So, the pressure is really on for Jay Leno, right? His new 10 p.m. talk show debuts in a little over a month, and if it goes down the drain it could take NBC's fading hopes of a prime-time revival along with it. The poor guy must be sweating.
Well, um, not so much.
"The network's on its own," Leno told reporters Wednesday evening at the TV press tour in Pasadena, using a tone that seemed no more than half in jest. "Screw them! I'm not here to save them."
If network executives' tense confrontation with journalists earlier in the day was any indication, Leno's bosses do not seem to share his devil-may-care view of "The Jay Leno Show," which premieres Sept. 14. But for the host himself -- who handed over the reins of "The Tonight Show" to Conan O'Brien this spring -- prepping for the new gig has proved restorative. He's been running four miles a day and says he's lost at least 10 pounds since leaving "Tonight" in May.
Leno revealed details about the new show. There will be only one guest, perhaps two, per night, and he will generally not use a desk. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams -- a closet comedian who won plaudits as a "Saturday Night Live" host -- will frequently pop up, and a team of correspondents, including comics D.L. Hughley and Mikey Day, will provide remote pieces.
One idea for a recurring comedy bit includes a "green-car challenge," in which celebrities would race electric or hybrid cars. Tom Cruise has already asked whether he could do some practice runs before competing, Leno said. (The host told him practice runs are forbidden.)
NBC is also encouraging affiliates not to run any commercials between the end of Leno's show and the late local news, in hopes of providing as many viewers as possible for O'Brien's "Tonight" at 11:35 p.m.
"I want to keep the show fast-paced; I think that's key," Leno said.
In the morning, just 10 days into the latest NBC programming administration, Angela Bromstad, president of prime-time entertainment, and her colleague Paul Telegdy, who is in charge of unscripted programming, took center stage to face the roomful of reporters and critics. And there were more questions than answers.
At one point, Telegdy had difficulty articulating what NBC's brand is, even though a few minutes earlier Bromstad said that one of NBC's problems was that it had strayed too far from its legendary brand.
What is the NBC brand?
