The Final Week of Conan is upon us

[ThirdMarioBro]

Well friends and fellow comedy fans, this is it. We've reach the end of a long road, and the beginning of a new one. Late Night with Conan O'Brien concludes this Friday after it's sixteen year run. It started rough, and it started awful, but has since gone on to become an institution in my household. I remember watching with my Mom when Conan first started in Spring of 1993. Dave had not been off long, and I was sad to see him go, because I had a fascination with his occasional physical comedy (throwing cards through imaginary glass). Then Conan showed up. It was awful, and not in the "so bad it's good" way, but more in the "so bad it's laughable" way. It got better though. I had a TV in my room when I was younger and would wake up and sneak out of bed at the predetermined time to watch the first half of the show (headphones), then go back to sleep. I more or less kept this routine for almost two years until I got busted. Came back to the show right before Andy left. Was glad to see him go as he got on my nerves, and Conan became a better performer without him.

Since then, the show has become a tradition for me. A long time back, Conan's retarded little show (through Max Weinberg) introduced me to the music of Bruce Springsteen, as well as a bunch of other equally amazing (or sometimes downright awful) musical acts. The show has helped me through hard times, such as when my Mom was in the hospital (all three times), and when my Dad had his heart bypass. I would be getting home from the hospital late, and would depressed and sad, and Conan was always there to cheer me up before I either went to work (Kombo) or bed. They have their hit and miss days, but there's never been an episode where he hasn't gotten me to at least crack a smile once.

I know they'll be taking their writing staff with them, the band, and all of their signature comedy bits as well, but it is still the end of an era. It's the end of those habitual mannerisms, and cliche' familiarities, and the familiar set that the Late Night show has given us throughout the years past. I will miss those, and I'll miss the constant perverted gags with James Lipton, as well as the occasional wrecking of Brian Williams' news broadcast, punking of Matt Lower, robbing from the 30 Rock cast, or looting and ramsacking of the SNL set upstairs.

[愛]

You just scared the F*CK out of me! I thought he was going to be taken off the air for good. I was thinking, "wait, wasn't he supposed to be taking over Leno or something?" Jerk.

This guy is amazing, and will always be amazing. The Walker Texas Ranger bits and The Year 2000 bits will always have a big place in my heart.

[Roseangelo]

I am also lamenting the near-loss of Conan. I am sososososo happy he taking over the Tonight Show, as I think he's earned that chair (and I find absolutely nothing about Jay Leno funny). But part of me was holding onto hope that they'd keep Conan in New York under the Tonight Show banner; I think being in New York has played a big part in making Conan into what he is. But that obviously isn't the case, and no matter where he is, Conan is Conan, so it should all be good. The worse part of this will be the 3-4 months of Conan withdrawal until he comes back to the air. I can't wait to see what they have in store for this last week; I expect it'll be fantastic.

[Guitar_Raph]

Late Night With Conan O'Brien will be missed.

Back in 1994, local Houston station KPRC-2 dropped his show all together in favor of Jenny Jones. So I had to watch it either on KMOL-4 (now WOAI) in San Antonio or KXAS-5 in Dallas. KPRC's 2nd biggest mistake since dropping Classic Concentration in favor of moving soap opera Santa Barbara @ 9:00 AM! Bizarre!

But KPRC had the show back in 1996 @ weird times (2:40 am/12:35 am) & had it back on its natural time in 2003.

Best Conan moments I remember.

1). Andy Richter's last show.

2). Anne Robinson's American debut before hosting The Weakest Link. He even played a mock game wth her.

CONAN: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? Because he was feeling crummy! (audience laughs) You are the Weakest Link, toodle-oo!

3). Anytime Drake Bell appeared on the show.

[Cure]

Pft, we all know Jimmy Fallon is gonna be WAY funnier.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I can't wait for Conan to kick Jay's ass out the door. I've always have hated Jay Leno. Ever since he started, he's been an asshole. He started out as the high-pitched "nice guy" comedian who was really a dick, yet got away with it because he kissed everybody's ass, but has since evolved into a spiteful, mean old comedian who spends his time dumping on everybody else. There's a difference between an insult comic and Jay Leno. Insult comics make a living (or a life, if you're Triumph the Insult Comic Dog...Robert Smigel is a god) being assholes to everybody, but don't really mean anything they say beyond the act (aka Don Rickles). They're masters of the craft of spite. With Jay, you can tell he always feels proud of himself after he sh*ts on somebody, and the joke usually isn't that funny either. I also blame that big-chinned bastard for the fact that there hasn't been a new Michael Jackson album since 2001.

Conan spends more time dumping on himself than anything else, and the rest of the time acting like a complete fool. There's so many classics. The Writer's Strike episodes were the best of all time to me because since there was no written content, you basically got several weeks of Conan acting like a complete ass and doing totally stupid things (Ted Copple in a cardboard box maze, the "Ring Spin", Saving Lincoln on a zip line). The Walker Texas Ranger skit will always be one of the greatest recurring gags of all time. There was the skeleton episode and the stop motion episode. Who could forget the time they had Samuel L. Jackson out in the street because a fire shut down studio 6A? They had to run across the street and buy a recliner (on the air) to have the interview in. And the blackout episode? Remember they shot about ten minutes of show with flood lights and batteries for the cameras and the band's amps. Crazy stuff.

I'm still wondering who the last guests in New York will be. For last musical guest, I would put money on The White Stripes. They did pull off a straight week of shows after all. I know the writers, production team, and Max are going out to LA with him, but they still haven't said anything about the band. Jimmy, Ritchie (LaBamba), Jerry, Mark, Scott, and Mike had better be going or it just won't be the same.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/ThirdMarioBro/NBCBloggerSummit-ConanStudio6ARocke.gif

It'll be so sad when that desk is empty. Four months with no Conan.......ick. Good news (for me) is, his first week in LA starts the week I'll be there for E3. Gotta' nail me some tickets.

[Roseangelo]

I couldn't agree more. Anytime anyone tells me they watch Jay Leno and says how funny Headlines and Jay Walking is I point out to them that those bits aren't Jay being funny, it's other people being stupid. Anyone can do that and other people do do that. It's not funny and it's not creative.

I think last year's writers strike was the true measure of who the real comedians are. Without his writers, Conan was a special brand of his hilarious self. Jay Leo was painful and actually ignored the whole idea of the strike by continuing to write "jokes" until people pointed out to him he wasn't allowed to do that.

Another thing that stands out for me is right after September 11, 2001, David Letterman came back on the air and had a somber and heart-felt show, while Leno's first show back just felt insincere and was painful to watch.

I give Jay 6 months, maybe a year if NBC is feeling extra generous, at 10pm. They can't justify keeping him there if he doesn't get the ratings seeing how other shows get dropped if they don't get the ratings and there's no way Jay is going to be able to get the ratings expected of a prime time show. He'd have better luck if it was a weekly show, but daily? No way.

[ThirdMarioBro]

There's a simple reason NBC is putting Jay on at 10/9c. He gets better ratings than most of NBC's prime-time lineup, and the economy is killing them just like everybody else. They need cheap programming, and giving a slight production upgrade to his established show and established audience to fill five hours or prime time will save them lost of money. His audience is also older now, and will probably appreciate the earlier bedtime. Jay Leno sucks however you look at it, but I doubt he will get canceled. Low ratings is why he got the job in the first place because NBC wants to go on cruise control.

What I see happening is NBC is segmenting their audience. Older people will watch Jay when he comes back at 10/9c. Young people will watch Conan--just like it's always been. As for Jimmy Fallon, I don't know what brand of comedy he will bring to the table, but I assume based on his personality it will be nerd comedy which might bring back a lot of those viewers that TV lost to the web. Either way, our generation has officially inherited the network at this point. I call that a win. NBC caters to young people because of the advertising dollars, ABC caters to women with TV that insults their intelligence, CBS caters to old people, and Fox caters to those with the IQ of a sh*t eating duck......five cookies for anyone who gets the reference.

[PAAATE]

Yeah, sad to see the current show go... And it will be 3 weird months without Conzie...

But there will be a time for bigger (and hopefully even better) things 8)

Also, is Max on or not!?

First he is, then he isn't, then he is again, or what? GAH!

[Roseangelo]

Also, is Max on or not!?

First he is, then he isn't, then he is again, or what? GAH!

I thought Max was in. But isn't Springsteen going on tour again soon? Maybe that goofs things up for a little bit.

[Mr. Snackpants]

I love Conan and I'll miss not having any new shows for a few months, but there will still always be reruns to get me through.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I thought Max was in. But isn't Springsteen going on tour again soon? Maybe that goofs things up for a little bit.

No, I did some research as I was getting tickets for the very tour you speak of. He's going on tour with Bruce next month, long after Late Night has ended. The tour was scheduled so it would take place between the time when Late Night ends and the new Tonight Show begins, so he'll be there. That much I know for sure.

[ThirdMarioBro]

sKtFtbOiNks

I think this sums it up nicely. This was from right before the week of shows he did in LA, but I think the point stands. Yay for Triumph. I figure we'll be seeing a lot of Triumph once he starts in LA. We need him to drop the IQ level real nicely right off the bat for all the silly old coots who think Conan needs to nerf his humor for an hour earlier time-slot. It's not like the old cranks are going to watch him anyway.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I love Conan and I'll miss not having any new shows for a few months, but there will still always be reruns to get me through.

Fallon takes over March 2nd. I frankly don't know what they will be using to fill the weeks before that date. You won't be seeing Conan until Summer. Nice timing though, because all TV dies around then anyway and there won't be anything but reality Summer shows.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Final episode tonight. Just a heads up.

[Jester]

Ok...I gotta do it...AGAIN!
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[ThirdMarioBro]

lol....you suck. :lol:

I know it'll be similar when they move to LA, and probably better in many respects, but I'm not a creature who likes change. This show has kept me laughing through so many hard times in my life. Damn, I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it. Gonna' be a hard thing to watch.

[MrPliggins]

These last shows are pretty good..I haven't watched the show regularly in years (work early)...but this week I've been watching since it's the last week...they've been showing good clips..and nice cheesy sendoff for the masturbating bear! It's a shame he won't be joining the Tonight Show too...
I haven't caught all of them this week..has Andy Richter shown up at all?

[Roseangelo]

I haven't caught all of them this week..has Andy Richter shown up at all?

Nope. I expect he'll be there tonight, though.

I think the show is just starting on the East Coast, but I still have to wait four more hours. :cry:

[ThirdMarioBro]

These last shows are pretty good..I haven't watched the show regularly in years (work early)...but this week I've been watching since it's the last week...they've been showing good clips..and nice cheesy sendoff for the masturbating bear! It's a shame he won't be joining the Tonight Show too...
I haven't caught all of them this week..has Andy Richter shown up at all?

If you were more used to Conan's shtick, you'd know that was actually a send-up rather than a send-off. Conan keeps jokingly acting as though they are going to have to have a higher quality bar when they move to LA or something. That's not really true. NBC wouldn't give him the 10:30 slot if they wanted him to appeal to Jay's (older) audience. That would be suicide. It's just that Conan's audience is ready to move to that hour (like you said, you have to get up early for work), so they're moving him to that hour and giving a bigger budget and better access to guests with the LA location. That's also another reason why Jay is going to 9:00, because his audience is ready to move to an earlier time-slot.

I guarantee you the masturbating bear will show up. All of the "good" gags will come back, probably more intensive than before so people don't think they've gone soft or something. They'll probably just be getting rid of all the cheap shoestring sh*t like the jet pack raccoon, or the Fed-Ex Pope, or the "Gorilla in a dress using an old fashioned exercise machine while listening to Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton"--you know, the "eye-roll" material, and replace that with other higher budget (yet equally retarded) material.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Great last show. Didn't really hit me until he started saying his thanks and goodbyes at the end of the show. It got sad...especially when he got emotional about how he's not going to change...that got me.

God I love Conan.

[Voltron]

That baseball bit was absolutely brilliant. Oh man, my face still hurts from laughing.

[Peanut]

Pretty decent last show. The White Stripes performance felt really out of place, though. And we didn't get to hear too much from Andy, which sucked. I got a little choked up with his farewell, but it wasn't so bad knowing he'd be back doing the same shtick soon. Fantastic last week of episodes.

[MrPliggins]

I enjoyed the final episode...lots of funny clips..The baseball skit....I remember the naked Andy skit from back in college, and the Rebecca Romijn thing..hilarious. I was wondering if he was going to get choked up at the end. Great week of shows. Now get ready for..Jimmy Fallon.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Pretty decent last show. The White Stripes performance felt really out of place, though. And we didn't get to hear too much from Andy, which sucked. I got a little choked up with his farewell, but it wasn't so bad knowing he'd be back doing the same shtick soon. Fantastic last week of episodes.

Yeah, The White Stripes felt awkward, but I'm glad they were there. Had a bet going that the guests on the last night would be Andy & The White Stripes, so a winner be I.

I was wondering if he was going to get choked up at the end. Great week of shows. Now get ready for..Jimmy Fallon.

I figured he would. You can tell Conan is a pretty sentimental guy under the sarcastic act. I think most people got choked up. It just felt like a slightly irregular show (even when they started ripping the stage apart) until the end there. For the White Stripes to be so early in the show, I figured he was going to do a farewell. I don't like goodbyes, so it's nice to know in a few months, we'll have Max, the band, the writers, and Conan in a new show. Its the people that make a show, not the place, though the place will be missed. It was cool to see the old intros from through the years again, and Joel to do his one-liner openers one last time.

It got sad...especially when he got emotional about how he's not going to change...that got me.

I know, it got me too. I was glad he went out of his way to get that out there (the show ran seven minutes over for it). I tire of these old asshole media people wanting a show that appeals to the cranky old Jay Leno audience. They had their time, now go watch your 9:00 show and then retire to your nonexistent sex lives. I want my good ole' fashioned retarded Conan humor.

Sixteen years and we never heard the ending of the credits tune. lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/ThirdMarioBro/NBCBloggerSummit-ConanStudio6ARocke.gif

Rest in peace Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and studio 6A (or what's left of it lol). You will be missed. Here's to June. I miss my Masturbating Bear already.

[Roseangelo]

Just finished over here. Great show. The White Stripes were a good fit since they're Conan's favorite, but I still can't get into their music. :P

His farewell speech at the end was just an ultimate show of class as well as pure, real Conan. And by the end I just wanted to give him a hug. It's gonna be a long wait 'til June, but I can't wait to see what comes of this new adventure. And I've been looking forward to switching my bed time to 12:30. 8)

[Dr. Doom]

For those like myself who didn't catch it in the first place, this dude has Conan's appearance on Inside The Actor's Studio up on Youtube. It was a great, albeit lengthy watch, and I thought it served as an excellent cherry on top of his final last night, which has definitely got me feeling at least a little emotional.

http://www.youtube.com/user/69conebone

Parts 6 and 7 are linked in the comments of the user's page, as for some reason he was unable to post them there.

I'm the kind of person who fears change so I'm terrified that things will never be the same again, but I'll try to remain optimistic and hope for great things to come from the Tonight Show.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Things won't be the same. That's why it was a sad occasion, but the important thing is that all the people who made the past 16 years so much fun are going with him. He's said as much on the air several times now.

Now, I've gotta' figure out how to get tickets to the first show since it falls on E3 week. Fu*king win.

[Cure]

I was about to start crying when he was about to, but I was a man about it!

[PAAATE]

Just saw it.. Thank god for bittorrent so I won't have to wait another 1½ week:P

Have to say.. Fantastic show.. Just fantastic.. And I mean, I just finished watching it, so I'm still processing it.. But even though the old clips were all great, the thing that got to me the most really was way in the end when he assured that the humor won't change.. A big ****ing smile on my face..

Can't wait till June

[Raph's Girl]

I agree. The last ep was really good. It was great to see Andy in the chair again. I wasn't able to see the ep on tv cuz I had to get up early on Saturday...thank the gods for Hulu.

[The Stryker]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29371842/

[Raph's Girl]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29371842/

Yeah! I just read that on Yahoo! News... Awesome!! Andy and Conan together again! :D

[ThirdMarioBro]

HA-HA! Fu*king yeah, that's the best news I've heard all year. I'll miss Joel, though I can see why he wouldn't want to relocate. Andy's return MORE than makes up for it though. :)

[BigApple3AM]

I missed the last episode/week. Are they going to rerun it?

He's the only late night show I'll watch, the others are awful. Didn't know the transition was happening so soon, I remember hearing about it years ago and thinking that was way too far off in the future and it's already here. :(

[Raph's Girl]

I missed the last episode/week. Are they going to rerun it?


The final week is all on Hulu. That's how I saw it.