コナン・オブライエン最後のTonight Show
昨日が最後の回。「すべてのコメディアンにとって夢」のTonight Showのホストですが、コナンが務めたのはたった7ヶ月でした。とはいえNBCがコナンとスタッフに支払った違約金は合計4,000万ドル*1。おまけにTonight Showホストに戻ったジェイ・レノとNBCのイメージはガタ落ち。誰もが痛手を負った騒動でした。
gawkerによるビデオ付きrecap 最後のゲストはスティーヴ・カレルとトム・ハンクス。
Huffington Postはあの大きな一面で紹介。
コナンの最後の挨拶の書き起こしby Huffington Post（長いので畳みます）
"Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, The Late Night Show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over twenty years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.
Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun.
And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.
To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.
Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."
コナンの行き先は恐らくFOX。早くて9月、遅くても来年1月にはトークショーの司会として復活しそうです。4,000万ドルももらったら、私だったら楽隠居しちゃいそうですが。しかし「FOXでトークショー」なんて、ちょっとでもリベラルなコメディアンなら言いたい事が何一つ言えそうもないので、ジョン・スチュワートやスティーヴン・コルベアだったら絶対引き受けなさそうですよね。うーん。
*1:Tonight Show引き継ぎのため、コナンと家族だけでなく、スタッフもNYからハリウッドに引っ越してきたので。ただしこのうち9割くらいがコナンの取り分
