Conan's manager fires back at NBC; "Tonight" staff will get paid
As settlement negotiations wrap up, Gavin Polone, who has known Conan O'Brien for 24 years, said Dick Ebersol's attack on Conan contained many things that are untrue, particularly with the issue of Jay Leno as a lead-in. Though Polone said talks between Conan and Fox haven't taken place, he kept referring to Fox as "the number one network" as he pointed out many of NBC's flaws. "Maybe the number one network knows about what’s good on television," he said. Polone also said that it's an "outrageous lie" that Conan's staff won't get paid a severence package "Everyone in the negotiations knows that point number one in the discussions is and has been that the staff will be taken care of," he said. PLUS: Settlement should be finalized Saturday night or Sunday.
Triumph dead?: NBC plans to keep all of Conan's bits when he leaves
No more Masturbating Bear!? According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC is going to do what it did to David Letterman 17 years ago: "The Peacock owns the intellectual property behind such popular O'Brien characters as Pimpbot 5000 and Conando, as well as recurring segments such as In the Year 3000 and Desk Driving. Sources involved in the settlement negotiations say NBC is keeping the copyrighted and trademarked elements of O'Brien's shows as part of the deal. That means the bits and characters will likely never be seen after O'Brien's "Tonight" ends its run Jan. 22." But The Hollywood Reporter says Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's future is unclear, since it was originated by former "Late Night" head writer Robert Smigel.
Settlement could ban Conan from bashing NBC ever again
Sources tell TMZ that "NBC wants a liquidated damages clause if Conan says anything disparaging about the network once he leaves. Essentially that means there is a clause in the contract that says Conan will automatically pay a predetermined amount of money if he says bad things about NBC." TMZ also reports: "NBC will be paying Conan a hefty sum, but that will be offset by any amount Conan makes for his next hosting gig. So if Conan makes a deal with FOX, NBC can reduce the amount it pays Conan by the amount FOX forks over."
Report: Conan staffers are mad that they are getting stiffed
Rep: Conan is "adamant" that NBC take care of his staff
Conan beats Letterman in Friday's ratings
Dick Ebersol to take on Stephen Colbert on Wednesday
Jeff Zucker responds to "soap opera"; former NBC CEO sad about Conan
"We live in a society today that loves a soap opera," NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker said on Friday. But Zucker said he had to act after learning last week that NBC affiliates were threatening to pre-empt "The Jay Leno Show." “It was becoming tough to deal with,” Zucker said. “The pressure from the affiliate body was strong.” Meanwhile, former NBC CEO Bob Wright, who left his job in 2007, says: "I’m very disappointed that they are losing Conan, who is very talented. To get squeezed out like that is very tough. They could have done it another way."
A "Bachelor" pregnancy? Is Jake the father?
One of the contestants, Tenley, is expected to announce that she's expecting on Monday's show, but it isn't clear who is the daddy.
"Breaking Bad": Walter White as Frankenstein?
"Walt this season is a little like Dr. Frankenstein," says creator Vince Gilligan, "in the sense that Dr. Frankenstein with good intentions creates a monster and maybe we'll see a little of that with Jesse."
"Mad Men's" Rich Sommer hooking up with "Ugly Betty"
He'll play a fireman a "date from hell" with Betty.
Rodney Jerkins: Simon Cowell's replacement?
The former judge on P.Diddy's MTV reality show "Starmakers" has emerged as a possible candidate for the "Idol" job.
