Conan O Brien

A fter a surreal week of high emotion and comic abuse of NBC on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," the 46-year-old host is gone for good from the network's airwaves after only seven months in Johnny Carson's old chair. But the story of this misguided adventure in prime-time and late-night programming by NBC's top brass is far from over. The narrative of O'Brien being pushed out of the job he prepared himself for over five years to make room for Jay Leno, who failed miserably in prime time, demands some discussion about what happens next to the redhead.

Everyone knows there will be a movie made about the death of Osama bin Laden. But who will play whom? Conan O'Brien has the answers:  (Spoiler alert: Joe Biden will be played by Bob Barker.)   

That gigantic orange blimp flying over downtown Baltimore 4:30 p.m. Wednesday will be the work of comedian Conan O'Brien. The funnyman is using the flying machine to drum up buzz about "Conan," his return to late night television on TBS, which premieres November 8. The blimp has been traveling along the East Coast the entire month of October. Upon spotting the blimp, fans can check in on Foursquare to unlock a special Conan badge. In addition, the promotion also includes social networking giant Twitter.

There's been a lot of talk about who will take over terrorist organization Al-Qaeda now that Osama bin Laden is dead. While most predict Ayman Al-Zawahiri will rise to take the reigns of the organization, Conan O'Brien has some alternatives -- and he's not too worried about them.  For the second show in a row last night, Conan mercilessly mocked the terrorist members of the organization, giving them embarrassing nickname after embarrassing nickname....

Los Angeles -- When NBC picked unknown Conan O'Brien to replace David Letterman as host of its "Late Night" show, most people thought it made about as much sense as the San Francisco Giants asking the team's water boy to take over in center field after Willie Mays left.As it turns out, even Mr. O'Brien admits there are times when he asks himself, "What the hell have I done? Am I going to be able to do this?"Yet, starting tonight, the 30-year-old writer-turned-performer will be host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," following in the steps of a show-business legend who made the time slot a gold mine for NBC.The network took its lumps for putting so much faith in a young man whose only real performing work has been in the Los Angeles comedy ensemble known as The Groundlings.

Jay Leno will step down as host of The Tonight Show in 2009, NBC announced yesterday, and turn over the most prestigious job in late-night television to Conan O'Brien, the goofy host of Late Night who has brought insult-spewing puppet dogs, among other innovations, to the small screen. O'Brien, who has been the host of the 12:35 a.m. Late Night show for 11 years, has been itching for an earlier time slot, and another network was likely to give it to him. NBC realized the only way to keep O'Brien, one of late night's most original talents, was to guarantee him the Tonight Show job. In April, Leno signed a five-year contract extension that will pay him more than $16 million a year and extend his run as host to 17 years.

Everyone knows there will be a movie made about the death of Osama bin Laden. But who will play whom? Conan O'Brien has the answers:  (Spoiler alert: Joe Biden will be played by Bob Barker.)   

What's the point? -- Ever seen "If They Mated" on Late Night With Conan O'Brien? In the bit, they take two attractive celebrities and meld their faces together in the least-flattering combination possible. This software functions in the same way -- but by algorithm rather than comedic value. What to look for --You can also upload your own pictures and morph them with one another or with photos of celebrities. It's weird, it's freaky, and it's oddly addictive.

Perennial Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his campaign exploratory committee on Monday and the comedians reacted Tuesday night. On TBS, Conan O'Brien joked that Romney was running solely on "good looks" and edited his announcement video to make it, um, sexy and creepy?  As for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, he dubbed Romney "Captain Buzzkill" and said, "Not the guy who looks like anyone who's ever fired your dad!" Thus far, the jokes about Romney are 1)

There's been a lot of talk about who will take over terrorist organization Al-Qaeda now that Osama bin Laden is dead. While most predict Ayman Al-Zawahiri will rise to take the reigns of the organization, Conan O'Brien has some alternatives -- and he's not too worried about them.  For the second show in a row last night, Conan mercilessly mocked the terrorist members of the organization, giving them embarrassing nickname after embarrassing nickname....

Perennial Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his campaign exploratory committee on Monday and the comedians reacted Tuesday night. On TBS, Conan O'Brien joked that Romney was running solely on "good looks" and edited his announcement video to make it, um, sexy and creepy?  As for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, he dubbed Romney "Captain Buzzkill" and said, "Not the guy who looks like anyone who's ever fired your dad!" Thus far, the jokes about Romney are 1)

That gigantic orange blimp flying over downtown Baltimore 4:30 p.m. Wednesday will be the work of comedian Conan O'Brien. The funnyman is using the flying machine to drum up buzz about "Conan," his return to late night television on TBS, which premieres November 8. The blimp has been traveling along the East Coast the entire month of October. Upon spotting the blimp, fans can check in on Foursquare to unlock a special Conan badge. In addition, the promotion also includes social networking giant Twitter.

The news last week that Conan O'Brien was going to host a show on TBS starting in November was met with a ton of talk about late-night TV. But amid all the chatter, almost nothing was said about Jay Leno and his move back to late night on NBC — the action that sent O'Brien off on his journey to the land of basic cable. Could it have been just a few shorts months ago that the news media were filled with nonstop talk about the "Leno Factor" and how it was "killing" the late news on top-notch NBC affiliates across the country, including WBAL in Baltimore?

After a surreal week of high emotion and comic abuse of NBC on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," the 46-year-old host is gone for good from the network's airwaves after only seven months in Johnny Carson's old chair. But the story of this misguided adventure in prime-time and late-night programming by NBC's top brass is far from over. The narrative of O'Brien being pushed out of the job he prepared himself for over five years to make room for Jay Leno, who failed miserably in prime time, demands some discussion about what happens next to the redhead.

Any working stiff watching the temper tantrum Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien threw on national television last week must be feeling something besides a tickle in the ribs. Catharsis. After just seven months in the job he waited years for, Mr. O'Brien woke up one morning to find that his employers wanted to push him deeper into the night to make room for Jay Leno. He not only refused to go, he pushed back. Unlike the rest of the American work force, most of which has found itself badly used by its employers of late, Mr. O'Brien got to rip into the NBC suits in front of a national television audience.

It is only fitting in a year when politics so dominated television that the networks' new fall season was largely ignored in favor of presidential coverage that the last big prime-time entertainment special of the season is steeped in politics. I am talking about the sublime Kennedy Center Honors at 9 tonight on CBS. This is the 31st, and I can't remember more than two that didn't leave me feeling inspired. Again, there is a great and diverse cast of recipients: choreographer Twyla Tharp, actor Morgan Freeman, singer George Jones, singer and film director Barbra Streisand, and rock musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.

There's no "Picket Fences" on tonight, which would seem to make tonight's viewing choices painfully simple: Watch "The X-Files" on Fox, then turn to NBC for "Homicide: Life on the Street." But, as is so often the case this season, one quality show attracts another, so tonight HBO launches the season premiere of "Dennis Miller" -- right opposite "Homicide."* "In the Heat of the Night: A Matter of Justice." (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, channel 11) -- This first of four final "In the Heat of the Night" made-for-TV movies is the reason there's no "Picket Fences" tonight.