JESSICA STEWIN
The Manitoban

WINNIPEG (CUP) — In a post with the fitting title “No Bread for the Redhead,” TMZ reported that Conan O’Brien isn’t making any money from his upcoming 30-city comedy tour.

Rather, the former Tonight Show host is reportedly doing the whole thing so he can employ his former staff members. There are expected to be about 40 people that make up the tour production staff, many of whom worked with O’Brien during his short-lived stint on the Tonight Show.

But while this philanthropic move by O’Brien adds to his credibility and might make him the boss of the year, the move to do the shows without a payout to him is really no skin off his back. The O’Brien team received US$45 million from NBC after leaving the show, with $33 million going to the host himself.

For those who have forgotten about the scandal in January — or maybe for those who have just recently emerged from under a rock — Conan lost the job as host of the Tonight Show when NBC decided to bring Jay Leno back to his old time slot that Conan had taken over. NBC offered O’Brien the opportunity to host a show at 12:05 a.m., after Leno, but O’Brien turned down the offer and took a $45-million buyout package from the network instead.

Despite generating mixed support and criticism as host of the Tonight Show, being replaced by Leno resulted in widespread sympathy and exceptional publicity during the dispute. Although it was expected that O’Brien would take a late-night slot with another network, nothing has been announced yet — though is contract stipulates that he can’t appear on TV again until September 2010.

So he announced a tour. O’Brien has promised that the show will be “a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence.”

The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour has been selling tickets fast with new dates being added, which is good news for the crew. The tour will include O’Brien’s sidekick Andy Richter and likely bandleader Max Weinberg as well.

Currently, there are 33 cities on the comedy tour, including three Canadian stops. O’Brien’s tour is set to kick off on April 12, making a stop at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver April 13 and 14, a casino in Enoch, Alta. on April 17, and Massey Hall in Toronto on May 22.

O’Brien is the social network cause that kicked off 2010. Statuses, tweets, posts and blogs spread like wildfire in a flurry of support for the lanky redhead. As the tour approaches, the comedian is once again on the minds of many as they join Facebook groups like “I’m With Coco” or follow the comedian on Twitter. He’s the wall-post king of the moment, but it remains to be seen whether his Internet support translates into sales.

There are new dates being added and tickets are nearly sold out. This is in contrast to when his fans were unable to turn their televisions to NBC to watch his show, leading to abysmal ratings and its eventual cancellation. Ticket prices for the Canadian shows are upwards of $58.

The success of the tour hinges on these fans’ ability to show their apparent support it a tangible way. With tickets almost sold out and new dates being added, it could be speculated that the guilt felt by fans for not tuning in to O’Brien on the Tonight Show might motivate them to purchase tickets to his show and demonstrate their commitment to “Team Coco.”

Conan O’Brien has the air of the underdog, and who doesn’t want to root for the underdog? His self-deprecating humor, oddball appearance and perception of having been tossed aside like a dirty rag make O’Brien an easy fan favourite. Those supporting his cause don’t like to mention the large severance package he received, but rather fix their eyes on his heroic efforts to keep his staff employed, going on tour without any profit to himself.

The so-called selfless tour on O’Brien’s behalf is a curious case. O’Brien’s efforts to keep his staff employed seem respectable enough, but what’s the game plan? Is O’Brien looking to raise support before he begins another show? Like a politician coming to your door to put a sign on your front yard, O’Brien is looking for his fans to plant their support on their homepage. It’s a digital campaign, and while the message is not “O’Brien for president,” it isn’t absurd to think that he is doing this tour to rally the troops for his next major venture. We’ll have to wait and see if O’Brien can keep his fans as dedicated as they are when another TV show starts.

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image: Team Coco