|
Show
Guide: The Tonight Show
Synopsis:
America’s late-night leader, NBC’s "The Tonight Show With Jay
Leno," continues its proud half-century tradition of entertaining
viewers with late night laughs. In May, Leno celebrated his eighth
anniversary as host, having led "The Tonight Show" to the top position
among all late-night talk programs for the last five of those eight
years.
"The Tonight Show’s" history dates back to the 1950s when its first
permanent host was Steve Allen. He was followed by Jack Paar, then
Johnny Carson then Jay Leno.
"The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" features a nightly monologue and
news-making guests, as well as ongoing comedy segments including
"Headlines," "Virtual Jay" (a sketch that places an animated, computer-generated
figure of Leno into the virtual Internet world), remote spots, "Jaywalking"
and the new "Battle of Jaywalking All-Stars." The result is a unique
look at today’s pop culture.
Honored with Emmy Awards in 1995 and 1996, "The Tonight Show" was
also voted, by readers of TV
Guide, Favorite Late Night Show in 1999 and 2000. Other notable
achievements include Leno’s
exclusive interview with Senator John Glenn and the astronauts of
the Space Shuttle Discovery, and a
pay-per-view wrestling match between Leno and Hulk Hogan.
In
addition, the program continued to make history in April 1999 when
it became the first television series to be broadcast nightly in
HDTV (high-definition television).
The program has also proven to be a barometer of political clout.
The Los Angeles Times noted earlier
this election year that "The road to the White House apparently
leads through Burbank," as each
presidential candidate -- Al Gore, George W. Bush, Bill Bradley
and John McCain – appeared on the
show to demonstrate their relaxed, good-humored side.
Many of the world’s most popular celebrities, musical guests and
newsworthy names have recently appeared on "The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno" including: Ricky Martin, Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Kevin
Spacey, Sharon Stone, supermodel Heidi Klum, Harrison Ford, Ben
Affleck, Sandra Bullock, Roberto Benigni, Gwyneth Paltrow, Shaquille
O’Neal, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, The Backstreet Boys, Garth
Brooks, Sheryl Crowe, Enrique Iglesias, Mel Gibson, ‘N Sync, Britney
Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Hanks, Pamela Anderson
Lee, Foo Fighters, Dennis Rodman, Sean Connery and John Travolta.
In
addition to the star-power, the "Tonight Show" production team searches
for interesting "civilian" guests such as kid inventors and individuals
with quirky talents and funny stories.
Guitarist Kevin Eubanks joins Leno each night as the show’s bandleader.
(Courtesy NBC, Fall 2000)
Credits:
Host: Jay Leno
Music director: Kevin Eubanks
Announcer: Edd Hall
Executive producer: Debbie Vickers
Supervising producers: Patti M. Grant, Larry Goitia
Associate producer: Walter Lewis
Director: Ellen Brown
Writing supervised by: Jay Leno and Joe Medeiros
Writers: Jimmy Brogan, Anthony Caleca, Bert "Chili" Challis, Jack
Coen, Mike Colasuonno, Brad Dickson, Dave Hanson, Larry Jacobson,
Michael Jann, Wayne Kline, Jon Macks, Joe Medeiros, Michael Riedel,
John Romeo, Peter Sears, Marvin Silbermintz and Jeffrey Spear
Senior segment producer: Stephanie Ross
Segment producers: Michael Alexander, Jolie Ancel, Dave Berg, Tracie
Fiss, and Steve Ridgeway
Production designer: Dennis Roof
Executive producer, NBC Studios: Gary Considine
Produced by: Big Dog Productions in association with NBC Studios
The
Episodes:
Mondays-Fridays on NBC (11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. ET)
Trivia:
Jay Leno's first night as host of "The Tonight Show" was
May 25th, 1992.
Quotes:
|
The Archives
Related Links