Leno/O'Brien: Change We Can Believe In

It's difficult to believe that Jay Leno leaves the Tonight Show after tonight's broadcast after 17 years. Not to be sad, however, as he takes up residence in a 10 pm time slot on NBC in the fall. Beginning Monday, the Tonight Show will be hosted by Conan O'Brien, who Jay featured as his last guest tonight. Good luck to both of them as they undertake their new venues.

A True American Patriot

Last night, while routinely watching The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he made an announcement that was very moving. Monday nights are usually my favorite time to watch Leno, as this is the night he features my favorite portion, which is 'headlines'. Before going into it, Jay announced that he was going to put on a comedy show free of charge. The community of Auburn Hills, just outside of Detroit, has been hard hit by auto industry layoffs due to the economy. The Palace at Auburn Hills donated the venue and Pepsi-Cola the sponsorship for this event. Leno stated that he understood the economic hardship imposed on many people, and wanted to give them the opportunity for a night out on him. Now, in my book, that's an example of a true American Patriot.

It All Changes This June

Today marks the beginning of the end for Conan O'Brien. On February 20th, O'Brien will work his last late night show from New York. I June, he will re-emerge in California as host of the Tonight Show, replacing Jay Leno. It seems like just yesterday that NBC made the decision for the switch and announced its' intent five years ago.

In the meantime, Leno's contract with NBC runs out this year, and he reached a new agreement with the network to move to the 10 PM slot on Monday thru Fridays. Economically, filling in the 10 o'clock hour with Leno's show will save the company a lot of money, as it will be cheaper than a drama. Once his contract ran out, Leno had originally planned to retire.