Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:20 pm
I hope they have to pay through the corporate NOSE for breach of the contract they had with Conan. He waited for years to GET the Tonight Show, then they mucked it up with the earlier Leno show and such and now are having regrets.. too bad. ===== Here is the letter from Conan: People of Earth: In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision. Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both. But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule. Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. 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. So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more. There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work. Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way. Yours, Conan
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:25 pm
There's no reason why Conan should have to get crapped on because Leno's show tanked. And Leno basically shouldn't have been shoved out of the Tonight show in the first place if he wasn't ready to leave. I think they both should leave NBC.
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Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:25 pm
Sea, ITA with you about them paying through the nose on this one. The whole concept of a 9:00 talk show didn't sound like a good idea to me. And how many shows were bumped to an earlier time slot, or canceled to accomodate the shows being bumped to an earlier time slot?
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:27 pm
Letterman has to be cackling his azz off.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:28 pm
According to prior reports on TMZ, Conan could sit on a beach for the next 3-4 years collecting the NBC payments on the Tonight Show contract. So, Conan will be okay, except for his damaged ego.
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:38 pm
Since Conan is often the smartest guy in the room and has been in the entertainment biz for years, I think should fire his boss and make him the head of the network. Put Leno back on Tonight, Jimmy stays where he is and Letterman sweats.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 5:39 pm
Heh. I like how Gidget thinks.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 6:15 pm
Letterman did a very funny, biting bit about this last night, complete with a Leno impersonation--knocks Leno for his fake everyman image, his car fetishes, etc. Good stuff. It's on Gawker [several videos down]
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 6:22 pm
Also: Letterman presents.... [this will be on the show tonight and hasn't yet aired] Law and Order: Leno Victims Unit youtube Dave on the genius operating at NBC: youtube
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 6:27 pm
I do have to say, although I despise how NBC has handled this situation (among many other things dating back to the Letterman/Leno debacle), I appreciate that they have allowed Leno and O'Brien vent their anger/anxieties/dissatisfaction over this situation on their shows. ETA it must have been in their contracts LOL.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 7:33 pm
What a nice letter by Conan. I love his new show and tape it daily. The letter shows that he wouldnt want to sit on a beach and collect a check, he wants to do his dream job of being the TS host. NBC should just let Jay go. At least let Conan have a few months on the TS with a good prime time lead in. I dont even fault Jay, he does seem like a great guy
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 7:33 pm
LOL Ferguson... judge opening on American Idol! He's my favorite and there's no chance he'll ever get on earlier.
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 7:49 pm
Agreed, Conan is not the type to sit around. I'll be he'll end up on cable somewhere.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 8:23 pm
So Conan has put his foot down and says he won't let his show be moved back 1/2 hour. Does he really have the power to do that? Sounds like it. NBC is just looking more and more foolish over this whole thing. I think their first mistake was promising Conan the show before Leno was ready to retire.
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Happymom
Member
01-20-2003
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 1:48 am
great letter by Conan
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:01 am
wow...things got catty last night on the late night shows! LOL
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:15 am
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Does Conan O'Brien's contract give NBC the right to bump him to 12:05 to make room for Jay Leno at 11:35? That's the $40 million legal question hovering over O'Brien's open defiance Tuesday of NBC's plan to move his "Tonight Show" 30 minutes later. Despite all the hoopla, it's really a simple query. If O'Brien's deal says his "Tonight Show" will be broadcast at 11:35 p.m. (or the equivalent post-local news slot in the markets that air him earlier), then NBC would be in violation of his contract by attempting to bump him. If there isn't any time-slot language in his deal, O'Brien's refusal to take the 12:05 slot would put him in breach if he doesn't do his show, presumably allowing NBC to void his deal without paying him off. NBC already has staked its position in the New York Times: "The contract, NBC is arguing, guaranteed Mr. O'Brien would be installed as host of 'The Tonight Show' -- and unlike many other deals for late-night stars, Mr. O'Brien's contract contains no specific language about the time period the show would occupy, NBC executives said." David Letterman, for instance, has a time-slot language in his deal, so some are already blaming O'Brien's lawyers for not thinking ahead and specifying his slot. But it's likely not that cut-and-dried a legal issue. If the breach-of-contract claim ever got to court, perhaps O'Brien could argue that specifying a time slot was not necessary because "The Tonight Show" has aired in essentially the same time period for decades. O'Brien already suggested in his missive Tuesday that moving "Tonight" essentially makes it a different program; in other words, he's saying the essence of "The Tonight Show" is that it follows the local news. NBC would ask where in his deal language it says that, but the history of the show is on O'Brien's side on that issue. Also, the name implies a show at night, not during the early morning. NBC could counter that its "Late Night" airs in the morning hours, but a "Tonight Show" that doesn't air, you know, tonight, would be a good fact for O'Brien. (Letterman appeared to agree with his rival, joking Tuesday that it should be renamed "The Tomorrow Show.") O'Brien also could argue that by replacing his show with something starring the former host of "The Tonight Show," NBC effectively breached his agreement because viewers would believe that Leno is hosting the "real" "Tonight Show," regardless of its name. NBC could be in violation of the state's requirement that parties negotiate deals in good faith. Again, NBC would likely point to O'Brien's deal and ask where it specifies that it can't hire Leno to do another show. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100113/tv_nm/us_obrien_legal
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 1:47 pm
Again, I hope NBC has to pay and pay on this.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 4:21 pm
can you BELIEVE this is Matt LeBlanc (Joey from Friends)?

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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 4:25 pm
OMG please say he's doing a role that makes him have to dye his hair gray, not shave and gain weight.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:02 pm
I think the role is.. "I'm older".
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:08 pm
I also think it's a bad photo of him. I've been watching friends reruns and both Joey and Chandler did chunk up a bit toward the end of the series.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:14 pm
Well, when HBO makes a film version of the Conan-Leno saga like they did with the Letterman-Leno saga, I think LeBlanc should be first in line to play the Leno part.
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Happymom
Member
01-20-2003
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 6:19 pm
lol Sea!
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Kookliebird
Member
08-04-2005
| Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 7:55 pm
Looks like the Friends residuals are paying well.
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