Jay Leno to MC White House Correspondents Dinner

[benwolf]

The right thing to do would have been for Jay to say....

OK the Tonight Show isn't mine anymore. It's Conan's. I'm not even going to accept the show back. NBC can put me on after Conan or I'll go to another Network if I choose. But I'm not going to put Conan and 200 other people out of work after they've been promised the Tonight Show for the last 5 years!

That WOULD have been the right thing for Jay to do.

B.S. NBC management screwed this up by making a promise to Conan years ago. I questioned their sanity at the time. But the fact is that Conan flopped and lost much of the Tonight Show's audience. The affiliates were in revolt. NBC had to do something and putting Jay back at 11:35pm was the answer. Conan should have the b**ls to go to 12:05am without complaining. But, no, he SELFISHLY just wanted the money from his contract without doing the work. Conan's just another selfish Hollywood hack. I hope FOX doesn't hire him because he's not that funny.

Agreed. Conan let his ego take over, refusing NBC's offer of following Leno. He took the payout, knowing his staff faced being fired.

NBC's fault too. They didn't react after his 12:30 ratings were sinking against Craig Ferguson.

I can't blame Leno. He kept the Tonight Show #1 and was available. Its a business, and numbers talk. Conan lost half of Leno's Tonight Show audience. HALF!

 

[Skynet74]

I honestly think it was a 3 way screw up. NBC took a chance by pushing Leno out of the The Tonight Show. That was mistake number 1. Mistake Number 2 was Conan not agreeing to just push the show back a half hour. Mistake Number 3 was Leno not bowing out gracefully. That is my honest opinion. To some degreee I think they all screwed up! But I think Conan is the least to blame out of the three. He was made a promise that he would get the Tonight Show. Then suddenly NBC wants for it to be the Tomorrow show, but still call it The Tonight Show. What kind of crap is that?

Conan was just minding his own business and doing his job. Suddenly NBC decides they are going to do something that they've never done in the whole history of the Tonight Show. They are going to start airing it after midnight. A time when most people have already gone to bed. The ratings would have been even lower and that would have ended up making Conan look even worse. So if people can't see why that pissed Conan off... well there is nothing I can do for you then. Yes.... to some degree they all messed up. But I think Conan messed up the least. He just wanted exactly what was expected when he signed the contract. The Tonight Show at 11:35

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Bottom line for most of us Leno isn't funny, period.

Conan has so much potential it's unbelievable. Look at the great job he did hosting the Emmy's.

If Jay wanted to keep the Tonight show he should have fought for it. He gave up the Tonight Show and retired as the show's host. For those who have forgotten it took Leno a long time to pass Letterman in the ratings. Maybe Carson should have come back but he did the classy thing and stayed retired.

Jay is 59, has more money that he will ever be able to spend, he can do stand up for people who want to see him.

Steve Allen left for prime time, Jack Parr left for prime time and neither one went back. Jay had the chance to go out a nice guy and a winner instead he is neither. As for me the next time NBC gets rid of him I hope it's permanent.

If he thought the shot he took at Letterman about his wife were funny I'm with Oprah I wasn't laughing either. It was just mean spirited and a lame attempt to get back at Letterman. Dave's jokes were much better and done in a light fashion.

The sort of thing isn't new for NBC. Does anyone remember the Tomorrow Show fiasco where they had Rhona Barrett and Tom Snyder sharing the show? I think they each did a half hour and you could see the two hated each other!

As for me I'm on Team Coco!!

 

[NeilRattigan]

Steve Allen & Jack Paar made one move Jay Leno should have.... just do one night a week!

Was Paar just burning off what was left his NBC contract after leaving The Tonight Show?

And Steve Allen was losing to CBS because he was going head-to-head with Ed Sullivan.

Both were funny. Neither was overexposed.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Steve Allen & Jack Paar made one move Jay Leno should have.... just do one night a week!

Was Paar just burning off what was left his NBC contract after leaving The Tonight Show?

And Steve Allen was losing to CBS because he was going head-to-head with Ed Sullivan.

Both were funny. Neither was overexposed.

Very true on all counts!

If you remember Parr was always feuding with someone while he was on the Tonight Show. Part of the fun was you were never quite sure what he was going to do or say. Then also the guests back then were really funny and could hold a conversation. They always came with a good story or two. Now days there isn't as much of that but I have seen some signs that it's getting a little better!

I was quite young when Parr was on. It was a treat to stay up late and watch, no doubt on a Friday night when I didn't have school the next day.

 

[ricksegers]

One other point in all this is twice Jay asked to be released from his contract and twice NBC said no. He had a contract with the network and has to fulfill it unless they are willing to negotiate an out. Not doing so would mean everybody goes to court. The shmuck in all this originally is NBC and then Conan getting his feelings hurt just made it worse.