conan-obrien

Conan and NBC Finalize Their Divorce

Ravi Somaiya · 01/21/10 08:01AM

The Wrap and the New York Times both report that a deal was finally concluded late last night. Conan's on his way with a $32m payout, and will be able to return to TV in eight months. The Wrap broke the story in the small hours, having talked to insiders in the negotiations. The Times confirmed it this morning. Conan apparently gave up some of his severance to benefit his staffers and the negotiations, say the Wrap, were so slow because there was no trust.

Conan and NBC Settle

cityfile · 01/21/10 06:58AM

The battle between Conan O'Brien and NBC is over. The two sides "finally put pen to paper on a $40 million-plus breakup agreement" late last night, his final show airs tomorrow night, and he'll head off on vacation until at least September, since the deal prevents him from returning to TV before then. Although if last night was any guide, Conan may end up costing NBC a few million before he steps off the stage once and for all. [Wrap]

cityfile · 01/20/10 04:02PM

• As rumored, the New York Times plans to begin charging readers to access stories on the NYT website. It will be a metered system (so only "frequent readers" will be affected), and it doesn't start until 2011. And faithful subscribers to the print edition won't be forced to pay anything extra. [NYT]
• What are the chances Conan lands at Fox? It could happen, but there are plenty of reasons why Fox might decide to back away from a deal. [WSJ]
• The news biz: Talks to bring Ted Koppel back to ABC News appear to have fallen through; Megyn Kelly is getting her own show on Fox News; and CNN has announced it's partnering with hipster mag Vice, oddly enough. [NYO]
• Condé Nast's Fairchild unit has a new chief. Gina Sanders, Lucky's publisher (and Si Newhouse's niece) will now be running the show. [WWD]
• The Sundance Film Festival kicks off in Park City, Utah tomorrow. And it's shaping up to be fest's "most important" year ever, supposedly. [NYT, WSJ]

As the Late Night Drama Turns: Jokes Get Personal

Whitney Jefferson · 01/20/10 09:00AM

As the Letterman-Leno rivalry heated up when both hosts took nasty, personal attacks on each other— Conan continued to trash NBC during his limited time left on The Tonight Show. Gawker.TV's Matt Cherette rounded up all the best parts.

NBC Would Also Like to Screw Over Conan's Staff

Ravi Somaiya · 01/20/10 06:13AM

Apparently the sticking point in negotiations over O'Brien leaving the network is securing decent severance deals for his staff. To which NBC counter that they wouldn't be unemployed in the first place if it wasn't for O'Brien.

cityfile · 01/19/10 04:19PM

• Negotiations between Conan O'Brien and NBC didn't wrap up today, as expected. Conan is holding out for more severance for the employees who will lose their jobs. Or "posturing" as part of a "PR ploy," to use NBC's words. [NYT]
• Related: Conan has a big lineup planned for the rest of the week, which will be his last. And NBC's Jeff Zucker played defense with Charlie Rose last night.
• Larry King's celebrity telethon for Haiti last night raised $9 million. [Us]
• Speaking of Haiti, do there really need to be hundreds upon hundreds of reporters on the ground covering the disaster from every angle and also gobbling up very precious resources in the process? Good question. [TNR]
• Rumor has it the Times is going to begin charging for online content soon. The plan comes with some pros and cons, as you might expect. [AdAge, PC]
• Apple will probably unveil its tablet computer on Jan. 27. [WP, ZDNet]
• Related: HarperCollins is in talks to put its books on the tablet. [WSJ]
• It's been a full year since Glenn Beck started spewing on Fox News. [HP]
• Obits: Mystery writer Robert Parker died yesterday. Kate McGarrigle, the Canadian folk singer and mother of Rufus Wainwright, has died, too.

Late Night Wars Get Even More Animated

cityfile · 01/19/10 01:52PM

If you're looking to get caught up on the late-night chaos at NBC and you're fluent in Chinese, the Taiwanese production company that produced that very amusing Tiger Woods animation a few weeks ago has a new masterpiece. Conan and Jay morph into superheros about halfway through, which is sort of weird. And Jeff Zucker's animated likeness is about forty pounds lighter. But that's probably because the video shows the NBC CEO personally dragging Conan's set off The Tonight Show stage and replacing it with Jay Leno's set-up. The video is below.

Conan Cuts a Deal; Tiger in Sex Rehab?

cityfile · 01/19/10 08:19AM

• The messiest TV feud in years may be nearing its end. Conan O'Brien and NBC are said to be close to signing a deal that would allow Conan to walk away from The Tonight Show with $32.5 million in hand. He wouldn't be able to host a show on another network until September under terms of the agreement. And it remains unclear if he'll be able to take some of the memorable characters he created with him, like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or the Masturbating Bear. [TMZ]
• Has Jennifer Aniston finally found love? Probably not, but she's reportedly hooking up with Gerard Butler again. After taking pictures together on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, Aniston and Butler were supposedly seen "making out" backstage and were "attached at the hip all night." [P6]
• Madonna may be looking to add to her collection of kids. According to a Brit tabloid, the 51-year-old singer wants to have a baby with her Brazilian boytoy Jesus Luz since she has "endless love in her heart for another child." [Sun]
• Tiger Woods may be staying at Pine Grove, a sex rehab facility in Mississippi, if you happen to be looking for him, or you just need the name of a place that will treat your own compulsion to sleep with hookers and waitresses. [Us]