Jay Leno | The New York Observer

Fall TV Preview: NBC Sure Loves One Word Titles and Jay Leno!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:31:55 -0400

If there is a silver lining to be found in the end of the summertime—besides these seasonable temperatures!—it’s that we are on the precipice of the fall television season. Thank goodness. In an effort to get you and your DVR prepared, here’s the Observer’s fall TV preview. Yesterday, we talked about CBS. Next up, the big peacock NBC!

The Jay Leno Show (Weeknights at 10...

Leave Ben Silverman Alone!

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:35:53 -0400

That groan you heard coming out of your computer yesterday morning probably arose from the army of snarky bloggers who don’t have Ben Silverman to kick around anymore. When Mr. Silverman steps down as NBC Entertainment co-chairman in September to join Barry Diller at IAC, one of the blogosphere’s favorite whipping boys will no longer be all that important to the news cycle. Of course, after a few weeks, that won’t really matter...

Lampoon Phools Suffer Gladly Where Young Conan Trod

Tue, 19 May 2009 20:14:09 -0400

When Conan O’Brien was tapped to host NBC’s Late Night in April 1993, UPI ran a 190-word story headlined “Unknown Comic Named to Replace [David] Letterman.”

Fans of the actual Unknown Comic, that groany staple of Chuck Barris’ Gong Show, were probably disappointed upon seeing the 6-foot-4, ginger-topped host. (That’s what he looks like under the brown bag?) But at the Cambridge, Mass., headquarters of The Harvard Lampoon, Mr. O’Brien was anything but unknown.

Mr. O’Brien...

Why NBC Should Put Jay Leno on at 10:30

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:26:03 -0400

We’ve been supporters of NBC’s decision to give Jay Leno five hours per week of prime-time programming since the beginning. For a network that has been floundering around for so long, it seems like a natural course of action. Simply: fewer hours to fill on a weekly basis should lead to better choices. Chances are, we’ll see less Knight Rider’s and Kath & Kim’s, and more

Obama Bypasses NBC's Meet the Press for CBS's Face the Nation

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:02:29 -0400

This weekend, President Barack Obama will be making his first appearance on a Sunday morning public affairs program since taking office. But he won’t be doing it on NBC’s top-rated Meet the Press.

Rather, he’ll be appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer

Last week, Mr. Obama gave an extensive one-on-one interview to CBS’s Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes. Thanks to Mr. Obama’s appearance, the Sunday night newsmagazine...

Is It Possible That NBC Did Something Smart?

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:42:48 -0500

We never thought we'd say this, but: Huzzah NBC! For some time we've hoped the Peacock would start thinking out-of-the-box, since their old strategies clearly weren't working. Now it looks like they finally are! And while Jay Leno's shift to 10 p.m. is primarily a cost-saving maneuver--even though the big-chinned comedian will reportedly earn $40-50 million dollars over the life of his new deal, he will save the network money in development costs for other...

Leno to 'Jaywalk' to 10 P.M. in 2009

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:40:55 -0500

Last night, The New York Times' Bill Carter broke the news that NBC will be moving Jay Leno to 10 p.m. in 2009.

According to Mr. Carter:

The new show, which will begin next fall, is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. Leno is expected to retain many of the most popular elements of his 'Tonight Show,' including his monologue and bits like 'Headlines' and 'Jay Walking.'...

NBC Sets Date For Leno's Final Tonight Show

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:11:03 -0400

Jay Leno got all Andy Kaufman at a press conference yesterday, showing up in a bald cap and a pasted-on goatee as a fake reporter. He asked when the host will say his final monologue on the Tonight Show and be replaced by Conan O'Brien. Co-chairman Marc Graboff then announced that Mr. Leno's last night would be on May 29, 2009. Mr. O'Brien will take over starting June 1.

But what will Mr. Leno...

The Hold Steady Star on Letterman; Jay Leno 'Done' With NBC?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:20:16 -0400

As we told you earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Brooklyn's most beloved indie band, the Hold Steady, released its new album, Stay Positive. And tonight, the band is the musical guest on the Late Show With David Letterman. Pitchfork reports that the Hold Steady will also star on in a taped segment on tonight's show: "Apparently, Letterman's crew followed the Hold Steady on the road for a few days earlier this year, and...

NBC Finally Set to Announce: Jimmy Fallon To Take Over Conan's Seat

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:48:16 -0400

It's official! On May 12, NBC will finally officially announce that Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon will take over next year for Conan O'Brien, who will dethrone Jay Leno on the Tonight Show gig. "Jimmy's a smart pick," one network executive told Entertainment Weekly. ''He's a young, cute guy that will draw women in.'' Um, we don't think women are all that into a giggly dude who lives in a kind of perpetual...

Clinton: 'It's Only April!'

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:23:11 -0400

Following Hillary Clinton's joke about (and over-explaining of) the Bosnia debacle on Jay Leno last night, she talked about how early it is in the campaign...

Leno Gives NBC a Pass

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:38:34 -0500

On the night of Jan. 7, NBC’s Jay Leno interviewed Republican candidate for president Ron Paul on the Tonight Show. During the course of the interview, Mr. Leno noted that Mr. Paul had recently been “screwed over” by FOX News execs, who had decided not to invite Mr. Paul to participate in the Republican Forum the night before.

“I'm trying to figure out why FOX News chose not to put you on,” said Mr....

Letterman's Beard Gets Key to NYC

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:30:06 -0500

Mayor Bloomberg welcomed Late Show host David Letterman back to the air after his two-month hiatus by presenting a key to the city to Mr. Letterman's latest fashion choice—the strike beard. Both Mr. Letterman and Conan O’Brien let out their inner mountainman as a sign of solidarity with the writers. While Jay Leno gets shunned by the Writers Guild of America for coming back on air with his own written monologues, Mr. Letterman is...

WGA, NBC Spar Over Leno Monologues

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:17:43 -0500

Jay Leno delivered his second monologue last night, one that he wrote himself. He could lose his guild membership or face a fine from the Writers Guild of America if he keeps writing his own late-night punchlines. The WGA lambasted Mr. Leno yesterday for delivering his monologue, saying it violated guild rules during the strike. NBC, which airs the Tonight Show, quickly fired back, arguing that "the WGA agreement permits Jay Leno to write...

Leno Breaks Rules and Writes Own Monologue

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:14:06 -0500

"You know what I'm doing? I'm doing what I did the day I started," said Jay Leno last night on his first return on air since the Writers Guild of America strike started. "I write jokes and wake my wife up in the middle of the night and say, 'Honey, is this funny?' So if this monologue doesn't work it's my wife's fault...We are not using outside guys. We are following the guild thing......

Huckabee Booked as Leno's First Late-Night Guest

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 07:38:23 -0500

As the media ponders the improv talents of late-night talk show hosts returning on Jan. 3 without writers, the Jay Leno show booked their first guest since the Writers Guild of America started their strike on Nov. 5. Republican candidate Mike Huckabee has signed on to sit opposite Mr. Leno, according to the Hollywood Reporter. CBS' The Late Show With David Letterman has already announced that it will feature Donald Trump and musical guest...

Stars Shy to Cross Picket Lines for Late-Night Shows

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:56:10 -0500

The late-night talk show hosts are returning. But the stars are not yet ready to come out for them if it means crossing the writers' picket line. Celebrities don't want to be the first to accept a booking on a show and face the wrath of the writers alone.

The New York Times reports:

Uncertainty over whether many of Hollywood’s biggest stars will be willing to cross picket lines and appear on “The Tonight Show...

Late-Night Shows Back by Jan. 2

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:46:10 -0500

As the Media Mob told us this morning, there were reports of late-night shows possibly returning by Jan. 2. Those rumors have been confirmed by NBC this morning, according to The New York Times.

NBC officially announced today that its two late-night stars, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, will return to the air on Jan. 2 even if the strike against networks and studios by entertainment writers is not resolved by then.

The two hosts...

Late-Night Shows Could Be Back Soon

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:15:57 -0500

There may be no end in sight to the writers strike, but the late-night shows could soon be back on the air anyway.

The Writers Guild said over the weekend that it would be willing to sign individual agreements with media companies, and the independent company that owns The Late Show with David Letterman said it plans to take advantage of that move to work towards a deal, according to several reports. ...

Strike Boosts Letterman Against Leno

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:58:36 -0500

David Letterman is winning the battle of the re-runs, the New York Post reports.

Since the writers strike began over a month ago, forcing both Mr. Letterman of CBS and his late-night rival, Jay Leno of NBC, into re-runs, Mr. Letterman's numbers are down only around 21 percent, whle Mr. Leno's are off by 40 percent. Mr. Leno still leads, but, says the Post, "Letterman hasn't been this close to Leno...

Jay Leno to Pay Staff Through Christmas

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:59:04 -0500

In a meeting yesterday, Jay Leno told his staff he'd continue to pay their salaries through Christmas, Variety reports.

Previously, Mr. Leno had been paying them on a week-by-week basis, which he'll continue to do after the holiday, he reportedly said.

No Late-Night TV Tonight

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:59:20 -0500

“There will be no ‘Tonight Show’ tonight,” said Joe Meceiros, the show’s head writer, outside NBC Studios in Burbank, California today, according to the New York Times' TV Decoder blog.

Celebrity guests won’t feel the same financial pinch as writers, of course, but some authors and performers [scheduled to appear on late-night talk shows] will undoubtedly miss out on what might have been rare opportunities at national exposure.

Garth Brooks was expected to perform on “The...

NBC: Leno Will Be Out by 2009

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:27:25 -0400

"Conan O'Brien will take over The Tonight Show in 2009,'' NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker said yesterday in New York at an event arranged by Syracuse Universiy's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, according to the AP.

If Tonight Show host Jay Leno is having second thoughts about surrendering his job as planned, NBC doesn't share them—at least not publicly.

Zucker said he'd like Leno to remain with the company and that ''we...

Jay Leno Deferred To Culture Quake As Conan Gets It

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 20:00:00 -0400

Conan O’Brien is going to The Tonight Show.

And The Tonight Show is not coming back to New York. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, NBC’s Late Night host Conan O’Brien stepped onto the stage at Studio 6A at Rockefeller Center and announced to his audience that he would be taking over NBC’s Tonight Show in the year 2009. "I’ll be doing this show for about four and a half more years," he said, "and then I’m...

Kevin Smith: 'I'm a Sellout!'

Sun, 07 Dec 2003 19:00:00 -0500

On Nov. 14, bearded and bespectacled director Kevin Smith sauntered onto the Tonight Show stage to greet Jay Leno. Dressed in his customary uniform of an oversized, button-down athletic jersey, baggy shorts and calf-high gray socks, Mr. Smith had come to introduce the 14th installment of "Roadside Attractions," a recurring filmed segment where Smith travels the country highlighting cheesy road-trip destinations.

"Settle a bet for me. I've seen the Paris Hilton tape. Is that you?"...