March 13th, 2006
This week's newsletter includes:
Be sure to check out the bonus edition of this newsletter which includes recaps for February 28 - March 3 and more Conan videos!
Conan and Andy Reteam for “Andy Barker, P.I.”;
Conan to Executive Produce Separate NBC Comedy Series
Hollywood Reporter -- March 7, 2006
By Nellie Andreeva
Conan O'Brien and his former sidekick on NBC's "Late Night," Andy Richter, are reuniting for NBC primetime, and this time Richter is the leading man.
The network has greenlighted "Andy Barker P.I.," a single-camera detective comedy pilot starring Richter, which O'Brien co-wrote and is executive producing.
The project, from NBC Universal TV Studio and O'Brien's Conaco Prods., centers on Andy Barker (Richter), an accountant who sets up a business in an office formerly belonging to a private investigator. As he starts panicking that no clients are coming in, people looking for the office's previous occupant begin to give him detective cases that he somewhat reluctantly takes on.
"Andy Barker" stems from a germ of an idea O'Brien had been kicking around for a while. In the fall, he teamed with Jonathan Groff, former longtime head writer of "Late Night," and the two quickly developed and wrote the pilot.
The key to the lead character is that he doesn't change when he accidentally falls into a career as a detective, Groff said.
"This is just a different way for him to be who he is -- a really decent, ethical guy for whom everything has worked out through hard work," Groff said. "He approaches (private detecting) with the same level with decency; he would lecture bad guys that it's better to buy, not rent, their hideaway place."
From the initial stages of developing the central character, O'Brien and Groff though of Richter as the perfect actor for the role. Richter quickly came on board, and the part was written for him.
Also cast in the pilot as Andy Barker's wife, Ruth, is Amy Farrington.
The actress, who has a recurring role on CBS' upcoming comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine," is repped by Stone Manners and manager Meghan Schumacher.
O'Brien and Groff are exec producing "Andy Barker" with Conaco's Jeff Ross, David Kissinger.
NBC Uni TV and Conaco have scored another order from NBC for a comedy project, a presentation pickup for an untitled half-hour from Sam Seder (Trio's "Pilot Season").
Seder wrote the script for the show, about two single dads raising kids, in which he also is set to play one of the dads.
Seder is exec producing the presentation with O'Brien, Ross and Kissinger.
Conan on O’Grady - Video, Outtakes, Storyboards, and Screencaps Online
The season 2 premiere episode of “O'Grady” aired Friday, March 3 on The N and featured special guests Conan O'Brien as Chip, a randy lifeguard and Amy Poehler as Wendy, a spacy girl at the yogurt counter.
Video of the full episode of “O'Grady” with Conan & Amy (it's called "Frenched") is available on The N website. Conan is also featured in the "Cannonball" Audio Outtake, "David Hasselhoff" Storyboard, and "Lifeguard Lessons" Storyboard at that link.
O'Grady Web Exclusive video from "Frenched":
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TOSEPB8B
Some awesome screen caps by ecctv:
http://pics.livejournal.com/ecctv/gallery/0002zze6
Conan at Jeff Zucker Award Ceremony - March 9, 2006
Conan was at the International Radio and Television Society Foundation Gold Medal Award dinner on March 9, 2006 at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. CEO of NBC Universal Television Group Jeff Zucker was being honored with the award. Above, Conan is pictured with Mr. Zucker and singer Natasha Bedingfield.
Late Night in Chicago: May 9-12, 2006
There was a rumor on the net that the show would be going to Chicago for a week of shows in May, and it looks like that rumor has turned out to be true. In his Q&A thread at A Special Thing, Brian Stack has been ever so generous in answering his fans’ questions and was nice enough to disclose, "I've been told that we'll be doing a week of shows in Chicago the week of May 8th at The Chicago Theatre on State Street. I don't know if they've started making any announcements about it yet, but it looks like it's happening. I know absolutely nothing about how, when, and where tickets will be available for the Chicago shows, though." Keep your eyes peeled.
Finland Episode Available on iTunes - Tuesday, March 14
According to NBC’s Conan site, "On March 14, fire up your iTunes to download the entire broadcast" of the Finland episode.
News stories about Conan’s Finland Show (Aired March 10, 2006)
Conan to Devote Show to Finland Trip
March 9, 2006
By JAKE COYLE, Associated Press Entertainment Writer
Conan O'Brien may be a talk-show host in America, but he's a god in Finland.
On Friday, O'Brien will devote the whole of "Late Night" to recapping his recent trip to the Nordic country where he is surprisingly so popular. Thousands met him at the airport; he was mobbed wherever he went.
"The whole experience was surreal. It was a fevered dream," O'Brien told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
In Finland, his NBC show airs in prime time, though delayed three days. Seizing on his peculiar Nordic niche, O'Brien joked with his usual self-deprecating style: "(David) Hasselhoff is big in Germany, but I'm the king of Finland."
O'Brien's Finnish popularity escalated in the past year as he increasingly made humorous references to his remarkable resemblance to Finland's equally carrot-topped president, Tarja Halonen. His show even ran a series of mock-campaign ads with him supporting her. When she won re-election, her rival candidates wondered if O'Brien influenced the race.
So while "Late Night" was on hiatus for NBC's Olympic coverage, O'Brien and a camera crew hopped a plane to Helsinki, not knowing quite what to expect.
"We had no idea," he said. "We were thinking we were going to arrive at the airport and that no one's really going to be there."
Not only did crowds follow O'Brien, but the country's paparazzi trailed him while tabloids splashed stories about his visit on their covers.
"When you see a telephoto lens shot taken from some bushes by a paparazzi, what you're used to seeing is Brad Pitt making out with Angelina Jolie or Michael Jackson being rushed through a mall in a weird disguise," he explained.
"But the shots of me were of this very pale guy staring sadly at the Baltic Sea."
He also met with President Halonen. The palace meeting, complete with honor guard and majestic ceremony, was like a legitimate state visit, O'Brien said.
"It was treated with the same dignity and gravitas as Nelson Mandela meeting with Mother Teresa," he said. "My feeling was, `Is this really happening?'"
The talk-show host rationalizes his Finnish popularity, suggesting the show's "weird, abstract" comedy strikes a chord with European sensibilities.
So did Conan, like Col. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now," think about remaining in the land where he's a virtual deity?
He acknowledged that he could get used to it, and that going directly to a family vacation in the Caribbean (where "Late Night" wasn't airing) was a rough transition from life as a Beatle in Finland.
"I was saying to my wife, `I'm like a diver that came up too fast,'" he said.
But O'Brien - bends or not - is happy to be back.
"It was too much over there. I got enough of that to last a lifetime."
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Conan O'Brien Debuts Finland Footage March 10:
Show Devotes Entire Hour To Air Footage of O'Brien's "State Visit" to Finland
NBC Universal
NEW YORK -- March 2, 2006 -- After making headlines worldwide for his February visit to Finland and his meeting with look-alike President Tarja Halonen, Conan O'Brien is devoting his entire March 10 episode to show his Finnish travelogue.
A studio audience will join O'Brien as he presents his coverage of his visit.
"Late Night," is wildly popular in the Nordic nation and became somewhat of a political player in the country's current presidential race, specifically due to O'Brien's striking resemblance to Finnish President Halonen. The show aired mock campaign ads endorsing her and has seen an increased number of Finns in the studio audience.
From landing at the Helsinki airport, O'Brien was greeted like a visiting head of state by hundreds of reporters and thousands of avid fans (some with banners reading "Tarja Is Our President But Conan Is Our King"). Over his four-day visit, O'Brien toured around Helsinki meeting fans, taking in the local custom (the sauna) and local culture - an underwear exhibit in the Helsinki's Tennis Palace Art Museum.
In addition, O'Brien and crew winged north to Lapland to take in the wintry splendor of Finland's Arctic Circle territory, visiting native Laplanders' reindeer farms (reindeer outnumber people in Lapland), dog sledding camps, and Santa Claus' reputed home.
In addition, O'Brien met with myriad Finnish media figures. From appearing with Arto Nyberg ("the Finnish Larry King"), to being followed by the Finnish tabloid press and sitting for an interview with two ten-year-old boys, every public appearance by Conan was covered in all its surreal detail by the "Late Night" crews. In addition, "Late Night" goes backstage at the Telvis Awards ("the Finnish Emmys") where O'Brien will receive a special award at the Telvis Awards in Helsinki - the Varipilkku Award - "for the most surprising and most entertaining TV personality in Finland."
Finally, the footage will showcase the main focus of the trip: O'Brien's private Valentine's Day meeting with at the Presidential Palace with his doppelganger, President Tarja Halonen. The "Late Night" crew captures a new "Helsinki Accord," of sorts.
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is from NBC Studios in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels and Jeff Ross are the executive producers. Mike Sweeney is head writer.
Editorial: “Late Night” Tickets
By conansgoddess / Amanda
March 8, 2006
Today I had a revelation about Late Night ticket booking: They changed the ticket hotline number! That’s right, it’s now (212) 664-6030 on the credits at the end of the show. Looking back at videos of the show, I think the number listed on the credits changed near the end of January, 2006; it just took me a while to realize it. The old number (212-664-3056) is still given on the NBC tickets site, and it's still in use, just to confuse us.
I noticed things just didn’t seem right with the older number (212-664-3056) when I called near the end of January. That hotline had said that on Monday, January 23 at 10:30 am they were supposed to start booking for the week of February 28 - March 3. However, I called at noon on the 23rd, and by that time the recording said they were already booked through March 3. I thought booking all the tickets for 4 different shows in less than 2 hours seemed kind of impossible, but I wasn’t sure what exactly had happened. It seems that the new number (that I was unaware of) was the reason behind this occurrence.
Of course, the old and new numbers take you to two totally different recordings with different info and methods of booking tickets. Here's how each number works.
The new number (212-664-6030):
A pre-recorded message tells you which months they're booking (currently it's March through May) and the message instructs you to leave your name, phone number, email address, the day you want to go, & number of tickets needed (4 maximum). You will get called or emailed to confirm your reservation. No call or email from “Late Night” means you don't have tickets.
Pro: There appear to be many more dates available via this number before they're available via the other number, possibly increasing the chances you'll get tickets for the day you want.
Con: You’re talking to a machine. And sometimes when you call, the mailbox is full.
The old number (212-664-3056):
A pre-recorded message tells you the guests on that night’s show and what dates they're booking for (currently it's select dates in April). You are instructed to stay on the line to talk to an operator to book your tickets, and you give the operator the same info as you give the machine if you call the new number.
Pro: You know immediately whether you got tickets for the day you wanted.
Con: Tickets appear to be made available via this number after they're available on the newer number, thus reducing the chances you'll get tickets for the day you wanted.
I think the tickets were/are getting "sold out" so fast on the 3056 number because many people probably request the dates via the recording on the 6030 before those dates are opened on the 3056 number. As an example, it would appear you could request tickets for May shows right now via the 6030 number. However, booking for May dates hasn't been opened yet on the 3056 number.
Of course, there is always the Late Night internet ticket booking form, but that says, "No tickets are available at this time" which as we know from the ticket hotlines is not true.
My recommendation: Call the new number (212-664-6030) to get reserved tickets from this point on, and pray that you get a return call or email. Call the old number (212-664-3056) to find out guests on the show, show cancellation status, or if you absolutely need to talk to a real person about tickets. And the internet form appears to be beyond useless.
I hope this clears up any trouble anyone is having with getting tickets. It really shouldn't have to be so hard!
On Thursday’s show, Conan revealed that sometimes in the morning, Neve says, “I want to see daddy on television!” This was the first time I heard Conan commenting on Neve watching the show, though some of you may recall the picture of Neve looking at Conan on TV in Conan's office. Conan said they TiVo the show and sometimes watch it if Neve wants to… otherwise Conan sarcastically said he has reading to do so he doesn’t watch the show.
After visiting Finland over his 2 week break during the Olympics, Conan went directly to a family vacation in the Caribbean, where "Late Night" wasn't airing. It was a rough transition from life as a Beatle in Finland, according to a report from the Associated Press.
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Guests: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matisyahu
Recap:
Tonight, Conan was scheduled to be hosting Sarah Jessica Parker, Nelly, and Matisyahu.
Conan started off his monologue with the usual routine, coming out, jumping, doing a spin, the works. Jokes included:
Owners of Madison Square Garden proposed tearing the Garden down and building a new one. Fortunately, they will be tearing it down during a Knicks game.
Yanni was arrested for fighting with his girlfriend. To compete, John Tesh and Kenny G decided to go on a killing spree.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman forgot to thank his girlfriend when he was accepting his Best Actor Award at Oscars, because he was so used to being Capote.
Kevin Federline ordered a waiter to keep a dessert cart away from Britney Spears while the two were at a restaurant. The only thing on wheels that Britney was allowed to get near was their house.
Conan then did some rather odd dancing moves, and decided that this would be his ‘new thing,’ and that if he did it every night, everyone would start to hate it. (Hmmm…sounds an awful lot like the President Tarja Halonen look-alike joke…) Conan also got notified by Jeff Ross that Nelly may not show up because Nelly doesn’t like to fly. Twenty minutes before the show started, Jeff got a call from Nelly’s manager saying that Nelly and his crew were lost on a tour bus somewhere in Pennsylvania. Conan then went into a mini rant, saying how this could be a new thing on Late Night, almost like a reality show. (Conan kept repeating the phrase “Maybe Nelly will be here, MAYBE HE WON’T!”)
Conan then walked over to his desk to begin Act I. Conan said that because of Nelly’s absence, Late Night sent a helicopter out to find Nelly’s tour bus. “Aerial coverage” of Nelly’s ‘tour bus’ was then shown. Next, Conan mentioned his Finland special that would be airing on Friday, March 10th, and gave a website. (www.nbc.com/conan) However, Conan mentioned that he knew nothing about computers, though he does have an abacus at home, and he watches porn on it.
Then, Conan mentioned that the CEO of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts would soon be changing. An “audience member” then freaked out about this change, ran up the stairs to the back of the studio, got into a kayak, paddled off, and footage of the audience member falling down a snowy cliff was then shown. Conan then mentioned a 2nd place winner for a book award, and another “audience member” freaked out did does the same exact thing the first member did. Conan then commanded that the kayak be taken out of the building.
Act I continued with a Celebrity Survey. The questions and answers were:
The most difficult thing I’ve had to learn in show business is…
Ted Danson: some people only pretend to be your friend
Shelly Long: Some people can be vicious
Kirstie Alley: You can’t eat pancake make-up
My all-time favorite movie scene is…
Hillary Swank: The end of “Gone with the Wind”
Luke Wilson: The car chase in “The French Connection”
Dick Cheney: When Bambi’s mother dies
I came home from the Winter Olympics with:
Apolo Anton Ohno: 2 bronze and a gold medal
Joey Cheek: a gold and a silver medal
Bode Miller: a hang over and genital warts
The most amazing thing about my wife is how she…
Tom Hanks: takes my anxieties away
David Duchovny: teaches me new things everyday
Kevin Federline: makes money happen
If I put my mind to it, I could…
Keira Knightly: learn how to sing
Uma Thurman: direct
Stephen Hawking: singe handedly beat the New York Knicks
The most significant moment of my judicial career was…
Antonin Scalia: Defending flag burners in Blakely vs. Washington
David Souter: Dissenting from the Conservative view in Bush vs. Gore
Clarence Thomas: Anna Nicole Smith dropping he prepared speech and bending down to pick it up
I’m not popular with…
James Carville: Republicans
Jesse Jackson: Racists
Joan Rivers: The living
I’m glad Saddam Hussein stopped his hunger strike because…
Donald Rumsfeld: It was a cheap ploy for sympathy
Condoleezza Rice: It was a mockery of the Iraqi judicial process
George W. Bush: Now I can put him in charge of U.S. Port Security
I was angry when I saw the gay cowboy movie because…
Pat Robertson: It glorifies homosexuality
Jerry Falwell: The film promotes immoral behavior
Michael Jackson: Those weren’t cowboys, those were cowmen
On Oscar night, I wore…
Nicole Kidman: A lavender gown
Salma Hayek: A Vera Wang
Paris Hilton: A lavender wang
Act II began with Conan’s interview with Sarah Jessica Parker. Sarah told Conan that he’s fit as a fiddle, and Conan said that no one realizes his incredible body. Sarah said that the window pane suit is hard to pull off and Conan does it quite well. Conan then did a bad British accent, and Sarah did her impersonation of the guy from “Dancing with the Stars”. Sarah Jessica Parker then told a story about how she let her son watch part of “Brokeback Mountain” because he requested it (Conan commented about how intelligent her 3 year old son is), and he watched part of the movie where they showed aerial views of mountains and the hills.
Since Nelly didn’t show up, after the commercial break, there was no sketch, and the interview with Sarah Jessica Parker continued. Conan commented about how Sarah Jessica Parker is the ‘quintessential New Yorker.’ Conan and Sarah then shared a story about how Sarah Jessica Parker, her husband, Matthew Broderick, and Conan were on jury duty to ‘entertain’ those who were in the jury pool. Matthew Broderick made a short, witty speech, Conan O’Brien was ‘on fire’, and Sarah Jessica made up a little speech because she didn’t have anything (about Chinatown). They talked about how they really want to serve on jury. About “Failure to Launch”, they discussed how Matthew McConaughey is the sexiest man alive and how Sarah Jessica Parker is lucky to have worked with him. They showed a clip where Sarah Jessica Parker’s character and Matthew McConaughey’s characters met for the first time.
In Act IV, Conan wonders about the meaning of life, and Socrates wanders in and helps him out. Socrates keeps asking Conan questions about life, which was part of his Socratic method. After a series of logical questions, Socrates then asks if Sarah Jessica Parker was still in the building, with intent of going out with her. Conan says that she won’t go out with him because she’s married, but Socrates doesn’t care. Conan dismisses Socrates, but Socrates first tries to sell Conan pictures of himself and other Grecian men in bath tubs together.
In Act V, Matisyahu closed the show by performing the title track off of his newest album, “Youth.”
-- CrazyforConan / Laura
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Guests: Matthew McConaughey, Kristin Davis, James Hunter
Recap:
Before the monologue began, Conan showed of his amusing mime skills - swimming backward through the air, boat-rowing, and walking down a staircase. The monologue began with a joke about President Bush traveling around the country, much like the bookmobile. He flew to New Orleans earlier that day; it got awkward, however, when he looked around and said, “What the hell happened here?” Conan informed us there’s a new book coming out about Barry Bonds’ alleged steroid use. Bonds was told the steroids he used are normally given to cattle, and he responded by saying, “Moo.” Conan acknowledged that the audience laughed a little at that joke, but then there was a pause followed by pity applause. According to Conan, Dick Cheney is donating $2 million to the cardiology center he goes to...actually, it’s more of an advance than a donation. The audience followed the trend they were setting that night with scarce laughter, a pause, and pity applause. Conan told us that the staff at the Vatican gave Pope Benedict an iPod he enjoys listening to, and the last song he downloaded was the hit “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pope”, and Conan sang us the lyrics to the chorus. In other news, Alan Greenspan has been offered $8 million to write a book that captures the interest and excitement of an old man talking about interest rates. The last joke was about Bobby Brown making his own license plates.
Conan told us tonight we had a real cracker jack show, that tonight’s show was all aces. He announced the guests and then introduced “a cracker jack band, Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7”. At the desk, Conan said the MW7 was on fire tonight. “Some nights it’s not there but tonight it’s there - no, no, it’s always there.”
Conan mentioned his Finland trip because everywhere he goes, people from the early 1970’s are asking him, “Hey man, when are we going to see the footage from Finland, man?” So Conan advertised the special Finland show airing Friday, March 10. He told us we could check out a preview clip at “www.nbc.com slash conan, erg, net, blog... I made that last part up."
If there’s one thing Conan loves about winter, it’s going skiing. He loves to get out of the city - especially to go skiing and see nature, so every year he goes skiing with his buddies Max and Joel. Luckily for us, they took a lot of pictures on their ski trip, so Conan shared them with us in Late Night Ski Trip Photos! (View screen caps at http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/Ski%20Trip%2008-03-06/ ).
Conan was the first to show up at the ski lodge. He prefers the “old-timey way of dressing” and was wearing his poindexter outfit. Max was wearing his aerodynamic US Olympic Ski Team outfit and Joel arrived in his unique ski clothes - a Heidi costume. Things got cookin’ when they spotted 3 hot ski bunnies at the lodge. They checked out the “bunnies”, and they were pretty cool about it too (with their eyes popping out of their heads and all). Conan decided to approach the ladies first since he’s pretty suave, and he asked them if they’d like some hot chocolate. The ladies said, “That sounds great, hehehehehe!” Conan asked if they’d also like some steaming hot white chocolate as he pointed to himself. They politely turned Conan down (by dumping their hot chocolate in his face).
So Conan, Max, and Joel decided to skip the ladies and hit the slopes. Conan warned Joel that he’d freeze to death in that Heidi outfit. But Joel had some hand warmers -- that he put up his skirt. Max put his hands in front of Joel’s crotch and agreed that they really worked. Conan told them to stop clowning around, but Joel was nervous because he’d never been on a ski lift before. Max said it’s easy -- just lean forward and let the ski lift pick you up. Joel agreed that it was easy after all (as he was dangling in the air by his underwear from the ski lift). We saw a close-up Joel suspended in the air by his underwear, and Conan said that picture was going to be next year’s Christmas card. “Merry Christmas, from all of us at Late Night!”
Conan suggested they start with an easy hill, so Joel and Max called Conan a sissy. Max went down the double black diamond slope blindfolded, but he skied into a tree branch and went right off a cliff. Thankfully, from the bottom of the cliff Max shouted that he was ok, but unfortunately his shouting triggered a massive avalanche. He dug himself out but soon found out he was in the middle of a snowmobile trail. Conan said the picture of Max being run over by a snowmobile is their other option for next year’s Christmas card.
Conan and Joel decided to drag Max back to the lodge but got lost. Conan suggested staying there and waiting for help but then came up with a better idea - getting drunk. Fortunately, Conan carries a tiny hip flask wherever he goes. In no time at all, they were all feeling pretty good. Max wrote his name in the snow, and Joel wrote the Preamble to the Constitution in the snow (in calligraphy to boot). A St. Bernard rescue dog showed up, so Joel shouted, “We’re saved!” and Conan shouted “More booze!” Even the dog had a drink and finished writing the rest of the Constitution in the snow. A rescue helicopter appeared, but Max accidentally hit it with his flare gun. Conan was sad because he thought they’d never be seen or heard from again. Joel asked why Conan would think such a thing, and Conan pointed to 3 other guys who were also stuck in the wilderness: Justin Guarini, MC Hammer, and Vanilla Ice; Max and Joel started to cry as well. They must have been crying very loudly, because the Ski Patrol arrived and saved the three of them. It was easily the best ski trip ever!
Matthew McConaughey joined Conan in Act II, and I could feel the sexiness radiating out of my TV when Conan and Matthew were together. Yes, Matthew was recently declared the sexiest man alive by People Magazine. Earlier, when Conan was announcing tonight’s guests, he said he missed being named sexiest man alive by “that much.” During the interview he told Matthew he knew that the sexiest man was going to be either himself or Matthew. Matthew admitted he cheated and put another $100,000 into his campaign the night before it was decided. Conan said he thinks his hair scares the folks at People Magazine, but as Matthew was looking at Conan’s hair, he said he thought he was looking at next year’s winner. Referring to the pomp, Conan said, “It’s like candy, it’s like a big cake I baked and put on my head.”
Matthew had some happy news recently in his life involving his oldest brother, Rooster (born “Michael”). He’s called Rooster since he is always up at the crack of dawn no matter when he goes to bed. Conan suggested calling him “Crack” but Matthew said the name Rooster also has to do with his hair being similar to Conan’s. The good news was that Rooster just had a second child and named him Miller Lyte McConaughey (notice the fancy spelling of “Lyte” - it’s to trick the teachers later on). Conan said “I was Conan - I got the crap kicked out of me. I’d rather have been Miller Lyte.”
Conan liked that Matthew was one of the more laid-back guys in the business. Matthew has a nice philosophy of life - “Just keep livin’” / JK Livin’. Conan said that was setting expectations so low - to just stay alive. Matthew enjoys making lists and checking things off as they get done because of the sense of accomplishment he feels. Conan asked if he puts things into his busy schedule to remind him to just keep livin’. Indeed he does - for example, “Have a beer, call your girlfriend, take a walk, make some coffee, put extra cream in it.” Conan also suggested “inhale, exhale….”
Matthew talked about football and going back to his alma mater, University of Texas, to give an inspirational speech to the team when they were about to play the championship game. He said he just wanted to look in their eyes but also told them, “You’ve got to get the goal if you want to live the dream.”
In his new movie, “Failure to Launch,” Matthew plays a 35 year old guy who refuses to move out his parents’ house, but Sarah Jessica Parker’s character lures him out. The movie opened Friday, March 10.
Act III brought Bob Costas: Secrets. Bob spilled his guts on camera - it was stuff the tabloids would kill for. Bob was shown behind a desk in a dark room, smoking a cigarette, drinking a glass of beer, and sharing his innermost secrets such as, “The greatest game ever played: October 15, 2003, when I kicked my wife’s ass in Pictionary.”
Kristin Davis from Sex and the City and the new movie “The Shaggy Dog” (opened Friday, March 10) stopped by in Act IV. Kristin said Conan’s outfit was “flowery-it’s good” and Conan said that made him insecure. Conan first thanked her for rescheduling; she was supposed to be on Friday’s show but was ok with rescheduling when they told her the Finland footage would be on Friday instead. She said, “I loved the Finland. When you got off the plane, you were like a rockstar. It was like your people!” Conan agreed, “I finally found my people!” She said she’d Tivo that show and fast-forward through the male nudity.
They talked about the internationally famous “Sex and the City”. Kristin said there are a lot of fans in Germany, and they even have look-alike contests there (...anyone remember the Conan Turku video?) The show is dubbed in countries such as Germany, and sometimes Kristin wants to direct whoever is playing her in the dubbed shows; sometimes she can tell they’re not quite right. Conan doesn’t think “Late Night” is dubbed in other countries - “they just show it and people understand.” He doesn’t think people even have to listen to “Late Night” to enjoy it. I’d have to agree because most of the sketches look absurd enough to be entertaining. :)
Next they discussed yoga. Kristin does yoga but gets bored with it, so she recently started doing buddakan - “a combination of yoga and I’m going to kill you/kickboxing.” There is an accelerated course “where we’ll kick you and you can kick back” but Kristin wasn’t up for being kicked or kicking others. Conan was reminded that his mother thought all her boys should have self-defense classes. Years ago, he and his brothers were sent to a place in Newton, Massachusetts to learn self-defense where they were given big foam sticks to hit each other with. His mother used to brag that all her boys knew self-defense; Conan wasn’t too convinced, but he firmly believes “if someone ever comes at me with a foam stick, I’ll know what to do.”
Kristin’s new movie “The Shaggy Dog” is a Disney film in which plays the mom and stars with Tim Allen.
To close the show, James Hunter performed the title track from his new album “People Gonna Talk”.
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
Date: Thursday, March 9, 2006
Guests: Salma Hayek, Eric Balfour, Street Drum Corps
Recap:
Thursday night’s show featured appearances by Salma Hayek, Eric Balfour, and musical guest Street Drum Corps. Conan came out with a nice red shirt and tie combo underneath his black suit and began his monologue with a joke about New Jersey to set the mood. He also joked about President George Bush, David Hasselhoff, Pope Benedict, and jokes dealing with Seasame Street and Russel Crowe. After introducing Max and the band in Spanish, Conan sat at his desk and Act I began.
Conan began by discussing how once in a while, his daughter wants to see him on television. [Editor’s note: Conan said he TiVos the show and they sometimes watch it in the morning.] Conan noticed that sometimes he has poor posture while he’s sitting at his desk. So he made a resolution to sit up straight from now on and commented on how good Max’s posture is. Then he revealed that Max has a rod running up his spine. After the kidding around, Conan once again promoted Friday’s Finland show set to air the next day. This upset a man in the audience (Brian McCann) because he thought the Finland episode was tonight. He then ran up the stairs shouting, "Where’s my kayak?" and the same footage of the kayak falling off a cliff from previous nights was shown, but right after that, he appeared back in the studio telling everyone he was okay. Conan tried to wrap it up by announcing tonight’s first guest, Selma Hayek, which once again upset the man. He thought that Conan’s guest tonight was Matthew McConaughey. So, he ran up the stairs and got on his train, and footage of a train riding off a cliff was shown.
The next skit was "New U.S Stamps." The series of stamps were: Ways Barry Bonds Can Still Get Into The Baseball Hall Of Fame, Rappers In Crappy Cars, White Trash With White Trash, Dick Cheney’s Future Hunting Accidents, Catchers Squatting For Reasons Other Than Catching, James Bond Villains Performing Community Service, and New Movies Capitalizing On “Brokeback Mountain’s” Success.
Salma Hayek came out after the commercial break to promote her new film "Ask the Dust." They talked about the dress she wore for the Oscar’s and gaining weight for the role she played in her new movie. Conan also brought up a scene in the movie where she and Colin Farrell are both naked in the ocean, and she discussed how cold and uncomfortable it was. Salma also talked about how she and close friend Penelope Cruz do silly things, and one of the silly things was to see who could dance the worst. She joked that sometimes they study Conan for background on how to dance bad. Salma asked Conan if he has ever face-danced and he then tried it out by making weird faces to the camera in a close-up.
Before Eric Balfour came out, Bob Costas revealed some dark stuff in "Celebrity Secrets." The secrets included Bob killing Jim Lampley’s dog, and Bob asking Barry Bonds if he ever used steroids, to which Bonds retaliated by asking whether Bob ever used Clairol Nice ‘N Easy Root Touch Up. That shut him up. More secrets were that he hates the Olympics and that Snoop Dog is not only his friend, but he is the only place he goes for the chronic.
Next, Eric Balfour came out and he showed his enthusiasm for being on Conan’s show. He talked about his parents being hippies and how there was a lot of nudity when he was growing up. He also talked about the transition of moving to New York from California. He brought up how sometimes he will pee in his bathtub which was pretty gross. He is in a new show on NBC called Conviction.
The musical guest Street Drum Corps performed a song from their self-titled debut album.
-- conanincharge / Maria
Date: Friday, March 10, 2006
Conan O’Brien Visits Finland
The recap for this episode is on its way. It will be posted as soon as I get it, but to tide you over, you can download the show from Late Night Torrents. There is a torrent download guide by moogleman that you may find helpful. (It was originally posted at the conan_obrien community.)
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
The show schedule is subject to changes throughout the week--
Monday 3/13: Jake Gyllenhaal, Neil Young (R 11/3/05)
Tuesday 3/14: Vin Diesel, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, We Are Scientists
Wednesday 3/15: Macaulay Culkin, Billy Bragg
Thursday 3/16: Amanda Peet, Bradley Cooper
Friday 3/17: Lorraine Bracco, Steve Harvey, Jaheim
Photos and Screencaps
Photos from Conan’s trip to Finland from the NBC Conan site.
“O’Grady” Screencaps:
ecctv made some screen caps from Conan as Chip on the “Frenched” episode of O’Grady: http://pics.livejournal.com/ecctv/gallery/0002zze6
Late Night Screen Caps:
The versatility of Conan + a hat: Conan goofs around with an audience member’s hat during the March 2, 2006 monologue
http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/02-03-06/
Late Night Ski Trip Photos from March 8, 2006
http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/Ski%20Trip%2008-03-06/
Weekly Video
Finland episode preview clip from NBC’s Conan site
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CRW3AYUG
CNN interview with Conan about his trip to Finland from March 10, 2006
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=67S2GARW
Full episode of O'Grady with Conan (it's called "Frenched") on The N website. Conan is also featured in the "Cannonball" Audio Outtake, "David Hasselhoff" Storyboard, and "Lifeguard Lessons" Storyboard at this link.
http://www.the-n.com/ntv/shows/ogrady/video/index.php?lineup=5743728
O'Grady Web Exclusive from “Frenched”
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TOSEPB8B
(ALSO: check out the COB.net Finland Coverage page for videos of Conan's visit.)
Name: Laura
Age: 14
A little something about you: I can play 7 different instruments.
When did you first start watching Conan? May of 2005
Favorite episode of Late Night: I have a horrible memory, but probably the one when Martha Stewart had Conan bob for apples
Favorite guest: Will Ferrell
Favorite sketch/recurring segment: Satellite TV channels
Favorite character: It's a tie between Hannigan the Traveling Salesman, Artie Kendall, and Conan of the Night.
Have you ever seen a live taping? Unfortunately, no (curse my age). But I am going to see Conan on my sixteenth birthday.
Have you ever met Conan outside the show? I actually have kinda met Conan outside of the show. Although, when I saw him, I didn't know who he was. I remember that I was 9 years old and it was my first time to NY and I actually sat next to him on the subway! It was probably the best 5-10 minutes of my life! I do remember that he got off somewhere near Rockefeller Center.
Want to become fan of the week? E-Mail your answers to the above questions to stephwearsshades@aol.com
Please email stephwearsshades@aol.com if you want to contribute one of the following things to our newsletter:
*Euuuge thank you to conanincharge and CrazyforConan for the recaps!
*Thanks to ecctv for the O’Grady screencaps
*Episode recap screen caps provided by http://www.latenighttorrents.com/forum/
*Conan-OBrien.net screencaps by conansgoddess
*LN guest schedule provided by http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html#LN_
*Compiled and edited by conansgoddess
Feel free to comment/make suggestions!
- Conan and Andy Reteam for “Andy Barker, P.I.” on NBC
- Conan to Exec Produce Untitled NBC Comedy Series
- Conan on O’Grady - Videos, Outtakes, Storyboards, Screencaps Online
- Conan at Jeff Zucker Award Ceremony
- Late Night in Chicago: May 9-12, 2006
- Finland Episode Available on iTunes - Tuesday, March 14
- News stories about Conan’s Finland Show
- Editorial: “Late Night” Tickets
- Family Corner
- March 7-10 episode recaps
- This week's schedule
- Extras
- Fan of the Week
Be sure to check out the bonus edition of this newsletter which includes recaps for February 28 - March 3 and more Conan videos!
Conan and Andy Reteam for “Andy Barker, P.I.”;
Conan to Executive Produce Separate NBC Comedy Series
Hollywood Reporter -- March 7, 2006
By Nellie Andreeva
Conan O'Brien and his former sidekick on NBC's "Late Night," Andy Richter, are reuniting for NBC primetime, and this time Richter is the leading man.
The network has greenlighted "Andy Barker P.I.," a single-camera detective comedy pilot starring Richter, which O'Brien co-wrote and is executive producing.
The project, from NBC Universal TV Studio and O'Brien's Conaco Prods., centers on Andy Barker (Richter), an accountant who sets up a business in an office formerly belonging to a private investigator. As he starts panicking that no clients are coming in, people looking for the office's previous occupant begin to give him detective cases that he somewhat reluctantly takes on.
"Andy Barker" stems from a germ of an idea O'Brien had been kicking around for a while. In the fall, he teamed with Jonathan Groff, former longtime head writer of "Late Night," and the two quickly developed and wrote the pilot.
The key to the lead character is that he doesn't change when he accidentally falls into a career as a detective, Groff said.
"This is just a different way for him to be who he is -- a really decent, ethical guy for whom everything has worked out through hard work," Groff said. "He approaches (private detecting) with the same level with decency; he would lecture bad guys that it's better to buy, not rent, their hideaway place."
From the initial stages of developing the central character, O'Brien and Groff though of Richter as the perfect actor for the role. Richter quickly came on board, and the part was written for him.
Also cast in the pilot as Andy Barker's wife, Ruth, is Amy Farrington.
The actress, who has a recurring role on CBS' upcoming comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine," is repped by Stone Manners and manager Meghan Schumacher.
O'Brien and Groff are exec producing "Andy Barker" with Conaco's Jeff Ross, David Kissinger.
NBC Uni TV and Conaco have scored another order from NBC for a comedy project, a presentation pickup for an untitled half-hour from Sam Seder (Trio's "Pilot Season").
Seder wrote the script for the show, about two single dads raising kids, in which he also is set to play one of the dads.
Seder is exec producing the presentation with O'Brien, Ross and Kissinger.
Conan on O’Grady - Video, Outtakes, Storyboards, and Screencaps Online
The season 2 premiere episode of “O'Grady” aired Friday, March 3 on The N and featured special guests Conan O'Brien as Chip, a randy lifeguard and Amy Poehler as Wendy, a spacy girl at the yogurt counter.
Video of the full episode of “O'Grady” with Conan & Amy (it's called "Frenched") is available on The N website. Conan is also featured in the "Cannonball" Audio Outtake, "David Hasselhoff" Storyboard, and "Lifeguard Lessons" Storyboard at that link.
O'Grady Web Exclusive video from "Frenched":
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TOSEPB8B
Some awesome screen caps by ecctv:
http://pics.livejournal.com/ecctv/gallery/0002zze6
Conan at Jeff Zucker Award Ceremony - March 9, 2006
Conan was at the International Radio and Television Society Foundation Gold Medal Award dinner on March 9, 2006 at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. CEO of NBC Universal Television Group Jeff Zucker was being honored with the award. Above, Conan is pictured with Mr. Zucker and singer Natasha Bedingfield.
Late Night in Chicago: May 9-12, 2006
There was a rumor on the net that the show would be going to Chicago for a week of shows in May, and it looks like that rumor has turned out to be true. In his Q&A thread at A Special Thing, Brian Stack has been ever so generous in answering his fans’ questions and was nice enough to disclose, "I've been told that we'll be doing a week of shows in Chicago the week of May 8th at The Chicago Theatre on State Street. I don't know if they've started making any announcements about it yet, but it looks like it's happening. I know absolutely nothing about how, when, and where tickets will be available for the Chicago shows, though." Keep your eyes peeled.
Finland Episode Available on iTunes - Tuesday, March 14
According to NBC’s Conan site, "On March 14, fire up your iTunes to download the entire broadcast" of the Finland episode.
News stories about Conan’s Finland Show (Aired March 10, 2006)
Conan to Devote Show to Finland Trip
March 9, 2006
By JAKE COYLE, Associated Press Entertainment Writer
Conan O'Brien may be a talk-show host in America, but he's a god in Finland.
On Friday, O'Brien will devote the whole of "Late Night" to recapping his recent trip to the Nordic country where he is surprisingly so popular. Thousands met him at the airport; he was mobbed wherever he went.
"The whole experience was surreal. It was a fevered dream," O'Brien told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
In Finland, his NBC show airs in prime time, though delayed three days. Seizing on his peculiar Nordic niche, O'Brien joked with his usual self-deprecating style: "(David) Hasselhoff is big in Germany, but I'm the king of Finland."
O'Brien's Finnish popularity escalated in the past year as he increasingly made humorous references to his remarkable resemblance to Finland's equally carrot-topped president, Tarja Halonen. His show even ran a series of mock-campaign ads with him supporting her. When she won re-election, her rival candidates wondered if O'Brien influenced the race.
So while "Late Night" was on hiatus for NBC's Olympic coverage, O'Brien and a camera crew hopped a plane to Helsinki, not knowing quite what to expect.
"We had no idea," he said. "We were thinking we were going to arrive at the airport and that no one's really going to be there."
Not only did crowds follow O'Brien, but the country's paparazzi trailed him while tabloids splashed stories about his visit on their covers.
"When you see a telephoto lens shot taken from some bushes by a paparazzi, what you're used to seeing is Brad Pitt making out with Angelina Jolie or Michael Jackson being rushed through a mall in a weird disguise," he explained.
"But the shots of me were of this very pale guy staring sadly at the Baltic Sea."
He also met with President Halonen. The palace meeting, complete with honor guard and majestic ceremony, was like a legitimate state visit, O'Brien said.
"It was treated with the same dignity and gravitas as Nelson Mandela meeting with Mother Teresa," he said. "My feeling was, `Is this really happening?'"
The talk-show host rationalizes his Finnish popularity, suggesting the show's "weird, abstract" comedy strikes a chord with European sensibilities.
So did Conan, like Col. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now," think about remaining in the land where he's a virtual deity?
He acknowledged that he could get used to it, and that going directly to a family vacation in the Caribbean (where "Late Night" wasn't airing) was a rough transition from life as a Beatle in Finland.
"I was saying to my wife, `I'm like a diver that came up too fast,'" he said.
But O'Brien - bends or not - is happy to be back.
"It was too much over there. I got enough of that to last a lifetime."
-----------------------
Conan O'Brien Debuts Finland Footage March 10:
Show Devotes Entire Hour To Air Footage of O'Brien's "State Visit" to Finland
NBC Universal
NEW YORK -- March 2, 2006 -- After making headlines worldwide for his February visit to Finland and his meeting with look-alike President Tarja Halonen, Conan O'Brien is devoting his entire March 10 episode to show his Finnish travelogue.
A studio audience will join O'Brien as he presents his coverage of his visit.
"Late Night," is wildly popular in the Nordic nation and became somewhat of a political player in the country's current presidential race, specifically due to O'Brien's striking resemblance to Finnish President Halonen. The show aired mock campaign ads endorsing her and has seen an increased number of Finns in the studio audience.
From landing at the Helsinki airport, O'Brien was greeted like a visiting head of state by hundreds of reporters and thousands of avid fans (some with banners reading "Tarja Is Our President But Conan Is Our King"). Over his four-day visit, O'Brien toured around Helsinki meeting fans, taking in the local custom (the sauna) and local culture - an underwear exhibit in the Helsinki's Tennis Palace Art Museum.
In addition, O'Brien and crew winged north to Lapland to take in the wintry splendor of Finland's Arctic Circle territory, visiting native Laplanders' reindeer farms (reindeer outnumber people in Lapland), dog sledding camps, and Santa Claus' reputed home.
In addition, O'Brien met with myriad Finnish media figures. From appearing with Arto Nyberg ("the Finnish Larry King"), to being followed by the Finnish tabloid press and sitting for an interview with two ten-year-old boys, every public appearance by Conan was covered in all its surreal detail by the "Late Night" crews. In addition, "Late Night" goes backstage at the Telvis Awards ("the Finnish Emmys") where O'Brien will receive a special award at the Telvis Awards in Helsinki - the Varipilkku Award - "for the most surprising and most entertaining TV personality in Finland."
Finally, the footage will showcase the main focus of the trip: O'Brien's private Valentine's Day meeting with at the Presidential Palace with his doppelganger, President Tarja Halonen. The "Late Night" crew captures a new "Helsinki Accord," of sorts.
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is from NBC Studios in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels and Jeff Ross are the executive producers. Mike Sweeney is head writer.
Editorial: “Late Night” Tickets
By conansgoddess / Amanda
March 8, 2006
Today I had a revelation about Late Night ticket booking: They changed the ticket hotline number! That’s right, it’s now (212) 664-6030 on the credits at the end of the show. Looking back at videos of the show, I think the number listed on the credits changed near the end of January, 2006; it just took me a while to realize it. The old number (212-664-3056) is still given on the NBC tickets site, and it's still in use, just to confuse us.
I noticed things just didn’t seem right with the older number (212-664-3056) when I called near the end of January. That hotline had said that on Monday, January 23 at 10:30 am they were supposed to start booking for the week of February 28 - March 3. However, I called at noon on the 23rd, and by that time the recording said they were already booked through March 3. I thought booking all the tickets for 4 different shows in less than 2 hours seemed kind of impossible, but I wasn’t sure what exactly had happened. It seems that the new number (that I was unaware of) was the reason behind this occurrence.
Of course, the old and new numbers take you to two totally different recordings with different info and methods of booking tickets. Here's how each number works.
The new number (212-664-6030):
A pre-recorded message tells you which months they're booking (currently it's March through May) and the message instructs you to leave your name, phone number, email address, the day you want to go, & number of tickets needed (4 maximum). You will get called or emailed to confirm your reservation. No call or email from “Late Night” means you don't have tickets.
Pro: There appear to be many more dates available via this number before they're available via the other number, possibly increasing the chances you'll get tickets for the day you want.
Con: You’re talking to a machine. And sometimes when you call, the mailbox is full.
The old number (212-664-3056):
A pre-recorded message tells you the guests on that night’s show and what dates they're booking for (currently it's select dates in April). You are instructed to stay on the line to talk to an operator to book your tickets, and you give the operator the same info as you give the machine if you call the new number.
Pro: You know immediately whether you got tickets for the day you wanted.
Con: Tickets appear to be made available via this number after they're available on the newer number, thus reducing the chances you'll get tickets for the day you wanted.
I think the tickets were/are getting "sold out" so fast on the 3056 number because many people probably request the dates via the recording on the 6030 before those dates are opened on the 3056 number. As an example, it would appear you could request tickets for May shows right now via the 6030 number. However, booking for May dates hasn't been opened yet on the 3056 number.
Of course, there is always the Late Night internet ticket booking form, but that says, "No tickets are available at this time" which as we know from the ticket hotlines is not true.
My recommendation: Call the new number (212-664-6030) to get reserved tickets from this point on, and pray that you get a return call or email. Call the old number (212-664-3056) to find out guests on the show, show cancellation status, or if you absolutely need to talk to a real person about tickets. And the internet form appears to be beyond useless.
I hope this clears up any trouble anyone is having with getting tickets. It really shouldn't have to be so hard!
On Thursday’s show, Conan revealed that sometimes in the morning, Neve says, “I want to see daddy on television!” This was the first time I heard Conan commenting on Neve watching the show, though some of you may recall the picture of Neve looking at Conan on TV in Conan's office. Conan said they TiVo the show and sometimes watch it if Neve wants to… otherwise Conan sarcastically said he has reading to do so he doesn’t watch the show.
After visiting Finland over his 2 week break during the Olympics, Conan went directly to a family vacation in the Caribbean, where "Late Night" wasn't airing. It was a rough transition from life as a Beatle in Finland, according to a report from the Associated Press.
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Guests: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matisyahu
Recap:
Tonight, Conan was scheduled to be hosting Sarah Jessica Parker, Nelly, and Matisyahu.
Conan started off his monologue with the usual routine, coming out, jumping, doing a spin, the works. Jokes included:
Conan then did some rather odd dancing moves, and decided that this would be his ‘new thing,’ and that if he did it every night, everyone would start to hate it. (Hmmm…sounds an awful lot like the President Tarja Halonen look-alike joke…) Conan also got notified by Jeff Ross that Nelly may not show up because Nelly doesn’t like to fly. Twenty minutes before the show started, Jeff got a call from Nelly’s manager saying that Nelly and his crew were lost on a tour bus somewhere in Pennsylvania. Conan then went into a mini rant, saying how this could be a new thing on Late Night, almost like a reality show. (Conan kept repeating the phrase “Maybe Nelly will be here, MAYBE HE WON’T!”)
Conan then walked over to his desk to begin Act I. Conan said that because of Nelly’s absence, Late Night sent a helicopter out to find Nelly’s tour bus. “Aerial coverage” of Nelly’s ‘tour bus’ was then shown. Next, Conan mentioned his Finland special that would be airing on Friday, March 10th, and gave a website. (www.nbc.com/conan) However, Conan mentioned that he knew nothing about computers, though he does have an abacus at home, and he watches porn on it.
Then, Conan mentioned that the CEO of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts would soon be changing. An “audience member” then freaked out about this change, ran up the stairs to the back of the studio, got into a kayak, paddled off, and footage of the audience member falling down a snowy cliff was then shown. Conan then mentioned a 2nd place winner for a book award, and another “audience member” freaked out did does the same exact thing the first member did. Conan then commanded that the kayak be taken out of the building.
Act I continued with a Celebrity Survey. The questions and answers were:
The most difficult thing I’ve had to learn in show business is…
My all-time favorite movie scene is…
I came home from the Winter Olympics with:
The most amazing thing about my wife is how she…
If I put my mind to it, I could…
The most significant moment of my judicial career was…
I’m not popular with…
I’m glad Saddam Hussein stopped his hunger strike because…
I was angry when I saw the gay cowboy movie because…
On Oscar night, I wore…
Act II began with Conan’s interview with Sarah Jessica Parker. Sarah told Conan that he’s fit as a fiddle, and Conan said that no one realizes his incredible body. Sarah said that the window pane suit is hard to pull off and Conan does it quite well. Conan then did a bad British accent, and Sarah did her impersonation of the guy from “Dancing with the Stars”. Sarah Jessica Parker then told a story about how she let her son watch part of “Brokeback Mountain” because he requested it (Conan commented about how intelligent her 3 year old son is), and he watched part of the movie where they showed aerial views of mountains and the hills.
Since Nelly didn’t show up, after the commercial break, there was no sketch, and the interview with Sarah Jessica Parker continued. Conan commented about how Sarah Jessica Parker is the ‘quintessential New Yorker.’ Conan and Sarah then shared a story about how Sarah Jessica Parker, her husband, Matthew Broderick, and Conan were on jury duty to ‘entertain’ those who were in the jury pool. Matthew Broderick made a short, witty speech, Conan O’Brien was ‘on fire’, and Sarah Jessica made up a little speech because she didn’t have anything (about Chinatown). They talked about how they really want to serve on jury. About “Failure to Launch”, they discussed how Matthew McConaughey is the sexiest man alive and how Sarah Jessica Parker is lucky to have worked with him. They showed a clip where Sarah Jessica Parker’s character and Matthew McConaughey’s characters met for the first time.
In Act IV, Conan wonders about the meaning of life, and Socrates wanders in and helps him out. Socrates keeps asking Conan questions about life, which was part of his Socratic method. After a series of logical questions, Socrates then asks if Sarah Jessica Parker was still in the building, with intent of going out with her. Conan says that she won’t go out with him because she’s married, but Socrates doesn’t care. Conan dismisses Socrates, but Socrates first tries to sell Conan pictures of himself and other Grecian men in bath tubs together.
In Act V, Matisyahu closed the show by performing the title track off of his newest album, “Youth.”
-- CrazyforConan / Laura
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Guests: Matthew McConaughey, Kristin Davis, James Hunter
Recap:
Before the monologue began, Conan showed of his amusing mime skills - swimming backward through the air, boat-rowing, and walking down a staircase. The monologue began with a joke about President Bush traveling around the country, much like the bookmobile. He flew to New Orleans earlier that day; it got awkward, however, when he looked around and said, “What the hell happened here?” Conan informed us there’s a new book coming out about Barry Bonds’ alleged steroid use. Bonds was told the steroids he used are normally given to cattle, and he responded by saying, “Moo.” Conan acknowledged that the audience laughed a little at that joke, but then there was a pause followed by pity applause. According to Conan, Dick Cheney is donating $2 million to the cardiology center he goes to...actually, it’s more of an advance than a donation. The audience followed the trend they were setting that night with scarce laughter, a pause, and pity applause. Conan told us that the staff at the Vatican gave Pope Benedict an iPod he enjoys listening to, and the last song he downloaded was the hit “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pope”, and Conan sang us the lyrics to the chorus. In other news, Alan Greenspan has been offered $8 million to write a book that captures the interest and excitement of an old man talking about interest rates. The last joke was about Bobby Brown making his own license plates.
Conan told us tonight we had a real cracker jack show, that tonight’s show was all aces. He announced the guests and then introduced “a cracker jack band, Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7”. At the desk, Conan said the MW7 was on fire tonight. “Some nights it’s not there but tonight it’s there - no, no, it’s always there.”
Conan mentioned his Finland trip because everywhere he goes, people from the early 1970’s are asking him, “Hey man, when are we going to see the footage from Finland, man?” So Conan advertised the special Finland show airing Friday, March 10. He told us we could check out a preview clip at “www.nbc.com slash conan, erg, net, blog... I made that last part up."
If there’s one thing Conan loves about winter, it’s going skiing. He loves to get out of the city - especially to go skiing and see nature, so every year he goes skiing with his buddies Max and Joel. Luckily for us, they took a lot of pictures on their ski trip, so Conan shared them with us in Late Night Ski Trip Photos! (View screen caps at http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/Ski%20Trip%2008-03-06/ ).
Conan was the first to show up at the ski lodge. He prefers the “old-timey way of dressing” and was wearing his poindexter outfit. Max was wearing his aerodynamic US Olympic Ski Team outfit and Joel arrived in his unique ski clothes - a Heidi costume. Things got cookin’ when they spotted 3 hot ski bunnies at the lodge. They checked out the “bunnies”, and they were pretty cool about it too (with their eyes popping out of their heads and all). Conan decided to approach the ladies first since he’s pretty suave, and he asked them if they’d like some hot chocolate. The ladies said, “That sounds great, hehehehehe!” Conan asked if they’d also like some steaming hot white chocolate as he pointed to himself. They politely turned Conan down (by dumping their hot chocolate in his face).
So Conan, Max, and Joel decided to skip the ladies and hit the slopes. Conan warned Joel that he’d freeze to death in that Heidi outfit. But Joel had some hand warmers -- that he put up his skirt. Max put his hands in front of Joel’s crotch and agreed that they really worked. Conan told them to stop clowning around, but Joel was nervous because he’d never been on a ski lift before. Max said it’s easy -- just lean forward and let the ski lift pick you up. Joel agreed that it was easy after all (as he was dangling in the air by his underwear from the ski lift). We saw a close-up Joel suspended in the air by his underwear, and Conan said that picture was going to be next year’s Christmas card. “Merry Christmas, from all of us at Late Night!”
Conan suggested they start with an easy hill, so Joel and Max called Conan a sissy. Max went down the double black diamond slope blindfolded, but he skied into a tree branch and went right off a cliff. Thankfully, from the bottom of the cliff Max shouted that he was ok, but unfortunately his shouting triggered a massive avalanche. He dug himself out but soon found out he was in the middle of a snowmobile trail. Conan said the picture of Max being run over by a snowmobile is their other option for next year’s Christmas card.
Conan and Joel decided to drag Max back to the lodge but got lost. Conan suggested staying there and waiting for help but then came up with a better idea - getting drunk. Fortunately, Conan carries a tiny hip flask wherever he goes. In no time at all, they were all feeling pretty good. Max wrote his name in the snow, and Joel wrote the Preamble to the Constitution in the snow (in calligraphy to boot). A St. Bernard rescue dog showed up, so Joel shouted, “We’re saved!” and Conan shouted “More booze!” Even the dog had a drink and finished writing the rest of the Constitution in the snow. A rescue helicopter appeared, but Max accidentally hit it with his flare gun. Conan was sad because he thought they’d never be seen or heard from again. Joel asked why Conan would think such a thing, and Conan pointed to 3 other guys who were also stuck in the wilderness: Justin Guarini, MC Hammer, and Vanilla Ice; Max and Joel started to cry as well. They must have been crying very loudly, because the Ski Patrol arrived and saved the three of them. It was easily the best ski trip ever!
Matthew McConaughey joined Conan in Act II, and I could feel the sexiness radiating out of my TV when Conan and Matthew were together. Yes, Matthew was recently declared the sexiest man alive by People Magazine. Earlier, when Conan was announcing tonight’s guests, he said he missed being named sexiest man alive by “that much.” During the interview he told Matthew he knew that the sexiest man was going to be either himself or Matthew. Matthew admitted he cheated and put another $100,000 into his campaign the night before it was decided. Conan said he thinks his hair scares the folks at People Magazine, but as Matthew was looking at Conan’s hair, he said he thought he was looking at next year’s winner. Referring to the pomp, Conan said, “It’s like candy, it’s like a big cake I baked and put on my head.”
Matthew had some happy news recently in his life involving his oldest brother, Rooster (born “Michael”). He’s called Rooster since he is always up at the crack of dawn no matter when he goes to bed. Conan suggested calling him “Crack” but Matthew said the name Rooster also has to do with his hair being similar to Conan’s. The good news was that Rooster just had a second child and named him Miller Lyte McConaughey (notice the fancy spelling of “Lyte” - it’s to trick the teachers later on). Conan said “I was Conan - I got the crap kicked out of me. I’d rather have been Miller Lyte.”
Conan liked that Matthew was one of the more laid-back guys in the business. Matthew has a nice philosophy of life - “Just keep livin’” / JK Livin’. Conan said that was setting expectations so low - to just stay alive. Matthew enjoys making lists and checking things off as they get done because of the sense of accomplishment he feels. Conan asked if he puts things into his busy schedule to remind him to just keep livin’. Indeed he does - for example, “Have a beer, call your girlfriend, take a walk, make some coffee, put extra cream in it.” Conan also suggested “inhale, exhale….”
Matthew talked about football and going back to his alma mater, University of Texas, to give an inspirational speech to the team when they were about to play the championship game. He said he just wanted to look in their eyes but also told them, “You’ve got to get the goal if you want to live the dream.”
In his new movie, “Failure to Launch,” Matthew plays a 35 year old guy who refuses to move out his parents’ house, but Sarah Jessica Parker’s character lures him out. The movie opened Friday, March 10.
Act III brought Bob Costas: Secrets. Bob spilled his guts on camera - it was stuff the tabloids would kill for. Bob was shown behind a desk in a dark room, smoking a cigarette, drinking a glass of beer, and sharing his innermost secrets such as, “The greatest game ever played: October 15, 2003, when I kicked my wife’s ass in Pictionary.”
Kristin Davis from Sex and the City and the new movie “The Shaggy Dog” (opened Friday, March 10) stopped by in Act IV. Kristin said Conan’s outfit was “flowery-it’s good” and Conan said that made him insecure. Conan first thanked her for rescheduling; she was supposed to be on Friday’s show but was ok with rescheduling when they told her the Finland footage would be on Friday instead. She said, “I loved the Finland. When you got off the plane, you were like a rockstar. It was like your people!” Conan agreed, “I finally found my people!” She said she’d Tivo that show and fast-forward through the male nudity.
They talked about the internationally famous “Sex and the City”. Kristin said there are a lot of fans in Germany, and they even have look-alike contests there (...anyone remember the Conan Turku video?) The show is dubbed in countries such as Germany, and sometimes Kristin wants to direct whoever is playing her in the dubbed shows; sometimes she can tell they’re not quite right. Conan doesn’t think “Late Night” is dubbed in other countries - “they just show it and people understand.” He doesn’t think people even have to listen to “Late Night” to enjoy it. I’d have to agree because most of the sketches look absurd enough to be entertaining. :)
Next they discussed yoga. Kristin does yoga but gets bored with it, so she recently started doing buddakan - “a combination of yoga and I’m going to kill you/kickboxing.” There is an accelerated course “where we’ll kick you and you can kick back” but Kristin wasn’t up for being kicked or kicking others. Conan was reminded that his mother thought all her boys should have self-defense classes. Years ago, he and his brothers were sent to a place in Newton, Massachusetts to learn self-defense where they were given big foam sticks to hit each other with. His mother used to brag that all her boys knew self-defense; Conan wasn’t too convinced, but he firmly believes “if someone ever comes at me with a foam stick, I’ll know what to do.”
Kristin’s new movie “The Shaggy Dog” is a Disney film in which plays the mom and stars with Tim Allen.
To close the show, James Hunter performed the title track from his new album “People Gonna Talk”.
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
Date: Thursday, March 9, 2006
Guests: Salma Hayek, Eric Balfour, Street Drum Corps
Recap:
Thursday night’s show featured appearances by Salma Hayek, Eric Balfour, and musical guest Street Drum Corps. Conan came out with a nice red shirt and tie combo underneath his black suit and began his monologue with a joke about New Jersey to set the mood. He also joked about President George Bush, David Hasselhoff, Pope Benedict, and jokes dealing with Seasame Street and Russel Crowe. After introducing Max and the band in Spanish, Conan sat at his desk and Act I began.
Conan began by discussing how once in a while, his daughter wants to see him on television. [Editor’s note: Conan said he TiVos the show and they sometimes watch it in the morning.] Conan noticed that sometimes he has poor posture while he’s sitting at his desk. So he made a resolution to sit up straight from now on and commented on how good Max’s posture is. Then he revealed that Max has a rod running up his spine. After the kidding around, Conan once again promoted Friday’s Finland show set to air the next day. This upset a man in the audience (Brian McCann) because he thought the Finland episode was tonight. He then ran up the stairs shouting, "Where’s my kayak?" and the same footage of the kayak falling off a cliff from previous nights was shown, but right after that, he appeared back in the studio telling everyone he was okay. Conan tried to wrap it up by announcing tonight’s first guest, Selma Hayek, which once again upset the man. He thought that Conan’s guest tonight was Matthew McConaughey. So, he ran up the stairs and got on his train, and footage of a train riding off a cliff was shown.
The next skit was "New U.S Stamps." The series of stamps were: Ways Barry Bonds Can Still Get Into The Baseball Hall Of Fame, Rappers In Crappy Cars, White Trash With White Trash, Dick Cheney’s Future Hunting Accidents, Catchers Squatting For Reasons Other Than Catching, James Bond Villains Performing Community Service, and New Movies Capitalizing On “Brokeback Mountain’s” Success.
Salma Hayek came out after the commercial break to promote her new film "Ask the Dust." They talked about the dress she wore for the Oscar’s and gaining weight for the role she played in her new movie. Conan also brought up a scene in the movie where she and Colin Farrell are both naked in the ocean, and she discussed how cold and uncomfortable it was. Salma also talked about how she and close friend Penelope Cruz do silly things, and one of the silly things was to see who could dance the worst. She joked that sometimes they study Conan for background on how to dance bad. Salma asked Conan if he has ever face-danced and he then tried it out by making weird faces to the camera in a close-up.
Before Eric Balfour came out, Bob Costas revealed some dark stuff in "Celebrity Secrets." The secrets included Bob killing Jim Lampley’s dog, and Bob asking Barry Bonds if he ever used steroids, to which Bonds retaliated by asking whether Bob ever used Clairol Nice ‘N Easy Root Touch Up. That shut him up. More secrets were that he hates the Olympics and that Snoop Dog is not only his friend, but he is the only place he goes for the chronic.
Next, Eric Balfour came out and he showed his enthusiasm for being on Conan’s show. He talked about his parents being hippies and how there was a lot of nudity when he was growing up. He also talked about the transition of moving to New York from California. He brought up how sometimes he will pee in his bathtub which was pretty gross. He is in a new show on NBC called Conviction.
The musical guest Street Drum Corps performed a song from their self-titled debut album.
-- conanincharge / Maria
Date: Friday, March 10, 2006
Conan O’Brien Visits Finland
The recap for this episode is on its way. It will be posted as soon as I get it, but to tide you over, you can download the show from Late Night Torrents. There is a torrent download guide by moogleman that you may find helpful. (It was originally posted at the conan_obrien community.)
-- conansgoddess / Amanda
The show schedule is subject to changes throughout the week--
Monday 3/13: Jake Gyllenhaal, Neil Young (R 11/3/05)
Tuesday 3/14: Vin Diesel, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, We Are Scientists
Wednesday 3/15: Macaulay Culkin, Billy Bragg
Thursday 3/16: Amanda Peet, Bradley Cooper
Friday 3/17: Lorraine Bracco, Steve Harvey, Jaheim
Photos and Screencaps
Photos from Conan’s trip to Finland from the NBC Conan site.
“O’Grady” Screencaps:
ecctv made some screen caps from Conan as Chip on the “Frenched” episode of O’Grady: http://pics.livejournal.com/ecctv/gallery/0002zze6
Late Night Screen Caps:
The versatility of Conan + a hat: Conan goofs around with an audience member’s hat during the March 2, 2006 monologue
http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/02-03-06/
Late Night Ski Trip Photos from March 8, 2006
http://www.conan-obrien.net/photos/screencaps/Ski%20Trip%2008-03-06/
Weekly Video
Finland episode preview clip from NBC’s Conan site
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CRW3AYUG
CNN interview with Conan about his trip to Finland from March 10, 2006
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=67S2GARW
Full episode of O'Grady with Conan (it's called "Frenched") on The N website. Conan is also featured in the "Cannonball" Audio Outtake, "David Hasselhoff" Storyboard, and "Lifeguard Lessons" Storyboard at this link.
http://www.the-n.com/ntv/shows/ogrady/video/index.php?lineup=5743728
O'Grady Web Exclusive from “Frenched”
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TOSEPB8B
(ALSO: check out the COB.net Finland Coverage page for videos of Conan's visit.)
Name: Laura
Age: 14
A little something about you: I can play 7 different instruments.
When did you first start watching Conan? May of 2005
Favorite episode of Late Night: I have a horrible memory, but probably the one when Martha Stewart had Conan bob for apples
Favorite guest: Will Ferrell
Favorite sketch/recurring segment: Satellite TV channels
Favorite character: It's a tie between Hannigan the Traveling Salesman, Artie Kendall, and Conan of the Night.
Have you ever seen a live taping? Unfortunately, no (curse my age). But I am going to see Conan on my sixteenth birthday.
Have you ever met Conan outside the show? I actually have kinda met Conan outside of the show. Although, when I saw him, I didn't know who he was. I remember that I was 9 years old and it was my first time to NY and I actually sat next to him on the subway! It was probably the best 5-10 minutes of my life! I do remember that he got off somewhere near Rockefeller Center.
Want to become fan of the week? E-Mail your answers to the above questions to stephwearsshades@aol.com
Please email stephwearsshades@aol.com if you want to contribute one of the following things to our newsletter:
- Fan story/experience (& pictures pertaining to Conan and/or Late Night)
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- Your application to become Fan of the Week (Look in the community userinfo for more information)
*Euuuge thank you to conanincharge and CrazyforConan for the recaps!
*Thanks to ecctv for the O’Grady screencaps
*Episode recap screen caps provided by http://www.latenighttorrents.com/forum/
*Conan-OBrien.net screencaps by conansgoddess
*LN guest schedule provided by http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html#LN_
*Compiled and edited by conansgoddess
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