CONAN

I don’t know why I care that NBC has dumped Conan O’Brien from Tonight Show hosting duties for Jay Leno. I don’t watch late night television...except for the occasional Saturday Night Live. But...here I am. Taking a stand for Team Conan. There must be a reason.

I religiously followed Conan’s first six months on Late Night back in 1992/3. I loved that Letterman had been replaced by this no-name comedy writer...loved that somehow he’d broken through. I guess there’s always been a kind of American Idol, populist appeal to Conan: little guy breaks big!

I also think that Conan’s funny. His sense of humor reminds me of my friends and I cracking wise in college. While Jay Leno comes off like a bland, cruise ship comedian...and David Letterman just seems so tired and done...Conan O’Brien has always felt fresh and familiar to me.