I keep hearing, "don't feel sorry for Conan O'Brien, he's walking away with millions." But the fact is I do.
The guy grew up dreaming about being Johnny Carson and as soon as his wish was fulfilled, it went up in smoke. He moved his family and staff to the West Coast to set up shop at the hallowed NBC studios in Burbank and was given only seven months to prove himself.
Sure, money and fame are great. But suffering that kind of disappointment and embarassment is tough.
Personally, I already miss watching O'Brien at 11:30. His monologues were getting funnier, particularly at the biting end. And he is a smart, pleasant person to watch. (Unfortunately, his interviewing skills are not up to par.)
I do hope Conan O'Brien is picked up by another network in late night. The viewing alternatives are sparse. Jay Leno tries to appeal to the least common denominator and I don't think he's nearly as clever as Conan. Letterman is tired.
When Conan does land in another spot, he should be advised to keep the edge that he displayed during his last NBC shows and to learn how to conduct interviews, namely by practicing the art of listening.
Good luck, Conan.
There are two detective shows that are relatively new that are blowing me away - Castle (ABC, Mondays, 10 PM EST) and White Collar (USA, Tuesdays, 10 PM EST).
The mysteries are fun and easy enough to follow. The dead bodies aren't too gory. And the characters and dialogue are fantastic.
