IN an embarrassing belly-flop, Carson Daly, the MTV star, was a no-show Monday night for the heavily promoted launch of his new late-night NBC show, “Last Call.”
The show was yanked shortly before its 1:35 a.m. debut because he had not signed his contract by airtime.
It was an unheard-of snafu that left the network with egg on its face and got Daly’s new career as a talk-show host off to a stumbling – perhaps fatal – start.
“We were unable to close the deal with Carson Daly for the new late night show ‘Last Call With Carson Daly,’ ” NBC execs said yesterday in a terse statement. “At this time, we’re working toward a resolution and we’re hopeful that we can move forward with the show.”
It was not known specifically what the stumbling block to an agreement was. But it was obvious that just before air time lawyers for Daly would not give permission for the show to debut without a signed contract.
NBC, which already had two editions of the show – one featuring singer Alicia Keyes and another with film star Gwenyth Paltrow – recorded and ready to air, instead substituted a rerun of “SCTV.”
A cable news channel-like crawl that stated: “In lieu of Carson Daly NBC presents an encore presentation of ‘SCTV’.” The last-minute switch even caught the cast and crew of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” off guard.
O’Brien, who doesn’t typically tape a Monday- night show, came into work especially to film a show to help promote the launch of Daly’s “Last Call.”
“Stay tuned for ‘Last Call with Carson Daly,’ ” O’Brien said in the closing moments of his show. “It’s his first episode, check it out.”
“Obviously NBC didn’t want to put him on the air [without a contract] and then come in the next day and find out that everyone [at rival networks] want him now,” a source close to the deal-making said.
“It’s a really hairy situation,” an NBC source said.
“They taped the shows in good faith thinking that everything was going to be fine,” the source said.
“It’s a highly unusual situation,” said New York-based entertainment lawyer Nancy Rose. “This could only happen on a late night show or awards show. If it was a primetime show, movie or mini-series the networks always require a signature before filming begins.”
Daly’s jump to network TV has been long and difficult in coming. As the host of MTV’s live afternoon show, “Total Request Live,” Daly has become the most popular VJ in the history of the music network but he has had trouble selling new ideas to CBS and ABC.