Conan O’Brien capped off his week of New York shows last night, and he absolutely brought the house down. Highlights included a guest spot by Louis CK, Conan officiating over a gay wedding, and a report on Occupy Wall Street by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. (Also, it was attended by our own Matt Ufford, which I think is quite prestigious in its own right.) It was a power-packed hour that served as a reminder of exactly how hard Conan can bring it. From a late night talk show perspective, it was the equivalent of dropping the mic and walking off stage with your fist in the air.

My favorite part had to be Triumph, though. It’s been a long time since the Robert Smigel-voiced character has been on the show, and he was at the top of his game ridiculing the hippies and hipsters in the crowd. It’s like the whole situation was tailor-made for him. I would put in up on the pedestal with his famous report from the premiere of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, where he skewered the nerds in attendance.

It reminds me of something my grandfather used to tell me. “Son,” he’d say, “anytime you can take a giant, inflatable, cigar-chomping dog, and have him mimic a sexual act with one of the defining symbols of capitalism in this country, you just have to do it. Especially if that symbol has testicles.” He was a wise dude.

I’ve included video of some of the highlights on the next few pages. Tell your boss I said it’s cool.

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Friday night’s “Tonight Show” marked the return of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and Robert Smigel’s cigar-chomping dog puppet didn’t disappointment as he ripped on assorted hippies, druggies, and Tennessee methamphetamine enthusiasts.

Video — on the off chance that you were doing something besides watching TV and eating pickles with Easy Cheese on Friday night — is after the jump.  Enjoy your Saturday night; may you get as drunk as I already am.

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Not that we need any more reason to tune into Conan O’Brien every night, but now there’s news that Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee this weekend — mainly to do four live sets, but more importantly (for us) to film his first segment since Conan moved to “The Tonight Show.”  And I haven’t seen any of it, but I’m guessing that dirty hippies are in Triumph’s wheelhouse.

He also appeared, in character, at a backstage press conference, where Triumph sat on a folding chair with [Robert] Smigel operating him, shrouded behind a black cloth. He offered pithy observations about the festival like: “They’ve got more stages than syphilis.” About one Bonnaroo act, the now middle-aged Beastie Boys, he said: “They’re a little more like the Pep Boys logo.”

More serious musicians sharing the press conference stage with Smigel and Triumph — Elvis Perkins, Tift Merritt and Alejandro Escovedo — had to take their licks. When the moderator suggested they weren’t accustomed to sharing a panel with a dog, Triumph protested that that was no way to talk about (the very attractive) Merritt. [AP/SF Chronicle]

That’s right, not only am I writing about the return of Triumph to late night TV, but I’m doing it because the AP saw fit to make it a story.  Think about the impact of a late-night puppet character being national news.  Now fast forward to three or four months from now.  Who’s gonna give a f-ck when “Jaywalking” comes back?

(Side note: Triumph’s Star Wars fan report gets the most love, but my favorite is him doing the weather for a local affiliate in Hawaii.)