Jay Leno on Oprah Today

By now, Conan O'Brien is officially no longer host of the legendary Tonight Show. He and his staff of 200 people have left the show amidst the controversy and ugliness of NBC's decision to move Jay Leno back to an 11:35 pm time slot. Anyone who saw Conan's last show knows that he ended the show emotionally with an upbeat message. Despite feeling unhappy about the current situation, Conan sentimentally reflected on his 20 years on NBC. He has appreciated his time on NBC and he was sure to note this. He also noted with appreciation, the creative outpouring of support from fans. He urged fans and supporters to refrain from being cynical (his least favorite trait) and instead stated, "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." We see amazing things in your future, Conan.

While Conan has addressed the late night tv debacle head on-- with aplomb, humor (sometimes biting), and grace, Leno has been suspiciously quiet, hardly commenting. Today, on Oprah, he'll have an hour to say whatever he wants to say about the situation. Now, it's no secret that Oprah is friends with Jay Leno, so don't expect a hard driving interview--instead, I would expect the opposite. Still, it will be interesting to hear how he presents his side of the story. I expect his answers to be like his comedy--tepid and empty. Like comedy, it's often about the delivery.

Golden Globes=Boring!

I hate to say it, but the Golden Globe awards were absolutely boring. I love the amazingly talented and hilarious Ricky Gervais, but even he couldn't breathe life into the show. What a weak group of movies! I was glad that Mad Men was recognized and that Alec Bladwin won for male lead in a comedy. I'm glad also that Glee was recognized--simply because I love Jane Lynch--in general. I'm also glad Michael C. Hall won and John Lithgow. "Dexter" is a great show. Get well soon Michael!

Conan O'Brien stands up to NBC Executives-- his future remains unclear

If you haven't heard already, the executives at NBC have decided they want to move Jay Leno back to late night tv. Ugh, Right? NBC apparently asked Conan O'Brien to accept a 12:05am time slot to accommodate this decision. Conan O'Brien declined. Not wanting to disrupt the Tonight Show legacy and not wanting to hurt Jimmy Fallon and the Late Show show by pushing it back to an even later time slot, Conan refused. His future remains to be seen. It's a real shame that NBC is treating Conan so poorly. They really didn't give Conan enough time and support to get his sea legs. It's a real shame, indeed. Conan is way funnier than Jay Leno--I'm sorry, but he is. Conan, we support you--and your hair.

This is the statement that Conan issued:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

"The Book Group"

Last night was a good night for me. I tumbled into bed in the typical fashion one would expect from a swinging, single, cosmopolitan, New York City gal. With a bladder full of Nighttime Theraflu, I knocked off a couple chapters from European footballer George Best's autobiography, popped in a French language instruction tape, and engaged to drift off to sleep. Instead, I found myself roaring with laughter and thumping my pillow. I said "thumping". Instead of crying into my pillow like one normally does--(RIGHT? who's with me?), my loyal pillow was the lucky recipient of hearty guffaws and punches brought on by the memory of one the scenes from my new favorite not-so-new show: "The Book Group". "The Book Group" originally aired for two seasons in 2002-2003, on Channel 4 in the UK, but is now showing here, in America, on the Ovation Channel. Now, I don't know how, but some people hate the Ovation channel, so they may be skeptical of the show. How can a person hate a channel that follows fledgling actors pursuing their dreams, or features shows that set out to decipher the mysteries behind the world's most famous paintings? HOW, I challenge you?! I digress. "The Book Group," which was written and directed by Annie Griffin and stars Anne Dudek, is a show about an American woman, who upon recently moving to Glasgow starts a book club ostensibly to make friends. A motley crew of folks show up at the first meeting and hilarity ensues. The show had me laughing out loud. Oh, yeah. I was doing a whole lot of lol'ing, people--all night long.

"The Book Group" airs Monday nights at 8pm ET on Ovation TV channel (channel 83 Time Warner Cable of NYC).

Happy New Year!

It’s a new year and a new day. We at “the charades” resolve to write posts far more frequently and diligently than last year. As a wise woman once said, “For realsies!”