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O'Brien: 'There's No Hierarchy' NBC 5 Chicago -- May 9, 2006 CHICAGO -- Late-night funnyman Conan O'Brien honed his comedic chops by being a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. Now, O'Brien works with 14 writers to pen his side-splitting skits, with three scribes hailing from the Chicago area. Late Night With Conan O'Brien will tape at the Chicago Theatre for the next four nights, with plenty of Chicago celebrities sitting next to his desk. O'Brien said Chicago is the best comedy town in the country, and it was an "absolute dream" to perform in Chicago. "I think we're going to have a good time," O'Brien said. "Check it out!" O'Brien graduated from Harvard University, but NBC5's Amy Jacobson reported that he enjoys simple pleasures, such as a sandwich from Potbelly's. Along with O'Brien's talent, there are men and women behind him helping the show come together. Two of those writers are Brian Stack and Kevin Dorff, both of whom are from Chicago. Stack attended St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights and plays, among other characters, Frankenstein. "That's one of the most fun things about it," Stack said. "A lot of us were performers." Both writers are featured in the acts they write. When writer's block hits, O'Brien and his staff bounce ideas off of each other. "There's not much of a hierarchy at the show," O'Brien said. "If I have an idea and the writers don't like it, they tell me. They'll go, 'You're lame -- and old.'" Both men work hard, putting in 13-hour days, Jacobson reported. "It's a really experimental, fun atmosphere where we kind of feel free to try pretty much anything and see if it works," Stack said. For his part, Dorff said he has been busy working sketches in Chicago, such as O'Brien getting in some batting practice with the White Sox, and Dorff promised other surprises. "You can expect to see some people who are known to Chicagoans," Dorff said. "People that have started out here, people who are from here." |