From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
First Lady Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno.
Format	Talk show Variety show
Starring	Jay Leno Tonight Show Band Announcer: Edd Hall (1992-2004) John Melendez (2004-) Bandleader: Branford Marsalis (1992-1995) Kevin Eubanks (1995-)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	3,470
Production
Location(s)	NBC Studios Burbank, California
Running time	01:02:30
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	May 25, 1992 – present
Chronology
Preceded by	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an Emmy Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jay Leno on NBC. It debuted on May 25, 1992, following Johnny Carson's resignation as host of The Tonight Show. The nightly broadcast originates from NBC's studios in Burbank, California. Production of new episodes is currently suspended due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Though not a Guild member, Leno decided to honor the picket lines, resulting in the show going into repeats, effective November 5. Shortly after the strike started, it was rumored that guest hosts would fill in for Leno during the duration of the strike, beginning November 19.^[1] However, both guest hosts allegedly refused to cross the picket lines. The show is currently airing reruns from different periods of Leno's tenure as host.

On April 26, 1999, the show began broadcasting in 1080i HDTV, becoming the first American nightly talk show to be shot in high definition. The show is shot in 16:9 aspect ratio with a 4:3 center-cut for standard definition television sets.

Leno's incarnation of The Tonight Show has followed the same basic format as that of his predecessors: an opening monologue followed by comedy routines, interviews and performances. Unlike Jack Paar or Johnny Carson, however, Leno has, as of 2007, rarely utlilized guest hosts, preferring to host the series by himself. In the first 15 years of his tenure, there have only been a couple of occasions in which a substitute host has appeared. The first time was when Conan O'Brien guest-hosted as an audition for Late Night.^{[citation needed]} Another notable occasion was on May 12, 2003, when Leno traded places with Katie Couric and hosted the The Today Show as part of a publicity stunt.[2]

On September 27, 2004, the 50th anniversary of The Tonight Show's debut, NBC announced that Jay Leno will be succeeded by Conan O'Brien in 2009. Leno explained that he did not want to see a repeat of the hard feelings and controversy that occurred when he was given the show over David Letterman following Carson's retirement.^[2][3] Leno is reportedly second-guessing his decision to retire in 2009,^[4] however, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker has confirmed that O'Brien will take over as planned, and Leno is in talks to remain with the company.^[5]

Contents 1 Format 2 Recurring segments 3 Notable episodes 4 Ratings 5 Writing staff 6 Tonight Show in Other Countries 6.1 CNBC Europe 6.2 Other channels 7 Radio 8 References 9 External links

The show follows an established six-piece format. The first segment is a monologue by Leno, with quick one-liners about current events and brief comedy sketches occasionally mixed in. Unlike fellow late-night comics David Letterman or Conan O'Brien, Leno -- with his background in stand-up comedy -- emphasizes the monologue perhaps more than any other segment in the show, usually telling jokes for the first six or ten minutes of the broadcast. The second segment is a full comedy sketch, often a humorous mini-documentary by a "Tonight Show correspondent" (e.g., Ross the Intern or Tom Green), or a trademark of Leno's, like Headlines.

As the nightly broadcast approaches midnight, the first guest appears. The interview is divided into two segments, then followed by the fifth segment, which consists of another interview. The sixth and final segment is almost always a musical performance. However, on some occasions, a stand-up comedian will perform in the last segment, a staple of The Tonight Show.

• Headlines (Monday): Humorous print items sent in by viewers. These real-life headlines are usually headlines with typographical errors or overlooked, inappropriate items.
• Jaywalking: A pre-taped segment where Leno asks people questions about current news and other topics in public areas around Los Angeles (usually Hollywood Boulevard or Universal Studios). Most responses are outrageously incorrect.
  • Howard Stern has said the segment is based on his Homeless Game. ^[6]
  • The segment's name is a play on the host's name and the illegal practice of jaywalking.
  • Some of the interviewees prove so popular with viewers that they become regulars on The Tonight Show itself. Such examples are Jaywalk all-stars Kip and Kim, who have a recurring segment on the show entitled What would Kip and Kim Do?, where people in situations ask them for advice. Their responses are often ridiculous and done to make the audience laugh. Another frequent Jaywalking guest, Angela Ramos, quickly became popular (due to her nasally high-pitched laugh) and joined the show for a time as a correspondent.
• The Audience Wants to Know: Selected audience members are chosen to ask Leno questions, and in response, Leno shows a video clip relating to the subject.
• Celebrity Interviews: Leno will conduct an interview with a celebrity or recent major news name. The person in question is an obvious parody designed to utilize humorous responses. This often occurs "via satellite," but the character's portions are done on the musical performance part of the stage. Fred Willard and Gilbert Gottfried are the most common actors used for the segment, as well as Steve Bridges impersonating George W. Bush.
• Comedic Products: Depending on the season, Leno will bring out comedic spins on gifts, media releases and "inventions that didn't work out." (for example: A Day After Tomorrow home game for the summer months). It also came out in a different iteration, as being supposedly sold through the NBCCC (Nothing But Cheap Crap Channel), with Leno playing the channel's resident host, Bob Johnson.
• Ask the Fruitcake Lady: Marie Rudisill, an outspoken older woman and aunt of Truman Capote, responded to questions about relationships, sex and family. She was originally on the show to promote her cookbook about fruitcake. This segment was discontinued after Rudisill's death.
• Videos We Found on YouTube: A prototypical Leno segment where he shows amusing videos supposedly found on YouTube. However, the videos are not viewed on YouTube but video files instead.
• Ross the Intern: Ross Mathews, a highly effeminate intern for the show, is sent to participate in special events. As part of a running gag, Leno started introducing Ross as his illegitimate son.
• Pitch To America: Whenever a screenwriters convention is held in the U.S., a Tonight Show camera crew sets up an area where screenwriters can walk up and make a pitch for a movie script or television show that he/she has been working on. People sometimes pitch a product.
• Stuff We Found on eBay: Leno brings up some of the oddest stuff that he has supposedly found while searching on eBay, and the studio audience must determine whether the object was sold or not.
• Pumpcast News: A fake news anchor, played by Timothy Stack, displayed on a TV screen at a gas station harasses and bothers the customers pumping gas.
• Pumpernickel Bread Special: A segment where Leno invites celebrity chefs, such as Martha Stewart, to share hilarious recipes.
• Duller Image Catalog: Leno will present outrageous and crude products created by the staff. A play on The Sharper Image Catalog.
• The Fine Print: At his desk Leno presents regular everyday products but when zoomed in to reveal the fine print there is a message telling what the product's real intentions are (example: a bag of chips that warns if you eat the product you will get fat).
• Photo Booth: A real free photo booth is set up at Universal Studios Hollywood and people inside are bothered and made fun of before getting their picture taken. The booth's voice is provided by comedian Kira Soltanovich.
• 99 Cent Shopping Spree: Leno shows off items collected from a local 99 cent store. These products are real and are shown if they have any assembly mistakes, poorly translated words on directions or packaging, or if they are just tacky items.
• Celebrity Jeopardy: A jeopardy game that includes people in costumes portraying famous people in the news. George W. Bush, and Martha Stewart, are commonly portrayed. Gilbert Gottfried, who is always included on the panel, portrays other uncommon characters such as the Easter Bunny or Pontius Pilate, and is characterized by his frequent use of the phrase, "Son of a bitch!" at some point during the segment.
• Truth in Labeling: Leno displays products whose names have been changed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are now renamed for their most common uses. For example a United States one hundred-dollar bill called "gas money."
• Dealing with the Public: Leno plays real police or 911 audio/video recordings that are ridiculous, stupid or funny.
• Sidewalking: A camera and microphone are set up in a public location (e.g., on the street, on a college campus), individuals step up to the microphone and perform whatever they desire.
• Teenage Wasteland: Teenagers perform a stunt or talent they possess.
• Does this impress Ed Asner?: Individuals perform stunts or show off a talent in front of Ed Asner. Asner comments on whether or not the act impresses him. Similar to the former Late Show with David Letterman stunt, "Is This Anything?".
• Midnight Confessions: Members of the audience tell a story about something in their life about which they are embarrassed. Often, at the end of the confession, a product appropriate for the situation is presented to the person (often by Gilbert Gottfried)
• Wheel of Consolation: In the final weeks of American Idol the person voted off comes on The Tonight Show and is given a chance to spin the wheel of consolation, which contains three elaborate sounding prizes. The wheel is rigged to stop on a certain item, when the contestant receives a play off of the item won. For example, if the wheel stops on 'Breakfast with Royalty,' the Burger King mascot presents the contestant with a breakfast sandwich.
• They Walk Among Us: Leno presents images of celebrities and presents look-alikes of them, which were discreetly taped in Burbank. He says they were products of cloning experiments gone wrong.
• Steve Irwin bringing in Snakes and Crocodiles.

• In September 2000, with California in an energy crisis that forced power outages, Jay Leno did an episode in the dark using only candles and flashlights known as "The Tonight Show Unplugged" in response to California's power crisis.
• Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, The Tonight Show was off the air for about a week, as were most similar programs. The first post-9/11 episode began with a still image of an American flag and a subdued opening without the usual opening credits. Leno's monologue paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to firefighters, police and rescue workers across the US. Leno had questioned whether a show that regularly poked fun at the government could continue after the attacks, but in his monologue he explained that he saw the show as a respite from the grim news of the world, akin to a cookie or glass of lemonade handed to a firefighter.

On September 22, 2006, Variety reported that The Tonight Show led in ratings for the 11th consecutive season, with a nightly average of 5.7 million viewers – 31% of the total audience in that time slot – compared to 4.2 million viewers for The Late Show with David Letterman, 3.4 million for Nightline and 1.6 million for Jimmy Kimmel Live. When the Leno initially directly faced Letterman's show, Letterman initially lead in ratings, however the turning episode is generally marked when Hugh Grant appeared on Leno (which also aired shortly after Letterman's poorly received hosting stint at the 67th Annual Academy Awards). Leno famously asked Grant "What the hell were you thinking?" referring to Grant's arrest for seeing a prostitute.

As of November 30, 2007 NBC announced a complete layoff of all Tonight Show staff and crew members until further notice.^[7] NBC has stated that it is not guaranteed that any Tonight Show staffers will be rehired to their old positions when the strike ends. Jay has since offered to pay the salaries, just like Conan O'Brien is doing with his staff, but it is uncertain for how long he will be doing that.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno writing staff, as of October 2007:

• Joe Medeiros (Head Writer)
• Jay Leno (Head Writer)
• Beth Armogida
• Anthony Caleca
• Mike Colasuonno
• Jack Coen
• Sami Ibrahim
• Larry Jacobsen
• Michael Jann
• John Kennedy
• Wayne Kline
• Jon Macks
• Andy McElfresh
• Steve Ridgeway
• Michael Riedel
• John Romeo
• David Rygalski
• Peter Sears
• Marvin Silbermintz
• Beth Sherman
• Jeff Spear
• Rob Young

The Tonight Show can be seen in Europe on CNBC Europe as a 30 minute condensed version, Mondays to Fridays at 12 Midnight CET (11PM GMT). The show's full version, 45 minutes in length, is seen weekends at 9PM CET (8PM GMT).

The weekday edition features the monologue, interviews with guests and the musical guest. Comedy segments are not shown on weekdays. Since late April 2007 CNBC Europe now show the comedy segment "Headlines" on the Thursday edition, which is shown in a condensed version.

CNBC Europe used to show the full version of the Tonight Show everyday, but changed to a condensed weekday version on March 26, 2007, to make room for additional business programming. Late Night with Conan O'Brien was also shown on weekdays, but was relegated to weekends only when the business programming expanded.

The Tonight Show was broadcast in Italy (with Italian subtitles) until 2005 when RaiSat Extra cancelled the program.^[8]

The Tonight Show is also seen in India on Zee Cafe Monday to Friday at 10 PM.

The Philippine cable TV channel ETC also airs the show every weeknights at 11PM, with reruns at 12PM noon. Reruns air from Wednesday to Sunday.

In the Middle East and North Africa, The Tonight Show can be seen Saturday to Monday at 9PM KSA on the Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network's channel Super Comedy.

In Australia, The Tonight Show airs weeknights at 11PM on The Comedy Channel.

In Romania, The Tonight Show can be seen on weeknights, starting 12:25AM on news channel Antena 3.

The Tonight Show is seen in Sweden on Kanal 5 Monday to Friday.

The Tonight Show also presents a daily digest version of the show, called Last Night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, broadcast on radio stations nationwide. Originally distributed by Premiere Radio Networks, the radio program moved to Westwood One in 2007.

• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - NBC Official site

v • d • e Current Late night talk and comedy shows in the United States
Networks
ABC	Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Fox	MADtv  · Talkshow with Spike Feresten
CBS	Late Show with David Letterman  · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
NBC	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno  · Late Night with Conan O'Brien  · Last Call with Carson Daly  · Saturday Night Live
Cable
Comedy Central	The Daily Show  · The Colbert Report
Fox News	Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld
HBO	Real Time with Bill Maher
E!	Chelsea Lately