Tag Archives: Conan O’Brien

Conan’s band gets named, fans “voting” for first guest

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Conan’s late night house band has gone through a couple names in recent years.  The Max Weinberg 7 stuck for a whole 16 years during Conan’s tenure at Late Night with Conan O’Brien.  The Tonight Show Band didn’t last nearly as long for reasons you should be aware of.  And it then changed to The Legally Prohibited Band this year when Conan brought the band with him on The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.  Today the house band gets a brand new name that will hopefully stick for years to come: The Basic Cable Band.  It’s got a nice ring to it, huh?  As we already know, drummer Max Weinberg has left the band and guitarist Jimmy Vivino will take over as band leader.  He will be joined by returning band members Scott Healy (keyboards), Mike Merritt (bass), Mark Pender (trumpet), Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg (trombone), Jerry Vivino (saxophone, woodwinds, and vocals), and James Wormworth (drums).

Yesterday it was announced on the TeamCoCo blog that the fans will have the power to decide the TBS late night show’s very first guest.  Potential guests include Tom from MySpace, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Jack Nicholson, Pope Bendict XVI, Vladimir Putin, REO Speedwagon, Hassanal Bolkiah (The Sultan of Brunei), Thomas Pynchon, Gerhard Ertl, Arlene Wagner, and the full cast of the live-action “Fat Albert” movie (not including Kenan Thompson).  Click here and get your vote on!  You are restricted to one vote per day, but you can vote as many times as you want and for how ever many people you want.  Take heed of this disclaimer, though: “None of these people have actually been booked on our show. For one reason or another, we haven’t contacted any of these people – In fact, we’re kind of hoping that, if someone on this poll starts getting a lot of votes, these folks will actually feel a bit guilty and will agree to be our first guest!!”

Conan premieres November 8 at 11PM on TBS.

[Via Deadline; TeamCoCo]

It’s official: Andy Richter to join Conan on TBS

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You’ve heard it here first, folks!  OK, maybe you haven’t… Anyway, longtime partner-in-crime Andy Richter will be joining his best bud Conan O’Brien when the new TBS late night show premieres in November.  Richter rose to fame right alongside Conan since the premiere of Late Night with Conan O’Brien way back on September 13, 1993.  After taking time off to star in a handful of movies and failed TV series (Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Andy Barker, P.I.) he came back home when Conan became the host of The Tonight Show.  After the NBC/Leno fiasco resulted in Conan’s departure from NBC, Richter journeyed with Conan on the The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour and hosted the TBS special Team Coco Presents: The Conan Writers Live.  In a statement Richter shared his excitement about the news prompting his return to Conan’s side as show writer and sidekick: “I’m thrilled to be going back to work with Conan, and very excited to start a whole new venture on TBS.  However, I am mostly looking forward to getting out of the house again.”  Conan’s response?  “This decision was made without my authority.  I will get to the bottom of this.”

Conan premieres November 8 at 11PM on TBS.  Look after the break for Conan’s video response.

[Via TeamCoCo] Continue reading It’s official: Andy Richter to join Conan on TBS →

First promo for ‘Conan’ is here!

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Today TBS revealed the first TV promo for Conan!  Oh, just watch it!  CoCo returns November 8 at 11PM.

And peek after the break for more Conan O’Brien shenanigans.  He’s been answering fan questions and his response videos are nothing short of hi-larious. Continue reading First promo for ‘Conan’ is here! →

The Max Weinberg 7 is no more

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When you tune into the premiere of Conan on November 8, don’t expect to see Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7 stage left.  The famed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band drummer will not be joining Conan’s move to TBS for reasons undisclosed.  Guitarist and keyboardist Jimmy Vivino will be taking over as bandleader.  You will recognize him since he’s been part of the Late Night and the short-lived The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien house band for some time now.  James Wormworth, the barefoot drummer who would take Weinberg’s place when he’d be absent and on tour with Springsteen, will permanently become the new drummer.  Max Weinberg, it’s been a real pleasure.

[Via NYTimes; RiverfrontTimes]

Conan announces the name of his new TBS show!

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Today Conan O’Brien announced the name of his new TBS show.  He pointed his followers on Twitter to his TeamCoCo website where a video (embedded above) greets his fans and reveals the “simple, pure” name of the show.  “Spoiler alert: The words “Tonight” and “Show” aren’t in it”, Conan tweeted.  On the site he says, “I was really pushing for “360 with Anderson Cooper featuring Conan O’Brien”, but no one had my back.”  I won’t spoil the announcement for you, so click play!  I cannot wait for the return of Conan.  He comes back to the air November 8 on TBS.  Look after the break for the official image of the show name.

[Via TeamCoco; Twitter] Continue reading Conan announces the name of his new TBS show! →

Conan releasing two comedy (rock) albums on Jack White’s Third Man Records label

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With his highly anticipated TBS show looming on the horizon, Conan O’Brien is readying two comedy albums for his most loyal fans.  The first record, “Conan O’Brien Live at Third Man”, is a live LP that features “an amazing set of rock and roll tunes and hilarity” and includes performances by Conan and The Legally Prohibited Band (from his Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour), 7 Nation Army, and The White Stripes’ Jack White duet with Conan of Eddie Cochran’s 20 Flight Rock.  This 12″ vinyl is available to purchase today.  The second record “And They Call Me Mad” is a 7″ vinyl; the A side features a improvisational spoken word take on the Frankenstein legend, and the B side is an interview with Conan conduced by Jack White.  This record is due out August 24.  Both of them were recorded at Third Man Records (founded by White) in Nashville, Tennessee during his stop there on tour.  A blog post on the TeamCoco website describes the studio session:

Conan blazed through a rocking setlist of stuff from our Legally Prohibited show – as well as a few other jams that we’ve never done!  The energy in the room was incredible: The band lit by a dim red light, the hot Nashville air thick with excitement; the room packed to capacity – it was a scene the likes of which I’ve never experienced.  I could totally see this show being something that happened outside under a tent in the South in the 50’s.  A very, very cool vibe.

[Via EW-MusicMix; TeamCoco]

CoCo makes funny at Google HQ

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Need your Conan fix?  Have no fear, Google is here!  On May 5 former Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien made a pit stop in Mountain View, CA and sat down with the people of Google to discuss life, liberty, and the pursuit of funnyness.  (Yep, I just made that word up.)  Sit back, relax, and enjoy “A Conversation with Conan O’Brien.”  Oh, Andy Richter makes an appearence, too!

Conan O’Brien appears on 60 Minutes, shares thoughts about NBC, Leno

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This past Sunday former The Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien appeared on television for the first time since he was outed back in December.  In an interview with 60 Minutes‘ Steve Kroft, he shed some light on his feelings towards NBC and Jay Leno.  He also made sure to let America know he is doing just fine.  He’s having a blast on tour (it saved him from nosediving into depression and dispair) and he’s really looking forward to his new show on TBS set to debut in November.  Look after the break for a bunch of extra videos 60 Minutes posted to the ‘Net.

[Via The Huffington Post] Continue reading Conan O’Brien appears on 60 Minutes, shares thoughts about NBC, Leno →

Conan O’Brien heading to TBS in November

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It’s official: late-night comedian Conan O’Brien is heading back to the late-night arena this November on TBS.  The show will air from 11PM to midnight (Monday-Thursday), pushing Lopez Tonight to the midnight spot.  George Lopez couldn’t be happier about the new addition: “I can’t think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as my lead-in.  It’s the beginning of a new era in late-night comedy.”

So what happened with FOX?  Well, we’re not entirely sure at the moment. Deadline points out that Team Conan was looking “outside the network box” for quite some time now.  In fact, at one point Conan was in talks with Microsoft about bringing the show to Xbox!  But in the end, Conan decided to go with TBS.  The executives at TBS apparently impressed Conan on a level no other network could come close to.  Then George Lopez sealed the deal with a simple and convincing phone call.

According to Deadline, Conan will own his yet-to-be-named show, just like David Letterman owns his show and Craig Ferguson’s under Worldwide Pants.  Reruns of Family Guy and The Office will lead into Conan’s new show and likely continue to garner a young audience for the ex-Tonight Show host.  How does the competition look?  Since he’s moving from network to cable TV, he won’t be in the same ratings ring as Letterman, Leno, and the others.  However, there will be tough competition at the 11PM spot in cable world, as he’s pitted directly against Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.  On cable, Conan will be able to get away with, let’s say, more risqué material, and this creative freedom will fuel the show with laughs.  Something tells me he’ll do just fine.

With his nation-wide comedy tour starting today in Eugene, Oregon, today is a great day for Conan O’Brien.  “In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I’m headed to basic cable.  My plan is working perfectly.”  Look after the break for the full PR announcement.

[Via Deadline]

Continue reading Conan O’Brien heading to TBS in November →

CoCo comedy tour coming to a city near you

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Today Conan O’Brien posted his most exciting tweet yet: “Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour. Go to http://TeamCoco.com for tix. I repeat: It’s half-assed.”

That’s right, the rumors were true!  Conan is going on tour this spring hitting up 30 cities between April and June.  The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour kicks off April 12 in Oregon, makes its way through Canada and across the US, and finishes in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14.  Like Conan said, head over to http://TeamCoco.com (or Ticketmaster) to purchase tickets.  Soon after Conan shared the news on Twitter, tickets sold out in major cities like NYC and Chicago.  Conan later announced that extra dates would be added to the following venues: New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Vancouver, San Fransisco, and Seattle.  So, if you are planning on buying tickets you better get on it, like right now.  Full tour schedule posted after the break.  Oh, and it’s good to see Conan has finally accepted the nickname Tom Hanks made for him back on The Tonight Show.  “CoCo-CoCo-CoCo!”

[Via Twitter; toursite]

Continue reading CoCo comedy tour coming to a city near you →

Conan’s down but not out

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When NBC kicked out Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien, they made sure his contract stipulated that he could not display his talents on television until September 2010.  But that doesn’t stop him from performing on the road!  According to TheWrap.com, Conan is planning a live comedy tour and he’s making dates for the initial run as we speak.  Conan Live should keep our appetite whet until Fox picks him up in the fall.  Everybody–CoCo, CoCo, CoCo!

[Via IGN]