“The plot to Lost is more plausible than my life in the last year,†a neatly bearded, not-quite-amped Conan O’Brien told the crowd gathered at the Hammerstein Ballroom for the TBS/TNT upfront. Conan, “who loves doing comedy at ten in the morning,“ did a quick stand-up and song routine, consisting of much recycled material from his road show, to kick off the presentation. He was played on by a video clip of his transformation from a Dorito and orange soda smoothie–drinking, depressive yeti, to a buff, presentable host, thanks to a call from TBS. Taking to the stage, he noted the last time he was in New York was a year ago, at the NBC upfront, and then moved on to less depressing matters like his beard (“Not everyone loves the beard. Some people say I look like Paul Bunyan with an eating disorder. I had someone say I look like the Brawny paper-towel guy before his bone-marrow transplantâ€), basic cable (“I really believe in basic-cable television. I think it’s what makes this country great. I don’t want to live in a country that has less than six ESPN channels), and a TV show most people under the age of 35 don’t remember (“My vision for the show is to pick up where Hee Haw left offâ€). Then, saying he had to get to Chicago for a show later tonight, Conan grabbed a guitar and did a honky-tonk version of “On the Road Again†with made-up lyrics, like “ I just can’t wait to have my own show again/On any network even oxygen/I know you think they only have shows for women/But I would change my sex to have my own show again.†A big round of applause, followed by Coco wishing everyone a good upfront. Conan out! At least until November 8th, when his new show premieres.