Monster Media 1994 #2/Monster Media No. 2 (Monster Media)(1994).ISO/freq_qa/cobrien5.zip/COBRIEN5.TXT

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Archive-name: conan-obrien-faq
Last-modified: 5/20/94
Version: 1.3


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    Posted near the middle of each month to alt.fan.conan-obrien,
alt.tv.talkshows.late, alt.answers, and news.answers.

    Prepared by Joseph Gebis ([e-mail]).
    Please address any additions, comments, or corrections to
[e-mail].

    Available as a Usenet group, alt.fan.conan-obrien is a forum for
discussion about "Late Night with Conan O'Brien".

    The newest version of the Conan O'Brien faq is available
electronically by many different methods.  See section 5.3 for details.

                           TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Show Itself
    1.1 What is "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"?
    1.2 How can I get tickets?
    1.3 When do they tape the show?
    1.4 I watched one of the first episodes.  Conan was bad.
    1.5 I watched a recent episode.  Conan was bad.
    1.6 I watched many recent episodes.  Conan's bad.
    1.7 So who's winning, Conan or Dave?
    1.8 How can I find out upcoming guests?
    1.9 Where can I find other electronic information about Conan and
      the show?
    1.10 How can I write to the show?
    1.11 What was David Letterman's Top Ten list to Conan?
    1.12 What are the critics saying about the show?
    1.13 I heard the show was cancelled!
Chapter 2: Conan O'Brien Questions
    2.1 When was Conan born?
    2.2 What are his parents doing now?
    2.3 Where did Conan go to college?
    2.4 What has Conan done since then?
    2.5 How did such an unknown person get his job?
    2.6 Is Conan married?
    2.7 Are there Conan smilies?
Chapter 3: Other People on the Show
    3.1 Who is Conan's sidekick?
    3.2 Who is the band?
    3.3 Who plays the characters on the show?
    3.4 Who are the behind-the-scenes people?
    3.5 How can I write to Lorne Michaels?
    3.6 How can I write to other people on the show?
Chapter 4: Newsgroup-specific Information
    4.1 What is this newsgroup?
    4.2 Is criticism allowed?
    4.3 But this is a fan group!  Why should people be allowed to
      criticise him?
    4.4 I really don't want to read criticism.
    4.5 How do I use kill files?
    4.6 Does Conan know about this newsgroup?
    4.7 I don't get this newsgroup!
Chapter 5: Information on this Faq
    5.1 Who compiled this faq?
    5.2 How do I submit additions, corrections, etc?
    5.3 How do I get the latest version of the faq?
    5.4 What other information do you need?
    5.5 You didn't include the information I sent you!
    5.6 What printed sources are there about Conan?
    5.7 Is there an html version of this faq?
    5.8 Who are all the wonderful people that have added information to
      the faq?
    5.9 Who else needs to be thanked?
    5.10 Have you heard the one about the lawyer and the...?

========================================================================
Chapter 1: The Show Itself

"Watch the Conan O'Brien Show -- you'll see."
                   -- Bart Simpson

1.1 What is "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"?

    "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is a late-night talk show hosted by
Conan O'Brien.  LNwCOB appears Monday through Friday on NBC.  It starts
at 12:36:30 am and ends at approximately 1:35 am (Eastern).

1.2 How can I get tickets?

    You can get tickets by writing to:

    NBC Tickets
    30 Rockefeller Plaza
    New York, NY  10112

1.3 When do they tape the show?

    They tape at 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Eastern daily.

1.4 I watched one of the first episodes.  Conan was bad.

    Yes, Conan was bad in the first few episodes.  Of course, remember
what he had to do: this was his first time hosting a show, an enormous
responsibility.  "Late Night" was a $70 million a year show for NBC, and
the pressure on Conan was great.  However, he soon started to get a feel
for the show, and quickly became more comfortable.  As Conan became more
confortable hosting the show, the monologue, the interviews, and the
skits all became noticably better.  Conan is continually improving his
skills and the show.

1.5 I watched a recent episode.  Conan was bad.

    Every late night talk show host has off nights, just as the rest of
us do.  Of course, every show has its high and low points.

"Oh no, this is television!  It goes everywhere!"
                   -- Conan O'Brien

1.6 I watched many recent episodes.  Conan's bad.

    Hi, Dean Adams!  :)

    Seriously, if you watched a few recent episodes of "Late Night with
Conan O'Brien" and didn't like any part of any of them, you just might
not like Conan's style of humor.
    Every late night talk show host has their own particular style;
some of us like most of the late night talk show hosts, others of us
only like one.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Unfortunately, posting
pointless flames will only generate more flames in your direction.  If
you do want to tell us what you don't like about Conan, go ahead -- just
remember that we like thought-out, constructive ideas.  We don't like
mindless complaining.

1.7 What are some of the recurring skits on the show?

    There are many, including:

Actual Items (formerly "It's Obviously True")
Alien Corner
Americlan
Andy & Conan Walking Through NY
Annoying Neighbor
Baby Debates
Bad Fruit Theatre
Band Show
Celebrity Editorials
Celebrity X-Rays
Conan Babies
Conan's Sassy Aunt
Confiscated Items from Audience
Continuity Errors
Dippy the Hippy
Dizz
Easter Bunny
Funny, Funny Joe
Guy Smoking a Cigarette as Fast as he Possibly Can
Guys that Make Fun of Conan's Name
Hats fom Fans
If They Made It
In the Year 2000
Kiss-Ass Turkey
Krunk
Last Time on Conan O'Brien...
Laughing Genie
Lever of Tragedy
Lips on Screen
Little Kid that Nobody Loves, Billy Tyler
Name That Tune
NBC Peacock
New Sponsors
Old Man and Baby (Changing Months)
Old Woman in a Soundproof Booth
"Ooh, ooh... ahh, ahh" Lady
Pasquale the Clumsy Ant
Poet that Always Scares Conan
Reagan on the Phone
Right Side/Wrong Side
Robert Vaughn Asking Guests Questions From the Audience
Scientist that Doesn't Know Anything About Science
See & Say
Skull Juice
Sir Ceril Harding, the World's Oldest Secret Agent
Slim Organbody
St. Patrick's Day Hair
Streaker
Telescope
Things We Didn't Get To Make Fun Of
Ventriloquist Choir
Yap Speed
Year-Round Carollers
Young Conan and Family Back in the '70s

1.7 So who's winning, Conan or Dave?

    They are not fighting each other.
    Conan and Dave are two separate hosts, with two separate styles,
and two separate shows.  They aren't even in the same time slot.  They
appear on each other's show, and complement each other.
    Comparing Conan and Dave isn't necessarily evil, but it probably
won't get you very far.  Since each show is different, there aren't
really too many parts you can compare; comparing shows in general will
most likely have you just repeating which style you like more.

1.8 How can I find out upcoming guests?

    S. Trowbridge ([e-mail]) posts a weekly list
of upcoming guests to all late night talk shows on NBC and CBS,
including "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", "Late Show with David
Letterman", "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", and "Later with Greg
Kinnear".  He posts this list to alt.tv.talkshows.late and rec.arts.tv.

1.9 Where can I find other electronic information about Conan and the
    show?

    rec.arts.tv, alt.tv.talkshows.late, and clari.news.tv are good
places to look for information related to "Late Night with Conan
O'Brien" or for information about Conan himself.
    Aaron Barnhart writes a weekly ezine called "Late Show News" that
has information on late night talk shows.  To get it, ftp to
ftp.mcs.net and go to /mcsnet.users/barnhart/late-show-news.  To get on
the distribution list, mail [e-mail] with the message
"subscribe late-show-news".
    If you want to subscribe to America Online, they have an NBC section
with information on LNwCOB.  They have some pictures, and a transcript
of a question and answer session that Conan had with AOLers.  AOL's
phone number is [phone].

1.10 How can I write to the show?

    Write to:

    Late Night with Conan O'Brien
    NBC
    30 Rockefeller Plaza
    New York City, NY  10112

    NBC's general comment phone number is [phone].

1.11 What was David Letterman's Top Ten list to Conan?

    Top 10 Tips for the New "Late Night" Host - April 27, 1993

10. A drugged guest is a well behaved guest.
9. Proper gratuity for Marv Albert: nickel a blooper.
8. Kids will look up to you; don't let them think it's "cool" to smoke.
7. Willard's insane.
6. If you ever have a baby, look out for giant birds.
5. G. E. executives are "pinheads"; NBC executives are "boneheads."
4. No one cares about Walter Cronkite's lunch.
3. Don't panic if you find a strange woman in your house.
2. When all else fails, just say "Buttafuoco."
1. Two words: laugh track.

1.12 What are the critics saying about the show?

    The initial reviews were mixed.  Some bashed the entire show;
others thought that it seemed rough, but was promising.  Here's one of
the harsher reviews:

O'Brien Flops!

    There has been much speculation about the new "Late Night with
Conan O'Brien."  Little is known about the host, and even less about
the show's format.  Last week, this writer had the opportunity to watch
a test show in Rockefeller Center's legendary studio 6-A.  Frankly, I
was not impressed.
    The crowd was visibly eager to like the young newcomer, but some
seemed puzzled by the radical new set.  The backdrop, consisting of
15-foot representations of Mr. O'Brien's laughing head, loomed over his
desk and chair, both carved from illegally imported African ivory.
While this was somewhat unsettling, an aura of eager anticipation still
hung in the air.
    Until, that is, the new Late Night band began to play.  Composed
of musicians cut by the Boston Pops, the band lurched into an
interminable version of "Waltzing Matilda," apparently the show's theme
song.  The bandleader, a surly cellist, refused to make eye contact with
anyone and hissed at a young girl who tried to clap along.  As the music
sputtered to a flaccid conclucsion, thick jets of foam were dumped on
the audience from hidden ceiling ducts.  As people wiped the stingeing
lather from their eyes, Mr. O'Brien jumped out from behind a curtain and
cheefully quipeed, "Ha, ha, you're all foamy!"
    Unfazed by the lukewarm reaction to this ill-conceived prank,
Mr. O'Brien launched into his monologue.  Whipping out a large book, he
read a string of childish "knock-knock" jokes.  While the material was
fair, Mr. O'Brien's delivery was halting, and he paused several times to
adjust his reading glasses.
    The worse was yet to come.  Strutting arrogantly to his desk,
Mr. O'Brien tried to converse briefly with this sidekick, an elderly
Irish priest. But the old man seemed confused, and despite constant
goading from Mr. O'Brien, sat in stony silence.
    Sensing a loss of momentum, Mr. O'Brien quickly launched into a
"Top Ten" list, something he'd repeatedly told the press he would never
do. The list was rife with misspellings, and three of the 10 entried
read "joke to come." Moments later, he tried playfully flipping a pencil
at a camera, but missed and stuck a woman in the eye.  "At least it
wasn't me," quipped the first guest, the former Mets outfielder Vince
Coleman. O'Brien burst into laughter at this distasteful comment.  "Now
we're cooking with gas," said the cocky new voice of "Late Night."
    Mr. O'Brien's guests that evening also included the deputy
director of New York's wastewater collection bureau, the editor of the
NBC inter-office newsletter and a man who could eat oranges without
without getting any juice on his shirt (although he failed to do so on
camera). Inexplicably, all the guests were introduced at the same time.
Mr. O'Brien then asked each, in turn, his favorite color.  To every
answer, he snorted that the chosen color was "for girls."
    During a commercial break, several NBC executives entered the
audience and asked for volunteers to hold up a gaudy "Nobody Beats
Conan" banner, but the crowd jeered bitterly and one youth kicked the
sign.
    The last 20 minutes of the program consisted of Mr. O'Brien
performing a strange, snake-like dance in front of his desk as audience
members filed out in disgust.  "You'll be back!" he shouted several
times, until the entire studio was empty (except for the orange-eater
and Mr. Coleman, who giggled frenetically under the closing credits).
    As much as this writer would like to root for Mr. O'Brien, one
can't help but have grave doubts about his prospects.  Despite the
considerable power of his raw sexuality and mesmerizing intellectual
presence, this "Late Night" may very well end up the late "Late Night."
Or not, I gotta go.

    Who wrote this review of Conan's show?  Conan himself!

1.13 I heard the show was cancelled!

    Although I have not seen an official announcement, people have said
that Conan's staff has found out that the show's contract has been
renewed.
    Apparently, Conan's ratings are pretty good.  They've been going up
since he first started; now they are around a 2 rating.  (If anyone has
a consistent source for late-night ratings, tell me!)

========================================================================
Chapter 2: Conan O'Brien Questions

"I'm just trying to make my brothers laugh."
                   -- Conan O'Brien

2.1 When was Conan born?

    Conan Christopher O'Brien was born April 18, 1963 (that makes him an
Aries), third of six children, to Ruth and Thomas O'Brien.  Conan was
born in Brookline, a suburb of Boston. He has three brothers and two
sisters.  Conan is 6'4".

2.2 What are his parents doing now?

    Conan's mom is a partner in Ropes & Gray, a law firm in Boston.
She earned her BA from Vassar in 1953, and her law degree from Yale in
1956.  She was admitted to the bar in 1957.
    Conan's father was born in 1929 in Worcester.  He earned his medical
degree from Harvard in 1954.  He interned at Peter Brigham Hospital.
He is the head of microbiology at Peter Brigham Hospitol, and is also a
professor at Harvard Medical School.
    In 1988 he founded the WHONET BBS to help practicing physicians,
researchers and labs share reports of diseases.  Physicians from all
over the world are members.
    He often talks to reporters about bacterial resistence to antibiotics,
and has been quoted in "Newsweek", "Science", "Scientific American",
"US News and World Report".

2.3 Where did Conan go to college?

    Conan went to Harvard.  While there, he majored in
history-and-literature, and was a two-time (1983 and 1984) president of
the "Lampoon" the Harvard humor magazine.  He graduated magna cum laude
in 1985.

2.4 What has Conan done since then?

    Conan worked on HBO's "Not Necesarrily the News" for two years.
After that, he worked on Fox's "Wilton North Report" (1987-88), a
late-night comedy-and-talk show which only aired for four weeks.  After
that, he worked in the "Happy Happy Good Show" (1988), a stage show in
Chicago. He then spent three years (1988-91) writing for "Saturday Night
Live", where he won an Emmy.  In 1991, he wrote a TV pilot, "Look Well".
After that, he wrote for the "Simpsons" (1991-93), until he got the job
of hosting "Late Night", taking over for David Letterman.
    He has also written for the Hanz and Franz movie (I don't know if
this is dead or if the deal is still being worked on), "Groundlings" (a
LA comedy group), and acted in some small films.
    Some of Conan's previous writing work from SNL includes the Tom
Hanks/Jon Lovitz girl-watching skit, and the nude beach "penis" skit.
    Conan has also acted in some SNL skits, including the "Irish
Drinking Songs" skit, a nude talk show skit, and a Twin Peaks parody.
    Conan is credited with writing two Simpsons episodes: "Marge Versus
the Monorail" and "New Kid on the Block".  He also worked on many
others.
    Conan's Emmy is for "Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music
Program", shared with the entire SNL writing crew, for the 1988-89
season.

2.5 How did such an unknown person get his job?

    Conan's previous boss, Lorne Michaels, suggested that Conan try out
for "Late Night".  The show was offered to Dana Carvey and Garry
Shandling, who both turned it down.  He tried out April 13, 1993, and
was told that he had been accepted April 26, 1993.
    Conan did win an Emmy for his writing; many of his former colleagues
describe Conan as very funny.
    Also, NBC got Conan cheap.  His contract is for five years, with an
option to renew at one year.  He gets only a little over $1 million a
year.

2.6 Is Conan married?

    Conan is not married; he is dating Lisa Kudrow, an actress.  You
may know her from her recurring role on "Mad About You" as Ursula, the
ditzy waitress.

2.7 Are there Conan smilies?

    Of course there are!  Here are some suggestions:

From Michael Gebis ([e-mail]):
    J:)
    6:)
From Carol Gerber ([e-mail]), some "backwards" smilies:
    [<^:?
    [<^:9
From Lore Guilmartin ([e-mail]):
    y:)]
From Gregory Mitchell ([e-mail]), a two-liner:
    ,
    6:]
From Sean Russel ([e-mail]):
    &:)
    @:)
From Elson Trinidad ([e-mail]):
    /:^]
    6:^]

========================================================================
Chapter 3: Other People on the Show

"I'm back, Conan!  And I brought the Hair!"
                   -- Andy Richter

3.1 Who is Conan's sidekick?

    Conan's sidekick is Andy Richter.  He performs in many of the skits
and talks to Conan about many issues.  Andy also takes an active role
in many of the interviews (although a lot of us think he is not active
enough!).
    Andy Richter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 28,
1966.  He was raised in Yorkville, Illinois.  His parents are Glenda
Swanson (whose job is cabinet sales & design) and Larry Richter, a
Professor of Russian Language at Indiana University.  He has 2 brothers
and a sister.
    He attended the Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from
1984-1986 (his freshman and sophomore years).  He was a journalism
major.  Andy then attended Columbia College in Chicago, where he
studied film and video.
    After that, he studied improvisation in Chicago with Del Close and
Mick Napier.
    He then worked with in Chicago with improvisation groups, including
Annoyance Theater, Gambrinus King of Beer, Comedy Underground, and
Improvolympia.
    Andy also played Mike Brady in the NY and LA productions of "The
Real Live Brady Bunch".  He had a small role in the HBO movie "...Texas
Cheerleader Murdering Mom" and acted in the movie "Cabin Boy".
    He worked for a month and a half writing at NBC before he
was asked to work as Conan's sidekick.
    Andy Richter is 27, and 6'2".  He recently married.

3.2 Who is the band?

    The band is "The Max Weinberg 7".  The members are:

Max Weinberg: leader/drums
Jimmy Vivino: guitar
Mark "Love Man" Pender: trumpet
La Bamba: trombone
Jerry Vivino: saxophone
Scott Healy: keyboards
Mike Merritt: bass

    Max Weinberg is the former drummer of the E Street Band, Bruce
Springsteen's band.  He recently released an album called "Let There be
Drums".

3.3 Who plays the characters on the show?

    Here's the people that play some of the regular characters on the
show:

    Tom Davis, a SNL writer, plays Dippy the Hippy.
    John Deyle has plays the scientist that doesn't know anything about
science.
    Michael Gordon plays Dizz.
    Robert Smigel plays many of the lips, including Bill Clinton and
Bruce Springsteen.
    Dino Stamatapolous plays Conan's Kiss-Ass Turkey and Lincoln from
the Americlan.

    This is a list of some of the one-time or less common roles and
actors:

Reathel Bean: Conan's Dad
Rand Bridges: FDR
Carolee Carmello: Conan's Mom
Joe Cuttitan: George Washington
Richard M Dixon: Richard Nixon
John Deyle: Sex Therapist
Ralph Frier: Rutherford B Hayes
Joel Godard: Andrew Testicles
Russ Harper: Neil O'Brien
Elec Hartman: Theodore Roosevelt
Jack Lucero: Thomas Jefferson
Brett Newbold: Choochoo, Max's sidekick
Bill Odenkirk: Andy's Fan
Bob Odenkirk: Conan's Fan
Andre Viscari: Young Conan

3.4 Who are the behind-the-scenes people?

    Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of LNwCOB, also produces
many other shows, including "The New Kids in the Hall" and "Saturday
Night Live".
    The musical guest is picked by Jimm Pitt, a talent director.  About
the type of music on the show, he says, "I'm pretty much left alone ...
I hear music.  I like it.  I put it on TV."

    Here's a list of credits:

Executive Producer
Lorne Michaels

Producers
Jeff Ross
Robert Smigel

Directed By
Dana Calderwood

Head Writer
Robert Smigel

Written By
Tom Agna
Alec Berg
Louis C.K.
Michael Gordon
James Leamer
Marsh McCall
Conan O'Brien
Bob Odenkirk
David Reynolds
Andy Richter
Jeff Schaffer
Chuck Sklar
Dino Stamatopoulos

Associate Producer
Joe Hobel

Talent Executive
Sue Leibman

Segment Producers
Frank Smiley
Michael Weinberg

Talent Coordinators
Paula Davis
Jim Pitt

Music Director
Michael Weinberg

Set Designers
Eugene Lee
Keither Ian Raywood
Akira Yoshimura

Lighting Consultant
Phil Hymes

Production Manager
John Irwin

Associate Directors
Tracy King
Sandra Restrepo

Technical Consultant
Stacey Foster

Costume Designer
Deborah Shaw

Technical Director
Jim Marshall

Stage Managers
Smith Sumroy
Steve Hollander

Scenic Designer
Daniele Perna

Lighting Director
Joe Geores

Research
Cyd Upson
Maria Notaras
David DeRosa

Writers Assistant
Ellen Barancik

Graphics Coordinator
Charlie WIlke

Script Coordinator
Brenda Ventura

Assistant to Conan O'Brien
Lynn Kaplan

Production Coordinator
Pieter Ruig

Assistants to Mr. Michaels
Erin Maroney
Cris Clarke

Assistant to Jeff Ross
Sally Horchow

Talent Assistant
Gina Battista

Assistant Scenic Designer
Clay Brown

Casting
Mikie Heilbrun

Music Coordinator
Dan Stechow

House Band
Max Weinberg
Jimmy Vivino
Mark "Love Man" Pender
La Bamba
Jerry Vivino
Scott Healy
Mike Merritt

Assistant Music Director
Jimmy Vivino

Announcer
Joel Godard

Production Electrician
Peter M. Ehrhardt

Audio
Fred Zeller
Julie Perez
Glenn A. Arber
Joe Aebig
Barbara Byrd
Jimmy DeVito
Bruce Leonard
Alyson Vogel
Marta Hogan

Video
Carl Henry III

Special Effects
Neal Schatz

Technical Manager
Mike Mathews

Studio Manager
George Mendez

Cameras
Peter Basil
Baily Startz
Michael Bennett
George Ciliberto
Barry Frisher

Maintenance
Marty Carver
Steve Sirivanta

Graphics Consultant
Bob Pook

Graphics
Anne Elbaqali
Doug Zider
Kevin Frank

Opening Montage By
J. J. Sedelmeier

Videotape
Steve Skorupka

Outside Properties
Bill Tull

Studio Properties
Al Maher
Bob Bowman

Head Carpenteer
Joe Gorta

Head Electrician
John Trautwein

Scenic Artist
Joe Konopka

Wardrobe
Tina Ryan

Makeup
Andrea Miller

Hair
Mary D'Angelo

Cue Cards
Video Cue
Shannon Hellman
Brian Kaman

Editor
Chuck DeJan

Electronic Graphics
Carol Collings

Photographers
Baskin Studio
Norman Ng
Lesly Weiner

Production Staff
Timmy Leech
Eliza Minot
Eobert Rifkind
Cecile Schwartzman
Amanda Acountants
Margaret Roehr
Chriss Williams

Production Consultant
Ken Aymong

Equipment Provided by Dolby Labs, Inc.

Production Consultant
Ken Aymong

Spcial Thanks To The Polygram Label Group

Executive In Charge Of Production
Gary Considine

Tickets for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien":

Write: NBC Tickets
30 Rockefeller Plaza

Or Call: [phone]/4057

Broadway Productions

NBC

3.5 How can I write to Lorne Michaels?

    Write to:

    Lorne Michaels
    Broadway Video
    1619 Broadway
    New York City, NY  10019

3.6 How can I write to other people on the show?

    Write to:

    (Person)
    c/o
    Late Night with Conan O'Brien
    NBC
    30 Rockefeller Plaza
    New York City, NY  10112

========================================================================
Chapter 4: Newsgroup-specific Information

"Don't go virtual on me."
                   -- Conan O'Brien

4.1 What is the newsgroup?

    The newsgroup is alt.fan.conan-obrien.  This newsgroup is a forum
for discussion about any aspect of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien",
including criticism, praise, questions, and general discussion.

4.2 Is criticism allowed?

    Sure.  We like to discuss what people do and don't like about Conan.
Mindless insults will not lead to discussion, however, and will just
make enemies for you.  Be warned, though: some people get very defensive
about criticism of Conan.

4.3 But this is a fan group!  Why should people be allowed to criticise
    him?

    Mindless praise without criticism is also pointless.  Discussion
of the show works best when people say what they liked, what they
kinda liked, and what they didn't like.  Thoughtful discussion,
either approving or disapproving of Conan and "Late Night", should
always be welcomed.

4.4 I really don't want to read criticism.

    Well, this is an alt group, and alt groups are the anarchy of
usenet.  However, if you really want to strip out as much of the
criticism as possible, you can always use a kill file.

4.5 How do I use kill files?

    This question really doesn't belong in the Conan faq, but people
have been asking it frequently.
    All punctuation are extremely important in this section.

If you are using rn or one of its derivatives (trn, strn, xtrn, etc):
The kill file is "/alt/fan/conan-obrien/KILL" in your news directory
("News").

    To insert a name into the kill file, put
        /^From: *login@site\.name/h:j
    into the kill file.  For example, to kill all posts from me, Joseph
    Gebis ([e-mail]), put
        /^From: *j-gebis@ux4\.cso\.uiuc\.edu/h:j
    into the kill file.

    To insert a subject into the kill file, put
        /^Subject: Subject/h:j
    into the kill file.  For example, to kill this faq, with the subject
    of "alt.fan.conan-obrien FAQ (monthly posting)", put
        /^Subject: alt\.fan\.conan-obrien FAQ (monthly posting)/h:j
    into the kill file.

    You can easily edit this file by pressing "^K" (that's control-k)
    when reading news.

If you are using nn:
    The kill file is "kill" in your news directory (".nn").

    To insert a name into the kill file, put
        alt.fan.conan-obrien:!n:Name
    into the kill file.  For example, to kill all posts from me, Joseph
    Gebis ([e-mail]), put
        alt.fan.conan-obrien:!n:Joseph J Gebis
    into the kill file.

    To insert a subject into the kill file, put
        alt.fan.conan-obrien:!s:Subject
    into the kill file.  For example, to kill this faq, with the subject
    of "alt.fan.conan-obrien FAQ (monthly posting)", put
      alt.fan.conan-obrien:!s:alt.fan.conan-obrien FAQ (monthly posting)
    into the kill file.

    Press "K" (that's a capital k) while reading a message with the
    subject or person you want to put in your kill file to make this
    process totally painless.

4.6 Does Conan know about this newsgroup?

    As far as we know, Conan does not know about this newsgroup.
However, every fan newsgroup has the obiligitory sign that they want to
see in case the person does know about the newsgroup.  My personal hope
is that one day I'll see that fan behind Conan turned on.  :)
    There is an nbc.com site on the net; there are rumors that they
will start accepting email to people on NBC just like regular mail.
Keep your eyes open, and read the faq.  I've emailed someone from
nbc.com about this.  The message I got back said "there are no official
plans for nbc.com at this time", however, "nbc will be doing something
on AOL in the spring -- stay tuned!"  I'm not exactly sure what this
means.
    I have been told that AOL is going to set up a real-time chat
system between NBC employees and AOL members.  Again, keep reading the
faq.

    On Conan's Feb. 4 show, the guest was John Larroquette.  During the
interview, John mentioned that he had guest hosted Johhny Carson's show.
Conan asked if John would like to do that permanently; John replied
that there were shows from 6 am until 2 am.  Conan remarked that people
would probably soon be doing them on street corners.  The interview
proceeded:

John Larroquette: I wouldn't mind doing one on a computer screen, where
    you didn't see anybody, you know, but you had just guests from all
    over the country and you tuned in in cyberspace.  I think it's the
    only place left.  Do a talk show in cyberspace.
Conan O'Brien: My next guest is also a nerd.  Be a little hard... boy, I
    don't want to read the computer network tomorrow.
JL: No kidding, yeah... internet's gonna be after your behind.  Watch,
    they'll get you.
CO: Yeah, I know.  I'm through in the business.  But listen, the show is
    doing quite well.  "John Larroquette Show" is Tuesdays, 9, on NBC.
JL: Yes, and March and April we'll be an hour every weel from 9 to 10
    for like 6 Tuesdays in a row.  They'll be two episodes in a row.
CO: Oh, that's great.
JL: So those people that can't pry themselves away from Roseanne will
    have an opportunity to watch it at 9:30.
CO: Alright, well, thank you very much.  Good talking to you... we'll be
    right back.

    Does this mean that Conan knows about this newsgroup?  It's
hard to say, although that does look like a definite possibility!

     Gregory Ryan Mitchell ([e-mail]) mailed Andy and
asked about email; Andy said that he didn't have any.

     I've also been told that there is a server for Jay Leno at
nbc.ge.com, and that they are "working on a host of things for GEnie
(of course) and AOL".

    In an interview in Boston University's school paper, Conan said, "I
actually don't have a computer, but the guy who books music on my show,
Jim Pitt, tells me about stuff on the Internet, which is cool."

"I'm a technological kinda guy."
                   -- Conan O'Brien

4.7 I don't get this newsgroup!

    Complain fiercely.  :)
    If you don't get news, ask your system administrator if you can.  It
does take a lot of time and effort, not to mention disk space and
computer resources.  However, if your site administrators know that
enough people from your site want it, they may be able to get it.
    If you get news, but you don't get alt groups, ask your system
news administrator.  Many sites don't like to get alt groups because
they aren't as "legitimate" as the big-7 groups.  Many don't like to get
them because they take up a lot of disk space.  However, your news
administrator may decide to get them if enough people ask.
    If you get news, but you don't get alt.fan.conan-obrien, talk
to your news administrators.  Many sites add groups when people ask for
them.  If you have tried this, and still can't get alt.fan.conan-obrien,
there are many other ways you can get alt.fan.conan-obrien.
    You can read alt.fan.conan-obrien by telnetting to a public-access
news site; for example, you can telnet to nyx.cs.du.edu and log in
as "new", or telnet to bbs.oit.unc.edu and log in as "launch".  These
sites will allow you to read, but not post to, alt.fan.conan-obrien.
    You can also set your nntp server to a site that gets the
newsgroup.  For example, "setenv NNTPSERVER news.belwue.de" will allow
you to read alt.fan.conan-obrien (along with many other groups).  Just
make sure you move your regular .newsrc file to something else, and
put any group you can't get in another .newsrc file.
    To post to the group, you can use a news-to-mail gateway.  Mail
anon.penet.fi.
    To use a mail-to-news gateway, mail to
[e-mail].

========================================================================
Chapter 5: Information on this Faq

"Mmm.  Heavy.  Filled with knowledge."
                   -- Conan O'Brien

5.1 Who compiled this faq?

    Joseph Gebis ([e-mail]) is the current faq keeper.

5.2 How do I submit additions, comments, and corrections?

    Mail [e-mail], or just post to alt.fan.conan-obrien.

5.3 How do I get the latest version of the faq?

    The faq is posted monthly to alt.fan.conan-obrien, and is available
at rtfm.mit.edu in the directory /pub/usenet/alt.fan.conan-obrien as
alt.fan.Conan-Obrien.FAQ or a.f.c-o.FAQ.  If you don't have ftp,
you can use the ftp-by-mail service.  Send email to
[e-mail] with "help" and "index" (on separate lines) in
the body of the message.  You can always mail [e-mail] with
the words "Send FAQ" (case insensitive) in the "Subject:" header.

5.4 What other information do you need?

    Really, this whole faq is under construction.  However, the parts
that I really want confirmation/information on are:
    -Ticket information (are standby tickets available?)
    -Ratings information
    -Conan's sibling's name, etc
    -Conan's salary
    -Dates Conan started/ended "Not Necessarily the News" and "Wilton
      North Report"
    -Any information about Andy
    -Other projects by the band
    -Information on the other people on the show.
      -Who plays what character
      -Behind-the-scenes people (I'm sure I missed some of the
        credits...)
    -List of regular skits (and "official" names for what I have now)
    -Verification of killfile info -- I'm sure I messed up something
    -Send in your favorite Conan smiley!

5.5 You didn't include the information I sent you!

    I'm very sorry if I didn't include some information that you sent
to me.  However, there is a chance that I didn't get your information,
or that there wasn't enough time to include it in this version of the
faq; if this is the case, it will most likely be in the next version.
If you suspect that I didn't get it, mail me!  Just write to
[e-mail].

5.6 What printed sources are there about Conan?

Allerson, Jen.  "Former UI Student Finds Success on 'Late Night' Show."
    _The Daily Illini_ September 22, 1993
Anderson, Kurt.  "Behind Late Night's Cinderella Story."  _Time_
    May 10, 1993
Cline, Rachel.  "Conan and Me."  _The New York Times Magazine_
    Sep. 10, 1993
Fields Meyer, Thomas.  "Conan."  _TV Guide_ Aug. 20, 1993
Fields Meyer, Thomas.  "Conan O'Brien."  _Esquire_ Jul., 1993
Giles, Jeff.  "At Long Last, Here's Conan."  _Newsweek_ Sep. 27, 1993
Giles, Jeff.  "Best-Known Unknown."  _Newsweek_ May 10, 1993
Gliatto, Tom.  "Funny NBC Trick."  _People Weekly_ May 10, 1993
Hirschberg, Lynn.  "Educating Conan."  _Vanity Fair_ Jul., 1993
Marin, Richard T.  "Can Conan Cut it?"  _Vogue_ Aug., 1993
Marin, Richard T.  "Would You Please Welcome..."  _Rolling Stone_
    Mar. 10, 1994
O'Brien, Conan.  "O'Brien Flops!"  _New York Times_ Sep. 13, 1993
O'Connor, John J.  "A Self-Mocking Newcomer to Late Night."  _New York
    Times_ Sep. 15, 1993
Zoglin, Richard.  "Mr. O'Brien's Neighborhood."  _Time_ Sep. 27, 1993

5.7 Is there an html version of this faq?

    Not right now, but Chris Shabsin ([e-mail]) has volunteered to
convert the faq once it is complete.  Its address will be
http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/shabby/conanFAQ.html.

5.8 Who are all the wonderful people that added information to the faq?

    ([e-mail])
    ([e-mail])
    ([e-mail])
    Dean Adams ([e-mail])
    Al Bell ([e-mail])
    Sarah E. Blecksmith ([e-mail])
    Huw Davies ([e-mail])
    MarK Diaz ([e-mail])
    Michael R. Dong ([e-mail])
    Jim Ellwanger ([e-mail])
    Michael Gebis ([e-mail])
    Carol J Gerber ([e-mail])
    Lore Guilmartin ([e-mail])
    Joe Harris ([e-mail])
    Yong-Mi Kim ([e-mail])
    Ed Krauss ([e-mail])
    Michael Levy ([e-mail])
    Gregory Ryan Mitchell ([e-mail])
    Jeremy Morse ([e-mail])
    John Adam Nimpfer ([e-mail]
    Sean Russell ([e-mail])
    Chris Shabsin ([e-mail])
    Steklo ([e-mail])
    N. Smith ([e-mail])
    Elson Trinidad ([e-mail])
    Jame Yu ([e-mail])
    die Wawafrau ([e-mail])
    <  Your name here :)  >

5.9 Who else needs to be thanked?

    Chris Baird ([e-mail]), keeper of the
alt.tv.simpsons faq, for also providing me with a source to copy from.
    Aaron Barnhart ([e-mail]), keeper of the alt.fan.letterman
faq, for providing a good form for the faq for me to blatantly rip off.
    Terry Carroll ([e-mail]), keeper of the copyright
law faq, for allowing me to use information and ideas from it.
    Jonathan I. Kamens ([e-mail]), keeper of the news.answers
faqs.
    Leanne Phillips (phillips@[e-mail]), keeper of the
killfile faq, for leting me use that information.
    Mike ---- Schneider ([e-mail]) for maintaining
the David Letterman Top Ten lists, and for allowing me to use Dave's
list to Conan.
    Lt. Starbuck ([e-mail]), keeper of the
alt.fan.karla-homolka faq, for letting me use information about
alternate ways to receive newsgroups.
    S. Trowbridge ([e-mail]), for posting the
weekly list of late night talk show guests.

    My undying gratitude goes out to all of you.  Thank you.

5.10 Have you heard the one about the lawyer and the...?

    Disclaimer:

    This article is Copyright 1994 by Joseph Gebis.  It may be
freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this notice, and the
author's name, is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit or
incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of
the copyright holder.  Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.  This document is
provided as is without any express or implied warranty.  Nothing in this
article represents the views of the Univeristy of Illinois or any other
organization.  Anyone who violates any of these rules in any form
whatsoever thereby acknowlodges the fact that said person is a
krunkhead.

----
Joseph Gebis   [e-mail]   http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~jg11772/home.html