Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Leno is not "Back" Just yet...but the Mockery Continues

Oh Jay Leno, how I despise you. An Olympic promo for The Tonight Show has been released. Here it is:



I must say that I prefer the parody that has been made. It better fits his media persona (though I will admit I didn't actually think it was a parody at first...instead an attempt at self-deprecation). Here it is:



That song just fits with the smug look he has on his face in that promo. It makes me a little sick when I really think about it, but I've gone on and on about the way Conan has been treated. A few people have learned that defending Jay Leno around me is a poor idea. I try to be diplomatic, but I'm still bitter, and yes, the NBC executives carry most of the blame, but Leno could have been a decent human being and retired when he was supposed to. Or, if he didn't want to retire, he could have started over at another network! Here's a brilliant bit David Letterman did about the entire situation, it's not only funny, but completely on the mark:



There are articles online commenting about the quality of his first week of guests. Will the "big" celebrity guests return to The Tonight Show? I think they will eventually, if the audience returns to watch Leno. The Tonight Show is huge, and few people will turn down the opportunity to promote their film/TV show/album, even if they dislike the host. I think the Olympics have been a great thing for NBC, because it has given them an opportunity to sweep this controversy under the carpet. People are so wrapped up with the Olympics that they're not thinking about late night television and Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno. Maybe people will have forgotten about it by the time he returns?

Many people have spoken about how awesome it would be for David Letterman to have Conan on his show the day Leno returns to The Tonight Show. That'd be a brilliant moment, and would really steal Leno's thunder. I figure NBC won't allow it, according to whatever is in the exit agreement, though. I wonder if they put that sort of thing in Andy Richter's exit agreement, if he had one?

And I can't believe I've never posted it...here is Conan's farewell speech. It was really classy, moving, and inspiring. I watch it regularly, so here it is for those who have not seen it:




And he's right. When I was in high school, I was very cynical, but as time has gone on, that's kind of faded. I treat everyone with respect, and kindness, and slowly, really great things have happened in my life. And life is good, and I know much of it has come as a result of really hard work, but I believe in karma, and think that the way I treat people has to have helped in some small way.

13 comments:

  1. When Conan almost cried during his farewell it really broke my heart. I LOVE Conan, and it was really hard to watch his say goodbye.

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  2. It broke my heart too. He went out with so much class but you could tell how much he was hurting. We haven't heard from him since, so he's probably camped out in his basement, eating doritos and watching, tv and grieving.

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  3. Letterman did a great parody of the Leno promo this week. First he showed Leno driving his fancy car, then he showed himself crashing into a Christmas tree driving a cupcake. Funny!

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  4. That sounds great! I wish I'd seen it, I'm checking for it online, but can't seem to find it. I'll keep trying...

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  5. If everyone thought Conan was so great, Wheres the ratings?? Exactly they went down when he took the seat. Like every other time people only care when at the end. Just like the Jets.

    Its why Conan will never host The Tonight Show again!! and Why Winnipeg will never have a NHL team EVER.

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  6. Anonymous, if you respond to this, can you please leave your name? An opinion doesn't hold water unless your name is attached to it, in my opinion.

    As for what you said: Developing ratings takes time. Conan was given 7 months, which is not nearly enough time to build up the following Leno had when he was at The Tonight Show. Leno had 17 years. Obviously his ratings were going to be larger at the time of his exit than Conan's were.

    More people may have been tuning in at the end, but that's the standard "train wreck" scenario. It was interesting television because of the controversy and trouble surrounding his exit. His loyal fans tuned in throughout his run, and will tune in wherever he ends up. He's too good for NBC, a network that is struggling in part because of executives making poor decisions. By choosing Leno over Conan, they're looking at now, and not five years down the line. When Leno throws in the towel, they won't have anyone to replace him.

    Just look at Conan's verified Twitter account. 91,000 fans in three hours.

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  7. Controversy nah, Conan couldn't do the trick so they got the old dog back that could; end of story.

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  8. Conan was doing just fine, if they weren't ready to give him the time it takes to develop an audience, then they shouldn't have sent the old dog out to pasture.

    That being said, Conan will get a new show on a network that will treat him with the respect he deserves, and he will do better than ever. If there is any justice in the world, Leno will crash and burn. Hard.

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  9. The thing is he had a 7.1 rating when he started and it went downhill from there. No one wanted to watch him PERIOD. In the TV market there is one rule; People either like it or they don't and the majority didn't so he went bye bye.

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  10. Anonymous, you do realise that Leno was also not pulling in ratings at the 10 pm slot, right? So essentially Conan lost his job for not having ratings, and Leno got his old job back for not having ratings. How do you explain that?
    And that's not taking into account the fact that the Nielsen system of measuring tv viewership has been proven to be an outdated system that has not kept up with the times. Nobody I know watches Two and a Half Men, yet it's one of the highest rated sitcoms according to Nielsen, just as an example.
    And since you did bring up the Jets, let me point out that the team is struggling for an audience in Phoenix, but has yet to be moved. Same thing's happening in Nashville, where they literally cannot give tickets away, yet there's not even a whisper of moving the team.
    How do you explain all these anomalies, pray tell?

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  11. (I am Anonymous)

    Jay Leno met all NBC projections for ratings and got exactly what he and the network thought they would be getting, So explained!.
    And just because no one you know watches a show doesn't make it a majority vote. I actually have the exact opposite where most of my friends watch Two and and half men.

    Though the Nielsen is outdated which I agree on. Companies use the data for where and when they put there ads. No Nielsen rating no sponsors no show.

    Also bringing up the Jets, Its 2010 not the mid nineties. and second time will tell what will happen to these teams.

    and side note Leno got his job back because of poor ratings of late night News.

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  12. "Jay Leno met all NBC projections for ratings and got exactly what he and the network thought they would be getting,"

    Except that he didn't, seeing as how his show was the equivalent of the asthmatic scrawny kid in the elementary playground of 10 pm. Unless you're telling me NBC put him there knowing he'd fail, which makes no sense.

    "And just because no one you know watches a show doesn't make it a majority vote."

    It does. 0%, you realise that? And I know a fair number of people.

    "I actually have the exact opposite where most of my friends watch Two and and half men. "

    Really? Quote me two lines, right now, without looking it up.

    "Also bringing up the Jets, Its 2010 not the mid nineties. and second time will tell what will happen to these teams. "

    You brought it up, not me. Explain to me the part where the difference in decades justifies the difference in treatment between the Jets and the Predators. I mean, if you are going to blame the Winnipeg public for the Jets' move, shouldn't Nashville's team also move by that same token? No other factor could've possibly played in it, now, could it have? Just like the Leno/Conan case was black and white as well.

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  13. Leno's show was a massive disappointment, and angered late night news programs as it affected their ratings. What they should have done was sent him packing. Now they're banking on a man who's not only not funny (in my opinion), but who is close to retirement. What'll they do when Leno retires? They shouldn't have even given him his show, he should have just gone to another network.

    And Randy, how did you find my blog, if I may ask? I ask because I'm looking for ways to promote my blog for a future project, and want to know what is working (as in, generating new readers).

    Copper: Excellent points! I especially love the Jets stuff--which is all way over my head, as a person who does not watch much hockey.

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