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As I have posted elsewhere: Jack Paar was able to pull this off in prime time on NBC for three years back in the '60s. So I have no doubt that it can be done. The question is, can it be done five nights a week? (Paar's prime-time show aired only on Friday nights.) I wouldn't be surprised if, by January, Leno is down to 2-3 nights a week. But I would be surprised if it doesn't work at all.

"Craig Ferguson is already doing 40 minutes of comedy and 20 minutes of talk... and is not the king of late night."

He's also on at 12:30 and a virtual unknown to anyone who didn't watch "The Drew Carey Show" in the 90s.

Also, do you really think Zucker would have answered the questions with a "yes" on any planet? There are plenty of instances of reporting trumping gossip. This isn't one of them. Great delivery, yes. But I don't think there's any question that there's some fire somewhere in all of Nikki's smoke.

Additionally:

"and don't think that Letterman is not going to close the gap or go ahead of Conan by the end of the summer... he is"

Letterman is my favorite, but I'd put four figures down that he won't pass Conan this year, let alone by the end of the summer. Conan has tamed his act down (though he may loosen it back up somewhat). Letterman is still very much fringe comedy to the time slot's demographic, in my opinion.

Most interesting is what this will do to the landscape of prime time television. Most of the more innovative shows are on cable anyway, where you can be more provocative. I'd imagine once some of the big shows run their course (C.S.I., Law & Order -- which, Criminal Intent is already on USA), the exodus to cable could be considerable and Leno's show might in fact change the philosophy of the 10:00 time slot. Perhaps a slew of variety shows will pop up in his wake.

Oh, and whoever's responsible for this headline on MCN:

"David Hudson Aggregrates (sic) The Many Personally Slighted, Aggressively Contemptuous, Taking-It-Personally Reviews For Away We Go."

Let it go. The movie's a wash. Plain and simple.

"I don't think there's any question that there's some fire somewhere in all of Nikki's smoke."

Based on what?

It is likely to be more dramatic than what is programmed at 10p, Kris. Other networks will still do fine with their normal hour-long in that slot.

What you should be looking for is when NBC makes the move, if they have a successful first year with Leno, to push local news into the 10p slot, starting Leno at 10:35, Conan at 11:35 and so on. That way, NBC can focus on a 2hr block of programming, lead in stronger to the affiliates, and get and edge on CBS and ABC.

Anyway... Ray's headline... and if you look at the pieces involved, you might notice that he's not defending the film, but pointing out a recurring theme in the reviews. Don't assume... etc, etc...

"What you should be looking for is when NBC makes the move, if they have a successful first year with Leno, to push local news into the 10p slot, starting Leno at 10:35, Conan at 11:35 and so on. That way, NBC can focus on a 2hr block of programming, lead in stronger to the affiliates, and get and edge on CBS and ABC."

As much as that makes sense, I have to say it would shock me to see the network make a decision that radical. Then again, Fox has had local at 10 for years so maybe it's time.

In the year 2000000000000...

Or 3000, as it is. I loved the revamping of that segment Wednesday.

Fallon: Best thing to happen to late night since Kilby. I'll also add for the 400th time that Carson's new, weird "on the streets"/remote format suits his sensibilities a lot better than the traditional approach he took for years.

Is it really true - as I read elsewhere - that there are old fucks baffled by the Conan Tonight Show? Was this just an anecdotal exception, or are there really still old timers who "went to bed with Carson" for whom Leno was also pleasantly comforted, who are THAT baffled by the apparently avant-gardAY (TM Pink) stylings of Conan O'Brien? Probably not a huge segment, but I guess there probably were always folks who dozed off in the middle of Leno's second guest most nights and never made it to 12:37 to see what Conan was all about.

Fallon is awful. The only time he was ever funny was when he was cracking up during SNL sketches. As a late night host, he's a painful watch.

"[Ferguson]'s also on at 12:30 and a virtual unknown to anyone who didn't watch "The Drew Carey Show" in the 90s."

Conan was a complete unknown (his words) when he started and now he's hosting The Tonight Show.

Who else just saw PARIS being HOT AND CHARMING AND DELIGHTFUL AND PERFECT on Letterman?????

Take that, Conan... No way I'm missing a Paris appearance so tonight's winner = LETTERMAN.

Talk about a CIRCLE OF FUN. GIANT BONER.

Cadavra: That's not the point. It took him 16 years to get to that point. Ferguson's been on the job for what, three, four years? The argument, if you'll read the words, concerns David's argument that Ferguson's routine is keeping him from being a late night champ. My submission is that he hasn't had the time to go there yet.

I didn't interpret it that way, but I agree with the above.

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