Moments ago, Conan O'Brien confirmed that tomorrow is his last day as host of The Tonight Show, but promised to go out with an NBC-bashing bang. Meanwhile, Jay Leno announced his return to 11:35 as David Letterman continued eviscerating him.
Old Hollywood hottie could meet New Hollywood hottie in an upcoming film. What will happen? Will they generate so much heat that the Earth's atmosphere catches on fire? Rounding out a week of late-night news, it's a hottie-filled Trade Roundup!
• As if this hasn't already been a crappy week for liberals thanks to the election results in Massachusetts, Air America announced today that it's shutting down effective immediately and filing for bankruptcy protection. [AP, WP]
• More on the conclusion of l'affaire Coco, what's in store for O'Brien (unclear), and what NBC can look forward to in the months ahead (lackluster ratings for Leno, mammoth losses, continued shame, etc). [NYT, TW, WSJ, NYT]
• CNN has been pulling out all the stops to cover the crisis in Haiti (not to mention invested in hundreds of tight t-shirts for Andy Cooper). And yet Fox News, which has sorta ignored the earthquake (and typically avoids covering stories involving poor black people) is still out in front in the ratings. [LAT]
• Kitty Kelley's tell-all about Oprah hits bookstores on Apr. 13. [AP]
• A Pulitzer for the National Enquirer? Stranger things have happened. [WP]
• HGTV and Food Network have returned to Cablevision customers. [NYT]
• Thanks to Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, you'll be hearing "We Are the World" (Haiti 2010 edition) again in the near future. [Showbiz411]
• Madonna and Beyoncé have joined Team Clooney, FYI. [Reuters]
• So much for free content: Hulu may start charging its users to watch popular TV shows in the future; and YouTube is introducing pay-per-view videos.
• Is the Wall Street Journal really launching a travel agency? Yes. [E&P]
• Say goodbye (arrivederci?) to MTV's Jersey Shore. [NYM, Gawker, MTV]
After being called a 'jerk' by Shani Davis late last year, Colbert takes to the ice with one goal: To prove that with only two hours of training he can beat the three world records holder at his own game.
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.
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]
Tonight, while David Letterman and Jay Leno were busy insulting each other, Conan O'Brien did everything he could to piss off NBC: the return of the Masturbating Bear, a $1.5 million prop and a bombshell dropped by guest Adam Sandler.
The Hoff is back: A&E has picked up a reality series starring David Hasselhoff and it's gonna be huge. What do you think the show's about? Drinking? No, unfortunately. It is about his David Hasselhoff's beautiful daughters.
Artie Lange visited Late Night in November 2008, as Conan O'Brien prepared his move to Los Angeles to take over The Tonight Show. Lange did not want O'Brien to leave, and his words about it then ring eerily true today.
Colbert, obviously a member of Team CoCo proper, joins the party of NBC bashers before getting up close and personal with speed skating record holder Tucker Fredricks. The unimpressed athlete challenges Stephen to race his mother.
If it wasn't clear before, it is now: David Letterman hates Jay Leno. Letterman repeatedly destroyed Leno on his show tonight, implying he's a thief and all-around bad guy. And while O'Brien made fun of NBC, Leno took personal digs.
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.
• 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]
Tonight, Jay Leno spoke seriously on the NBC late night controversy for the first time, skirting blame and saying, "Conan's show... was not doing well." Later, David Letterman continued his Leno-bashing, while O'Brien further took NBC to task. Videos inside.
Tonight, SNL opened with a Larry King Live parody that addressed the mess at NBC over its late night lineup. It sucked. What didn't suck, however, was Seth Meyers' anti-NBC rant during the Weekend Update segment. Video of both, inside.
