MIKE ON TV: Leno on NBC Primetime, Smart Move or Desperate Play?

http://www.g4tv.com/lv3/35428

Back on G4′s “Attack of the Show” today, I discuss Jay Leno’s big move to 10 p.m. next fall — the how, why and what of it all. Meanwhile, that “testicle” crack I make comes off as a non-sequitur out of context; I’m referring to a sketch that appeared earlier on the show.

Leno Thoughts

You may have seen this pic in the newspapers. Above, in a fairly cheesy staged shot, Jay Leno — in bald cap and fake goatee — poses as a TV critic with NBC Entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff. Leno showed up to NBC’s TV Critics press tour event on Monday, in an attempt to make light of gossip that he plans to bolt for ABC once he leaves “The Tonight Show” next year.

But there was a local, bloggy angle to all this. When Leno walked into the Beverly Hilton ballroom where NBC was holding its press conference, the talk show host grabbed a random, unclaimed press credential:

Yep, he was wearing the name tag intended for my Variety colleague — and DodgerThoughts blogger Jon Weisman. Jon writes more about his imposter here.

Liveblogging the Returns of Leno and Conan

I spent the evening liveblogging the returns of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” over at Variety’s strike blog; check it out.

A few highlights:

11:35 — Nevermind Huckabee. Chingy? Really? Memo to Chingy: Crossing picket lines isn’t “crunk.” Wait, unless “crunk” is a bad thing. But I don’t think it is.

11:36 — “A Jew, a Christian and a Muslim walk into a bar…” And with that, Leno is pulled off the air for another two months.
Joking. Leno doesn’t deliver the punch line, instead adding, “See, I have no idea what they say because there’s no writers!”
But wait a minute, isn’t that non-joke a joke? Didn’t someone write the joke about there not being a joke?
OK, now I’m confusing myself. But somewhere across town, a WGA leader is probably wondering the same thing.

11:37 — First NBC joke! “Do you know there are actually more people picketing NBC now than watching NBC right now?” (NBC execs are flying down to Boca today for the big annual GE confab. I’m sure the head of turbines just emailed this to Silverman and Graboff.)

11:38 — Leno explains why he came back: “We have essentially 19 people putting 160 people out of work. We continue to support the Guild. But, I think it’s easy to empathise with those people if you see the faces of the people who work here. Like Bob, out lighting guy.” Cue obese slob with a flashlight. Oh, below-the-line folk, you’re so below-the-line!

11:39 — Wait, did Leno just out his wife as a scab? Yikes. “I’m doing what I did the say I 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.”
Yup, there goes Mavis’ WGA card. (Mavis gets a big cheer from the crowd.)
…

12:40 — “With all the late night shows off the air, Americans have been forced to read books and occasionally even speak to one another, which has been horrifying,” Conan says. Ahh, if that were only true. Unless, by “reading books,” he means, “Watching ‘I Love New York 2,’” and by “speaking to one another,” he means, “TiVoing ‘The Hills’ so that you can try to convince your wife that it’s a fun show to watch together.” (Still trying on that one, BTW.)

12:40 — Conan gets much more forceful than Jay on the WGA issue: “I want to make this clear, I support their cause — these are very talented, very creative people who work extremely hard and I believe what they’re asking for is fair,” he says to applause.

12:41 — “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to start by talking about my beard. That’s right, I know this looks fake. It looks like it ties on in the back, but believe it or not I actually grew a beard. I never grew a beard in my entire life. I grew it out of solidarity for my writers, and to prove that I have some testosterone.

Truest statement of the night: “The biggest comment I’m getting the last couple of days is that I look like the character of Kris Kringle in ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’” (See above; he’s right.)

Retro Friday: Los Angeles’ Lame Millennium

Retro Friday: Los Angeles’ Lame Millennium

It’s Guy Lombardo’s last New Year’s Eve, telecast on CBS as 1976 turned into 1977. The entertainer synonymous with New Year’s Eve passed away later that year.

Scenes from the Strike Front

Jay Leno and striking scribe at NBC

Jay Leno visits NBC, bearing Krispy Kremes this morning

Leno meets the cameras at NBC’s Bob Hope Drive. Leno said it was too soon to tell what will happen with “The Tonight Show” – dark for the time being – if a strike drags on. “We’ll take it one day at a time,” he said.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support at Warner Bros. “My husband is a member of the WGA and I’m a member of SAG, so I’m here in solidarity,” she said.

Toddler gets into the act at NBC

Picketers, carrying a mix of old and new WGA On Stike signs, at Warner Bros.

Strikers stock up on snacks and water at Warner Bros.

Big crowd at Disney, where “Lost” exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were among the writers marching outside.

For more details, check out Variety’s strike blog here, and full coverage here.

Also, check me out talking about the strike tonight on ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson.”

Scenes from the Strike Front

Jay Leno and striking scribe at NBC

Jay Leno visits NBC, bearing Krispy Kremes this morning

Leno meets the cameras at NBC’s Bob Hope Drive. Leno said it was too soon to tell what will happen with “The Tonight Show” – dark for the time being – if a strike drags on. “We’ll take it one day at a time,” he said.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support at Warner Bros. “My husband is a member of the WGA and I’m a member of SAG, so I’m here in solidarity,” she said.

Toddler gets into the act at NBC

Picketers, carrying a mix of old and new WGA On Stike signs, at Warner Bros.

Strikers stock up on snacks and water at Warner Bros.

Big crowd at Disney, where “Lost” exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were among the writers marching outside.

For more details, check out Variety’s strike blog here, and full coverage here.

Also, check me out talking about the strike tonight on ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson.”