Jay Leno is back on NBC, only this time he’s in prime time with The Jay Leno Show. On his very first show, Jay kicks off in typical Leno fashion with ten minutes of political and business comedy. One of the funniest jokes of the opening segment was when Jay mentioned that over the summer he went on a reality show and humiliated himself. The Cheaters logo flashes across the screen, and Jay is in the Cheaters van with the host. They wind up in the park where they find Kevin Eubanks with a man who looks exactly like Jay. The imposter-Jay is telling jokes when they approach and Jay accuses Kevin of seeing another host behind his back.
After the break, Jay brings on comedian and singer Dan Finnerty, who goes into a sketch at the car wash. He and his backup singers offer car wash entertainment while you wait for your car. He serenades a rather uneasy woman about the car wash, while his suit-wearing backup singers dance around with hoses. The three of them spin into a choreographed routine that had me in stitches.
The very first guest of Jay’s new show is Jerry Seinfeld, who’s comedy series, Seinfeld was recently named number one comedy series of all time. Jerry jokes with Jay about how he doesn’t understand what’s going on now with NBC. Why would they get rid of The Tonight Show, but bring it back in three months at a different time under a different name. In the 90s when they quit a show, they actually left the show, but not Jay Leno, he takes a three day weekend and then he’s back on the air.
Jerry asks Jay if he was his first choice as a guest, and Jay admits that he tried to get Oprah. Jerry says he could get Oprah, and a TV screen comes down. Oprah appears. They talk about her summer, what she has planned for her fall schedule for her show. Jerry says he has to go, that he’s on the Jay Leno show, and she says, “Really? When is that on?”
Jerry talks about the recent law suit against his wife and her cook book and his comedic approach to marriage before he and Jay say goodbye.
Jay returns after the break with his promised interview with President Obama, which is a sketch he put together. He asks very silly questions, then cuts answers out of the president’s recent interview with a news show host. Jay’s off-the-chart questions include how much weed Californians should buy to help get the economy back on track, and what the president is doing to spice up his love life with the first lady.
One of the highlights of the show takes place before Jay-Z, Rhianna and Kanye West perform their musical number. Kanye comes out to apologize for his behavior on the VMAs. During an emotional admission, West tells viewers that he needs to re-evaluate his life because he has always only wanted to help people, and now he’s publicly humiliated and hurt another artist instead of supporting her. After his apology, the trio kick into the musical segment of the show.
Winding down, Jay brings out the popular “Headlines” segment and goes through a series of hilarious newspaper headlines, including: “Pollution threatens to kill the Dead Sea…” He brings out a school lunch menu that has Alpo listed on the menu. A police report outlines a caller complained that “a woman was wearing a thong bikini and didn’t have the body to go with it.” Even though women have known it for years, “Doctors use groin to fix brain,” and another paper features “Q & A with local attorney Dick Talkin.” He finishes it off with two funny Chinese Restaurant names: Hung Far Low and The House of Poon and says goodnight.
Will this new “Tonight Show” rehash last? It’s hard to say. Leno had a successful run on NBC’s Tonight Show for seventeen years. He has an established audience, many of whom will more than likely be excited that they can laugh with Leno an hour and a half earlier each night!
Comments
No comments.