For all the back and forth over who gets the Tonight Show, I have had nothing to say. It's broadcast television and I generally don't watch it. Plus Jay Leno is not my cup of tea. Then again, Conan O'Brien isn't quite it either.
I do think that O'Brien got screwed by NBC. But his contract will ensure that he will be well paid for this public slap in the face. Leno on the other hand is a sinking ship. I believe that even his fan-base will reject him back in his old time slot because of the way this all worked out.
But the thing that got me writing is none of this. It's the most recent news of what is happening in the negotiations between NBC and O'Brien.
NBC is stuck and they know it. They must pay O'Brien since they broke the terms of his contract. That's worth $30 million. But the contract is not inclusive of the staff. They are a seperate situation.
O'Brien, it is reported by the AP, is sticking by his guns and fighting for a deal that will take care of his 200 or so staff members. NBC for it's part says it's made a nice deal for them and that this is just PR. So it's a he-said-she-said situation.
I believe O'Brien. NBC screwed him. NBC caused the situation. NBC is the ne trying to preserve as much money as possible while being forced to live up to the contract they broke. If anyone is likely to be pinching pennies, it would be NBC. Especially when it comes to people the public is unaware of and thus far more expendable in NBC's eyes.
I have a lot more respect for Conan O'Brien having heard about his support of his staff. He may be funny, but it's his staff that allows him to be so, night after night. The fact he is standing up for them is the right thing to do. Something that many stars in Hollywood and television forget.
So I really don't care who gets the Tonight Show. I won't be watching it any more than I have for the last 2 decades. But just because of what O'Brien has done, I will watch a bit of whatever he does next. Do you agree he has earned that much?
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