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10 Aug 2011 20:39

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Culture: “Lopez Tonight” gets the ax; final episode is tomorrow night

  • 40% ratings drop; George Lopez, he ain’t no Conan source
  • » “Lopez Tonight” is no more. Apparently TBS couldn’t justify “high production costs of the program given the revenues coming in.” Let’s have a moment of silence for the comedian, who let Conan take his time slot but didn’t get a ratings bump in return.

21 Jan 2011 15:24

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Biz: Jeff Zucker’s last gasp with NBC: “I leave you in good hands”

  • For me, that chapter’s ending, but for all of you it’s an exciting new beginning. With Comcast, I leave you in good hands and have no doubt that you will continue to do great things. I look forward to following your progress.
  • Departing NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker • In a memo to his employees on the company’s financial performance, the last such report before the soon-to-complete Comcast deal. Zucker, the man probably most responsible for the Jay Leno/Conan mess, is leaving a company he’s worked at for a solid 25 years. Sorry, we’re finding it hard to type. We have something in our eyes. source

14 Dec 2010 10:27

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Tech: Who had the year’s most powerful tweet? NBC’s Ann Curry.

  • According to Twitter, this was the year’s “most powerful tweet.” It’s notable that so much of the year’s news directly affected Twitter in every way, shape and form, and Ann Curry’s moment of advocacy in the wake of this year’s Haiti earthquake really stood out. Other highlights? The president of Ecuador calling a state of emergency via a tweet, Prince William announcing his marriage, our boys @BPGlobalPR making fun of BP, and Conan O’Brien announcing his second-act tour. All this stuff happened on Twitter. Who cares if only six percent of people in the U.S. are using Twitter, guys? The other 94 percent appear to be missing out. source

09 Nov 2010 10:51

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Culture: (Most) other late-night hosts commend Conan’s return

  • I want to congratulate Conan O’Brien and his crew. They’re back on television tonight. I don’t know when… son of a bitch! They’re on the same time as me. Now I’ll never be able to watch me.
  • Jon Stewart • Making a hilarious but well-placed commendation of Conan O’Brien’s return to late night on last night’s “The Daily Show.” Letterman, George Lopez and Craig Ferguson also made some pretty good send-offs to the returning late-night host. Note that none of those guys are on NBC. Just saying. (On a side note, Leno’s getting fellow pariah Christine O’Donnell later this week. Fitting?) source

09 Nov 2010 10:38

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Culture: Conan’s late-night return means another amazing cold open

  • Must hand it to Conan. Dude knows how to make a cold open to start a series. There were many good parts of his debut, but the intro is perhaps our favorite (though the “comma Brett Favre’s penis” joke was definitely a winner, too). Will he be the new king of late night? Newsweek seems to think so. Go read the article and see if they’re full of crap or not. source

06 Nov 2010 15:18

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Culture: USA Today used Comic Sans on its front page Friday. NOOOOO

  • NO. NO. NO. NO. No. No. No. This is wrong. No. USA Today needs to stop doing this. Not even Conan can make this usage desirable. (Thanks to Danny Unruh, @kstateunruh for the image)

05 Nov 2010 10:30

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Culture: Conan does Playboy: That’s right, he did an interview, not a spread

  • He can come as the musical guest, because that I want to see. No one knows he has an operatic range [sings as Jay Leno]. No, there are certain things I will not do, regardless of the price.
  • Conan O’Brien • Explaining that no, he will not have Jay Leno on his new TBS show, which premieres next week. Other highlights from his interview with Playboy: He explains how his doctor once thought he was a cocaine user (he’s not, but he likes to drink), notes how the business has changed in the last 17 years (reality TV was the biggest single change), and suggests that actors pay the audience for plugging their latest project on his show. “If Jim Carrey or Tom Hanks accidentally mentions his project,” he says, “I think the viewer should be compensated in some way. That would be a way to turn this economy around.” source
 

04 Oct 2010 19:06

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Culture: Conan’s new promo: Take a drink from the hose, if you dare

  • Conan needs a desk, a gardening hose, and a crapload of water. That’s it. He doesn’t even need Andy Richter anymore. The hose is the new Andy Richter.

24 Sep 2010 11:37

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Culture: Months after Conan screw-up, NBC head Jeff Zucker is out

  • You win, Conan fans. And TV fans in general. It took a few months to hit, but Jeff Zucker – a.k.a. the guy who set up the disastrous Jay Leno lineup switch last season – is headed out the door in the wake of the Comcast merger, and not by his own choosing. “in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place — and I didn’t want to end up being a guest in my own house,” he said. While NBC’s cable networks did great, the mothership struggled, and as a result, Zucker’s out. Good riddance. You deserve it for what you did to Conan O’Brien. source

08 Jul 2010 14:04

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Culture: Three really big storylines from the Emmy nominations

  • big The Bryan Cranston teacher-turned-meth-dealer drama “Breaking Bad” got 17 nominations.
  • bigger The sing-songy freshman teen comedy “Glee” got even more nominations – 19 in total.
  • biggestConan O’Brien got nominated for his version of the “Tonight Show.” Jay Leno didn’t. source