Conan O’Brien Talks About “Tonight Show”

Conan O’Brien is set to take over NBC’s The Tonight Show on June 1, 2009 and I’m pretty excited. I’ve been a fan of his since his humble beginnings as a late-night talk show host but I have often wondered how we would make the transition to the earlier time-slot since, I’m guessing, he would be expected to be more subdued than he has been. I got a better idea of what to expect from reading an article on ETOnline.

NBC Photo: Mitchell Haaseth

“Ryan Seacrest and I are lovers, so that just makes sense. That is around. The Post, I think, Page 6 already had it,” Conan said.  Good to know that moving out to Los Angeles from New York hasn’t changed him a bit!

He got serious for a second, though, when he talked about the importance of taking on a show that has been hosted by favorites like Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.  “Johnny Carson, when I met him years ago, told me, ‘Just be yourself,’” Conan said. “That was back in 1993. That is basically all anyone who knows anything about these shows can tell you: You’ve got to do it your way.”

I think that’s great advice because Conan is still on the air because his audience loved him exactly as he is (even if he is a little crazy).  I was also pleased to read that he plans to gradually incorporate familiar segments from his old show (including “Year 2000,” “Noches de Passion con Conan O’Brien,” and Jim Gaffigan’s “Pale Force”) so that his loyal fans won’t miss out.  “I want to keep the best of the ‘Late Night’ show … a couple of pieces here and there that really worked for us,” he adds. “I see no reason why Triumph, the insult dog, can’t file reports for us.”

What about the set and the theme song?  Apparently, he’s going with a new LA-style art deco look that he calls “elegant” but he will keep his theme song but promises that it will be “turbo charged.”

He also revealed his guest lineup for the first week which include Pearl Jam, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Hanks and Ryan Seacrest.