The TV Zone

Here's what I love about the Internet: You can watch Jay Leno's set get built, to the accompaniment of crickets.

I mean, when else in the history of communications could you have watched Jay Leno's set get built?

Go right here, right now for something that will both excite and stupefy at the same time. (Is that guy wandering by Jay? or the do-nut delivery man?) I think there are quite literally some bugs with this though: I get a sound effect on my machine which sounds suspiciously like deranged crickets.

Meanwhile, NBC launched Jay's new site today. There's much to explore. Go now before the crickets attack...

Meanwhile, here's Jay...

We've got 'em here, friends - Jay Leno's new on-air campaign that launches in seconds, in support of the new "Jay Leno Show," launching Sept. 14.

Here are four...Check 'em out...be the first to know, to watch, to do whatever one does when one sees a new promotion campaign for a major new show on a network...no, make that THE major new show on a network which is about to see a third of its weeknight primetime schedule consumed by this...

The first here, then go to the jump for the others....

Continue reading "First Look: Jay Leno's On-Air Promotions" »

Conan joked last night that Jay's show was gonna start in three days, but just a slight exaggeration: The official date in September 14.

Yes, that's a Monday AND the night after the Emmys, which were moved up a week buy CBS to avoid a clash with football. .

Last night's very nice exit show had plenty to talk about. But better to watch than talk. The second two clips here include a good chunk of the Conan interview. (Check out how young Conan is in the clip-within-a-clip.)

But let's start with the most memorable moment, Jay's terrific closer - the legacy clip, with all the kids. It was a fine way to end (and strangely, in the back of mind, I feel like this was once done somewhere else, on another talk show, years ago when the host left...Is my memory playing tricks on me? Maybe...it does that.).

Who cares. Jay said this would be a special ending, and Jay was right. Good for him. He has no children, but his staff had 68 over 17 years.

(Getty)

And...heeeeere's Jay's last monologue!

The very last one - after 3775 monologues, or so...

Please head to the jump.

And, I'll post the nice interview with Conan later, or after the midnight embargo.

To the jump!

Continue reading "Jay Leno: The Last Monologue" »

(Kevin Winter/Getty)

OK, gang. Snatches of the show, concluded not long ago, are dribbling in...Here's my starter wrap for tomorrow...


"I'm going to be going to a secluded spot where no one can find me," promised Jay Leno in his final "Tonight Show" appearance last night.

Anyone need to know what the punchline is?

After seventeen pretty good years as the host of a national TV institution that's had just four hosts, the latest one said goodbye, and, in a sense, he said "hello" as well. Jay Leno will be back in September at 10 p.m. on NBC, and if he's lucky, the jokes he told last night won't even be moldy by then.

"When we started this show," he told his final "Tonight" audience, "my hair was black and the president was white. When we started the show, Jon and Kate were both eight."

After a rapturous standing O, there were many people to thank, besides his wife, Mavis, in the audience. Monica Lewinsky. Bill Clinton. Michael Jackson. (O.J. Simpson, too: "I was cleaning my room today and I found O.J.'s knife. I had it the whole time.") He noted that former presidents George W. Bush and Clinton were about to meet for a debate in Toronto. “Oh, just one more day, just one more day” to host the show.

He thanked NBC, too. Sort of: "I'm betting everything that NBC will still be around in three months," adding: "That is not a given." (The network is deep in fourth place, one reason he gets the 10 p.m. shot.) He said his boss, Jeff Zucker, even offered to let him buy his robe in his dressing room for forty bucks.

Guests tongiht were Conan O'Brien, who takes over the whole shebang over on Monday, and James Taylor.

So, a sad, sentimental departure for the man who hosted 3,775 editions of "Tonight" through Friday? Hardly: He'll be back and in a better time period almost before you know it. What? Jay worry?

Meanwhile, when I get the vid clips, you know where to find 'em.

Pals, and the last guest on Jay's "Tonight." (Kevin White/Getty)

Just got off the call with Jay Leno - a long-planned conference call with about 8,000 reporters, columnists and critics (who says the news business is in trouble!) and he had so much to say, so many thoughts and observations that I'm afraid I'm gonna have to boil some of 'em down.

Let's go! (And in no particular order; all answers edited down so my fingers don't break off:)

On his recent hospitalization:

"I let them [NBC] talk me into this stupid, idiot idea..."

On whether he works hard to prove something (an old observation about JL, BTW):

"I work really hard because you have to work really hard..that's what it comes down to."

On the hand-off to Conan:

"He couldn't be a better guy. We're friends and it's a really smooth transition..."

On the final week's editions [his last day is the 29th]:

"Yeah, we'll do some looking-back shows [highlights]. That's easier than writing new stuff...the last week people don't want to work a lot harder."

On the new show:

"No, haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it. Looking at office space and trying to figure out who [staff-wise] will be there. The creative part hasn't started yet but the real key to this is having a lot more...in the last half hour. People like the monologue and the headlines and some of the bits - we'll freshen 'em up. Those seem to work and people like that,but the real trick is the second half hour. Although my job previous to this was to give Conan a lead-in, the job now is giving a lead-in to the eleven o'clock news and that's really important. I want to make sure they have strong lead-ins..."

On doing commercials himself in the new show, as suggested by towel-dancing head-of-NBC-Entertainment Ben Silverman:

"Ben is very enthusiastic. If it were up to him, I'd be out there doing a monologue wearing a McDonald's jacket and a Budweiser hat. We'll look at it and I'll see....if it's something that can be an integral part of the show, maybe that's one of the things that's open to speculation. I'm not quite sure. It's somewhere between 'Ben's enthusiasm' and 'no.'"

On the ABC flirtation:

"It was not that close. Nice to have people flirt with you. I didn't get John Edwards close."

On counter programming at 10:

"...everything is all murder [at 10] all these procedural shows. I enjoy 'em but fun to have something a little bit different. I said [to NBC], do some research if you guys think it can work...so they did research and it came back that people wanted comedy and [they] going earlier was a good idea too..."

On Conan:

"I don't need to give him any advice. He's been successful from day one...if he'd ask, I'd give it. I like the guy. We're friends. It's a peaceful transition of power. There's no bloodshed here...the key to Conan is he's always had material. The key to doing this is having the product, not just t he personality. [When he started] he was a writer and if there was clumsiness or awkwardness, it was backed up by strong jokes, well-written bits and strong material. Then he learned to become a performer...so often, people who get these jobs are good-looking performers but don't have the material to back it up."

On mysterious plans for the last show:

"We have something unusual and different, out of left field. Something personal and unusual. It's just really different, and has to do with our show and our staff. I think it will make people smile."

On, to quote one writer, "do you ever have any plans of retiring, or does your wife get on you?"

"My wife got on me last night."

Ba dum.

And with that, we bid you adieu.

He feels fine.Thanks for asking. (AP)

Good God, Jay: Now it's a "fever" that put you in the hospital?

That officially makes Reason # 6, others including food poisoning, heat rash, attack by killer bees, adult onset of acute loss of late night hosting gigitis.

I do hope NBC has a straight answer from The Most Important Guy on the NBC Payroll (By Far).

This is starting to look worrisome.

Anyway, here's a big outtake of today's chat with Ellen.

Pretty funny line below on "Lipstick Jungle" - which is almost certainly true. But to read this, one gets the sense that Jay is saying that because he IS the Most Important Guy on the NBC Payroll (By Far), the network over-reacted.

So, I guess that's reason No. 7: "It's wasn't the bee sting - the network made me go."

He kinda said that before. But think about it - network exec tells Jay to go to hospital because he has fever; Jay happily agrees and goes.

Does this sound plausible?

It gets better! At the end of this, Jay notes that he "wanted to make sure" that he passed the baton on to the best person, and that would be Conan. I see: So Jay happily planned his own succession and everything has worked out perfectly according to plan. He never really wanted to stay beyond seventeen years, and "seventeen" does have a lovely ring to it, does it not?

I'm gonna miss Jay when he's gone. Oh, wait: He's not going anywhere, is he?

Ellen: How are you feeling?

Jay: I am feeling fine. There is nothing wrong with me.

Ellen: You were in the hospital Jay.

Jay: I was only the hospital because my show makes money for NBC. We have an ODN at the show. An overly dramatic nurse. I came in and I had a fever. I've done the show with a 103 fever before it's not too big a deal. If I was on "Lipstick Jungle" I could have had a bullet in my head and they wouldn't of taken me to the hospital. When you have a show that makes money..Oh my God. So they take me to the hospital...I'm in the hospital, I'm lying in the bed and not an hour later I hear (knock) yes, I'm Mr. Leno's Priest, I'm here to see him. Well, I'm not even Catholic. It's a Catholic hospital and the nurse goes..where are you from? We're the Jesuits, I'm a Jesuit Priest so and so and the nurse goes, well most Jesuits call themselves Father. Oh, (and the guy runs off.) So NBC says, well let's send some guards down. Now there are guards ..It's like the Godfather. I'm in the room at the end of the hall with armed guards. It was ridiculous.

Ellen: Well, you know I worried because I know after the motorcycle accident, I know how tough you are and you'll work through anything and when I heard that we called (the show)

Jay: I appreciate that. It's not tough. Exhaustion is like a rich man's disease. Poor people don't get exhausted....when you have a TV show you make a lot of money...'he's exhausted.'

Ellen: Now you're moving almost 17 years to the day. How are you feeling? Is it a little sad? Are you excited?

Jay: It was great fun. "The Tonight Show" is sort like the "America's Cup" you don't want to be the guy to screw it up and lose it. It's been the number one show since the 50's. Jack Parr gives it to Johnny (Carson). Johnny of course has the greatest run ever, and [they] give it to you...I didn't screw it up. Conan take it. You don't want to be the guy who drops it and loses it. So that's the great fun of it and all the tradition that goes with it. It's been a great experience over the years.

Ellen: And it was important to you to make it a smooth transition then for Conan.

Jay: Yeah, really important because the last time it happened I had been guest hosting since 1986 and I got the show in 1992. At the time Dave (Letterman) thought he would get the show but I had been guest hosting all along and the network came and said we want you to have it and then there were bad feelings and it was just handled poorly. So I just wanted to make sure the next person that got it, Conan, [was] most deserving and it was an easy transition and it will be and it has been."

Is it just me...or is this new Jay Leno promo that the network's getting the blogorati, from sea to shining sea, to post...unbearably awful?

Yes, it's awful. Painful, even. (No, I take that back. Fox reality shows, with the exception of "American Idol," on some nights, but not all nights, are painful; and then, there's TV Land's "The Cougar." "The Bachelorette" is arriving May 18. That could set a new standard, but the new bachelorette seems nice. Ryan Seacrest reality shows? Maybe those set the standard of true awfulness. Digress, digress...)

Five nights a week of this? Week after week? Month after month? Year after year?

I'm sure "The Jay Leno Show" will be just fine. Jay's a great showman, so he'll figure it out. But what's that line about putting the best foot forward...?

What do I know? Maybe you'll find this brilliant. Let me know if you do...

Now, we learn: He was "exhausted..."

(What next? He had Lyme disease? or the mumps?)

Like you, I like Jay Leno enormously - he's not only one of the great talents of the business but one of the great guys, too. But honestly - this is like the third (or fourth) different ailment ascribed to his recent absence...flu...dehydration...food poisoning...

He told People yesterday that he was just "exhausted." Go to the jump for the story.

But ask yourself this: Do you go to the hospital if you are "exhausted?" What do you tell the attending nurse in the ER waiting room? "I'm really tired..." She'd say: Get a cup of coffee...

I kid, of course - "exhaustion" can be a serious condition, and debilitating one. But Jay is the most important person at NBC, by far. We've now heard several different stories. Is this the final one...?

People story on the jump...

Continue reading "Jay: "Exhausted"" »

Okay, we have Jay's first comments from tonight...(and thanks to the intrepid Tracy St. Pierre for supplying...)

(Paul Hawthorne/Getty)

Which is why he was in repeat last night.

Details? You'll have to go to this AP dispatch, but the implications are - that he's fine, nothing to worry about, and so on.

Still, cause for concern. NBC's future is very nearly hanging on him, and when Jay gets a cold - which he never does - the network gets a fever.

NBC is pooh-poohing the whole thing, as is Jay, but you can be certain they're not behind closed doors. Jay's one of the great workers of the western world - as durable as saddle leather and just about as well worn. Even workhorses get sick, you say, and yet this particular one does not. For Jay to go to the hospital likely means something must have been seriously wrong. We'll see...

Here's what KTLA is reporting:

"NBC publicist Tracy St. Pierre said Leno drove himself to the hospital early Thursday afternoon and was admitted after he complained of feeling ill.

Leno will be 59 on Tuesday.

He is believed to be at St. Joseph's Medical Center, which is near the NBC studios.

There had been speculation that Leno may be suffering from food poisoning, however St. Pierre said she did not believe that was the case."

Jay's gonna spread some more cheer: This time in Wilmington, Ohio. Last free show in Detroit was apparently a success so...

Said he last night: "This will be on Mothers' Day. And the folks at Pepsi have been great. They're sponsoring this whole thing. Have a Pepsi, and a snack, we'll give you a show. It's absolutely free; parking is free. It's at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. It's on May 10th. If you don't like it, we'll give you your money back. " Kevin Eubanks is on board this time too.

Remember that little bit of insanity that broke over NBC a week or so ago - a troublesome Boston affiliate told the network that it had no plans to air the "Jay Leno Show" at 10 when it bows this fall, but instead put news on instead?

And remember NBC's reaction? A cross between "nuclear" and "thermonuclear" - network threatened to demolish the station and salt the earth where it had once stood.

Well, said station has relented. It will now air Jay at 10: Here's the statement from the station boss, who clearly got the message:

“Upon further consideration, we have decided to telecast Jay Leno at 10 p.m. starting in September,” the station owner Ed Ansin said in a statement. “Jay is from Andover where I went to school. I enjoy his humor. We hope the new show is a big success.”

[Ha! What a statement! Because Jay is from Andover, that means they're bros! So he'll go ahead and air it after all.

Oh man. Amazing, just amazing.]

NBC, I am quite sure, is pleased. For one little moment last week, the network's blood froze - "what if OTHER affiliates dumped Jay for local news too?! "

The threat, for now, has been averted. Defcon 2 as well.

(Pix: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

"Boston did whaaaa?"

In a sign of...oh, who the hell knows what it's a sign of...NBC's Boston affiliate has dumped Jay Leno's 10 p.m. show.

Quite a feat considering it hasn't even launched yet.

This is big news and will no doubt shoot a bolt of cold hard fear through 30 Rock. I can hear Zucker now, "How DARE those provincials dump us! This means WAR."

Here's the deal: As reported on the Boston Globe's website last night, WHDH/7 will air some local news program instead of Leno's show. Ch. 7 is apparently aping the Fox affiliate up there which has done well with local news filler at 10 (surprise! that's what Fox affiliates DO at ten.)

And...NBC has already gone nuts over this: Per the Globe, "WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC," said John Eck, president of NBC TV Network, in a statement. "If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station."

Charrrge! Another Boston tea party - this time over Jay.

Consider: If Boston, which is kind of an independent TV market to begin with, gets away with this, then what's to stop Worcester...then Albany...then Syracuse...then...

You get the idea. TV stations across the country are panicking because they're losing so much dough, so why not dump Jay at 10 and just go with local news - or infomercials - instead?

Yes, this is a big deal, and here's another point: Jay's from Boston. (Or Andover.)

Good Lord. This could be a mess.

(Pix: Paul Drinkwater, NBC)

I was intrigued by this Lee Cowan story on this morning's edition of "The Today Show."

It's about "The Tonight Show."

This is a good piece, but it understandably avoids the elephant in the room. Prez Obama is going on "Tonight," but not going on "Meet the Press," whose very host intro'd this story. Obama's return tonight isn't in itself terribly interesting at all- he's been on a couple times, and I think just about every candidate, from dog catcher to potential president, has turned up too. What's unique is that this is the FIRST SITTING POTUS to go on "Tonight." That's fascinating and I've yet to see a precise answer anywhere explaining why.

But it is interesting that he's doing this in lieu of "MTP," which has been one of the first stops for just about any president who has a hugely important message to convey. Why, why, why? I address this subject in today's Newsday.

Okay, now just the facts (ma'am).

Just got off the conference call and here are the key things you need to know...

1.) Probably called "The Jay Leno Show," tho Jay said his mother thinks he's got his "name on too many things.."

2.) It will start in the fall of '09.

3.) NBC execs cited "stability" to the lineup and "DVR-proof" as two obvious reasons to do this.

4.) This new show sounds SUSPICIOUSLY like a show called "Tonight." Said Jay, we'll do "the monologue, drop in the news, topical stuff, headlines - people like that - man on the street. It won't be exactly the same. It'll be more of a sense...it won't be comedy/comedy/first guest/musical guest. We'll hopefully get out of the studio a a little bit more and come up with some interesting things on a nightly basis." Uh-huh.

5.) Ok, this does sound as vague as the man in the moon BUT Jay said it all came together in only the last week.

6.) No, no problems with Conan. "People like to see an adversarial relationship. There really isn't tension. I spoke to him last night, and quite frankly, I think it's fair to say that our show does better than a lot of 10 p.m. shows so that's a good lead-in for Conan. I've always given Conan a lead-in from my show in the past and we'll continue to do that." Uh-huh.

7.) But...umm. What about fighting over guests? (I mean, you can't very well tear Will Smith in two, can you?) "It's no different than it is now. Sometimes Conan gets [guests] sometimes I do. Do we fight to get them? Sure. But I'd rather fight with my family than the other networks..."

8.) Did he plan to leave? "Originally, I wasn't going to stay with NBC but I remembered what my parents told me, which is - whatever you do, always try to come in fourth." (Ba-dum. Pretty good joke. I wonder if he pre-cooked it? Hmmmm...)

9.) Hey, Jay. What about ABC? "Reports I was going to go to ABC? That was started by a disgruntled employee - ME."

10.) Would he have done this in '92 when - believe it or not - the idea was FIRST floated? "No..."

11.) The show will be live to tape - taped three hours before showtime, so from 6 p.m. to 7.

I'm the list guy.

The guy who writes lists because they're much easier to write than stories.

Here are my 10 reasons Jay Leno at 10 is a brilliant idea (followed by the uh-oh reasons ...):

1.) This'll be the default position for millions of viewers who don't wanna watch what's on ABC or CBS; bored with that latest "CSI: Miami?" Switch to NBC!

2.) It'll be live to tape - which'll give this enormous topicality. And Jay - though less than Dave and "SNL" or Stewart - is a vast trove of political topicality.

3.) This'll give the other networks ideas. Hey! "Evening News with Katie Couric" as a half hour doesn't work at 6:30? Give 'er a WHOLE hour at 10, and then radically change the evening news format, with a straight-up newscast, and then something less traditional in the second half hour.

4.) This saves face for Leno. The guy deserves to have his face, including chin, saved - honestly. He's done a great job for this network over the decades, and proved to all naysayers that he could hold the job as "Tonight Show" host.

5.) This could give NBC that essential tent-pole of which I spoke last week. OK, let's call it a mini-tent-pole. These are shows that prop up the rest of the schedule, and draw new viewers to a lineup.

6.) People will get in the habit of tuning in to Leno's monologue at 10, then - if they're thinking about getting up very early, hit the sack. This is a no-pain viewing option, and if you're already a Jay fan, a palatable one. There's not a big commitment here.

7.) It'll save NBC millions - that it can maybe put into other areas like news, or will help stanch layoffs. I know - fat chance, but the possibility does exist.

8.) NBC doesn't lose Jay to ABC. A huge plus for this network because - honestly - Jay-at-ABC would blunt Conan/"Toight" and not do any favors to Dave/"Late Show."

9.) The network gets a Face for the Future - a figurehead much like Carson or Hope who represented and symbolized this network.

10.) NBC can concentrate on building drama franchises on the rest of the schedule, now that they're not spread thin over 10 p.m. This COULD mean better shows from 8 to 9. Could (but not necessarily should.)

Now, seven uh-ohs!

1.) Conan. I don't know about you, but in some sense this feels as if the carpet has just been pulled up from under him.

2.) Talk show fatigue. An obvious problem. How many of these shows can you have on the air?

3.) Cannibalism: Taking big guests at the expense of "Tonight," thus hurting that show's fortunes.

4.) Jay, whilst Jay walking, gets hit by a bus. Seriously, what happens if the guy gets a cold? Good news! Jay has never been sick. Ever.

5.) What happens if no one watches? Ah yes, the "Rosie Live!" issue. But I think something like this will get around 4 million, 4.5 million viewers, or not far from what "Tonight's" doing now. That's not so bad.

6.) Hurts drama development. Maybe this is the single biggest concern. But the fact is, NBC hasn't had ANY success here, so not a great concern at the moment.

7.) This is the clearest sign of the deterioration of prime-time television we've ever seen! Really, it's kind of a throw in the towel move, when you think about it.

Well, it's now "official" - we just don't have all the details. Those will now come at 1 p.m., when Jay will handle the big press conference at the Globe Theater on the Universal lot. That's all for now, folks.

I am told that the official OFFICIAL announcement of this new mega-deal will cross the wires at around 11 a.m. ET.

What "new mega-deal" you ask?

That Jay Leno will host a new 10 p.m. nightly show on NBC. Hopefully, here are some of the questions that will be answered:

- What will the name of this new game-changer be, and will the start date be sometime in the summer?

- Will Jay keep the same splendid band and other production elements? (Speculation on this morning's "Today" was that, as I've reported, he'll keep some stuff and expand into other areas.)

- Will Jay assume other jobs at the Peacock, notably as host of NBC's New Year's shows, on into the future, ad infinitum?

- Will we get some nice and totally believable canned quotes from Conan O'Brien, saying...How "thrilled" he is with this "new arrangement"? Or, how "happy" he is that Jay has upstaged him? Or, that he's "not worried at all about the fact that Jay will have first dibs on major guests, while we'll fight with Ferguson and Kimmel for the leftovers - not worried at all!"?

Just wondering ...

OK, my friends ...

Here's John McCain's appearance on "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," or at least some collected clips thereof.

A couple of observations:

1.) He was funny (and gracious).

2.) Overall, this was much better than McCain's outing on Letterman (who was not funny or particularly gracious).

3.) That "baby" line - I liked it, but my editor, who's gotta heckuva memory, says he heard it or read it before (from 2000). Imagine! A warmed-over joke.

OK, we all watched the debate and forgot about the other momentous face-off of the night, Leno and Kimmel. But what I saw of it (thanks NBC.com!) was pretty funny, and I post forthwith Jimmy Kimmel's immediate warning to Jay about ABC. I won't kill the punchlines by re-stating them here, so go ahead and watch. Well worth it...

I suppose I COULD watch "Late Show with DL" again tonight and listen to him thunder for another hour about the perfidy of that false friend, John McCain (because, after all, there's nothing else in the world to talk about, and the fact that Dave was LIED TO BY A POLITCIAN is shocking to no one on this planet save Dave)...

But instead, I'm watching "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" because he's got on Jimmy Kimmel.

Here are some questions Jay will ask Jimmy:

"Will you mind when I come over there to ABC and start at 11:35, even if it pushes you back a half hour?"

"I like 'Nightline' but I guess they'll cancel it when I come over: Has Iger or McPherson told you any different?"

"You think Zucker minds me having you on tonight, seeing that you and I are gonna be late night partners in another couple years? He's in England - probably doesn't even know you're on tonight. Silverman? He's out at some party, chasing a leggy blonde, so nothing to worry about there..."

Seriously folks. This is a big show. I called Bill Zehme - the Chicago-based best-selling author and one of the world's leading authorities on late-night TV and Johnny Carson (he's writing the biography for Random House) to get his take on all this business.

He told me about the budding Kimmel-Leno bromance, "I do think those two boys talk a bit [outside of work]."

Bill also disagreed with my snark-assessment of Letterman's McCain rant.

Said he:

"I thought last night was even more of a spectacular follow-up [to Wednesday]....Last night was gold, and it shows you the importance of this guy. He's not just a show business figure; he's a barometer, and has an unbridled sense of outrage that can be triggered at any given moment. It's generally dead-on."

Well put indeed.

Good luck finding a full video of last night's John McCain encounter with Jay Leno but we do have a brief clip - in which the Presumptive Nom jokes about Leno's possibility as his veep choice because "you may not have a job around that time."

But for the idle and curious, below is NBC's brief clip, and just to prove that he isn't in the bag for McCain while giving him a free ride on the night of the DNC show, Jay did ask about the house issue; following is the answer, courtesy ABC News:

Leno: "For a million dollars, how many houses do you have?"

McCain: "Could I just mention to you, Jay, that, at a moment of seriousness. I spent five-and-a-half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair. And I didn't spent those five-and-a-half years because, not because I wanted to get a house when I got out. You know, I'm very proud of Cindy's father. He was a guy that barely got out of high school, fought in WW Two in the Army Air Corps, came home and made a business, and made the American dream. And so somehow, you've had Cindy on this show, and, uh, the fact is that she's extremely generous. She goes around the world doing humanitarian stuff. She's in now in Georgia as we speak, looking at the humanitarian aspects of the results of this Russian invasion. So, I'm proud of my life and my record, and we spend our time in a condominium in Washington, in a condominium in Phoenix, sometime over here in the state of California and we have a place up in northern Arizona. And, my friends, I'm proud of my record of service to this country. And it has nothing to with houses. What it has to do with putting Americans in houses and keeping in their homes. And that's what I'm gong to do."

Leno: "That sounds like five houses."

By now you may have heard the big news out here in BH - that Jay Leno told USA Today that he is done with NBC next year. Done, as in: No primetime specials, no special ambassadorship, no syndicated series for some division of NBCUniversal, no guest-hosting job on "Access Hollywood"...

He's outta there.

The news broke innocuously, but like all tectonic shifts in this business, such news often does. I remember when Johnny took the stage at Carnegie Hall in '88 or '89, and told advertisers at the NBC upfront that he would hang it up at 30 seasons. There was no press release. No formal "this is it" statement. Just a brief and modest aside to a thousand stunned advertisers.

And I don't believe he ever said another word about it in public.

Then, this news this morning. The piece - by an enterprising reporter by the name of Marco R. della Cava - was ostensibly just about Jay's vast collection of cars, and his gearhead love of all things mechanical (though I was a little surprised that there wasn't much talk about motorcycles...)

Della Cava asked the right question, or maybe just snuck in it during a fascinating conversation about the 1936 Lagonda Rapide LG45 Team Car.

"Ummm, Jay, before we I ask you about the Lagonda Rapide LG46, which I believe came out in 1938 and I do believe I see one over there in the corner, I was just kinda wondering: Are you gonna stay with NBC next year...? "

Maybe that's how it came up. But Jay had a message to deliver too. Here it is: "I am definitely done next year with NBC." Another network? "I'm not a beach guy, and the last time I was in my pool was to fix my light. Don't worry, I'll find another job somewhere..."

Don't worry. He will. So let us quickly review the options, then I'll tell you what I know:

ABC: As "Nightline" replacement, and lead-in to "Jimmy Kimmel." Tricky because you don't wanna alienate JK, who certainly believes he has a right to 11:35...Letterman felt the same way, and look what happened there. Even with all the joking at press tour yesterday, Steve McPherson knows this is a delicate operation. I suspect, though, ABC will perform it adroitly. Odds are good Jay'll come here.

Sony: A syndicated deal, as reported some months ago by the NYTimes, is apparently on the table, or could be on the table. It would be for a vast sum of money. Problem is, Jay's not motivated by money. If I've heard this once, I've heard it a thousand times. I believe it. Odds here are slim.

CBS: Only if Dave walks in '10. Only, and a big only. We in the press - Okay, I in the press - have predicted in the past that Dave'll walk, only to be proven wrong. He'll walk one day. Who knows when. And Dave might just sign a new contract to keep Jay away from CBS; I imagine - nay, believe - the slightest residue of bitterness remains that Leno got the job that he believed rightfully his all those years ago. CBS odds not so high, in my opinion.

Fox: The dark horse. Jay comes here for the 11 p.m. job, and there will be - I am convinced - an offer for an 11-midnight show. The pitch to Jay could be very appealing: You'll get a younger audience here, an "American Idol" lead-in (or at least a lead-in from late local news that's been boosted by "AI"), and the chance to build a big audience that could blunt or damage or even scuttle the Conan-hosted "Tonight" show. I don't think Jay's a guy motivated by revenge, but on some level, he's a brutal competitor, and the chance to demolish the network that abused him and tossed him aside like a moldy head of cabbage has to be enormously appealing. Odds of Fox are, I think, very good. Not quite as good as ABC, which has the slight edge, because of 11:35, but still very good.

Here's what I do know: No decision has been made. I am positive - or close to positive on this, despite Jay's on-air kidding the other night (he held up that "headline of the future," which showed him at ABC, remember?) I am told reliably and told by a sterling source that Leno's camp can still not hold negotiations or discussions with any interested party. I don't know when the window opens, but when it does, it will be front page news, believe me.

But today, we know just one fact: Jay will not be at NBC after his contract ends next year.

Sorry for this very long blog entry, but this is the biggest news in TV this year.

(Photo: NBC)