• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Late Night Wars - Conan's last Tonight Show was TONIGHT a long time ago

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
LOL, the audio on the TMZ stream sounds like everyone's in witness protection.


"Puppies dressed like cats! Wooo"
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
Prior to Letterman's Late Show, were there any decently successful talk show competitors to NBC? I was browsing Wikipedia the other day, and I just kept running across repeated failure as other networks kept trying to get a piece of the pie. My browsing didn't take me earlier than the mid 80s, though.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
Schlep said:
This audio is cracking me up. :lol

Sounds like a damn zombie movie.
Click to expand...


It's the Tonight Show with ZOMBIE CONAN!
And I'm Andy Braineater.


I take it the TMZ folk are probably in the subway trying to figure out why the audios' messed up lol.

edit: yup.. streams' back with proper audio.
 
T

Thomper

Member
JoshuaJSlone said:
Prior to Letterman's Late Show, were there any decently successful talk show competitors to NBC? I was browsing Wikipedia the other day, and I just kept running across repeated failure as other networks kept trying to get a piece of the pie. My browsing didn't take me earlier than the mid 80s, though.
Click to expand...
Here's a list of pretty much every late-night show ever: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_late_night_network_TV_programs

And yeah, most failed within a few months/years, either due to lack of viewers, or disinterest on the side of the host to continue.
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Oh c'mon, it is nearly 60 degrees there. That's sandals and socks weather around my parts.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
I can only assume that since Conan doesnt tape for another 3 hours that there will be video of this on the show tonight.. at least I'd hope so.

Or maybe video of his speech to the crowd..
 
H

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
Not that I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing this, but what would happen if the audience for Leno's first show back boos him and won't stop booing him?
 
S

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
JoshuaJSlone said:
Prior to Letterman's Late Show, were there any decently successful talk show competitors to NBC? I was browsing Wikipedia the other day, and I just kept running across repeated failure as other networks kept trying to get a piece of the pie. My browsing didn't take me earlier than the mid 80s, though.
Click to expand...
When did Arsenio Hall's show run again? I remember that one being considered almost sort-of a success. Kinda.
 
D

DeathbyVolcano

Banned
Hitokage said:
Not that I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing this, but what would happen if the audience for Leno's first show back boos him and won't stop booing him?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty certain they'll be screening their audience for a while.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
Hitokage said:
Not that I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing this, but what would happen if the audience for Leno's first show back boos him and won't stop booing him?
Click to expand...

Sweet awesome justice.

But seriously, I'm sure they'd stop the show, tell the audience to applaud or they'll be booted out.

The audience would likely be booted and they'd dub the entire show with a laugh track supplied entirely by Kevin Eubanks.



edit: this Mr. T fan is ... uh... eccentric.
 
riskVSreward

riskVSreward

Member
Hitokage said:
Not that I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing this, but what would happen if the audience for Leno's first show back boos him and won't stop booing him?
Click to expand...
I really wish that could be organized. NBC would just fill the crowd with staff I'm sure.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
They're headed towards the gates of the Studios where TTS is being filmed, sounds like Conan's coming out very soon.

The wind has also substantially picked up, lol.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
Hah, apparently they're putting Conan (or LaBamba) into a popemobile and they're gonna drive down the street for the supporters.
 
I

infinityBCRT

Member
JGS said:
If I were Leno, I would have never signed a non-compete clause after being with them for another 5 years. Watching the video of the Tonght Show announcement (not the press conference one), it seems clear to me that Leno was ready to go after 5 years. He felt he would be tired of the format. However, I am convinced (sort of) that Leno is obsessive compulsive and likes sticking with the same thing.

There was no reason for them to fret over Conan leaving unless they thought they were going to lose Jay not the other way around. They thought they were going to lose Jay anyway, so they did not want to lose Conan. I do not believe that NBC suggested Leno leave to make way for Conan. There was no smart business reason for a decision like that.

It's probably true that NBC did not know that Leno was not retiring from talk show television, their bone headed move was letting that sway them one way or another once the ink was dry on the (2009) contracts. They are letting the employee run the show.
Click to expand...
Right, and if Leno didn't sign the non-compete they should have known that Leno was ready to walk to another network and they should have let Conan walk at that point. Or instead of giving Tonight outright, start giving him weeks where he would guest host "Tonight" and have Fallon do Late Night whenever Conan was in LA. There were a million ways they could have done this if they realized that Leno was not going to retire in 2009.

Also I do think Conan could have made a later time slot work rather than going the scorched earth route. Had they moved Jay to 11:30-11:55 (instead of 11:35-12:05) and had Tonight go from 11:55-12:45 they could have given Conan a much better lead-in lineup (and not really screw Fallon/Daly either) and in turn Conan should have asked to be guaranteed the Tonight Show be moved back to 11:35 if:
- Leno retires/moves to another network
- Ratings of Leno's show are poor over a certain time period
- Ratings of Tonight is poor over a certain time period

I do not believe that NBC suggested Leno leave to make way for Conan. There was no smart business reason for a decision like that.
Click to expand...
The stories from 2004 all state that NBC came to Leno because Conan had offers to leave. Something that is supported by Conan's "farewell" letter when he says he passed up offers to leave to other networks to host Tonight.
 
S

Steve Youngblood

Member
infinityBCRT said:
Also I do think Conan could have made a later time slot work rather than going the scorched earth route. Had they moved Jay to 11:30-11:55 (instead of 11:35-12:05) they could have given Conan a much better lead-in lineup and in turn Conan should have asked to be guaranteed the Tonight Show be moved back to 11:35 if:
- Leno retires/moves to another network
- Ratings of Leno's show are poor over a certain time period
- Ratings of Tonight is poor over a certain time period
Click to expand...
Whether or not the scorched earth approach was the best tactic, moving The Tonight Show back was a terrible, terrible idea. It was a giant slap in the face to both Conan and the legacy of The Tonight Show.
 
A

Agent Unknown

Member
Wow @ Conan's visit to Hunter S. Thompson's shooting range. Hunter has a scary, creepy breakdown: "Aaaaauggghugghhh!"

Conan: "That man was just holding a machine gun."
 
S

Steve Youngblood

Member
yanhero said:
All you team coco fans realize he hates being called coco right?
Click to expand...
Why on Earth would you think that? If that were the case, given that it is (or was) his show, don't you think that there would have been a memo or something to the effect of "stop referring to me as CoCo in pre-written sketches." They used that nickname all the time.
 
D

DrEvil

not a medical professional
yanhero said:
All you team coco fans realize he hates being called coco right?
Click to expand...


As I've said before, I was at the show where Tom Hanks first called him CoCo, and he loves it.

After the show when he was recording the local promos, he did a bunch where he said "Hi everyone, I'm CoCo O'Brien!" as a joke for the audience.

He and Tom were joking around about it during the commercial breaks, and Green Day were all over it too.


He loves it... or at least he doesn't hate it.
 
A

Agent Unknown

Member
R_GILL said:
What ever happened to Pierre Bernard, his serial killer interview was one of the greatest things he did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQPwINts3MI
Click to expand...

Pierre and the recliner of rage was awesome. Don't forget that he was also the head graphic guy for the show and so was also possibly responsible for this little slice of animated awesome:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/76261/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-super-mario-set

Conan: "Doesn't Labamba look like he just walked out of Super Mario Bros?" :lol
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Pat McAfee accuses top ESPN exec Norby Williamson of trying to ‘sabotage’ show
23
1K
Rival replied
I Came Back To Neo Gaf To Provide A Solution For Tango Games And This is What I Had Waiting For Me
Account Suicide Live 2 3
134
7K
ahtlas7 replied
  • x2
Feels like forums have really been on their way down lately
2 3
116
8K
-Minsc- replied
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix) | Rottenwatch
Social Community 2
81
5K
DelireMan7 replied
I feel my gamefly queue is inadequate
Cringe
16
664
Toots replied
Top Bottom