Daly news

Carson Daly addressed his decision to return to work in his monologue Monday night on the first new episode of NBC's late-night talk show "Last Call With Carson Daly" since the writers strike started Nov. 5. Daly became the first late-night talk show host to go back to work when he began taping new episodes last week.

The transcript of his monologue follows:

Thank you, how are you? It's good to see the batteries in the applause sign still work after a month, that's nice. Welcome to the show everybody, I'm Carson Daly.

It is nice to be here. Obviously this is our very first show back since the writers strike started on Nov. 5. We have halted production for a month to support our writers and the strike.

Recently there's been a few articles in the newspaper regarding us being the first late night show to return. And I feel here at the top of the show, I quickly wanted to just address some of those things, then we're going to go continue being the ridiculous show that we are with no writing.

(Applause)

The first thing I wanted to mention was there was a lot of speculation in these recent articles as to why we're back tonight, many of which were completely false. There's really a couple of reasons why we are back, the main reason being, and I don't know how this happened but we ran out of repeats.

A month is a long time. I was watching the show, which I normally don't do on Friday night, it was a repeat and in it, I made a stupid joke about the band Creed, and it dawned on me that people might think that Creed reunited, and I thought well now I have to come back on the air. I can't have people running around thinking that band got back together, they are not back together.

No, there's one reason we are back tonight. We are the first late-night show back on TV, I believe. That reason is that if I had not been back on the air tonight 75 members of my loyal staff and crew were going to get laid off, that's really the only reason. These are people that are in this room, there people that when we moved this show from NY to LA uprooted their lives, moved there families all out of loyalty to me. Came out here, a lot of there efforts aren't seen on camera, some of them are working the cameras. But they have a bit of a thankless job compared to some of us, and they've been loyal to me.

And when the challenge was put it front of me which was a very simple ultimatum if you will, you either come back or they're laid off, I said lets turn the lights on I'm going to come back, its that simple, and that's why I'm back tonight.

(Applause)

And by the way, I'm back not like I want to be I miss my writers, none of this is written...clearly. Penny our cue card girl is catching up on gossip right now, I mean, it's not fun to be out here with no safety net and no writers. I don't know what we are going to do moving forward the rest of this week, but I'll figure it out.

I also want to mention there has been a lot of talk in the press. They like to lump us, and it's nice, it's an honor, to be mentioned in the elite group of late-night shows. We look like a late-night show, and let's be honest here, its 1:30 in the morning, there were two massive late night shows, entities, on before us. We have Joe Firstman our house band, we have guests, we do bands, we look like a late-night show, we look like a car in the late-night fleet, but believe me when I tell you, under our hood is a 1982 Pinto engine, OK. We barely move as a late-night show, we don't have much, but we love what we have.

And we'll figure it out, maybe we'll tweak the show a little bit, maybe we'll do more interviews, it will be an opportunity for more bands, you know how I feel about music I'll put more bands on, more young people that have talent that want a shot on late night television we'll have them on. I'll call my mom a lot.

We'll do other things and we'll get by, and that's really it.

(Applause)

Comments

[English Man]

All you strikers are being ridiculous! For the rest of us around the world you are spoiling what we have been paying for for years. We are not being entertained by your selfishness for more money. There will be such a dry spell soon that there will be no influx of cash injected back into the system by yours truly, the consumer. Cinemas around the world will be empty and thus there will be cut-backs. Haha, you're all going to be bitten on the behind in a year or so, you fools! And all for a few more dollars in your pockets! As if you're helping the economy right now anyway. Get back to work or lose more than your house, you'll lose the industry...

Do you remember many years ago why you joined the film and television industry? It was for the love of it. To be involved and see your work up there on the big screen (and little ones, too!). But you're all getting like the rest of them and more money won't solve this problem because it's showing me that your strike out there in your little LA bubble is just as selfish as the rest of your country when it comes to the environment.

I very much doubt I will continue to purchase DVD's in the future. I will use Limewire from now on of which I was very much against. You don't deserve my money and in recent conversations on the radio, television and in general I am not the only one who is going to boycott buying your products.

Get a life!

[Andy Martin (Australia)]

Here bloody here, Englishman!

I couldn't have put it better myself...

I stopped buying DVD's within the first month of the strike whereas I normally would but two or three per week. Many of my friends have started to do the same, too. Some of them have even thought about making their own movies.

Let's spread the world and bring down this overpaid industry anyway.

A. Martin (Australia)