After being d*cked around unmercifully by NBC (he was given the Tonight Show, which broadcasts at 11.30pm, but now it's being moved to midnight to accommodate Jay Leno - who used to host The Tonight Show and has pretty much bombed since taking over his new time slot), Conan O'Brien "broke down in tears" while reading a statement to his writing staff yesterday, which included the line "At midnight,The Tonight Show isn't The Tonight Show." O'Brien also released the following statement:
"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."
Conan, however, was more upbeat when hosting last night saying he was "soon to be available for children's birthday parties," and how it was "always my dream to host The Tonight Show for seven months." He also invited Howie Mandel - the host of the US version of Deal Or No Deal (the gentleman who is also fill The Hoff's piddle riddled seat on the America's Got Talent judging panel) - to help him decide on some additional alternative career options, such as 'Star in a new infomercial about my super-absorbent hair' and 'Move to Fox, but Seth McFarlane does my voice.'
TMZ are saying this whole hooey is Conan's fault, for not stipulating an exact time in his Tonight Show contract: "Conan's contract never specified a guaranteed time period. If NBC wanted to run the show at 3:00 AM, Conan would have no recourse. We're told Conan's reps never even asked for a guaranteed time period when they negotiated his contract - shocking, but true. By contrast, we're told Jay Leno's deal specifically guarantees his 10:00 PM time period, so the network must negotiate a new deal with him before he moves back to 11:35 PM."
Why is 11.35pm so important? Does it hold some magical 'before the witching hour' power that makes, quite frankly, freaky-looking hosts exude the wit and charisma of several George Clooneys? It must do, how esle would Leno have held down a job all these years. Yep, avid telly watchers are just the right kind of drunk just before midnight.
