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Now Conan, *that’s* how to handle an eclipse to your natal Sun.

The basic plotline of what’s being called “the latest late-night wars” is, by now, familiar.  Nearly six years ago, Jay Leno announced that he would step down as the host of “The Tonight Show” in 2009, and his network, NBC, promised that the most coveted of talk show duties would then be handed off to Conan O’Brien.  When the day of reckoning came, Leno stepped down and into a steaming pile of… five hours of primetime per week, beginning at 10:00 p.m., an idea that sounded good to absolutely no one except the dunces at NBC. Predictably, the show bombed, and NBC and Leno soon ran afoul of network affiliates who were losing ratings for their local newscasts, which followed Leno’s show, because few were willing to stick it out through a full hour of Leno just to get their local news.  Meanwhile, in a chilling domino effect, O’Brien’s ratings were tanking as well. It soon became clear that the experiment was not working. So at this point the smart money would have said, “Okay, so Jay walks away, he’s probably richer than God by now, he’ll find something else to do. NBC can develop some worthwhile programming for the 10:00 slot, affiliates and Conan will see an improvement in their ratings, and everyone’s happy.”

The smart money would have had it absolutely wrong. Instead, NBC decided to move Leno back to 11:30, after local news, for a half an hour, followed by an hour of Conan. Although the blow must have stung like a slap across the face with a wet fish, O’Brien pulled himself together and released an amusing and heartfelt statement to the press, announcing that he would pass on this “opportunity.”

For Conan O’Brien, walking away cannot have been an easy decision. This is a job he’d waited years for (many of them toiling away in NBC’s late night slot following Leno) – a job that’s been the acme of talk show hosting since Johnny Carson’s tenure – and he had been given a scant seven months to prove he could make it work.

Perhaps fittingly, tonight’s Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn makes a close square to O’Brien’s natal Sun at 28 Aries. I’ve often described eclipses in aspect to the natal Sun as signifying a moment when you have to step up and claim the crown to your own kingdom – and that’s exactly what Conan O’Brien has done here. By refusing to accept a tarnished crown, refusing to languish any longer in someone else’s shadow, O’Brien has truly graduated to the big leagues. He’s stepping farther into his role as the regent of his own life. It must feel scary – and exciting as hell.

For an indepth look at the astrology of the late night wars, see Lynn Hayes’ fine analysis – including birth data for Leno and O’Brien – here.

1 comment to " Now Conan, *that’s* how to handle an eclipse to your natal Sun. "

  • pdw

    Oh yeah, eclipsed in his house of show business (Capricorn 5th), it must feel scary – and exciting as hell for Conan the contrarian now. Looks like he has a golden parachute for just this kind of freefall, though – Aries Sun trine Uranus at ASC – and Mars Rx in his 12th for a ripcord.

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