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Seth Meyers named next host of NBC’s “Late Night”

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:46:00 +0000

With Jimmy Fallon set to take over "The Tonight Show," NBC has tapped "Saturday Night Live" head writer Seth Meyers to host "Late Night."

As reported by the New York Times:

NBC made the appointment, which had been widely expected, one day before Mr. Meyers was to be introduced to advertisers at NBC’s presentation of its new programming lineup at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

The assignment will keep Mr. Meyers under the production leadership of Lorne Michaels, who will continue to serve as executive producer of “Late Night” as well as serving in the same position on Mr. Fallon’s “Tonight Show” as it moves to New York. (And of course, he will remain in charge of “SNL.”)

In an interview before taking the stage on Saturday’s edition of “SNL,” Mr. Meyers said, “Working at ‘SNL’ requires 100 percent of your mental capacity — on easy weeks. And so I had not really spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to do next. Obviously I can’t quit Lorne. So this seems like a pretty good deal that I have an opportunity to keep working with him.”

While sentimental about leaving his home at "SNL," Meyers sees the move as a natural fit: “It always seemed like a logical next move,” he said. “It was just competing with the very emotional idea of leaving a place I have been for a very long time."

Jimmy Fallon reportedly finalized deal to take over “Tonight” show

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:22:00 +0000

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a "well-placed source" says that Jimmy Fallon has finalized a deal with NBC to replace Jay Leno on the "Tonight" show. NBC, however, has not yet confirmed the deal.

From THR:

"Still not clear is when exactly Fallon will take over Tonight. THR’s source says some NBC execs want to launch Fallon’s New York-based Tonight in February during network's high-rated Winter Olympics coverage, but producer Lorne Michaels is said to prefer to give Fallon a little more time. Plus, NBC would owe Leno a significant penalty if it took him off the air before his contract expires.

The timing and nature of the Fallon announcement also is said to be in flux, with some at NBC said to believe that the network should wait to confirm the Tonight transition until it can close a deal with Fallon’s replacement."

Leno's contract is up September 2014.

Leno and Fallon sing duet over “Tonight” show rumors, but Leno still holds grudge

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:02:00 +0000

Early Tuesday morning, NBC aired a sketch in which Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno, who are currently warring over Leno's coveted "Tonight" show spot, seemingly reconcile. Fallon asks Leno, "We're still friends, right?" The two then break out into a duet appropriately to "Tonight, Tonight" from Broadway musical "West Side Story," about two rival gangs in New York.

Fallon: Tonight, tonight, who's gonna host "Tonight"? Is it gonna be Jimmy or Jay? Tonight, tonight, where will they tape "Tonight"? In New York? Will it stay in L.A.?

Leno: Tonight, tonight, my ratings were all right. Twenty years, and I'm still in first place. Tonight, "Tonight", I've got Fox on the line. Or maybe I could take over for Dave?

In unison: Tonight, tonight. Why do they say we fight? I like you. You like me. We're okay. Tonight, tonight, who cares who hosts "Tonight"? We both just want our line the next day.

Jimmy vs. Jimmy: The late night battle to come

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Late night television is like a pleasant backing track, inoffensively lulling you to sleep at night, until every so often it violently scratches and forces you to pay attention to it. Last week, it let out a shriek. Rumors began to fly that NBC was going to oust Jay Leno from “The Tonight Show” and replace him with “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon, a move that will set up a whole new late night landscape. At some point in the not so distant future, the Jimmys Fallon and Kimmel, with their respective cadres of celebrity friends and knack for viral videos, will take over for Leno and Letterman as the dueling supernovas of the late night firmament.

The Leno-Letterman rivalry, which, unlike the incipient Fallon-Kimmel rivalry, has a lot of personal animosity behind it, has long since coalesced into a narrative: Leno is popular and a hack. Letterman is popular and not a hack. Leno is the choice of the masses. Letterman is the choice of the slightly more discerning viewer. Leno has a chin. Letterman has irony. Letterman may be on CBS, but Leno is the CBS-type property, hugely popular but no good, the late night equivalent of “Two and a Half Men.”

Must-see morning clip: Jay Leno takes more jabs at NBC on “Tonight Show”

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:06:00 +0000

Embittered "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno mocked NBC executives for the second consecutive week on-air, after reports emerged that the late night veteran will be replaced by "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon. Leno, on his way out despite being the No. 1-rated late night talk show host on television, got sarcastic:

"Folks, listen to this. Monday night the primetime shows 'The Voice' and 'Revolution' moved NBC in the No. 2 position. You know what that means? Between Easter and Passover, this is truly the season of miracles. We’re No. 2! I’ve been saying for the last week that NBC is a big No. 2. Haven’t I been saying that? Congratulations!”

He managed to sneak in another joke at the network's expense, saying that cellular provider T-Mobile, who is doing away with contracts, "got the idea from NBC."

Must-see morning clip: Jay Leno takes another jab at NBC execs

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:23:00 +0000

After calling them "snakes" and slamming the networks ratings on Monday and Tuesday night, Jay Leno took another cheap shot at NBC execs on Wednesday night's show, calling them "extinct."

"According to several reports, scientists say they are getting closer and closer to being able to do Jurassic Park-style cloning of extinct species,” Leno said during his opening monologue. “Imagine that. Things that were once thought to be extinct could be brought back from the dead. So there’s hope for NBC. It could turn around.”

Leno's vitriol comes as the New York Times reported Leno is on his way out as the "Tonight Show" host, to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon.

Watch Leno's recent insult, at 3:46:

Obama delivers an unflinching, witty performance on “Leno”

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:40:00 +0000

There’s been much spin of late that Obama’s on the defensive — because, you know, criticizing a front-running senatorial candidate for saying “God intended" rape is what nervous losers do. But it was pretty hard to argue that last night in the president’s assured, charming performance on a very friendly “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” As Jay joked in the monologue, President Obama “only does these [type of] shows once or twice a week now,” so he’s no stranger to the format. We're only two weeks from Election Day, and Obama seemed remarkably at ease, exhibiting none of the uptight professorial vibe he sometimes trots out at these things. Those notes he got after the first debate seem to have stuck.

Really, though: When Leno asked about the first debate, Obama copped to having done a poor job. “Clearly I had a bad night, because the whole point is for Americans to understand the stakes,” he said. “If you don’t have the energy to make people snap up, you’re not doing your job.”