It was clearly an indication of NBC not understanding online memes and how trends carry on the Internet and just how much resonance Conan had online (many of his memes and trends carried across - Chuck Norris probably being the most significant). The accusation of Pollone as being the main source of leaks was never refuted (despite the fact that things were leaking already prior to their involvement - the news of Leno's cancellation was leaked PRIOR to Conan and staff knowing about it - that was how they found out!) and the idea that they were, "playing them in the press". Then it doesn't bother to elaborate on how ridiculous it is that NBC/Zucker believes it was the Conan camp that was the main motivator behind the online movement, the Team Coco things (Carter even constantly referred to Conan's staff as "Team Conan" or "Conan's team" as if they were the same thing as the online trend). But instead, it's presented here as the main beef people have with him. I don't know of anyone who really believed that, just that he was only hoping for that outcome by the time there was no where else to go and he was clinging on. Or if the whole book is this way.įor example, it takes the time to explain how ridiculous it is to imagine that Jay Leno planned the whole thing from the beginning. And Conan fans would probably buy it either way). I just can't decide whether this was an intentional extracted perspective to attract buyers (no Leno appreciators would buy a book that attacks Leno completely - and most consider "The Late Shift" to be against Leno already, so it has to work against that reputation. It didn't seem as balanced as I expected it to be. It undermines a few key points, relative to what it chose to emphasize.
I've made it no secret that I dislike Jay Leno and am rooting for Conan, but I look forward to a spirited and respectful discussion of the book regardless of anyone's bias or personal tastes. This new one, provided that it wasn't rushed to press in an imperfect state, promises to be more of the same: well-informed, unbiased, insightful, and sparing no feelings.īelow is a link to a tasty preview of the book, from the Vanity Fair website. His first two books about The Late Night Wars, The Late Shift and Desperate Networks (which is only partly about late night) are both classics of television reporting, with Carter scoring lengthy interviews with all the major players. I'm starting a new thread for this book, because it should be of interest to all the followers of the various Leno/Conan/Tonight Show/Late Night threads.īill Carter of the New York Times, the generally-acknowledged expert on late night talk shows, has a new book coming out - The War For Late Night - which will be released practically on the eve of Conan's debut on TBS.
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