Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995                   TAG: 9509150033
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GAIL SHISTER KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

O'BRIEN WEATHERS TWO YEARS ON `LATE NIGHT'

Don't look now, but NBC's Conan O'Brien - The Little-Known Talk-Show Host That Could - Wednesday celebrated his second anniversary as David Letterman's successor on ``Late Night.''

``I wouldn't say I'm surprised at this milestone,'' O'Brien says. ``I didn't get into this to fail miserably. I always felt if we were given the time, we could pull it together and have a good show.''

Oh, really? O'Brien, a former writer for ``The Simpsons'' with virtually no on-air experience, could hear the clock ticking every 13 weeks until last spring, when NBC renewed his contract for nine whole months.

``There were times early on that I thought it would be great to make it to six months,'' says O'Brien, 32, whose on-air discomfort was so obvious that some critics urged NBC to put him out of his misery. ``I used to know exactly when each contract was up.''

Despite the anxiety created by 13-week renewals, O'Brien says they ``didn't seem out of line to me. I'm not a Leno or a Letterman. Besides, when you do a show with a lot of original comedy five days a week for a couple of million people, increments of anxiety don't mean much. Who really notices?''

Conan does.

Now that he has NBC's confidence until mid-'96, ``my over-riding emotion is happiness. When you've eaten Spaghetti-O's for a while, it feels good when somebody serves you veal. Not that I don't like Spaghetti-O's. They're the best pasta you can get in a can.''

With or without canned pasta, O'Brien describes his growing ease in front of the camera as ``a natural evolution,'' due in no small part ``to wearing all-cotton, not polyester blends. Cotton breathes.''

But seriously, folks, much of O'Brien's confidence comes from being given the time ``to figure it out and set my own level.'' Not to mention getting a handle on his once-uncontrollable pompadour.

``We're using hydraulics now,'' O'Brien says. ``It takes about 40 minutes before every show. The process uses up to 6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure, which is why the lights flicker.''

In real life, O'Brien's heart flickers for ``Late Night'' booker Lynn Kaplan, 26, his girlfriend of 18 months. He won't discuss details, but O'Brien does reveal that the two lovebirds are planning a remake of ``Bridget Loves Bernie.''

Conan loves CBS ``Late Late Show'' host Tom Snyder, even though they've been competitors.

``We don't have the Leno-Letterman rivalry going on. None of this `I'll get you, Red Baron!' shaking our fists at each other. Fortunately, Tom and I do different shows. It feels like we're two guys with concession stands who agree to work different sides of the street.''

As of tonight, O'Brien and Snyder will no longer be on the air at the same time in the Roanoke area. WSLS (Channel 10) is moving "Late Night" to 1:35 a.m. to make room for "Stephanie Miller," a new talk show.