TVSquad

Yesterday, Leno mocked "Cash for Clunkers" by mocking up a "Cash for Flunkers" video. Tonight he tapped the same well with a "Cash for Chunkers" joke. I guess that's common in the late night arena, but I've never been a fan of using the same exact set-up on different nights to get a different joke. Unless you acknowledge how weak it is when you do it.

Tonight's correspondent was The Hangover's Rachael Harris, who came on to show us the lost art of bartering in this tough economic times. Like most of the other correspondent segments, it had some funny moments, but it just seemed to go on forever.

It's not Jay's fault, but Drew Barrymore was in full babbling mode tonight. Or maybe he should have tried to reign her in a bit? I'm not sure. Maybe Barrymore fans love it when she does that. I like her, but her stories were only funny to her because it was funny in her life. The other day, my wife was coming down the stairs and I warned her not to fall, and she said there were no paramedics so she should be okay.

If you were in our lives, that was pretty damned funny. But you're not, so it's just bizarre. Now have me talk about it for two-and-a-half minutes and you'll get the sheer pleasure of Barrymore's walk down memory lane, complete with pictures.

"10@10" came back, this time featuring Mel Gibson. It's a little odd saying this, but Mel Gibson was even crazier than Tom Cruise back on Oprah Winfrey in the day. He was staring around with crazy eyes and making terrible jokes. So ... Miley Cyrus was the best at this? I don't think this segment is working. But I do think Mel's brain may have been missing.

Was Gibson reading from a script?

At least tonight's episode seemed to go by faster than some of the others, which is a good sign of progress. Either I'm getting used to the new format, or the bits are a little better so it doesn't feel like such a chore to muddle through. He's still wrapping the night with what he thinks are the best bits from The Tonight Show. Today was "Jaywalking."

Instead of seeing how stupid people are, he went around with a camera crew and put regular people in TV parodies. An early highlight was the surprise appearance of Gordon Ramsay in a Hell's Kitchen knockoff to yell at a poor woman while she tried to cook a pizza. The Lost bit was so short it almost didn't exist, while the Mad Men parody went on far too long.

But it all came together with the CSI: Miami parody. Jay as Horatio Caine was pretty funny, because he made fun of exactly what makes CSI: Miami so horribly hilarious: Caines' terrible puns upon finding a dead body, followed by the rock-n-roll wail. Huh, moments of true comedy on The Jay Leno Show. What a concept!