Nothing to Twain About

Carpinteria’s former TV host Conan O’Brien is the newest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy.

O’Brien, 61, has carved an improbable career arc, moving from goofy television interloper to comedic elder statesman.

Along the way, he survived one of the most public failures on the history of TV on The Tonight Show – only to launch and sustain a next act.

The second season of his travel series Conan O’Brien Must Go starts in March. O’Brien also hosts the Oscars three weeks before his Mark Twain ceremony in Washington.

He will be honored on March 23 in a special ceremony at which he will receive a bronze bust of Twain – the iconic writer and satirist whose real name was Samuel Clemens – with the ceremony streaming on Netflix.

‘Back in Action’

Montecito’s Cameron Diaz has returned to acting after a decade on hiatus.

The Holiday actress, 52, officially retired from Hollywood in 2018 and her last film was Annie in 2014.

She wanted to spend more time with her rocker husband Benji Madden, 45. Her new Netflix film Back in Action, about two former CIA in agents who setup a family, was released last week.

She was lured back by her friend Jamie Foxx, who is her co-star.

“I’m back all thanks to Jamie,” she told the U.K.’s Graham Norton Show, admitting she’d have been a “fool” not to resurrect her career.

“I had ten years of not paying attention to anything, not accepting any offer, then I got this script and thought it was time.

“If I was going to leave my family ten hours a day, I wanted to do it teaming with one of the most talented men in the entertainment business. It is a privilege to make films and we are all so lucky to do that, the door being opened to me after a decade was amazing.”

State Farm Snafu

State Farm, who yanked the fire insurance of 72,000 policy holders in April 2024, citing wildfire risks before the deadly blaze, has pulled its multimillion-dollar TV commercial from next month’s Super Bowl.

The ad was scheduled to run during Super Bowl LIX, set to take place on February 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Reports suggest Fox is charging $7 million for each 30-second spot airing during the game. It is unclear whether State Farm had already decided on the ad placement before opting to pull out.

“State Farm, State Farm agents, and our employees are all focusing on helping customers impacted by the Southern California wildfires in the midst of this tragedy,” the company said after the humiliating U-turn.

Sightings

Ellen DeGeneres spotted at Casa Dorinda… Former Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith shopping at Emily Joubert House & Garden on CVR… Actor Kevin Costner at Lucky’s.

Pip! Pip!