Round Two!

Jay Leno told Oprah Winfrey on Thursday that he felt “sucker-punched” by Jimmy Kimmel – and hours later, the ABC comedian came out swinging again.

“[Leno] went on Oprah and rats me out,” Kimmel said during his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue Thursday night. “That’s a sucker-punch right there. You don’t go to Oprah and say that. He’s a tattle-tale.”

Kimmel added: “Oprah and I had a wonderful relationship, and now it’s ruined because of Jay.” (Click here to see Kimmel’s monologue.)

Kimmel, of course, was kidding. But in his sharp five-minute monologue, the comedian defended his recent appearance on The Jay Leno Show in which he let loose about shakeups at NBC that ultimately led to Leno reclaiming his post as the host of The Tonight Show and ousting Conan O’Brien in the process.

Explaining that Leno’s producers called him in advance to discuss the questions for the “10@10″ segment, Kimmel says that he expected to be commenting on the late-night controversy, since it was newsy – and funny to him. Instead, Leno wanted to chat about other things like, Kimmel said, “What’s your junk food weakness?”

“I figured I’d start in, he’d get into it and we’d mix it up,” Kimmel said. “You know, at one time [Leno] was a comedian. But he didn’t do that. He stood there and he just kind of read through the questions like a robot.”

For his part, Leno told Winfrey that he was taken aback by Kimmel’s remarks but ultimately decided not to edit them out of his show. “I said, ‘No. Put it out there. I walked into it,’ ” Leno told her, explaining that when you get hit, “You get right up again. You don’t whine and complain.”

But at the end of his monologue Thursday night, Kimmel had the last laugh – for now. “Watch out Oprah,” he said, “don’t think he won’t take your show next.”

Source, Fame Pictures

Sharing his feelings publicly for the first time about the behind-the-scenes machinations that eventually led to this month’s NBC late-night debacle, Jay Leno admitted on Thursday that being asked six years ago to step aside so Conan O’Brien could take over the Tonight Show came as a crushing blow.

“It broke my heart, it really did,” the TV host, 59, said in an interview airing on Thursday’s The Oprah Winfrey Show. “I was devastated.”

Leno said that NBC executives told him in 2004 that they didn’t want to lose O’Brien and were going to ask him take over Leno’s spot as host in 2009. “That was pretty shocking,” Leno said. “I most certainly did,” feel disrespected.

Saying that the Tonight gig was a job “every comic aspires to,” Leno told Winfrey he didn’t think the move made much sense, as the show was still No. 1 in late night.

Leno asked the brass to wait at least until he dropped in the ratings and then “that would be the reason” for the switch, but O’Brien’s contract was due to expire and the powers-that-be didn’t want him leaving the network.

To explain the shakeup, Leno said, “I told a little white lie on the air,” saying he was going to retire. “It made it easier that way.”

Had Plans to Jump
Leno did plan to leave the network, he said, even asking to be let out of his contract so he could take his show elsewhere, but NBC declined and, in fall 2008, came up with the idea for The Jay Leno Show, in prime time. “I said, okay, let’s try it.” Not only did he love the job, he said, but it would be a way to keep his 175 show staffers employed.

But the new show wasn’t doing well, dropping 14 points in the ratings. “The show failed because it was basically doing a late-night talk show at 10 o’clock,” said. “I was given enough time,” he said, but, “I got fired this time because my show did not perform.”

Under O’Brien, however, The Tonight Show was doing much worse, falling 49 percent since the former Late Night host took over, Leno said. It was the ratings, Leno said, not a selfish move on his part, which prompted NBC to ask Leno to come back to his show on late-night TV. At the same time, they wanted to move O’Brien’s show to midnight, a move Conan rejected and which touched off a firestorm of bad press against Leno.

‘Sucker-Punched’ by Kimmel
In another candid admission, Leno said he was taken aback when Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to slam him during a Leno show appearance a few weeks ago. “I got sucker-punched,” he said. Leno said he could have edited the interview, “but I said, ‘No. Put it out there. I walked into it.’” He said when you get hit, “You get right up again. You don’t whine and complain.”

As for David Letterman, another late-night host who jumped into the fray with shots at Jay, Leno said it was only fair to punch back, as he did with a joke about Letterman’s blackmail scandal. Though Winfrey (who has had her own testy moments with Letterman) said she thought it was beneath him, Leno responded that “I did one joke. I had a cheap shot thrown at me and I threw one cheap shot back.”

Leno also said he was surprised at all the attention the late-night war has generated and blasted NBC for the way in which they handled the negotiations, but doesn’t blame himself for O’Brien losing his job. “It all comes down to numbers in show business,” he said. “If the numbers had been there, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Rebuilding Image
Leno, who said the jabs he and O’Brien took at each other during the fallout was to be expected from two comedians, called O’Brien’s finale a “great show.” He said he doesn’t feel any animosity, but, acknowledging that he has been portrayed as the bad guy, said when he returns to Tonight on March 1, “I’m going to work hard to rehabilitate that image.”

He said, “a lot of damage control” must take place, but he plans to “do good shows and not be bitter.” He also hopes O’Brien does well elsewhere. “I hope Conan gets a job somewhere else and we all compete together. And the best man wins.”

Source, Fame Pictures

Conan O’Brien may have celebrated his final episode of the Tonight Show last week followed by an Irish after party; however, it looks like the red-headed comedian’s working relationship with NBC is not over. The network has reportedly picked up a pilot from Conan’s production company, Conaco.

The pilot for Justice was written by John Eisendrath, according to The Hollywood Reporter, follows an ex-Supreme Court justice who quits the to start his own legal practice.

Conaco’s David Kissinger is expected to serve as one of the producers.

Leaving the door open for Jay Leno, Conan took a final bow on the Tonight Show on Friday night and made sure to go out laughing like always.

The funny man, who replaced Jay at 11:35 p.m. and was then taken off the air to make room for the car-collecting host to return, said a sad goodbye to his audience by cracking jokes about the network and what they would do with his big, brand new studio once he’s gone.

Conan settled on a $45 million exit deal with NBC, so it would be ironic if his production company produced a hit series for the network.

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Rosie O’Donnell is definitely not on Team Leno — and she has elaborate comparisons to explain why.

At Tuesday’s Manhattan screening of A Family is a Family is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration, O’Donnell tore into Jay Leno, whose low-rated prime time show is poised to take over Conan O’Brien’s 11:35 a.m. time slot (thus leading to O’Brien’s departure).

“It was a really crappy move on Leno’s part,” O’Donnell told UsMagazine.com. “It was kind of career defining.”

O’Donnell, once a talk-show host herself, continued, “he tried to ‘Nancy Kerrigan.’ He tried to take a bat,” she said, referring to infamous 1994 incident in which Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan was bashed in the knees with a lead pipe in an attack orchestrated by her rival Tonya Harding and Harding’s husband, Jeff Gillooly. “At least Jeff Gillooly took a pipe and [admitted] he did it.”

“He didn’t do it and go (imitating Jay Leno’s voice) ‘I don’t know who hit her.’ Gee, it was you, you’re the one who hit her right in the knee, you know?”

O’Donnell contends that Leno should claim responsibility for pushing O’Brien from his new Tonight Show post. “I think in the old days of show biz you can claim ignorance,” she says. “But today with the internet, no way. There”s no way people are going to buy the crap anymore.”

“Conan moved his family across the country and his entire staff to get a shot at what he worked 17 years for only to get it taken away by the bully on the playground who doesn’t want to let go.”

Added the comic: “I’m glad that I’m not on late night. They throw everyone to the wolves, including their own.”

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Despite earlier online reports that Jay Leno was leaving NBC due to the reshuffling of late night TV, Gossip Cop clears the air dismissing the rumors that Jay plans to leave the network.

An story posted this morning on Popeater.com claimed the TV host, who recently lost his 10pm time slot, is angry over the tension NBC created between him and Conan O’Brien, and upset he has been made out to be the bad guy.

However, a source close to Jay told Gossip Cop he’s not leaving NBC.

“He has a contract with NBC,” and is going to honor it.

Jay’s contract specifically guarantees his 10:00 p.m. time period, so NBC has to negotiate a new deal with him before he moves back to 11:35 p.m. time slot.

However, TMZ reported earlier today that Conan’s contract never specified a solid time slot for his program.

Since Conan’s contract did not define a guaranteed time period, NBC has the right to air The Tonight Show at any hour they choose.

In the contract, NBC did guarantee that Conan would host The Tonight Show, and the network is willing to hold true to its promise.

Conan’s main argument is that the The Tonight Show is an institution and airing it a different time than its 11:35 time slot, which was started by the great Johnny Carson — would do a disservice to the established program. He released a statement yesterday addressing the importance and meaning his program holds for him.

Source, Fame Pictures

Sources close to former ‘Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno tell me he is furious with the way NBC has treated him and Conan O’Brien and is considering walking away from the entire mess with his head held high. “Now that Conan has made it clear he is leaving the troubled network, Jay is considering doing the same. They have put Jay in a terrible position. It looks like he is the reason that Conan is now without a job. Jay is a great guy and it’s not fair that due to NBC’s stupidity he looks like the bad guy,” a TV insider tells me.

“Plus, what happens when Jay does return to the 11:35 slot if his audience doesn’t immediately follow? How can he possibly trust the same network that canceled Conan after only seven months?”

Pop Eater

NBC – you SUCK. This is just a crappy move, if you ask me. NBC is giving Jay Leno his 11:30 time slot back, since he failed so miserably in the 10:00 slot. They’ve told Conan “take it or leave it” basically. See below, from TMZ:

NBC has given Conan O’Brien the option to either do his show from midnight to 1 or leave the network, sources tell TMZ.

As TMZ first reported, after the Olympics, Jay Leno will get his 11:30 PM time period back. We’re told network execs have told Conan they will let him decide if he wants the midnight to 1:00 AM time slot. If he does, Leno’s show will only be a half hour. If Conan walks, Leno will get a full hour, informed sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say Conan has not decided what he wants. We do know he’s pissed, because he was given no advanced warning this was coming. Conan’s people told NBC they are considering the offer. Translation: Mr. O’Brien — I have Rupert Murdoch on line one, Stephen McPherson on line two, John Landgraf on line three, Jeff Wachtel on line four …

We’re told if Conan gets another offer, even though NBC could block the move, they will let him go and give Leno the full hour.