StarBulletin.com

Brief Asides


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POSTED: Monday, January 25, 2010

GO AWAY FEE

How do we get aboard the 'Tonight Show' gravy train?

Hey, give us $45 million and we'll go away.

That's the total package NBC is shelling out to Conan O'Brien, the comedian and (now-former) host of “;The Tonight Show.”; The settlement will pay O'Brien $32.5 million, essentially a buyout of the remaining 2 1/2 years of his contract. NBC will also pay $12 million to others associated with the show, including some 200 staffers.

All that money will clear the way for prime-time-ratings-deprived Jay Leno to retake the “;Tonight Show”; helm.

Where, or where, will “;CoCo”; end up? (Yes, in addition to the hefty sum to go away, the two-weeks-long late-night brouhaha left O'Brien with a catchy nickname, as well as a boost in ratings and visibility.)

Fox TV is already reported to be circling—so don't be surprised to see O'Brien back on air soon after September, when he's free to start working again. Leno versus O'Brien versus Letterman. Oh, the drama ... the suspense ... And viewers thought soap operas aired only in the daytime.

 

RISKY WORLD

Just because it's new doesn't mean there isn't something wrong with it

Lately, it seems, “;total recall”; is connoting much more than just an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

Tylenol? Johnson & Johnson recently recalled some of its popular over-the-counter drugs—including Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph's aspirin—because of a moldy smell that has made people sick.

Toyota? Some 2.3 million of its cars and trucks were recalled last week due to faulty accelerators. Earlier, 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles were recalled due to the possibility of floor mats jamming gas pedals.

Graco strollers? Potentially dangerous, due to a canopy hinge that has amputated tots' fingertips.

Baby cribs? The latest recall last week involved 635,000 Dorel Asia cribs whose drop side dangerously detaches, creating a space in which a tot can become entrapped.

It's tough being a consumer nowadays; risk seems to have crossed beyond the realm of scams into innocent, legitimate purchases.

Caveat emptor—let the buyer beware.