Conan O' Brien's open letter

allow me to veer away from oscar talk for a minute here and let me share with you all the open letter released by the beleaguered tonight show host conan o'brien.

here is the letter as posted on the TMZ website:

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People of Earth:


In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. 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. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. 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.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,
Conan

[500] days of summer earns WGA nomination!

my favorite movie of the year is in the running for best original screenplay! yay!

`Avatar,' `Trek,' `Hangover' earn WGA award noms

LOS ANGELES – The sci-fi tales "Avatar" and "Star Trek," the comedy "The Hangover" and the recession-era story "Up in the Air" were among nominees announced Monday for best screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.

Writer-director James Cameron's "Avatar" and "The Hangover," written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, were nominated for original screenplay.

They are up against Mark Boal for the Iraq War saga "The Hurt Locker," Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for the romance "(500) Days of Summer," and Joel and Ethan Coen for their 1960s comic drama "A Serious Man."

"Star Trek" collaborators Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman are competing for adapted screenplay against "Up in the Air" writer-director Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner.

Also nominated are Scott Cooper for the country music tale "Crazy Heart," Nora Ephron for her Julia Child story "Julie & Julia," and Geoffrey Fletcher for the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' By Sapphire."

The guild honors potentially give a boost for the films' prospects at the Academy Awards, where screenplay nominations are chosen by the writers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscar nominations come out Feb. 2.

Among documentary nominees were Michael Moore for his recession study "Capitalism: A Love Story," and Chris Rock and co-writers Jeff Stilson, Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar for "Good Hair," a look at black-hair culture.

Other documentary nominees were Richard Trank for "Against the Tide"; Mark Monroe for "The Cove"; Robert Stone for "Earth Days"; and Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman for "Soundtrack for a Revolution."

The guild presents its awards Feb. 20 in simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

oscar shortlist for best makeup bared!

"District 9," "Star Trek" in hunt for makeup Oscar
By Gregg Kilday Gregg Kilday

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Queen Victoria, Vulcans and the aliens of "District 9" all remain in contention for the Oscar for best makeup.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday released a shortlist of seven films that remain in competition in the makeup category for the Academy Awards on March 7.

They are "District 9," "Il Divo," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," "The Road," "Star Trek" and "The Young Victoria."

The number will be whittled down to three after the members of the Academy's makeup branch hold a vote on January 23, and those films will be announced -- along with the nominees in all the other categories -- on February 2.