var json_comments = new Array("
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Nick1693
January 12, 2010 4:53 PM
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I don't think Jay Leno is a corporate shill.

If he is, I really hope Wendy's didn't pay for that. :D

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2 replies
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TheMonkeyKing
January 13, 2010 4:01 PM
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He's not. He just happens to have blackmail photos of the entire GE Board, CEO and CFO.

That's all.

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Preyfar
January 12, 2010 10:19 PM
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The price of Jay Leno pitching an ad for a Snuggie isn't worth the integrity of his viewers.

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TouchMyMonkey
January 12, 2010 4:54 PM
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But we don't like Conan O'Brien. We prefer Dave anyways.

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7 replies
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karmaghost
January 12, 2010 6:34 PM
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Speak for yourself. I love the Conebone/CoCo and hate Leno. If Leno was any good, if he was funny, and if people truly liked him, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

Actually, if NBC actually had a backbone and just fired/cancelled Leno's sorry ass, as it does with every other show on its network that bombs @ 10pm, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

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hatrack666
January 13, 2010 7:05 AM
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You don't like Leno. He has bad ratings. He should be cancelled.

You like O'brien. He has bad ratings. It's Leno's fault.

Maybe you should apply your own logic to O'brien. If he was funny people would watch. He wouldn't be in this mess.

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rdm
January 13, 2010 7:50 AM
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Leno got a good lead in from the local news (and NBC's shows at 10PM). The local news people are complaining that their ratings are suffering because Leno is the lead in... and if the local news ratings are bad then Conan's ratings will be bad as well. It's stupid that people can't change the channel and watch what they want, but that's how it goes.

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karmaghost
January 13, 2010 7:48 AM
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I didn't blame Conan's bad ratings on Leno, I just suggest that they let Leno go (since there's no spot for him anymore) and keep Conan where he is. NBC can't \"cancel\" the Tonight Show and they can't switch hosts. There are growing pains with any major shuffle in late night and NBC has to find ways to bring ratings back up. I believe putting Leno at 11:35 and CoCo at 12:05am is not the answer.

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TouchMyMonkey
January 13, 2010 9:19 AM
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My rather detached opinion (we're Dave fans at our house) is that they should flip for it. This partitioning of the Tonight Show is stupid and destructive of a show that has been an NBC institution since the early 1960s. What is clear is that putting yet another Tonight Show clone in the lineup at 10 was a dumb idea; the market for that kind of show was already pretty saturated, and the time would have been better allocated showing the usual sitcoms and post-family-hour dramas like Law and Order. Heck, even an evening game show or two would be an improvement.

Here's another brilliant idea. Keep Leno, give him one of the 10PM slots, and put him in charge of a new variety show. Kind of a Carol Burnett Show of the 21st Century. It's a lot easier to make a once-a-week show not suck than to have the same writers slave away four nights a week.

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karmaghost
January 13, 2010 11:55 PM
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I love Dave, but flipping for it would mean a 50% chance that Leno would be host of the Tonight Show again and I can't have that. I'd much rather have a \"Will It Float?\" for it. But then again, Leno's chin would probably give him a disadvantage.

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Seanumich
January 12, 2010 7:46 PM
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You cant be serious. I am no fan of Leno, but his ratings DESTROYED Letterman. Conan lost ratings even before the new Leno 10pm show started. Conan is a nice guy, but his contract states he gets the Tonight Show. It does not stipulate what time that will be shown. Conan should speak to his lawyers about not providing that language in the contract. Sorry, I won't spend an ounce of energy worrying about a guy making $20 million a year to be seen by 10 people.

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karmaghost
January 13, 2010 8:00 AM
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Leno's ratings topped Dave's starting in '94 or '95, right after he interviewed Hugh Grant about his sex scandal. I dunno whether you could say Leno destroyed Dave after that, but a lot of people stuck with Leno and never went back to Dave, or perhaps they never watched any late night shows in the first place and then started doing so. My point in my OP was that if people watched the Tonight Show because they loved Leno and thought he was so great, it stands to reason they would have followed him to 10pm, which they clearly didn't

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Verdant Pine Trees
January 13, 2010 8:45 AM
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No, I don't think that's inevitable (that Jay Leno viewers would watch at 10). For years 10 pm has been a time for dramatic pieces that would show stuff not suitable for \"family hour\". I might enjoy watching a late night talk show, but I've been train...er, used to watching drama at 10.

The format was a mistake. NBC's fault for making contracts with both men and assuming that one of them would go gently into that night before the time came to pay out.

Now, I used to watch Leno (go ahead and stone me: I enjoyed \"Headlines\" on Monday night), now I watch Craig Ferguson. He's on later, it doesn't compete with any 10 pm drama I want to watch, he's very funny, but he doesn't have Letterman's flaws. I have never even seen the \"Jay Leno Show\" or \"Tonight\" since Conan took over. But would I tune into him at his old timeslot? Occasionally, maybe.

Also, factor in that Conan skews more towards Gen-X viewers and those younger; Letterman traditionally owned that crowd. Leno's comedy is more across the board age-wise. That's part of why he killed Letterman during their head to head years.

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karmaghost
January 14, 2010 12:01 AM
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My only qualm with your argument is that you say that Letterman is for the youngin's. I'm 28 and I love letterman, but I really doubt that those my age or younger prefer me over CoCo.

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karmaghost
January 14, 2010 12:03 AM
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I mean, Dave over CoCo, but who knows.

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FaustianSlip
January 12, 2010 7:33 PM
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Assuming he's actually said as much, I'm not surprised, considering that Conan's receiving treatment not unlike what Dave received when he got screwed out of the Late Night gig.

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nbs2
January 13, 2010 8:04 AM
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Of course he does. Leno was destroying him; he is destroying Conan. It's always easier to side with the guy that makes you look good.

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logicalnoise
January 13, 2010 10:23 AM
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his show where he said conan is getting screwed.

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KyleOrton
January 12, 2010 9:22 PM
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Who needs one? Jay Leno is just below Dane Cook in the eyes of comedians not named Jerry Seinfeld.

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halothane
January 13, 2010 12:21 PM
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\"Jay Leno is just below Dane Cook in the eyes of comedians not named Jerry Seinfeld. \"

epic win comment of the day, good sir.

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TinaBringMeTheAx
January 12, 2010 4:55 PM
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None of the current late night hosts are the least bit funny.

Bring back Jack Paar!

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7 replies
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yasth
January 12, 2010 10:27 PM
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Bring back Carson!!! Zombie Tonight show!

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EarlNowak
January 12, 2010 6:53 PM
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Honestly, if you liked Jack Paar, check out Craig Ferguson on CBS. He has an easygoing style and doesn't script his interviews. He seems like the most genuine person on TV.

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Kishi
January 12, 2010 4:55 PM
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Starts the address with \"People of Earth\" and ends by apologizing for his hair. Way to remind me why I like you, Conan.

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4 replies
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pecan 3.14159265
January 13, 2010 11:25 AM
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Woot is firmly behind Coco as well. Check out today's Woot deal!

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axhandler1
January 13, 2010 11:48 AM
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Haha, nice. I love reading the woot product descriptions, they are usually hilarious.

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oldgraygeek
January 12, 2010 8:44 PM
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Conan is truly funny... unlike Jay Leno.
In fact, that's the right word: I \"unlike\" Jay Leno.

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MovingTarget
January 12, 2010 4:55 PM
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But I don't like Conan ....sorry. I was rallying to bring Jay back.

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6 replies
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LostTurntable
January 12, 2010 6:19 PM
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This is why we can't have nice things.

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OletheaEurystheus
January 12, 2010 5:15 PM
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And you are why the rest of the world finds Americans unfunny.

Leno is so mindblowingly not funny he makes it tough to even laugh at how NOT funny he is.

Granted Conan lost the edge he had on late night (though after Mondays gloriously funny char broiling of NBC and Jay, he seems to not give a shit now, which is great) but he was at least funny.

Leno hasnt been funny since he did standup in the 80's, and even then it was questionable.

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AirIntake
January 12, 2010 6:13 PM
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Leno is not mindblowingly not funny. He's only regularly not funny. Dane Cook is mindblowingly not funny.

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ZekeDMS
January 12, 2010 9:43 PM
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You make a persuasive argument, Fry!

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Smashville
January 12, 2010 5:52 PM
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It's kind of douchey to tell someone what they should and shouldn't like.

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OletheaEurystheus
January 13, 2010 9:19 AM
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thats fine, I have no issues being a douch in telling someone they have awful taste and enjoy watching a has been who steals jokes from other funnier comedians.

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redskull
January 12, 2010 5:13 PM
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{dwight} Then you are an idiot. {/dwight}

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
January 12, 2010 4:56 PM
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Sorry, but Conan isn't funny to me.

And I always forget to watch Jay Leno anyway.

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Laura Northrup
January 12, 2010 4:57 PM
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Don't forget: jack.donaghy@ge.com

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3 replies
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dohtem
January 12, 2010 6:51 PM
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Somehow Liz Lemon will be roped into this.

It will not end well.

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veg-o-matic
January 12, 2010 4:59 PM
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Well, if you want Conan to host East Coast Microwave Programming as well..

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barb95
January 12, 2010 5:00 PM
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I adore Conan. Adore. All power to him.

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lalaland13
January 12, 2010 5:00 PM
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I'm going to call NBC and leave a message from I.M. Aduche.

Seriously, at this point NBC has clearly chosen. I see no value in this. They've decided they want mainstream bland Jay Leno rather than funny Conan. Which was fine if they never made the switch to start with. Or if Leno committed to it fully. But NBC screwed this up in so many ways, let 'em own it. Conan will end up somewhere. I just hate that he really seemed to want this and they crapped all over him.

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veg-o-matic
January 12, 2010 5:04 PM
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No - let us not work to save Conan's show at NBC.

He deserves to be let go with a handsome chunk of that $40 mil contract so he can go somewhere else to attempt to resurrect the genius that NBC destroyed for it's pre-teen crush on miserable old Jay Leno.

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7 replies
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Seanumich
January 12, 2010 10:25 PM
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How has NBC broken the contract? He was offered the Tonight Show. They said the Tonight Show will start at 12:05. It is not in his contract the starting time of the Tonight Show. BAD ON CONAN. Fire the lawyer who got him that deal.

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Phil_McCracken
January 14, 2010 4:47 PM
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@Seanumich -- are you serious? That little trick was NBC's \"out\" and nothing more. They can always say \"hey it's the same thing just a half an hour later, so we didn't break the contract.\"

Total B.S. and an insult to our intelligence. True, his lawyers should have stipulated that but a non-scumbag company wouldn't even try to pull this crap. They made dumb moves and now think Leno can save them (great choice there!) and gave Conan that option knowing full well he wouldn't take it.

Jeff Zucker is an idiot. His network used to be #1 pretty much across the board. What place are they in now?

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Murph1908
January 13, 2010 1:18 PM
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In fact, it's never started at any time other than 11:30 or 11:15. For a 11 year period during its 55 year run, it started at 11:15. But other than that, TTS aired at 11:30.

So, if I were on the jury (assuming Conan's contract doesn't impose forced binding arbitration), as it stands, I'd conclude that when NBC hired Conan for The Tonight Show, it was implied, if not directly stated, that the show would be aired at 11:30, due to its history and precedence.

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Murph1908
January 13, 2010 1:09 PM
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Since TTS has been on since 1954, and has never started after Midnight, I'd say the show that Conan would be doing at 12:05 is NOT The Tonight Show.

And if you want to get all lawyer-y about it, 12:05 is the next morning, so it technically CAN'T be called \"The Tonight Show.\"

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Patriot
January 13, 2010 4:35 PM
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From dictionary.com
\"tonight: this present or coming night;\"
\"night: the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.\"

So as long as it is the present or coming period between sunset and sunrise, it's still 'tonight' regardless of whether it's before or after midnight.

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Charity Froggenhall
January 12, 2010 5:06 PM
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Precisely. If you won't honor the man's contract, let him go somewhere that doesn't suck.

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veg-o-matic
January 12, 2010 5:05 PM
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\"its\"

I must apostrophe-patrol myself.

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milrtime83
January 12, 2010 5:07 PM
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I agree Leno isn't very funny, but I don't think Conan is any better.

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cerbie_the_orphan
January 12, 2010 5:15 PM
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Maybe give Craig Furgeson(sp) a network swap and better time slot, instead? I hardly ever see him over on the eye, but he's quite good.

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5 replies
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jesusofcool
January 13, 2010 10:13 AM
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Conan is preferably to old and irritating Leno (at least Conan has the potential to be funny), but Craig is the only one I'd willingly watch. He's personable and genuine with all of his guests, his monologues are honest, he's just really good!
Can't say anything about the other guys....I know everyone really says Jimmy Fallon is terrible, but I did see a funny clip recently of him singing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme in the style of Neil Young. It's seriously good. http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2009/11/neil-young-sings-the-fresh-prince-theme-song/

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
January 12, 2010 11:11 PM
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i met him when i worked at disney, he's that funny in person too. and very personable

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dohtem
January 12, 2010 7:02 PM
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Yup, Craig Ferguson rocks.

His monologue beats all others. He actually tells a story (albeit somewhat random), dropping little bits of current events but always ties it neatly in the end. And it's always hilarious. His Sean Connery will never get old.

Jay's monologue is reading scripted jokes sequentially. Dave's monologue is telling a joke and dragging it out and then repeating each word with overly excessive enunciation. Conan's monologue for the last 2 months has been centered around his bemusement at the LA winter. Yes we get it, it's 70 degress out there. Tell another joke. Jimmy Fallon... meh.

Too bad I am rarely up late enough to catch Ferguson's show.

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DangerMouth
January 12, 2010 6:04 PM
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I really, really love Craig Ferguson, and think he's tied with letterman for best LNTSH, but I wonder if his show would do as well in a better slot with more money. A great deal of his charm and many of his funnies comes from his being the 'underdog'- leaky roof, small studio, no live band, etc.

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cluberti
January 12, 2010 6:10 PM
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I think his show, as-is, would do fine at 11:35 for most people. I agree though, his schtick is quite funny in part because it's such a rag-tag operation, but it's also funny because he's genuinely funny and comes across as a bit more \"regular\" than the rest of 'em. I do love Conan, but if NBC is going to kick Conan out of the 11:35 time slot then don't - NBC, please don't - bring back Jay Leno.

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Colonel Jack O'neill
January 12, 2010 5:17 PM
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Conan sucks, Leno's OK, but this guy would make a good host, he's funnier then Conan & Leno combined.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/36695/alf-tonight-tonight

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LJKelley
January 12, 2010 5:17 PM
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I have lost all respect for Consumerist with this post. I think Conan gets paid enough to do his own battles. The ratings show the Tonight Show fallen since he arrived, while Jay Leno still achieves roughly the same ratings at his new time slot. Sure there is spin by Conan that suggests that the lower early ratings impact his show, but that to me suggests that he is saying that early shows are more important than who is the the Tonight Show which is false.

Regardless this was a mistake for NBC, but there is no wise idea in throwing away a higher rating they can get out of Leno for the 11:30 time slot.

Shame on YOU Ben. The Consumerist shouldn't be a place for you to advocate for your favourite celebrities.

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12 replies
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pharmacyfires
January 12, 2010 6:23 PM
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I'm sorry, are you on the staff of the Consumerist? Who are you to decide the direction of the site?

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Damocles57
January 12, 2010 6:52 PM
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It seems he is a consumer who is expressing his opinion, which seems to be the intent of this web site.

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pharmacyfires
January 13, 2010 12:36 PM
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I consume NBC programming, doesn't this story about a change in their product--one that I use no less--apply to me?

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Damocles57
January 12, 2010 6:33 PM
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It seems he is a consumer who is expressing his opinion, which seems to be the intent of this web site.

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Thaddeus
January 12, 2010 6:01 PM
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Mom, Dad, stop fighting... you're ruining my birthday party!

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Corporate_guy
January 12, 2010 5:45 PM
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How is it spin that Leno causes Conan to have a lower potential audience?

The whole reason the 10pm leno show is being canceled/moved is because affiliates were losing 30% of their audience. There is no spin. If Leno was not causing a lower audience for affiliates, his 10pm show would have stayed where it was.

The fact is, if there is 30% less people watching nbc from 11-11:30pm, that of course will effect Conan. Those people either turned the tv off for the night or went to another network. Now to me it is illogical that people won't change channels to go back, but it's a phenomenon that seems to be very true. I have no idea why. But it is. Ratings for the show before you do effect your own ratings.

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Seanumich
January 12, 2010 10:28 PM
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What is Conan's excuse PRIOR to the start of the Leno show? He had from May to September and the ratings kept falling. Leno had the same lead ins prior and seemed to beat Letterman every day. This si a slam dunk. Conan has failed at 11:30

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s73v3r
January 13, 2010 2:12 PM
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When Leno took over the Tonight Show from Johnny Carson, he had a similar drop in ratings. In fact, it wasn't until his interview with Hugh Grant that he finally started beating Letterman.

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logicalnoise
January 13, 2010 10:27 AM
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incorrect leno had law and order/ER/decent ratings grabbing dramas feeding into news feeding into him. Conan has leno's shit show which kills viewers for the news which kills viewers for conan.

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LJKelley
January 12, 2010 6:00 PM
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The illogical decision was moving Leno there in the first place. He pulls the same exact ratings as he did, so to claim he lost any is wrong. The timeslot did, but not him.

If people just stick to a channel, then why does it matter if Conan stays? Just put any mediocre host in as long as the previous primetime shows pick up a good audience? Right? Wrong! While it may play a small part, I think there is more to it. Jay Leno consisently was the highest despite the ups and downs of NBC primetime ratings.

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veg-o-matic
January 12, 2010 6:05 PM
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Oh hi, Mr. Zucker! Welcome to Consumerist!

No, but really, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Leno did so poorly as the 10/11pm news lead-in that he pulled local affiliates down with him.
He did not retain his audience and the affiliates - and Conan - suffered for it.

Leno and NBC management are utterly incapable of substantive creativity - Leno took the Tonight Show and just rehashed it. That wasn't what he was supposed to do.

Anyway, I'm with Coco:
http://twitpic.com/xu5bg

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logicalnoise
January 12, 2010 5:38 PM
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1) a number of users obviously requested this. you != everyone else.
2) Conan's example was valid considering Leno got bitchslapped in the ratings against Dave until hugh grant slipped his hands down a transvestites pants. Audience's are grown. Leno's audience has become addicted to falling asleep to his hack style of comedy. they will follow because they need white noise. Now Conan can go anywhere and instead of conan's audience sticking around for fallon who needs all the help he can get, they'll watch something else.

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Smashville
January 12, 2010 5:36 PM
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The fact that you spelled favorite as \"favourite\" means that you weren't the intended audience (and knew you weren't when you clicked on the post).

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LJKelley
January 12, 2010 5:44 PM
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Actually I live in America. Not that I watch Jay Leno or Conan, the fact still remains that Jay Leno pulls in higher ratings so appearently people do watch him but not enough for a more higher grade slot.

And its more the cheap shots a Leno, claiming he isn't funny when oddly people still tune in to watch him and the Tonight Show has fallen in ratings since Conan took over. And sure that can be spun, but making cheap shots is child's play and stupid. Just because you like Conan more doesn't mean you have to hate Leno or make fun of him.

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GitEm$teveDave
January 13, 2010 8:38 AM
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There's a reason my previous town never had any cell towers. It wasn't that no one liked cell phones or no one used them. It was because the elderly vote in record numbers and enjoy filling out surveys from people like Seimens and Nielson.

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Mr. Derp
January 12, 2010 10:45 PM
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Let's see my checklist:
-British spelling of a word used as an affectation
-using the phrase \"Shame on you\"
-capitalizing the 'you' in the former phrase, thinking that extra emphasis will really drive your point across.

Yep, I think that pretty much confirms it: you're a douchenozzle.

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Smashville
January 12, 2010 5:56 PM
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The fact remains that the network affiliates are complaining that the ratings are so low that it's dropping the ratings for their newscasts, hence the change. It's called \"The Leno Effect\". Look it up.

And again, you could have just as easily not clicked on the article if you didn't want to read it.

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crowbaby
January 12, 2010 5:28 PM
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Wow, you really missed your nap time huh?

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Darrone
January 12, 2010 5:20 PM
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I suggest creative subjects like \"End of year sales\" or \"Q4 quarterly review\"

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roshambo
January 12, 2010 5:22 PM
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The only person less funny that Jay Leno is Conan Obrien. I personally can't really stand either of them. Hopefully Conan will go away and Jay Leno will fail in his new old time slot and NBC can come up with something new all together. This was such an epic fail of a programing switch for NBC. If there was ever a model for a Television Company of how not to run a network, NBC has provided it over the last few years. And they still wonder why noone watches their shows.

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osiris73
January 12, 2010 5:23 PM
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No! We need Conan to go away! He's a good writer but he's soooooooooo unfunny as a host. Good god, are you people seriously going to try to same him? The only one REMOTELY funny in late-night is Jimmy Fallon. And he's only marginally funny. I'm going to use those email addresses to get Conan's un-funny ass off my TV.

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tsukiotoshi
January 12, 2010 6:35 PM
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Wait wait, do you really think Jimmy Fallon is funny or are you being facetious? Because my mind was just blown by this comment.

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osiris73
January 12, 2010 7:07 PM
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I didn't say he was funny, I said he was the only one who was REMOTELY funny. I vaguely remember him saying something I thought was mildly amusing. He's no young Letterman by any means. Then again, Letterman isn't even Letterman anymore.

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pharmacyfires
January 13, 2010 12:44 PM
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While I disagree with you about Conan, Fallon's skits are awesome. Wheel of Carpet Samples? Hell yes.

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RavenWarrior
January 12, 2010 5:43 PM
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Nice to know they're having the same problems out there in Bizarro World. Jimmy Fallon has never been funny, the only person he makes laugh is himself.

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osiris73
January 12, 2010 5:25 PM
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\"save\" not \"same\"

*sigh* My passionate dislike of Conan got me all flustered.

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Mira Mi Huevo!!!
January 13, 2010 9:20 AM
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My friend you must be 12 years old to find Fallon even remotely funny...

Conan was the high light of the night, he was the \"funny meat\" of a mediocre comedy sandwich.

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MattAlbie
January 12, 2010 5:26 PM
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Conan O'Brien, constantly proving that he's the smartest and classiest guy in the room.

James Marsters had a great quote that kind of perfectly sums up Leno: \"Jay Leno seeks to offend no-one and as a result bores everyone.\"

Also, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib5lVD8GBr8

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Chris Walters
January 12, 2010 5:54 PM
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This clip is awesome, but then I'll listen to the alphabet shouted at me if Patton Oswalt is doing it. Thanks.

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BacteriaEP
January 12, 2010 5:28 PM
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Done!

I've loved watching Conan's show for years now and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let NBC just walk all over him and boot him from the network.

Does anybody really believe Leno's ratings are gonna go back up with a different timeslot? Really? Come on... the guy is so completely out of tune with comedy that it's, literally, not even funny anymore.

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muddgirl
January 12, 2010 5:28 PM
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Oh lordy lordy, Conan's little plea broke my heart.

I don't honestly believe that anyone finds Jay Leno \"funny\" any more. He is predictably mainstream and certain segments of the TV-watching public find that to be comforting. I don't really watch broadcast TV anymore, so I don't feel like I have any say in the matter. Numbnuts like me, who think Conan is just the bee's knees but nevertheless do not watch his show, are responsible for the apparent popularity of Leno. Sorry, y'all.

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cash_da_pibble
January 12, 2010 6:57 PM
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I feel very guilty for not watching Conan.
But it's so hard to break a habit of dodging Late Night Network TV after all the crap it dished out for years.

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Orv
January 12, 2010 6:39 PM
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If you're trying to reach the maximum number of viewers, \"mainstream\" is the way to do it. Playing to a small but loyal niche only works on cable where reaching half a million viewers is record setting; broadcast networks want to see millions of viewers tuning in, and you can't do that unless you make Joe Sixpack comfortable.

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t-spoon
January 12, 2010 5:33 PM
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I love Conan's run on SNL and The Simpsons, and I like the IDEA of who he is in comparison to guys like Leno, but I just never find myself laughing at his show.

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dohtem
January 12, 2010 7:06 PM
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You summed up exactly how I feel.

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dantsea
January 12, 2010 5:36 PM
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If Leno's so mind-blowingly hilarious to a fair number of Consumerist commenters, then why the hell aren't you watching his show. It's on before your bedtime, forchrissakes. Or does it get in the way of your Red Green reruns and Prairie Home Companion rebroadcasts?

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Seanumich
January 12, 2010 10:30 PM
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If Conan is so funny to so many, why are his ratings lower than Lenos? I dont like Jay Leno and watch neither program, but Leno has ratings that made him number one at 11:35. Conan lost that lead and then some.

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SkullCowboy
January 12, 2010 5:37 PM
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If I liked Conan O'Brien I might just do that. But I don't. So I won't.

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Smashville
January 12, 2010 5:38 PM
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The interesting part of this is that after that statement, I bet The Tonight Show's ratings are through the roof tonight.

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elangomatt
January 12, 2010 5:43 PM
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I think I am going to use the EECB to get both Jay Leno AND Conan fired. Neither of them have ever been funny. NBC made its first mistake when they hire Leno in the first place over Letterman for the Tonight Show.

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morganlh85
January 12, 2010 5:43 PM
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I sent my email.

I've been watching Conan for over a decade. Jay Leno never appealed to me...he's just an unfunny guy in my opinion. I've always liked Letterman too, so it's been tough for me to choose between them, but I'd rather choose between them than have NBC visit their own fuckup on him and screw his show over.

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Preyfar
January 13, 2010 9:02 AM
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I've been watching Conan for over a decade as well, and love him. Leno I could never stand. He always sort of came off as whiny, condescending and just... well, not funny. At all.

I'll forever remember him as \"The Dorito's Guy\" from the 80's when he was Frito Lay's biggest shill.

And he's still a shill now.

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CaptainSemantics
January 12, 2010 5:45 PM
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I thought I read somewhere that Conan's contract has a clause where NBC can move his show to 12:05 AM EST? Or am I smoking crack on this one?

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veg-o-matic
January 12, 2010 6:11 PM
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This is true, kind of...? As far as I've heard out there on the tubes, his contract says anything called \"The Tonight Show\" must be hosted by Conan. However, the contract failed to specify a timeslot. So NBC could move it to 2:30 if they wanted to.

NYT states it more clearly.. and wordy-ly: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/business/media/12conan.html

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CaptainSemantics
January 12, 2010 6:08 PM
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I was, apparently, smoking a big rock. I just checked a NYT article that states there is no contractual obligation in terms of the time of the broadcast. (shrugs)

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dantsea
January 12, 2010 5:52 PM
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I think if they did, we probably wouldn't be talking about this now. It would just happen. NBC seem to be framing it in terms of things not happening unless everyone agrees to them. So they're either being a very touchy-feely employer, or they didn't cover their bases there.

However, I've also heard that NBC believes as long as it has a show called 'Tonight' that is headlined by Conan, wherever it may be, they're free from having to make that $45 million penalty payout to him.

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logicalnoise
January 12, 2010 5:50 PM
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only in the case of a game causing delayed transmission.

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GTA
January 12, 2010 5:45 PM
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Craig Ferguson FTW. Seriously... that guy is funny.

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chris_d
January 13, 2010 11:04 AM
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Ferguson is 10x funnier than Letterman, and by far the funniest guy on late night.

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morganlh85
January 12, 2010 9:30 PM
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He really is! I never watched it until Jimmy Fallon took over (who is the unfunniest m-f-er I have ever seen on television) so I started watching him instead...he's hilarious!

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Chris Walters
January 12, 2010 5:56 PM
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He does make me laugh consistently more than any other late show host. I don't know why I have spent so many late night hours watching every. single. late. night. show. It does make me an expert, though, and Ferguson is currently king.

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Thaddeus
January 12, 2010 5:55 PM
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I enjoyed this from Craig last night:

“The truth is though I have to be honest about this. This is not Jay Leno’s fault. And it is not Conan O’Brien’s fault. Let’s just call it what it is. This whole mess is a direct result of atrocious management by a once great American network. The networks just do not treat late night shows with respect. For example, this morning my caviar was supposed to get here at 10:00 am. And it did not get here until 10:05, which completely ruined my massage. What I am saying, I think is, it is a bunch of middle age white guys arguing over who gets “X” million dollars, who gives a f*#%?”

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W10002
January 12, 2010 5:46 PM
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Rather than just EECB, why don't we actually watch Conan, improve ratings, and show NBC that the show is still viable!

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BacteriaEP
January 12, 2010 5:51 PM
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The problems not with Conan's ratings, it's with Leno's.

NBC wants to move Leno's time slot to where Conan's is now in order to revive the dying brand that Leno is. It's a futile attempt that will probably destroy the whole of NBC late night television forever.

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Thaddeus
January 12, 2010 5:59 PM
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Right... Low Leno ratings = low local news ratings. This ticks off the affiliates who make their bread and butter from the late local news. Low ratings there provide a weak lead-in for Conan... then Jimmy... then Carson.

The whole issue is the \"experiment\" didn't work or was not given enough time. NBC is so dedicated to Jay they will burn all the bridges they can to keep him when it would make the most sense to just let him go and have Conan fend for himself.

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FaustianSlip
January 14, 2010 2:22 AM
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Agree. This is the part I don't get- as a kid, I used to find Leno really funny, but looking back, all of his material that I've ever found entertaining wasn't really his at all. Headlines? Stuff he finds in (or is sent from) newspapers that makes no sense; his commentary is completely superfluous. Jaywalking? Again, his presence isn't necessary; it's stupid people making idiots of themselves. I can't remember the last time I laughed at an actual joke Leno's told, and I think a lot of his ratings were as much out of habit as anything else. I really don't understand NBC's obsession with keeping Leno when it's becoming increasingly obvious that his viability as a late night (and certainly primetime) property is dwindling. And frankly, if they were this committed to Leno from the beginning, why in the world did they arbitrarily promise Conan the Tonight Show in 2009 years ago if what their precious Leno wanted was to stay on at 11:35? The whole thing makes very little sense to me.

NBC is hurting both themselves and Leno at this point; he looks like a dick for going along with the decision to yank the Tonight Show out from under Conan, they look like idiots for their complete inability to manage their own lineup. They're so petrified of Leno being pitted against them from another network that they're doing ridiculous crap to try and keep him happy and at NBC, and I really don't see why. The only good thing coming out of this at the moment is that Conan's ratings are probably through the roof now (and really, the way he's skewering NBC and Leno has been pretty damn funny).

Putting aside the ratings and such for a moment, what NBC is doing is just a really crappy way to treat someone who packed up his family and moved across the country (not to mention all of his staff who did the same). They promised the guy the Tonight Show years ago, he's only been on for seven months, which isn't time, IMHO, to completely fine tune the show and figure out what will work and what won't, and they're still obsessed with the previous host. What they probably deserve is for Leno to go back to 11:35, continue hemorrhaging viewers (especially if Conan ends up moving over to Fox) and watch their ratings tank even further, but that's not necessarily what Conan deserves.

The classy thing would be for Jay to retire or something, enjoy his money and his cars, and let Conan have the damn show, already, but it's pretty evident that that won't be happening. I'd suggest he go back to standup if he wants to continue in comedy, but frankly, I don't think he could really hack that anymore.

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OrlandoDude
January 12, 2010 5:47 PM
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It is amazing to me to watch NBC literally implode.

NBC Management is completely clueless as to what the American public desires to watch. From its News, to its cable channels, to its entertainment offerings. I mean really, even FOX is beating them with better decisions. It's truly embarrassing. And now, with Comcast coming in, I feel sorry for every \"working joe\" who is employed there. They may find themselves destroyed beyond repair, relegated to CW status...

Oh, except for \"The Office\". Best Show on NBC. Gotta have a winner somewhere....

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crazydavythe1st
January 13, 2010 3:01 AM
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Am I the only one though that feels like The Office is dying?

*spoiler* The show seems to lost its \"plot\" even though it never officially had one. So much of the early seasons revolved around Jim and Pam that their marriage feels like a natural end to the show. I may be the only one - but Michael's antics always seemed like a backdrop to what, to me, seemed like a romance-type series. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do to resolve that. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks that way *end spoiler*

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pax
January 12, 2010 9:58 PM
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I'm hoping David Tennant's new show finds an audience, but, knowing it's on NBC, I'm worried.

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Megalomania
January 12, 2010 6:03 PM
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I would say that Fox has been much more effective at making absolutely irrational decisions with respect to its programming. Off the top of my head, they canceled Family Guy, Futurama, Family Guy again, Firefly, Arrested Development... and all of them have had enough fan support to come back one way or another. NBC at least allows its well reviewed shows a chance to do well (e.g., 30 Rock). Still, I feel bad for Conan, who if nothing else has been a class act all the way.

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MattAlbie
January 13, 2010 9:10 AM
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That's not entirely accurate. FIREFLY got screwed, yes, but FAMILY GUY and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT were both given fighting chances before cancellation. If you look at the original airdates for both, they weren't even really moved around a lot either.

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Thaddeus
January 12, 2010 5:53 PM
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First off, I enjoy ALL of the late night TV. Conan, Craig, Jay, Dave, both the Jimmy's and even Carson Daily. I know... I need help.

I agree that Conan is getting the shaft from NBC. Sadly, they are to desperate to hang on to Jay because they know he would be a problem were he to move to another network they are going to burn down the whole house just to keep Leno. What they should have done it just let him go and stick with Conan and Jimmy Fallon (who is still awkward but give him time) and have Conan deal with going up against Jay on ABC or Fox...

AS that will not happen they are going to be dealing with this issue again in 5-7 years when Leno finally leaves and Conan is at another network (probably Fox). They sure as heck wont give the Tonight Show to Fallon so they will be left with begging Conan to come back or try and secure another host from somewhere.

That or I'm all wrong. Whatever happens just watch more Craig Ferguson. He's pretty funny and I enjoy the puppets.

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trujunglist
January 12, 2010 6:00 PM
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Conan is way better than Leno.

I used to love Leno back in the day. Adored him. I got my parents to get me an autograph from him when they saw the Tonight Show. I loved his back and forth with Wynton Marsalis.
Then Conan came along. And he was perfect! My budding teenage sense of humor fit in perfectly with his. Every night I watched both. And every night, Leno became unfunnier and unfunnier, while Conan got more and more hilarious. Soon I stopped watching Leno altogether and just went straight for Conan. I even tried to get into his show when I went to NYC on a trip, but ended up being 1 person short of getting in =(
Conan is also way classier than Leno. All Leno does is make really bad jokes making fun of people. Conan does too, but unlike Jay, Conan will relentlessly bash himself as well. Leno's got an ego on him, and if this whole debacle is what it seems to be, then he's got a much larger ego than I presumed. Shame on him. Conan is a class act and will eventually be respected and known as THE best late night host ever. I guarantee this, because I am always ahead of my time on cool stuff. All this Jay being an asshole shit makes me want to mail his autographed picture back to him. Bullshit on you Jay, you're screwing over your pal here, you do realize that don't you?
(P.S. I also have a bunch of Jay's \"headlines\" books from when I was younger that I've been rereading lately through no coincidence in timing. God, they're fucking terrible. His little commentary on the side is so not funny. It's like all these \"FAIL\" pictures before there were FAIL pictures, but really even less funny because it doesn't just say FAIL, it has a terrible joke or pun or something so retarded that it makes me want to tear up the book and send it to him in little pieces.)

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Mira Mi Huevo!!!
January 12, 2010 6:02 PM
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I think Conan is the Meat of a Comedy Failure Sanwich!

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Thaddeus
January 12, 2010 6:09 PM
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IN the interest of fairness (And I'm a Conan fan), For all the people giving Jay crap for shilling on TV: Carson did it all the time on the Tonight Show. They did live commercials right there on the show.

Few Examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FsBzNX_PMk; http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=11112; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvKA75OPVGA

I\"m sure more could be found with a google video search. All that being said I hope things work out for Conan.

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mikel81
January 12, 2010 6:10 PM
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Why not separate them with a semicolon so I can just copy and paste and send?

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mikel81
January 12, 2010 6:10 PM
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Why not separate them with a semicolon so I can just copy and paste and send?

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LACubsFan
January 12, 2010 6:13 PM
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Why?? The show has no ratings! Why would a network save a show with no ratings? He can't beat dave, or nightline, and he couldn't beat that Craig Ferguson show when he was on that other time slot.

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logicalnoise
January 13, 2010 1:01 PM
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considering you're a cubs fan, I have to ask what!?

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ap0
January 12, 2010 6:26 PM
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I think Conan's a very talented and funny, but I don't think he's a suitable mainstream late-night guy. His comedy is a little edgier/cerebral/whatever you want to call it, and middle America isn't as comfortable with that as they are with the easy jokes Jay Leno tells (I really don't like Leno).

NBC is smart from a business perspective doing this. Conan never had great ratings, both at 11:35 and 12:30. He was making $10 mil a year to do Late Night before doing The Tonight Show. I think Conan would do well on Comedy Central or FOX, with a show/format tailored more around his audience's tastes. He's not a mainstream guy, which I think is why he's such a polarizing host. Those that like him seem to like him quite a bit, but those that don't really don't care for him at all.

The idea of a 10pm variety show was a pretty big gamble for NBC. It meant they didn't have to produce the big-budget one-hour dramas that normally air during that 10pm hour, but at the cost of ratings. From a business perspective they were probably doing okay -- they probably took in enough advertising dollars to cover the cost of running the show -- but the low ratings pissed off the local 11pm news broadcasts because not enough people were watching to give them a decent lead in. Affiliates had been talking since the beginning of the 10pm show about dumping Leno for either a 10pm newscast or syndicated programming that was popular.

NBC should settle with Conan to give the Tonight Show back to Leno, and let Conan go on with his career elsewhere. I think if Conan was on at 11:35pm vs. Letterman and Leno that he'd do more damage than either CBS or NBC think he could, especially if he could do a show that really didn't have a precedent like Tonight always will have.

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MikeB
January 12, 2010 6:54 PM
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I think that Jay should just retire from the talk show circuit. While I do not think this is even remotely his main reason, this quote shows how much of a class act Conan is.

Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
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umbriago
January 12, 2010 6:57 PM
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I never forgave NBC for losing Jack Benny, if they lose Conan they've earned it.

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HungryGal
January 12, 2010 7:05 PM
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Conan wants to leave.

Fox will pick him up. All will be good. Don't worry, kids.

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IfThenElvis
January 12, 2010 7:30 PM
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My millionaire late night host better than your millionaire late night host - and they are both laughing all the way to bank.

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IfThenElvis
January 12, 2010 7:42 PM
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http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/01/11/craig-ferguson-gloats-a-bit/
Macleans makes an interesting point. Primetime shows have to keep you hooked and entertained until the end of the show. Late night talk shows know that people will drop throughout the evening - that's why the A-list guests are on first. Conan no longer wants to host a show that follows one that can't keep its audience - and another reason why affiliates hated Jay's earlier show.

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TommyTutone
January 12, 2010 8:05 PM
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in a perfect world, Conan goes to work for Fox for $1/year on the remaining contract of NBC. Why, do you ask? Because NBC has to fork over the difference between whatever salary he gets at another network and $20 million. Let NBC subsidize Conan on another network and let Fox and him laugh all the way to the bank.

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LACubsFan
January 12, 2010 8:11 PM
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Conan can't do ANYTHING while under contract with NBC.

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Mariushm
January 12, 2010 8:20 PM
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I'm not going to send them letters because I'm from Romania but I hope the managers at NBC will read the comments here...

One of the local TV stations purchased the rights to broadcast Leno's show but it just doesn't make audience here - they dropped it after a season or two. It's just too commercial, it plugs too many products and was just too... how could i say it... very politically correct \"jokes\", a lot of \"stars\" that would just waste time talking a bit and then just plugging their movies.

It was just plain boring and lots of people I know think Jay Leno should just retire already.

Both Letterman and Conan O'Brian are more funny and on the Conan subject - on one hand I think he deserves more than Leno the time slot and the audience but on the other hand, I'd probably prefer him on the old time slot, because he could do this way sillier/racier/naughty/controversial jokes and pranks and small scenes.

It's just not the same as it was before and not for the good.

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LostTurntable
January 12, 2010 8:21 PM
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Everyone who watches NBC should participate in the EECB.

But then again, we'll probably need more than those 20 people...

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kidres
January 12, 2010 8:43 PM
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Johnny Carson is probably rolling over in his grave about what has happened to NBC and the people who run it.

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coren
January 12, 2010 9:06 PM
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I don't know if I'm more aggravated by this move, or by the part where NBC canceled/didn't renew a half dozen shows in favor of Leno. I miss Life and My Name is Earl :(

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rdm
January 13, 2010 1:54 PM
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Losing \"Life\" was heartbreaking especially in light of this Leno disaster. Such a great show.

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Sarcastikate
January 12, 2010 9:14 PM
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WOW...are all those product mentions from just one show, for real? That is some crazy sh*t! Wish Conan would go to Fox, where he could bring back Triumph the Insult Dog and other stuff. The torch has been passed from one host to another on the TS for many years as we all know...why can't big crybaby Jay just show a bit of dignity and/or pride and retire already? On the other hand, in light of world and national events, who gives a crap...it's just a friggin show. (But Jay, seriously, WAH, WAH, WAH).

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mudster
January 12, 2010 9:16 PM
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Conan is not funny, Leno is. I think it's good that Conan is going bye bye soon. While I agree on Leno as the corp. schill at 10pm that's not him, that's the network. I think back on 11:35, he will be back to normal and Davie will be lonely again. Like it should be.

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CTAUGUST
January 12, 2010 9:36 PM
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Why do a EECB??? Conan gets $40 million dollars if NBC violates his contract (they did) and he leaves (he will). He just triggered a HUGE pay day! Run Conan, run!

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skitzogreg
January 12, 2010 9:58 PM
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You know what, to hell with NBC. I'm 112 comments down, but I'm still going to voice what l think about this. All of this internet publicity should be proof to NBC that what they are doing is a huge mistake. We are Conan's audience. We are the blogging, web-browsing, meme searching kids at heart, that love Conan and his well applied humor. And we (at least those who love Conan) are pissed.

People, Conan is richer than any of us could imagine. He could have left years ago and lived on his fortune, but he wanted to fulfill his dream of appearing on this show (time). The buyout probably means nothing to him. His dream was crushed, and a payout won't fix anything.

I can only wish that Conan reads these messages, but alas I know it's unlikely. Either way, Conan, you kick ass.

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Carlee
January 12, 2010 10:13 PM
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Sorry - not interested. I have never gotten Conan's brand of humor (I am just too square, I guess) and I do find Jay Leno funny.

Whereas I am occasionally still be awake past 11:35 (and watch The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno) and can still remember Johnny Carson hosting The Tonight Show (would even catch bits of it, even though I was in elementary school) - this has never happened since Conan took over hosting duties. It's 11:35pm, Conan's on, off goes the tv. .

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JulesNoctambule
January 12, 2010 10:16 PM
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Hold on a minute -- what am I doing at Gawker again??

Oh, wait. . .looks like this is Oz - I mean Consumerist - after all. I guess I was just briefly confused by this post.

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dvdchris
January 12, 2010 10:21 PM
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I would argue that most people don't watch this stuff in its actual time slot anyway. My grandparents are the only people I know that watch shows while they're actually on. The older your audience skews the more important the time slot, obviously. After a few years, these types of shows will be irrelevant as broadcasts. Networks are in for a wake-up call in just a few years as they find younger people never developed the habit of watching pre-arranged timeslot live TV; or even broadcast TV at all.

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Seanumich
January 12, 2010 10:38 PM
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I would argue that this is not appointment TV.Meaning, if it is on people will watch it before bed, If not, nobody is mad they missed it. I do not know the statistics, but I would bet these shows are rarely DVR or Tivod.

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parrotuya
January 12, 2010 10:22 PM
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Leave, Conan! Before the evil Comcast takes over what good is left of NBC and crushes it forever!

DOWn, baby, DOWn!

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stopNgoBeau
January 12, 2010 10:28 PM
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Consumerist editors, can we have permission to reuse the I'm With Coco image on social networking sites to raise awareness to this issue?

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rdm
January 13, 2010 1:56 PM
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It is not their image, it is owned by someone else who has given permission.

http://www.sirmikeofmitchell.com/imwithcoco/

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Stephanie K.
January 13, 2010 4:34 AM
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The artist of the image - http://twitter.com/sirmitchell - has given blanket permission for use of the image anywhere, anytime in support of Conan.

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PsiCop
January 12, 2010 10:28 PM
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What NBC was trying to do was very clever. Instead of running 5 hours a week of scripted-drama television ... which is very expensive to produce ... they went with 5 days a week of Leno. They knew going into it that his show would get lower ratings than 5 scripted dramas would, so they'd get less ad money, but they'd be paying a fraction of the production cost.

It would, in short, be a windfall for NBC the network. And I'm sure it was. And I agree it was a brilliant move on their part.

But the Law of Unintended Consequences has a nasty habit of coming down hard on even the smartest plans. In this case the affiliates were hammered by the loss of viewers in the 10 pm hour and their news ratings suffered ... immensely.

So now they have to eat crow, roll back the clock, and try to fix the damage. What's going on with Leno, O'Brien, and Fallon is but one aspect of this which will hurt them badly. Another is, what about those 5 hours a week of scripted dramas that they haven't bought and which are not even now yet in production?

I gotta love it when corporate management engineers themselves a windfall ... then has to admit it was a bad idea from the start because it caused problems they not only didn't foresee, they didn't even care to foresee them.

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YouDidWhatNow?
January 12, 2010 10:29 PM
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Maybe for Ferguson or Letterman. Not for Conan or Leno.

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Cherstynne
January 12, 2010 10:55 PM
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Dear NBC;
I am a loyal fan of all your programing, I start my day with the Today Show and Regis and Kelly, end my day watching Conan and Jimmy Fallon. In between I watch The Office and 30 Rock, Community... well I could go on. I never enjoyed watching Jay Leno and always watched Letterman instead when he was on the Tonight Show. Since Conan took over the Tonight Show I haven't watched one Letterman show. None of that matters to you I am sure. The bottom line is that you made a deal that you are going back on. Conan is a stand up guy, he is funny, talented, creative and he has worked so hard to be on the Tonight Show which you promised him 5 years ago. Now that Leno decided he doesn't really want to retire you have decided to go back on your word and treat Conan and his staff like red headed step children. These people picked up their entire lives and moved to LA, which any New Yorker would know is a terrible change. However they were willing to do it because it was the Tonight Show! A show people can only dream about being a part of. Then you tell them 7 months later that you are bumping them to 12:05am! First off that is no longer tonight that is the next morning!! Not to mention moving Jimmy Fallon to 1:05am! Jimmy has one of the best shows on TV, period!! While you are at it, you could just push SNL to 12:05 and put Jay on at 11:35 on Saturdays too. It makes just as much since to air SNL on Sunday morning as it does to air the Tonight show after Midnight. Neither Conan or Jimmy deserve this treatment! I don't blame Conan at all for leaving if these changes are made. Jay Leno is not your future!!! Wake up and don't let a talent like Conan go! Please!! Please listen to you viewers! I don't want to look at NBC as just one more HEARTLESS CORPORATION.
Your loyal viewer (for now);

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ejsaloka
January 12, 2010 10:57 PM
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I just sent this email to the NBC execs ...


Subject: Tsk, tsk, you old poops! Conan (and Andy, Max and La Bamba) deserves better.

Body:

Dearest buttmunches over at NBC,

Leno is a giant-chinned reheated meatball and so are the people who are booting Conan out of his time slot. Aka, all y'alls.

Conan has worked long and hard for this opportunity. He's been anticipating this for years. And, surely, has been dreaming of it much longer. If you'd given him some more time, I think everything would have worked out for the best. But, alas, none of us will ever know.

Because, instead, you're going back to Leno. Great move. Sure, your ratings might go back up over time, as people's initial outrage at your treatment of my Cone-ster cools. But you better enjoy it while it lasts. Because, within five years or so, Leno's fans will be too old to see past the tennis balls shoved on the end of their walker legs. That, or they'll be dead from complications related to in-breeding.

Conan is fresh, funny, and, from what I can tell, a genuinely nice guy. One who has given you 16 years of service. Viva Conan! I will follow him wherever he goes.

Go sit on a hot cactus.

Sincerely,

Conan's #1 Fan

p.s. I hope you all get gas tomorrow.

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stroh
January 12, 2010 11:00 PM
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Any chance you can add Comcast to this since they'll be the parent company?

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Lance
January 12, 2010 11:03 PM
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Here is a copy of the e-mail I sent to NBC:

What NBC is doing to Conan O'Brien is absolutely despicable. For years, he was promised he would be the host of the Tonight Show, and he has passed up numerous lucrative offers because he believed you would honor those promises. He stayed loyal to your company, and trusted you. To go back on them in the manner you have, and in the process personally hurt him and everything he has done for your network is a true shame. You may argue that Conan will still be hosting the Tonight Show, it will just be airing at a different time. You and I both know that is simply semantics, and an unfortunate and cowardly way for you to cop out of your agreement.

I really am incredibly angered at your network for this recent decision, and I have a strong urge to launch into a vulgar tirade, but I feel that will distract from my overall message so I'll keep it civil. Ultimately, the decision to create a show for Jay Leno that has failed miserably is on your shoulders, not Conan's. Each and every one of you should be suffering the consequences of your decisions, costing NBC hundreds of millions of dollars. It is a true shame that rather than taking responsibility for your own poor decisions, you have instead chosen to screw over a fine man, who has given so much of his time and energy to your network.

I implore you, for the respect of myself and millions more, do not move Conan's show. Give him the respect he deserves and allow him to continue to host as you had promised.

Lance A.


[end of e-mail]

As an aside, where is Jay Leno's honor in this? Where is his self-respect? In his letter today, Conan stated part of the reasoning for his decision to quit if his show is indeed moved, is because he doesn't think it's fair to Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon doesn't have nearly the pedigree nor respect that Conan has earned through his many years of service to the industry, yet Conan is showing respect for his colleague. Leno on the other hand is selfishly allowing this move to take place rather than stepping down out of respect for O'Brien. Both Jay Leno and NBC should be ashamed of themselves.

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milty456
January 12, 2010 11:04 PM
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Join the facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=247545509271&ref=nf

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STrRedWolf
January 12, 2010 11:36 PM
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I used to stay up for Jay's monologue when he did the Tonight Show. He was funny at the right time slot, and it was appropriate.

Then they experimented, moved Jay to 10pm, knocking out great shows, while moving Conan to 12:35pm as Tonight Show host. I can't watch Jay because it's right when the 10pm local news is on, and I can't stand Conan because *he isn't funny*. I can't watch David Letterman because his monologue is too short, I don't want more news, and the local Fox station has junk at the time. The TV goes dark.

The ratings that have been returned seem to back some of this up: both Jay and Conan are third place. People are watching something else at 10pm and ether continuing on that channel, or if they switch to NBC local news, switch back afterwards (more than likely because they can't stand Conan). Or maybe they just watch the news and (GASP!) turn off the TV.

NBC is shuffling it up again because the experiment failed, and is looking to restore order. Conan wants to stay put, but if they shuffle it, he goes (and still gets paid); in essence, Jay gets the Tonight Show back, and the Late Night show stays put. Ether case, 10pm is freed up to get various shows back in. The old setup is restored, and some dead weight gets moved out (maybe to Fox).

So tell me, how *really* is this a bad thing to warrant not only a EECB, but a Slashdot Email Bombardment?

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MattAlbie
January 13, 2010 9:13 AM
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You don't quite understand what's going on, so rather than explain it just please trust me: \"Yes, yes it is worth it.\"

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STrRedWolf
January 16, 2010 9:34 AM
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Given I can't stand Conan, you better explain it.

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clarkbarr
January 13, 2010 12:21 AM
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I see the idiots at NBC are giving Jay the Tonight Show again and they've booted Conan. Hopefully, Conan will be welcome at Fox or ABC. And I'm waiting for Conan to go on Letterman and just let loose. I couldn't blame him.

NBC is in for a very rude awakening when Jay loses the audience Conan has. If Jay had any honor, he would accept that he's worn out his welcome and leave Conan alone.

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triggerasynapse
January 13, 2010 12:28 AM
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i don't think it's a question of whether or not you like conan or hate conan, or if you prefer jay over conan. there are easier aesthetics to comprehending all of this.

you can't blame conan because leno's show has poor ratings, and you can't expect him to inconvenience himself to help out leno. you can only blame jay leno.

if someone at your job was not performing well, and the boss noticed and decided to promote that person and demote you in their place, wouldn't you be mad? you'd be LIVID. yes, you would.

if a network can cancel a tv show after airing only 1 episode because it's didn't put up numbers it wanted, then nbc can cancel the jay leno show. it's had plenty of time to succeed. it hasn't. leno shouldn't be congratulated for this fact, and conan shouldn't have to pay for that mistake.

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GTB
January 13, 2010 12:42 AM
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This is unfathomable to me. Jay Leno has been terrible since he left standup. His show has been nothing but lame since its infancy. I'm not saying Conan is hilarious (Andy Richter, in my opinion, is far funnier than Conan) but compared to Leno he's Eddie F'n Murphy. I can't understand how Leno even has a show still, except that I guess he probably scores pretty high with the little-old-lady and \"people who like Family Circus\" demographics. Oh that Jeffery, he is such a scamp!

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FaustianSlip
January 14, 2010 2:35 AM
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Heh, my grandma is all about Letterman, though now she'll sometimes watch Conan, depending on what Letterman's up to. Then it's on to Craig Ferguson.

This whole thing is absurd- NBC is so obsessed with keeping Jay that they're willing to destroy their entire late night lineup. It's the need for instant gratification at its finest, and as others have pointed out, NBC's just digging a grave for themselves five years down the road when Leno actually does retire, at which point they'll have no ready host, will have killed the Tonight Show franchise and will have burned their bridges with Conan, who will probably be on another network. That's assuming there are any viewers left watching NBC late night at all, of course, since a lot of the younger demographic will probably walk with Conan, if it comes to that. And really, I don't see why NBC is so terrified of Leno, anyway; he hasn't been funny for a while now, just getting staler and staler, and I think his primetime ratings reflect that. Even if he moved to another network, I'm not at all convinced that he'd bring the viewers with him.

Jay should have a little dignity and step down gracefully; going along with NBC in destroying the Tonight Show just makes him look classless, and I think that'll hurt his ratings even if he does claw his way back to 11:35. Meanwhile, maybe Conando should just move to Telemundo, where he'd actually be appreciated.

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Yoko Broke Up The Beatles
January 13, 2010 12:44 AM
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Maybe The Simpsons would take Conan back? I would absolutely LOVE that!

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Enduro
January 13, 2010 12:54 AM
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Here's my letter:
Dear Execs,
I'm a 34 year old single male, I spend a lot of money on things I see on television. I have watched a combined total of 37 minutes of Jay Leno's Tonight show (Rodney Dangerfield was on) and 3 minutes of his new prime time show. I watch Conan every night. Just saying.
Good luck with allllll that,
mark.

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Enduro
January 13, 2010 12:56 AM
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...I did fail to mention that I DVR Letterman every night too but...

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dj-anakin
January 13, 2010 1:17 AM
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Delivery to the following recipients failed

MICHAEL.PILOT@nbc.com

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elislider
January 13, 2010 1:32 AM
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I've sent off my EECB! Conan is literally my favorite thing on TV. I have been archiving the episodes for years, recently in 720p even

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shibblegritz
January 13, 2010 1:55 AM
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Yes, and this has to do with consumer interests how, exactly?

Will your next attempt to harness the power of your tepid celebrity be urging us to attend movies you prefer over those you do not, or perhaps to consume your personal favorite brand of snack cake?

Conan O'Brien is an incredibly fortunate multi-millionaire at the apex of a brutal business who can afford to fight his own battles. In reality, the Tonight Show brand isn't what it used to be anyway, and he might well do better with a fresh start on a new network.

I wish all three gentlemen the best in their efforts, but I don't see any need to urge anyone to do anything in regards to the possible changes.There will, I am sure, be someone on at 11:30 and again at midnight telling faintly humorous jokes for me to enjoy on sleepless nights.

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crazydavythe1st
January 13, 2010 2:53 AM
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You know I'm actually starting to see the value in the Consumerist fluff pieces.
Seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing something completely off topic that perhaps one of the editors is intently passionate over. If you scheduled it to occur on certain days for instance (like the image posts that I love to see on Friday), and limited it from there, you could have a real winner. I only get irritated when you guys do a bunch of them all at once. I could even look forward to \"what they going to talk about this week\". I'm not sure if other readers would like it though.

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Stephanie K.
January 13, 2010 3:01 AM
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My open letter:

NBC -

We the fans of Conan O'Brien believe that you would be making an egregious mistake if you bump 'The Tonight Show' to 12:05, thus losing its host.

Conan O'Brien is the Tonight Show voice of the next generation - the 30 and 20-somethings who are your upcoming audience, your growing and powerful demographic. Along with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Conan speaks to this generation on a far greater level than any other host possible at this time in television.

Jay Leno has been waning in popularity within this demographic for years - he kept many viewers while still on the Tonight Show because his audience aged with him, watching him out of habit from his 16 year run. But now it is time for him to move on from late night. It is time for him to have the grace to step down if his ratings are poor, and to not move The Tonight Show from its traditional spot on NBC.

When he moved to Prime Time, it became apparent that Jay himself was not the commanding reason for viewership - and his ratings failed because of it. It was not due to prime time, it was simply due to his stale humor, outdated and tiresome to new generations of viewers. There weren't enough people to follow him out of personal loyalty, and the show itself was so bad that the few who did tended to leave for higher quality shows.

When Jay stepped into Johnny Carson's shoes, he received fair play in rebuilding viewership. He ran into some of the same issues that Conan recently has - the loss of an audience which feared the change of host. It takes more than one season to rebuild that trust with the audience - something Conan apparently will never get.

Additionally, I highly recommend taking to the internet to see how this is being reacted to by the demographic I'm speaking of - the youthful demographic that would have been watching NBC and Conan for many years to come. See the boycotts being proposed of your other shows that hit well with this demographic: 30 Rock, Heroes, and Chuck. Head to twitter.com and look at the trending topics - #teamconan, #saveconan, #nbcfail, etc. Check out Facebook and the myriad groups that have sprung up in support of Conan - often gaining thousands of new members per hour.

I would also take a closer look at internet viewership of The Tonight Show - I think you would be massively surprised by not only your NBC site's streaming video, but also by Hulu's - and the amount of viewers who rely on those for their Conan fix.

Please reconsider this decision - Jay Leno's time has come, as his ratings have clearly shown. It's not because of his slot - it's because he is simply no longer relevant to television. Give Conan his time to shine. Give us back our Cone Zone.

You will find your network sorely hurting if you do not.

Respectfully,
Stephanie K

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rdm
January 13, 2010 8:02 AM
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To be fair, Conan has done *some* product placement stuff. The most recent one was a Kodak HD video camera (I think it was Kodak). It's nothing compared to the shilling that Leno does, though.

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holden190
January 13, 2010 8:22 AM
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Ben --

I do not visit consumerist to save a talk show, and this posting brings my respect for you down a notch.

Please refrain from such posts. It should be a platform to save your favorite talk show.

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rdm
January 14, 2010 11:02 AM
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There are a lot of stories posted here that I roll my eyes at or am not interested in. That's what happens when someone else runs a web site.

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MattAlbie
January 13, 2010 9:16 AM
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I mean, you didn't have to read it. You know that, right? You knew what the post was from the title, so you should have skipped over it on the main page.

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ahleeeshah
January 13, 2010 8:35 AM
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I cannot find Jay Leno funny. I have tried, really. Something about him just irks everything in my being, and when there were talks of an American Top Gear with him as a host I almost cried. I am lame and don't stay awake long enough to watch late night TV most days, but the only host that I will actually watch clips of after the fact is Conan.

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tundey
January 13, 2010 8:53 AM
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Guess? I find Conan dangerously not funny. Sure he's funny when you are high, drunk or both at midnight but certainly not at 11:35pm. And if he was that funny, how come Letterman (who Jay used to spank routinely) is beating him every night? I'll tell you why. It's because Conan's audience aren't drunk, high or both yet at 11:35pm. Plain and simple.

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NinjaMarion
January 13, 2010 11:09 AM
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Of course, it certainly couldn't be because Leno's poorly-performing show is losing viewers leading into the news (and thus also into Conan). It also certainly couldn't have anything to do with the show still being kinda new and not having had enough time to establish itself. But clearly, Leno obviously started off as #1 through his whole run... you know, except he was losing out to Letterman until Hugh Grant got caught with a hooker and still did his Leno appearance.

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sheriann0409
January 13, 2010 9:01 AM
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Jay should NOT get the opportunity to go back to the 11:35 time slot. Conan is 100% better than Jay Leno. I love Conan at 11:35. If Conan gets pushed out of this 11:35 time slot, I hope he goes to another network, and I can promise you...his fans will go with him.

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johnfrombrooklyn
January 13, 2010 9:32 AM
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I like Jay Leno (as a person, not a comedian) but it seems he's the real b**** in this story. If his show flopped, then it was his fault. Instead, he gets rewarded. Bring back 5 hours of quality NBC Primetime shows. Conan's ratings will double.

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JanetCarol
January 13, 2010 10:02 AM
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Leno is so absolutely not funny, hearing his voice is like an ice pick through my head.
They should put his show earlier to appeal to the crowds that seem to like him (my parents and grand parents and sheltered folk I know) Maybe like 5-6pm.

Conan is awesome. And I have a job - I can't stay up until after midnight to watch him.
I do catch Jimmy on Hulu though.

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Dre'
January 13, 2010 10:06 AM
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People still watch TV?

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Transient
January 13, 2010 10:23 AM
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Bombs away. I've never contacted a network or sent out an EECB of any sort, but this is screwed up logically and it's just plain wrong to do. I'm with Coco!

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Alarmpro
January 13, 2010 10:33 AM
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Thanks for the EECB addresses. I used them for the opposite reason, to move Leno back to the Tonight Show. When he went away after the news it messed up my routine. I miss the Monday night \"Headlines\" bit. Conan is funny, but not Tonight Show caliber. His humor is too sophmoric, and is more of a niche' for college-age audiences.

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TVGenius
January 13, 2010 10:35 AM
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This is just the icing on top of the pile of horrific decisions made by Jeff Zucker. How that man hasn't been fired yet is beyond me. He's taken the #1 network and moved it into where they're practically in 5th place behind Univision at times...

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Dillon Font
January 13, 2010 10:48 AM
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I don't know if its because this specific mailbox is full, but this email address bounced:

MICHAEL.PILOT@nbc.com

Great idea! I don't even watch the Tonight Show but participated - Conan is more beloved by anyone under 40, and its time that he gets what he's worked hard for.

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theblackdog
January 13, 2010 11:38 AM
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I am pretty sure that Leno has something to do with why Conan is being moved around. He's a total weasel about things like this, and if he doesn't get what he wants, he turns into a big fat whiny baby until he gets his way. I hope that Conan takes a swing at him before he leaves NBC.

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axiomatic
January 13, 2010 12:25 PM
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Craig Ferguson is my favorite, but Co-Co is a very close second.

Leno is in fact the worst.

Fight the power Co-Co!

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y2julio
January 13, 2010 1:38 PM
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I sent NBC an email too. I'm with CoCo!

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y2julio
January 13, 2010 1:44 PM
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MICHAEL.PILOT@nbc.com is not working. My email bounced back.

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kubus_gt
January 13, 2010 1:48 PM
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the e-mail is nbcuni.com

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tinyhands
January 13, 2010 3:35 PM
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Dave is funnier than Leno. Coco is funnier than Dave. Ferguson is funnier than all of them combined.
I predict NBC will cease to exist altogether within 12 months. They're running it like a prize fighter who's been paid to take a dive.

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Patriot
January 13, 2010 4:32 PM
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If Jay is so dangerously unfunny explain how he has dominated the late night ratings for 15+ years.

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MattAlbie
January 13, 2010 5:05 PM
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Counter point: if he's so funny, why is he eating it at 10:00pm? Elderly people are alive at 10:00 too, y'know.

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Verdant Pine Trees
January 15, 2010 1:16 PM
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People are used to watching other things at 10 pm? Including favorite shows that are on once a week, rather than every day? A lot of us who DO watch late night chat don't watch late night, every consecutive night... we can miss a few. But you can't miss your favorite drama or guilty pleasure that only airs once a week on 10 pm... that is, I'm talking about the people who don't use DVRs and are thus still the important ratings to be counted! (I use a DVR by the way, I'm used to my favorite shows being cancelled) ;)

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MattAlbie
January 13, 2010 5:01 PM
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Leno is tanking so badly that people don't wait to watch the local news at 11:00pm. Think about that for a second, people. He's making them hate television so much that they don't even want to watch *facts*.

How, exactly, does that not hurt Conan O'Brien?

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The Cynical Librarian
January 13, 2010 5:25 PM
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NBC is just screwing themselves in the future. Conan skews toward a younger audience, and as such they don't watch TV when it's on the box. They watch it whenever they want on Hulu or from other locations. Look ten years in the future and everyone that watches Leno has died, gone blind or had their bodies dissected as curiosities on par with the Elephant Man, and there's no real good way to draw in crowds who will watch NBC.
Ladies and gentleman...
The Tonight Show with Larry the Cable Guy!

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MrEvil
January 13, 2010 9:48 PM
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What NBC should have done with Leno, is made him co-host on a US Version of Top Gear, that would have been his best fit IMO. Say what you want about the man's comedy, but goddamn he knows his automobiles. And really when it comes to Leno, he's more eccentric about cars than Jeremy Clarkson is. Leno regularly writes articles for Popular Mechanics.

I like Leno, but not for the Tonight show.

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IISaiNtII
January 14, 2010 8:53 AM
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I tried the EECB, all came back as invalid addresses.

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legalguy
January 15, 2010 4:28 PM
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Conan who? Conan The Barbarian, I know but O'Brien? Seriously, there hasn't been a decent late night host since Carson!

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MyTQuinn
January 16, 2010 9:04 PM
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I'm behind on my reading but feel compelled to comment here anyway. The only EECB I would participate in with regard to Conan O'Brien would be the one to have him banned from the airwaves completely. He is neither funny nor entertaining, and should have been taken off the air a long time ago.

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C1erkerist
January 19, 2010 6:57 PM
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It's aggravating to watch millionaires squabble over who gets to be on TV at 11:35 p.m. while 10 percent of us have no job at all, and possibly 200,000 people have been crushed to death in Haiti. DVRs allow viewers to watch all of the shows they want to, when they want to. Who cares about this battle other than a couple of egomaniacs in Los Angeles?

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marzolian
May 4, 2010 7:01 PM
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At his best, Conan is great. But I watched him a handful of times on the Tonight Show, and didn't laugh a bit. Maybe he was trying too hard, maybe he would have improved, and he was no worse than Jay. But it didn't work for me. I will tune in when he's back on.

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