On the Company's Dime
With his brief, star-crossed tenure as host of the Tonight Show winding down, Conan O’Brien adopted a new mission for his late-night program: doing “comedy bits that aren’t so much funny as they are crazy expensive.” During his penultimate episode, Conan introduced a guest that truly fit the bill: 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, sporting a mink Snuggie. After parking the pricey thoroughbred in front of a TV to watch “restricted Super Bowl coverage,” Conan told the assembled crowd that the acquisition had cost NBC $4.8 million — a fraction of his exit package, which is said to be as high as $45 million, but certainly enough to make Jeff Zucker & Co. squirm. At least the horse comes with stud rights.
Next: The Crudest Canine in Show Biz
The Crudest Canine in Show Biz
It’s hard to choose a favorite Late Night character. There’s the horny manatee, the fast-talkin’, dangerous-product-hawkin’ Traveling Salesman, and the always memorable Pimpbot 5000, who, as Conan once put it, “combines the classic sensibilities of a 1950s robot with the dynamic flair of a 1970s street pimp.” Or how about the violently ill Muppet known as Vomiting Kermit, who once “dispensed” hot chocolate while an autoerotic grizzly dubbed the Masturbating Bear provided whipped cream (out of a can, people!).
But no other character has enjoyed as much success as the verbosely titled Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who made his first appearance on Late Night in 1997 during a skit on the Westminster Dog Show (he was banned from the event the following year … and then personally invited to return the year after that). Whether he’s crashing the Republican National Convention, helping the Obamas choose the perfect pooch or suing Leona Helmsley’s dog, America can’t seem to get enough of him. Witness the cigar-smoking Rottweiler doing what he does best: mauling a group of unsuspecting everyday folk with his biting wit (if you can describe a bunch of die-hard, costumed Star Wars fans as “everyday folk,” that is).
Next: Houston: Where Nobody Knows Your Name
