Jay Leno's First Night in Prime Time
Jay Leno vs. Kanye West-who was the bigger draw on the NBC premiere?
Jay Leno walked out on his brand new stage at 9.p.m. on Monday, September 14, 2009, and did what he does best. His opening monologue was full of the same old schtick: a Bush joke, a Cheney joke, a dated Joe Biden/Nancy Pelosi joke and a reference to an Obama-held root beer summit between Kanye West and Taylor Swift (hey, that was new!). The format was familiar: A-List stars, a monologue, a musical act, and the Monday “Headlines” segment carried over from The Tonight Show.
NBC is hoping the gamble of having Jay Leno on five nights a week pays off. The network wanted the show to emphasize comedy and they attempted with a reality show parody, a car wash musical and a faked President Obama interview in which the President predicted Jay’s show would crash and burn. But the night won’t be known for its comedy, it will be known for Kanye.
Kanye West's Apology
For all the fanfare and weeks of advertising what people will be talking about around the watercoolers today is not Jay Leno but Kanye West. A little bit of serendipity had Kanye scheduled on the same day he became the most talked about person in the country. A contrite Kanye used the opportunity to apologize for “stepping on the emotions” of Taylor Swift Sunday night at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Jay Leno, for his part, pulled out the “Dead Mom” card and asked Kanye what he thought his mother would think about his actions. It was as tough a question as Jay has ever asked in all his years as a host and Kanye was brought to nearly tears. An awkward moment to be sure and so Jay reached over and patted Kanye on the knee and asked him “Are you ready to sing?” And he got up and did his thing with Jay-Z and Rihanna.
Jerry Seinfeld the first guest
Jerry Seinfeld was the first interview and questioned whether the staff couldn’t come up with a better opening guest since he hadn’t been on TV for over a decade. After he and Jay settled into the new comfy lounge chairs, Seinfeld said what we were all thinking, “I'm just trying to grasp what's going on here," Seinfeld said. "In the '90s, when we quit a show, we actually left."
Will Jay Leno succeed?
No one knows if Jay Leno can pull in the viewers five nights a week on prime time. Jay presents his safe, middle-of-the-road mode of comedy but people like it and people like him. But does he have what it takes to pull in viewers night after night? Time will tell.
However, this first night won’t be known as much for Jay as it will for Kanye and you can bet NBC is spinning its wheels. The Jay Leno Show that they promised would bring more comedy and skits may now become known as the celebrity and music show…and The Tonight Show Part Two.
Jay Leno begins his new career.
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