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Posts tagged as late night with conan o’brien

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Melissa McCarthy Based Her Bridesmaids Character on Guy Fieri, Of Course

by | May 25th, 2011

Frankly, I'm sort of embarrassed that I didn't pick up on this earlier; it's so beautifully obvious. So painfully money. As the actress explains on Conan last night, Melissa McCarthy's Bridesmaids character is based on The Food Network's Guy Fieri, with a sprinkle of Midwestern lady. The Kangol hat? The short-sleeve button down? The volatile charisma tempered with an inexplicable charm? It's all an homage. "Every scene I would have my glasses on the back of my head," McCarthy explained. "I tried for a long time to convince them to let me wear short, white, spiky hair, and they were like, 'You can't actually be Guy Fieri.'" McCarthy [...]

Heroes

On Norm Macdonald, the Greatest Talk Show Guest Ever

by | March 25th, 2011

Tomorrow at 11:30pm, Comedy Central will air a one-hour stand-up special (surprisingly, a first for the comedian), titled Norm Macdonald: Me Doing Stand-Up. And in a few weeks, Sports Show With Norm Macdonald will premiere on Tuesday, April 12. Norm is also on Twitter these days, sending out a truly odd mix of jokes, observations, and stream-of-conscious updates. His live-tweeting during the Oscars made it actually worth watching. Here’s what he had to say during one of the acceptance speeches for The Social Network. All I have to say is… good golly, am I glad that Norm Macdonald is back.

Late Night

Louis CK on the Early Days of Late Night with Conan O'Brien

by | May 13th, 2011

Playboy asked Louis CK 20 questions, and one of them is about his days on the early Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Those were intense days. Every Friday we used to think we were getting canceled. This executive would come to the Conan office and look at all of us with a very kind, sympathetic expression, and we’d all be like, Well, this is it—we’re done. Everybody would go to their office and call their agent to start feeling around for other work. And Conan would roll up his sleeves, take a deep breath, get this serious presidential look about him and go into his office and have [...]

Inside the Writer's Room

Inside the Conan Writer's Room with Brian Stack

by | March 4th, 2011

Brian Stack honed his skills at Second City in Chicago before being hired as a temporary replacement at Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1997. Fourteen years later, he still works with the late night legend, having travelled to The Tonight Show and then to TBS with Conan. I asked him what it was like to work to work with Conan O'Brien, what advice he has for aspiring comedy writers and to recall some of his favorite Late Night characters.

Team Coco

Remembering the Lesser-Known Characters From Late Night with Conan O'Brien

by | April 22nd, 2011

Since it debuted in November, Conan O’Brien’s TBS show has been gradually loosening up and it’s starting to feel like the old Late Night show. Personally, I couldn’t be happier. But as I’ve noticed this transformation happening, I've found myself pining for some of the classic, random characters that helped define Late Night.

When Conan made the switch to the Tonight Show, everyone wondered if he'd use any of his old characters or bits from Late Night. Similarly, after the separation from NBC, everyone asked the same question, secretly hoping that somehow old friends like the Masturbating Bear would make the transition with him to TBS. I don't know [...]

Women in Comedy Week

An Extended Interview with Former Colbert Report Head Writer Allison Silverman

by | January 25th, 2011

In And Here's the Kicker, Mike Sacks talked to some of the biggest names in comedy writing, including Dick Cavett, David Sedaris and Robert Smigel. Here is the complete and uncut version of his interview with former Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show and Colbert Report writer/producer Allison Silverman, with loads of new answers not found in the book.

It’s difficult to know just how seriously Allison Silverman takes herself, or her place, in the hierarchy of comedy-writing. Having spent time penning jokes for some of the best minds in satire — Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien — she’d be justified in some self-aggrandizement.

“Over [...]

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