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Conan O’Brien

Celebrity

15 of the Greatest Celebrity Commencement Speeches

By Tyler Coates on

We’re almost through the month of May, and you know what that means: it’s college commencement speech season! While some of us had boring academics speak at our college graduations, there are a lot of other people who get to listen to folks like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, or Meryl Streep. So if you’re like me and are still annoyed that the creator of Joan of Arcadia was the celebrated guest who spoke while you baked in your black polyester cap and gown, take a short break and listen to these famous (and, generally, hilarious) people give advice to 22-year-olds. … Read More

Politics

Top Five Funniest Moments from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

By Alison Nastasi on

Last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner offered President Barack Obama the opportunity to poke fun at Washington, Republicans, his detractors, and himself. The event started in 1920 and has transformed into a bit of a roast, with the chance to see some of the funniest comedians and biggest stars all in one spot. Conan O’Brien hosted the ceremonies, but the President wins our vote for funniest of the evening. Last night was no Amy Poehler and Tina Fey at the Golden Globes (hint, hint), but here are five of the funniest moments from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. … Read More

Film

10 Louis C.K. Movies You (Probably) Haven’t Seen

By Jason Bailey on

The new season of Mad Men is underway, the Breaking Bad premiere date is set, so as soon as the new season of Louie gets going, our summer viewing needs will be all taken care — oh hell, that’s right, Louie won’t be back until next spring. His new special has already aired, his promo tour for it is over; how the hell do you get your Louis C.K. fix these days? From YouTube, of course. Strangely, not many people are aware that Louie worked his way up to writing, directing, editing, and starring in Louie with two decades of short and indie film work; a quick tour of his early films offers a tantalizing glimpse at the development of his considerable… Read More

Television

The Early Audition Tapes of Your Favorite Comics

By Jason Bailey on

Earlier this week, Conan O’Brien’s website commemorated the 20th anniversary of his audition for Late Night by releasing a short clip from it, an abbreviated “mock show” in which he interviewed Mimi Rogers and Jason Alexander in front of a live studio audience. O’Brien is clearly nervous (and can you blame him?), but Lorne Michaels and the Late Night producers saw something in that performance, and gave him a shot. That’s the beauty of the great comic audition — even when a talent is a little rough around the edges, the joy of discovering someone fresh, new, and funny wins out. After the jump, we’ll take a look at that tape and several other killer auditions from very funny folks. … Read More

Television

How Not to Get Fired From ‘The Tonight Show’: A Guide for Jimmy Fallon

By Jason Bailey on

So it’s official: Jimmy Fallon, SNL character-breaker turned Late Night host, will take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno next February. The handoff has been confirmed by NBC, Leno, and Fallon, who told the New York Times, “I have nothing but respect for Jay. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have a show to be taking over.” That’s a nice (if slightly inaccurate) bit of car-waxing from Mr. Fallon, who is wise to keep on the best possible terms with Mr. Leno, a man known for doing whatever it takes to hang on to Tonight. And with the outgoing host already making joking-but-not-really overtures that he’s not quite done yet (“Would I do it again? Believe me, the phone’s not ringing off the hook. It will be nice if people seem interested. But I’ll let it sit where it is”), and slightly ominous pronouncements about his expectations for his successor (“I would like to see Jimmy keep it at No. 1, which I’m sure he will”), Fallon’s gonna have to be very careful that Leno doesn’t end up repeating what he did to Conan and showing up behind the desk again nine months later. With that in mind, we’ve got a few suggestions that Jimmy might want to consider if he wants to keep Tonight. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we got to see the first official photo from the new season of Arrested Development thanks to a tweet from Conan O’Brien. We listened to Tig Notaro discuss her difficult high school years. We took a look at some of the most memorable storm scenes in… Read More

Television

Conan Is Producing a New Late-Night Show Hosted by Pete Holmes

By Caroline Stanley on

Some super exciting news for comedy geeks: Vulture is exclusively reporting that TBS is developing a new half-hour late-night show produced under Conan O’Brien’s Conaco banner and hosted by standup vet Pete Holmes. If you’re not already familiar with Holmes’ act, you might recognize him as the voice of the E-Trade Baby or have seen one of the cartoons he’s done for The New Yorker. Either way, we recommend familiarizing yourself with this very funny guy by checking out his fantastic debut album, Impregnated with Wonder, as well as the interview podcast that he does for Nerdist, You Made It Weird. Vulture says that Holmes will shoot a pilot for the new show in mid-August, so keep your fingers crossed that after watching, TBS decides to give it the go-ahead; in the meantime, click through to watch an entertaining clip of a recent appearance that he made on Conan. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Last night Conan O’Brien paid his first visit to Letterman in 13 years, and of course the whole Tonight Show drama with Jay Leno came up in the conversation. Watch a clip of them discussing the awkward situation here.

1. Here’s an interesting roundup of everything you need to know… Read More

Film

Yep, They’re Finally Making ‘Anchorman 2′

By Jason Bailey on

Last night, Will Ferrell donned his burgundy suit, pasted on the familiar mustache, and dropped in on Conan O’Brien’s TBS show to play a little jazz flute, insult the host, and make an announcement: “As of 0900 Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman.” Ferrell’s announcement was greeted with cheers in the studio and equally enthusiastic response on the Internet, where the long-gestating project had been presumed dead for a good couple of years. After the jump, we’ll take a look at Anchorman 2‘s long journey to fruition. … Read More

Comedy

2012 Comedy Awards Nominations Feature Some Baffling Snubs

By Judy Berman on

Comedy Central has announced the nominees for their 2012 Comedy Awards, and we have to admit, we find their choices just a little bit baffling. Oh, don’t worry — you’ve got your Bridesmaids and your Midnight in Paris. The Artist is all over the place. But the snubs are pretty shocking: Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody’s Young Adult, which critics loved, didn’t score a single nomination. Even poor Charlize Theron’s acclaimed performance in the movie was overlooked in favor of Cameron Diaz, who got a nod for freaking Bad Teacher. Meanwhile, Horrible Bosses got so many nominations (including Best Comedy) you’d think it was a lost Charlie Chaplin film.

The TV list is similarly confusing. Look, we love 30 Rock, too, but let’s acknowledge that its reign is ending. And while it’s nice to see Parks and Recreation finally getting the recognition it deserves, there’s another Thursday-night NBC comedy that’s surpassed Tina Fey’s show in consistent comedic brilliance: Community, which didn’t get a single nomination. Seriously? In a year when Saturday Night Live is among the nominees in the writing category, no one thought Dan Harmon and co. were ripe for a shout out? Also conspicuously absent: Conan was passed over in the late-night bracket in favor of both Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman. Could O’Brien’s industry-darling status be wearing off?

If you’re as underwhelmed by these nominations as we are, you can blame the panel of insiders who make up the Comedy Awards Board of Directors — which includes, among others, Carol Burnett, Stephen Colbert, O’Brien, Joan Rivers, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Jon Stewart, and Lily Tomlin. Meanwhile, if you’re still interested in watching the awards, the ceremony will be held April 28th and is scheduled to air on Comedy Central May 6th. The entire list of nominees is after the jump. … Read More