Agreed, that's why I'm glad this failed. We need original scripted TV, not more talk shows in a field already overloaded with mostly mediocre talent (Kimmel and Fallon especially). And I'm more irritated at Leno, the more I think of it. He never should have agreed to a 10 pm show that couldn't help but hurt Conan. I've said it before: if you want to bring something different to TV, how about an old-time variety show. Something like Carol Burnett updated, with skits, singing, dancing, etc. Cedric the Entertainer tried it a while back and didn't succeed. I believe Brady tried such a show, with little success. But maybe it could work as a once-a-week show. Surely Americans' tastes haven't fallen so far that we're satisfied with the likes of "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars"??? Or maybe a new show similiar to "In Living Color"?
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: " Lockhart, Daryle " <dar...@darylelockhart.com>, afrikanm...@hotmail.com, "Albert Fields" <cbilmarket...@yahoo.com>, bettil...@msn.com, "CINQUE" <cinque3...@verizon.net>, dorothyh...@sbcglobal.net, duva...@hotmail.com, fis...@bellsouth.net, "GTW" <gwashin...@aol.com>, "Jeffrey Ballou" <jeffreypbal...@gmail.com>, "Kai Pettaway" <killa...@gmail.com>, kalpub...@aol.com, keithbjohn...@comcast.net, "Kera" <imke...@gmail.com>, "Leroy Hughes" <seriousnup...@yahoo.com>, "Logic" <logic1...@aol.com>, "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker...@icqmail.com>, "Marvalous" <mmb1...@gmail.com>, "Michael Gordon" <gord...@indiana.edu>, "michael v w gordon" <michael.v.w.gor...@gmail.com>, "ravenadal" <ravena...@yahoo.com>, rs...@yahoo.com, "Seku Brathwaite" <everything...@nyc.rr.com>, "Valery Jean" <valeryjea...@yahoo.com>, "Wendell Theophilus Smith" <wendellsmit...@gmail.com>, "Whitney J Evans" <sonofafieldne...@sbcglobal.net>, williamsf...@speakeasy.net, "Zanfordino Anthony" <beta...@yahoo.com> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 12:10:14 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Conan O'Brien: Free At Last! I was reading some media analysis the other day and here is an interesting perspective. 1. When Jonny Carson handed over the reins, he did not opt to compete on ABC against the Tonight Show, as Leno was going to do. 2. When Jonny Carson handed over the reins, he did not opt to present the same show, an hour before his old show 3. Most of the audience that tunes into the tonight show is the same audience that watched the news prior to the tonight show. Most people watch the news that comes on after the 10:00 pm show they are watching. If people turn off Leno, and then turn off the news, then Leno was chasing the audience away from Conan. 4. The made Conan tone down his humor once ratings dropped, but if Leno had not chased away the audience from the news, who is to say what audience Conan would have pulled 5. Leno pulled some sleazy shenanigans with Letterman and now he is doing the same with Coco. I hope the Tonight show tanks. From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 8:25 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Conan O'Brien: Free At Last! Wow, thirty-plus mill to get *fired*? And his staff splits twelve mill, but Conan's going to give them extra cash? That's cool. I've seen Zucker from NBC all over the tube, everywhere from Charlie Rose to the financial channel, trying to explain this debacle. Reminds one of why some people need to stay behind the scenes. He comes off as defensive, surly, like a child who's caught doing something wrong, but remains defiant. A lot of "we made what we thought was a smart move, but it didn't work". Very little honest "we screwed it up and screwed O'Brien to boot". End of story: I still don't get who felt that Conan could be an exact replacement for Leno, given the differences in their appeal, and the expected differences in what demographics Conan would attract. I don't get who the hell felt it was sufficient to say that o'Brien had failed after only seven months, when it took Leno himself a year-and-a-half to hit his stride. And I really don't get who in the world thought O'Brien had a chance to succeed when Leno had a show on earlier than his, both sapping potential O'Brien viewers, and subjecting the public to talk show overload, possibly chasing off viewers for both shows. NBC screwed this up royally, and made it worse when Ebersol (?) recently tried to blame a lot of this on O'Brien's refusal to change the Tonight Show format. I guess we can't blame Leno, who just wants to work, but I wish he'd have said "no" to the 10 pm show, and really wish he'd say "no" to taking the Tonight Show back. That would have taught NBC a lesson. Frankly I'm glad this all failed. I didn't relish a solid five hours of primetime being replaced by a talkshow. We're losing enough original programming on broadcast TV as it is. *********************************************** http://www.tv.com/conan-obrien-free-at-last!/story/20919.html?tag=hotspot;gumball;1 Conan O'Brien: Free At Last! by Tim Surette TV.com Staff Writer 01/21/10 10:15 AM Conan O'Brien: Free At Last! What's the going rate for an unfair firing these days? About $45 million if you hosted a late-night talk show on a major network. The Conan O'Brien vs. NBC saga is finally coming to an end, says The Hollywood Reporter , as both sides have agreed to a deal that frees O'Brien from his contract with NBC and includes a whole lotta stipulations. First, let's talk money—since that's what the whole kerfuffle was about. The entire settlement is reportedly worth between $45 million and $50 million, with Conan pocketing $32 million and his staff sharing $12 million. But don't feel too bad for Johnny the Janitor; reports say O'Brien will be supplementing his employees' severance packages out of his pocket. O'Brien's last night behind the desk of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien will be tomorrow (Friday, January 22), with Conan repeats airing until the start of the Winter Olympics. After that, Jay Leno will return to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 1, global warming will cease, world peace will rule, and the long war between cats and dogs shall end. Or so NBC believes. The deal also bars Conan from hosting another show until September, and all the characters Conan created for his shows—including the lovable Pimpbot, the very relatable Masturbating Bear, and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog—will *gulp* remain the property of NBC, which will let them collect dust in their mausoleum of stolen artifacts. Triumph is the cash cow here, and he should belong to Robert Smigel , who does all of the delightfully distasteful dog's improv and masterful puppeteering. The final tally? Conan received the dream job he worked his entire life for for a total of seven months. The big questions now: What will Conan do next? What should Conan do next? And how will audiences respond to the return of Jay Leno?
