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The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Biography
Mondays - Fridays on NBC (11:35 p.m. -12:37 a.m.) Jay Leno, the fourth host (behind Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson) of the Emmy-winning and top-rated The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is oft described as one of the nicest and hardest working people in show business. Born in New Rochelle, NY, and raised in Andover, MA, Leno loved making people laugh. One of his teachers suggested that if he spent as much time studying as he did cracking jokes, he might make something of himself. Unthwarted, Leno continued to pursue comedy and became one of the country's premiere comedians, appearing in thousands of shows and hundreds of clubs across the U.S. and around the world over the last 20+ years. In 1995, he traveled to Aviano, Italy to perform for the peace-keeping troops in Bosnia. To this day Leno remains passionate about performing to live audiences and appears regularly in Las Vegas, the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club, and in other venues. Leno first appeared on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson on March 2, 1977. Scheduled to appear that night were Burt Reynolds and Diana Ross. With his cadre of comedian friends (among them Robin Williams) wishing him well, Leno had a great first appearance. Starting in September 1987, Leno became Carson's permanent guest host, establishing himself as a comfortable yet refreshing alternative. In May 25, 1992, Leno took over as host of The Tonight Show, eventually moving it from Studio 1 to Studio 3 and creating an Emmy and ratings winning late night talkshow. The official The Tonight Show web site describes Leno's "'everyman' style and personality" as helping him win over millions of fans around the world with his "personable style and hard-working attitude." In May 1994, Leno took The Tonight Show, to New York, taping it on the set of Saturday Night Live. The New York show's night club feel appealed to Leno and led to a boost in his ratings. Following this trip, Leno returned to Burbank, moved from Carson's expansive Studio 1 to a smaller Studio 3, and built a set in September 1994 that better allowed for more audience interaction. Leno fronts NBC's late night franchise, taping roughly 235 shows a year — a number far greater than either Letterman, O'Brien, or Maher. Leno's Tonight Show was also the first network program broadcast in HDTV. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Biography
Mondays - Fridays on NBC (12:37-1:37 a.m.) Jimmy Fallon is the newest host of NBC's Late Night program, following in the steps of David Letterman and Conan O'Brien. Although he's starred in several movies, including Almost Famous, Anything Else, Taxi, Fever Pitch, The Year of Getting to Know Us, and Whip It, Jimmy Fallon is probably best known for his 6 years on NBC's Saturday Night Live. It was there, starting in 1998, that he fashioned a name for himself by making impressions of others (Justin Timberlake, Jerry Seinfeld, and Enrique Iglesias, for example) and for co-anchoring, with Tina Fey, SNL's popular Weekend Update. Other notable television appearances include his hosting or co-hosting the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001, 2002, and 2005. He's also guest hosted for David Letterman in 1993. Late Show with David Letterman Biography Mondays - Fridays on CBS (11:35 p.m.-12:37 a.m.) Since the 1980's David Letterman has entertained millions of late night viewers, and critics have consistently praised his inventive and innovative comedic talents. For his continued contributions, TV Guide named him one of the "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time." Born April 12, 1947 in Indianapolis, Letterman's first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was November 24, 1978. In total, Letterman had 22 guest appearances and also guest hosted The Tonight Show numerous times. In February 1982, less than 4 years after his first appearance on Carson's Tonight Show, NBC premiered Late Night with David Letterman. During its 11-1/2 year run, the show picked up 35 Emmy nods and won 5 Emmy's. In 1992, Letterman received a Peabody award for injecting "freshness and imagination" into "one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms." NBC had hoped to keep Letterman on its roster, but with Johhny Carson vacating his Tonight Show seat, and Leno succeeding him, Letterman felt shafted, unwanted, and unappreciated. He felt he deserved the 11:30 pm spot — a spot he had waited 11-1/2 years to attain. CBS, having also struggled to find a show to begin its on late night franchise, saw a chance to steal away a talented and proven late night star. Sure enough, in 1993 Late Show with David Letterman premiered on CBS. That same year, it garnered 7 nominations (the highest nominations ever given to any late night program in its premiere year). Today, The Late Show with David Letterman is a solid number 2 against NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. |
| Images courtesy of NBC Universal. |
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