by Shannonn Kelly
00:40AM EST, January, 23, 2009

The final show of the “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” opened with frenzied applause. “We only have one more hour to steal everything in this place.”, said Conan O’Brien as he prepares to get down to business and have some crazy fun at NBC’s expense.

O’Brien’s fans in the studio and on the Internet have been following him since his years as a writer on Saturday Night Live.

They’ve been following him from his perspective, cherishing every zany bit, completely surrendering to their red-headed stepbrother who never gave into the temptation of mediocrity his predecessor and now whining, successor, the piteously unfunny Jay Leno serves nightly. O’Brien really did things his way.

“I can’t host a show for another 7 months. So, next week look for the Andy Richter show with sidekick me.”, O’Brien chuckled. Andy chimed in, “The new show will be on Animal Planet and you’ll be hosting “Kitten Korner’”. O’Brien is free to sign a contract with another network beginning on September 01, 2010.

The funniest joke of his final monlogue was, “HBO. One last request. When you make a movie, I would like to be played by Academy Award winning actress Tilda Swinton.”

O’Brien introduced tonight’s crazy expensive gag by saying , “It’s gonna take NBC several years to pay this off.” – Then the curtain opened to a rare fossil skeleton of a giant ground sloth spraying beluga caviar on a Picasso.” Cost $65 Million. Memory. Priceless.

Steve Carell held a ‘mock exit interview’ with Conan asking insipid questions such as:
“Did anything trigger your decision to leave?”
“Would you consider working for NBC in the future?”

Then Carell quoted George Clooney’s “Up In The Air” one-size-fits-all dismissal speech, asked for O’Brien’s ID badge, which he proceeded to shred.

Tom Hanks, who coined the phrase “Coco” on O’Brien’s 2nd show, came out wearing sunglasses and carrying 2 glasses of scotch. He passed one to Conan. “It’s been some week. Around my house they call this Daddy’s little reward.”, said Hanks. Hanks and O’Brien met first on SNL in 1985 when O’Brien was a writer and Hanks was a host.

Meanwhile on David Letterman, the #1 of his Top Ten, “Things To Be Happy About”
For once things are starting to go Jay Leno’s way.

After a musical number by friend and musical idol Neil Young and the break, Conan thanked NBC in a very heartfelt speech.

“There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can’t say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at “Saturday Night Live,” “The Late Night Show,” and my brief run here on the “Tonight Show,” I have worked with NBC for over 20 years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we’re going to go our separate ways, but this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.

Walking away from the “Tonight Show” is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult,” O’Brien continued. “This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting the “Tonight Show” and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I’ve had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we’ll find a way to make it fun.

Finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life.

All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere,” he concluded. “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.

Will Ferrell closed the show in character as a Lynyrd Skynyrd-esq country rocker with his pregnant old lady Dawn, accompanied by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper, Beck,  and Max Weinberg to name a few. Conan joined the motley group on guitar to break down Free Bird. Of course, Farrell added more cow bell…

Attention Jay Leno: Here’s something you need to put in your notebook – Take a much needed lesson from Conan O’Brien on how to end your show on a bittersweet, yet elegant high note. Giving thanks for all that a person has in their life and their incredible good fortune.

Behind all the crazy antics and hijinks, is a man with class and humility. That is the least of what makes Conan O’Brien’s return to late Night TV a sweet temptation worth waiting for. See you in 7 months Coco…