There's a lot of speculation in the biz about what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.
There are pros and cons on either side. The companies that syndicated her talk show stand to lose a significant asset if she wraps up the current incarnation and abandons the market. Think of all those afternoon hours around that country that count on Oprah at three or four o'clock, or the morning slots where Oprah leads in to noon newscasts. Companies like CBS Distribution and the Tribune Company have feasted on the robust ratings Oprah has consistently delivered.
Well, the big interview happens this Monday: Oprah interviews former Alaska Governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin. The interview actually took place several days ago so some clips are starting to be released. Here's a first look, where Oprah asks Palin about Levi Johnston.
Update: we love to see comments on our site, but if they go off topic or get into political arguments, they will be deleted. If you want to comment specifically about Palin's appearance on Oprah, that's fine. Other comments will be deleted. Thanks.
The most interesting part of the interview, shown below, is that after all the verbal abuse she took -- including being called the C-word and "whore" -- an innocuous Jay Leno joke about her looks was her "breaking point." The joke can be seen in the story: Jay compares Hundley to Phillips' wife and says "What was he thinking?" He then says, "I realize you can't have steak every day, but please..."
So, there you have it. Jay Leno broke the spirit of someone with his "biting" humor. Heck, I figured his lame jokes would have broken everyone's spirit years ago, but I guess some people can still get hurt by his butter knife jabs.
Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean, has a new book out, and she was on Larry King Live last night to promote it. Larry asked her about the lawsuit she filed against the pageant, but she didn't want to talk about that and even told Larry he was being "inappropriate." She then talks to someone off-camera and it looks like she's about to walk off the set but then changes her mind (or her handlers changed it for her). She came back after the commercial and said she didn't want questions from viewers.
In her defense, the settlement was private, and that probably includes the reason why it was settled, not just the amount. But she just looks goofy taking off her mic and telling Larry that she can't hear him (even though she can clearly hear him because she answers him). The moral: either answer the questions or just leave the show.
Apparently there was a big video game released yesterday. Galaga or something? Last night Jimmy Fallon disclosed that he filmed scenes for the game but the character was ultimately rejected. Luckily there's still footage of the scenes.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to see Betty Draper play Beer Pong, you got to see it last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Then January Jones helped Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu demonstrate the best way to tackle someone.
If you were one of the dozens of people who were watching The Jay Leno show on Monday, you might have been wondering why the "Headlines" segment came right after Jay's monologue instead of right before the local news. Were you stumbling upon a rerun of the old Tonight Show that was airing by mistake? Nope. It seems that, because of the low-and-sinking ratings Leno has been getting at ten, the producers have decided to "shake up" the format ... to make it look like the old Tonight Show.
Of course, changing a pretty moribund format back to a format that's even older isn't exactly a radical shift. But the producers are likely betting that returning to the successful Tonight formula is the way to go.
Here's the problem: people don't have the same ingrained expectations of a 10 PM talk show that they have of an 11:30 show. Instead of tuning into Leno as a reliable way to get them to sleep late at night, they're now tuning to him because nothing's on and their DVRs are empty. There are no expectations on their part.
Last night was the 100th episode of The Tonight Show since Conan O'Brien took over (time flies, etc). His dad sent him a very special video message from his home in Massachusetts, and it's actually weird and funny.
[Watch clips and episodes of The Tonight Show and other shows at SlashControl.]
I mentioned the other day the regular segments that Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has, from "Slow-Jamming The News" to "Real Housewives of Late Night." But this is my favorite regular bit he does, Thank You Notes, where he catches up on thank you notes that he's been meaning to write. It's clever (though it still reminds me of something Craig Kilborn used to do).
[Watch clips and episodes of Late Night and other shows at SlashControl.]
There's a lot of speculation in the biz about what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.
At 7:30, Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
If you were one of the dozens of people who were watching The Jay Leno show on Monday, you might have been wondering why the "Headlines" segment came right after Jay's monologue instead of right before the local news. Were you stumbling upon a rerun of the old Tonight Show that was airing by mistake? Nope. It seems that, because of the low-and-sinking ratings Leno has been getting at ten, the producers have decided to 
At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
The Prisoner -- An early look
Sesame Street's 40th: Five funniest characters
Sesame Street's 40th: Five biggest controversies
