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
When Conan O'Brien took over "The Tonight Show" for Jay Leno in June, everything appeared to be peachy. Even though people were used to Leno, it wasn't a huge problem for viewers because they could watch him at an earlier hour. Unfortunately for NBC, this decision to scramble hosts, shows and time slots worked against them.
It didn't take long before NBC Universal's CEO Jeff Zucker was held accountable for this talk-show-host-shuffling debacle. Apparently it was this man's decision back in 2004, which caused this comedic calamity to take place.
"We were trying to keep both of our talent in house," said Zucker to Charlie Rose in an interview. "Obviously, in hindsight, perfect information leads you to the conclusion that it was a mistake."
Zucker continued to apologize, while calling the skirmish completely overdramatized, distracting people from the tragic devastation in Haiti. Rather than worrying about solving some trivial late-night scuffle, many believe we should be focusing on what really matters: bringing relief to those who were, and still are, trapped under rubble in Haiti.
Try telling that to the flocks of die-hard Conan fans who rallied in major cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Day. Fans like these have taken the outcome - his being let go - personally.
After weeks of negotiations, O'Brien's final contract entitles him to $45 million, $12 million of that share going to his staff. As NBC says farewell, they will also be stripping O'Brien of some of the copyrighted and trademarked material, like Conando, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and many other favorites. Nobody knows whether this decision will be beneficial to NBC, but this is definitely not the end of Conan O'Brien.
"All I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: Please do not be cynical," he said. "I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
It didn't take long before NBC Universal's CEO Jeff Zucker was held accountable for this talk-show-host-shuffling debacle. Apparently it was this man's decision back in 2004, which caused this comedic calamity to take place.
"We were trying to keep both of our talent in house," said Zucker to Charlie Rose in an interview. "Obviously, in hindsight, perfect information leads you to the conclusion that it was a mistake."
Zucker continued to apologize, while calling the skirmish completely overdramatized, distracting people from the tragic devastation in Haiti. Rather than worrying about solving some trivial late-night scuffle, many believe we should be focusing on what really matters: bringing relief to those who were, and still are, trapped under rubble in Haiti.
Try telling that to the flocks of die-hard Conan fans who rallied in major cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Day. Fans like these have taken the outcome - his being let go - personally.
After weeks of negotiations, O'Brien's final contract entitles him to $45 million, $12 million of that share going to his staff. As NBC says farewell, they will also be stripping O'Brien of some of the copyrighted and trademarked material, like Conando, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and many other favorites. Nobody knows whether this decision will be beneficial to NBC, but this is definitely not the end of Conan O'Brien.
"All I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: Please do not be cynical," he said. "I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
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