From: nebusj-@-rpi-.edu   
      
   	You know, whatever does turn up in the NBC Self-Destruction Event   
   of January 2010, it looks like Conan's won, regardless of whether he has   
   a show later this week.  The letter refusing to move to 12:05 was written   
   with such great pitch and control as to win him support from, as far as I   
   can determine, everybody in the world except for portions of Jeff Zucker's   
   immediate family.  And it recast what would otherwise be a petty business   
   decision as a principled stand, which is a neat and rare trick.   
      
   	Also by putting it as a matter of standing up for The Tonight Show   
   As An Institution, it's squelched grumbling about his ratings, which if   
   they were stronger would have made putting Leno at 11:35 unacceptable.   
   It's drawing comparisons to Jack Paar's walking off his show over a mild   
   joke being censored, and that's *outstanding* company to be in.   
      
   	More, whether Conan stays at 11:35, or stays with NBC at all (it's   
   not outrageous to think he might end up, say, doing weekly or otherwise   
   specials for the network), or moves to another network (or cable), or goes   
   off to write occasional humor pieces and make cameo appearances on David   
   Letterman's show, he comes off looking triumphant.   
      
   	Even other conceivable developments leave Conan looking good: if   
   Leno decides to refuse to move to 11:35, he'll come off looking like he's   
   imitating Conan's stance, regardless of whether Conan stays at NBC or not.   
      
      
   	I'd rather Conan stuck around, preferably at The Tonight Show,   
   but I do marvel at the way he's managed to create for himself the sort   
   of moment that becomes television folklore.  How many people ever manage   
   to do *that*?   
      
   --   
   								Joseph Nebus   
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)