Leno: 'Take It, Jimmy'

When Jay Leno ends his show, he thanks his guests and then tells viewers to stay tuned for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Leno used to do the same thing when Conan O'Brien followed him.

Now, when Leno signs off, instead of just shouting, "Jimmy," he says, "Take it, Jimmy!"

I don't think that change is a coincidence.

Leno appears ready, almost eager, to end his long affiliation with NBC.

Leno and Jokes For the Other 50% of Country

I completely disagree with Matt Drudge's tweet that Jay Leno "dared to entertain and offer jokes for the other 50% of country."

Left cheering #Leno exit typical, he dared to entertain and offer jokes for the other 50% of country. Unacceptable in 'New America'...
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) March 20, 2013

Yes, some Leftists may object to Leno's rare Obama jokes and are eagerly awaiting his departure.

As a conservative, I am cheering Leno's departure because he has veered so far to the Left, trashing the Right on a nightly basis.

He does it all the time, and not only in his monologues. Leno recently has brought in a line-up of Leftists in his second guest spot to help him trash Republicans. We get NBC "News" personalities up the wazoo, spewing their Leftist drivel. Not long ago, Leno gave Piers Morgan a spotlight platform to lobby for gun control. Way too much Leftist propaganda for me.

Here are some of Leno's "jokes for the other 50% of country" from Thursday's show:

JAY LENO: Well, here's a big controversy with the History Channel's mini-series The Bible. Well, it seems the actor playing Satan bears an uncanny resemblance to President Obama. You know, this isn't the first time the president's been portrayed as the devil. FOX News does it every single day. This is not new.

And Congresswoman Michele 'Nutball' Bachmann back in the news -- She has attacked what she calls the Obamas' lavish White House lifestyle. She says they spend too much money on perks and things like a dog walker. That turns out to be totally not true. The Obamas do not pay someone to walk their dog. Joe Biden does that job every day for free.

This was followed by a clip of Obama being heckled during a speech in Israel. The tape showed the heckler to be Donald Trump.

The next joke:

LENO: Well, after losing two presidential elections in a row, the Republican Party has outlined a plan to attract minorities. It's called 'Operation Pretend We Like 'Em.'

Not funny, in my opinion. Not entertaining. Not a grain of truth.

No joke Leno told mocked Obama or his policies, but he obviously did slam Republicans.

I think Drudge is living in the past, when Leno was more fair.

While Leno will occasionally throw in a joke that zings Obama, without question, Leno's monologue is not fair and balanced. He does not offer many "jokes for the other 50% of country."

Thursday night, Leno did do a gag about Nancy Pelosi endorsing a new, highly caffeinated coffee, showing a container with her face, eyes bugged out. That and the Biden swipe were the only so-called jokes involving Democrats. Those don't remotely balance out with Leno's attacks on Republicans.

Leno is still telling stale Mitt Romney jokes. Then again, "It Guy" Jimmy Fallon is, too.

Bottom line: Drudge is wrong.
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UPDATE: Right bemoans possible Jay Leno exit.

Could Jay Leno become a new conservative hero?

In the bitter and gossipy duel between Leno and NBC (the “Tonight Show” host is set to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon, according to reports), some see political fallout in Leno’s fall from grace.

“Left cheering Leno exit typical, he dared to entertain and offer jokes for the other 50% of country. Unacceptable in ‘New America’…” tweeted Matt Drudge this week in the wake of news of Fallon’s ascension. And Jezebel touched on Leno’s rough relationship with the coastal elites, describing him as “Middle America’s favorite late-night host.”

Fox News’ “The Five” speculated, if slightly in jest as is the show’s wont, that Leno was suffering for his barbs against President Barack Obama.

...Perhaps conservatives will be cheering when they hear this - Leno could land at Fox.

...Matt Towery wrote on the conservative Town Hall website that Leno – despite being a liberal – is like “Barry Goldwater” when compared with David Letterman.

"...I know that Jay Leno, like most on network TV, is a self-proclaimed ‘liberal,’ but I could care less. Next to David Letterman, he looks like Barry Goldwater,” Tower wrote.

Towery described Leno as an “equal opportunity offender” comic, who doesn’t back away from poking fun at Democrats when it’s warranted.

“The critics generally hate Leno, because to them he’s too much a part of ‘average’ America. He doesn’t have the endless—and I mean endless — sarcasm of Letterman and actually refrains from attacking people. He’s not cutting edge. He’s too much the apple pie American. Oh and he’s too funny to a majority of Americans,” Towery wrote.

This is driving me nuts.

If Leno is a "conservative hero," then conservatives have terrible judgment when it comes to choosing heroes.

I don't think these commentators watch past the monologue. They really don't know what they're talking about. They don't know how much Leno has changed since his return to NBC as host of the Tonight Show.

I never tune in to watch Letterman anymore. He's been a nightmare for over a decade. I can't stand him. It's kind of sad because I really used to enjoy him, but those days are long gone. I know he's an insufferable lib. He's cruel. He's horrible.

But Leno is not the person being portrayed in the media right now. This idea that Leno offers conservative stuff, even middle-of-the-road stuff, is ridiculous.

On the conservative-liberal spectrum, Letterman would out lib Leno; but Leno is no conservative hero.

Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon just celebrated his 800th episode of Late Night.

He's been on the air for four years, and NBC already wants him to host the Tonight Show.

In terms of late night TV, that's a quick rise. It took David Letterman more than a decade to get a show in that time slot.

I'm a late night TV viewer. I have been since I was old enough to determine my own bedtime. I've seen the hosts come and go, rise and fall, entertain and annoy.

I used to be a Letterman fan. I thought he was destined to be the next Johnny Carson, but NBC chose a different direction and went with Leno as Carson's successor.

Conan O'Brien's brief stint as the next Carson was a mess. I loved O'Brien's Late Night, but his show lost a lot when he moved to LA. The enormous studio didn't suit him. Something was very off. I still liked him better than Leno.

So, Leno returns to Carson's chair after a bitter fight. No one came out of that one looking good, except Jimmy Fallon. He, publicly, stayed out of it.

And now, NBC is ready to give Leno the boot again.

Good idea or bad idea?

From FOX News, the outlet routinely trashed by both Leno and Fallon:

Will Jimmy Fallon be the next host of “The Tonight Show?” He says he doesn’t care.

In the latest issue of GQ, on newsstands March 26, the funnyman addressed the burning question of whether or not he will take over “The Tonight Show” after Jay Leno retires.

“I mean, in the nicest way, who really cares,” he told the magazine. “In the nicest way. It would be great, sure, I guess. I’d love it, but it’s not on my mind. I’m in no rush to do anything. I’m kind of a boring character in that book. I’m not in a fight with Jay or Conan, or any of them. I don’t have that story.”

Still, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels said he thinks Fallon is a shoe in for the job.

“I’m not allowed to say it—yet. But I think there’s an inevitability to it,” he told GQ. “He’s the closest to [Johnny] Carson that I’ve seen of this generation.”

I still consider myself to be a fan of Fallon's show, though he has shifted away a bit from his goal to entertain without alienating people. That's unfortunate.

As much as I like Fallon, he's not close to Johnny Carson. He's irreplaceable.

Letterman, although from the midwest, didn't have the midwestern charm of Johnny Carson. Letterman's style is snippy and smart ass, and incredibly grating after a while. No Carson.

Leno seemed like a nice guy and appeared to want to appeal to a broad audience, but he's taken a sharp Left in his comedy and interviews. Also grating. No Carson.

O'Brien was really clever and quick and likable. His self-deprecating humor was funny, until it became impossible to accept as based in something honest.

None can compare with Carson.

Fallon is extremely talented and can be very entertaining. However, I don't know that he'll appeal to an older demographic. Yes, he won a Grammy and did a fantastic job hosting the Emmys. But at least some of what he does now would have to change. For example, I don't think an older audience would enjoy watching him debut a new video game. The goofy stuff probably won't translate well.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

It has become clear that Jimmy Fallon is going to become the host of The Tonight Show, but sources say an internal debate among key players is underway regarding the timing.

According to these sources, some top executives at NBCUniversal are leaning toward a February launch to take advantage of the promotional platform of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Others, including Late Night executive producer Lorne Michaels, are said to have concerns about rushing the transition.

The Leno-Conan debacle is still relatively fresh. Another retirement against his will by Leno wouldn't be too pleasant. Here we go again....

NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt and his late night and alternative chief Paul Telegdy are said to be actively looking for a Fallon replacement at 12:35 a.m. One possibility is another Michaels protege, Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live.

The latest news comes as Leno continues to take jabs at NBC execs including Greenblatt, who reportedly sent Leno an email to back-off on the ridicule. On Monday’s show, Leno quipped during his monologue: "You know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right? St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- and then they came to the United States and became NBC executives. It's a fascinating story."

Leno taking jabs at NBC execs should be no big deal. Carson regularly mocked the execs behind NBC's programs and the network's poor performance.

I wish Leno, and all of these late night hosts, would make fun of the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I like to think Carson wouldn't have given Obama a pass or been a shill for Obama, like Letterman and Leno. Fallon is possibly the worst shill of all. He let Obama use his show like no U.S. president has ever used a program in a network's entertainment division.

I certainly won't miss Leno when he gets shown the door - again. Good riddance.

If Jimmy Fallon takes Leno's place as expected, I think I might end up missing the Jimmy Fallon of Late Night, just as I missed the Conan O'Brien of Late Night and the David Letterman of Late Night.

Leno: 'Where is Benedict Pope Emeritus Today?'

Jay Leno enjoys bashing the Catholic Church.

Since Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, Leno has taken jabs at him in his monologue. His slams have gone beyond jokes. During an interview with Bill O'Reilly, Leno expressed some bizarre conspiracy theories about Pope Benedict's decision to step aside. Very offensive.

The mocking continues. On Monday in his monologue, Leno introduced a new segment, "Where is Benedict Pope Emeritus Today?"

Leno did a similar segment when President George W. Bush left office, "What's George Bush Doing Today?"

Of course, they were all goofy and insulting things. Leno did the segment at least SIX times.

So, I fear Pope Benedict will receive the same treatment, extended ridicule.

Here's video from Leno's monologue Monday night. The bit starts at 2:23.

It began with this:

JAY LENO: It's now been a week since Benedict Pope Emeritus has entered civilian life on his own, which leads us to a new segment we call 'Where is Benedict Pope Emeritus Today?'

Then, Leno showed a clip of a man in a red hat riding a Hoveround-type scooter, having difficulty trying to make it up some shallow steps.



The audience laughed and Leno applauded the alleged Pope Benedict's "civilian" activity.

I see nothing funny about it. It's degrading to Pope Benedict, degrading to the elderly, and degrading to any individual requiring that sort of vehicle.

Furthermore, Pope Benedict is not a "civilian."

I suspect Leno will do a series of these disrespectful bits, mocking the previous leader of more than one billion Catholics.

It's not OK.

Leno Retirement

Not again. More late night drama.

Will NBC push Jay Leno out of his role as host of The Tonight Show?

Déjà vu.

From FOX News:

NBC is ready to announce Jay Leno’s retirement, expecting to move Jimmy Fallon into the coveted late-night time slot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The announcement is expected in May, according to two high-level industry sources. The 2013-14 television season would be Leno’s last, according to the paper.

Fallon would then move from his “Late Night” spot into the 11:35 p.m. slot during the summer of 2014. A formal kickoff would happen in the fall.

Sources told the Hollywood Reporter that the network will bring in Fallon partly out of concern about the competition on ABC, which moved younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel to the 11:35 time slot in January.

Leno, 62, has hosted “The Tonight Show” for 20 years.

NBC denied the report. And Leno’s rep said, “we do not speculate on rumor.”

I really don't like Leno anymore.

I preferred Leno to Letterman after Letterman turned so loony and cruel. I used to enjoy Letterman much more than Leno. I thought he was more innovative and witty and funny, but that changed long ago.

Now, Leno has become nearly as annoying as Letterman, always injecting his Leftist opinions into interviews.

Leno is constantly bashing Republicans, except Chris Christie. I think he's head of his fan club. Leno is still doing Mitt Romney jokes. The other night, he did a Rick Perry joke! Meanwhile, Obama pretty much gets a free pass.

Personally, I'll be glad to see Leno go, when that time comes. The sooner the better.

However, I don't know why NBC wants Leno to leave, given that he's delivering in the ratings.

It's like the Conan O'Brien debacle revisited.

Overall, I find Jimmy Fallon's show far more enjoyable than Leno's show. But, he's beginning to bug me a bit, too.

The Obama lovefest is not entertaining.

I just want to relax and laugh at the end of the day.

A thought on how to address NBC's 5th place problems: Stop offending half the country.

Leno: Rick Perry and Sequestration

Comedians have always joked about the president.

Regardless of political party affiliation, the person in power has been the butt of jokes. The president's activities and policies are fodder for punch lines.

As we know, Obama has been spared ridicule. It's a rare, rare thing when Obama is mocked by a late night talk show host or guest. It just doesn't happen.

Last night, I had the misfortune of hearing a bit of Jay Leno's monologue.

He actually chose to mock Rick Perry on the topic of sequestration. RICK PERRY!

The joke involved Perry not understanding sequestration and mistaking it for Ryan Seacrest.

It's absolutely pathetic that Leno reaches back to Perry rather than focusing on Obama. Leno mentioned Obama in a joke but it ripped FOX News rather than the guy in the White House.

Obama offers so much material that Leno and those of his ilk could be using, but they protect him. He's untouchable. It's not normal.

The Leftist comedians didn't spare Bill Clinton. Why does Obama get a pass? It's never happened before.

I've heard many say that Obama isn't funny. He's so cool. He's so perfect. Jokes aren't there.

Now, that is funny.

You'd think the Leftist comedians would end their self-imposed moratorium on jokes directed at the sitting president. Getting a laugh is the goal.

Rick Perry. Unbelievable.

Obama Wears Glasses

Did you know Obama wears glasses?

According to James Spader, during a screening of Lincoln at the White House, Obama wore glasses.

Glasses?

He's nearsighted?

Obama, I don't know you at all.

Here's video, from The Tonight Show:

Leno: Dog Pops Balloons, Picks Ravens (Video)

In 2011, Jay Leno had a dog pop balloons to predict the Super Bowl winner.

A mat was covered with balloons - black for the Steelers and gold for the Packers. The last balloon the dog popped would be her pick to win the game.

The dog picked the PACKERS!







Of course, the Packers did win.

The dog returned to make a prediction for Super Bowl XLVI.

The dog that's "never wrong" in its Super Bowl predictions was wrong, choosing the Patriots instead of the Giants.

Here's video of the dog's prediction for Super Bowl XLVII:



Prediction: The Ravens will win.

Jimmy Kimmel - New Time

Jimmy Kimmel Live! has a new, earlier time slot, moving to 10:35PM CT. He's in direct competition with Jay Leno and David Letterman now.

Great news!

I haven't watched the detestable Letterman for years, so I've endured Leno's stale monologues and lame "comedy" bits.

Finally, that's over.

Oh, wait. It's not.

The Milwaukee market will not see that change in the late night line-up.

From the Business Journal:

Jimmy Kimmel will be available in most of the country immediately after local TV stations’ late newscast, but in Milwaukee viewers will need to wait until 11 p.m.

Rather than airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 10:35, Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN-TV (Channel 12) will continue running its hour-long 10 p.m. weeknight newscast. The station will delay Kimmel until 11 p.m. when his show debuts in its new time slot Tuesday, Jan. 8. Kimmel's show has been running on ABC at 11:25 after "Nightline," which is switching to midnight.

The main reason Kimmel won’t appear here until 11 p.m. is the success of Channel 12’s hour-long 10 p.m. newscast, WISN president and general manager Jan Wade told me.

“We don’t want to abandon something that’s a strength for us,” Wade told me.

The 10:30 segment of the Channel 12 late news actually attracts the highest household ratings in its time slot against “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on WTMJ-TV (Channel 4), “The Late Show with David Letterman” on WDJT-TV (Channel 58) and “Seinfeld” on WITI-TV (Channel 6). The WISN news ranked second to “Seinfeld” in the key 25-to-54-year-old demographic.

Oh, well.

11:00PM is better than midnight.

Elmo: Fourth Accuser

Kevin Clash, the man who brought the beloved Elmo to life on Sesame Street, is facing another lawsuit for having sex with a minor.

From the New York Post:

The fourth man to accuse “Sesame Street" puppeteer Kevin Clash of inappropriate sexual contact says the older man couldn’t get it up when the two were getting it on in Clash’s New York City pad around 1995, according the alleged victim’s civil lawsuit filed today in Manhattan Federal Court.

At the time, Clash, then 35, blamed his penis problems on an unspecified “medical condition,” the lawsuit said.

The accuser, who is now in his 30s, said he was around 16 when he met Clash walking on a Miami beach and that the pair kept in touch over the phone.

After learning that the accuser had problems at home and wanted to run away, Clash, the squeaky voice of Elmo, promised to “be a dad” to him and lured him to the city “with promises to pay for his plane ticket ... and give him cash and a free place to stay,” the lawsuit said. The accuser was allegedly sexually abused after visiting Clash.

Innocent until proven guilty, of course. But, this is really scandalous.

Usually, when a public figure is involved in something as salacious as this, it's not ignored in monologues on late night talk shows. It's fodder for jokes.

For some reason, Kevin Clash is being spared. I haven't heard Jay Leno or Jimmy Fallon do a single joke about Elmo, the child abuser. Not one.

If Clash worked for FOX News, the Leftist comedians would be having a field day.

Leno: Libya, Carney, FOX News, Talk Radio

JAY LENO: The White House spokeman Jay Carney said that the attack in Libya is still being investigated, and we will find out what happened. But until we do, he suggested Americans should not watch FOX News or listen to talk radio.

Leno: Obama Halloween Party, Libya

JAY LENO: President Obama cancelled the annual White House Halloween party. He didn't want to, he didn't want to risk a trick-or-treater asking him a question about Libya. So they had to cancel.

Leno: Economy Halloween Costume

JAY LENO: Actually, last night, I answered the door. There's a kid lying on the porch. He's playing dead. I said, 'What are you supposed to be?' He said, "The economy."

Leno: Obama, Libya, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

JAY LENO: Well, 'Don't ask, don't tell' is back. Not for gays in the military, it's President Obama's new policy for questions about Libya. 'Don't ask, don't tell.'

Obama and Jay Leno, October 24, 2012 (Video)

Obama was Jay Leno's guest on Wednesday's Tonight Show.

He didn't look presidential as he sat in the chair occupied by some of the weirdest and shallowest people Hollywood has to offer.

There was Obama, president of the United States, being questioned by Leno. He was challenged on absolutely nothing, just allowed to yap as the fawning Leno served as enabler.

Obama had roughly 45 minutes of free airtime, a gift from NBC. He was incredibly boring, repeating the same stuff we've heard a million times.

Leno couldn't have been more accommodating, setting Obama up to spread his propaganda around.

The BS on the War on Women was nauseating. Leno teed up Richard Mourdock for Obama, but made no mention whatsoever of the Benghazi cover-up and the lies.

The most embarrassing segment was the final one, when Leno asked questions submitted from the audience and from people on Facebook.

They were beyond lame. It was excruciating.

"What are the kids dressing up as for Halloween?"

Good grief.

Leno wanted to know if Michelle is demanding that fruit be the treat given out at the White House again. Obama said this year, an election year, they're giving out candy for everybody.

"If anybody comes from Ohio to the White House, they will get a Hershey bar about this big. It'll be huge."

One question asked when the last time was Obama "drove an automobile."

He drove a friend's Volt around the south lawn driveway. What a stupid plug!

This question was so annoying: "What is the cure for Romnesia?"

Obama used his line from the stump: "ObamaCare covers preexisting conditions."

Another stunningly stupid question:

"If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?"

Obama would like to fly.

Oh, my God.

Watching this spectacle was uncomfortable. These are questions for Justin Bieber, not Obama.

Mitt Romney is wise to steer clear of these forums at this stage in the campaign. Obama's stature just keeps diminishing.

A final question:

"When you help your daughters with their homework, is there a subject you struggle with?"

Obama's response: "Well, you know, the math stuff I was fine with up until about 7th grade. But Malia's now a freshman in high school and I'm pretty lost."

HAHAHAHA

That doesn't surprise me a bit.

Obama's most memorable appearance on late night TV was when he visited Leno on March 19, 2009. It was a performance that will live in infamy, the real Obama exposed.

Looking back, it's interesting to see how Obama hasn't grown to become more presidential with his years in office. If anything, he's smaller.

Here are video clips from the Wednesday show:

President Obama on Mourdock (10/24/12)

President Obama on Donald Trump (10/24/12)

President Obama on Debates (10/24/12)

President Obama on NHL Lockout (10/24/12)
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Here's the full interview:

President Barack Obama, Part 1 (10/24/12)

President Barack Obama, Part 2 (10/24/12)

President Barack Obama, Part 3 (10/24/12)

President Barack Obama, Part 4 (10/24/12)

President Barack Obama, Part 5 (10/24/12)

Leno: Obama and Unemployment

JAY LENO: The good news for the White House is unemployment has dropped to 7.8 percent, right where it was when President Obama took office. So, Obama's gone from 'Change you can believe in' to 'Can you believe there's no change?'

Leno: Obama Debate Jokes

JAY LENO: President Obama is back on the campaign trail. And President Obama is telling people that wasn't the real Mitt Romney who showed up at the debate. Let me tell you something, whoever it was, Obama better hope he never shows up again or he's gonna get his ass kicked.

Mitt Romney really on the offensive the other night. Time after time, he made statements that I think damaged President Obama's credibility. It's almost like he was Joe Biden.

Leno: Debate Jokes

JAY LENO: Well, the consensus is Mitt Romney won the presidential debate last night. The only people who thought Obama won... the replacement refs. Those are the only ones.

They're saying close to 60 million people may have watched the debate. In fact, the only person who didn't tune in I think was President Obama. What happened? Even Tony Romo was going, 'What happened?'

...

How about the moderator, PBS's Jim Lehrer? He looked so lifelike. Those holograms are unbelievable. I thought the Tupac one was unbelievable. I mean, the way he moved, it looked like he was actually there.

And President Obama talked last night about finding other sources of energy for the future. Other sources of energy? He couldn't muster enough energy for the 90-minute debate.

And to make matters worse, as you know, last night was his anniversary. Let me tell you something: The only way his wedding anniversary could have been worse is if he had forgotten it.

And First Lady Michelle, I think she was depressed, too. In fact, right after the debate, she had a quart of Haagen-Dazs, two corn dogs and a 32-ounce Big Gulp.