Late Night – News Stories About Late Night - Page 3

Interview

Feb 28, 2009 12:33 PM CST

Fallon: 'Nauseous' But Ready

New host knows he could be the 'last guy'

(Newser) - Jimmy Fallon will be following in some pretty big footsteps when he takes over Late Night on Monday, but he’s prepared. After all, he has the plastic pickle—a 3-foot-long specimen passed down from Conan, who got it from Letterman—plus an endless supply of advice from friends and...

Hip-Hop Comes to Late Night

Feb 28, 2009 8:27 AM CST

Hip-Hop Comes to Late Night

But Fallon's band will branch out from rap Roots

(Newser) - When it comes to music, late-night talk shows have long been the province of the Great American Songbook—with some rock and jazz mixed in. But when Jimmy Fallon takes the stage next week, it will be with longtime hip-hop band the Roots. “The show's going to be a...

Conan, Andy to
Reunite on Tonight

Feb 25, 2009 9:59 AM CST

Conan, Andy to Reunite on Tonight

Former Late Night sidekick to play McMahon to O'Brien's Carson

(Newser) - Conan O'Brien will be back together with longtime Late Night sidekick Andy Richter when he takes the reins of the Tonight Show this summer, E! Online reports. Richter, who first teamed up with O'Brien in 1993, will be more than a wingman this time around—he will be the show's...

On Last
Late Night,
Conan Looks Back

Feb 21, 2009 6:25 AM CST

On Last Late Night, Conan Looks Back

Show features old clips, special guests

(Newser) - Conan O’Brien took the stage for the final episode of Late Night yesterday, reminiscing about 16 years on the air with clips and big-time guests, E! Online reports. The 2,725th episode featured John Mayer singing to Conan, Will Ferrell appearing as George W. Bush, and the first White...

Conan Trades Up to
Tonight But Can't
Shake Leno

Feb 19, 2009 12:18 PM CST

Conan Trades Up to Tonight But Can't Shake Leno

As 'Late Night' winds down, the landscape of network television moves as well

(Newser) - As Conan O'Brien gets ready to move from Late Night to the Tonight Show—tomorrow is his last post-midnight show before he decamps for LA—the value of the coveted 11pm slot has been seriously undercut. With current Tonight host Jay Leno heading not into the sunset but into the...

NBC Sets Dates for
Late Night Change-Up

Jan 16, 2009 8:02 AM CST

NBC Sets Dates for Late Night Change-Up

Conan to leave in February

(Newser) - It’s almost time for NBC’s Late Night switcheroo to begin, and the dates are now official: Conan O’Brien’s last show will air February 20, Access Hollywood reports, with Jimmy Fallon taking over on March 2. Then, Jay Leno’s last Tonight Show will air May 29,...

'Bleeping' Mac
Returns to Letterman

Dec 12, 2008 3:29 AM CST

'Bleeping' Mac Returns to Letterman

Mac's back but he's not talking about the 'bleeping' campaign

(Newser) - A jovial John McCain last night paid David Letterman his first visit since the election and made it crystal clear he wasn't interested in bringing up the past, AP reports. "I don't want to talk about the bleeping campaign," McCain said, smiling, actually using the word "bleeping....

Fallon Tries
Harder in
2nd Vid

Dec 10, 2008 10:37 AM CST

Fallon Tries Harder in 2nd Vid

Late Night host-in-waiting responds to criticism

(Newser) - OK, he’s still not wearing a suit and tie, but Jimmy Fallon is trying a little bit harder. The second installment of webisodes previewing his upcoming NBC Late Night gig is an improvement over the first, Gawker reports. And you’ve got to give the guy credit for responding...

Dave to Jay:
I'm Still at 11:35

Dec 10, 2008 9:25 AM CST

Dave to Jay: I'm Still at 11:35

Late night funnymen still rivals

(Newser) - Jay Leno lobbed a softball when he defended his move to primetime by telling Keith Olbermann, “10:30 is like 11:30 used to be.” And archrival David Letterman knocked it out of the park last night, reports Gawker, reminding viewers in his opening monologue that his show...

Fallon's
Webisode
Disappoints

Dec 9, 2008 10:45 AM CST

Fallon's Webisode Disappoints

(Newser) - Jimmy Fallon wasn’t going out of his way to impress anyone on his first Late Night webisode, Gawker reports. The video blogs airing in advance of his March 2 premiere started last night, and the new host “couldn’t stop throwing up his hands or touching his head...

How Comedy Turned Serious

ANALYSIS

Nov 29, 2008 7:53 AM CST

How Comedy Turned Serious

A funny thing happened on the way to the election—politics and comedy swapped roles

(Newser) - Politics and comedy are trading places, Lee Siegel writes in the Wall Street Journal, as the antics of politicians get more outlandish and comics are increasingly the people speaking truth to power. Fake newsmen like Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, with their stern commentary, lean more towards the "dark,...

Palin's Top 10 Excuses for Ignoring Turkey Slaughter

Nov 25, 2008 5:05 AM CST

Palin's Top 10 Excuses for Ignoring Turkey Slaughter

Letterman clucks about gory farm visit

(Newser) - David Letterman couldn't let news of Sarah Palin's gruesome turkey farm visit fly past him without comment, the Huffington Post notes. Palin pardoned one turkey but was oblivious to others being slaughtered behind her during a TV interview last week. Among Letterman's Top 10 purported excuses for Palin's disregard of...

Letterman Fits
McCain Into
His Schedule

Oct 12, 2008 2:59 PM CDT

Letterman Fits McCain Into His Schedule

(Newser) - Three weeks after turning himself into a punch line by blowing off David Letterman, only to surface within hours elsewhere on CBS, John McCain has scheduled a return engagement with the late-night icon. After lengthy negotiations—during which Letterman continued his on-air taunting by saying McCain was being "squirrely"...

Nightline Racks Up Ratings

Oct 9, 2008 7:30 PM CDT

Nightline Racks Up Ratings

Current events boost ratings into Leno's neighborhood

(Newser) - Financial and political uncertainty means big ratings for Nightline, which is enjoying its highest numbers since being reformatted in 2005, Media Life magazine reports. Despite being under virtually constant threat of cancellation, Nightline regularly outdraws Late Night With David Letterman and is closer to Jay Leno's Tonight Show than at...

Election
Results In:
Comedy Wins

Oct 9, 2008 1:55 AM CDT

Election Results In: Comedy Wins

Race for the White House proving a comedy goldmine

(Newser) - No matter which candidate ultimately surges ahead, political comedy is emerging as the clear winner in the presidential race, reports the New York Times. Tina Fey's dead-on parody of Sarah Palin has triggered a huge boost in viewership for Saturday Night Live. The Colbert Report and the Daily Show have...

Diss Letterman at Your Peril

OPINION

Sep 26, 2008 5:20 PM CDT

Diss Letterman at Your Peril

Late-night hosts can shape opinion for networks and their viewers

(Newser) - John McCain is playing with fire if he thinks he can stand up David Letterman and get away with it. "The middle-of-the-road personalities who've dominated network television since its inception do retain one singular power," Gawker Media head honcho Nick Denton, writing for his flagship blog, warns the...

'Ugly Date' Letterman Skewers McCain Again

Sep 26, 2008 4:31 AM CDT

'Ugly Date' Letterman Skewers McCain Again

Stood-up Late Night host proving to be a formidable foe

(Newser) - The David Letterman-John McCain feud continued last night on the Late Show as the host kept hammering the candidate for standing him up, reports the Los Angeles Times. Letterman, whose guests included Paris Hilton—"McCain's first choice as running mate"—said he felt like an "ugly date"...

Letterman Lambasts
AWOL McCain

Sep 25, 2008 3:06 AM CDT

Letterman Lambasts AWOL McCain

'Metamucil Mac' snubs host to prep for Couric, claims he's off to DC

(Newser) - John McCain was scorched by the full fury of a Letterman scorned after blowing off last night's Late Show an hour before taping, the New York Daily News reports. "This just doesn't smell right. This is not the way a tested hero behaves," Letterman raged. "Somebody's putting...

Letterman Perplexed by NBC's Move
to Ditch Leno

Sep 3, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

Letterman Perplexed by NBC's Move to Ditch Leno

But Dave would love to continue beyond 2010

(Newser) - David Letterman isn't planning to head off into the sunset when his Late Night contract expires in 2010, the New York Times reports, telling a Rolling Stone interviewer that he would love to keep going at CBS—and that he was confused by NBC's decision to put longtime rival Jay...

Leno Bowing Out in May

Jul 22, 2008 3:02 AM CDT

Leno Bowing Out in May

NBC officials still negotiating to keep star with network

(Newser) - Jay Leno's last appearance as host of the Tonight Show will be the final Friday in May, reports Broadcasting & Cable. Conan O'Brien will take over the following Monday. In the several months between O'Brien's leaving Late Night and his Tonight Show debut, NBC plans a huge promotional campaign to...