Thursday, January 21, 2010
Conan, Leno, Letterman revealed their nasty sides
David Letterman can be forgiven for his pointed barbs (he's always been that way), but Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno traded their friendly facades for a more mean-spirited tone these past few weeks, according to AlessandraStanely . She says: "However clownish, the late-night host is cool and self-contained, sending up the water-cooler follies of the day at a benevolent remove. Suddenly, Mr. Leno, Mr. O’Brien, Mr. Letterman and their ilk are the water-cooler folly, and they are neither removed nor benevolent. At times they have seemed as outraged and sanctimonious as the politicians, news anchors and movie stars they normally lampoon."
Who's interested in Conan?: FX, HBO, Showtime, TNT, TBS and *NBC's USA*
Conan's most expensive sketch ever: $4.8 million!
Letterman obtains "exclusive" Leno security cam footage
Pee-wee Herman explains Conan vs. NBC — with toys // Robin Williams: "You idiot…."
Leno, meet Obama: Jay tapped to speak at the White House Correspondents Dinner
Conan's monologue: "I am prohibited from coming within 500 yards of 11:30"
Leno's monologue: "I have chosen to stay on the Titanic"
Leno apparently will host "Tonight" from a revamped "Jay Leno Show" set
Yup, NBC will keep Conan's signature characters, including Triumph
Watch HBO's "The Late Shift" online // Win a Cheetos Conan portrait
Letterman goes through "The Jay Leno File"
Leno has been confirmed as manipulative, ambitious, cunning
Leno-Letterman feud renewed! // Conan's staff takes farewell photos
Conan borrowed Veyron Mouse from an auto museum
Why Conan doesn't deserve a single penny of his $32.5M settlement
Pimpbot/Masturbating Bear music is safe: Vivino & Weinberg own them
Jay Leno's new "Tonight Show" will mix his new and old shows
"My guess is it will be a hybrid," says NBC exec Jeff Gaspin, who is confident that Leno's ratings will return to form when he moves back to 11:35 on March 1st. "They're going to make some alterations to the studio to make it more intimate. There's elements of the current show they like, and there's elements from 'The Tonight Show' they'd like to bring back. I would be surprised if they didn't bring back the desk and a couch, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a new desk and couch."
Claim: NBC mess has turned Letterman into a "bully"
Dave is the "second biggest loser" from this whole scandal, says Fraser Seitel. "When the O’Brien-Leno controversy began," he says, "Letterman handled it in proper bemused, yet detached, style. He poked fun at NBC which, having also unceremoniously ushered him out some years ago, was perfectly understandable. But then Dave’s mood turned ugly."
The Sports Guy predicts: "Whiny" Conan will fail at Fox
Bill Simmons, the ESPN writer and former "Jimmy Kimmel Live" writer, says it was "foolish" of Conan to think that Leno would leave and that O'Brien came off as "too whiny" in how he handled the situation. "Look, he's not Johnny Carson; he's a gawky, super-witty, awkward, hyperactive goofball who isn't going to appeal to everyone. I don't see Fox at 11 working, either," says Simmons. "We just saw him fail at 11:35 … Going head-to-head for the egghead demo with Jon Stewart (at 11) will be better? If he were smart, he'd go to Comedy Central at 12, follow Colbert and Stewart, and just be himself."
Prediction: Joel McHale will host "The Tonight Show" in 2013
Forget Jimmy Fallon: With Conan officially out, the 38-year-old "Community" and "The Soup" star looks like the perfect person to succeed Jay Leno when the Big Chin eventually retires. "He's a triple threat," says Robert J. Hollywood Jr. "He cracks wise and he's at ease on the air (usually). Got a little Bill Murray thing going, a little Van Dyke. Has a Regis-like ability to burn minutes of air time without breakin' a sweat. The guy is a talent. More specifically, he is a TV talent. Meaning: He wears well."
Mischa Barton sued for not paying $7,000 a month in rent
The actress hasn't paid rent for the last three months, her landlord alleges. PLUS: Mischa's reps deny she's an "SVU" problem.
Super Mario Bros do "Jersey Shore"
Watch Mario and Luigi reveal their secrets for looking good.
Star Jones fired from "The Insider" after fighting with staff
Did she really get escorted off set after a screaming match?
Ben Linus is scary-looking
In this latest "Lost" promotional photo.
"Big Brother's" gay cowboy does gay porn
"BB 10's" Steven Daigle says: "I didn't expect my life to take this path, but when I was presented with the opportunity, I dove in head first… literally."
Did Oprah lash out at Rosie O'Donnell for fanning the lesbian rumors?
Rosie taped an appearance on Oprah today, just two months after alleging on Howard Stern's show that Oprah and Gayle King are "a gay couple."
Food Network and HGTV return to Cablevision
The month-long feud has been settled.
Gene Roddenberry's "The Questor Tapes" may become a TV series
Roddenberry's son, Rod, has struck a deal to bring the 1974 project to fruition.
TNT renews "Leverage," orders Steven Spielberg and George Clooney shows
The new projects include Spielberg's Untitled Alien-Invasion Series starring Noah Wyle, Jason Lee's "Delta Blues" from Clooney and "Rizzoli & Isles" starring Angie Harmon as a Boston detective and Lorraine Bracco as her mom.
Jon Cryer's ex denies hiring a hitman
"This is the father of her child, and I think it's outrageous that these rumors are being spread," says the attorney for Sarah Trigger, amid reports that the FBI interviewed her client over last Friday's incident.
ABC orders "Matadors" and "True Blue"
One is a legal drama about two feuding families, the toher is described as a homicide detective version of "The Big Chill."
Conan oughta thank NBC for giving him his groove back
It's been argued that Conan O'Brien never seemed comfortable in "The Tonight Show" slot, but in the past two weeks "CoCo" has elevated his game and recaptured his comedy voice. If NBC had kept Conan in place, James Poniewozik argues that Conan might have "puttered along" — "he might never have figured out how to get comfortable in the mass-market time slot. And a couple years from now, he might have gotten axed anyway, without the argument that he didn't get enough of a chance." But thanks to this brouhaha, Poniewozik says, "NBC has just provided a massive new sampling, an underdog-hero image and a potential future following in a valuable demo group—to a guy they're paying millions to go somewhere else. I don't know if Fox is going to offer Conan a show, but if they were interested two weeks ago, they have to be a hell of a lot more interested now. Well played, NBC."
Starting next week: NBC will air Peacock-friendly Conan reruns till Feb. 11
NBC yanks 1-minute $1.5 million sketch from the Web
Where will the Team CoCo movement gogo?
Lorne Michaels: Conan welcome back at "SNL"
Ricky Gervais defends not attacking NBC: "I just thought it was old hat"
Final score: Leno 1, Team Conan 0, NBC 0
Conan allows "I'm With CoCo" artist to sell T-shirts
Triumph's fate?: His future use might require NBC's permission
Leno/Conan was bound to end this way
Jay Leno covers EW as No. 1 on "TV's Biggest Bombs Ever!" list
Kimmel & Ferguson: The Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of late-night
Fox? HBO? Wherever Conan goes, he'll get a big pay cut
Conan will pay his staff at least $1M out of his own pocket
Rob Lowe leaving "Brothers and Sisters"
The actor is reportedly feeling underutilized, especially after four showrunners. But ABC doesn't want him to leave. "We would like to keep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise," says ABC entertainment chief Steve McPherson. "We are in talks now." This isn't Lowe's first TV show exit. He departed "The West Wing" during the middle of its run.
"Amazing Racers": "Big Brother" stars, detectives, grandmother-granddaughter
"Big Brother" winner Jordan Lloyd and her fan-favorite boyfriend Jeff Schroeder will be competing, as well as a couple of bull-riders. "We ride bucking bulls and horses," said Jet who is racing with his fellow bull-rider Cord. "If we're gonna be intimidated, it's not by another team." (Watch the promo)
David Hasselhoff's 2nd family reality show will be like "Fame"
Last year The Hoff starred in "Meet the Hasselhoffs," a British show in which cameras followed him and his daughter around as they traveled the country. This show, he says, will follow him and his daughters as they try to break into the reality show.
Hulu may charge $4.99 a month to watch older episodes
The proposed pay service will allow the five most recent episodes to be viewed for free. Older episodes will need a subscription.
Rachael Ray — The Ice Sculpture
Check out sculptor Sean Fitzpatrick's creation outside his house.
"The Office's" Dunder Mifflin CFO is a real-life wealth management adviser
"It’s crazy. It’s a fluke," Andy Buckley, who has acted on other shows, says of moonlighting on "The Office."
"Bachelor" Jake: Something "horrible" is coming up
"Horrible. Awful. On a scale of one to 10, it nears a 10," he teases. PLUS: Jimmy Kimmel challenges Jake to throw a football.
Michael Jackson will appear in 3-D on the Grammys
The "Earth Song" video clip was supposed to be part of his London concerts.
Kevin Smith takes in "Jersey Shore"
The "Jersey" director sat down with Time's Joel Stein to see how much MTV "Jersey" they could stomach. "One episode down," Stein writes, "Smith developed an unnatural emotional connection to Snooki, who on her first night in the house stripped down to her bra and thong, got in the hot tub with all four male housemates and tried to make out with each of them. Smith figured that he would have hooked up with Snooki and then tried to save her." Said Smith: "I'd date Snooki, and she'd cheat on me repeatedly. 'Snooki, I'm trying to help.' 'I don't need your help, you fat canker-blossom!'"
"Jersey Shore" is like Commedia dell’Arte // Viewing parties are a hit at "Jersey" bar
"Jersey Shore" — The Movie: Starring Mila Kunis as Snooki, Nick Lachey as Ronnie
Snooki explains her name // Rachael Ray cooks a "Jersey" meal
ABC's "The Deep End" borrows from "Grey's" — and every lawyer show
"It’s actually kind of depressing," says Matthew Gilbert, "just how obviously 'The Deep End' has been constructed of used parts from the likes of 'LA Law,' 'The Practice,' 'Boston Legal,' 'Damages,' 'Eli Stone,' and 'The Good Wife.' But the borrowing doesn’t stop there. The most prevalent ingredient isn’t a legal series, it’s 'Grey’s Anatomy,' with its emphasis on a fresh-faced crew of ambitious, competitive fledglings finding their way – and plenty of time for sex – in an all-consuming profession." PLUS: Associates seem to be cast from the prettiest head shots.
Omarion replacing alleged child molester on "America's Best Dance Crew"
University of Utah drops complaint against "Big Love"
"Alf" is tweeting with his own verified Twitter account
Handcuffed "Idol" wannabe didn't go to jail // An irritatingly thought-provoking week
D.C. "Real World"-er admits lying about her cancer
Conan's NBC settlement deal is finally done
Gavin Polone, Conan O'Brien's manager, confirmed early this morning that negotiations have ended and that "The Tonight Show" staff will be taken care of as part of a deal worth more than $40 million. "It's signed," he tells The Wrap. "In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket. Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible." It's been confirmed that Friday will be Conan's last day on the Peacock. As part of the settlement, Conan will lose his signature bits and characters and he'll be temporarily forbidden from trashing NBC, though it's expected that he'll be able to make NBC jokes on his new talk show. For a short period of time, Conan won't be able to give any media interviews. Conan won't be allowed to work for another network until September 1st. PLUS: Conan blows $1.5M on a 1-minute comedy bit.
$32 million for Conan, $12 million for his staff
NBC's "Today" confirms $45M settlement: Leno's "Tonight Show" returns March 1st
Conan will keep $32.5M — even if he gets another job
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is apparently staying with NBC
NBC announces Conan's exit, Leno's return
Stephen Colbert settles "feud" with Shani Davis, gets NBC invite
Davis, the U.S. speedskater who said "he's a jerk" when referring to Colbert, got to race against his "nemesis" on Wednesday's show. Meanwhile, Dick Ebersol invited Colbert to participate in NBC's coverage.
Simon Cowell to help Haiti with a charity single
Susan Boyle, Beyonce, Leona Lewis and Lady GaGa are among the big names who might help Cowell with his Haiti project.
Ashton Kutcher to host "SNL" for the 4th time
He'll return as host for the Feb. 6th show with musical guest Crooked Vultures. Kutcher last hosted in April 2008. Meanwhile, Jon Hamm will return to "Saturday Night Live" on Jan. 30.
Steve Harvey is the new host of "Family Feud"
His "one-of-a-kind" personality will replace John O'Hurley, who has hosted the "Feud" for the past four seasons.
Seth MacFarlane takes a shot at NBC
At an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tribute to Gene Roddenberry, the "Family Guy" creator couldn't help but note that it was the Peacock that had canceled "Star Trek."
