Yay America

Unless you've been living in a bomb shelter, you probably heard about Conan O'Brien getting a pre-mature kick in the pants and being booted off of The Tonight Show after only a 7 month run. NBC executives were trying to appease two late night hosts and attempting to make cash at the same time, and Conan just wasn't going for it.

Like many, I was swept up in the madness. For the record, I love Conan's brand of comedy long before the rally cry. My husband and I saw him when he came to Chicago for a week in May '07. I played hooky from work and went to the fabulous Chicago theater (shhhh . . . don't tell). I am a sucker for red hair and self-deprecation.

I changed my Facebook profile picture to this snazzy poster and watched online clips as the jabs escalated to total punches.

My favorite joke from the whole debacle might be when Conan addressed the audience in his monologue on January 15th, saying, "I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too."

At one point, I felt the absurdity was a bit much. Some people have been unemployed for a year. People are dying in Haiti. We still have soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why is everyone getting riled up about who will host a late night comedy show?

But there is something really uplifting in this. It's wonderful to see that Americans still have a hard-working spirit that will fight for those they think have been treated unfairly. Conan has been painted as the loser in this mess, and it's apparent that what Americans want everyone to have is a fair shake.

Conan's escapades have restored my faith in Americans. Well, maybe that's a bit grandiose. Let's say it's half restored my faith? Pie slice restored my faith? Hmmm . . .