Late Night: Conan O'Brien and David Letterman bash Jay Leno

 

It's been more than two years since Conan O'Brien lost his gig hosting "The Tonight Show" in a very public debacle that seriously undercut Jay Leno's "nice guy" image, not to mention his longtime ratings dominance. 

On Thursday, O'Brien made his first visit to "The Late Show" in 13 years, where he opened up about the fight over "The Tonight Show." While he was hardly reluctant to dish the dirt, his enthusiasm for Leno-bashing paled in comparison to Letterman's.

Even after two years, it was inevitable that the subject of their shared nemesis would come up, and so it did -- almost instantly. For the first 30 seconds or so of the interview, the two hosts sat there in awkward silence, until Letterman chimed in: "I think the longer we just sit here, the more uncomfortable it will make Jay."

From there, it was open season on Leno, with both hosts doing the obligatory impersonation of his famously high-pitched voice. Letterman was more openly hostile toward his longtime rival, telling O'Brien that he was "delighted" by the ordeal because, finally, the public could see what he has long believed: that Leno is "a bit of a brat."  "When this came along, I said to myself, 'This is the Jay I know,'" Letterman recalled. "I refer to that period as the Golden Age of Television."

"You clearly were using my experience to work through some things," O'Brien suggested.

After a commercial break, Letterman renewed the interrogation, asking O'Brien about the nature of his relationship with Leno before "the felony took place." At first, O'Brien seemed a bit reluctant to trash-talk: "I was assured none of this would come up tonight. I was told we would discuss our shared love of antiquing."

O'Brien tried to be diplomatic, explaining that "we're quite different fellows, he and I," but the temptation to take a shot at Leno proved too enticing. "We didn’t have a lot to talk about in common. I don’t own many automobiles that were made before 1904, primarily of brass and leather," O'Brien quipped, a reference to Leno's enormous car collection.

"Now we're getting someplace," Letterman said, happy that his goading had paid off.

To his credit, O'Brien repeatedly expressed his gratitude to his bosses at TBS and few regrets over "The Tonight Show" disaster. "I’m very lucky. TBS lets me do whatever I want. They don’t watch it, they don’t care," he said.

   

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— Meredith Blake
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Late Night: Joel McHale's illegal knife collection

 

You're probably familiar with the saying "don't bring a knife to a gun fight," but somebody ought to tell that to Joel McHale.

The star of NBC's "Community" paid a visit to "The Tonight Show" on Wednesday to promote the cult comedy's three-episode season finale. After McHale told Jay Leno about a recent opportunity to go feral pig hunting in Hawaii -- he turned it down, if you can believe it -- talk naturally turned to the actor's somewhat unusual hobby: knife collecting.

"I collect illegal knives, and now you know, Los Angeles police," McHale confessed. In particular, he likes jackknives and Bloody Marys, which apparently can kill something other than a hangover. (Badum-bum!)

McHale has a perfectly reasonable explanation for his knife predilection. "If someone breaks in, I would rather have a knife fight than a gun fight, because I would like to turn the last minutes of my life into "West Side Story,' " he joked (we think). "I just figure it's more of a challenge."

Leno asked McHale, who has two small children, where he keeps his cache of weapons. "In the kids’ drawers," he replied. "Because that's the last place people would look."

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Late Night: Why Khloe Kardashian never liked Kris Humphries

For those of you who haven't gotten your fill of the Kardashians between their three shows on E!, their constant presence in supermarket tabloids, or their incessant tweets, there's always Jay Leno's couch, where, with alarming frequency, a member of the ubiquitous clan can often be found. 

On Tuesday, it was Khloe Kardashian -- a.k.a. the tall, sarcastic one -- who stopped by "The Tonight Show" to promote her reality series, "Khloe and Lamar," and to shill her line of accessories for Sears. In the process, she also trashed her sister's soon-to-be-ex husband Kris Humphries, denied rumors that she's not really a Kardashian, and told the world how she and hubby Lamar broke their sex swing.

Leno gently asked Kardashian about the rumors that she has a different biological sister than sisters Kim and Kourtney. "Personally I don't really care about rumors, but when it came to that one, don't bring my dad into it," she said. 

As for Humphries, Kardashian explained why she never got along with her sister's big lug of a husband. "One of the first things that came out of his mouth was 'So, how much are you getting paid to fake your marriage?' " she recalled. "Ever since then I had a very defensive wall brought up. I'm a very good judge of character, if I do say so myself."

I'll spare you the details about the sex swing, but if you're curious -- or just a masochist --you can watch the interview below.  No matter how you make your living, there's always such a thing as TMI, Khloe.

 

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Photo: File photos of Khloe Kardashian, left, and Kris Humphries. Credit: Matt Sayles and Brandon Wade / AP

 

Late Night: Bill Maher rips Rick Santorum, GOP on social issues

Bill Maher paid a visit to "The Tonight Show" on Wednesday and, as usual, he had some provocative things to say about contemporary politics. His target this time? Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum. 

After a very "dude"-oriented conversation about Valentine's Day -- women, amirite? -- Jay Leno steered the topic to the presidential campaign, asking Maher his opinion of the sweater vest aficionado and former senator from Pennsylvania. 

"He's a little conservative for me. Thinks life begins at erection, this guy," Maher said, prompting high-pitched hyena laughter from Leno.

Maher made light of Santorum's dogmatic stance on sex and procreation, and the "Real Time" host also seemed baffled by the Republicans' renewed focus on social issues, rather than jobs and the economy.

"Remember up until recently this election was going to be an election all about money?...Weren't they mad about the bankers and the bailouts?" he wondered, suggesting -- in his typically colorful way -- that they had been distracted by issues like the recent overturning of Proposition 8.

Maher argued that conservatives are making a strategic error by reigniting the culture wars. "I guess the Republicans haven't gotten the memo that this country has changed since 2004." Back then, Bush won reelection because gay marriage was put on the ballot in 11 states, Maher claimed. But eight years later, attitudes have changed dramatically. 

"Americans have gotten a lot more comfortable with gay, because of TV," he said. "Because of 'Glee' and 'Will & Grace' and 'Frasier,' all these gay shows."

Incidentally, Wednesday was apparently "trading places" night for TV talk-show hosts: Jon Stewart also stopped by "The Late Show," where he and David Letterman discussed whether Mitt Romney is more like a Pixar character or an underwear model. The jury's still out.

 

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— Meredith Blake

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Photo: Bill Maher on the set of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher." Credit: Janet Van Ham / HBO.

Late Night: Michelle Obama says Barack sings to her all the time

 

Michelle Obama paid a visit Tuesday night to "The Tonight Show," her first appearance since she became first lady three years ago.

Though she was primarily there to promote her "Let's Move" initiative, Michelle did reveal a few enticing details about her marriage to President Obama.

"Did you ever think at this point in your life he would become a singing sensation?" Leno asked, referring to a video of the president's surprisingly good rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" that became a viral hit. 

"I didn't even hear about it until it got on YouTube," she said. "But he does have a beautiful voice, and he sings to me all the time."

Michelle readily admitted that her husband has the better singing voice -- and knows it. "He doesn't hesitate to show off his lungs to his wife."

She also wasn't surprised by his song choice. "He sings a lot of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, a little Stevie. He likes the classics," she said.

Leno then asked Michelle whether she'd heard Romney's version of "America the Beautiful," which, even his supporters would have to admit, was not as mellifluous.

"It's beautiful," Michelle said, suppressing giggles. Then she got back on message. "It is America's song, and it's a song that's meant to be sung by every American."

Spoken like a true politician.

 

 

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Photo: Michelle Obama appeared on Jay Leno's show Tuesday. Credit: NBC

Jay Leno angers members of Sikh community with Mitt Romney joke

Jay Leno: edgy controversy magnet? Enemy of religion?

Maybe the "Tonight Show" host made a New Year's resolution to tick off someone other than fellow talk-show hosts, because it's just a few weeks into 2012 and he's run afoul of a sizable religious community: the Sikhs.

Last week, Leno was doing a bit about the GOP presidential candidates' homes and showed photos of the real-life homes of Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. But when it came to Mitt Romney, who has a summer home on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, Leno instead showed a photo of Sri Darbar Sahib, the golden temple in Amritsar, India, which is the holiest site in the Sikh religion.

To most (non-Sikh) viewers, the gag was a harmless riff on Romney's immense wealth, but a number of Sikhs were not amused. And now one group has an online petition to formally voice their concern to NBC.

The protesting Sikhs aren't launching the petition based on one joke either. According to them, this isn't the first time Leno has made jokes about the religion: "Previously, in 2007 he called Sikhs 'diaper heads.' In 2010, he remarked, falsely so, in his monologue that President Obama could not visit Sri Darbar Sahib because of requirements of wearing a turban. Clearly, Jay Leno's racist comments need to be stopped right here."

To date, over 3,000 people have signed the online petition, with comments such as: "There's a lot of other things to make fun of in this world. Why he picks something over someone's religion or beliefs. NBC needs to take action against him."

But Leno's troubles don't end there. The BBC reports that Vayalar Ravi, India's minister of overseas Indian affairs, has vowed to take up the complaint with the U.S. State Department, saying, "It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the Golden Temple."

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Photo: Jay Leno signs autographs for fans on Hollywood Boulevard. Credit: Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times

Romney, Perry say no to Sunday talk shows, yes to late night

Jon Huntsman's rocking performance on "The Late Show" on Wednesday night was the latest example of a growing trend in American politics. In the not-so-distant past, visits to Sunday morning political talk shows such as "Meet the Press," "Face the Nation" and "This Week" were all but mandatory for presidential candidates. 

But in this election cycle, the once-mighty Sunday talk show seems less influential than in the past. Two of the current Republican hopefuls -- Mitt Romney and Rick Perry -- have avoided “Meet the Press,” “Face the Nation” and “This Week" altogether. In contrast, nearly every candidate has made an appearance on one or more late-night talk shows.

Rather than submitting themselves to tough interrogation at the hands of NBC's David Gregory or CBS' Bob Schieffer, the Republican candidates — and even President Obama — have consistently opted for other, arguably more frivolous venues, such as "The View" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." 

Some experts argue that, by appearing on entertainment programs, the candidates are getting free publicity without having to engage in a substantive discussion of the issues. By contrast, the Sunday talk shows are rife with potential for "gotcha" moments. Still others suggest that, in the current media landscape, the line between comedian and journalist is virtually indistinguishable.

Do you think the candidates are taking the easy way out by appearing on late-night shows? Read more about this issue in today's feature story by Scott Collins and consider the evidence below.

Herman Cain denying charges of sexual harrassment on "Jimmy Kimmel Live":

 

Rick Perry delivering the Top 10 List on "The Late Show" after his debate gaffe:

 

... Mitt Romney doing the same earlier this week:

 

Rep. Ron Paul on "The Tonight Show":

 

Michele Bachmann during her controversial appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon":

 

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David Letterman ends 17-year ratings drought against Jay Leno

The late-night talk wars are heating up again.

In the November sweep, CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" beat NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" among adults 18 to 49 for the first time since 1994, according to Nielsen. Letterman scored a 0.9 rating over Leno's 0.8.

Among total viewers, Leno retained a razor-thin edge, 3.6 million vs. 3.5 million.

"Tonight Show" has struggled to recapture its former glory since NBC reinstalled Leno as host in early 2010, following Conan O'Brien's brief tenure at the show. Before the bungled transition, Leno was routinely drawing more than 5 million viewers per night and Letterman was a distant second.

Another beneficiary of Leno's decline appears to be ABC's Jimmy Kimmel. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" was the only late-night show to build viewership compared with last year, up 7% to an average of 2 million viewers.

Meanwhile, CBS' Craig Ferguson lost a bit of ground in his 12:37 a.m. battle with NBC's Jimmy Fallon, at least in total viewers. The NBC show was flat with 1.8 million viewers, while Ferguson slipped 7% to 1.7 million. However, Ferguson's "The Late Late Show" defeated Fallon's "Late Night" for the first time in a November sweep among adults 18 to 49.

Which late-night show do you prefer?

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--Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: David Letterman (with Justin Bieber) got a sweeps victory over Jay Leno for the first time since 1994. Credit: John P. Filo / CBS.

 

 

 

Late Night: Rick Perry can't quite explain his own gaffes

It's been a tough few weeks for presidential candidate Rick Perry, whose jaw-dropping blunder in a Republican debate last month made him the laughingstock of late-night television.

Perry, who already tried to save face by delivering the "Top 10" list for David Letterman, paid a visit to "The Tonight Show" on Thursday. Not surprisingly, the very first thing Jay Leno brought up was Perry's recent string of gaffes.

"You've provided us with a lot of material," Leno said rather diplomatically. "What happened with the brain freeze?"

"It happens, man," Perry replied, his Texas drawl suddenly thicker than ever. "Every now and then I call my dog by the wrong name."

Leno also inquired about a double slip-up by the Texas governor earlier this week. Speaking to a college-age audience in New Hampshire, Perry asked for the support of "those of you that will be 21 by Nov. 12." (Of course, the voting age is 18, not 21, and election day is Nov. 6, 2012, not Nov. 12.)

Perry offered up a halfhearted explanation: "I was thinking drinking age, maybe. Yeah... you gotta have an excuse, right? That's mine and I'm sticking to it."

"But where did the 12th come from? November the 12th?" Leno asked.

Seemingly unaware of his second error, Perry repeated the question back to Leno. "The 12th?" he said, looking nervously to the audience. Then it clicked. "Oh, did I say November the 12th? Well, that'd be late, wouldn't it?"

Perry's original mistake was relatively inconsequential-- we've all gotten our dates mixed up, haven't we? -- but his obvious confusion on "The Tonight Show" probably did little to counter his absent-minded image.

But then again, it may not matter that much. In this year's carnivalesque Republican primary, it's all relative. Perhaps Leno put it best when he told Perry, "Thanks to Herman Cain, you're in the clear."

 

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Photo: Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a campaign stop at Joey's Diner, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, in Amherst, N.H. Credit: Jim Cole / Associated Press.

Late Night: Obama and Leno talk Kardashians, Roscoe's Chicken

On Tuesday, President Obama made his fourth visit to "The Tonight Show." He and Jay Leno mostly stuck to meaty topics, such as the recent death of Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi ("I think it obviously sends a strong message around the world to dictators that people long to be free") and his proposed solution to the stagnant job market ("There are some roads that could be fixed").

Eventually, though, their conversation turned to lighter subjects.

Obama spoke highly of his recent visit to Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles in West Los Angeles, where he ordered the No. 9 Country Boy special. Back in his limo, Obama gave in to the enticing aroma of the wings, even though he was on his way to a splashy fund-raising dinner. "I didn't realize it was so close. Suddenly, we pull up and I've got a spot on my tie, and I'm looking for one of those Wet Ones. It was not elegant," he said.

PHOTOS: Late night politics

Leno asked what the first lady, an outspoken advocate of healthy eating, thought about the calorie-laden meal. "Michelle loves french fries, she loves pizza. Her point is, just in moderation," he explained.

However, the Obamas do disagree when it comes to Halloween. "The last few years she's been giving kids fruits and raisins. I said, The White House is gonna get egged if this keeps up."

Leno broached another highly controversial topic: "The Kardashians." "You recently said that you don't like the girls watching 'The Kardashians'?" he asked.

"I am probably a little biased against reality TV, partly because there's this program on C-SPAN called 'Congress,'" he joked, admitting that he had not actually seen any of the various Kardashian-related televisions shows. "Do you recommend it, Jay?"

Now it was Leno's turn to dodge the question. "It's a wonderful show...I don't know..." he stammered. (Apparently both the president and Jay Leno fear the wrath of the Kardashians.)

Speaking of reality television, Leno asked the president if he'd watched any of the GOP debates. He said he wasn't paying much attention to them -- yet.  "I'm going to wait until everybody's voted off the island."

 

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-- Meredith Blake
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Photo: President Barack Obama gestures during taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Burbank, California, on Oct. 25. Credit: Jason Reed / Reuters.

Late Night: Julie Bowen's frighteningly good pelican impersonation

Julie Bowen won an Emmy for playing high-strung mom Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family." Based on her appearance on Tuesday's "Tonight Show," Bowen's got a pretty good range.

The best thing about "The Tonight Show" is that guests usually stick around for the whole hour. It gives the show a slightly more spontaneous vibe and often leads to amusingly incongruous celebrity pairings.

Take last night, for instance.

Bowen was the first guest to grace Jay Leno's couch, followed by animal trainer Dave Salmoni, who brought along an enormous pelican for a little show-and-tell. Leno had a bucketful of fish for the giant bird, but it was Bowen who got the pelican's attention. In a moment of inspired improvisation, the gangly actress locked eyes with the bird and contorted her limbs to look like him: knocked knees, outspread arms, cocked head.

The pelican looked utterly mystified, but Leno's audience lapped it up. See for yourself below.

 

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About (Late) Last Night: Freida Pinto's wedding plans [Video]

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" star Freida Pinto is feeling the pressure to make it official with her longtime boyfriend, Dev Patel -- but it's coming from an unlikely source.

On Thursday's "Tonight Show," Jay Leno pointedly asked the lovely actress, who first made it big in the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire," about her plans. "Now I know some Indian families are very conservative. Is there pressure to marry?"

"No! Dev's 21! My family, they're very supportive of everything I do and they want me to do whatever I want to do.... If I do get married one fine day, which I know I will, they'll be happy for me. There's no pressure," she said, then jokingly asked,"Which Indian family did you meet?"

While Pinto is unlikely to be walking down the aisle soon, there was a time not so long ago when planning weddings was something she wanted to do -- for a living.

Before her breakthrough in "Slumdog Millionaire," Pinto devised a backup plan in case the whole acting thing didn't work out. She loves to organize things, so she thought: "OK, great. I'll become a wedding planner. Plus wedding planning's not really big in India so I thought I'd like to capitalize on it. That didn't take off, and I don't think it'll ever take off." 

Fortunately for Pinto, Plan A worked out pretty well.

 

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