Leno Could Doom Nightline with ABC Move

Jimmy Fallon tops Craig Ferguson in ratings race

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno owned the 11:35 time slot last night, smashing both David Letterman and ABC’s combination of Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel as curious viewers tuned in to see Leno take back the Tonight Show gig. Leno scored a 5.7 rating, compared to 3.0 for Letterman, 3.4 for Nightline, and 1.8 for Kimmel, Entertainment Weekly reports. 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.”

But then-'Tonight Show' host didn't have time

(NEWSER) - Last night’s Leno/Letterman/Oprah Super Bowl ad could have been even more epic; Dave originally wanted Conan in it, too. Late Show executive producer Rob Burnett called Conan’s producer to ask if the red-coiffed one would do the spot, but O’Brien was hard at work finishing his Tonight Show run at the time. “It wasn't as if they even said no,” Burnett tells The Wrap . “I just think they weren't in a position to consider it all.” More»

Buys Kentucky Derby winner and sticks NBC with the bill

(NEWSER) - Conan O'brien upped the ante last night in his war with NBC, following his $1.5 million sketch Wednesday night with one he said cost $4.8 million. He spent that amount, he said, buying Mine That Bird, the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner, putting him in a horse-sized mink snuggie, and having him watching restricted NFL Superbowl footage. Conan gleefully called the escalating bits "not so much funny as they are crazy expensive." More»

O'Brien-NBC deal said to be $45 million; tomorrow's his last Tonight Show

(NEWSER) - NBC and Conan O’Brien reached a pricey divorce early today, but that didn’t slow the Tonight Show host's relentless tirade against the network last night. A constant stream of monologue disses wasn’t enough, so O’Brien unveiled his latest revenge scheme: Waste as much of the network’s money as possible (watch full episode here ). Guest Adam Sandler then offered up his own story of being fired by NBC (watch in the gallery, along with other clips including Jay Leno bashing David Letterman’s married life and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's two cents). Updates on the Conan deal: More»