“I know how hard I worked for this,” Conan told the NBC executives. “It was promised to me. I had a shitty lead-in.” His tone was soft, but the words were clipped. Graboff knew this was Conan in the raw, speaking from the heart. ...One nice detail: part of what informs O'Brien's suspicions is the Leno-in-the-closet story that Carter broke in his first telling of the Late Night Wars. This VF excerpt also gets into the making of O'Brien's public statement, which we discussed back in January with reference to another Carter excerpt (from the last book).
Conan listened to Gaspin, still with a faraway look in his eye. Finally he did have something he really wanted to say, something that was all but burning a hole in his chest. “What does Jay have on you?” Conan asked, his voice still low, his tone still even. “What does this guy have on you people? What the hell is it about Jay?”
Neither of the NBC executives had an answer and cast their heads down. Conan thought they were working at looking sympathetic, following some lesson that had been taught at corporate school.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
"I JUST HAVE A BAD FEELING," O'BRIEN SAID. "I JUST THINK JAY'S GOING TO HURT ME IN SOME WAY." Finally, (an excerpt from) an excerpt from the impending Bill Carter book for which you've been waiting:
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From the excerpt, seems pretty clear than Conan cooperated with Carter and Leno probably did not (though someone from the Leno "camp" did). What I'm interested in hearing, if Carter managed to get it, is what was going on in other late night camps--Letterman, Stewart, etc.--and how this played there.
ReplyDeleteThis part really makes you feel for Conan:
ReplyDeleteAll his life, Conan O’Brien had lived through periods of debilitating self-doubt and insecurity, knowing that when the moment came to stand up for himself, when he was truly pressed against a wall, he would find a way to push all that aside, straighten his long Irish backbone, and be at his best. He described how much the show meant to him, the legacy of Carson, the offers he had passed up to get this chance, and how losing it would be crushing—and unfair. Because they were never really given a chance.
So, when do we get to buy this book?
ReplyDeleteAmazon lists it for November 4.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read and it makes me feel all vindicated for Conan again. He was head and shoulders above the other people involved in this mess. Team Coco!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, the first comment from the earlier thread is KR, he writes, "<span>What does Leno have on these people???".</span>
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<span>Is Conan an ALOTT5MA commenter?</span>
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Having met KR, I can state with authority that she is not Conan.
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