Conan O’Brien will kick off his first night as host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” with Will Ferrell – who was his last guest on “Late Night” – and grunge icons Pearl Jam – but the funny man warns fans not to expect miracles.
“I’m not going to cure cancer on the first show, and I’m not going to jump Snake River Canyon. I’m not going to levitate. Sometimes people forget this is the first show of what I hope will be many, many, many shows,” Conan told the Associated Press last week.
But one thing is for certain; Conan’s wacky style of humor will be present in his new time slot.
“I’m a jacka**, there’s no changing that,” he told reporters last week on a NBC conference call, “But I want the guests to look good.”
The former “Late Night” host said his main job is to bring the humor.
“What’s the most important thing for ‘The Tonight Show?’ ‘The Tonight Show’ needs to be funny,” he explained. “And I think if ‘The Tonight Show’ is really funny, you can experience it at 11:30 or you can watch it on your computer the next morning while you’re eating your oatmeal.”
Conan is also bringing his “Late Show” theme song with him, along with the Max Weinberg 7.
“You don’t change your theme in the middle of your career,” he said.
The new “Tonight Show” is also bringing back something else Conan fans are fond of – Andy Richter, who will serve as the show’s announcer and partake in sketch comedy bits.
Another surprising perk that Conan is excited about when not taping in his new art deco style studio on the Universal Studios lot – wrecking havoc on unsuspecting theme park guests.
“The first thing we have to do is screw with the tram,” Conan said with a laugh.
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