Thin Limbaugh Spars With Jay, Flattens Gore

Critics left cold by victorious host's Tonight Show return

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno made his triumphant return to the helm of the Tonight Show last night. Critics say it was like he never left, although they're split on whether that's a good thing:

• The back-to-the future Tonight Show had "neither pop, nor sizzle, nor surprise, and no amount of cheerleading from unconvincingly hyper-first guest Jamie Foxx could make it seem otherwise," complains Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune.

Tonight Show ad implies Conan O'Brien never belonged there

(NEWSER) - NBC aired the first promo for Jay Leno’s return to the Tonight Show last night, and it seems to include an underhanded dig at Conan O’Brien. The ad, a sequel to last year’s Super Bowl promo for the Jay Leno Show, shows a “10” decal flying off Leno’s sports car to reveal a new one: “11:35.” The mean part? The Beatles sing, “Get back to where you once belonged” in the background. More»

Host expected to mention return to Tonight Show March 1

(NEWSER) - The last episode of the Jay Leno Show will air tonight, with little fanfare—it certainly won't include the equivalent of Bette Midler serenading Johnny Carson as he ended his run on the Tonight Show. "The weird thing about Jay saying goodbye this time is that he's not really going away," a TV historian tells the Los Angeles Times —and Variety notes the low-key approach is purposeful, as NBC continues Leno's image rehabilitation. More»

Super Bowl ad went so well that the 2-man luge is next, Leno quips

(NEWSER) - Archrivals Jay Leno and David Letterman were pals again for the Super Bowl thanks to the power of social networking, the host quipped on the next-to-last show Jay Leno Show last night. "Letterman and I hadn't seen each other in over 18 years," Leno said. "We lost touch. He found me on Facebook. He made a friend request, I accepted, and we hooked up and watched the game." More»

Kimmel rebuts Jay Leno's Oprah Winfrey interview

(NEWSER) - After “ratting out” Jimmy Kimmel during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno seems to have no friends left in late night. Kimmel responded to yesterday's sit-down with the queen of all media—in which Leno claimed he felt “sucker punched” when Kimmel reamed him on the Jay Leno Show—by telling his side of the story. On last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live , the host explained that producers insisted on filling his "10 @ 10" segment with softball questions like “What’s your junk food weakness?” More»