“I just wanted to say hosting the Tonight Show has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. And I just want to say to the kids out there watching ‘you can do anything you want in life… unless Jay Leno wants to do it too.”
Ladies and gentleman welcome to the Tonight Show with dead-host-walking, Conan O’Brien. It’s a shame the American public will never be able to grow with the comedic genius of the redheaded wonder, at least not on NBC.
However this has been the most exciting week of late night television in my lifetime, other than those long nights deciphering scrambled “premium channels” in 6th grade. Over the course of the last three nights Conan has fought NBC with the passion of a scorned lover, but with the style and grace that would make Johnny Carson proud.
O’Brien was completely used by the once great network, like a one-night-stand who is kicked out before breakfast. Jay Leno played the role of the whiney and needy ex-girlfriend that all your friends hated, but you kept around because of her nice big…. chin?
Older people enjoy Jay Leno’s brand of humor for the same reason they like the morning paper and daily vitaimns. It’s a routine. Leno’s audience wasn’t ready to adapt to a new generation. It’s hard to accept change, just ask the newspaper industry.
Leno’s time for making not-so-funny observations on the general stupidity of the American public is over. No one who doesn’t take Viagra cares about his fake headlines. Jaywalking was designed to get laughs at the expense of embarrassing the poor souls who decided to vacation in Los Angeles and visit the NBC studios.
A lot has been said this week about NBC’s management, and Jeff Zucker being dumber than a goldfish. We are watching one of the biggest debacles in recent television history. It’s reaching a level where late night hosts from other networks are even chiming in. David Letterman knows Conan’s pain; Leno crushed his dreams as well, stealing the Tonight Show from between Letterman’s fingers in 1992. The outspoken host of the Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson, hit the nail on the head calling NBC “lying rat bastards.”
Jay Leno should have taken the honorable exit. He should be sitting on his porch playing backgammon and chuckling at his own jokes. Instead Conan O’Brien moves on, maybe to FOX, maybe to become the newest cast member on MTV’s The Jersey Shore, who knows? I’m not even sure Conan does.
One thing is certain, wherever Conan O’Brien goes he will continue to make us laugh. And if we’re really lucky, maybe he’ll bring back the masturbating bear.
