Separated at birth

It's so eeeeerie


Conan O’Brien wants sauna inspector job for help re-electing

Finns’ president

HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — U.S. TV talk show host Conan O’Brien, who endorsed the re-election of Finnish President Tarja Halonen with mock ad campaigns because if his supposed resemblance to her, expects to be rewarded with a cabinet position as a sauna inspector.
Hundreds of fans welcomed O’Brien on Saturday to a freezing Helsinki — the capital of the land of the saunas — two weeks after Halonen, 62, secured a second six-year term as Finland’s first female president.
After arriving at the airport, the quirky, self-deprecating NBC network host said he will ask “Tarja” for a cabinet position when he meets her Feb. 14.
“In my country, when someone is instrumental in helping someone get elected it’s customary for the president to give that person a cabinet or ministerial position,” O’Brien said in the airport’s VIP lounge.
“I’d like to be the inspector of saunas, mostly women’s saunas,” he said.
Organizers said some 2,000 fans waited for hours in freezing temperatures to catch a glimpse of the TV host who has become unusually popular in the country of five million on the northern fringes of Europe.
O’Brien has joked his show is highly popular in Finland because of his resemblance to the fair-skinned, red-haired Halonen. Last year, he caused a political stir for endorsing her during her campaign, broadcasting mock ads promoting her and attacking her opponents.
“Why do I support Tarja Halonen? Because she’s got the total package: a dynamic personality, a quick mind and most importantly — my good looks,” the comedian said.
Late Night with Conan O’Brien airs five days a week on SUBTV, a Finnish cable channel, with a few days delay. And every time he mentions Finland or Halonen, local news media report it prominently.
The waiting fans at the airport were not disappointed. They roared and screamed when he stepped outside.
A soldier in uniform said: “The army loves him.”
“He lightens our lives in the evenings quite a bit,” said Cpl. Mattias Ronnberg, an 18-year-old conscript.
“I’ve been particularly taken by his Tarja quips,” said Heidi Ojalammi, 25, from Helsinki.
“If you look really close, you could imagine that they look similar,” she said with a laugh.
After his Tuesday meeting at the presidential palace with Halonen, O’Brien is scheduled to receive a TV award for being “the most surprising and entertaining TV personality in Finland.”
He said he might also visit Arctic Lapland, some 800 kilometres north of the capital, with his accompanying camera crew.
Finland will become just another stamp in O’Brien’s passport: he has filmed past segments in Canada, Ireland, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.