The Biz: Conan O'Brien Looks Back on His Big Year

Conan O'Brien This month will mark one year since Conan O'Brien moved his sofa, desk and bone-dry sidekick, Andy Richter, to TBS and launched Conan. He's back in NY this week to tape four shows at the Beacon Theater (Monday - Thursday, 11/10c, TBS). We celebrated his homecoming with a chat about the past, present and future of late night.TV Guide Magazine: Do you miss NY?Conan O'Brien: Oh, yeah. We just were back two weeks ago. I had a couple days off and I went back there with the crew, and we shot a bunch of things in and around the city, and it was just this blast of adrenaline, you know? It's like on ER, when they stick that needle into someone's heart to get it going again. It's a needle of adrenaline in your left ventricle. And the people were great. I mean, everywhere I went, people were leaning out of buses: "Conan!" You know, I think people were happy to see my weird orange head.TV Guide Magazine: Do you ever think about bringing the show back to NY full time?O'Brien: When I moved out to Los Angeles, and I took my wife and my kids here and we made this big commitment to this, it felt like my kids actually put down roots. They like it here. I spent 21 years walking, mining, shooting every single possible remote I could think of, in and around NY City. And it's really fun to go back for a couple of days. But L.A. is like shaking up the Etch A Sketch and starting again. It's giving me a chance to maybe try and reinvent some things.TV Guide Magazine: When you were back in NY recently you appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. How emotional was it to return to the sixth floor at Rockefeller Center where you worked for more than 20 years?O'Brien: I walked away from that building and came out to L.A., and we all know what happened next. I hadn't been back there since. I was thinking to myself, 'This is going to be strange.' But it was really nice to do it. It just wasn't the amount of time that I spent there, it was the intensity of it. You know when I first saw it, I was a writer at Saturday Night Live. My writing partner, Greg Daniels, and I would sneak into David Letterman's studio. And I would sit at his desk and write SNL sketches. Now it's Dr. Oz's studio and it's a completely different audience... They're talking about hysterectomies.TV Guide Magazine: You've always talked about the legacy of late night television. But it feels like a very different environment since you left The Tonight Show. How do you size it up?O'Brien: Late night has become more democratic. When I grew up, there was one person, Johnny Carson. The first revolution was when Dave went to CBS, because there wasn't just one late night network show at 11:30. But I think what's accelerating it now is there are just so many ways people experience television. If you're obsessed with the idea of being the guy or woman who everyone gathers around at night and watches, there is no such thing. There are so many different niche shows for different types of audiences and people experience it all different times and ways. We have a younger audience, so they watch our show on DVR. I have an assistant who doesn't even own a television and she's a huge television fan. She watches on her computer. And I now have so many people that come up to me and say, "Oh, I love that thing you did." Some of them saw it at 11 o'clock on TBS. But there are so many people who saw it on the Huffington Post or on YouTube.TV Guide Magazine: Is there pressure to come up with bits that are going to run as clips on news shows or web sites? O'Brien: I have people on my staff come to me and say, "Oh, this will be good, because this could go viral." And I actually try and discourage it. I say our job is no different than it was in 1993. And it's no different than what Johnny's job was. You're there for an hour, and you're trying to be as entertaining as you can. The really great moments - you can't force them, they come.TV Guide Magazine: Comedy about the presidential campaign gets replayed a lot. But your show has younger viewers who tend not to watch a lot of news. Is it harder for you to do political humor? O'Brien: Sometimes I feel like a lot of this ground is being covered by other people. There are whole shows - Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher - that focus on it so much. We don't have as overtly a political show, and when we do stuff, we try and keep it sillier. So I don't go out of my way to try and think, "The editorial page in The Wall Street Journal is going to love this take on John Huntsman." TV Guide Magazine: Have the parameters on what you can do changed at TBS? It's hard to imagine a couple of years ago on NBC that you could have a basketball mascot dressed as Anthony Wiener's underwear bulge.O'Brien: That's a guy who's spent years training to be an actor. We said, "Congratulations. Now put on this underwear bulge outfit." You know, now that I'm on Turner, I'm allowed to swear. And you know what? I don't. I don't go out of my way to swear nearly as much as some other hosts.TV Guide Magazine: What are late-night viewers getting from you that really can't get anywhere else? O'Brien: I think there is a looseness that has evolved. I'm looser than I've ever been. You know, we built a nice little comedy lab room, and we have a very excited audience. Andy Richter and I can finish each other's sentences. The relationship I have with him is different from anything else on television. He never was a traditional sidekick. We've both been through the wars. We've both been through a lot. And so he will openly mock me in the monologue, if something isn't working. And we'll go at it. What you see when you tune in to our show is me, every night, figuring out what the hell it is. It's still evolving. It's still changing. I'm fascinated by the Internet side of my show, which is growing. It's going to sound like a joke, but it's possible that in 10 years the TV show will be a small unit that's attached to the giant octopus that is Team Coco (the show's Web site). It's a very strange thing that's happening.TV Guide Magazine: The passion among your fans is deep. But do you ever think about how to broaden it out and get more people to sample what you're doing? O'Brien: TBS is in the process of developing original programming and building up. They've been terrifically supportive. We always knew, "Okay, we're signing up with these guys for the long haul, and this is going to have to evolve." Also, I've always had a Field of Dreams philosophy: If you build it, they will come. If you keep putting out funny stuff, we have a culture now where it can get batted around and where people are working out in the gym and they show something funny on one of the news outlets.TV Guide Magazine: Do the TBS people tell you not to worry about conventional day-to-day ratings? O'Brien: Yeah. We always knew we're going to get the time and they're in the process of re-branding. They just added The Big Bang Theory to their primetime, which leads into us. And we're going to all work together and build this thing. That's the nice thing about being with these guys. They watch every single show. And they call me up, and they love the show. And they love what we're doing. We all have a clear vision of what it is we want to do here.TV Guide Magazine: Has anyone suggested producing a version of the show that could air in broadcast syndication or other outlets?O'Brien: There's been talk about us doing a best-of show. You know, they leave me out of those talks because I always just want to do live shows. I'm constantly just trying to get back to vaudeville. And they're like, "No, no, no. That's not what we want. Settle down, kid." I just want to put on makeup and go tap dance.TV Guide Magazine: What happens if Turner comes to you with a contract extension?O'Brien: I'd be fine with that. I love these guys. I have upcoming talks with Telemundo. We're going to have tapas, and we're going to talk about some stuff. That might be my only caveat with TBS.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Siegfried

Jay Hunter Morris in "Siegfried" A Metropolitan Opera presentation from the opera in three operates by Richard Wagner. Directed by Robert Lepage. Completed by Fabio Luisi. Connect Director, Neilson Vignola.Siegfried - Jay Hunter Morris Wanderer - Bryn Terfel Mime - Gerhard Siegel Alberich - Eric Owens Erda - Patricia Bardon Fafner - Hendes-Peter Konig Forest Bird - Mojca Erdmann Brunnhilde - Deborah VoigtHow difficult can it be to stage Richard Wagner's "Siegfried"? Or maybe more precisely, how difficult can it be to discover a tenor to sing the punishing title role? The Met Opera introduced believe it or not than two tenors, who then withdrew, before it emerged with somebody who really could sing Siegfried for Robert Lepage's new production. If this describes scraping the feet from the barrel, your Met should do it more often: Newcomer Jay Hunter Morris is magnificent, and he's mostly ornamented by equally wonderful entertainers familiar to auds who've seen Lepage's stagings in the previous two operas in Wagner's tetralogy. After "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walkure," Lepage's staging from the chapter of "The Ring" is less revelatory. People humongous piano strategies of Carl Fillion's unit set tend to be stationery, much less abstract, and so are used mainly just like a wall to project images. Functions one and a pair of begin with numerous hyper-realistic snakes and bugs that slither about, however, if the secrets turn, they morph in to a beautiful forest right for the favourite fairytale. When the libretto demands a bear, a mountain stream together with a bird, we have precisely that. But all this literalism ultimately becomes kitsch. After grossing us by helping cover their people snakes and bugs, the forest's ultimate bad secret's a cutesy dragon directly from Universal CityWalk. Lepage and Fillion are saved to firmer ground while using more abstract earthscape and firestorm of act three. Possibly kinks will probably be worked out afterwards perfs, however, if people piano secrets change to produce new formations, they often times appear like they weigh every pound of the numerous tons. There's been more expansive bloodstream pressure dimensions of "Siegfried," but Fabio Luisi's carrying out has real drive that doesn't lag for just about any minute in the opera's five-plus several hours. Opening-evening perf showed up 20 minutes beneath the thought running time. Morris, getting a apparent and focused voice, sings with great precision, and also the lament for your mother he never understood is actually poignant. A encouraging Siegfried? This type of wonderful contradiction. Bryn Terfel continues use a commanding yet deeply conflicted Wotan/Wanderer. And Gerhard Siegel's Mime is fantastically sang. OK, he's playing a hate-filled hunchback, but within the twisted confines in the role, that is impassioned singing. The level of smoothness Brunnhilde really can get beautiful music to sing. Sadly, Deborah Voigt isn't any more around the needs in the role. The Met's "Live in HD" transmission of "Siegfried" plays in movies theaters November. 5.Sets, Carl Fillion costumes, Francois St-Aubin lighting, Etienne Boucher videos, Pedro Pires. Opened up up, examined March. 27, 2011. Running time: 5 Several hours, 10 MIN. Contact Robert Hofler at bob.hofler@variety.com

Rhianna, Jason Aldean to do at Grammy Nominations Concert

Five-time Grammy champion Rhianna and country singer Jason Aldean happen to be drawn on to carried out in the Grammy Nominations Concert, which happens survive Wednesday, November. 30 in the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live and it is located by LL Awesome J. Nominations in a number of groups is going to be introduced throughout the show, with a lot more entertainers and presenters introduced shortly. This is actually the 4th time nominations for that Grammy Honours happen to be introduced on primetime television. The 54th Annual Grammy Honours occur live at Staples Focus on Sunday, February. 12, 2012 and will also be broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Tickets for that concert, created by AEG Ehrlich Endeavors, continue purchase Friday at 10 a.m. PT are available online at world wide web.nokiatheatrelalive.com or Ticketmaster. Ken Ehrlich can serve as the executive producer, with LL Awesome J becoming producer. Related Subjects Grammy Honours Rhianna Grammys 2011

'Avengers' Director Joss Whedon Explains 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Joss Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing," the "Avengers" director's adaptation of the William Shakespeare comedy classic, is starting to become a little less mysterious. How did Whedon manage to shoot this movie while simultaneously working with Earth's Mightiest Heroes for Marvel Studios, for example? What went into his casting process? How was he able to keep his cast quiet? Did he have to threaten notorious tweeter Nathan Fillion with violence? The answers to all these questions and more, plus some new photos from the secretive project, are here, thanks to a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. Some highlights: » On the project's origins: "Well, its not a bit secret that Ive done these [Shakespeare] readings before, and I always had a vague notion of shooting 'Much Ado.' But I didnt really have a take on it. And then, for some reason, I kinda sorta did. As we were finishing 'The Avengers' in NY, my wife and I were planning our vacation for our 20th anniversary. And she said, 'Lets not take the vacation. Make a movie instead.' I was like, 'Im not even sure if I can adapt the script, cast the movie, and prep it in a month.' And she was like, 'Well, thats your vacation time, so you do it.' And so I did." » On being way too busy: "There is an element of 'I have a serious problem' thats one thing. And then theres an element of this is the best vacation Ive ever taken. I mean, yes, it was super hard, it was a ton of work, and there were moments where I went, 'Whats wrong with me? What am I thinking about? I need to rest!' But Ive never been so well rested and so well fed as I have on this movie. You know, you make the time, because no ones going to make it for you. Theres never going to be a good time to do it. You make the time and you make it work if you really, really want it. And I really did." » On keeping the cast quiet: "I asked the cast specifically and everybody involved not to say anything until we wrapped. And, you know, it all happened very, very fast. Thats how you know. When its something that fast, you actually have a shot. When somethings rolling around for three years, its harder. This film was a month from inception to production, and then 12 days to shoot. Even Nathan did not tweet for that long." For more, including interviews with stars Amy Acker and Sean Maher, head over to EW. Tell us what you think in the comments section and on Twitter!

Lindsay Lohan Briefly Jailed, Purchased to Work on Morgue

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Lohan was removed of court in handcuffs Wednesday after showing up for any scheduled "progress review," which turned from previous probation violations which time she stole a necklace. Judge Stephanie Sautner suspended Lohan's probation, set bail at $100,000 and scheduled a hearing for November. 2.She subsequently published bail and ended up being to be launched when the processing was complete.Lindsay Lohan photo galleryIn This summer, Judge Sautner had purchased the 25-year-old actress to do community service in the Downtown Women's Center, but to the court documents demonstrated she "unsuccessful to exhibit for nine scheduled visits, so when she did appear, she blew them off after an hour or so or perhaps an hour . 5.InchLohan had formerly informed her probation officer that in the women's shelter she "wasn't getting together with anybody therefore the service wasn't fulfilling." Is one thing wrong with Lindsay Lohan's teeth?After reading through the statement, Saunter fired back with, "Is the fact that exactly what the services are about? It's designed to match the individual? Possibly community services are work."Shawn Chapman Holley, Lohan's lawyer, requested the court think about a statement from her counselor. "Ms. Lohan attended every regularly scheduled therapy session, and anything she skipped was using the approval of her counselor." Holley continued to express the counselor claims Lohan has arrived at a level in her own maturity.Browse the relaxation of present day newsSautner responded, "So her failure to exhibit up nine occasions in the downtown women's shelter ... that's reaching a level inside your maturity?"Sautner came to the conclusion that they violated her probation, demanding that Lohan work 16 hrs per week in the morgue until her next hearing.

'Monster' Director Jenkins Takes on 'Thor 2'

LOS ANGELES (AP) Hollywood has signed up its first female director for a major superhero movie.Marvel Studios announced Thursday that Patty Jenkins will direct "Thor 2," the sequel to last summer's hit that is due in theaters Nov. 15, 2013.Jenkins is best-known for writing and directing 2003's "Monster," which earned Charlize Theron the best-actress Academy Award. Her credits also include episodes of "Entourage" and "Arrested Development."Chris Hemsworth will reprise his title role in "Thor 2" as the Norse god of thunder, with co-stars Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston also returning.The first "Thor," directed by Kenneth Branagh, took in $448 million worldwide.Another female filmmaker, Lexi Alexander, made the lower-budgeted Marvel movie "The Punisher: War Zone" in 2008. But Jenkins is the first woman to direct a blockbuster superhero franchise.Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Lost's Alan Dale to Guest-Star on Person of great interest

Alan Dale It's another Lost reunion! Alan Dale, who performed the enigmatic Charles Widmore on ABC's island drama, will guest-star on J.J. Abrams' Person of great interest, Entertainment Weekly reviews. Fellow Lostie Michael Emerson stars because the mysterious billionaire Mr. Finch within the series. Not so long ago enlists Lost alum Alan Dale Dale will have an old person in the German secret police in Episode 9 from the newcomer drama. Over on ABC, he'll have another islander reunion with Lost's Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis for any stint as Prince Charming's father around the approaching story book drama Not so long ago. Person of great interest, also starring Jim Caviezel and Taraji P. Henson, airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

'American Reunion' Teaser Trailer: Jason Biggs Hasn't Changed

Well, let's be realistic: it cannot be an "American Cake" follow-up without Jason Biggs doing something sexually shameful, and because regard, the initial official teaser trailer for "American Reunion" doesn't dissatisfy. Video: 'American Reunion' movie trailer (mature) As first demonstrated on MSN, this red-colored-colored-band trailer see: unsafe for tasks are but a brief glance into the lives of Jim and Michelle, our prime school sweethearts switched long-term fanatics carried out by Biggs and Alyson Hannigan but what little all of us happen to determine is, ah, much ample, to put it in gentle terms. In "American Reunion," 12 years have passed since Jim and also the pals made their solemn vow to eliminate their virginity before purchasing and selling the safe, familiar arena of secondary school looking for the dark, intimidating space heard only in whispers... the "real existence." The first time since "American Cake 2," the entire gang has came back together again again. Meaning returning looks from Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Shannon Elizabeth, in addition to Seann William Scott. But sorry, Stifler fans, nothing to suit your needs here save for just about any quickly-glimpsed photograph of Scott's legendary mischief maker. We'll get plenty of him as well as the others over the following full-length trailer, I am certain. "American Reunion" hits theaters on April 6, 2012 without any, the neighborhood theaters will not be serving complimentary apple pies. Not likely, no less than. Reveal everything you considered the initial "American Reunion" teaser inside the comments section and also on Twitter!

The new sony testing 'Teacher' on iTunes, Amazon . com

'Bad Teacher'"Bad Teacher" is putting traditional distribution technique to the exam. The new sony Pictures' homevideo division silently gave a headstart towards the the R-ranked comedy's electronic sell-through offering across iTunes, Amazon . com, Xbox 360, Ps Network and Vudu two days prior to the March. 18 DVD release. The aim would be to convert even a small fraction of the customers who might otherwise rent the film to buy rather. As galleries aim to offset steep declines in DVD revenues essential to their fiscal health, they're doing whatever easy to incentivize possession, specially the launch of recent cloud-based system Ultraviolet. The development push for "Teacher" marks the very first time a significant studio has changed the distribution plan in this way for any broadly launched theatrical, though The new sony has been doing some similar experiments on more compact films previously and it is giving a brand new documentary, "Beats, Rhymes and Existence: The Travels of the Tribe Known as Mission," exactly the same early release as "Teacher." In This summer, Summit Entertainment advanced both digital rental and get choices for "Source Code" about two days prior to the DVD street date. But giving digital purchases a 2-week hop on digital and disc rental fees and disc purchases does not represent a brand new window because the early bow does not violate the 90-day gap between theatrical release and homevideo, that is simply pressed farther from theatrical. Obviously, every purchase produced in the faster EST window could siphon transactions from platforms like cable VOD, which survive positioned on rental fees. John Calkins, professional veep global digital and commercial innovation at The new sony Pictures Home Theatre, is urged enough through the preliminary sales figures on "Teacher" to point a minumum of one more title can get the first push before year-finish. "The amounts on 'Bad Teacher' look really promising, and so i imagine we'll try another things," he stated, decreasing to divulge specific figures. U.S. consumer investing on film rental fees surpassed purchases within the first quarter of 2011 the very first time since 1998, based on Morgan Stanley research, and it is forecasted to command two-thirds of investing by 2015. Migration from buying game titles is anticipated to decrease per-household profits for galleries from $130 in 2005 to $90 each in 2015. "Teacher" was selected like a guinea pig because its aud was forecasted to possess enough electronically savvy customers to rely on for early sampling. The first EST bow is not prone to increase beyond two days, stated Calkins, or risk needing the type of additional anti-piracy security that premium VOD needs. He did not eliminate making early EST standard for The new sony game titles, but stated there is no current plans to do this. "Bad Teacher" also uses incremental marketing efforts in the digital-store level. Apple and Vudu marked the title like a "digital exclusive" and gave it prominent positioning on the particular stores. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com