Conan obrien has been the focus of a great deal of news coverage and internet discussion after a decision by nbc to move jay lenos program back into mr. Oct 28, 2010 now all it needs is a ken burns documentary. Download audiobooks written by bill carter to your device. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan obrien to host the tonight showa job he had been promised five years earlierskeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. Letterman, leno, and the network battle for the night is a 1994 nonfiction book written by the new york times media reporter bill carter. Bill carter, the new york times tv industry reporter who literally wrote the book on late night, is working on a new book for viking that will focus on the recent drama between conan obrien, jay. Yet while the outsize personalities havent changed since carters 1995 book the late shift, the speed of the news cycle. In this excerpt from his new book, the author unfurls the behindthescenes story of late nights explosive 2010 showdown. Vanity fair today just released an exclusive except from bill carters upcoming book the war for late night. Before i picked this up, i had read the authors followup book, the war for late night which discussed at length the controversy surrounding conan obriens boot from the tonight show in 2010. When leno went early and television went crazy is a 2010 nonfiction. A network in a bind and two men at opposing comedic poles provide grist for bill carters mill in the war for late night.
From the looks of this excerpt in vanity fair, this latest effort does not disappoint. The war for late night by bill carter overdrive rakuten. Less than a year after the jay leno conan obrien latenight debacle, new york times writer bill carter is set. Its been a few years since conan obrien left the tonight show, and he still hasnt moved on. Deandre hopkins on the trade from houston, finding his. Dec 17, 2010 through exhaustive research and interviews with the major players, bill carters book the war for late night tells the story of the conan obrien jay leno battle. No one is more uniquely suited to document televisions latest late night travesty than veteran media reporter and bestselling author, bill carter. He is the author of the new york times bestseller the late shift, two other books on the television industry, monday night mayhem and desperate networks, and has written numerous articles for the new york times magazine and other publications. A dramatic account of the politics and personalities behind nbcs calamitous attempt to reinvent latenight television. Conan obrien debuted as host of the tonight show on monday. Oct 28, 2010 over the last year, with its latenight lineup tanking and affiliates rebelling, nbc was caught between jay leno and conan obrien. Describing itself as a traditional latenight talk show, conan draws its comedy from recent news stories, political. Jimmy kimmel, letterman and conan, i found that bill carters book gives the. The late shift is the story of david letterman, jay leno and the insanity surrounding the tonight show following johnny carsons exit in 1992.
On march 9, 2003, as part of the timestalks series, bill carter, a media reporter for the new york times, interviewed conan obrien, the host of nbcs late night with conan obrien. Now they came out with this book based on their popular skitin the year 2000. Having literally written the book on the last latenight hand offthe late. New york times television writer bill carter the late shift, desperate networks covers a different kind of war reporting, talk show wars. I am glad i did, it is one of the funniest books ive ever read. When leno went early and television went crazy, whose release concurrent with conan obrien s return to television cannot be coincidental. The best bits from bill carter s book on obrienleno fiasco. Tvs desperate networks bill carter reports on the television industry for the new york times and has written about tv for almost 30 years. Oct 28, 2010 before the dust had even settled on nbcs disastrous late night experiment with jay leno and conan o brien, new york times television writer bill carter set about writing a book about the saga. In an excerpt from his new book, bill carter has raw footage.
Most receivers with that kind of body controlirvin points to cris carter cannot match hopkinss speed. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan obrien to host the tonight show a job he had been promised five years earlier skeptics. In the war for late night, a book by bill carter of the new york times, jerry seinfeld appears baffled by mr. Conan obrien made a triumphant exit from nbc friday night, accompanied by one of the most impressive outpourings of. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true. Bill carter on conan obriens crucial mistake running. Nov 08, 2010 bill carter s new book, the war for late night, reveals what happened behind the scenes of the conan o brien vs. Bill carter has written about television for the new york times for decades and his earlier book, on the postjohnny carson late night wars between letterman and leno is a classic. Bill carter joined the new york times as a national media reporter in 1989. Conan tv wars, hot details in bill carters new book by paula duffy 20101028 23. But one of the more interesting examples centered around team coco ignoring suggestions from the network on how to boost his ratings. The book was later made into a film of the same name by hbo. Twice pushed out, jay leno moves on from tonight eric deggans looks back at the legacy of jay leno as he leaves a tonight show very.
Throughout all of the sturm and drang of the battle between conan obrien, jay leno, and nbc at the beginning of this year, many kept repeating the same refrain, god, bill carter s gon. Nbcs ceo, jeff zucker, had it all worked out when he moved jay leno from behind the desk at the tonight show, and handed the reins over to conan o brien. Vanity fair today just released an exclusive except from bill carter s upcoming book the war for late night. Some may well come away with the impression that conan o brien was shorted and i tend to agree. Conan is a latenight talk show airing each monday through thursday at 11.
No journalist has had more access to all the major players involved, and he covers all of the events of. Conan obrien refused to book sarah palin from the left. When leno went early and television went crazy, whose release concurrent with conan obriens return to television cannot be coincidental. Bill carter s book reveals explosive new details about the jay lenoobrien debacle. Paul drinkwaternbc photo conan obrien in his debut as host of the tonight show on monday. Jay leno brawl over the tonight show, the expletives that were hurled during. Starring katie couric les moonves simon cowell dan rather jeff zucker teri hatcher conan o brien donald trump and a host of other movers and shakers who bill carter in the executive offices of the four major networks, sweeping changes are taking place and billions of dollars are at stake.
When leno went early and television went crazy, is news from the front. In a video bit shot for halloween on his tbs show, conan, which just turned two, he referred to a costume stores bigchinned devil mask as jay leno. Bill carter, the new york times tv industry reporter who literally wrote the book on late night, is working on a new book for viking that will. Bill carter s new book, the war for late night, reveals what happened behind the scenes of the conan obrien vs. Gee, conan, that joke seems familiar the new york times. Before the dust had even settled on nbcs disastrous late night experiment with jay leno and conan obrien, new york times television writer bill carter set about writing a book about the saga. A bewildered, increasingly outraged conan obrien and an anxiously pragmatic jay leno. Bill carters new book, the war for late night, reveals what happened behind the scenes, the expletives that were hurled during closeddoor discussions, the roller coaster that obrien, leno, and their cohorts rode during that tumultuous time. The writing is bill carter which is just electric at times and the reading is exceptional. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan o brien to host the tonight showa job he had been promised five years earlierskeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. There were some instances where i had to put the book down, because i was laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes. A very fascinating, wellwritten story about what all of us, at one point, watch. Nov 10, 2012 the actor brian austin green with conan obrien. Audio excerpts from the evenings discussion are available below.
Bill carter ny times reporter bill carter offers a detailed behindthescenes account of the events of the unforgettable 20092010 latenight season as all of its playersperformers, producers, agents, and. Conan obrien goes west, with a dash the new york times. Less than a year after the jay lenoconan obrien latenight debacle, new york times writer bill carter is set. Bill carter s book reveals explosive new details about the jay leno o brien debacle. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan o brien to host the tonight showa job he had been promised five years earlierskeptics anticipated a. Bill carters book reveals explosive new details about the jay lenoobrien debacle. The show premiered on november 8, 2010, and is hosted by writer, comedian and performer conan obrien, accompanied by his longtime sidekick andy richter. Author bill carter previously wrote the late shift, a book about the 1992 conflict between jay leno and david. Conan obrien may not be keeping the tonight show much longer, but he may be getting some good company.
Bill carters new book will focus on conan obrienjay. Media reporter bill carter introduces the late shift, in which he chronicles the intense competition between the networks, jay leno, and david letterman for succession to the tonight show after johnny carsons retirement. I noticed in your article that conan obrien took a subtle. It chronicles the 2010 conflict surrounding the american latenight talk show the tonight show involving conan o brien and jay leno. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan obrien to host the tonight showa job he had. New york times bill carter at work on a late shift sequel. Bill carter on conan obriens crucial mistake running late with. Starring katie couric les moonves simon cowell dan rather jeff zucker teri hatcher conan obrien donald trump and a host of other movers and shakers who bill carter in the executive offices of the four major networks, sweeping changes are taking place and billions of. When leno went early and television went crazy is a 2010 nonfiction book written by the new york times media reporter bill carter. Bill carters new book will focus on conan obrienjay leno. Conan christopher obrien is an emmy awardwinning american television host and tv writer, best known as host of nbcs late night with conan obrien. Nbcs ceo, jeff zucker, had it all worked out when he moved jay leno from behind the desk at the tonight show, and handed the reins over to conan obrien.
In the war for late night, new york times reporter bill carter offers a detailed behindthescenes account of the events of the unforgettable 20092010 latenight season as all of its players performers, producers, agents, and network executivesmaneuvered to find footing amid the shifting tectonic plates of television culture. Bill tells the story of how conan obrien missed the signs when moving over to tbs, and recounts the critical mistake conan made in cutting the cord from lorne michaels. Nov 10, 2010 hlns joy behar talks with bill carter. Yet while the outsize personalities havent changed since carters 1995 book. Even if you never saw the show before, or this skit, i highly recommend getting this book, i guaranty youll laugh. When leno went early and television went crazy by bill carter for a few weeks in january 2010, the nation held its collective breath as the story played out nightly on our television screens. In the war for late night, bill carter covers the second war for late night, between jay leno and conan o brien for the tonight show the first being between jay and david letterman in the early 90s, the subject of carter s the late shift. There are no landmark surprises jay leno comes off as affably opportunistic, conan obrien as a tragic selfdramatist with a little bit of a martyrdom complex but its a worthwhile look at the procedural negotiations that led to. As a fan of jay leno, johnny carson, jimmy kimmel, letterman and conan, i found that bill carter s book gives the reader a knowledgeable and so tell me how this really works type narrative. Conan tv wars, hot details in bill carters new book. The war for late night the war for late night audiobook, by bill carter. Less than a year after the jay leno conan o brien latenight debacle, new york times writer bill carter is set. Conan obriens undoing reflects media choices of young.
Very detailed descriptions of all the occurrences leading to conan obrien. It chronicles the early 1990s conflict surrounding the american latenight talk show the tonight show. Team coco is the official youtube channel of late night host conan. As conan finally returns to tv tonight, we tell you what conan thought of jay, why jays innocent, and other revelations from bill carters hot new. In my mind, its the equal of carter s earlier book.
An ancient fable tells of the greedy little boy who reached into a jar of nuts and grabbed himself a handful. It chronicles the 2010 conflict surrounding the american latenight talk show the tonight show involving conan obrien and jay leno. Audible provides the highest quality audio and narration. The show premiered on november 8, 2010, and is hosted by writer, comedian and performer conan o brien, accompanied by his longtime sidekick andy richter. The war for late night by bill carter the revolution was televised by alan sepinwall. But it also was the end of nbcs hopes to keep both obrien and leno at the network, new york times writer bill carter claims in his new book, the war for late night. All of which is to say ive been spending a lot of time thinking about conan obrien latelyfirst by seeing the disappointing yet revealing new documentary conan obrien cant stop, then reading bill carters terrific book the war for late night, and now sampling a random week of conan, his eightmonthold show in the arid. Subscribe bill tells the story of how conan obrien missed the signs when moving over to tbs, and recounts the critical. It is a sequel to carter s 1994 book the late shift, which detailed the struggle for the hosting spot on the. Articles by conan obrien conan journalist muck rack. Bill supports caitlyns transition into a woman, but wishes he got a chance to say goodbye to bruce.
In the war for late night, new york times reporter bill carter offers a detailed behindthescenes account of the events of the unforgettable 20092010 latenight season as all of its playersperformers, producers, agents, and network executivesmaneuvered to find footing amid the shifting tectonic plates of television culture. As conan finally returns to tv tonight, we tell you what conan thought. Conan obriens return to television cannot be coincidental. Mama grifter was never booked on conan s tonight show, says ny times reporter bill carter in a chat with popeater, as obrien blocked the move. His new book, the war for late night chronicles the conflict between conan o brien and jay leno. Conan obrien gets new shot at chasing carsons mantle. In the year 2000 is one of my favorite skits on late night with conan obrien, so i just had to buy this book. All of which is to say ive been spending a lot of time thinking about conan obrien latelyfirst by seeing the disappointing yet revealing new documentary conan obrien cant stop, then reading bill carter s terrific book the war for late night, and now sampling a random week of conan, his eightmonthold show in the arid. According to the war for late night, by new york times reporter bill carter, obrien although hes a generation removed from leno and letterman. Bill carter, the new york times tv industry reporter who literally wrote the book on late night, is working on a new book for viking that will focus on the recent drama between conan o brien, jay. The juiciest tidbits from bill carters the war for late night. Obrien continues to book top guests for tonight the. For a look into the past, rather than the year 3000, here is an oped published at the debut of mr.
Team coco is the official youtube channel of late night host conan o brien. As host of late night with conan obrien, obrien decided to remain with nbc after attempts by abc and fox to. Posts about conan obrien written by daves strange world. Actually, o brien just might have been the wrong comic at work in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think a lot of them wanted to tell their part of the story, said carter, who interviewed nbc executives and people in both conan obrien and jay lenos camps for the book. His new book is called desperate networks and it has a. Conan obrien sarah palin bill carter david letterman. When leno went early and television went crazy, will be released on nov. I read bill carter s 2010 chronicle of the last disastrous tonight show host transition, the war for late night. Throughout all of the sturm and drang of the battle between conan o brien, jay leno, and nbc at the beginning of this year, many kept repeating the same refrain, god, bill carter s gon. The juiciest tidbits from bill carters the war for late.