Right now, if all is going according to plan, dozens of draftees to the "I'm with Coco" movement are converging on NBC offices across the country to stage a series of rallies in support of Conan O'Brien. The Chicago Tribune did a little preview piece on these events in today's edition and it features one quote that really caught my eye -- mostly because I think it hits on something largely overlooked by those who've been endlessly debating the NBC-Leno-Conan miasma.
Obviously, there are plenty of people out there who've asked the very legitimate question, "Why should I care about what happens to any of these multi-millionaires? So Conan's gonna be paid a fortune to walk away from a job -- so what?" There's no reason to argue with this sentiment because it makes complete sense. But the fact that's inescapable is this: A lot of people do care what happens to Conan; he wouldn't be getting paid all that money if they didn't. In our culture, we care about movie and TV stars, musicians, comedians and athletes, which is exactly why they're rich; they're paid in direct proportion to how entertained we are by them -- how well we think they can act or sing or make us laugh or throw a football down a field (and on a side note, I'm willing to bet that quite a few of the people complaining about the injustice of late night talk show hosts making millions are the same ones who cheer their asses off for guys like A-Rod, Peyton and LeBron).
Yes, in the great scheme of things, it really doesn't personally affect anyone that Conan O'Brien's getting screwed by NBC -- but that's where the quote in the Tribune comes in. When asked about the reasoning behind his passionate crusade for Conan, Mike Mitchell, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles who, through social networking, instigated today's protest, said, "A lot of people have really crappy bosses; they can relate."
And you know what? He's absolutely right.
What makes the story of NBC's underhanded treatment of Conan O'Brien resonate with so many isn't simply that they enjoy his brand of humor more than Jay Leno's; it's that in a flatlining economy, where imperious corporate robber barons have swindled the little guy blind and laughed all the way to the Hamptons while doing it, when millions are out of work and many of those lucky enough to still have jobs are struggling three times as hard thanks to staff cutbacks, when almost everyone really can relate to the feeling of being crushed under the wheels of the cold-blooded corporate culture and the bosses who espouse it -- this is when the executives at mega-media giant NBC decided to ruthlessly end the career of a guy who's been loyal, humble and classy even as he's been at the mercy of the most Machiavellian of machinations. On top of that, they had the balls to actually bad mouth him in public. And they did all of this knowing full well that they could. That there was nothing anyone could do to stop them. Sure, a lot of Americans like Conan O'Brien. But even more are just plain tired of heartless company liners getting away with this kind of crap. The average person really can't identify with Conan O'Brien per se; but they sure do know what it's like to have management stab you in the back while a conniving co-worker who wants your job twists the knife.
And that's what it all comes down to, and it's really an incredible thing when you think about it. NBC has managed to do the seemingly impossible: make a multi-millionaire look like a victim, a little guy everyone can relate to and get behind. What's more, NBC executives of all people should've seen this coming. After all, that's why they were paying Conan so much in the first place -- because people liked him.
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NBC and Leno would have you think Conan's to blame as it benefits
them to make Conan the bad guy. Take away the man's show and now try
to take his legacy!
Don't let NBC and Leno write history! Check out the following link to read of Leno's deceit:
http://www.therestrainingorder.com/?p=2250
Still, resenting the power of Jeff Zucker has no value. Executive power is what it is. The secret of power is never to feel aggrieved about someone else's power. Conan cannot allow his ego to become like the monkey brain main course in that scene from Indiana Jones. The question of who will have the last laugh remains open.
For me personally, it's not just that. I grew up breathing comedy. I watched Lettterman in kindergarten (my mother would tape it for me). I memorized Cosby bits when I was a kid. Comedy's almost like a religion to me, and Conan's my favorite guy in late night. And there's also the continuing battle between what's popular and bland (Leno) and what's actually smart and talented (Conan). And it always seems like everything cool eventually gets squelched.
Are people who can't recite Shakespeare not allowed to write plays? Are people who don't know anything about Caravaggio not allowed to paint? Yes, Allen, Paar, and Carson (you forgot Dick Cavett) were great IN THEIR DAY. News flash: their day is over.
Comedy styles change. You could show me every movie Chris Farley ever made and I wouldn't laugh once. Does that mean he had no talent? Of course not.
Conan's loyal for all those years, and what happens to him? He had a choice of either a demotion or a kick to the curb.
Absolutely right people can relate.
And, yes, I totally recognize that the WAY I watch them is ruining the historic model that was television in America. My understanding is that it's Jeff Zucker's job to deal with people like me. And since he's failing royally at that, why hasn't he lost HIS job?
I hope that's not too much information.
"Work hard, stay focused, and no matter what you can do whatever you want."
So he did. He worked hard, went to a good school, went out into the real world, followed his passion and fell on his face until finally he got his big break. Now he's been given what he dreamed of, what he was promised, only to have it snatched away by someone who got where they are by underhanded tricks. Not saying Jay is any less of a blue collar guy, but his collar has lightened in the past couple of decades. Conan still drives a POS car for god's sake!
He deserved the same chance Jay got when Dave beat him for damn near 2 years when Jay took the Tonight Show the first time. NBC had his back. They gave him a chance to shine. They never wanted Conan to succeed, really, otherwise they'd have given Jay a weekend show if Jay was desperate enough to stay on NBC.