Leno is Back!

It looks like the television is smarter than the executive staff at NBC. If you can't read the error message, it says, "Program has no content."

Coco to Gogo

NBC says it has reached a deal with ''Tonight'' host Conan O'Brien for his exit from the show, allowing Jay Leno to return to the late-night program he hosted for 17 years. The deal is worth a reported $44 million.

Network spokeswoman Allison Gollust confirmed the deal early Thursday but did not offer any other details. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that O'Brien will get $32 million and that the network agreed to pay his staff $12 million in severance.

The announcement comes seven whole months after O'Brien took the desk from Leno.

It's awesome that he stuck up for his crew. But the big payday is a paltry amount when you consider he was probably going to be worth a couple billion. Letterman earns $ 31 million - per year. Don't know if that includes his crew. Seems unlikely. They apparently need to sleep with Dave to see some of that cash.

So they're only paying Conan a tiny sum to walk away. If you consider that Conan could have probably averaged about 10 years on the Tonight Show (assuming a lot of factors, but we're just talking here) Conan would have been worth 310 million in a decade, and that's assuming he would have earned as much as Letterman in 2007 dollars.

Conan got hosed. Twice now.

Hitler Learns Leno Is Moving Back To Late Night

"Every night before bed, Jay Leno kicks comedy right in the dick."

Damn I love this meme.

Really, there's nothing more that needs to be said on the matter.

NBC: The Biggest Loser

Maybe you've heard about this, but NBC is ready to throw in the towel on the Jay Leno experiment. They're going to move Leno back to 10:35 with O'Brien following him. I guess Fallon will be taken out back and shot?

No such luck.

As I predicted, the ratings plunge for the NBC affiliates [specifically local news] was causing a revolt, which in turn caused NBC to flinch. The higher-ups held discussions with both Leno and O'Brien Thursday about the future of NBC's late-night schedule. I suspect it was a lot like going to see the principal. While Leno would see his time slimmed down to a paltry half-hour, O'Brien would still host an hourlong program, which would push Late Night host Jimmy Fallon to 1:05/12:05 Central start time. This also leaves up in the air the future of Last Call with Carson Daly, which starts at 1:35/12:35 C following Fallon. But, seriously, what the hell is that? Why not kill off Leno, and save face with O'Brien?



And unless NBC has some major surprises that they've had on the shelf to support five full time slots with something for the 9/10 PM evening holes what the hell are they going to fill after the Winter Olympics? Oh, wait, they can always fill it with new forms of Law and Order Property Department or Law and Order Meter Maid. I'm sure you'll see a lot of the fastest, cheapest crap ever put on Network television. Expect Candid Camera/YouTube, SNL's Best Clip Show Moments, America's Pets Have Talent, and Prime Time Maury Povich! I had a couple other ones, but I think I'll save those...

Amazingly, in trying to explain this fiasco a football analogy would work. The owners tried a crazy strategy, and it didn't work. Time to change the scheme and the coaches. However, by the time the damage is done, it's going to be like spooking a dugout in a baseball team and not football - and that's the last thing you want, a baseball analogy. It'll take at least a full season for NBC to get back into any stride. And on top of it, you'll have some very pissed off people in the Leno and O'Brien camps who will be startled by the massive rattling [unless there's serious money in making this settle down] of their cages. Total massive failure.

Jay Leno - Dog, or Pony Show?

Perhaps you've heard or read about Jay Leno leaving the Tonight Show - in order to host an hour long slot before the 11 PM (10 CST) News... every night.

That's a real revolution in television. Putting Jay Leno on at the 10 PM (9CST) every night.

Every Night.

NBC has decided that they're going to get the cane out for scripted 1 hour dramas, cop shows, doctors and lawyers and news shows. That's a major move. It's either going to be a huge success - based on the savings of 1/8th the cost of what it's replacing... (Jay's salary vs. an entire program - such as ER) or a massive epic failure because of the potential PR laughing stock that could be as NBC concedes that much prime time real estate to its competitors. (This could be a bigger fail than the Chevy Chase Talk Show.)

For a Network to concede it's place in the media landscape to give up not only prime time real estate, but to signal that original programming is no longer a business they want to be in is a major sea change in the way that content is delivered.

Jay and NBC has the entire summer to fine tune their offering. I think they're going to mess around with the format and have daily focus groups to determine what works best. Personally, I think they only way that this will work is if Jay becomes the 21st Century's Ed Sullivan.

Mondays could be New Music night - where Jay showcases new talent -- which has the potential to be revolutionary in a time when the music industry is in a freefall decline. He could have three or four bands showcased the way that they do it on the BBC -either Tops of the Pops or something like that. It could be cool. Maybe if they toss in a very established band or two to get you to tune in.

Tuesday could be comedy night - and it could be a competition... vote on the internet or cell phone. Thow in an established gagster - like Robin Williams and make him compete too.

Wed, Results for the Comedy competition, and Stupid Pet Tricks... or something. Uh, did we do the music thing yet?

Thursday, Another competition show - uh, singing? Guitar Hero? Juggling? Oh, and Typo Headlines from small market newspapers. Oh, maybe we can get some celebrities to talk about their religion or a new movie that's coming out tomorrow?

Friday... Jay Walking... the whole hour.

How is this not going to result in an epic fail? You tell me?