Conan had a pretty big show last night. Here were my favorite monologue jokes:

More fallout from the bad economy. I couldn’t believe this; the bad economy is affecting the numbers of available jobs, so many new college graduates are choosing to spend a year volunteering at a non-profit organization. These non-profit organizations include Chrysler and GM. And NBC is in there too.

Cool story, the other day in Alaska a six year-old girl caught a 138 pound fish. Witnesses say they have never seen such an excited little girl or such an embarrassed weak-ass fish.

And then there was this:

The desk segment was fine, but let’s fast forward to the first couch guest: Kobe Bryant. Here’s the interview:

This interview is one of the reasons why I enjoy late night shows. Over the years I have only seen Kobe from a distance, either running up and down the court or walking into a courtroom. His appearance on Conan allowed me to observe him a little closer, and I’m pleased to see that he has grown quite a bit.

William Shatner was the second couch guest. The interview is seven minutes long, but if you only have one minute before you have to do somewhere else, fast forward to the last minute:

Incubus was the musical guest. They’ve grown up a lot too, but they’re still rockin’.

I give the show a B+.

This is my last late show review until Tuesday, July 7th. You all watch those late shows and talk amongst yourselves. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.

- Woody

I’m back like New Maine! [Wait for laughter to die down.] Ok, let’s get right to my favorite monologue jokes from last night’s Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien:

President Obama right now is in Russia. Yeah Obama went there cause from Russia you can actually see Sarah Palin cleaning out her office in Alaska.

The L.A.P.D. fears riots may break out at tomorrow’s Michael Jackson memorial service in the Staples Center. Their biggest fear is that the gangs from the Beat It video might show up and start trouble.

In California a man says he was beaten up by security guards at Six Flags who accused him of smoking marijuana. Now in his defense, he said he was just following the sign that says you must be this high to ride.

In Turkey there’s a new game show, this is real, a new game show where leaders of different religions compete to try and convert atheists. Yeah, it’s the first ever game show that has an actual lightning round.

Two former contestants from The Biggest Loser, who had a combined weight of 625 pounds, recently had a baby together. The baby weighs 10 pounds 14 ounces and the couple says it was delicious.

And then there was this:

And this:

The desk segment was pretty ridiculous, and therefore kinda funny, but may not be so safe for work:

Howie Mandel was the first couch guest. I kinda like Howie. He seems like a nice guy, and Deal or No Deal is my kinda show, but he doesn’t make me laugh too often. The interview confirmed my world view. The jokes were fast and furious, but they didn’t make me laugh. But he seems like a decent human being.

Alanis Morissette was the second couch guest. She looks great. That’s about it.

Death Cab for Cutie was the musical guest. They were really good.

- Woody

I really enjoy the way Andy Richter announces the opening of the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. It’s got just the right mixture of, “I love you Conan” and “Thanks for giving me my old job back dude.” Plenty of good monologue jokes tonight. Here were my favorites:

His opening joke was hilarious:

In South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who’s trying to bounce back from his sex scandal, has cleared his schedule this week to take a personal trip with his wife. Isn’t that nice? Yeah. Sanford said he wanted to go somewhere exotic and romantic, but he’s going to get this trip with his wife out of the way first.

Yesterday Democrats in the House introduced a one-thousand page national healthcare plan. To make sure at least some people read it they named it Harry Potter and the Half Pound Proposal.

In a recent interview Levi Johnston said that Sarah Palin could never handle the responsibility of being President. Then he said, “Ah hell, where did I leave that
baby?”

A radical Islamic group is holding a rally in Chicago to try and replace the current world order with a global Islamic government. That’s what they want to do. Yeah. They said they chose Chicago because it’s the only place you can fill a stadium full of fanatics devoted to a lost cause.

The desk segments were pretty decent. Not hilarious, but pretty decent:

Dana Carvey was the first couch guest. I’ve enjoyed Dana since his SNL days. He’s very funny and talented. He has an immense amount of energy huge and his impersonations are great. The first half of the interview is worth watching:

The second half was ok, but not required viewing.

Anthony Anderson was the second couch guest. I haven’t watched him on Law and Order, but I’ve seen him in a few movies and thought he either held his own with the stars of the movies or stole the scenes he was in altogether. He didn’t disappoint this time either. He had Conan had good chemistry and the interview was funny.

Allison Iraheta was the musical guest. For a sixteen year-old she did a nice job covering Heart’s Barracuda. Better than I could have done, for sure.

I’m kinda torn between a B+ and an A- for the overall show. I think I’ll go with an A- because of the Levi joke. That’s just how I roll.

- Woody