Palin and Simon and Jay oh my! Part 2

So it's finally done... $45 million for Conan. I guess if NBC talks about a round of layoffs, those in fear of losing their jobs should storm the castle. But it done offer proof that television executives aren't very high on the evolutionary chart.
I know that the Conan fan sights are painting Jay as the bad guy. I think instead of wearing black, he might settle more into a shade of gray. It was NBC that five years ago didn't think that "The Tonight Show" would still be number one with Jay at the helm. They didn't want to lose rising star Conan, so they made a deal that would keep both. Fast forward five years, Jay doesn't want to leave and NBC again wants to retain both. Jay could have been the gentleman and stepped aside, but chose not to. So now NBC eats over $45 million (one should probably include the money spent on bringing Conan to the West Coast and the amount of publicity involved).
Unfortunately, the real loser who seems to get lost in the shuffle is Andy Richter. That guy can't seem to catch a break as he's already had three television series canceled. He seems more cursed than the cast of "Seinfeld."
Well, at least it's over, although late night television has just become less funny.

Maybe the NBC executive should have taken a cue from Fox News, who recently hired Sarah Palin. A very shrewd move by both parties included. Fox knows there demographics and with Palin hot off a book tour, and can only help. Meanwhile, Palin keeps in the public eye, giving herself a chance to weigh future options. Talk show? Presidential run? Thelma and Louise-type spree? Who knows? And while I don't agree with the politics, I understand the move.

And Simon leaving "American Idol"? I never really watched the show except for the occasional train wreck the first couple weeks. Of course, with those quickly appearing on-line ("Pants on the Ground" guy), there really is no reason to watch. Simon seemed to be the brutally honest one of the group, and quite frankly, some people need to told they can't sing. Sorry, your parents and friends aren't always the best judge of talent.

Five Things I'm Digging Right Now:

1) "Archer"- Currently on FX, it's a really funny spoof of the secret agent genre. Produced by the guys from "Sealab 2021", another show I loved.

2) The Rolling Stones- I was never a fan in high school, as I was more into the Beatles and the Who. I've been listening to a lot of their pre-1973 stuff lately.

3) "The Daily Show"/"The Colbert Report" - I got behind over the holidays, so I've been watching a lot of episodes. Favorite late night combo (thank you DVR).

4) Pylon- "Gyrate"- Most people aren't familiar with Pylon, which is a shame. Angular, cutting guitars with a danceable beat. They only put out three albums and this would be my second choice.

5) "Avatar"- Sort of. The 3-D and special effects just blew me away. The story... not so much. A couple times Cameron was just showing off without really advancing the story. But I guess if you have cool technology, why not?