[For those of you who don't know, Jay Leno is moving ahead by 30 minutes to a new show. Conan is taking over the Tonight Show timeslot. And Jimmy Fallon is taking over Conan's slot at Late Night.]
I just watched the last episode of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and I have to say that I still can't believe Conan is leaving Late Night. Conan leaving LN is just another one of those events that remind me of my mortality, of the impermanence of life. For as long as I can remember, Conan's always been at the 11:30PM spot on NBC, and I'm familar/comfortable/used to it. Conan has his colors (cool colors) and Jay has his own colors (warm colors). I can't even begin to imagine how the "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" is going to be.
He spent about 10-15 minutes at the end of the show thanking everyone who's made his show the success that is today. I was a little surprised he did not break into tears, but it was very clear that he almost did a few times. He held it together very well and he was very grateful.
I am glad that Conan's "moving up," but I think he should stay in NY instead of going to LA. He's had such a great 16-year run and I hate not knowing what's going to be the same and what's going to be different...the Max Weinberg 7, the set, the writers, everything and everybody. I hate the idea of not being able to see all the things that made LN w/ COB what it is/was.
Let me tell you what Conan means to me personally. My first Conan-related memories were back in the 5th grade. Around that time, my parents set up a television set in my bedroom (I think for most families, putting a TV in a child's bedroom is irresponsible parenting. But I'm special.). Because of that, I had access to TV any time I wanted - and that included the 11:30PM airing of Late Night. Five days out of the week, Conan was the last person I see every night.
One day, I was retelling a joke/story that I had heard on Conan to my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Ross:
"...I was watching Conan O'Brien yesterday, and--"
"Conan O'Brien?! What time do you go to sleep?!"
When I realized that Late Night was "forbidden," I knew that it was a gem. But I never could have imagined the impact that Conan's show would have on me.
When I was a little kid, I was only known for being the "smart one," the kid that does well in school and gets A's all the time. But it was around the time I started watching Conan that I actually developed a sense of humor. What I saw on Conan, I absorbed. To this day, every joke I make is probably some derivative of something Conan did. I'm not saying I'm great like Conan, or could ever be as great as him. I'm saying that I pay homage to Conan almost every day of my life. And I owe this guy, someone who doesn't even know I exist, 80% of my personality.
For those of you who are fans of Conan, you already know how great he is. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, the Tonight Show will be a great time to start. There is nobody in the business quite like Conan. He's the funniest man on television today - no doubt about it. I know in my heart of hearts that he will go down in history as one of the greatest television personalities.
Conan left a great quote today, recalling the lessons of his parents. It went:
"It's fine to be funny, but if you have no character, none of it's worth a damn." This will be the lesson I hold close to my heart. Good-bye, Conan. See you at 10:30. I'll be there.
