get really dry at times. Although I love it how even he recognizes when his show is crap and says it.

[ShiroiHikari]

Conan made fun of his own show at least once per episode.

[ShiroiHikari]

You guys gotta see this! Conan went to Google. 45 minutes of hilarity ensued.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7TwqpWiY5s&feature=player_embedded#!

(Disclaimer: Some rough language.)

[Radical Dreamer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ITDLbBS5MM&feature=player_embedded

Here's the new, official TBS promo for Conan's new show! Exciting!

[Radical Dreamer]

So today, Conan O'Brien announced the name of his new show! Here is an awesome video about it! Oh my goodness I have missed Conan so much. XD

[ShiroiHikari]

I am now sad. Max Weinberg won't be returning.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/209841

;___;

[Cognitive Gear]

I'm sad that Max won't be on the show with Conan, but hopefully that means that he is doing something that he is more passionate about.

[Radical Dreamer]

Dude! That is so sad! D: He will definitely be missed on the show! I hope he comes back as a guest from time to time!

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Awww, that's sad. Not entirely unexpected, though. To be honest, I was a little surprised Max stuck with Conan as long as he did. I really expected him to quit every time The E Street Band announced they were doing anything. Still, it's good to hear that the rest of the band is staying. I'm not sure I'd be able to process Conan on TV without La Bamba!