Whoa, LENO throws Conan under the bus, & Dave halfway under

[UTUSN]

**********QUOTE********
http://gawker.com/5395351/latest-critic-of-the-the-jay-leno-show-experiment-jay-leno?skyline=true&s=x

Latest Critic of the The Jay Leno Show Experiment: Jay Leno

.... In the killing fields of NBC chatland, what little peace and stability had been achieved was just been blown to smithereens by a little hint dropped by Jay Leno, that, oh yes, now that you mention it, he'd be willing to take his old slot back.

Pity poor Conan O'Brien; his ratings are off 47 percent from Jay's, competing not just against Leno's legacy but Letterman's ongoing scandal. ... ....

If you are Conan O'Brien reading the above, it might occur to you that that 11:30 slot to which Jay is graciously willing to return is the one that you currently occupy.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jay shows himself to be startingly self-aware of the differences between himself and Letterman, and delivering a sort of triple backhanded compliment, saying of Dave's current scandal:

"He's not being a hypocrite; Dave has never set himself up as (a model citizen). If it were me, it would kill me. I'm the guy who's been married 29 years. But Dave has never pretended to be Mr. Moral America, he's never set himself up that way. He's not a hypocrite. I don't know how it will be viewed. He doesn't do corporate days like me, he's not as advertiser-friendly as I am. I'm the guy when Coke or Pepsi is here, I come down and shake hands and take pictures, but he doesn't do that. I don't think it will have a big effect at all." ....

So just to sum up the Ben Silverman legacy: NBC has decimated one of its three prime-time hours, its affiliates news shows are sinking, its late night line-up is staggering along at half the viewership of a year ago, and now its 11:30 host must once again watch his back against his network teammate. ....

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[peekaloo]

1. Hey Jay what a surprise that you're a corporate ass kissing suck up

who knew? :sarcasm:

[Bertha Venation]

2. I think (I hope) that Conan will get better -

and that he holds onto his spot tenaciously.

[Common Sense Party]

7. I hope so, too. He still doesn't seem confident on the Tonight Show.

I think the tools are there--he's got Andy, Max (sometimes) and good writers. But CoCo doesn't seem as sure of himself as he did on Late Night. I do think he may need to get less avant garde (weird) musical artists. For the earlier time slot, some of the new hipster stuff won't go over as well.

[Tikki]

3. Leno lacks, seriously, in the 'funny' department...

[Mobius]

6. beat me to it

D:

[JonLP24]

14. Hey he has to come up with fresh material for every night 5 days a week

not easy. ;)

[UTUSN]

4. YouTube of Dave "doing" LENO, a slapdown

Interviewing the author of "I'm Dying Up Here." At 4 minutes into this, Dave does a squeaky, complaining LENO voice about not getting paid at The Comedy Store. At 8 minutes, the author says, "You and Jay used to get along great back then," and Dave tells how they had a strike planning meeting and LENO was so hyper, "wouldn't SHUT UP," that the rest of them decided not to tell him "where the second meeting was."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyr6LqBkNQM

[Mobius]

5. leno ftl

his show sucks ass, and Conan is awesome and funnier than he will ever be.
I <3 Conan

[question everything]

9. I used to watch Leno, but do not watch Conan

So while people here are hurling insults at Leno and embracing Conan, NBC would have been better off not making the switch. But they were idiots. Five years ago they thought they were going to lose Conan - and perhaps they would have. But they lost the golden goose.

Oh, and it was Leno, not Dave, who paid the writers during the strike, even though he is not a gazillionaire like Dave, and it was Leno, not Dave, who had free shows for unemployed people in Detroit and, I think, Ohio.

Most people who still watch the late shows are older people and for us, Leno is more comfortable than self promoting, biting Dave.

Conan's followers are more of a late late shows, or non-TV at all.

[lunamagica]

12. Dave *did* pay his staff during the strike

Dave Opens Own Wallet To Pay His Staff

EXCLUSIVE: I've just learned that David Letterman and his producers yesterday morning announced to his Late Show staff that they will be paid through the end of the year even though the show isn't on the air during the writers strike. "Dave's not doing this to get good press, which is why it hasn't been reported for almost two days," a source tells me. "This is really significant because, as opposed to all of the other shows, this money comes out of Dave's own pocket."

More....
http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/dave-opens-own-wallet-to-pay-his-staff/


WGA strike update: David Letterman pays staff out of his pocket

Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood is reporting that David Letterman and his producers yesterday morning announced to his Late Show staff that they will be paid through the end of the year, even though the show is off the air during the writers strike.


Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1373792.php/WGA_strike_update_David_Letterman_pays_staff_out_of_his_pocket#ixzz0VqL7MDVW

I remember reading about it back then. I don't remember reading Leno doing the same thing, though maybe he did.

[MilesColtrane]

8. Ahhh yes, Jay Leno...ever gargling the NBC corporate ball sack.

Have some Doritos and shut the fuck up, Jay.

[Twillig]

11. He's a company man to the bitter fucking end.

'and not even when he needed the fucking money.'

20 years later..

[rcrush]

10. I believe Leno did something similar to Johnny Carson back in 93

At least he made it look like his producer stabbed Johnny Carson in the back. I remember its why when Leno took over the tonight show Johnny only made appearances on Daves show and even sent Dave jokes.

[valerief]

13. Jay who? Isn't he on when everyone is watching KO's rerun? Followed by Jon and then Stephen.

Then the rest of Craig Ferguson. Then :boring:.