NBC: The price of dumb decisions?

AM I THE ONLY person in the world who isn't seriously caught up in the celebrity shuffle at NBC featuring Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien? I mean, here are two well-paid, well-fed comedians (I'm told) whose bosses have tried to turn them on a splashy new axis to gain viewers. And the national media haven't got enough of it. Apparently, the front office at NBC should have left well-enough alone, which is often the case these days as dumb decisions are passed down from the top by folks who ought to know better - but don't. Leno will be back to his old spot; and O'Brien will end up somewhere else. Blah. Blah. Blah.

However, the vein that is being tapped, whether on Wall Street, sports and television is generating great wealth for the losers. Bonuses at the big banks, payoffs for departing coaches and, in this instance, O'Brien. When Charlie Weis was fired at Notre Dame, he is said to have received upward of $30 million for coaching another mediocre performance by the Fighting Irish. O'Brien will match that out the door. Obviously, recessions aren't for everybody.