Conan O'Brien, Heather Locklear help celebrate TNT's 25th birthday

Neal Justin reports from Los Angeles.

July 25, 2013 at 9:50PM
Conan O'Brien
FILE - This May 24, 2012 file photo shows late night talk show host Conan O'Brien speaking during a forum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. TBS says it's extending Conan O'Brien's late-night hour through November 2015. O'Brien premiered �Conan� on TBS in November 2010, some months after his departure from a short-lived stint as host of NBC's "Tonight" show. He left NBC when Jay Leno was returned as �Tonight� host. Although "Conan" averages just 900,000 viewers nightly, it leads the late-night pack in social media engagement and online activity, according to TBS."Conan," hosted by O'Brien with Andy Richter as announcer, airs Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. Eastern time. (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Conan O'Brien

TNT threw itself a grand 25th anniversary party Wednesday night, and we were lucky enough to be there.

Among the highlights:

Conan O'Brien was on fire, showing off his quick wit and flirting with fellow celebs, even giving Lorraine Bracco his signature "meow" move and talking at length with Angie Harmon. He also praised the talent of his protege, Pete Holmes, who will follow the "Conan" show starting in late October. Holmes himself couldn't have been more charming.

"Scrubs" veteran John McGinley, star of the upcoming series "Ground Floor," talked at length about the harrowing experience of shooting Oliver Stone's "Platoon" and the thrill of starring alongside Al Pacino in a recent stage production of "Glengarry Glen Ross." McGinley argued that it's the greatest American play and reminisced about sneaking in to see the original production in New York three nights in a row.

G.W Bailey,who currently appears in "Major Crimes," was generous in his memories about playing Sgt. Rizzo in "M*A*S*H" and how the series paved the way for single-camera comedies.Eric McCormack also shared thoughts about the impace of "Will & Grace" in current pop culture.

Among the others chatting poolside at the Beverly Hilton: Mary McDonnell, Noah Wyle, Brenda Strong,Breckin Meyer, Heather Locklear, Patrick Duffy and LaVar Burton.

Coming up next: The latest on HBO.

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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