Conan's settlement with NBC could be worth $30 to $40 million
Negotiations should be completed Saturday, but according to the NY Times, Conan "is expected to get a settlement that will pay him more than $30 million. In addition, under the terms now on the table, he would win the right to start a new show at some other network, probably as early as September." The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reports that "estimates of the financial settlement ranged anywhere between $25 million and $35 million. One person familiar with the situation said the total package could be closer to $40 million, although that figure was disputed by others." A source tells Nikki Finke, "Zucker's NBC spin puts it at $25 million. But it's a lot closer to $40 million than $25 million. And Conan was adamant that NBC take care of the people close to him — (executive producer) Jeff Ross and the staff who moved out to Los Angeles."
Conan puts "Tonight" souvenirs on eBay // watch the video
Conan: We received more than 3,000 Craigslist offers
Sarah Silverman backs Conan: She was on his first week in 1993
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" repeats the Leno special on Monday
10 lessons from the book "The Late Shift"
What if Fox and ABC aren't options for Conan? Will he go to cable?
Quit blaming Leno!: He's had 2 shows taken away from him by NBC
NBC's "new" 10 PM lineup: Fred Willard! Fred Willard! Fred Willard!
Conan survives NBC parking lot shootout
Leno fires back at Letterman: "Oooh, I'm getting beat up in the press"
"Even David Letterman is taking shots at me," Jay Leno said in Friday's monologue. "Which surprised me. Usually he’s just taking shots at the interns. I was stunned by that. It was a shock."
Is Jimmy Fallon now heir apparent to "The Tonight Show"?
Fallon, at age 35, can be patient with Jay Leno, making him most eligible person to inherit the 11:35 timeslot.
Self-confessed "Cocophile" Bryan Curtis was left "utterly bored" by Conan's "Tonight," pointing out that nobody seems to be defending the quality of his seven-month stint. "When O’Brien sat down at Johnny’s desk, the gravitas seemed to throw off his balance," he says. "The show’s first week was an embarrassing celebration of all things Conan—see the opening sketch. It should have rightly celebrated the whole Conan traveling circus, from the dog to the masturbating bear."
As "24' returns for its 8th season Sunday, Hank Stuever observes: "Personally, I always thought '24' worked best as a dark comedy about the despair of the inept American workplace — sort of like 'The Office,' only with more loss of limb. It was, and still is, a show about people trying to pass the buck to cover their asses, or take undeserved credit for the work of others, or scheme their way to the top of the Counter Terrorism Unit. The show's history is rife with bad bosses and horrible HR protocols. The harder he works, the worse Jack is treated, and I think this is the best reason to stick with '24.' Jack started out at the top and worked his way down, down, downsized — a non-entity, an ex-employee, a badgeless rogue who is always being thanklessly asked back to work."
