Conan bows out with grace, class
Bidding farewell to a beloved TV personality who went out with a bang, minus the drama
Vanessa Oswald
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Campus Talk
There have been rumors about plans to move his show to FOX or Comedy Central. Either way, loyal fans will follow suit, due to the uproar they caused surrounding his departure. Walking away from "The Tonight Show," he said, was one of the toughest decisions he's ever made and thanked fans for sticking it out with him.
"None of this is personal," Zucker said. "These were business decisions. We're talking about moving back a program a half-hour, a program that wasn't making money for NBC. But the heap of scorn that has been put on this is completely out of whack."
Although Zucker may claim it's nothing personal, it's ironic to hear how when both men attended Harvard they served as presidents, O'Brien for the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine, and Zucker for The Harvard Crimson, suggesting there may be history.
When NBC offered Leno to be bumped up to 11:35 p.m., O'Brien refused to have his show start later, partly because the shows following his, such as "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" would also face scheduling conflicts.
"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,'" explained O'Brien Jan. 12.
In response to this, he instead made the most out of his last few weeks, claiming to have no ill feelings toward NBC, however making occasional jabs their way during the program.
With nothing to lose, O'Brien went all out during the last two weeks of his show, producing some of the strongest and funniest episodes yet. No longer was he nervous about exceeding anyone's expectations because he had nothing to lose.
O'Brien incorporated his inescapable charm and humor into each sketch, making the best out of the conflict, rising to the occasion to lighten the mood and remain classy. Ultimately, he succeeded at making the show using his own goofy mannerisms.
"None of this is personal," Zucker said. "These were business decisions. We're talking about moving back a program a half-hour, a program that wasn't making money for NBC. But the heap of scorn that has been put on this is completely out of whack."
Although Zucker may claim it's nothing personal, it's ironic to hear how when both men attended Harvard they served as presidents, O'Brien for the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine, and Zucker for The Harvard Crimson, suggesting there may be history.
When NBC offered Leno to be bumped up to 11:35 p.m., O'Brien refused to have his show start later, partly because the shows following his, such as "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" would also face scheduling conflicts.
"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,'" explained O'Brien Jan. 12.
In response to this, he instead made the most out of his last few weeks, claiming to have no ill feelings toward NBC, however making occasional jabs their way during the program.
With nothing to lose, O'Brien went all out during the last two weeks of his show, producing some of the strongest and funniest episodes yet. No longer was he nervous about exceeding anyone's expectations because he had nothing to lose.
O'Brien incorporated his inescapable charm and humor into each sketch, making the best out of the conflict, rising to the occasion to lighten the mood and remain classy. Ultimately, he succeeded at making the show using his own goofy mannerisms.
Be the first to comment on this story