THE LATE NIGHT BLOWOUT AT NBC TELEVISION

****
THE WEB GOSSIP
****
The guy or girl that writes this column is a very big industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous, but wants to write about all the headlines happening in Hollywood and the Music Industry.
****

Conan O'Brien


LATE NIGHT BLOWOUT: Since our Monday posting, Conan has graciously rejected the 12:05AM, slot for the beleaguered Tonight Show. Simply saying, a franchise like that doesn’t belong at that time, it’s always been at 11:30PM and should remain. Can’t fault him for his logic. Letterman said it best Monday night, when he said “NBC is bringing Johnny Carson back.” Lord knows, we could use him. It’s been said that Leno is damaged goods and that Conan is the future. Hmmm … kind of makes sense. Letterman also had another priceless line Monday night … “Again, I didn’t get the Tonight Show.” Priceless! Bill Carter, the New York Times TV critic, who wrote the terrific book LATE SHIFT about the Leno/Letterman/Tonight Show rift back in 1996 (which HBO tuned into a terrific tele-movie), said this morning that his prediction is that Leno will indeed return to host the Tonight Show in its proper time slot, followed by Fallon … and, NBC will bench Conan for the time being. To me, that seems a huge error. Conan is edgy and is the future. By next week this will certainly all be sorted out, but, what drama!
****

Simon Cowell


AMERICAN IDOL MINUS TWO: First Paula, now Simon is exiting the phenomena called American idol. I must admit, I’ve never gotten into the show; even the constant bickering between the judges didn’t shake my tree. Simon though, is playing the game like a true industry gunslinger. With X Factor, his show, coming in 2011, he’ll be even higher on the heap than he is now. His new company, Syco, partnered with Sony Entertainment (who by the way, produced and released the Susan Boyle #1 CD of the year) will be sharing equally in the production of the new show. And, Paula Abdul, will join him as a judge. Now, who won’t be able to resist that? Oh, that Simon! Gotta’ love him.
****

Publicity King David Salidor With Mark Bego


CHINA NIGHTS: Danny Fried, erstwhile proprietor of the China Club, in addition to prepping that book with Mark Bego we told you about Monday, has also written a screenplay … called Morgan’s Revenge. Let’s called it a historical drama, has quickly been making the rounds of film studios and has emerged as a hotly contested prize. Fried, whose drive and determination has made his club a true epicenter of entertainment; certainly in the 80s and even now, has been re branded as the major entertainment club in Times Square. Back in those halcyon days, the club was located right next to the Beacon Theatre and now is based on 47th and 8th in Manhattan. Fried, who was in the clothing business before he met future partner Michael Barrett, had a vision of an entertainment mecca and saw his dream come true. The club has had everyone from Rod Stewart to Steve Winwood to Elton John hang there, as well as perform. Fried, who became close with Stewart early on, delights in retelling the tales of the legendary jam sessions. “Steve Winwood with Ron Wood and Bowie … just amazing. Stewart would sit in my office and we’d sing old blues song. Magic moments for sure.” Fried’s screenplay started as an idea and quickly grew into a multi-hued full blown work. He’s already had it read by some on tinsel town’s heaviest hitters and they have given it an A+. More on this to follow.
****

Tobey Maguire


SPIDEY SHOCKER: With director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire bowing out of Spider Man 4 … the goal now is to recast the entire creative end, re-boot the franchise, and make the fourth installment in 3D. The first three Sony Spider epics have made billions and while the promise of another installment did have tongues wagging, maybe the wise thing to do is to re-cast everything. Speaking of 3D, and really, who isn’t … word from the ongoing AVN convention in Vegas, is that the latest thing in porn is 3D! Can you imagine … insert own joke here!!! We know that Johnny Depp’s next Alice In Wonderland is in 3D and we hear that the next James Bond (directed by our friend Sam Mendes) will also be in 3D.
****

Joy Behar


GLADD TO BE: The nominees for its 21st media event include Tom Ford’s A Single Man; Lee Daniel’s Prcious; Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock; Little Ashes starring Robert Pattinson; AMC’s Mad Men; Fox’s show Glee; ABC’s Modern Family; Logo’s RuPaul’s Drag Race; the daytime drama One Life To live; HLN’s The Joy Behar Show; the Early Show’s in-depth interview with Chaz Bono; Lada Gaga; Adam Lambert and Spanish-language nominees Sabado Gigante, Primer Impacto and Al Rojo Vivo. SIMON & GARFUNKEL: The duo are set for their first-ever appearance at the New Orleans Jazz fest this year. Also scheduled to appear are: Van Morrison; Aretha Franklin; The Neville Brothers; Allman Brothers Brand; Darius Rucker; My Morning Jacket; and, Widespread Panic. STEVENS ON FIRE: New Jersey’s best-kept-secret Larry Stevens, who just opened for Foreigner in December, will be showcasing at the China Club next month. Stevens, who ably continues in the fine traditional of Jersey’s best singer/songwriters, already has two CDs out in the marketplace. At the showcase, he’ll be doing the best tracks from each as well as including some just recorded new numbers.
****

Sarah Palin


PALIN WONDERMENT Are you as baffled as I am about the announcement that Sarah Palln will become a correspondent for Fox News. This is the same woman who couldn't reference any books or magazines she reads … questioned by that hard hitting journalist of note, Katie Couric. Will wonders never cease! WPLJ BOOKS A BUBLE Our friends at WPLJ have just booked a date with Michael Buble at The China Club.
Photos By: Scott Harrison/RD/Dziekan/Derek Storm/Sara De Boer/Retna

Comments