Step back from the guacamole dip. Put the chicken fingers down. Bruce Springsteen's drummer will stay that way for now.It looks as though drummer Max Weinberg of Late Night with Conan O'Brien's Max Weinberg 7 won't be going to L.A. when O'Brien makes the jump to The Tonight Show this summer.
The New York Post breaks the situation down like this: Weinberg has too many ties to the East Coast and the E Street Band and moving to L.A. would just complicate things too much. Plus, his true bread and butter is playing for Springsteen and moving to the other side of the continent could cause a huge strain on him and his family.
The Post claims that Weinberg wasn't able to sell his big-ass estate in New Jersey (big-ass is an actual real estate term in New Jersey). He also hasn't had much luck finding a place to stay in L.A., which should tell you just how bad things really are in this country when even the band leader of a 12:30 late night show can't buy a decent home. Hunter S. Thompson was right.
But worst of all, Weinberg doesn't want to give up his season tickets to the New Jersey Devils. Neither does the New Jersey Devils, because he's their only fan.
Don't fret fellow Conan-heads (that's a new thing I'm trying to start now. I already got the patent paperwork filled out). There are two good ways to look at it. One, if the story is true, that means there are only a handful of shows left before O'Brien leaves Late Night for good. So the show is bound to capitalize on this and will spend their remaining episodes roasting Weinberg over the coals in ways coals haven't been roasted before. Two, the story was broken by that beacon of journalistic integrity known as the New York Post, so calling it a story is giving it a HUGE benefit of the doubt.
I personally don't want to see Weinberg leave. He made a perfect sidekick for Conzie when Andy Richter chose to leave the show. He's got the best stonef ace in the business since Bob Newhart. The network sees that too and they are trying everything in their power, short of promising him Highlander-esque immortality, to keep him on the new show.
So if it will convince him to make the risky but important move to L.A., I'm willing to do what I have to help the man out. Max, if you're reading this, I'll make this easy on you. As a duly designated representative of the Late Night viewing audience, if you decide to go to L.A., I'll look after your Devils season tickets. It's the least we can do.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-05-2009 @ 2:50PM
JW said...
As recently as 2 years ago, Max had owned a couple LA area properties.
http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/max-weinberg-gets-64m-for-santa-monica-house-also-unloads-brentwood-mansion/
http://realestalker.blogspot.com/search?q=weinberg
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2-05-2009 @ 3:01PM
Pingles said...
I wonder why Conan has to move the production anyways.
Just for guest convenience?
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2-05-2009 @ 3:29PM
Alvaro said...
Pingles said...
I wonder why Conan has to move the production anyways.
Just for guest convenience?
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Im Guessing bc the Tonight show hasn always been in LA, to keep tradition.
But if Leno is staying in LA (dont know if its true) wont he and Conan be competing for guests, or will somebody promoting a movie go to two shows on the same network the same week?
ANd of course theyll choose the 10 pm show over the 1145 one
I really dont like how the handled this thing with Conan
and Im a Kimmel and Letterman guy
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2-05-2009 @ 3:38PM
Carl said...
The Tonight Show moved to LA from New York in 1972, 10 years after Johnny Carson took over, and 18 years after Steve Allen started it all.
NBC wants 'presence' on both coasts and convenience for its guests. I don't see Conan as an "LA" guy -- I'm not sure that he ever will become an LA guy like Johnny Carson became, but he's got several years ahead of himself to make the adjustment.
2-05-2009 @ 3:49PM
Alvaro said...
The Tonight Show moved to LA from New York in 1972, 10 years after Johnny Carson took over, and 18 years after Steve Allen started it all
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I did not know that
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2-05-2009 @ 4:02PM
Todd said...
Unfortunately 80% of people reading this will not get your reference, but I chuckled.
2-05-2009 @ 6:01PM
Boomstick said...
I did!
2-05-2009 @ 4:47PM
Zachary said...
Probability this will improve the show: 1
Probability that I will watch: 0
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2-05-2009 @ 6:57PM
ac said...
So hopefully they will get to lable him an "ass" with a giant red stamp one more time before he leaves. And will the rest of the band stay? I cant picture anyone else doing the "In the year 2000" voice but LaBamba. Also they are the only in house band to get really involved in the comedy of the show. And not in the annoying way Paul Shaffier(sp?) does.
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2-05-2009 @ 6:59PM
Paul said...
I had hoped Max and the band would move along to the new show, but with it being in L.A., I had just assumed it wouldn't happen.
The fact that NBC supposedly wants it to happen, and will do whatever it can to make it happen, is actually MORE promising than things seemed before. So that's a plus. I know he's a New Jersey boy through and through, so I could see that being an issue, but as far as playing with Bruce is concerned, I don't see how taking time off and flying out of L.A. would be much different than now, when he takes time off and flies out of NYC.
12 more episodes of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" left... ever! For someone who's been watching since Day 1 (when I was only 12 years old), this is going to be REALLY weird for me.
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2-05-2009 @ 8:19PM
jonathan said...
why did i hear this morning on the radio the he will be moving to LA with the blessing of the boss and for the love of conan.
i thought he was going to stay out there too, but i did hear he was definitely coming to la. i was very happy to hear it too. sooo could be bs.
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2-10-2009 @ 11:27AM
Mark said...
Conan is too silly NOT funny that robot thing and silly jump. I switch between Leno and Letterman they are funny NOT silly and have class......Leno at 10:00 is up against CBS and ABC forget it..No way
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