Conan changes his tune, ends "Tonight" stint on a classy note
"It was, all in all, a sweetly subdued ending to half a month of scorched earth," says Mary Elizabeth Williams, referring primarily to Conan's classy farewell speech. "The barely contained fury that has fueled the past few shows — and made them full of singularly Tivo-worthy 'Oh no he didn't!' moments — had melted away, in part perhaps of the alleged non-disparagement clause in O'Brien's hefty million buyout, but also, perhaps, a product of some late-stage Elisabeth Kübler-Ross acceptance. At times, O'Brien looked positively rapturous, awed at the blessing of having won so much good will."
Conan nailed his "Tonight" ending: It was weid, classy, wryly appropriate
Final show could never find a tone or voice // Conan was heartfelt, classy
One of the crazier endings in TV history // Maybe Conan wants Oprah's job
Last show didn't seem too well thought out // His family was in audience
Final show scores humongous ratings // Pic from the wrap party
Leno drew 20% more viewers for his final "Tonight Show"
The after-party was like an Irish Wake, with Jameson Irish whiskey flowing
Jimmy Fallon & The Roots pay tribute // Can Conan replace Letterman?
Watch Tom Hanks & Conan on "SNL" in 1988 and 1990
Jeff Zucker puppet tries to lure Craig Ferguson to NBC
Matthew Perry: "We're not supposed to be cynical? … I don't know about that"
"Sons of Anarchy" creator: Late-night war has been cringe-worthy
Watch Steve Carell's exit inteview // Tom Hanks Part 1 and Part 2
The "most expensive sketch" ever // Will Ferrell, Beck, ZZ Top's "Free Bird"
Conan writer: "It was almost like he was getting off on the uncertainty"
"He was like, 'Guys, we've been handed a golden comic opportunity," says Rob Kutner, who left "The Daily Show" in NYC to write Conan's monologues in Los Angeles. "You know, like, 'You're going to remember this piece of history forever.' It was almost like he was gettign off on the uncertainty, like he was invigorated by the craziness."
Jay Leno, the dorky kid, triumphed over the cool kid, Conan O'Brien
"In the great high school of life, NBC opted to follow the siren call of cool, explains Neal Gabler. "And now, for what may be the first time since 18 to 49 became the American grail, the system has blown up, so much so that NBC was willing to pay O'Brien tens of millions of dollars just to get rid of him and restore Leno to 'Tonight.' And that is the real significance of the Leno/O'Brien smackdown. Say what you will about Leno, his return is a cultural milestone. As O'Brien faded into the evening last night with bundles of cash and newfound martyrdom, the baby boomers have finally gotten some small measure of revenge, however old and dorky and undesirable they may be."
Obama did not pick Leno for the White House Correspondents' dinner
The decision to pick Leno was made solely by the the president of the White House Correspondents' Association, Edwin Chen of Bloomberg News. And it was made months ago, before the current hubbub.
Haiti telethon was a study in carefully muted star power
"More than 100 of the most famous actors and music stars in the world went on stage pretending to be nobody," says Alessandra Stanley, noting it "was a case study in giving it all while holding back."
"Jersey Shore" cast demanding a raise
They only made a few hundred bucks each on the first season, and a source tells Page Six: "They want $10,000 an episode, arguing that the stars from 'The Hills' get $100,000 per episode and that show doesn't even rate as high. They're hanging together like the cast of 'Friends' and saying if they don't all get the pay increase, none of them will return."
Andy Dick arrested for sexual abuse
The actor was taken into custody this morning in West Virginia on two counts of sexual abuse, but details of what happened are still sketchy.
"All My Children's" James Mitchell dies at 89
The actor who played Palmer Courtlandt had just celebrated the soap's 40th anniversary earlier this month.
