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

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xbhaskarx said:
Shit, so no Howard Stern on Monday then? Damn you Stern.
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Stern next Friday would make more sense anyway. Fly to LA after the show on Thursday, do Conan on Friday, have all weekend to get back to NY and recover.

I'm going to take this time to request that they bring back Tomari the Ostrich for the final week. My favorite character ever.:lol :lol
 
xbhaskarx said:
I am far from a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the agreement reached between NBC and Conan includes certain restrictions for the last week of Conan's Tonight Show, things like:
-No bashing Leno by name
-No bringing on certain guests (Norm, Letterman, Kimmel, Stern)

Of course Stern will not be on just because he chooses not to, but he's probably still on any such list if one exists.
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well if they do that, then when he gets on FOX he will tell everyone what NBC restricted him too and bring on all those guests on his first week on FOX to tear NBC a new A-hole :lol
 
ili0926 said:
I'm in such denial right now. But I went and bought a Conan t-shirt and mug (on the NBCU store, I know, I'm sorry but I just HAD to have some relic of Conan on The Tonight Show).

This is really, really upsetting. Someone comfort me.
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I did too... I bought two TTS shirts, two 3000 shirts and two caps (so that my mate and I can wear them out together). Couldn't see any mugs though!

I'm in a state of disbelief at the moment... in the same week my favourite tonight show and my favourite club are closing down (after 4 years). Honestly don't know what the fuck to do!

One good thing to come of this is Craig Ferguson, though... I seriously cannot believe how entertaining he is. There's a homeliness he has that reminds me of Conan.
 
Conan was hilarious today! Fallon has gotten way better than when i watched him when he started, the thank you notes were pretty good.
 
xbhaskarx said:
I am far from a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the agreement reached between NBC and Conan includes certain restrictions for the last week of Conan's Tonight Show, things like:
-No bashing Leno by name
-No bringing on certain guests (Norm, Letterman, Kimmel, Stern)

Of course Stern will not be on just because he chooses not to, but he's probably still on any such list if one exists.
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Conan wouldn't do that anyways, that would give NBC amazing ratings. If anything, it'd be Conan being a guest on Letterman, Kimmel, or Stern.
 
thetechkid said:
Why them, did I miss something?
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Because every single one of them will rip into NBC/Leno.

I can totally see Norm just staring down the camera and unleashing a string of expletives directed at Jay Leno :lol
 
Talladega Knight said:
Conan wouldn't do that anyways, that would give NBC amazing ratings. If anything, it'd be Conan being a guest on Letterman, Kimmel, or Stern.
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Conan has already invited Stern. Whether Howard makes it on is another thing entirely.
 
One positive thing out of this whole mess, is that now I actually have some knowledge about all the late night shows.

I knew who Conan, Leno, Kimmel, Letterman and Ferguson are, and I'd have seen bits and pieces from each of them, but I had no idea who is on which network, who has which show, who the predecessor/successor is of who, what the ratings for the shows are/were, what types of personality and humor the hosts all have, ...


For example, now I know that Carson is in 3 Simpsons scenes afaik:
- One where he lifts a car on the Krusty Comeback special
- One where Bart as a toddler is looking at tv and Carson says something about Boy George being arrested and you hear "Heyoooo" and a low laugh in the background.
- One where he plays his Genie character and (I think) gives a list of some sort with people (who are old news perhaps?)


Funny how all these things suddenly have their place in my head. :)
 
Talladega Knight said:
Conan wouldn't do that anyways, that would give NBC amazing ratings. If anything, it'd be Conan being a guest on Letterman, Kimmel, or Stern.
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I don't think you get how this works, of course Conan still wants big ratings.
He's not exactly inviting D-listers: Howard Stern was invited for Monday but isn't going, and Tom Hanks is appearing on Tuesday.
 
It's also pretty sad that this whole ordeal might've been excellent for Conan's ratings...if he could've continued.

- Leno's show and poor rating will be gone, so perhaps better lead ins from now on (but now Leno will profit from this instead of Conan)
- Leno needed 1 particular affair (the Grant thing) to get a boost in the ratings, and it seems this weeks drama could've been Conan's boost.


It's really weird how things have taken their turn. It all began by NBC not wanting to let go of Leno right? What a catastrophic decision looking back at it now.
 
My main problem is that the loyal guy gets shafted over the guy looking out for only himself and nothing else. So disheartening. Its like movie villain-type stuff. And the other story to take it off the mind is even worse, Haiti.
 
Souldriver said:
One positive thing out of this whole mess, is that now I actually have some knowledge about all the late night shows.

I knew who Conan, Leno, Kimmel, Letterman and Ferguson are, and I'd have seen bits and pieces from each of them, but I had no idea who is on which network, who has which show, who the predecessor/successor is of who, what the ratings for the shows are/were, what types of personality and humor the hosts all have, ...


For example, now I know that Carson is in 3 Simpsons scenes afaik:
- One where he lifts a car on the Krusty Comeback special
- One where Bart as a toddler is looking at tv and Carson says something about Boy George being arrested and you hear "Heyoooo" and a low laugh in the background.
- One where he plays his Genie character and (I think) gives a list of some sort with people (who are old news perhaps?)


Funny how all these things suddenly have their place in my head. :)
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"Gilligan, the Skipper and Chief Wiggum. Name three castaways."

Hiyoooooooooo.
 
Did Jeff Bridges mention his friend would shoot himself up with LSD?
That's madness!
 
Souldriver said:
It's also pretty sad that this whole ordeal might've been excellent for Conan's ratings...if he could've continued.

- Leno's show and poor rating will be gone, so perhaps better lead ins from now on (but now Leno will profit from this instead of Conan)
- Leno needed 1 particular affair (the Grant thing) to get a boost in the ratings, and it seems this weeks drama could've been Conan's boost.
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There's no could about it in my mind. Leno destroyed his lead-in, just getting rid of Leno for the lead-in would have improved ratings considerably. And of course the drama would have certainly left a lot of viewers wanting more, since Conan has been destroying it lately. Getting rid of Leno really was Conan's boost. It's a fucking shame that NBC didn't just tell Leno to STFU and see what happened from there.
 
Talladega Knight said:
Conan wouldn't do that anyways, that would give NBC amazing ratings. If anything, it'd be Conan being a guest on Letterman, Kimmel, or Stern.
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I'd love to see Conan head over to Jimmy's show after his tapes next friday and let loose on NBC but I would guess he will be doing something with his staff.
 
legend166 said:
"Gilligan, the Skipper and Chief Wiggum. Name three castaways."

Hiyoooooooooo.
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Yes, thank you! I thought it must've been from Homers Barbershop Quartet because it had to be an episode about the past (since Carson was only the host of the Tonight Show in the '80s).

I don't know why but I'm happy that I know now who that talk show host actually is. :)
 
Socreges said:
You didn't know about Johnny Carson?

Here's a little more perspective:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvaUa559gMw

Awesome moment.

Carson backed Letterman until the end. He never even appeared on Leno's show.
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What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
 
Jtwo said:
Did Jeff Bridges mention his friend would shoot himself up with LSD?
That's madness!
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Did you not hear who it was? Just look up sensory deprivation tanks to get an idea.
 
Souldriver said:
What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
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im 30 and Johnny Carson is godly to this day. And like all good art, his comedy is timeless.
 
SnakeXs said:
Did you not hear who it was? Just look up sensory deprivation tanks to get an idea.
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I didn't even think he dropped a name. I wasn't paying too close attention.
 
Souldriver said:
What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFhCE4ekqA

I would say Letterman really to who is his true heir. Carson is a forever classic to me and his comedy is pretty timeless.

EDIT: Beaten by 4 minutes.
 
Next Friday is Conan's last day on the tonight show, and I just watched Part of Johnny Carson's last show, including the very end and what a polar opposite ending Conan's show will have. I bet it will be filled with jokes. Hell, even his new segment "Remember when" is a joke, because it is funny/sad at the same time what has happened.

BTW, in 8 days it will be the 5th year anniversary of Johnny Carson's death. I know he's rolling in the grave hearing what has happened to the Tonight show
 
Souldriver said:
What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
Click to expand...

20, and I absolutely love Carson. I give him all the credit in the world for holding up such a huge institution and pretty much creating an entire genre that's seen so many genuinely unique and successful imitators. And his comedy still holds up.

As for an heir for his style, it's hard to say, kind of a tossup. Letterman's a sly, winking, post-modern take on Carson's style. He loves playing with the tackier elements of Carson's greatness. Conan, of course, is the other potential heir, because he plays it so much straighter than Letterman. Conan is basically Carson after chugging 2 pots of coffee and an energy drink.
 
Red Scarlet said:
He lives in Europe, and I sure don't know any European talk show hosts from this century or the last.
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Who lives in Europe? I'm not sure what you mean.

Souldriver said:
What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
Click to expand...
I never watched Carson while he was on since I was eight when he retired, but I've seen hours of footage.

It's difficult to remove him from his context and compare him to contemporary shows or talk show hosts. In my mind, he would remain the best. He was incredibly likable, first and foremost. His humour might be too tame to get him much attention these days with younger crowds, but you still have to appreciate his quick wit and intelligence.

But yeah, you can't ignore the context. He basically pioneered the format and how to handle it. If any of you prefer Letterman or Conan, it's only because they're standing on Carson's shoulders.

Personifried said:
Conan is basically Carson after chugging 2 pots of coffee and an energy drink.
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And without the charisma, I'd say. Carson knew exactly what kind of person he was and never seemed to even flirt with being genuinely uncomfortable, while Conan uses that as part of his shtick and charm.
 
Souldriver said:
What's the general opinion on Carson by today's young people/gaffers.

- The guy is, and has he always been a bore with a meh personality?
- The is a bore by today's standards, but was quite nice back then?
- The guy is funny and lovable to this day?
...

And which talk show host is the most direct heir of his style? (I'd guess Letterman?)
Click to expand...

I'm 24, everything I've seen of Carson I love.

And yeah, letterman is the closest in style
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTzM3jSd7_8&feature=related

Watching this, and after listening to all the "changing of the guard" fanfare, how can Leno look at himself in the mirror. Every news story from then started out with how there have only been four hosts, and now Conan. Leno has tarnished the show. It's lame now that a corporate shill has taken it back. Nobody really cares though, this will all be forgotten in less then a year. Quote me on that one.
 
22.
I've actually never watched any other late night talk show other than Conan's.. and don't really have any interest in doing so.
I was maybe like 14 or 15 and my friend showed me triumph and one of the skits where he used to drive his desk around in front of a green screen. :lol
I usually always tune in for his monologue and try to stick around for the remotes but I almost never watch the interviews.


I actually don't particularly care too much about this entire ordeal. I just think Conan is really funny.. and that's something that is not going to change no matter what channel or time he is on.
 
GrotesqueBeauty said:
You know, this whole debacle makes me feel the same way about the entertainment industry that I feel about the current state of politics.
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That's probably because Leno acts a lot more like a politician than a comedian/entertainer.
 
I just noticed this. Not sure if anyone else has or posted it here, but from the World of Warcraft flash screen:

cocowow.jpg
 
i think the very worst thing about not knowing who Carson was (besides missing his comedy) is watching The Shining and having absolutely no context for the axe scene.
 
Number 2 said:
i think the very worst thing about not knowing who Carson was (besides missing his comedy) is watching The Shining and having absolutely no context for the axe scene.
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Care to explain?
 
Cohsae said:
Care to explain?
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120gqxl.jpg


edit: knowing the context behind it makes it all the crazier. Like when he starts reciting the story of the 3 little pigs. If it was just random bullshit, wouldnt be as scary imo.
 
I only know Carson from Conan and Letterman mentioning him. I recall seeing some clips of him sometime ago (maybe when he died?) on Conan, I think.
I'm watching some of his vids on youtube now. :lol The chip lady!
 
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