NBC Photo: Timothy White

UPDATE: January 14, 2010 4:09 p.m. ET
According to the Twitter feed of Breaking News:-
@BreakingNews: NBC to restore Jay Leno as host of full-hour “Tonight Show”; Conan O’Brien out – TMZ

UPDATE: January 15, 2010 12:00 p.m. ET
Conan made a  joke to ’sell’ the Tonight Show on Craig’s List Los Angeles – read the sale here.

4 SALE: BARELY-USED LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW – MAKE ME AN OFFER!!! (Universal Studios)

This is a chance of a lifetime to own your very own late night talk show–guaranteed to last for up to seven months!! Really must see to appreciate.

Information for potential buyers:
- Measures 100’ x 100’ x 32’ – plenty of room for a futon!
- Designed for 11:35 but can be easily moved
- Band can be sold separately
- Buyer must honor Barry Manilow booking next Thursday

MAKE ME YOUR BEST OFFER!!!!! (Also willing to trade for Coldplay tickets.)

(original post below)

~*~

Jay Leno quits the Tonight Show, passes the crown to Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon takes over for Conan…mostly.

Jay Leno decides he doesn’t want to leave as yet and now we have The Jay Leno Show …except we don’t because NBC canceled it after five months.

Jay Leno says he wants his old time slot back … and here we are.

Such a mess, seems like “Conan O’Brien’s 2010 is starting off like a kick to the crotch.”

Basically, The Jay Leno Show is the same as his Tonight Show, except it was on at 10 p.m. ET. and it allowed NBC to produce some relatively less costly entertainment, without having to pay for the likes of  bigger budgeted shows.

Shows like V, Lost, Flash Forward etc. — series that are entertaining but they cost a lot to produce because of extensively large casts lists and effects. Aside from that, it saves the network money, say if they had a show like Friends on, where they would have to shell out over $7 million per episode just to pay for the cast. Let’s not even talk about the money they need for the crew and everything else.

But you see, that’s not the point, because The Jay Leno Show tanked and NBC pulled it off the air. Now the ex-King of late night television wants his throne back. Except, Conan O’Brien isn’t letting him have it.

(source)

Two days after NBC, released their “new plan,” Conan released the following open letter:-

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate The Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. 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. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

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.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan (source)

According to Mashable, on Twitter Conan O’Brien has over 88% of the trends in favour of him. Wow.

I really am wondering what Jimmy Fallon is thinking, will he or won’t he walk?

In citing that source from the NY Post, I must agree, “This level of sh- – -iness was not expected.”

The thing is, we’re not just talking about Conan O’Brien getting shafted and the short, extra sticky end of the stick, we’re talking about Jimmy Fallon sharing that stick too.

via NBC

Is Jay Leno, who is suppose to retire, really worth all the hullaballoo and the costs of two late night television hosts?

Well, that’s the infinite monetary question, now isn’t it?

Seriously, I feel like I’m watching a late-night coup d’état unfold before my eyes.

Mike Schaffer over at the PR Buzz, basically summarized why #TeamConan is the win and the better man,

“While Leno and NBC have remained hush on their thoughts, O’Brien was proactive.  [Conan O'Brien] cited valid reasons for not wanting to be a part of this mess AND planted the seed for any other network to welcome him with open arms.”

… and that my friends is exactly why this is a PR win for Conan O’Brien: he was classy, an adult, transparent and left his options open.

Now the ball (which is sinking in the river, by the way) is in NBC/Leno’s court of mush.

~*~

Also, if you’re interested, PopEater had this great comparison on Jay v. Conan:-

O’Brien is generally the smartest guy in the room — or on television. The Harvard-educated former ‘Simpsons’ writer is always able to convey his wit in countless ways on his show. Sometimes it’s conceptual and ridiculous (see: In the year 2000), sometimes it’s lowbrow and idiotic (see: masturbating bear) — but it’s always in good fun and never mean-spirited. Leno, on the other hand, has always had a heavy hand when it comes to making those around him seem lesser. Making people look dumber than him became Jay’s schtick over the years — be it tourists on the street or the ‘Jersey Shore’ kids. Jay’s brand of entertainment was to make Jay look smart and others look dumb. Everyone knows that when you overcompensate, you become easily transparent. Conan doesn’t need to resort to antagonizing and “Ha ha, you didn’t know that answer” antics because that’s low-hanging fruit — and it’s hard to find anyone smarter than him anyway.

(source)

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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida with a minor in Dance (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima or get a copy of the ‘Little Pink Book’ delivered to your Kindle.

Copyright © 2009-2010 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.