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>conan pressured NBC for that show and KNEW they'd have to push >out jay
The contract giving The Tonight Show to Conan was signed 5 years before he actually got the job. There was plenty of time for Jay, NBC, and Conan to prepare for an easy transition. In other words, it's not like it caught Jay by surprise - it was assumed that Jay would retire after 17 years as host.
>and for real, if conan didn't FUCKING SUCK as host of the >tonight show, the crown jewel of late night TV, none of this >would matter. the muhfucka BROKE the tonight show...it was a >machine and he BROKE IT.
C'mon. You know that's only *half* true. You cannot ignore the fact that Leno was tanking so hard in his prime time slot that NBC affiliates were seriously threatening to jump ship.
This really isn't even a plea cop - the truth is that Jay was killing them in the 10:00 - 11:00 time slot, and they needed to get him out of there. If they outright canned him, they would have had to buy out his massive contract, so it would have saved them 10s of millions of dollars to just stick his show back after the news. That's why the initial proposal was to give Jay a half-hour show and have Conan keep The Tonight Show which would air from 12:00 - 1:00.
Granted, Conan's ratings were down too, no argument there, but if Jay bounced from the network entirely, they would have continued to ride with Conan. The truth is that the affiliates weren't complaining because the late night ratings were bad, they were complaining because the prime time ratings were bad, and THAT was why NBC needed to shake things up.
>HE FUCKIN PERFECTED...something >dave and conan are completely incapable of.
I grant you that. But by the same token, I'd argue that Conan and Dave did something Jay is incapable of, which is generate a cult following of dedicated fans and earn the respect of their peers.
People watch Jay, but you can't even argue that Conan and Dave don't have much more loyal fans. And in terms of respect from peers, Jay obviously doesn't have much of it, as evidenced by what seems like the entire comedy community always ribbing him. And don't play the "they jealous" card either, because Carson was in the exact same position and he was REVERED. Honestly, it all boils down to:
>yeah, they FUNNIER than jay,
You said it yourself. If you yourself agree that Jay is less funny then some of these other dudes, why is it so heretical for people to say they like those dudes better than Jay?
>but they just not better at >hosting the fucking tonight show on the national broadcasting >company.
I think a lot of people, when watching a comedy show, just want it to be funny. I don't really care who's a "better host" in terms of running a smooth show, I'd rather watch the show that's funnier, more entertaining, edgier, etc.
That being said, I agree with your basic point that Jay is better at hosting the tonight show. It's because he probably makes a conscious effort to appeal to a broad audience. Smart move from a business perspective, and he's found a lot of success doing it, so more power to him. That doesn't mean he has the *best* show though.
>get over it, you stupid ass hipsters. always swimming with the >cultural current, basing your opinions of people, shows and >events on how close they are to the bullseye in the back of a >fucking entertainment weekly.
Hating on Leno is not a new culture phenomenon, nor is it one in which solely hipsters engage. Christ, Garry Shandling was needling him 20 years ago on The Larry Sanders Show.
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