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Late-night wars heat up in countdown to "Leno"
Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:46am EDT
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By Matthew Belloni and Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Who will Jennifer do?
It's a question that might have big implications for the late-night TV landscape. With the debut of NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" a month away, the late-night wars are coming to a fresh boil. Jennifer Aniston is one of the first A-list stars to have a movie opening after the September 14 bow of "Leno," and her choice of couch to promote the romantic comedy "Love Happens" might foretell a shift in the ultra-competitive world of talk-show booking.
Or at least "Leno" producers hope so. During the past two weeks, they quietly have hosted teams from the town's top public relations firms for a tour of the new studio and a presentation touting promotional opportunities for their clients. The 10 p.m. show technically won't compete with traditional late-night offerings and will feature a slightly different format, but it is being treated as such a show for the purpose of booking top guests.
"The message was made clear: 'We'd like you to do our show first,'" says a top PR rep who attended a "Leno" pitch session but did not want to be named because she books clients on all the shows.
PLAYING-FIELD CHANGES
For years, the late-night booking hierarchy was relatively settled. NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" battled for A-list guests for their 11:30 shows. ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had success with talent catering to a younger, male-skewing audience, and 12:30 hosts Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson were more flexible with invitations.
Now, with O'Brien inheriting "Tonight" and Jimmy Fallon installed at "Late Night," the addition of "Leno" has opened a new front in the booking wars.
"I've never seen it like this," says a late-night insider of the jockeying to secure guests. "Now people are being much more strategic, and they are planning it out far more in advance."
NBC is in a particularly interesting position, competing not only with CBS and ABC -- and, to a lesser extent, with cable outlets like Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" -- but also between its own O'Brien and Leno shows.
Although the personal relationship between the current and former "Tonight" hosts is said to be friendly, Leno acknowledged the competition last week at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour.
"Will we fight like cats and dogs to get the guest? Yes," Leno said. "But that doesn't mean you don't like each other. It's a game."
A game with high stakes: Viewers often tune in to talk shows based on the tease announcing guests. One great guest, Hugh Grant in 1995, turned around Leno's fortunes at "Tonight" and propelled him to the late-night ratings lead.
'LENO' THE WILD CARD
With O'Brien and Leno attempting to establish themselves in new roles, scoring top talent is considered crucial. That's why the producing teams on both "Leno" and "Tonight" are acting aggressively.
NBC declined interview requests, but insiders downplay a potential booking rivalry, pointing to the longtime close relationship between "Tonight" executive producer Jeff Ross and "Leno" executive producer Debbie Vickers. The two coordinated guest bookings for years when their hosts were on "Late Night" and "Tonight," respectively. Continued...
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