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☆ Conan O’Brien set to host the 97th Academy Awards
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Conan O’Brien will host the next Academy Awards. It will mark the Emmy-winning television host and comedian’s first time at the helm of the Oscars. “We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement on Friday. He said in August he had turned down a request to host the broadcast for a fifth time. The 97th Oscars will take place Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will air live on ABC.

Persons: Conan O’Brien, Bill Kramer, Janet Yang, O’Brien, ”, “, Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, “ Conan, Conan O’Brien ”, Conan, ” Jimmy Kimmel Organizations: CNN, ” Academy, Academy, Dolby Theatre, ABC Locations: Hollywood

☆ New Zealand reclaims record for world’s largest Haka on home turf, dethroning France
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —New Zealand has reclaimed the world record for the largest mass Haka, with thousands packing a major stadium on Sunday for a resounding performance of the traditional Māori routine. New Zealand band Six60 perform for participants gathered in a world record attempt for the largest mass Haka at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024. They huffed out their chests, stomped on the floors, and stuck their tongues out to make intimating facial expressions, according to a video posted on Haka Record’s official Instagram. CNN has reached out to Guinness World Records for comment. New Zealand filmmaker-actor Taika Waititi, second from right, and US TV host Conan O'Brien, second from left, at Eden Park in Auckland on September 29, 2024.

Persons: Six60, DJ Mills, Nick Sautner, it’s, ”, “, Brian Sobel, Sobel, Taika Waititi, Conan O'Brien, Conan O’Brien, David Tua, Ka, Te Rauparaha Organizations: CNN, national rugby team, Blacks, Getty, Eden, Haka Record’s, Therapy, Radio New Zealand, Guinness World Records, getty, Haka, New Zealanders, Health Authority Locations: Zealand, Haka, New Zealand, Auckland, Eden, AFP, Conan O’Brien , New Zealand

☆ The Best Conversations
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I considered the headway I could make in the audiobook of “Demon Copperhead,” but quickly abandoned that option for several episodes of the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” I wanted company. Conan and his sidekicks shoot the breeze for a while, before he brings on a celebrity guest for an interview. The shows I love aren’t the ones where a host tees up questions and a dutiful guest answers. Conan O’Brien has been having conversations professionally for most of his career. I didn’t care how long I had to go; I just wanted to keep listening and laughing along.

Persons: O’Brien, ”, Conan, I’m, Conan O’Brien, Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson, you’ll Locations: Maine, New York, Worcester, Hartford

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Robin Kawakami | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What’s in Our Queue? ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ and MoreI’m the digital editor for the Culture desk at The Times. I used to maintain a packed schedule filled with art, movies and travel; now, I have two small kids. Here are five things that have delighted me recently, without the endless scroll →

Persons: Conan O’Brien Organizations: The Times

☆ Conan O’Brien Doesn’t Matter*
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Jason Zinoman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After hosting talk shows for nearly three decades, Conan O’Brien has come to believe that longevity is overrated. “We don’t matter.”Since leaving late-night television in 2021, Conan O’Brien, 61, has become more reflective about life (and death), given to philosophical flights of fancy that he compulsively alternates with comic tangents. O’Brien famously champions the intersection between smart and stupid, but in conversation, what stands out is how quickly he moves between light and heavy. “Being contented comes in little moments, here and there.”The only thing trickier than being a late-night talk show host is being a former one. Since he started writing for “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s, Conan O’Brien has built one of the most consequential careers in comedy.

Persons: Conan O’Brien, O’Brien, “, ”, Jon Stewart, Johnny Carson, Craig Kilborn, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Bill Hader, Eric André, Nikki Glaser Locations: New York, Los Angeles

☆ ‘You unite people,’ Pope Francis tells star-studded cast of global comedians in Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Christopher Lamb | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —As world leaders gather in Italy for a summit addressing entrenched global crises, Pope Francis hosted an international gathering of a different sort on Friday to broadcast his own message – of the importance of humor. The leader of the Catholic Church hosted the equivalent of a conclave of comedians in the Vatican by inviting Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others to the Vatican. Over 200 people were in the audience at the Apostolic Palace, with more than 100 comedians from 15 countries. You denounce abuses of power; you give voice to forgotten situations; you highlight abuses; you point out inappropriate behavior,” Pope Francis added. US President Joe Biden, a Catholic who has a warm relationship with Francis, is among the leaders expected to be present at the gathering.

Persons: Pope Francis, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis, Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Goldberg, Louis, Pope, ” –, ” Pope Francis, ”, Joe Biden, Francis, Francis ’, Tig Notaro, Jim Gaffigan, Colbert, Fallon, O’Brien, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Organizations: CNN, Catholic Church, Catholic, Venice Biennale Locations: Italy, Ukraine, Venice, Vatican

☆ Opinion | The Truth Hurts — Especially When Bill Maher Dishes It Out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Back in 2013, I got a call from Bill Maher. He was being hit with a lawsuit by Donald Trump and thought it would be “comedy gold” for my column. Maher offered to give $5 million to charity if he could see the birth certificate of Trump, who had offered $5 million to charity for records to verify the birthplace of President Barack Obama. “He’s not even a real person,” an exasperated Maher told Conan O’Brien about Trump at the time. I told Maher that it wasn’t worth writing about Trump and his silly lawsuits and risible presidential aspirations.

Persons: Bill Maher, Donald Trump, Bill Maher ”, Trump, Maher, Barack Obama, Trump’s, Fred Trump, Michael Cohen, “ He’s, ”, Conan O’Brien, J.R . Ewing Organizations: Trump Locations: “ Dallas

☆ On This Saturday Night, Colin Jost’s Jokes Fell Flat
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Jason Zinoman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

People in the media have long worried about the impact of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on journalism. Colin Jost’s set this year does not belong in that pantheon. With long pauses between jokes, eyes darting side to side, he occasionally took a drink of water and at least once acknowledged the lack of laughter in the room. His jokes leaned on wordplay more than a specific or novel perspective. “Some incredible news organizations here,” began one of his pricklier jokes, finished by: “Also, some credible ones.”

Persons: Trevor Noah, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Conan O’Brien, Wanda Sykes, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Larry Wilmore, Michelle Wolf, Colin Jost’s, Michael Che, ” Organizations: White, ’

☆ Biden is skipping a Super Bowl interview for the second year in a row. It’s part of a larger media strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —President Joe Biden will be sitting on the sidelines this Sunday as the campaign for the 2024 election heats up. Regardless, the Super Bowl snub reflects a larger Biden strategy: The president is leaning far less than his predecessors on the traditional media apparatus to get his message out, opting instead for alternative mediums to address the American people. “We are being less traditional because less people get their news from traditional mediums than ever before,” the Biden campaign official said. Biden’s media strategy has renewed such questions, with critics skewering him for keeping an arm’s length from the establishment press. While the president has regularly engaged in gaggles with the White House press corps, such forums don’t naturally lend themselves to the type of aggressive questioning that might come in a sit-down interview.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Conan O’Brien, Anderson Cooper, skewering, Scott Pelley, Fareed Zakaria, “, ” Andrew Bates, Martha Kumar, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Frank Sesno —, George Washington, Public Affairs —, ” Sesno, he’s Organizations: New York CNN, White, CBS News, Biden, YouTube, South, “, CNN, White House, CNN White House, George Washington University’s School of Media, Public Affairs Locations: New York, South Carolina

☆ President Biden to skip second consecutive Super Bowl interview, citing Americans’ politics fatigue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The pregame presidential interview is a relatively young tradition, stretching back only to Barack Obama’s first year in office, and one that Donald Trump skipped once himself. “We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned in for — the game,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt told CNN. In past years, the Super Bowl presidential interviews often drove news coverage for days. But the Biden White House has always been skeptical of the value of doing so, in part due to anxiety that a flub could become an unwanted distraction. Biden’s last major interview was on comedian Conan O’Brien’s podcast, recorded at the White House in December.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Barack Obama’s, Donald Trump, It’s, ” Biden, Kamala Harris, Ben LaBolt, Conan O’Brien’s Organizations: CNN, Advisers, Kansas City Chiefs, Super, San Francisco 49ers, MAGA, NFL, Democratic Party, White House, White, Saturday’s South Carolina Democratic, House, Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Lions, Green Bay Packers, Biden White Locations: Saturday’s, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ ‘SmartLess’ podcast is going to SiriusXM for $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | Elizabeth Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes are ditching Amazon and taking their popular podcast “SmartLess” to SiriusXM, the satellite radio network said Monday. SiriusXM gained exclusive rights to the hit podcast as part of a larger deal with SmartLess Media, according to an announcement Monday. The deal keeps the podcast widely available, but brings perks to SiriusXM subscribers – and could possibly encourage more to join. SiriusXM has about 34 million subscribers, according to its October 2023 earnings report. The “SmartLess” podcast is among the top listened to in the country.

Persons: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, SiriusXM, ”, Will, O’Brien’s, Conan, Joe Biden, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Greta Gerwig, Idris Elba, Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, ” Scott Greenstein, ‘, CNN’s Sergio Padilla Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, SmartLess Media, Sirius, Bloomberg, Amazon, “, Spotify Locations: New York, SiriusXM

☆ David Letterman Ends Conspicuous Absence From ‘The Late Show’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It started much like the way it ended for David Letterman. There he came, striding onto the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Monday night, to a standing ovation and a chorus of chants of “Da-vid! “Stephen,” Mr. Letterman said as he sat down. Mr. Letterman has been no stranger to the limelight since he stepped down from his late-night gig. He has done Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show several times; Seth Meyers’s late night show; Ellen DeGeneres’s daytime talk show; Howard Stern’s radio show; Dax Shepard’s podcast; Marc Maron’s podcast; Conan O’Brien’s podcast.

Persons: David Letterman, striding, Ed Sullivan, “, Letterman, ”, Stephen Colbert, “ Stephen, ” Mr, Colbert, —, Jimmy Kimmel’s, Seth Meyers’s, Ellen DeGeneres’s, Howard, Dax Shepard’s, Marc Maron’s, Conan O’Brien’s Organizations: “, CBS, Netflix, Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC, Philipps

☆ ‘Albert Brooks: Defending My Life’ Review: Comedy Meets Integrity
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner Photo: HBOThe status of Albert Brooks in American comedy is a curious thing. Is that a subtext of “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life”? Albert Brooks: Defending My Life Saturday, 8 p.m., HBOMany of the people whom director Rob Reiner has throwing bouquets during this documentary— Steven Spielberg , Larry David , Jon Stewart , Conan O’Brien and Sharon Stone among them—are all more famous than Mr. Brooks, but genuflect before his comedic genius. Larry David, whose own brand is all about kvetchiness, virtually gushes while recalling a compliment he got from Mr. Brooks. When David Letterman says, “I would rather have Albert’s career than my career,” you believe him.

Persons: Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner, “ Albert Brooks, Steven Spielberg, Larry David, Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Sharon Stone, Brooks, David Letterman, “, ” Organizations: HBO

☆ The Talk Shows Have Labor Pains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( James Poniewozik | More About James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But as this year’s strike went on, the guild and its vocal supporters made clear that any hosts restarting their shows during this walkout would not be showered with likes. members have said that something like his return to air would today be considered strikebreaking because airing the show inevitably involves creative work that constitutes writing. The producers of today’s returning talk shows, of course, disagree. Regardless, I don’t think today’s backlash is the result of contract wording or a philosophical shift on the nature of the scribe’s craft. (David Letterman returned to air with a full staff because his production company, Worldwide Pants, struck its own deal with the writers.)

Persons: Conan O’Brien’s, NBC’s, ’, O’Brien, ”, —, today’s, peck, Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, aughts iconhood Organizations: Gallup Locations: Kentucky, America

☆ ‘You can’t f*cking remember that?’ Harrison Ford mocks Conan O’Brien about iconic role
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Why Iran and Cuba Turned Their Back on the U.S. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Peter Beinart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

One reason Cuba still needs Beijing’s money is that the Biden administration has kept key Trump sanctions in place. When the two countries signed the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister at the time, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called it “not a ceiling but a solid foundation. We must now begin to build on it.” Iran’s leaders, like Cuba’s, hoped better relations with the United States would spur Western investment. Mr. Trump canceled the nuclear deal and reimposed harsh sanctions. This isn’t the first time the United States has driven smaller nations into the arms of its superpower adversaries.

Persons: Obama, Conan O’Brien, Andrew Cuomo, Steve Nash, Michael J, Bustamante, ’, Donald Trump, Evan Ellis, Biden, Mohammad Javad Zarif, ”, Zarif, Hassan Rouhani, Trump, ” Fredrik Logevall, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Viet Minh Organizations: University of Miami, White, Wall Street, Cuban, U.S . Army, College, Trump, National Security, Strategic Services, Japan Locations: Cuban, Havana, University of Miami Cuba, Cuba, America, China, Iran, United States, Moscow, Russia, Ho Chi, France, Viet

☆ Fact Check-Interview clips do not show Buzz Aldrin saying moon landing was fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An online video combining clips from three Buzz Aldrin interviews do not show him saying the first moon landing was faked, but users are sharing the video as though Aldrin “admits” that Apollo 11 did not land on the moon. An example of a tweet including the text “’Buzz Aldrin’ Admits the moon landing was FAKE!” can be seen (here). The moon landing took place on July 20, 1969, with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin emerging from the Apollo 11 Lunar Module and taking the first human steps on the lunar surface. Reuters has also previously debunked claims that the moon landing was faked (here), (here), (here). The spliced clips from interviews with Buzz Aldrin do not show him saying that the 1969 moon landing was faked or didn’t happen.

☆ Adam Sandler honored with Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor and comedian Adam Sandler waves as he is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2023. REUTERS/Joshua RobertsWASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Actor and comedian Adam Sandler became the 24th recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, at an evening event featuring stars Jennifer Aniston, Chris Rock and Conan O’Brien to celebrate his comedy and career. With the White House a short distance from the Kennedy Center, some presenters touched on politics. Sandler joins the ranks of other comedians who have received the Mark Twain Prize, including Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Carol Burnett, Eddie Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres. The prize is named after novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain.

Weird Al, known for taking famous pop and rock songs and sending them up by rewriting the lyrics. It began as a fake movie trailer that director Eric Appel made in 2013 as a sketch for Funny or Die. It featured Aaron Paul, Olivia Wilde, Gary Cole, Mary Steenburgen, Patton Oswalt and yes, Weird Al. Yankovic noted that the day after the trailer came out, “if you did a Google search for Weird Al, the first thing is, ‘Did Weird Al date Madonna?’ Everybody wanted to know. Weird Al Yankovic during a photo shoot in Los Angeles in 1984.

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