Jay Leno is moving along

[scandal 951]

I haven't decided yet. I think I'll watch Conan in June, see how I like the show. Then I'll have to make some decisions in the fall.

As it is, I rarely watch the full show. Usually I just watch the monologue. I love the "Headlines" skits Jay does on Mondays. Those are often hilarious.

Edit:: I must be a real chopf##ck!

I created the poll options, and now I realize there isn't one that fits me. So I voted #2 - stay with Conan.

Edited May 24, 2009 by uscandual

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I am on the west coast, and all those shows are past my bedtime. I used to like Stewart and Colbert, but both those guys have a hair up their butts lately, so I will stick to porn.

Edited May 24, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[scandal 951]

I am on the west coast, and all those shows are past my bedtime. I used to like Stewart and Colbert, but both those guys have a hair up their butts lately, so I will stick to porn.

Wait a minute. I resemble that remark.

(see also http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...&p=2958111)

[trinket 30]

I do know who Jay Leno is, but I don't watch t.v anymore. These programs weren't available in India and the only show I ever watch is LOST, so well.

[It's me 1]

I like J

[scandal 951]

Jay's last show was tonight.

My favorite joke "When I began on the Tonight show I had black hair and the President was white. Now I have white hair and the President...." joked trailed off into laughter.

C ya in Sept, brother Jay!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090530/ap_on_...leno_s_farewell

Leno bids farewell to 'Tonight,' hello to Conan

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer Lynn Elber, Ap Television Writer – 25 mins ago

BURBANK, Calif. – Jay Leno wrapped up 17 years as "Tonight" host Friday with jabs at favorite targets, including politicians and his own network, and with an unusual touch of sentiment.

"Now comes the hard part," Leno said as the NBC show drew to a close.

After reminiscing briefly about his time as host, Leno said he had an answer to those who asked him about his "Tonight" legacy.

He invited the audience to "take a look" at the children born to show staffers during his tenure — all 68 of them, babies to teenagers, who filled the studio stage.

"That's what I'd like my legacy to be," Leno said, his voice thickened by emotion. "When these kids grow up and they go, `Hey, mom and dad, where did you guys meet?', they're going to say they met on the stage of `The Tonight Show.'"

It was a self-effacing, homespun ending that suited Leno, who's often said he wants to appeal to the American mainstream and doesn't fret about his appeal to critics or other arbiters of what's cool.

But he noted proudly that he took over the top-rated late-night show from Johnny Carson and was passing it on with the same No. 1 ranking to Conan O'Brien, who begins as host Monday.

"Which means I get my security deposit back," quipped Leno.

The late Carson got a tip of the hat Friday, although Leno received a chilly reception when he beat out Carson favorite David Letterman for the "Tonight" job in 1992.

Carson, who was host for a record 30 years, taught him that no matter what happens in the world the host has to have a nightly monologue, "because that's your job," Leno said.

Giving O'Brien a pre-debut boost, Leno welcomed him Friday as his final guest.

"You were the perfect choice. You've been an absolute gentlemen in private and in the press," Leno told O'Brien, lauding him for his "sharp" material.

"Conan rocks," a studio audience member shouted. "I agree, Conan rocks," Leno replied.

A clip was shown from 1993, when the 30-year-old O'Brien, a TV newcomer, appeared on "Tonight" hours after being signed to host "Late Night."

Leno, his hair dark then and gray now, was ushered on stage Friday with a Jimi Hendrix-flavored version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by bandleader Kevin Eubanks.

"Welcome to the exciting season finale of `The Tonight Show,'" said Leno, greeted by a standing ovation. "I want to thank all the people who made it possible: Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton."

After noting that former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush were participating in a joint speaking engagement in Canada, Leno remarked wistfully: "I wish I had one more day."

He didn't refrain from mocking his network although he's moving to NBC's prime-time schedule this fall.

He was offered the chance to buy his dressing-room robe for $40, he quipped, and then gave NBC a sharp dig over its slumping prime-time ratings.

His new show represents a gamble, Leno said: "I'm betting NBC will be around in three months. That's not a given."

Leno also fit in a last shot at O.J. Simpson, another monologue favorite. In cleaning out his office, the comedian said, "I found O.J.'s knife. I had it the whole time."

He did his now-customary one-liners about the sour economy, and then paid tribute to the late Rodney Dangerfield, the routine's inspiration, with old "Tonight" clips.

A new segment was introduced called "White Trash Theater," which consisted of a clip of a woman trying to drive a man away from her porch by hitting him with a beer bottle and a trash-can lid.

Other than James Taylor, who performed "Sweet Baby James," celebrities were largely absent from the final show, which favored by-the-people comedy instead.

There was a lengthy "Best of Jaywalking" segment, highlights of Leno asking people on the street questions about history and other topics. A sample: A woman correctly said the first man to land on the moon was Armstrong, but when asked his first name offered "Louie," not Neil.

Leno made his own history Friday, as the second longest-running "Tonight" host.

Edited May 30, 2009 by uscandual

[Aubrey 10]

I always watched Conan anytime I had the chance. He's hilarious. Random, perky, and generally fun to watch. I liked Leno too, but unlikely to watch him in primetime. I didn't answer this poll because none of the options fit.

[NatPatBen 3]

Aww. I'm sorry to have missed Jay's last show. Let me see if it's on Hulu...

I like both Jay & Conan, but I rarely watch either one cause I'm usually on the phone or computer while they're on. But I def WON'T be watching Conan's replacement. I saw it the first time and wasn't a fan.

[scandal 951]

Aww. I'm sorry to have missed Jay's last show. Let me see if it's on Hulu...

I like both Jay & Conan, but I rarely watch either one cause I'm usually on the phone or computer while they're on. But I def WON'T be watching Conan's replacement. I saw it the first time and wasn't a fan.

I agree with you there. I don't find Jimmy Fallon funny, and have no interest in his show.

[bora bora 1]

I've watched Jay but I'm not much of a fan of late night...

[vareska 3]

Love J.

Hate Connan.

I know hate is a strong word, but in my opinion that man is not funny. At all. Ever. I tried so many times to watch his shows to discover what his charm is. Never made it through the end of the show. It was painful. I shall try no more, The man sucks. He should be in comedy as much as Jessica Simpson should be in music business or Katie Holms in acting.

[scandal 951]

BUMP, for the new news about Leno at 10PM.

NBC’s Shift in Schedule May Be Up to O’Brien

By BILL CARTER and BRIAN STELTER

Published: January 8, 2010

The numbers have not worked out in NBC’s favor since the network moved Conan O’Brien to the “Tonight Show,” and Jay Leno to 10 p.m.

A day after NBC executives said they were contemplating a plan to move Jay Leno back to 11:35 p.m., elbowing Mr. O’Brien back a half-hour to 12:05 a.m., representatives of Mr. O’Brien’s are privately saying that he has not accepted NBC’s plan and that he is likely not to agree to it any time in the near future. But none were willing to say so publicly.

The uncertainty has created an extraordinary spectacle: Two of NBC’s biggest stars, with an aggregate salary of more than $50 million a year, and their staffs are waiting to see what might happen, with no official word being issued from the network or any of its executives.

A senior executive at a rival network said that if Mr. O’Brien and his representatives were willing to walk away from money he may still be owed by NBC, “they’ll have options.” The executive spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wanted to avoid becoming involved in NBC’s dealings with Mr. O’Brien.

One option seems to be emerging for Mr. O’Brien. On Friday the Fox network began sending signals that it may have a home for Mr. O’Brien, should he decide that he would rather opt out of his lucrative contract at NBC — which pays him in the range of $20 million yearly — for a shot at a show that does not relegate him indefinitely behind Mr. Leno.

“We’ve always been interested in late night and we’re always looking to bring great new talent to Fox,” said a Fox employee who demanded anonymity because network employees were not authorized to speak on the record about the issue. “While Conan would be a great fit for Fox, he’s still under contract with NBC, so we’ll just see how all of this plays out.”

Several news organizations published similar anonymous comments from Fox on Friday afternoon.

A senior Fox executive amplified the network’s interest by saying that a late-night show has always been at least loosely on the network’s agenda.

“We love Conan,” the executive said.

The move to redirect Mr. Leno from prime time, where his new show has struggled since September, back to late night was fueled by complaints from NBC’s affiliated stations that they were seeing diminished ratings for their 11 o’clock local newscasts as a result of low lead-in audiences each night in the 10 o’clock hour.

NBC’s problems with “The Jay Leno Show” have also affected the ratings of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.” Mr. O’Brien averaged 2.8 million viewers at 11:35 p.m. from June through December, according to Nielsen, 1.5 million of whom were ages 18 to 49. In the television season that ended the month before Mr. O’Brien’s start, Mr. Leno averaged 5 million viewers at 11:35 p.m., 1.8 million of whom were 18 to 49.

Executives from most of NBC’s bigger station partners (and the chairman of its affiliate board) did not return phone calls or e-mail messages on Friday. The effect of Mr. Leno’s ratings also trickled down to local stations in smaller cities like Charleston, W. Va., where the NBC affiliate has seen the audience for its 11 p.m. newscast cut fully in half in the past year.

Viewers “just didn’t accept Leno at 10 o’clock,” said Don Ray, the vice president and general manager of WSAZ in Charleston. With Mr. Leno as a weaker lead-in, WSAZ’s 11 p.m. news received a 3 rating among 18- to 49-year-olds last November, down from a 6 rating for the same month last year.

As a result, “we make, in that 11 p.m. time slot, 60 percent of the money we used to make,” Mr. Ray said.

He added that he was excited about the potential move. “It’ll be good to have Leno back following our news instead of leading into our news,” he said.

Misgivings about Mr. Leno’s show deepened in December when local affiliates received ratings books for November — a so-called sweeps month, when ad rates for the next quarter of the year are set.

“I know that several affiliates talked to” NBC after that information arrived, said one station manager who would speak only on the condition of anonymity.

NBC had heralded Mr. Leno’s 10 p.m. show as transformational because it could be produced for far less money than expensive dramas that had been in that. hour. In September Jeff Zucker, the NBC Universal chief executive, said at an investors’ conference that the network would give Mr. Leno plenty of time to find his footing.

“We’re going to judge this on 52 weeks,” Mr. Zucker said.

Mr. Leno has been on at 10 p.m. for 17 weeks.

On Friday Mr. Ray noted that NBC was moving swiftly to correct what he said he believed was a misstep. “You’ve got to credit NBC for acting in a timely fashion,” he said.

NBC’s prime-time plan for Mr. Leno never won over some top advertising executives. Shari Anne Brill, a senior vice president at the Carat media agency, said she “questioned the decision” when it was made because it reminded her of “the early days of TV” when low-cost variety-comedy shows filled the schedules of the fledgling networks.

“It always smacked of cost saving and managing for margins,” Ms. Brill said.

John Rash, senior vice president and director of media analysis at the Campbell Mithun agency in Minneapolis, said in an e-mail message, “With a new-program failure rate approaching 90 percent plus in some seasons, it’s not a shock that ‘The Jay Leno Show’ — which was an unprecedented upending of the way prime time is programmed in the first place — didn’t work.”

Looking ahead, Ms. Brill said, “for me the big mystery is what is the plan for 10.”

NBC has almost no programming on its shelves ready to fill the 10 p.m. hour, leading many to suggest that the network would turn to multiple episodes of its news magazine “Dateline” and would be likely to reschedule the drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which had been a hit at 10 before being moved to 9 to make room for Mr. Leno.

Mr. Rash said “the blank canvas at 10” offered NBC “a challenge and opportunity to redefine its lineup.” If NBC can find the next generation of dramas, he said, “it stands a chance of bringing back viewers, and if it does, advertising investment will follow.”

Ms. Brill was less sanguine. “None of this is making sense to me,” she said, other than that Mr. Leno “does belong at 11:30.”

Referring to a character created by Johnny Carson, Mr. Leno’s predecessor on “The Tonight Show,” Ms. Brill said, “Only Carnac the Magnificent could make sense of this.”

[Leafgal 3]

Jon Stewart - all the way