Late Night with Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special
"How did you get this talk show?", a seemingly perplexed David Letterman jokes with his successor, Conan O'Brien, in an early clip included on this primetime special. Conan was unknown to the general public when he took the reigns ofLate Night, but he had already established his comedy cred in hipper comedy circles as a writer onSaturday Night LiveandThe Simpsons. And while the prospect of a tenth anniversary show might have seemed unlikely in those early years, Conan and company remadeLate Nightin the host's pop-culture savvy and self-deprecating image. While Conan's fifth anniversary special might have been a nice addition to this disc, this10th Anniversarycelebration is an uproarious recap, sure to have newcomers scratching their heads at suchLate Nightcharacters as Pimpbot 5000 and the Masturbating Bear. Along with the classic clips (William Shatner forgetting the name of his signatureStar Trekcharacter, a practical joke that sends former sidekick Andy Richter naked onto the set ofToday), there are celebrity cameos by Ben Stiller and Mr. T and appearances by Will Ferrell and Jack Black, and breakout star Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. The generous bonus footage collects even more signature moments not included in the special. So, to quote O'Brien's huckster in a commercial spoof: You want to laugh?Late Night with Conan O'Brienhas the guests, the costumes, all laughs, all the time. Come and get it!--Donald Liebenson