I'm no fan of Conan's but Zucker wants Conan to pay for his (Zucker's) mistake (in giving Conan The Tonight Show to begin with)? Yes, I'm well aware that it's a nasty business.
________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PGage Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 12:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [TV orNotTV] Icing Conan: What the Zuck? [Was: Leno Out At 10pm...] On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Jason Carpio <[email protected]> wrote: So let me get this straight.. they'll pay him to not be on TV anymore as punishment? http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/jeff-zucker-threatens-to-ice-conan-ill -keep-you-off-the-air-for-3-12-years/ Money quote: "Zucker "is threatening to ice Conan", according to his reps. "Zucker said, 'I'll keep you off the air for 3 1/2 years.' Which doesn't have a chance in hell of happening. What I really think Zucker wants is to hold him off the market for at least six months to a year until the dust settles and Leno is secure and Conan is squelched." One of the reps even compared Zucker to "Darth Vader" because the NBCU chief "has been so evil" about this." The idea being Zucker would save the 60M penalty he might have to pay Conan, plus save the money he would lose if Leno has to share an audience with a new late night Coco show. But I think Nikke is right, that will never happen - though I think he will be off the air at least 6 months even without the NBC hardball, so the asshole treatment from Zucker is really pointless. It might explain why both Dave and Craig really turned their comic knives directly on Zucker last night (as opposed to faceless NBC, or Leno), and why Conan seems increasingly bitter in his comments. I suspect before this is over Zucker will have to pay some fraction of the 60M to just make Conan go away and clear the decks for Leno to return to the Tonight Show (which is what this is really about). He does not want an ugly media and court battle raging just as Leno is trying to relaunch.
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