Tonight Stunt Sends Conan to the Hospital

NBC musical dazzles critics... mostly

(NEWSER) - If you watched the Super Bowl, you just might have heard of Smash, NBC's new drama about the making of a Broadway musical. It premiered last night, and critics are (mostly) giving it a standing ovation:

• The buzz has gotten so intense that the conversation isn't even about whether it'll be good. "Good? Darling, it's great!" gushes Mary McNamara of the LA Times . The creators have "managed to capture the grand and sweeping gesture that is musical theater and inject it with the immediate intimacy of television," an impressive, unprecedented feat.

Will discuss spoof on Sikh holy place with State Department

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno has created a bit of an international brouhaha over a joke that's not sitting well with India's Sikh community. The Tonight Show last week displayed a picture of the holiest Sikh temple—the stunning Golden Temple of Amritsar—before Leno called it Mitt Romney's summer home. Sikhs have organized an online petition calling for Leno's "racist comments" to "be stopped right here," and an Indian official says the country's embassy plans to discuss the comment with the US State Department, the BBC reports. More»

Says he calls his dogs by the wrong name

(NEWSER) - Rick Perry dropped by the Tonight Show last night to chat about the campaign, and faced quite a few questions about his various gaffes. After noting that Perry had provided him with "a lot of material," Leno asked about that elusive third agency , as well as why Perry had gotten confused about both the voting age and the date of the election . Quipped Perry, "Every now and then I call my dogs by the wrong name. I get that wrong, too." The evening didn't pass without mention of Herman Cain and his woes. "Luckily, you're in the clear," noted Leno, "thanks to Herman Cain. Cause yours are gaffes, those are 'oh my Gods.'" Click to Daily Intel for more. More»

The Office firm to put 'quabity first' in Staples deal

(NEWSER) - Fans of the Office will soon be able to buy paper made by their favorite company—though instead of purchasing it from Dwight Schrute, they’ll have to get their reams through Staples. The office-supply giant’s Quill.com has reached a licensing deal with NBCUniversal to sell Dunder Mifflin paper, the Wall Street Journal reports. The letterhead must have been approved by Michael Scott: It carries slogans like "Quabity First" and "Get Your Scrant On." More»

He's waiting until they're voted off the island

(NEWSER) - President Obama made his fourth visit to the Tonight Show last night, his second as sitting president, and told Jay Leno he wasn't spending much time worrying about his potential Republican rivals—because the GOP race is kinda like Survivor. “I'm going to wait until everybody’s voted off the island,” he said. “Once they narrow it down to one of two, I’ll start paying attention.” More highlights, courtesy of ABC , the Wall Street Journal , the Atlantic , and Politico :

• On his dislike for the Kardashians : “No, I have not seen the show. … I am probably a little biased against reality TV, partly because there’s this program on CSPAN called Congress that is…”
• On Moammar Gadhafi: The dictator “had an opportunity during the Arab Spring to finally let loose of his grip on power and to peacefully transition into democracy. We gave him ample opportunity, and he wouldn't do it.”