It seems shocking that Conan O'Brien, tied with Jon Stewart as the funniest person in late-night TV, has been on NBC for 10 years, but it's true. The "Late Night With Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special" featured some of the show's great highlights with the help of famous guest stars.
Throughout the 90-minute clip show, O'Brien was helped by Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Mr. T, John Tesh, Abe Vigoda, William Shatner and former sidekick Andy Richter.
Undoubtedly the funniest moment in the show was the montage of clips featuring the Triumph the Insult Comic Dog puppet. In one part of the segment, Triumph is at the Ziegfield Theatre in New York City talking to rabid Star Wars fans who are waiting to see Episode II. At one point, he asks a man dressed as Darth Vader, "And which of these buttons [on the costume] calls your parents to pick you up?"
It was interesting to see some of the older highlights, because I didn't start watching this show until 1999. Perhaps the funniest moment is when O'Brien plays a game with model Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. In the game, a piece of paper is transferred from her mouth to his. O'Brien points out that they'll be kissing if the paper drops so he grabs some breath spray. Eventually, Romijn-Stamos gives in and kisses O'Brien lightly on the mouth. This causes the Irishman to jump around and throw his chair in unfettered glee.
Other clips featured Richter's best moments, which including a naked encounter with Matt Lauer on "Today," recurring characters of "Late Night" like the Masturbating Bear and some classic interviews. There were also a group of non-related clips ranging from Jim Carrey pretending to be O'Brien to a parody of Bollywood musicals.
It's safe to say that if you don't like O'Brien, you won't start anytime soon. His sense of humor is an acquired taste. I imagine that if you like Monty Python, "The Simpsons" (which O'Brien wrote for) or "Saturday Night Live," you're also a fan of O'Brien's brand.
Anyone who is a fan of O'Brien should have watched or at least taped this 10th anniversary special. It's definitely proof that O'Brien should get more credit than he's given. When it comes to late-night TV, O'Brien is the king.
Josh Spiegel is an entertainment reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
