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I tried to do a poll 3 times but I can’t seem to make it stick….Anyway, I was just wondering who everyone sides with as far as Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno?????
I’m siding with Conan..because Jay passed the torch to him a few years ago, Conan accepted….then Jay tried to back out. So instead of doing Vegas or whatever, NBC gives him a new show (same format) preceeding the Tonite show! Hard enough to fill these shoes, but to put Jay on before him, wow…dumb! Then you’ve got two more talk shows to follow..typical NBC. I think NBC is stupid for trying to put Jay back in the timeslot of the tonite show and move Conan. I don’t blame Conan for turning them down..He got thrown under the bus…I won’t watch Jay on the Tonite Show like I used to….he’s made a fool of himself, NBC, and Conan…what do you all think????
I thought Jay got a raw deal years ago when the deal with Conan was made. He never wanted to leave The Tonight Show but was forced out by NBC just because they stupidly promised Conan he could step up into The Tonight Shoes in five years. That was a BIG, BIG mistake! Then they threw Jay a bone by giving him a one-hour primetime show. I’m sure he knew all along that wasn’t the time slot for a show like his but he did his best to make it work. It’s apparent by the ratings that Conan will never be as popular as Jay was/is.
I’m glad they’re tossing Conan out and giving Jay back what should have been rightfully his all along. I know Conan has a lot of fans but, quite frankly, I don’t find him funny whatsoever. I think he appeals more to the younger set.
I found the same thing has happened for me with SNL. I used to think it was a great show. Now, it’s just plain stupid. My kids tell me I’m too old to enjoy the humor. They may be right.
the set was all wrong, and even a few of the guests commented on it (two chairs…no desk, etc.), plus Jay hasn’t had the top of the line guests like he did on the Tonight show. I don’t feel one is any better than the other, and the funniest part of either show is the monologue, and I still find Conan’s hair laughable, but he’s done a good job with the Tonight Show (although no one will ever, in a million years, be able to replace "Heeeeeerrrrrrrrreeeeeee’s Johnny"), though, in a way, I do think Conan’s getting a bit of a raw deal. Jay Leno must have been given some hidden or preliminary clause in his contract that if his new show didn’t make it, he could ‘demand’ NBC to return him to the Tonight Show. Oh, well, ‘thhhhaaaaaatttttt’s show-biz’.
Jay Leno had stated years ago that he was not going to take on The Tonight Show for any length of time, and that he would retire in 5 years. That is the reason NBC told Conan that he would ‘inherit’ it after Leno retired. They basically had told Letterman that the show was his after Carson (who will always be the best) retired. NBC put the screws to Letterman and now to Conan. Leno ‘retired’. It was not his place nor his right to come out of ‘retirement’ and demand his show back. He put a LOT of people out of work by doing this, and I sure hope he is happy with himself. NBC in itself has lost me as a viewer. I keep up with Days through these boards and other spoilers. I think NBC will be defunct in a couple years. I just hope someone picks up Days and restores it to the glory it once was and can be again…..IF they can find a network that cares enough to make it great!
…it’s far from what has been reported on TV and in the papers.
Conan said five years ago that if NBC didn’t give him The Tonight Show he would leave so they gave Leno the shaft and kicked him out just to keep Conan, thinking that in five years, the viewers would be more geared toward the younger man. (Jay never said he wanted to leave the show, in fact, he was hoping to better Johnny’s record of 30-some years.) Then, when they saw how badly he was doing with it, they decided to put Jay in a primetime show to try and recoup some of the rating and appease the affiliates who were losing money hand over fist. He didn’t put anybody out of work, NBC did.
And now, did you see what O’Brien did last night to "stick it to" NBC? He bought a racehorse (the Kentucky Derby winner, no less) to the tune of $4+ million! For no other reason than to get even with NBC. How’s that for Mr. Nice Guy? I have no respect for him whatsoever now and I hope that Leno’s show more than exceeds the ratings it had before this fiasco. I also hope that wherever O’Brien goes, he falls flat on his face. What an ingrate. It certainly shows who the bigger man is.
Let me add that I had no feelings one way or the other about either of these two guys. I didn’t watch either show so my opinion is only based on what has recently transpired.
The ‘kitty car’, the ‘KY Derby winner’ and the ‘ruined Picasso painting’ were ALL three JOKES!! Last night was the only night that I watched the full show, and he even thanked NBC for everything they had done for him. Conan is not exactly my cup of tea, but he is far from being an ingrate.
at 0500 or 0600 so I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. – so I never got to stay up late to watch these shows. I did catch Johnny once or twice on a holiday night – funny guy in monologs. I watched Jay one time; he had a schtick where these people lined up on a panel would answer simple questions like "who’s the vice-president of the USA?" and they couldn’t answer these questions – these folks were more scary to me than a horror/slasher show on the next channel, so I never watched again.
I’ve had people argue with me that those were real people acting naturally but I can’t believe people are THAT stupid. Nope, I think it was definitely staged.
As for watching the show, you could probably count on one hand the times I’ve watched Leno but I was a loyal Carson watcher. There was never (or never will be) anyone as good as Johnny. I used to laugh my head off at him sometimes. No, unfortunately, nobody can ever fill his shoes.
One of the funniest was when he was looking at the baby tiger (I think it was) and it made a sudden move toward him and he went running across the stage and jumped in Ed’s arms. Of course that was only one of many, many, many. When he left, that was the end of my Tonight Show watching.
was on Jay Leno’s show. A completely serious but obviously stupid, fully-grown (although young) woman didn’t know who lived at 1600 W. Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.,…..but she knew who "lived in a pineapple under the sea."
Well, I have to say, my 48-year old son (with a 5-year old son) can answer that one but he also knows who lives at that other place too.
Some guy, when asked what it The Gettysburg Address, claimed he didn’t know the exact number. DUH!!!!
Jay made the decision to leave the tonite show back in 2004. I watched that show and also Conan’s. Conan was honored that Jay recomended him to take the tonite show spot…but not until 2009. Within fours years Jay had second thoughts…and wanted to renegotiate. NBC had already signed Conan to take over and could not appease Jay. But, Jay is a workaholic, and when NBC offered the 10 pm slot, he took it. His ratings were not good… I know I expected something different….I guess more stand up comedy, vegas style….but it was too much the same, just without a desk! So… same ole same ole. He should have retired, or went on the road, IMO. Conan wasn’t quite the same….he was more relaxed and silly on his old show. But…I figured it would just take a little time because of the change of sets east coast/west coast differences. But because Jay’s show was not going well, NBC wants to upset the applecart for everyone! To me, that’s not fair. Moving the "Tonite Show" to the next morning just to appease Jay (who should have left anyway) is wrong. The Tonite Show is an institution, and shouldn’t be juggeled around, that’s just trashing it. Conan held firm in his belief that you don’t mess with a show of this magnitute. So Conan would rather walk away then be pushed to the next morning time slot. Without Conan now, NBC went back to Jay and asked if he would take the tonite show back…So of course Jay said yes. I think it’ll hurt him in the long run….alot of celebs think Jay was selfish and threw Conan under the bus, & I agree.
And I thank you! I had tried to make this point and was met with argument, so I dropped it. I do remember this conversation taking place, and I agree with you 100%. Conan received the $45 million to ‘disappear’ and only held out for that so that his crew would not be penniless. The majority of that money will go to them. (Those are the figures that I believe was reported. Conan is reported to be getting around $5 million of that.) Conan is as decent a person as any, and I think that Jay will fail. I don’t ‘hope’ he does, as I hate to see anyone fail. I just have zero respect for the man. Conan will land on his feet, whatever he decides to do.
Interesting discussion.
I too, loved Johnny – he and Ed are keeping ’em in stitches in Heaven now.
I’ve watched Jay, I’ve watched Conan – both in their old shows and new ones. I prefer Jay. Conan just did the same old stuff over and over… on his old show when he’d come out and jump, then pirouette and all that crap – it got stale with me by the third time I’d seen it – and that was even before the monologue.
Both can give good monologues, some skits are stupid, some are funny – for both.
For the "Jaywalking" stuff… well I’m sure only the dumbest people get to air, there’s no laugh in hearing somebody answer the question correctly but I wholeheartedly believe that there are people who don’t know who the Vice President is or whatnot.
Hannity does that on his radio show – has a "man on the street" who randomly picks people to put on the air via cell phone and it’s frightening how ignorant many people are.
I didn’t read every news bit on the whys and wherefores of the switcheroo in the first place (Conan getting the Tonight show, and then Jay coming back in prime time)… but Jay at 10 didn’t work for me – set was all wrong – none of it worked IMO.
AND I didn’t like Conan on the Tonight Show – it was just more of the same junk from when he was on later.
I thought Conan might go to Fox after his non-compete expires? I’m sure he’ll be able to "get by" on his severence… hard to feel much sympathy here.
That’s show biz.
Jenn
Conan made sure his crew got severance….because the 45 million is what he was to be compensated for, he settled for 32 and 12 of it going to his staff. That’s very generous. His staff can work anywhere they choose, he can’t do anything until sept. with a no compete clause. I hope he lands on Fox…for the fall lineup. He’s not my favorite late night host, nobody can hold a candle to Johnny Carson….but I feel for the guy, it was his dream, and I just think NBC messed it up with trying to put too many shows on that are the same…one after another! That’s how you ruin a good thing, just like the today show, it goes on forever….then it repeats with Kathylee & Houta (although I like them better) but enough! Did you have 3 judge shows airing in your area a couple of years ago? Now it’s 2 talk shows, and a daytime version of Deal, or no Deal. Well…at least the infomercials are gone! I think I"m upset with NBC basicly, because they threaten to cancel Day’s every couple of years! If they do that…I just won’t watch NBC ever!!!
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