If there is a God he will not allow this to happen. http://www.comcast.net/entertainment/index.jsp?fn=2007/10/15/233521.html&cvqh=itn_leno As the Late-Night World Turns... Mon Oct 15, 2:17 PM Is there going to be a sequel to The Late Shift? A report in Monday's Los Angeles Times said NBC's best laid succession plans for The Tonight Show might be threatened by Jay Leno rethinking retirement. The article, citing "three people familiar with the situation," said Leno, despite signing off on an NBC announcement two years ago to set his retirement date for 2009, "doesn't want to go." Conan O'Brien, late of NBC's Late Night, is supposed to move into Leno's old job (and the network's planned new digs) when—if?—Leno steps aside. A Tonight Show spokeswoman did not return an email inquiry regarding the Times article. In the newspaper, NBC executive Marc Graboff is quoted as saying the network (a) wants to stay in the Leno business (as long as the business is "beyond late night") and (b) has no plans to not turn over TV's top-rated late-night show to O'Brien. "We had to make a choice because we didn't want to lose Conan," Graboff told the Times. "We feel that we made the right choice." Neither Leno nor O'Brien speaks for himself in the article. The Times story doesn't get anyone to talk on the record about Leno's supposed ennui, but describes the hardworking comic as "frustrated," and "reluctant to retire from late night." Last week, NBC announced it was selling its famed "beautiful downtown Burbank" digs, the longtime headquarters of The Tonight Show. Leno was expected to remain at the current location and O'Brien was due to christen the new set, which will be built near parent company Universal Studios. In 2005, when NBC announced the planned O'Brien-for-Leno substitution, Leno released a statement saying he'd promised his wife, Mavis, that he'd take her out to dinner before he turned 60. Leno will be 59 in 2009. "When I signed my new contract," Leno was quoted as saying, "I felt that the timing was right to plan for my successor, and there is no one more qualified than Conan." NBC pushed for the succession announcement in order to keep the younger and in-demand O'Brien in the network fold. Now, according to the Times, if the network doesn't give O'Brien the 11:35 p.m. time slot in 2009, it'll be on the hook for $40 million—the price you apparently pay when you break a promise to a man with a good agent. Another scenario—recalling Late Shift, the book and movie about the behind-the-scenes machinations leading up to Johnny Carson's final days on The Tonight Show—would see Leno leaving, O'Brien moving in...and Leno moving on to another network in his old Tonight Show time slot. According to the Times, ABC or Fox would be the most likely suitors for the reluctant retiree. In 1991-92, Carson's own pending retirement set in motion the chain of events that led to O'Brien's late-night career. Leno, then the Tonight guest host, was named Carson's successor. That one announcement ticked off David Letterman (who hosted Late Night for NBC), briefly caused NBC to consider rescinding its job offer to Leno and making one to Letterman instead, prompted Letterman to leave NBC for CBS and The Late Show and led to NBC hiring the then-unknown O'Brien to become the new Late Night host. At least this time around, Letterman won't be in play. Per a deal announced in late 2006, Letterman is locked in at The Late Show through 2010. It's not known if, at the end of his current contract, Letterman intends to retire.
I don't even know how Leno has been on this long. He is one of the most boring people to watch. NBC should be Conan 24/7
Is that just in Houston? Because it comes on right after Conan in most of the country. What's up with Houston getting late night shows, really late. Didn't Conan used to come on really late at night as well.
I once liked Leno... but now all of his jokes are the expense of other people. He sux. Conan is great. He even 'protects' his guests, like 'the' Carson used to do.
i dvr conan and watch it occasionally. as long as he's on somewhere i don't really care if it's in leno's spot or not.
why all the leno hate? wheres the letterman hate. I'd listen to leno anytime over letterman. It goes Conan Leno kimmel/letterman Carson daly * shudder*
I've never like Leno, I used to watch Letterman. I never found Leno funny at all, everything he would say was weak compared to Letterman. And yes, Conan is great. He needs Leno's time slot asap.
Leno is hilarious. I love watching Jaywalking and Headlines. I've never been into Conan or Letterman. His top ten lists arent that funny to me. Jimmy Kimmel has the best late night show overall. Just my two cents.
Headlines is fine, but Jaywalking is a load of crap. Those people know if they act like idiots they'll get on tv. Letterman was the king of doing interviews on the street. Larry "Bud" Mellman and Biff Henderson were also great. Jays stuff pales in comparison.
Leno sucks. His humour is so mainstream and bland. He is a good interviewer though. I didn't like Letterman that much until recently, but seeing how he has a mean, jackass edge to him I like him a little bit more. I still think Conan is the best in being a pure comedian and he has the best show overall. I do like Kimmel, not for his jokes but due to his bits and characters on the show. Carson has good musical guests from time to time. He also has guests you wouldn't see elsewhere. Like the guys from Human Giant appeared once. He also Rick Roll'd his audience.
Conan is the best. Not only the best late night show, but pound for pound one of the best shows on TV. Five nights a week, and on his worst night he's mildly entertaining. I hope when he gets the earlier time slot he doesn't have to tone it down for a more mainstream audience. I don't really care for Leno either way, but one of my friends is a big fan, he says his stand up act is great. The Carson Daly fan club needs to take the same initiative that Selena's did. (Credit Norm McDonald for that joke.)
