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    5 Famous Contract Buyouts Conan (and You) Can Learn From

    By | Work + Money – Wed, Jan 20, 2010 7:05 PM EST

    As NBC cuts O'Brien a venom-flavored severance check, measure his reportedly $40 million deal against the parting gifts for CEOs, celebrities, and Cheney to see if Team Conan will make it out alive. Some of the top buyouts are below, with even more at Esquire.com.

    (What Does the Future of Late Night Look Like? Find out here.)

    1. Chevy Chase (1993)
    The Loot: $12 million (three of which he claims to have returned to Rupert Murdoch)
    The Lowdown: When Fox decided to break into late night, it had the perfect candidate for a talk-show host: Dolly Parton. After she turned them, Conan's potential new network settled on an underrated Conan impersonator. Five glorious weeks of The Chevy Chase Show ensued.
    The Aftermath: While his A-List days are an ever-fading memory, at least Chase is enjoying a more consistent run on NBC. Community looks like it'll last a whole season!

    2. Dick Cheney (2000)
    The Loot: $20+ million
    The Lowdown: A man cannot run a defense contractor and the United States at the same time. So Cheney traded Halliburton's chief-executive spot for the veep nod - not to mention a couple million and over 400,000 shares in Halliburton's no-bid future.
    The Aftermath: Cheney traded the veep spot for a book deal worth over $2 million - not to mention a rotating spot as the worst thing to happen to your Sunday morning since hangovers.

    3. Stephon Marbury (2009)
    The Loot: $18+ million
    The Lowdown: Before he could use it buy any more courtside seats to watch his "teammates," the Knicks (backup) guard finally kicked back a chunk of his $20.8 million salary so New York could unleash him on the rest of the world.
    The Aftermath: Seems they really did unleash him on the rest of the world, as Marbury this week joined Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association. They're terrible, of course.

    4. Richard Grasso (2003)
    The Loot: Roughly $140 million
    The Lowdown: Reopening the New York Stock Exchange after 9/11 will earn a lot of good will with the people, until the people discover your massive deferred compensation package. When the Exchange board requested he leave, Grasso departed (with his money).
    The Aftermath: Grasso insisted that he deserved another $50 million - all of which he should pocket after a series of lawsuits, though he maintains it's about reputation, not money (which, again, he's keeping).

    5. Mariah Carey (2002)
    The Loot: $28 million
    The Lowdown: When it signed Carey in 2001, Virgin Records was thrilled to have one of the most successful recording artists ever and couldn't wait for her first project with them. Which turned out to be Glitter.
    The Aftermath: Virgin may have jumped the gun a little. Since they parted ways, Mariah's produced two No. 1 albums, three No. 1 singles and, most shockingly, an unembarrassing performance in Precious.

    Head to Esquire.com to find five more stars who earned huge payouts. Also, comment below: do these people deserve this much money?

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