NBC ending Leno's nightly prime-time show

[LinasK]

by Ken Tucker
As we all bask in the afterglow of Conan O’Brien’s tremendous final Tonight Show, I have some cold water to pour on this. There’s little doubt that, over the course of the rest of the year, the biggest winner of the late-night wars will be Jay Leno.
Why? Because once Leno re-takes the Tonight Show desk on Mar. 1, he’ll begin one of his inexorable, inexhaustible efforts to regain the ratings lead over David Letterman, now not just his rival but his grand arch-enemy. (Think Dave as Batman [brooding, wily, powerful] and Jay as The Joker [giggly, wily, powerful].)
And as much as it pains me to write this, Leno will probably succeed; it’s just a matter of how long it takes.
Because if you think the vast majority of Americans who have long watched The Tonight Show truly believes Jay is “tarnished” or “the bad guy,” as so many pundits have written, you’re deluded. Middle America still loves Jay, and the backlash to the backlash will be that Leno emerges just the way he’s been positioning himself: As the loyal underdog who’s now coming to rescue NBC’s late-night ratings. more at link: http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/01/25/jay-leno-conan-obrien-tonight-show-late-night/

 

[LinasK]

Fresh off the bloody late-night skirmish that made headlines across the globe, Jay Leno appears on "Oprah" today and — this is just a wild guess — they probably won't discuss his car collection.
Media pundits have framed this as the start of Leno's damage-control tour, during which he'll try to convince America that he really isn't the Conan-crushing barbarian some have made him out to be. And you can see why. Tarnished celebrities long have made a habit of arriving on mama Oprah's doorstep expecting her to kiss the boo-boo and make the pain go away.
But those of us who have chronicled NBC's stupendous buffoonery, and spent time trying to declare late-night winners and losers, could be missing a key point: Leno's reputation might not need all that much mending — especially among the "Tonight Show" masses who have spent 17 years by his side.
Even as Leno was being verbally thrashed by David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and others last week, I never got the impression that Leno loyalists — Middle America, older viewers, etc. — were abandoning him. Part of that feeling comes from all the e-mail I get that passionately defends Leno. Part of it comes from listening to my dad, who scrunches up his face every time I mention Conan O'Brien and calls him an "oddball freak."
<snip>
In the minds of Leno's supporters. their guy was an innocent bystander, or even a victim, in the debacle. They see him as the aw-shucks underdog who was forced out of his "Tonight Show" gig five years ago under a cockamamie transition plan and then tossed a bone in the form of a 10 p.m. show that he never really wanted.
And so, that's why I think Leno should do just fine from here on out. more at link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/sea...contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

 

[Tizzle]

Fresh off the bloody late-night skirmish that made headlines across the globe, Jay Leno appears on "Oprah" today and — this is just a wild guess — they probably won't discuss his car collection.
Media pundits have framed this as the start of Leno's damage-control tour, during which he'll try to convince America that he really isn't the Conan-crushing barbarian some have made him out to be. And you can see why. Tarnished celebrities long have made a habit of arriving on mama Oprah's doorstep expecting her to kiss the boo-boo and make the pain go away.
But those of us who have chronicled NBC's stupendous buffoonery, and spent time trying to declare late-night winners and losers, could be missing a key point: Leno's reputation might not need all that much mending — especially among the "Tonight Show" masses who have spent 17 years by his side.
Even as Leno was being verbally thrashed by David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and others last week, I never got the impression that Leno loyalists — Middle America, older viewers, etc. — were abandoning him. Part of that feeling comes from all the e-mail I get that passionately defends Leno. Part of it comes from listening to my dad, who scrunches up his face every time I mention Conan O'Brien and calls him an "oddball freak."
<snip>
In the minds of Leno's supporters. their guy was an innocent bystander, or even a victim, in the debacle. They see him as the aw-shucks underdog who was forced out of his "Tonight Show" gig five years ago under a cockamamie transition plan and then tossed a bone in the form of a 10 p.m. show that he never really wanted.
And so, that's why I think Leno should do just fine from here on out. more at link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/sea...contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Leno supporters, AKA "older viewers", must have forgotten the first time Jay did basically the same thing to Letterman, that's why they're not "abandoning" him. I guess it's true when they say "The first thing to go is your memory".

Jay's little "damage control tour" will do nothing to fix his tarnished image. I've "abandoned" NBC and will continue to. It probably wouldn't have mattered much to me if Jay weren't a habitual backstabber, but he is. His damage control would be successful if he weren't such a weasel, but he is. He should have been a circus clown or something, it's more fitting for his style of humor, LAME, BORING and SOPHOMORIC. Really, Jay is a big dull dud!

IMO

 

[LinasK]

Leno supporters, AKA "older viewers", must have forgotten the first time Jay did basically the same thing to Letterman, that's why they're not "abandoning" him. I guess it's true when they say "The first thing to go is your memory".

Jay's little "damage control tour" will do nothing to fix his tarnished image. I've "abandoned" NBC and will continue to. It probably wouldn't have mattered much to me if Jay weren't a habitual backstabber, but he is. His damage control would be successful if he weren't such a weasel, but he is. He should have been a circus clown or something, it's more fitting for his style of humor, LAME, BORING and SOPHOMORIC. Really, Jay is a big dull dud!

IMO

I have to disagree with you. First of all, Jay did not steal a show from David Letterman, nor was David asked to leave as Jay was- apples & oranges. Jay has solidly beaten David in the ratings. I find Jay extremely funny and I don't consider myself "an older viewer". I'm 49, and live on the West Coast, not the Mid-West. I don't find Conan nor David funny in the least. I do also like Craig Ferguson.
David Letterman is a hypocritical womanizer who only came out because he was being exposed.