WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CONAN O’BRIEN ?

WHY IS JAY LENO BACK ON AT 11:35PM WHEN THEY HAD MADE THIS BIG DEAL ABOUT MOVING HIM TO PRIMETIME?  WHY IS CONAN NOT BACK ON HIS OLD TIME SLOT?  HOW IS JIMMY FALLON STILL THERE AND CONAN O’BRIEN NOT?  These are questions you should ask yourself when reading this.

Conan O’Brien released a statement in January stating that he no longer desired to be the entertainer of “The Tonight Show” on NBC if it appeared at 12:05 a.m.

Mr. O’Brien’s brief run as host at 11:35 p.m. was cut short last month, as NBC decided to restore his predecessor, Jay Leno, to that time period. Mr. O’Brien has been growing increasingly upset in recent days about how he believes he was treated by NBC’s management.

A representative for Mr. O’Brien said that the issue came to a head for the host in January and that he had “sat up all night drafting the statement.” NBC, whose “Tonight Show” has been broadcast at 11:35 p.m. for decades, declined to comment. Mr. O’Brien was scheduled to do “The Tonight Show” on Tuesday night.

In a statement back in January, Mr. O’Brien said, “I sincerely believe that delaying the ‘Tonight Show’ into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. ‘The Tonight Show’ at 12:05 simply isn’t the ‘Tonight Show.’”

Mr. O’Brien’s comments came two days after NBC formally outlined a plan to move “The Jay Leno Show” to 11:35 p.m. in March, elbowing Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” back half an hour. Mr. Leno seems supportive of the plan. In his statement, Mr. O’Brien rejects it outright. The statement reads:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over “The Tonight Show” in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my “Tonight Show” in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 to accommodate the “Jay Leno Show” at 11:35. For 60 years, the “Tonight Show” has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.” Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the “Late Night” show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

After 16 years of making a name with his distinctive brand of intellectually silly comedy on the “Late Night” show on NBC, Mr. O’Brien replaced Mr. Leno as the host of “The Tonight Show” a mere seven months ago. He is just the fifth man to lead “Tonight,” after Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Mr. Leno.

Mr. Leno, meanwhile, moved to prime time in September as the host of “The Jay Leno Show.” But the 10 p.m. experiment was a bust for many NBC affiliates, which have seen the ratings for their late local newscasts plummet.

Mr. Leno’s last show at 10 p.m. was Feb. 11, and  “The Jay Leno Show” would be shown at 11:35 p.m. instead. NBC smoothly kept this under the radar by distracting viewers with  The Winter Olympics in Vancouver, setting the stage for  the new schedule which started on March 1. But the network acknowledged that day that Mr. O’Brien was not yet on board with the move.

Ever since the Leno-to-11:35 move was described in the news media last Thursday, people close to Mr. O’Brien have said privately that he is upset with the plan.

Fox has expressed interest in starting a late-night show starring Mr. O’Brien — provided he found a way to extricate himself from his NBC contract.

On Monday, Kevin Reilly, the president of Fox Entertainment, strongly endorsed Mr. O’Brien in an interview. “He would be a very compatible fit for our brand,” Mr. Reilly said. “He is one of the few guys on the planet that has demonstrated he can do one of these shows every night.”

Mr. O’Brien’s contractual complications were outlined in an article on Tuesday in The New York Times.

Update: 5:26 p.m.: The Internet has voted, and it’s supporting Mr. O’Brien in his struggle against NBC.

“Hey, NBC said they wanted drama at 10,” Jay Leno joked one night. “Now they’ve got it.”

FOX talking with Conan O’Brien’s reps, but no deal to snag late night comic from NBC.

Take a minute and read this also...

USPS To Change Delivery of Mail to 5 Days a Week Instead of 6

The U.S. Postal Service will move this month toward reducing mail delivery from six days a week to five, a change Postmaster General John Potter has said is critical to reducing its massive debt.

Potter said Monday he’ll submit a formal request by the end of this month to the Postal Regulatory Commission, which must issue an advisory opinion on any change in mail service that would have national impact.

“We know we’re going to have less mail in 2020 than we have today,” Potter says. “We can’t freeze wages. We can’t freeze fuel costs.”

Once Potter makes the request, the Postal Regulatory Commission will hold public hearings in Washington and around the USA and seek expert testimony, Commission Chairwoman Ruth Goldway said.

“The Postal Service is an enormous organization. This change in service that they’re proposing is a very complex and significant change,” Goldway said. “The Postal Service is an essential part of the country’s infrastructure, so you don’t want to change it willy-nilly.”

Even if the independent commission approves the dropped day, the Postal Service also needs congressional consent. Federal law requires six-day delivery.

Potter raised the issue last year in testimony before a House oversight subcommittee. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service, said then that other cost-saving measures should be considered before cutting delivery.

As more people communicate and pay their bills online, Postal Service projections show Americans in the next decade will send significantly less mail than they do now, reducing revenue while labor and fuel costs increase. Potter will release the details today of a $4.8 million study that projects how steeply mail volume will fall and how deeply the Postal Service will be in debt by 2020. The Postal Service delivered about 177 billion pieces of mail in 2009.

The Postal Service has already borrowed $10 billion from the U.S. Treasury. Potter says it expects to borrow another $3 billion this year, leaving it just $2 billion under the $15 billion cap set by Congress.

Potter also will ask the regulatory commission to reconsider requiring the Postal Service to set aside money for future retiree health care benefits.

The commission is concluding hearings on a Postal Service proposal submitted in July to close and consolidate 154 post offices throughout the USA, Goldway said. The commission expects to issue its advisory opinion in the next two weeks.

“The Postal Service is nervous about its financial conditions and is making a lot of broad proposals,” she said. “Some of the proposals, when they see the light of day may be very worthwhile.”

(Source: http://usatoday.com)

39% Of Bagged Salad Is Gross, Some Has Poop

Food Safety and Handling for Consumers

Superforce stumbled upon an article that we wish to share with the world, in order to raise awareness of a growing problem, right in our own backyard.

We obtained this information, through The Consumerist, and here is the story, with By Ben Popken on February 25, 2010 3:55 PM

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/40-of-bagged-salad-is-gross.html

As we told you earlier this month, sister pub Consumer Reports tested 208 bagged salads and found 39% had excessive bacteria, including fecal contamination. That means there’s poop in the greens. And now there’s something you can do about it.

Consumer Reports tested for total coliforms and other bacteria including enterococcus. According to industry experts, 10,000 or more colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) is excessive. The tests of 16 different brands had 39% exceeded that level for total coliforms, and 23% for enterococcus.

Hate spinach? Bacteria doesn’t. Many of the unacceptable packages contained spinach and were within 1-5 days of their use-by date. Bag vs clamshell, organic vs non, baby greens or no baby greens, made no difference. And packages that were 5-8 days until their use-by date fared better.

Even if the package says super-duper-washed, you should still wash them by hand. Or, better yet, just buy your salad elements separately, wash them, and chop them.

The big problem is the FDA hasn’t set limits for how much poop or other bacteria can be in bagged salad. Tell ’em to get crackin’ by signing this petition.

Bagged salad: How clean? [Consumer Reports]

via consumerist.com

Whale Kills Trainer at Sea World Orlando Video

Killer Whales of Orlando Sea World

ORLANDO, Fla. —  Trainers will continue working with a killer whale that grabbed one of their colleagues and dragged her underwater, killing her, but SeaWorld said Thursday it is reviewing its procedures after the attack.

People lined up to get into the park a day after the whale named Tilikum killed veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau as a horrified audience watched. Tilikum had been involved in two previous deaths, including a Canadian trainer dragged under water by him and two others whales in 1991.

Killer whale shows are suspended indefinitely in Orlando and at the park’s San Diego location.

LIVESHOTS: Sea World Trainer Autopsy Results Released

“We have every intention of continuing to interact with this animal, though the procedures for working with him will change,” SeaWorld said in a post on its blog.

Picture of Deceased Trainer. Orlando, Fl. Seaworld

Chuck Tompkins, who is in charge of training at all SeaWorld parks, said Thursday that Tilikum will not be isolated from the Orlando location’s seven other whales. Tilikum fathered some of them and will continue mating with others.

RELATED STORIES

• Whale Kills Trainer as Horrified Crowd Watches