This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/15/conan-obrien-in-armenia
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Late night with Conan O'Brien... in Armenia | Late night with Conan O'Brien... in Armenia |
| (4 days later) | |
| From herding sheep in traditional clothing to experiencing life in the capital Yerevan, US television host Conan O’Brien says he “dived into Armenian culture headfirst” whilst shooting an edition of his late night talk show in the country. | From herding sheep in traditional clothing to experiencing life in the capital Yerevan, US television host Conan O’Brien says he “dived into Armenian culture headfirst” whilst shooting an edition of his late night talk show in the country. |
| Related: Kim mania as Armenia catches up with the Kardashians | Related: Kim mania as Armenia catches up with the Kardashians |
| The special is due to air on 10 November on the TBS cable channel and will be the first time an American late night show has broadcast from Armenia. | The special is due to air on 10 November on the TBS cable channel and will be the first time an American late night show has broadcast from Armenia. |
| But it’s not the first time the comedian has taken his show on the road. O’Brien shot an episode in Cuba in March this year, making him the first talk show host to broadcast from there since 1959. | But it’s not the first time the comedian has taken his show on the road. O’Brien shot an episode in Cuba in March this year, making him the first talk show host to broadcast from there since 1959. |
| O’Brien says it was his longtime assistant who gave him the idea of visiting Armenia. | O’Brien says it was his longtime assistant who gave him the idea of visiting Armenia. |
| “This all happened because I have an assistant who I’ve worked with for five years, Sona Movsesian, and she is always very active on behalf of the Armenian community of Los Angeles, and she is always talking about Yerevan,” O’Brien said. | “This all happened because I have an assistant who I’ve worked with for five years, Sona Movsesian, and she is always very active on behalf of the Armenian community of Los Angeles, and she is always talking about Yerevan,” O’Brien said. |
| “A few years ago, she asked me to wear a Yerevan T-shirt and she took a picture of me wearing [it], and she put it on Facebook ... and a lot of Armenians saw it and were very excited. And I finally said to Sona: ‘Why don’t I take you to Armenia?’ because she has never been there before.” | “A few years ago, she asked me to wear a Yerevan T-shirt and she took a picture of me wearing [it], and she put it on Facebook ... and a lot of Armenians saw it and were very excited. And I finally said to Sona: ‘Why don’t I take you to Armenia?’ because she has never been there before.” |
| O’Brien said they’ve had a lot of adventures during their five days of filming. | O’Brien said they’ve had a lot of adventures during their five days of filming. |
| “I went to a lot of different places and had a lot of really fun interactions. We tried to explore as much of Yerevan and Armenia as we could ... So I think people will be surprised at how much we actually accomplished while we were here.” | “I went to a lot of different places and had a lot of really fun interactions. We tried to explore as much of Yerevan and Armenia as we could ... So I think people will be surprised at how much we actually accomplished while we were here.” |
| The American comedian said he noticed a few things that seemed strange to him, such as the presence of the fast food chain KFC. | The American comedian said he noticed a few things that seemed strange to him, such as the presence of the fast food chain KFC. |
| “When you get to a place like Armenia, you’re so excited to be on the other side of the world, away from all the western influences, all the stuff that we think may be not the best thing for the world, and then you see a KFC and you think: ‘Oh my God. Why? Why did they let KFC here?” | “When you get to a place like Armenia, you’re so excited to be on the other side of the world, away from all the western influences, all the stuff that we think may be not the best thing for the world, and then you see a KFC and you think: ‘Oh my God. Why? Why did they let KFC here?” |
| O’Brien says watching Armenian men walk with their arms interlocked was also very unusual. | O’Brien says watching Armenian men walk with their arms interlocked was also very unusual. |
| “You don’t see that in the United States, and so when you first see it here, you think: Why are they doing that? But then, I think, that’s a great idea. So, I started walking with one of my producers. We started linking arms and I actually thought: ‘This is fantastic.’ We should adopt this in the west. It’s time for us to catch up.” | “You don’t see that in the United States, and so when you first see it here, you think: Why are they doing that? But then, I think, that’s a great idea. So, I started walking with one of my producers. We started linking arms and I actually thought: ‘This is fantastic.’ We should adopt this in the west. It’s time for us to catch up.” |
| O’Brien said that while he knew that the country marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide this year, it wasn’t the reason behind his visit. | O’Brien said that while he knew that the country marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide this year, it wasn’t the reason behind his visit. |
| Related: A small country but a big nation: how genocide shaped the Armenia of today | Related: A small country but a big nation: how genocide shaped the Armenia of today |
| “I’m not an expert on world affairs. I know that it’s very complicated because of Turkey’s relationship with the United States and there’s a whole geopolitical set of questions that are beyond me. But I take it from a very human, simple level, which is, I wanted to bring Sona here, and I wanted to experience her culture with her and meet her people with her,” O’Brien said. | “I’m not an expert on world affairs. I know that it’s very complicated because of Turkey’s relationship with the United States and there’s a whole geopolitical set of questions that are beyond me. But I take it from a very human, simple level, which is, I wanted to bring Sona here, and I wanted to experience her culture with her and meet her people with her,” O’Brien said. |
| “And you cannot come here and not go and visit the genocide memorial. It is an integral part of this country’s history and Sona’s history so ... It was very moving to go. I just thought, ‘I don’t know what the politics are’, but I’m not gonna worry about that.” | “And you cannot come here and not go and visit the genocide memorial. It is an integral part of this country’s history and Sona’s history so ... It was very moving to go. I just thought, ‘I don’t know what the politics are’, but I’m not gonna worry about that.” |
| The trips to Cuba and another to Comic-con in San Diego have reinvigorated the show in a competitive landscape. | The trips to Cuba and another to Comic-con in San Diego have reinvigorated the show in a competitive landscape. |
| Around 1.81 million people watched Conan in Cuba according to Nielsen data, in contrast the previous nights’ edition of his regular programme hit an average of 642,000. | Around 1.81 million people watched Conan in Cuba according to Nielsen data, in contrast the previous nights’ edition of his regular programme hit an average of 642,000. |
| Conan will hope that his Armenian adventure can hit similar heights in November. | Conan will hope that his Armenian adventure can hit similar heights in November. |
| A version of this article first appeared on RFE/RL |
Previous version
1
Next version