Fallon to Launch Late Night Online

NBC officials still negotiating to keep star with network

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno's last appearance as host of the Tonight Show will be the final Friday in May, reports Broadcasting & Cable. Conan O'Brien will take over the following Monday. In the several months between O'Brien's leaving Late Night and his Tonight Show debut, NBC plans a huge promotional campaign to keep his profile high. More»

Ex- SNL actor to host when O'Brien takes Tonight Show in '09

(NEWSER) - Jimmy Fallon will take Conan O’Brien’s Late Night desk when Conan leaves for the Tonight Show, writes Roger Friedman for Fox News. O’Brien is set to replace Jay Leno in May 2009; the former Saturday Night Live star is rumored to be “thrilled and ready, if not a little scared” to take over. An announcement is expected next month. More»

David Letterman still wins, but he's in a class of his own

(NEWSER) - Despite all the publicity heaped upon them in recent weeks, there are more late night hosts than just Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. After years of following the major late night shows, Michael Giltz decided the time has come to declare a new king. His final verdict? Craig Ferguson, but only if you take David Letterman out of the running. Check out his thoughts, from the Huffington Post :

• David Letterman: “He's already ascended to the pantheon, alongside Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dick Cavett, and just a few others. His legacy is assured, so he doesn't get ranked alongside the others.”
• Craig Ferguson: “He's been charming the pants off us for some 1000 shows now and doing it effortlessly,” and last night’s show—during which he eschewed the audience and simply talked to Stephen Fry for an hour—“was an arresting, wonderful hour akin to the glory days of Dick Cavett.”

As Tonight Show saga continues, Leno and O'Brien face off

(NEWSER) - As the late-night shakedown gets messier, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien seem to be turning against each other—and David Letterman is clearly on Team Conan. The Late Show host wants O’Brien to appear on his show “not to rub NBC's noses into their huge mistake, but to welcome Conan with open arms and show him that despite the way his old network has treated him, America loves him,” a source tells PopEater . More: More»

His take? It's all about the money

(NEWSER) - Think David Letterman’s still just a wee bit bitter about his schism with NBC? Letterman offered his take on NBC’s Tonight Show debacle last night, mocking “Jay ‘big jawed’ Leno” and the “geniuses” who shuffled the schedule. “A lot of people may criticize these executives at NBC, but don’t kid yourself,” he said, “If they didn’t know what they were doing, they wouldn’t be there.” More»