The War for Late Night
Encyclopedia
The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy is a 2010 non-fiction
book written by The New York Times
media reporter Bill Carter. It chronicles the 2010 conflict
surrounding the American
late-night talk show
The Tonight Show
involving Conan O'Brien
and Jay Leno
. It is a sequel to the 1994 book The Late Shift, which detailed the first uproar in the early 1990s for the hosting spot on The Tonight Show between David Letterman
and Jay Leno, following the retirement of Johnny Carson
. The book was first published on November 4, 2010, by Viking Press
.
as host of The Tonight Show
. Titled The Late Shift, the book was well-received, with positive reviews from publications including The New York Times Book Review
, and The Christian Science Monitor
.
A film adaptation of the book
was produced in 1996
by HBO, directed by Betty Thomas
, and starring John Michael Higgins
as Letterman and Daniel Roebuck
as Leno. The film received seven Emmy Award
nominations in categories including "Outstanding Made for Television Movie", makeup, casting, writing, directing, and acting. For her role in the film as Helen Kushnick
, actress Kathy Bates
won awards from the American Comedy Awards
, the Golden Globe Award
s, the Satellite Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards
. The film was also recognized with an award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials" from the Directors Guild of America Awards.
that in his research for the book, he attempted to gather input from multiple viewpoints, stating, "I'm reaching out to everyone I possibly can to get every side of the story." He said that he is not adopting a perspective himself regarding the 2010 Tonight Show conflict
, and noted, "I obviously have to reach out to all sides. For the longest time, I personally tried to watch as many episodes of all the shows as I could to get sense of each show, and what each guy does. I don't just pick one and stick with that guy." He observed of the writing process on the subject matter after having authored The Late Shift, "It's fun to have something to write about again." Carter attempted to research the impact of financial decision-making on events of the controversy. He commented on the readiness of the various parties involved to speak to him, "I think a lot of them wanted to tell their part of the story. I've known Jay for a long time, so that was convenient, and I've known Conan since the day he started at NBC.... I had an advantage going in that I had connections. I wasn't going in cold."
surrounding the American
late-night talk show
The Tonight Show
involving Conan O'Brien
and Jay Leno
. Carter gives biographical description of other late-night television personalities, including David Letterman
, Jimmy Fallon
, Jimmy Kimmel
, Craig Ferguson
, Jon Stewart
and Stephen Colbert
. As host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, O'Brien had decided to remain with NBC after generous attempts by ABC
and Fox
to woo him to their networks – as NBC executives had instructed him that he would be installed as host of The Tonight Show after the retirement of Leno. While hosting The Tonight Show and analyzing ratings results, O'Brien shared with his manager Gavin Polone he had a fear that Leno might be moved back to the program. Carter provides the reader with informative material regarding O'Brien's and Leno's contracts, and describes the former's emotional state during the 2010 conflict. He reveals that Leno had the upper-hand during negotiations because of a stronger legal contract agreement with NBC. Due to the strength of Leno's contract as opposed to O'Brien's, he had the option to sue NBC if his program was removed from television broadcast.
NBC executives attempted to create a solution where both late night television hosts would remain employed by the company. Jeff Gaspin
, the chairman of NBC Universal Television
, instructed both parties that he did not wish to make a difficult decision but felt that the most appropriate solution for the situation was to move Leno back to his previous timeslot and push O'Brien to 12:05. Carter details an exchange between NBC executive Jeff Zucker
and Rick Rosen, O'Brien's agent, where Zucker pressured O'Brien's representatives with his belief that they were leaking information about the conflict to the media. The author cites O'Brien's disappointment with the perceived unfairness of the situation, and quotes comments made by O'Brien in a meeting with NBC Entertainment
and Universal Media Studios chairman Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin, "I know how hard I worked for this. It was promised to me. I had a shitty lead-in." Carter recounts how affiliates of NBC complained to the network regarding the poor performance of Leno's program The Jay Leno Show
. O'Brien questioned the two NBC executives, "What does Jay have on you? What does this guy have on you people? What the hell is it about Jay?"
Carter comments about how the "Team Coco" movement and fans impacted O'Brien following the controversy, "The outpouring of support made Conan feel as if he was starring in his own version of the movie It's a Wonderful Life
, both because he was allowed to see a 'Tonight Show' where he never existed and because the support made him realize he really was 'the richest man in town.'" O'Brien was hurt by the fact that Leno did not attempt to communicate directly with him during the fiasco. The author writes that as compared to the eventual payout to O'Brien of $45 million, NBC would have suffered a financial loss of $235 million if O'Brien had left the company in 2004 in order to form a talk show for another network. O'Brien moved from NBC to host his own late night program on network TBS
. Carter's work concludes with an interview from comic Jerry Seinfeld
, a celebrity in Leno's camp; Seinfeld argues O'Brien should have remained at NBC.
, Larry Getlen observed, "Veteran journalist Bill Carter details the vicious recent battle over 'The Tonight Show,' showing how Leno was hardly the devious schemer he was made out to be, and how O’Brien was not always the angelic innocent the media portrayed, as he and his team aggressively pursued the show at every opportunity." Jon Bershad of Mediaite
commented, "It’s as tense and exciting as expected." Writing for TV Squad, Joel Keller analyzed Carter's description of Leno's legal contract versus O'Brien's, observing that the author "paints a picture of Leno and his producer, Debbie Vickers, as pragmatists and Conan as a cockeyed idealist". Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times
commented about changes in the media industry since Carter's prior book The Late Shift, "The only difference is that the media world has changed a lot then, and while "The Late Shift" had a lot of inside dirt and drama that was news to everyone but the most hardcore industry insiders, this time around the soap opera played out on TV and in the media." James Poniewozik of Time magazine
observed, "There are lots of juicy bits, but the big takeaway: the guy with the best contract, wins." Poniewozik called the book, "Bill Carter's Jaypocalypse dirt-disher". Writing for ABC News
, journalist Sheila Marikar commented, "Bill Carter's new book, 'The War for Late Night,' reveals what happened behind the scenes, the expletives that were hurled during closed-door discussions, the roller coaster that O'Brien, Leno, and their cohorts rode during that tumultuous time."
Frazier Moore wrote for Associated Press
, "He plays this latest late-night conflagration right down the middle. He keeps the story moving almost cinematically, crosscutting from one personality to another, deftly and revealingly presenting different points of view." Writing for BusinessWeek
, Jim Windolf gave the book a rating of three stars out of a possible five, and commented, "Bill Carter has become the Bob Woodward of the 11:35 time slot." Paula Duffy of HULIQ News described the book as "a juicy tell-all". Dylan Stableford of TheWrap characterized the book as "a must-read" for fans of Conan O'Brien. Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News
called the book a "definitive history" of the 2010 Tonight Show conflict
. Willa Paskin wrote for New York Magazine that Carter, "spoke with enough people involved in the situation to provide an account so detailed, it even includes re-created conversations and dialogue". Neal Justin of Star Tribune
commented on the author's neutrality in his writing style, "The next time network TV executives stumble into an ugly behind-the-scenes battle, they should consider hiring Bill Carter to negotiate. The veteran New York Times media reporter has a way of sharing juicy stories without painting anyone as a complete saint or sinner, a feat he pulls off again in his latest book, 'The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy'".
Nate Jones commented for Time magazine
, "There are no landmark surprises — Jay Leno comes off as affably opportunistic, Conan O'Brien as a tragic self-dramatist with a little bit of a martyrdom complex — but it's a worthwhile look at the procedural negotiations that led to last winter's messy divorce." The Hollywood Reporter
observed, "Bill Carter's book reveals explosive new details about the Jay Leno-O'Brien debacle." Kyle Anderson of MTV.com wrote, "the story takes an amazingly candid look at the conversations and arguments that went on behind the scenes. It even takes you to the moment when O'Brien decides that he has to walk away from 'The Tonight Show.'" Paul Schwartzman of The Washington Post
wrote that it "is a great read and an example of narrative journalism's power when practiced by a reporter steeped in his subject matter." Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly
reviewed Carter's book and gave it a rating of "B-", concluding, "In the end, Carter presents a pretty compelling argument that while the fourth-place network lost the public relations war, it probably won the late-night battle." Speaking on his program The Howard Stern Show, host Howard Stern
commented of the author's writing style, "It is just endlessly fascinating the way he paints this picture." Writing for the Las Vegas Review-Journal
, journalist Christopher Lawrence observed, "Bill Carter's 'The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy,' ... offers an exhaustive, eye-opening, how-could-he-possibly-know-that look at the late-night feud that ultimately was a muddled victory for Leno: He won back 'The Tonight Show,' but his ratings have fallen below O'Brien's."
film was in planning stages. On January 19, 2010, during O'Brien's last week of shows, guest Quentin Tarantino
jokingly suggested that he direct a sequel to The Late Shift, cast O'Brien as himself and make it a revenge movie in the style of his film Kill Bill
with the title Late Shift 2: The Rolling Thunder of Revenge. In the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
, O'Brien stated he wished that actress Tilda Swinton
could portray him in a film version about The Tonight Show conflict. Swinton subsequently expressed interest in being cast as Conan O'Brien in a sequel to The Late Shift. When asked in a June 2010 interview with Movieline
if there was going to be film adaptation
of the book, Carter responded that plans were not serious at that point in time, stating, "Not really. Nothing serious. Let’s put it this way: There have always been people kicking it around because they think it’s funny.... Letterman made a ... joke saying that Max von Sydow
should play him. So, you know, people are just kicking it around like that." Actor Bob Balaban
, who portrayed NBC
executive Warren Littlefield
in the film The Late Shift said he would like to portray Jeff Zucker
, and stated actor Jason Alexander
would also be a good choice to play Zucker. Andy Richter
told Movieline that he would want Justin Bieber
to portray him in a film adaptation of the book.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book written by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
media reporter Bill Carter. It chronicles the 2010 conflict
2010 Tonight Show conflict
In early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program...
surrounding the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
late-night talk show
Late-night talk show
In American television, the late-night talk show is a specific kind of comedy-oriented talk and variety show that airs late at night. Characteristics of the genre include topical monologues in which the host makes fun of the day's news, comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and musical performances...
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
involving Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
and Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. It is a sequel to the 1994 book The Late Shift, which detailed the first uproar in the early 1990s for the hosting spot on The Tonight Show between David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and Jay Leno, following the retirement of Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
. The book was first published on November 4, 2010, by Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
.
The Late Shift
Author Bill Carter previously wrote a book about the 1992 conflict between Jay Leno and David Letterman on who would succeed Johnny CarsonJohnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
as host of The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
. Titled The Late Shift, the book was well-received, with positive reviews from publications including The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, and The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
.
A film adaptation of the book
The Late Shift (film)
The Late Shift is a 1996 American TV movie produced by HBO. It is directed by Betty Thomas and based on the book of the same name by The New York Times media reporter Bill Carter.-Plot synopsis:...
was produced in 1996
1996 in television
The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
by HBO, directed by Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
, and starring John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins is an American actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim....
as Letterman and Daniel Roebuck
Daniel Roebuck
Daniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...
as Leno. The film received seven Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations in categories including "Outstanding Made for Television Movie", makeup, casting, writing, directing, and acting. For her role in the film as Helen Kushnick
Helen Kushnick
Helen Kushnick , born Helen Gorman in New York, was the agent of comedians Jimmie Walker, Elayne Boosler and Jay Leno for much of her early career...
, actress Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
won awards from the American Comedy Awards
American Comedy Awards
The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States from 1987 to 2001 recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films...
, the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
s, the Satellite Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
. The film was also recognized with an award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials" from the Directors Guild of America Awards.
Research
Carter engaged in research for the book during 2010. By January 2010, he had obtained a deal to publish the book. Carter confirmed to Business InsiderBusiness Insider
Business Insider is a U.S. business/entertainment news website launched in February 2009. Founded by DoubleClick Founder and former C.E.O. Kevin P. Ryan it is the overarching brand beneath which fall the Silicon Alley Insider and Clusterstock verticals...
that in his research for the book, he attempted to gather input from multiple viewpoints, stating, "I'm reaching out to everyone I possibly can to get every side of the story." He said that he is not adopting a perspective himself regarding the 2010 Tonight Show conflict
2010 Tonight Show conflict
In early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program...
, and noted, "I obviously have to reach out to all sides. For the longest time, I personally tried to watch as many episodes of all the shows as I could to get sense of each show, and what each guy does. I don't just pick one and stick with that guy." He observed of the writing process on the subject matter after having authored The Late Shift, "It's fun to have something to write about again." Carter attempted to research the impact of financial decision-making on events of the controversy. He commented on the readiness of the various parties involved to speak to him, "I think a lot of them wanted to tell their part of the story. I've known Jay for a long time, so that was convenient, and I've known Conan since the day he started at NBC.... I had an advantage going in that I had connections. I wasn't going in cold."
Contents
The War for Late Night chronicles the 2010 conflict2010 Tonight Show conflict
In early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program...
surrounding the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
late-night talk show
Late-night talk show
In American television, the late-night talk show is a specific kind of comedy-oriented talk and variety show that airs late at night. Characteristics of the genre include topical monologues in which the host makes fun of the day's news, comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and musical performances...
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
involving Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
and Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. Carter gives biographical description of other late-night television personalities, including David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
, Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS...
, Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
and Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
. As host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, O'Brien had decided to remain with NBC after generous attempts by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
to woo him to their networks – as NBC executives had instructed him that he would be installed as host of The Tonight Show after the retirement of Leno. While hosting The Tonight Show and analyzing ratings results, O'Brien shared with his manager Gavin Polone he had a fear that Leno might be moved back to the program. Carter provides the reader with informative material regarding O'Brien's and Leno's contracts, and describes the former's emotional state during the 2010 conflict. He reveals that Leno had the upper-hand during negotiations because of a stronger legal contract agreement with NBC. Due to the strength of Leno's contract as opposed to O'Brien's, he had the option to sue NBC if his program was removed from television broadcast.
NBC executives attempted to create a solution where both late night television hosts would remain employed by the company. Jeff Gaspin
Jeff Gaspin
Jeffrey "Jeff" Gaspin is an American television executive and was most recently the Chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment. Gaspin resigned his position in late 2010, as a precursor to Comcast taking controlling ownership of the now newly rechristened NBCUniversal, which occurred on...
, the chairman of NBC Universal Television
NBC Universal Television
NBCUniversal Television Group is an American and global television production/distribution company and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal.The company is composed of six divisions: Universal Television , NBC Universal Television Stations, NBCUniversal Television Distribution, NBCUniversal...
, instructed both parties that he did not wish to make a difficult decision but felt that the most appropriate solution for the situation was to move Leno back to his previous timeslot and push O'Brien to 12:05. Carter details an exchange between NBC executive Jeff Zucker
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey "Jeff" Zucker is an American television executive and former President and CEO of NBCUniversal.-Personal life:Zucker was born to Jewish-American parents in Homestead, Florida, near Miami. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher...
and Rick Rosen, O'Brien's agent, where Zucker pressured O'Brien's representatives with his belief that they were leaking information about the conflict to the media. The author cites O'Brien's disappointment with the perceived unfairness of the situation, and quotes comments made by O'Brien in a meeting with NBC Entertainment
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
and Universal Media Studios chairman Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin, "I know how hard I worked for this. It was promised to me. I had a shitty lead-in." Carter recounts how affiliates of NBC complained to the network regarding the poor performance of Leno's program The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
. O'Brien questioned the two NBC executives, "What does Jay have on you? What does this guy have on you people? What the hell is it about Jay?"
Carter comments about how the "Team Coco" movement and fans impacted O'Brien following the controversy, "The outpouring of support made Conan feel as if he was starring in his own version of the movie It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
, both because he was allowed to see a 'Tonight Show' where he never existed and because the support made him realize he really was 'the richest man in town.'" O'Brien was hurt by the fact that Leno did not attempt to communicate directly with him during the fiasco. The author writes that as compared to the eventual payout to O'Brien of $45 million, NBC would have suffered a financial loss of $235 million if O'Brien had left the company in 2004 in order to form a talk show for another network. O'Brien moved from NBC to host his own late night program on network TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
. Carter's work concludes with an interview from comic Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, a celebrity in Leno's camp; Seinfeld argues O'Brien should have remained at NBC.
Reception
Writing for the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Larry Getlen observed, "Veteran journalist Bill Carter details the vicious recent battle over 'The Tonight Show,' showing how Leno was hardly the devious schemer he was made out to be, and how O’Brien was not always the angelic innocent the media portrayed, as he and his team aggressively pursued the show at every opportunity." Jon Bershad of Mediaite
Mediaite
Mediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
commented, "It’s as tense and exciting as expected." Writing for TV Squad, Joel Keller analyzed Carter's description of Leno's legal contract versus O'Brien's, observing that the author "paints a picture of Leno and his producer, Debbie Vickers, as pragmatists and Conan as a cockeyed idealist". Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
commented about changes in the media industry since Carter's prior book The Late Shift, "The only difference is that the media world has changed a lot then, and while "The Late Shift" had a lot of inside dirt and drama that was news to everyone but the most hardcore industry insiders, this time around the soap opera played out on TV and in the media." James Poniewozik of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
observed, "There are lots of juicy bits, but the big takeaway: the guy with the best contract, wins." Poniewozik called the book, "Bill Carter's Jaypocalypse dirt-disher". Writing for ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, journalist Sheila Marikar commented, "Bill Carter's new book, 'The War for Late Night,' reveals what happened behind the scenes, the expletives that were hurled during closed-door discussions, the roller coaster that O'Brien, Leno, and their cohorts rode during that tumultuous time."
Frazier Moore wrote for Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, "He plays this latest late-night conflagration right down the middle. He keeps the story moving almost cinematically, crosscutting from one personality to another, deftly and revealingly presenting different points of view." Writing for BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, Jim Windolf gave the book a rating of three stars out of a possible five, and commented, "Bill Carter has become the Bob Woodward of the 11:35 time slot." Paula Duffy of HULIQ News described the book as "a juicy tell-all". Dylan Stableford of TheWrap characterized the book as "a must-read" for fans of Conan O'Brien. Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...
called the book a "definitive history" of the 2010 Tonight Show conflict
2010 Tonight Show conflict
In early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program...
. Willa Paskin wrote for New York Magazine that Carter, "spoke with enough people involved in the situation to provide an account so detailed, it even includes re-created conversations and dialogue". Neal Justin of Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
commented on the author's neutrality in his writing style, "The next time network TV executives stumble into an ugly behind-the-scenes battle, they should consider hiring Bill Carter to negotiate. The veteran New York Times media reporter has a way of sharing juicy stories without painting anyone as a complete saint or sinner, a feat he pulls off again in his latest book, 'The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy'".
Nate Jones commented for Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, "There are no landmark surprises — Jay Leno comes off as affably opportunistic, Conan O'Brien as a tragic self-dramatist with a little bit of a martyrdom complex — but it's a worthwhile look at the procedural negotiations that led to last winter's messy divorce." The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
observed, "Bill Carter's book reveals explosive new details about the Jay Leno-O'Brien debacle." Kyle Anderson of MTV.com wrote, "the story takes an amazingly candid look at the conversations and arguments that went on behind the scenes. It even takes you to the moment when O'Brien decides that he has to walk away from 'The Tonight Show.'" Paul Schwartzman of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote that it "is a great read and an example of narrative journalism's power when practiced by a reporter steeped in his subject matter." Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reviewed Carter's book and gave it a rating of "B-", concluding, "In the end, Carter presents a pretty compelling argument that while the fourth-place network lost the public relations war, it probably won the late-night battle." Speaking on his program The Howard Stern Show, host Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
commented of the author's writing style, "It is just endlessly fascinating the way he paints this picture." Writing for the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
, journalist Christopher Lawrence observed, "Bill Carter's 'The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy,' ... offers an exhaustive, eye-opening, how-could-he-possibly-know-that look at the late-night feud that ultimately was a muddled victory for Leno: He won back 'The Tonight Show,' but his ratings have fallen below O'Brien's."
Film adaptation
The Toronto Star reported in February 2010 that a sequel to The Late ShiftThe Late Shift (film)
The Late Shift is a 1996 American TV movie produced by HBO. It is directed by Betty Thomas and based on the book of the same name by The New York Times media reporter Bill Carter.-Plot synopsis:...
film was in planning stages. On January 19, 2010, during O'Brien's last week of shows, guest Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
jokingly suggested that he direct a sequel to The Late Shift, cast O'Brien as himself and make it a revenge movie in the style of his film Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
with the title Late Shift 2: The Rolling Thunder of Revenge. In the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
, O'Brien stated he wished that actress Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
could portray him in a film version about The Tonight Show conflict. Swinton subsequently expressed interest in being cast as Conan O'Brien in a sequel to The Late Shift. When asked in a June 2010 interview with Movieline
Movieline
Movieline is a website, formerly a Los Angeles-based film and entertainment magazine, started in 1985 as a local magazine and went national in 1989. Known for its cult status and popularity among film critics, the magazine eventually was retooled and named Movieline's Hollywood Life. The magazine...
if there was going to be film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the book, Carter responded that plans were not serious at that point in time, stating, "Not really. Nothing serious. Let’s put it this way: There have always been people kicking it around because they think it’s funny.... Letterman made a ... joke saying that Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
should play him. So, you know, people are just kicking it around like that." Actor Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
, who portrayed NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
executive Warren Littlefield
Warren Littlefield
Warren W. Littlefield is an American former television executive.A protégé of Brandon Tartikoff, Littlefield developed Cheers, The Cosby Show, and The Golden Girls as senior and executive vice president of NBC Entertainment under Tartikoff...
in the film The Late Shift said he would like to portray Jeff Zucker
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey "Jeff" Zucker is an American television executive and former President and CEO of NBCUniversal.-Personal life:Zucker was born to Jewish-American parents in Homestead, Florida, near Miami. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher...
, and stated actor Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
would also be a good choice to play Zucker. Andy Richter
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...
told Movieline that he would want Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
to portray him in a film adaptation of the book.
See also
- 2010 Tonight Show conflict2010 Tonight Show conflictIn early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program...
- Conan
- Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
- The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television TourThe Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television TourThe Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour was a comedy tour featuring Conan O'Brien. The title of the tour is a reference to the 2010 Tonight Show host and timeslot conflict which resulted in O'Brien resigning from his position as host of The Tonight Show in January 2010...
- The Jay Leno ShowThe Jay Leno ShowThe Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
- The Tonight Show with Conan O'BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O'BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
- The Tonight Show with Jay LenoThe Tonight Show with Jay LenoThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
External links
- The War for Late Night, at official website of publisher