It was a homespun farewell for Jay Leno’s last show at Tonight. Celebrities were largely absent and the self-effacing comedian said he wanted to be remembered for the children born to his staffers during his 17-year tenure as the show’s second-longest-running host.
He even posed with all 68 of them, from babies to teenagers.
“That’s what I’d like my legacy to be,” Leno said, his voice thickened by emotion. “When these kids grow up and they go, ‘Hey, mom and dad, where did you guys meet?’, they’re going to say they met on the stage of The Tonight Show.” The show also included jabs at favorite targets, including politicians and his own network. He noted proudly that he took over the top-rated late-night show from Johnny Carson and was passing it on with the same No. 1 ranking to Conan O’Brien, who begins as host today.
“Which means I get my security deposit back,” quipped Leno.
Leno received a chilly reception when he beat out Carson favorite David Letterman for the Tonight job in 1992.
Carson, who was host for a record 30 years, taught him that no matter what happens in the world the host has to have a nightly monologue, “because that’s your job,” Leno said.
Giving O’Brien a pre-debut boost, Leno welcomed him as his final guest.
“You were the perfect choice. You’ve been an absolute gentlemen in private and in the press,” Leno told O’Brien, lauding him for his “sharp” material.
“Conan rocks,” a studio audience member shouted. “I agree, Conan rocks,” Leno replied.
A clip was shown from 1993, when the 30-year-old O’Brien, a TV newcomer, appeared on Tonight hours after being signed to host Late Night. Leno, his hair dark then and gray now, was ushered on stage Friday with a Jimi Hendrix-flavored version of The Star-Spangled Banner by bandleader Kevin Eubanks.
“Welcome to the exciting season finale of The Tonight Show,” said Leno, greeted by a standing ovation. “I want to thank all the people who made it possible: Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton.” After noting that former US presidents Clinton and George W. Bush were participating in a joint speaking engagement in Canada, Leno remarked wistfully: “I wish I had one more day.”
Leno also fit in a last shot at O.J. Simpson, another monologue favorite. In cleaning out his office, the comedian said, “I found O.J.’s knife. I had it the whole time.”
After keeping his private life out of the spotlight for years, David Hyde Pierce has announced his marriage to longtime partner Brian Hargrove.
The former Frasier star spoke candidly in an appearance on ABC’s The View. Wearing a wedding band, Hyde Pierce revealed they tied the knot “very quietly” in California on Oct. 24.
The actor and Hargrove, a producer, are still legally wed despite the California Supreme Court’s decision last week to uphold Proposition 8. The gay-marriage ban was approved by voters in November, stopping legal nuptials going forward.
Angered by the ruling, Hyde Pierce said Thursday: “It’s like, ‘Oh great, we made the cut.’” He called it a “very odd thing” that strangers have a vote on his private decision to marry.
A former TMZ photographer is suing Britney Spears over an incident in which his foot was run over. Ricardo Mendoza filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Friday against the singer. The lawsuit claims that Spears negligently operated her car and committed assault and battery when she ran over his foot in Beverly Hills in October 2007. Several media outlets picked up footage of the incident, including celebrity gossip Web site TMZ, where Mendoza worked at the time.
TMZ, which first reported the lawsuit, auctioned off his tire-stained sock and donated the proceeds to charity.
The incident happened during a turbulent period for Spears, who hours earlier had lost custody of her two sons. She has since regained visitation rights.
Rapper Tone Loc, who performed the 1980s hits Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina, was released from the hospital Friday after collapsing during an outdoor concert in Florida, officials said.
A spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department said it appeared Tone Loc collapsed and had a seizure because of overheating.
Tone Loc, who was born Anthony Terrell Smith, collapsed early Friday morning at the Capt’n Fun Beach Club. The Pensacola News Journal reported he was taken away in an ambulance.
The rapper’s manager, Bobby Bessone with B.A.M. Management/Entertainment Artists Agency, said flight delays and heat contributed to the collapse. He said the rapper is recovering.
The number of scandals and setbacks hitting the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in such quick and daily succession in the last few weeks is unprecedented, at least in the countries whose politics I am familiar with. The local media is covering this train wreck on an almost hourly basis, which in the latest news saw party chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) detained by prosecutors on Friday and released without bail yesterday. The number of links collected to produce these detailed columns may reach 400 by the time this hits the streets. To get up to speed, two columns have been written: “Donovan’s
President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision for Taiwan to become an “AI island” has three conditions: constructing advanced data centers, ensuring a stable and green energy supply, and cultivating AI talent. However, the energy issue supply is the greatest challenge. To clarify, let’s reframe the problem in terms of the Olympics. Given Taiwan’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) roles in the technology sector, Taiwan is not an athlete in the AI Olympics, or even a trainer, but rather a training ground for global AI athletes (AI companies). In other words, Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem provides world-class training facilities and equipment that have already attracted
Nothing like the spectacular, dramatic unraveling of a political party in Taiwan has unfolded before as has hit the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) over recent weeks. The meltdown of the New Power Party (NPP) and the self-implosion of the New Party (NP) were nothing compared to the drama playing out now involving the TPP. This ongoing saga is so interesting, this is the fifth straight column on the subject. To catch up on this train wreck of a story up to Aug. 20, search for “Donovan’s Deep Dives Ko Wen-je” in a search engine. ANN KAO SENTENCED TO PRISON YET AGAIN,
Despite her well-paying tech job, Li Daijing didn’t hesitate when her cousin asked for help running a restaurant in Mexico City. She packed up and left China for the Mexican capital last year, with dreams of a new adventure. The 30-year-old woman from Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, hopes one day to start an online business importing furniture from her home country. “I want more,” Li said. “I want to be a strong woman. I want independence.” Li is among a new wave of Chinese migrants who are leaving their country in search of opportunities, more freedom or better financial prospects at a