Welcome back to late night, Coco.

Last night the former Tonight Show host made his basic cable debut on the TBS network and it did not go unnoticed. Conan O’Brien wasted no time in reminding viewers of how his firing went down last year, literally likening the NBC Network honchos to Godfather-like hitmen.

While it may have lacked the vim and verve of O’Brien‘s dash across America as he headed towards the land of Burbank for The Tonight Show, last night’s cold open showcasing O’Brien‘s search for new employment (including cameos by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and “Guardian Angel” Larry King) proved the comedian could take a licking – and a joke.

And he’s got the last laugh: the debut of Conan won the ratings battle, beating NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman, and fellow basic cable funnymen Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Let us here at WHC Insider be the first to publicly declare our vote for Conan O’Brien as the host of the 2011 White House Correspondents Association Dinner…although maybe he should shave first? Check out the bearded-one in last night’s monologue:

WHC Insider Late Night Conan, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Late Night, Stephen Colbert

There’s probably no tougher room to play for a comedian than the Washington Hilton where hundreds gather for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, with the guest of honor – the President of the United States – seated at your side.

And this year there’s no tougher act to follow than his own for Jay Leno, just months into his second stint as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” after a much-publicized tussle between the peacock network, Leno and Conan O’Brien.

So The Hill gathered some advice for the funny man from some fellow comedians as he preps for his hosting duties.

jdonofrio DC, Event Coverage, Late Night, Washington Events Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Hill, WHCA Dinner

Jay Leno’s back at the Tonight Show (in March) and back at the WHCD (in May), a venue he “headlined in 2004, 2000 and 1987,” according to Ed Henry’s report this morning at CNN.

The WH Correspondents Association, which hosts the annual dinner to raise money for college scholarships and journalism prizes, invited the comic weeks ago when “he was simply the host of a prime-time show that was failing five nights a week. But when he appears at the [dinner] … Leno will be the guy who pushed aside Conan O’Brien,” writes Lisa de Moraes in today’s Washington Post.

Click here for Lisa’s write up.

gtruong DC, News Media, Washington Events Conan O'Brien, Ed Henry, Jay Leno, Lisa de Moraes, White House Correspondents Association