Thursday, January 21, 2010

Good Riddance NBC...$45 Million Deal

Conan O'Brien bid NBC good riddance Thursday in a $45-million deal for his exit from "The Tonight Show," but his immediate future in television remains a question mark. The contentious two-week battle that would allow NBC to unseat O'Brien and move Jay Leno back to the program he hosted for 17 years, comes less than eight months after O'Brien took the "Tonight" throne from Leno. Under the deal, O'Brien will get more than $33 million, NBC said. The rest will go to his 200-strong staff in severance.

What happens next for O'Brien? "We don't know," his manager, Gavin Polone, said Thursday. "While we have had expressions of interest, we have not had any substantive conversations with anybody."
Ideally, said Polone, O'Brien "wants to get back on the air, doing the show he's doing now, as soon as possible."
There has been much speculation on where that might be. ABC (which airs "Nightline" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!") has said it wasn't interested, while Fox, which lacks a network late-night show, expressed appreciation for his show - but nothing more. Comedy Central has also been mentioned as a future home.

Meanwhile, O'Brien might conceivably conduct off-camera business with his old bosses.
"We do have a continuing development relationship with Conan's (production) company," said Marc Graboff, chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "So we still keep the door open."
Leno, whose weeknight prime-time hour ends Feb. 11 after just five lacklustre months, will return to "Tonight" on March 1. The staff of "The Jay Leno Show" is expected to be kept mostly intact for "Tonight." Leno's viewer appeal will also prove intact when he resumes his rivalry with CBS host David Letterman, predicts Jeff Gaspin, chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment.
"We believe Leno will be very competitive right away," he said, "and that over time Leno will be the late-night leader again."

Compensation for O'Brien's staff and crew was the final hurdle in negotiations between NBC and O'Brien. O'Brien was said to have been "dug in" on the issue out of concern for the workers, while NBC said this week that it had already agreed to pay "millions of dollars to compensate every one of them" and deemed it a public relations "ploy."
On Wednesday night's show, speaking of a push to get a severance deal for his staff from NBC, O'Brien joked, "At first they thought I was gullible. They said the staff would be taken to a big farm, where they'd be allowed to run free forever."

Clearly, the differences were worked out. "Conan appreciated what NBC did to take care of his staff and crew, and decided to supplement the severance they were getting from the network out of his own pocket," Polone said.

O'Brien will be free to start another TV job after Sept. 1, NBC said. His final show will be Friday, with Tom Hanks scheduled to appear as well as Will Ferrell - his first guest when O'Brien debuted as "Tonight" host last June. O'Brien landed the "Tonight" show after successfully hosting "Late Night," which airs an hour later, since 1993. But he quickly stumbled in the ratings race against his CBS rival, David Letterman. Under Leno, the "Tonight" show was the ratings champ at 11:35 p.m. Eastern, but he proved an instant flop with his experiment in prime time.
Last week, NBC announced that the five-hour vacancy in prime time left by Leno will be filled by scripted and reality fare calculated to bring NBC affiliates a more robust lead-in audience for their local news than Leno had been delivering. A provisional slate of shows will include new and veteran NBC dramas, a comedy panel series produced by Jerry Seinfeld and "Dateline NBC."
It had been no secret that the 46-year-old O'Brien was scoring puny ratings numbers on "Tonight," averaging 2.5 million nightly viewers, compared with 4.2 million for Letterman's "Late Show," according to Nielsen figures.

It was even more obvious that "The Jay Leno Show," airing weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern, was a disaster. Mostly justified by the network for its bargain-basement production budget, it not only was critically slammed but also found a disappointing popular reaction. It has averaged 5.3 million nightly viewers since its fall debut. By comparison, the season's top-rated 10 p.m. network drama, CBS' "The Mentalist," has an average audience of 17 million.

66 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:16:00 PM

    Hi
    I am glad NBC treated Conan real decent.
    Leon has started Old letterman where it hurt, Dave's affairs.
    How you doing? I'm watching the Mentalist.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am watching the Mentalist also...HI. Feeling better today??

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  3. Anonymous9:21:00 PM

    Yes, I am feeling much better, sorry to be such a pain...

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  4. Cony's happy. He got thirty-three million for himself.Now he can take a long holiday and see what turns up.

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  5. Anonymous9:26:00 PM

    I am glad for him. I doubt if he go with NBC again...Leno and Dave is going to have a war of words, I hope Leno kick his ass.

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  6. Anonymous9:28:00 PM

    Hell I can't spell "Leno"

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  7. Anonymous9:32:00 PM

    I was wondering the same thing, I was going to ask about her, but gorgot.

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  8. Yes, and BIo does have a dark side.

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  9. 'Hope for Haiti Now' is a benefit show with huge stars on it.Tomorrow night at eight.

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  10. I don't think his chances are too good now.We just worry he might do something foolish.

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  11. Anonymous10:09:00 PM

    I will be watching,our TV stations is asking for pledges, we have 4.
    Did,t Haiti have some smaller quakes?

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  12. Yesterday and today Haiti had more quakes.One of the quakes yesterday was a six on the Richter Scale.That is almost as bad as the big one which was a seven.So anyone left alive from the first bad quake was crushed by the second bad one.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:14:00 PM

    He may have some money, but he don't know a damn thing about kids and what it takes to raise them.
    Weekend parents don't work, and i's a hands on jib.
    I know, I'm still learning.

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  14. I mean anyone who was alive and still buried in the rubble from the first one was killed by the second one.

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  15. Anonymous10:20:00 PM

    Jeannie
    Can you tell Nee is mad at this guy? she can't write spell we are use to it. When her musty butt get mad she talks just like she writes now you see why everyone runs for cover.
    Nan

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  16. I don't think Bio is that well off.And now he is going bald and getting a paunch so the chances of him finding another good looking woman are pretty slim...HA!
    You may have noticed that I am deleting the comments as we go.

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  17. Anonymous10:23:00 PM

    Ni Nan, do James have his finger in you know what?
    I'm not mad, I just don't like stupid people. But I would slap him if I could.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:25:00 PM

    Good idea to delete.

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  19. I appreciate that she is mad at him.She is thinking of those little boys.He is using them for his own selfish puposes Nan.

    I think most women get irate when it comes to children being used.
    I wonder what Nee sounds like when she is spitting mad.

    I'd love for Nee to go out on the porch when Bio comes to pick up the boys, and tell him what she thinks of him.

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  20. Life is weird.Nice people attract bad people.Jaye was nice and sweet and trusting.And Bio had to have her.
    I wonder why it's like that.

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  21. Anonymous10:35:00 PM

    Jeannie
    Truth be told Nee would beat the mess out of him she don't know her own strengh thats why I call Gil, I couldn't get Chris. I was the one to tell Betts to haul her butt.Yhey told me to hold her I ask them was they crazy.
    Nan

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  22. Anonymous10:37:00 PM

    I would stare a hole in his ass and take him where the boys couldn't see me and heat the holy shit out of him.

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  23. Anonymous10:39:00 PM

    He knew she was innocent and believe what he said. He just wanted his cake and eat it all by himself.

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  24. Good girl Nan.All you need is for Betts to be the cause of more trouble.She seems to step in shit wherever she walks.

    Does James really have his finger there, or is that only in the dirty mind of your cousin.

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  25. I am watching the next to last show of Conan O'brien.I think it will be funny.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:44:00 PM

    No james is laying down he said his leg was bothering him a bit.
    James to like to spank the monkey .

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  27. Anonymous10:45:00 PM

    Nan you better not call me cousin NEE...I will dash cold water on your choochie.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous10:49:00 PM

    Nee what night is your meeting?
    Jeannie , whenever it is I will be here for a while and give you what I have for you.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous10:51:00 PM

    It's Tuesday night. What do you have for Jeannie?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Shit! I'm sorry.You are so close in age I forget that Nee is your aunt.If I'm not mistaken Nan you are actually older than your aunt.Is that right??

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  31. I look forward to it Nan.

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  32. Anonymous10:56:00 PM

    Yes I am a lot of people think we are sisters we know you know who we are.

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  33. Anonymous10:57:00 PM

    I don't care if you call us cousins, just don't call me late for dinner.[giggles]

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  34. I think in every sense of the word you two are sisters.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous11:00:00 PM

    Jeannie
    I see you have hung around with Nee for a while you are saying shit.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I can hear Brian snoring from here.There must be a cure for that.
    None of those cures in the drugstore work.

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  37. Oh..so that's where I learned that word.Gilly and I just imitate Nee...HA!

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  38. Anonymous11:04:00 PM

    You are right, they are old enough to be Nee's mom or dad all except Chris.

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  39. Nee is happier home eating pie than dealing with that crazy woman at the casino.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous11:08:00 PM

    Gilly says shit and you look at him he says ooooooo he looks like his dad but he is his mom's child.

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  41. Anonymous11:09:00 PM

    He haven't said it today, why do they learn those words so easy.

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  42. Because you say those words louder and with more emphasis than the rest.

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  43. Start saying "COOKIES" real loud when you're mad instead and he'll be saying it in a few days.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous11:14:00 PM

    If betts want to keep working, she will have to go back to the one she left..housekeeping supervisor.
    Dad told Leon that she wasn't to work in the casino.

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  45. Or when you are really mad say "OBAMA".

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  46. Anonymous11:16:00 PM

    All our offices is on the same floor...

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  47. Anonymous11:19:00 PM

    I will try that...he can say a lot of words but he can't make sentences...he can say pee and poop and will let you know when he wants to go.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous11:20:00 PM

    When you tell Brian he snores, do he say he don't. I don't know what will help, we have tried it all too.

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  49. Seems like Betts got a mind of her own.

    Gilly sounds so cute.I love them at that age.They're so funny.

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  50. He says he doesn't snore but he's so loud sometimes that he wakes himself up.

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  51. Anonymous11:23:00 PM

    Jeannie
    Nee told Gil maybe he could get his nose operated on He said no way he had his nuts operated on and they wasn't cutting on him again.

    ReplyDelete
  52. As they get older the tissue of the soft palate gets looser and vibrates.That's how they snore.
    There is an operation for it but I wouldn't have the guts to ask Brian to get it.

    Men don't like surgery,even the real easy stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Anonymous11:31:00 PM

    I made a post about my favorite comedy shoe, I wish they would put another shirt on DC, I'm so tired of the stripped blue one.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Gil got his nuts done but my son-in-law was a real sissy about it.They think they're the crown jewels.

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  55. I agree Nee.I am so sick of that outfit.If we could see him in something else just once in a while,like his jammys or something.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Anonymous11:35:00 PM

    I will say good night and I will see you Tuesday Jeannie
    Nan

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  57. I heard once that he did his homework on toilet paper in highschool.I have a doodle somewhere that I did of him sitting on the toilet, writing.I never had the nerve to put it on the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Take it easy Nan...goodnight

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  59. Anonymous11:41:00 PM

    The only reason he got his done was because I am diabetic..he was o.k. after they told him they wasn't going to cut them off and he would be good as new soon.hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous11:45:00 PM

    Yes he did his homework on toliet paper.I don't know what post Vix had it on , she also had the link for you to go to..he was being a smart ass.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I guess I'll go check on old snore-boy and let the dog out to bark at invisible rabbits.
    So goodnight friend and take care of yourself.Tomorrow will be a beautiful day...PIC

    ReplyDelete
  62. Anonymous11:48:00 PM

    You can put it on the blog if you want too, shit it belongs to us.
    One of the loonies complain to D*** to see if she could make us take the video on the sidebar off.
    Maybe that would give her something to make a post about.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Post Script: Any guy that would get his nuts mangled out of love and concern for you is worth keeping.

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  64. P.P.S. Maybe I should put that gif on the sidebar again.It seemed to really stir them up. We are shit disturbers aren't we??

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  65. Anonymous11:51:00 PM

    Have a nice nice sweetis and oh yes tomorrow will be a beautiful and wonderful day..

    GOODNITE........PIC

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous11:53:00 PM

    P.S go for it put him up, they're just mad they don't have one.I like seeinng him tell them "FUCK YOU". HA! Nite

    ReplyDelete

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