OK, let’s talk late-nite.
A big deal was made the other night on The Tonight Show’s 50th anniversary episode. What happened? Well, Jay Leno passed the torch to Conan. Yup, in 5 yrs (2009), Jay will step down as host so Conan can take over. He was very humble and made a speech about how friendships had been strained back in ’92 when he was chosen over Letterman to take over for Johnny Carson. And how he hoped to avoid that kind of drama again by this making announcement in advance.
Well, as altruistic and monumental as this may seem, there’s another side to this tale. It’s not like Jay was being selfless. What probably happened was this: The NBC execs called Jay into their office and said, “Look, you’ve done a great job over the past 12 yrs, and we’re really appreciative. But you see, in about five yrs, we’re thinking of going in a whole new direction. Conan’s really been proving himself in the 12:30 slot, and well, we think it’s time for him to get the main stage. But thanks for all you’ve done. Give our love to Mavis.”
So Leno basically got fired, but put a really good pin on it at just the right milestone. There are background reasons for this whole thing, as follow:
Craig Kilborn stepped down as host of The Late Late Show on CBS about a month ago. Since no permanent host has been found, rumors pointed to CBS trying to recruit Conan to fill the spot. Conan’s contract is up soon, and it’s common knowledge that he’s getting antsy in the 12:30 AM timeslot. Now, here’s where it gets tricky. It was believed that Letterman would step down before Leno, giving Conan the best shot at an earlier timeslot if he jumped ship to CBS. So, to protect their investment, NBC let Conan know that the slot would be opening up soon on their network, and they even sealed the deal by giving him a date: Sept. 2005. This was enough to keep Conan happy at the “G.E. Network”.
Now, what do I think about the whole thing? Kinda tacky. I didn’t feel it was necessary. Conan still has to sit tight for the next 5 yrs. And what if Jay dies? A LOT can happen in 5 yrs. Also, I feel part of the charm of Conan’s humor revolves around the timeslot. He can get away with a lot more at 12:30 than he could at 11;30. No more Masturbating Bear. Or Pimpbot. He was always kinda edgy, while Jay’s kinda stale. You see the punchlines coming, and it’s like he’s really dependent upon them these days. Almost like “Please laugh…”
So, 2009 Is the Year of the Conan. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Oh, and Jay? Thanks for the memories….
