Behind the Scenes: Who's the Real Cardboard Cut-Out?

Jay Leno returns tonight to NBC and WKYC as the host of the "Tonight Show" at 11:35 p.m.

To promote his show, Jay stopped by the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center today, or did he?

I'm not really sure by these pictures.. Can you tell who the cardboard cut-out is? AJ, Producer Carrie Young or Jay himself?

From the Wires: Upset Winner In Massachusetts Senate Race Headed For Leno

LOS ANGELES -- Scott Brown is going prime time.

The Republican who rocketed to national prominence by winning a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is scheduled to appear Thursday on "The Jay Leno Show."

NBC spokeswoman Tracy St. Pierre says Brown will do a skit via satellite hookup in which Leno fires off 10 quick questions.

The once little-known state legislator jolted the national political landscape last week by capturing the Senate seat once held by Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

---
The Associated Press

It's Official: NBC Announces That Jay Leno Returns To Host of "Tonight", Conan Leaves

UNIVERSAL CITY, California - NBC confirmed today that popular late-night host Jay Leno will return to host "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" from 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. (ET) beginning March 1, 2010 and that "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" will continue to be broadcast from 12:35-1:35 a.m. (ET). The announcements were made by Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment.

"We're pleased that Jay is returning to host the franchise that he helmed brilliantly and successfully for many years," said Gaspin. "He is an enormous talent, a consummate professional and one of the hardest-working performers on television."

Leno previously hosted "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" from May 1992-May 2009. The program will continue to showcase many of the features that made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.

"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" made its broadcast debut on March 2, 2009 with "Saturday Night Live" alum Fallon as the host of the comedy-talk show. The program serves as a platform for comedy, music and A-list talent out of NBC's Rockefeller Center Studio 6B. Fallon is joined by his house band -- the critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning hip-hop band The Roots. Earlier, Fallon launched his "Late Night" video blog (or "vlog"), giving viewers behind-the-scenes access to his preparation for the show's official launch at www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com.

Fallon joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1998 and quickly became an audience favorite for his impressions of actors and musicians as well as for creating many memorable recurring characters. In 2000, he became co-anchor of the segment "Weekend Update" alongside Tina Fey. Fallon also appeared in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries "Band of Brothers," and his feature films include "Almost Famous," "Taxi" and "Fever Pitch."

In addition, NBC and Conan O'Brien have reached a resolution of the issues surrounding O'Brien's contract to host the "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."

Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O'Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O'Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010.

O'Brien will make his final appearance as host of the "Tonight Show" on Friday, January 22nd.

USA Today: 'The Jay Leno Show' Could Be On The Way Out

Special to the Director's Cut Blog
By Gary Levin

Jay Leno's prime-time "experiment" may be cut short.

The former Tonight Show host, who spent 15 years atop the late-night ratings race, hasn't worked out at 10 p.m. ET/PT, hurting both NBC's overall ratings and the local newscasts that follow it on the network's affiliates.

Now NBC is weighing scenarios that would lead The Jay Leno Showto end its run as early as Feb. 11, on the eve of the Winter Olympics, according to network executives involved in the discussions.

In statements Thursday, NBC said the Leno Show has not yet been canceled, adding that while Leno's average audience of 5.8 million viewers has met expectations, the show has "presented some issues for our affiliates," who have complained about sharp declines for late local newscasts.

A meeting with stations is set for Jan. 21 in New York, in part to discuss a plan that could include shifting Leno back to late night or letting him walk away and paying out the remainder of his two-year contract.

NBC's decision to air the Leno Show at 10 five nights a week resulted from its promise five years ago to hand The Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien and the network's need to prevent Leno from moving his show to ABC or Fox. But programmers acknowledge it also stemmed from the fourth-place network's prime-time woes and the lack of enough shows to fill its 22-hour weekly schedule.

Still, the network characterized the move as a bold experiment for recessionary times, and last summer newly installed NBC TV chief Jeff Gaspin called it a "smart risk," since the show is produced at a fraction of the cost of a typical prime-time drama.

"Going into the season, it was going to be a seminal shift in how to approach prime time," says analyst John Rash at ad firm Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis. "And yet by any objective quantitative standard it failed."

And ratings for The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien are half those claimed by Leno in that late-night slot.

In prime time, NBC could replace Leno starting March 1 by shifting top-rated The Biggest Loser and Law & Order: SVU to later time slots and adding more reality shows and Dateline NBC to the schedule until the TV season ends in May.

For next fall, the network is developing 18 pilots for potential new series, the most in several years, that could be used to help fill the time.

Leno Says He'd Return To 'Tonight' If NBC Asked

Special to the Director's Cut Blog
By Frazier Moore, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jay Leno's plugging away in prime time, but he still says he would have rather stayed put at "The Tonight Show" -- and if NBC offered him that late-night job again, he says he'd take it.

In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable magazine, Leno hastily adds that such a decision isn't his to make. Conan O'Brien, his successor as "Tonight" host after 17 years, is "doing fine," says Leno.

"The Jay Leno Show" began on NBC in September, airing Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern, where it has displaced prime-time scripted dramas. For that, and for his less-than-stellar ratings thus far, Leno has taken heat within the TV industry as well as from critics.

But getting beat up is just part of the game, says Leno, who insists he enjoys his role "being the underdog."

USA Today Web Poll: Is NBC Losing The Leno Crowd?

Our sister publication, USA Today.com, has conducted a new web poll and found Jay Leno fans have yet to adapt to Conan's hosting of the "Tonight Show".

Respondents say they are beginning to look elsewhere or not even watch after a strong start has fizzled for Conan as host of the "Tonight Show."

Here's where viewers say they are going:

News: Leno Announces His Last Guest on "The Tonight Show" May 29th

Jay Leno announced today that "Tonight Show" heir Conan O'Brien is scheduled to be the final guest to sit on his famed couch during Leno's last show as host of the franchise on May 29. O'Brien, who has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" 16 times previously, will be taking over the coveted hosting duties beginning on June 1.

In addition, the week leading up to Leno's finale as host of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" will feature special guests and friends of the show including:

Monday, May 25: Mel Gibson will make his 21st appearance on the "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in his first sit-down interview since the announcement of his impending divorce.

Tuesday, May 26: Arnold Schwarzenegger made headlines when he made the now famous surprise announcement that he was running for governor of California during an appearance in 2003 and he will take to the couch again for his 25th appearance on the show.

Wednesday, May 27: Comedian Wanda Sykes, hot off her hosting duties at the White House Correspondents dinner, makes her 25th appearance with Leno.

Thursday, May 28: Billy Crystal boasts the title of the first guest ever to take a seat on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" when he appeared on the initial broadcast on May 25, 1992.

The musical guests for the week include Lyle Lovett who will appear on Monday, May 25 while Dwight Yoakam takes the stage on Tuesday, May 26. Both are currently tied for the most appearances made by a musician and both will round out "The Tonight Show" with 25 appearances each. Sarah McLachlan, Prince and James Taylor will wrap up the week.

In addition to the special guests, video packages honoring 17 years of moments, gaffes and laughs on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" will premiere throughout the week.

Leno opened his first monologue as host "The Tonight Show" on May 25, 1992, with a joke about Vice President Dan Quayle's concerns about "Murphy Brown's" title character becoming a single mother. Since then, he's delivered as many as 130,000 jokes in 17-years of hosting the leading late-night franchise.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" has never strayed from its tradition of booking the top celebrities, musicians, politicians and newsmakers keeping its audience on the cutting edge of pop culture and current events and in March 2009 the show made history when it hosted the President of the United States. President Barack Obama's appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" remains the only late-night appearance by a sitting President.

In 1999 "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" becoming the first American nightly talk show to be shot in HD. With its constant commitment to topical humor, guests and the latest trends in broadcast the "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" has finished #1 in the late-night race for the last 14 consecutive seasons.

Leno, recently named America's Favorite TV Personality by the 2009 Harris Poll, announced in December of 2008 that while he will be leaving "The Tonight Show" he will remain at NBC and embark on an adventure that marks a new era in television. "The Jay Leno Show" will be the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television and will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.

Conan O'Brien, the dominant late-night host at 12:35 a.m. for the past 14 seasons, will succeed Jay Leno as host of the preeminent series on late-night television, NBC's "The Tonight Show" on June 1, 2009. The announcement was made by Leno during a taping of "The Tonight Show" on September 27, 2004.

Director's Alert: Jay Leno to Stay at NBC; Launch new 10 p.m. show in Fall 2009

Update: 12/9/08 - It's Now Official!

NEW YORK -- Jay Leno is staying at NBC, and he's moving to prime time.

The network announced on the "Today" show Tuesday that Leno will host a show on weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern, after he leaves the "Tonight" show. The network had announced earlier that Conan O'Brien would move to the "Tonight" show and succeed Leno.

The deal not only prevents Leno from moving to another network and competing with O'Brien, it also has the potential to be a big cost savings for NBC.

Dramas at 10 p.m. Eastern used to be a mainstay of network schedules, but they have been fading -- particularly on NBC. One reason is digital video recorders; more people are watching shows they taped earlier than the live 10 p.m. shows.

The deal was first reported Tuesday in The New York Times.

------
Our Original Posting from 12/8/08

Things at NBC are moving fast and we have learned another piece of the puzzle which seems to be coming together quickly.

The Director's Cut Blog has learned that Jay Leno will stay with NBC and launch a new 10 p.m. broadcast in the Fall of 2009.

TV Week.com reports this evening that Jay has apparently signed a multi-year deal to do a Monday through Friday talk/variety show at 10 p.m. weeknights, leaving the network with 5 less additional hours to program each week.

The announcement is expected on Tuesday, with NBC declining comment.

This new program would keep Jay at the network, give him a substantial pay increase and keep Conan O'Brien happy as the new host of "The Tonight Show" starting this summer.

Jay had been expected to jump to ABC or FOX.

Director's Alert: Leno to sign off May 29th

NBC announced this morning that Jay Leno's last day as host of the "Tonight Show" will be on Friday, May 29th.

Conan O'Brien will take over the following Monday, June 1st, for a smoothless transition according to NBC Entertainment Co-Chairs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.

Speculation continues to have Leno going to ABC as host of a new show at 11:35 p.m. that will displace Nightline.

Still, we scratch our head as to why NBC would jeopardize losing their late night leading position with a move at this time. While Conan does well, he isn't Leno.

Your thoughts...post them under "comments" below.