The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Think back to earlier this year, and you'll recall the fiasco that those of us at Buzz fondly refer to as the NBC Late Night Controversy of 2010. It all started when The Jay Leno Show started tanking in its 10 p.m. time slot, angering local NBC affiliates. To soothe matters, the network voted to move Leno back to 11:35 p.m. — in the spot that was occupied by The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien. Conan responded by refusing to bump his show back to 12:05, and a scuffle ignited that had viewers passionately taking sides.

Pointed jokes took over our TVs, and ratings skyrocketed as all of us tuned in to see who would say what next. Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno both made light of the situation, right along with their fellow late-night peers. It was great entertainment, but after weeks passed with no resolution, most viewers just wanted it all to be over.

Finally, a deal was reached: Conan left NBC to the tune of $40 million, giving up his gig as Tonight Show host. In his place, Leno returned to his old stomping grounds, while Jimmy Fallon stayed put. Conan said goodbye with his final Tonight Show and played a little "Freebird," while the rest of us mournfully looked on and waited to see what he'd do next.

To reminisce about what happened next, just keep reading.

It's a big night of TV for a good cause: Hope for Haiti Now is taking over your television set and airing on every major network. You think I'm exaggerating? Check out What to TiVo.

The show is reportedly on track to being the most widely distributed telethon in history, and with George Clooney pulling the strings to orchestrate the entire event, it's sure to feature one big name after another. He'll be hosting the two-hour program from Los Angeles, with Wyclef Jean taking over coverage in New York and Anderson Cooper in Haiti. The evening includes performances by Beyonce, Madonna, and a group song by Rihanna, Jay-Z, and U2's Bono and The Edge, among other artists and A-list stars. To top it off, Clooney himself is reportedly donating $1 million of his own money during the telecast.

Proceeds will benefit The American Red Cross, along with several other relief efforts. Plus, as a special partnership with the show, iTunes is letting customers pre-order a full-performance album, the video telecast, or individual songs starting today to benefit the cause.

After you do your part, keep the TV going til late-night for the final farewell show for Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show. Following a run-around couple of weeks with NBC's back-and-forth negotiations dance, it was finally confirmed that this evening will be Coco's last as host. His final guests reportedly include Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, but I'm sure we're in a few surprise appearances and special skits so he gets a proper sendoff — well, at least until he pops up on another network come Fall (on FOX, perhaps?).

Photos courtesy of Getty and NBC

Finally, all the drama is over. Conan O'Brien has signed a deal with NBC for more than $40 million to walk away from The Tonight Show. O'Brien's manager, Gavin Polone, was the one to confirm the news today, saying that Conan solved the last sticking point of his employees' severance himself:

In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket. Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible.

Conan's last show as The Tonight Show host will be this Friday, and the good news for fans is that he should be able to be back on the air with another network in September. Sounds like just enough time for a really deserved vacation.

It's also been confirmed that Jay Leno will take back his old hosting gig on The Tonight Show starting March 1, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon will continue to air at 12:35 a.m.

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• Starz may be canceling Crash — TV by the Numbers
• Mr. Schue — I mean Matthew Morrison — has signed with Mercury Records — HitFix
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• Adam Shankman is trying to get Robert Pattinson or a Twilight cast member for the Oscars — Vulture
• Jackie Earle Haley is rumored to be starring as villain Sinestro in The Green Lantern — Cinematical
• Kellan Lutz is in the running to star in the Conan the Barbarian remake — PopSugar

UDPATE: NBC is now denying that a deal has been made.

As the NBC late night mayhem continues, the latest news is that Jay Leno has signed a deal that will give him his old job back. Now that Conan O'Brien has refused to move to the 12:05 a.m., NBC has apparently inked a deal moving Leno back to his old 11:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. time slot.

This means he's back to hosting The Tonight Show, and O'Brien supposedly will finish out his run next week. Now the big question is where O'Brien will go next. How do you feel about Leno re-claiming The Tonight Show? Will you tune in or boycott to support O'Brien?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Have you been following NBC's late-night network drama? After the network's announcement that it plans to move The Jay Leno Show (currently airing at 10 p.m.) to the 11:35 p.m. time slot long held by The Tonight Show, host Conan O'Brien says he will not support a move of his show to a later time. I love watching Conan, but rarely make it until 11:35 most nights. I'll catch up on shows by recording them on my DVR, so a time slot change means little to me.

Not so to O'Brien, who issued a statement saying,

"Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more."

I'm not surprised by his response, after all, his show is his art — an art he's practiced and worked at for many, many years. But he raises an interesting question: with DVR and the Internet, does the time a show airs live matter?

After making jokes about his options last night, Conan O'Brien has just released a statement saying that he will not move to 12:05 a.m. with The Tonight Show, as proposed by NBC over the weekend at the Winter TCA.

O'Brien insists it's for the good of show, saying, "I sincerely believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t The Tonight Show."

He also says that he currently has no other offers from other networks, as has been rumored. To read Conan's full statement, just read more