Leno, O'Brien Return Without Writers

[babylonsister]

Leno, O'Brien Return Without Writers

By DAVID BAUDER


NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC's two late-night franchises are coming back. Will the laughs come with them?

Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien plan a Jan. 2 return with fresh episodes, ending two months of reruns brought on by the writers' strike, the network said Monday. But until the strike is settled, the hosts will be on their own.

While late night TV will forge ahead without joke writers, they won't be far from anyone's mind.

"I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of `Late Night' I can under the circumstances," O'Brien said in a written statement. "Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible."

Both NBC hosts indicated it was a tortuous decision for them to come back, torn by their support for the writers and knowledge that several dozen other staff members would be laid off if the shows remained dark. Some of the late-night stars covered employees' salaries during the holiday season.

Leno said that with talks breaking down and no further negotiations scheduled, he felt it was his responsibility to get his 100 non-writing staff members back to work.

Mike Sweeney, chief of the "Late Night" staff of 14 writers, said "we all know what a difficult position Conan is in. He's been incredibly supportive of us."

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TV_LATE_NIGHT_RETURN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[MannyGoldstein]

1. This Is Going To Be Jaw-Droppingly Bad

I think the networks are about to cave if they're attempting this. It's going to be atrocious.

[tridim]

4. At least Conan is/used to be a talented writer.

Leno used to be a writer too, but he sucked IMO.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. But Without A Large Group Of Folks To Work With?

He's probably good for a minute or two of material each night. I guess we'll find out...

[Blashyrkh]

6. I think Conan would do wonders with an unscripted show.

I've heard plenty of stories from his time at The Simpsons. If there's a guy who can pull it off, Conan can.

[driver8]

2. My friend writes for Leno and I spoke with him yesterday.

He is very discouraged -- this doesn't look good for the WGA.

[spanone]

8. not at all, this will only encourage others to do the same....

[upi402]

3. SCABs

not good
The few studio heads make 21 times what it would take to pay the writers

[TheUniverse]

5. They have plenty of money,

No excuse for crosing the picket line. At least Colbert and Stewart are staying true to the cause. How greedy to leno and conan have to be?

[MonkeyFunk]

9. Jon Stewart

as well as David Letterman, are negotiating with the WGA to try to reach some deal where they can get back on the air.

"Both Leno and O'Brien have been paying staffers' salaries since early December, following in the footsteps of David Letterman, who has paid the employees of his "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" since the strike began November 5. Letterman's production company owns both his and Ferguson's shows, which air on CBS.

Leno, O'Brien and Letterman are all guild members.

Letterman has been in negotiations to bring back his and Ferguson's shows with their writing staffs, according to an article in The New York Times Sunday. Jon Stewart, whose "Daily Show" on Comedy Central has also been in reruns since early November, has also trying to establish an interim agreement with the guild that would allow his show to return, according to the Times."


If Leno is doing this without an agreement with the WGA, then that's wrong.

[upi402]

11. Leno backed Ahnold didn't he?

I wonder if he's Republican because I recall him disgusting me with his liberal bashing when he started the Tonight show. I've never watched since.

[DemoTex]

12. SCABS indeed! And I hate a SCAB.

Captain DemoTex
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
AFL-CIO

[spanone]

7. if i was them i would tell NBC to shove it up their asses....do not cross the picket line

surely leno has enough power to tell them to fuck off?