The bizarre turn of late night talk show events that saw Conan O'Brien campaigning for Finnish President Tarja Halonen's re-election has arrived at its thrilling conclusion: a visit from Finland's newest hero, where O'Brien was greeted at the airport by a cheering crowd of over 2000 Conan-hungry fans:

Signs saying "Welcome to Conelandia" awaited Mr. O'Brien at the airport's V.I.P. lounge. Outside, a tightly packed crowd of an estimated 2,000 people many of them frenzied teenagers chanted his name and waved banners, one of which declared, "Tarja is our president but Conan is our king."

"We are breaking into new territory of a late-night show, where we are exerting an influence in the politics of another country," Mr. O'Brien joked in an interview. He also said he was impressed by the very intense reception his show had received in Finland. [...]

He is scheduled to meet with President Halonen on Tuesday at the presidential palace in Helsinki. In a ceremony to be broadcast live in Finland that evening, Mr. O'Brien is to be presented with the Finnish television award, Telvis, granted by Finland's oldest television magazine based on a public vote. Mr. O'Brien's award is "for the most surprising and entertaining TV personality."

Talk show hosts eager to dip into the choppy waters of international politics, be warned: Apparently, the punishment for interfering in Finnish politics is being awarded the Finnish Emmy and crowned King.

• A Trip to Conelandia, Also Known as Finland [NY Times]
• Previously: Will Conan O Brien Affect Finnish History? [Defamer]

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