Andy Richter

The greatest skill of any talk show host is the ability to think on his feet. Even the most snooze-worthy guest can turn into an uproarious interview with some massaging from the man behind the desk. Tony Braithwaite doesn't have much experience hosting a talk show, but that doesn't mean he hasn't developed his foot muscles. "As an unathletic fat kid with acne, I developed that skill set to survive," the local comic actor said. Good thing, too, seeing as Braithwaite will take up residency behind the desk of "Heeere's Tony!"

Andy Richter, Christopher Dock's ace righthander, does not approach the mound with a strikeout-first mentality. "I just try to keep the ball down and induce ground balls," he said. "When I do that and let my infielders do their jobs, I'm usually successful. " Richter, a senior and three-year varsity member, has a 5-3 record with a 1.80 ERA. He mixes three pitches: a four-seam fastball, curveball and split-finger fastball. From the No. 3 spot in the order, the 6-foot, 200-pounder is batting .382 (21 for 55)

Conan's getting a playmate: Andy Concerned that Conan O'Brien will be lonely on the Tonight Show stage, which he'll take over June 1? Don't fret: He's getting a playmate. NBC said yesterday that Conan's old pal Andy Richter had been signed as the show's announcer-plus: He'll also star in some sketches. No future for Fox and Green Megan Fox, 22, who looked so ridiculously sexy in Transformers that she rusted out all the 'bots, is single again. Usmagazine.com says Fox and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Brian Austin Green, 35, have ended their engagement.

Inheriting The Tonight Show throne this week, Conan O'Brien has taken NBC's late-night institution old-school. Steve Allen old. O'Brien's approach is the most off-the-wall and unpredictable since Steverino invented the job in the '50s. The impish Irishman favors a spontaneous style. Though not as strong in his opening monologue, he may be the best improviser in Tonight's distinguished line of succession. He also leans heavily on taped bits - doctored news clips and set-up sketches.

Maybe Conan should get Hercules plus Jason and the Argonauts to give his show a little more punch. Sinbad already has his own program. Or maybe the gangly Mr. O'Brien, whose version of NBC's Late Night began Monday, should just muddle along and build slowly on his personable boyishness. You don't want to shake up those sleepy-time viewers too much. What? You haven't been staying up past 12:35 in the morning to keep up with the latest battle front in the late-night wars? Here's what you're missing: A brassy, seven-piece jazz band that cooks in a wonderful, old-fashioned way that may not appeal to all the fans who tune in to hear the likes of Conan O'Brien's first musical guests, Radiohead.

Late-night TV competition is fierce and head-on at 11:35. Late-late night competition at 12:35 may be head-on according to the clock, but it's neither fierce nor direct when it comes to content. CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" and NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" compete in the same time slot for pretty much the same audience with essentially the same kind of show. (ABC News' "Nightline" is in a class by itself.) Not so when late-night fades into late-late night an hour later.

Getting shafted by NBC was the best thing that ever happened to Conan O'Brien, the brand. One minute the 6-foot-4 redheaded comic was leading The Tonight Show to its worst ratings ever. The next he was a late-night martyr and hero to the tweeting masses, exiting broadcast TV with principles intact and an "et tu, Leno?" knife in his back. O'Brien isn't allowed to perform on TV or online until fall by contractual agreement with NBC, which gave him a $32 million handshake and "sent my skinny Irish ass out the door" - as he sang in a reworked take of Gloria Gaynor (and Cake's)

Big-time passing success on the gridiron last fall made Conestoga's Steve Richter seriously consider walking the football path in college. After the strong-armed Richter passed for 2,576 yards and sparked the Pioneers to an 8-3 record, he announced his intention to play for Shippensburg. He later called an audible and selected West Chester University for baseball. "After I made the decision to go to Shippensburg, I didn't have a good feeling about it," he said. "Baseball is the sport I've played all my life.

P HIL COLLINS said it - maybe not best, but he said it: Doesn't anybody stay together anymore? Quirky actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette ? Done, after 11 years of marriage, one kid and, he admitted yesterday, a pair of wandering eyes. Lovely actress Laura Dern and lovely Grammy winner Ben Harper ? Five-plus years and two kids, then an apparently blindsided delivery of divorce papers from him to her. Now, in the same week, glamorous singer Christina Aguilera and dorky-cute music industry exec Jordan Bratman , together eight years, married five and parents of one, have announced they're over.

Nearly 50 shows into his tenure as the host of "Late Night," Conan O'Brien is starting to feel comfortable. In his own mind, two essential improvements have been made: His interviewing skills are much better than when the David Letterman-less "Late Night" launched on Sept. 13, and the show itself is getting smoother. "My comfort level is higher," O'Brien told the New York Daily News last week in his first print interview since his debut. "I have a good time out there. " That will be news to his critics, chief among them Tom Shales of the Washington Post, who cite O'Brien's jittery manner as one among many of the shortcomings of the new "Late Night.

The greatest skill of any talk show host is the ability to think on his feet. Even the most snooze-worthy guest can turn into an uproarious interview with some massaging from the man behind the desk. Tony Braithwaite doesn't have much experience hosting a talk show, but that doesn't mean he hasn't developed his foot muscles. "As an unathletic fat kid with acne, I developed that skill set to survive," the local comic actor said. Good thing, too, seeing as Braithwaite will take up residency behind the desk of "Heeere's Tony!"

P HIL COLLINS said it - maybe not best, but he said it: Doesn't anybody stay together anymore? Quirky actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette ? Done, after 11 years of marriage, one kid and, he admitted yesterday, a pair of wandering eyes. Lovely actress Laura Dern and lovely Grammy winner Ben Harper ? Five-plus years and two kids, then an apparently blindsided delivery of divorce papers from him to her. Now, in the same week, glamorous singer Christina Aguilera and dorky-cute music industry exec Jordan Bratman , together eight years, married five and parents of one, have announced they're over.

Getting shafted by NBC was the best thing that ever happened to Conan O'Brien, the brand. One minute the 6-foot-4 redheaded comic was leading The Tonight Show to its worst ratings ever. The next he was a late-night martyr and hero to the tweeting masses, exiting broadcast TV with principles intact and an "et tu, Leno?" knife in his back. O'Brien isn't allowed to perform on TV or online until fall by contractual agreement with NBC, which gave him a $32 million handshake and "sent my skinny Irish ass out the door" - as he sang in a reworked take of Gloria Gaynor (and Cake's)

Inheriting The Tonight Show throne this week, Conan O'Brien has taken NBC's late-night institution old-school. Steve Allen old. O'Brien's approach is the most off-the-wall and unpredictable since Steverino invented the job in the '50s. The impish Irishman favors a spontaneous style. Though not as strong in his opening monologue, he may be the best improviser in Tonight's distinguished line of succession. He also leans heavily on taped bits - doctored news clips and set-up sketches.

Conan's getting a playmate: Andy Concerned that Conan O'Brien will be lonely on the Tonight Show stage, which he'll take over June 1? Don't fret: He's getting a playmate. NBC said yesterday that Conan's old pal Andy Richter had been signed as the show's announcer-plus: He'll also star in some sketches. No future for Fox and Green Megan Fox, 22, who looked so ridiculously sexy in Transformers that she rusted out all the 'bots, is single again. Usmagazine.com says Fox and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Brian Austin Green, 35, have ended their engagement.

Andy Richter, Christopher Dock's ace righthander, does not approach the mound with a strikeout-first mentality. "I just try to keep the ball down and induce ground balls," he said. "When I do that and let my infielders do their jobs, I'm usually successful. " Richter, a senior and three-year varsity member, has a 5-3 record with a 1.80 ERA. He mixes three pitches: a four-seam fastball, curveball and split-finger fastball. From the No. 3 spot in the order, the 6-foot, 200-pounder is batting .382 (21 for 55)

Big-time passing success on the gridiron last fall made Conestoga's Steve Richter seriously consider walking the football path in college. After the strong-armed Richter passed for 2,576 yards and sparked the Pioneers to an 8-3 record, he announced his intention to play for Shippensburg. He later called an audible and selected West Chester University for baseball. "After I made the decision to go to Shippensburg, I didn't have a good feeling about it," he said. "Baseball is the sport I've played all my life.

Late-night TV competition is fierce and head-on at 11:35. Late-late night competition at 12:35 may be head-on according to the clock, but it's neither fierce nor direct when it comes to content. CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" and NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" compete in the same time slot for pretty much the same audience with essentially the same kind of show. (ABC News' "Nightline" is in a class by itself.) Not so when late-night fades into late-late night an hour later.

Nearly 50 shows into his tenure as the host of "Late Night," Conan O'Brien is starting to feel comfortable. In his own mind, two essential improvements have been made: His interviewing skills are much better than when the David Letterman-less "Late Night" launched on Sept. 13, and the show itself is getting smoother. "My comfort level is higher," O'Brien told the New York Daily News last week in his first print interview since his debut. "I have a good time out there. " That will be news to his critics, chief among them Tom Shales of the Washington Post, who cite O'Brien's jittery manner as one among many of the shortcomings of the new "Late Night.

Maybe Conan should get Hercules plus Jason and the Argonauts to give his show a little more punch. Sinbad already has his own program. Or maybe the gangly Mr. O'Brien, whose version of NBC's Late Night began Monday, should just muddle along and build slowly on his personable boyishness. You don't want to shake up those sleepy-time viewers too much. What? You haven't been staying up past 12:35 in the morning to keep up with the latest battle front in the late-night wars? Here's what you're missing: A brassy, seven-piece jazz band that cooks in a wonderful, old-fashioned way that may not appeal to all the fans who tune in to hear the likes of Conan O'Brien's first musical guests, Radiohead.