Conan O'Brien
Show minus stars equals different show: It's one of the mantras of Jump the Shark, and it's true — unless, maybe, the show is The Tonight Show.
The Tonight Show is an institution that has had only four full-time hosts in more than half a century. Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno all made their own imprints on the show, but in the way a minister does a church. Whether or not congregants like his or her personality or jokes, the basic religion stays the same.
Leno is...
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courtesy Harpo Productions
Think Tom Cruise was the first star to flip out on national TV? Don’t be crazy!1) Tom Cruise loses control.Declaring his love for Katie Holmes, Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch. He pumped his fists and squatted like a scary version of The Thinker. He made weird faces. In short, he acted nuts. Then he went on Today and loonily challenged Matt Lauer’s knowledge of psychiatric history. Of course, Cruise’s 2005 publicity-grabbing antics didn’t hurt the box office for War of the Worlds (or for Holmes’ Batman Begins), so who’s crazy now?2) Michael Jackson dangles a baby.Jacko had pulled plenty of wacko stunts before, but this one seemed dangerous: holding his son (nicknamed “Blanket”) over the railing of a Berlin hotel balcony in 2002. “I got caught up in the excitement of the moment,” Jackson explained. Perhaps most shockingly, no charges were filed.3) Farrah Fawcett spaces out.The Charlie’s Angels goddess denied allegations that ...
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Jay Leno by Paul Drinkwater/NBC
Despite rumblings in the trade press, NBC’s new entertainment bosses said the plans to have Conan O’Brien take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2009 are on track. Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour that they are talking to Leno about a future role at the network. “We love Jay Leno,” Silverman said. “We want him to stay at NBC for life.” A prime-time show is a possibility, and there’s a precedent for it. Jack Paar had a prime-time hour after his five-year stint on Tonight ended [voluntarily]. It’s hard to say if that would fly with the workaholic Leno — especially since many in the industry believe Fox or even ABC could try to lure him with a late-night deal. — Reporting by Stephen Battaglio
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This week, Hollywood received some sad news: Late-night legend Jack Paar — host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1957 until 1962 — died on Tuesday after a long illness. He was 85. Paar's guests included many luminaries of his era, everybody from JFK to Judy Garland. In fact, just weeks after his Tonight debut, he was dubbed "one of America's most popular indoor pastimes." TV Guide Online got in touch with stars who loved Paar, inviting them to share their favorite memories of the showman. Here's what they had to say...
Phyllis Diller: "We were personal friends over the years. This is very sad news, except that Jack was in such horrible condition after the stroke he had about a year ago. He was paralyzed and he couldn't talk. It was such a strain on his wife, Miria
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This week, Hollywood received some sad news: Late-night legend Jack Paar — host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1957 until 1962 — died on Tuesday after a long illness. He was 85. Paar's guests included many luminaries of his era, everybody from JFK to Judy Garland. In fact, just weeks after his Tonight debut, he was dubbed "one of America's most popular indoor pastimes." TV Guide Online got in touch with stars who loved Paar, inviting them to share their favorite memories of the showman. Here's what they had to say...
Phyllis Diller: "We were personal friends over the years. This is very sad news, except that Jack was in such horrible condition after the stroke he had about a year ago. He was paralyzed and he couldn't talk. It was such a strain on his wi
read more
