HiYo! Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Digitized For DVDs, Future Projects
Posted on Aug 11, 2010 @ 04:55PM - Add a comment
Johnny Carson's three decades of hosting The Tonight Show -- spawning more than 3,000 hours of classic television -- has been digitized for future projects including DVD releases and features for the late icon's Web site.
The massive undertaking, according to Carson Entertainment president Jeff Sotzing, was spurred on by a huge demand for footage of the classic Tonight Show in today's digital age.
"It's amazing to me that even being off the air for 18 years," Sotzing told the LA Times Wednesday, "there's still so much interest in this material."
VIDEO: David Letterman Slams Leno's "Don’t Blame Conan" Speech
Posted on Jan 20, 2010 @ 01:00AM - 2 comments
On Tuesday night, David Letterman responded to Jay Leno's Monday night monologue with a few dripping-with-venom barbs aimed at the former -- and presumably next -- host of The Tonight Show.
During Leno’s monologue on Monday, he repeatedly said “Don’t blame Conan”, to which Letterman responded on Tuesday, “Jay said don’t blame Conan for what’s going on? And I said to myself ‘No one is blaming Conan?’ “
BREAKING NEWS: Ed McMahon Dies At 86
Posted on Jun 23, 2009 @ 12:11PM - Add a comment
Longtime Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon, renown for his iconic catch phrase "Here's Johnny," has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 86.
PHOTO GALLERY: Ed McMahon Through The Years
McMahon's publicist Howard Bragman says the legendary entertainer died peacefully at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center shortly after midnight Tuesday.
McMahon's legacy is defined by his stint on the Tonight Show, where he roared his trademark cackles for three decades, leaving the show following Johnny Carson's 1992 retirement. Carson passed away in 2005 at the age of 79.
VIDEO: Friend Remembers Ed McMahon For Broadcasting Triumphs, Not Financial Tragedies
Posted on Jun 23, 2009 @ 11:10AM - Add a comment
Ed McMahon's publicist and confidante, Howard Bragman, spoke with the Today Show in the wake of the 86-year-old entertainer's death Tuesday.
"I want Ed McMahon to be remembered for the first 84 years of his life, not the last couple of years," his publicist, Howard Bragman told the
Today Show Tuesday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Ed McMahon Through The Years
Conan O' Brien Debuts As Host Of Tonight Show
Posted on Jun 02, 2009 @ 07:52AM - Add a comment
Conan O'Brien had an eventful first night as the new host of the legendary Tonight Show.
Following in the footsteps of late night icons Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and Jay Leno, the string-dancing 47-year-old mused about one of his Tonight Show forefathers in the first monologue in his new capacity.
The Conan O' Brien Tonight Show Era Begins Tonight
Posted on Jun 01, 2009 @ 02:30PM - Add a comment
Joining a very exclusive show biz fraternity, Conan O'Brien takes the helm as the fifth-ever host of the Tonight Show Monday, following in the footsteps of Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.
O'Brien -- who Jay Leno featured as his last official guest -- kicks off his reign with A-list funnyman Will Ferrell and 90s grunge pioneers Pearl Jam.
He told the Toronto Star of some sage advice he received from one of his esteemed predecessors.
"Basically, all anyone who knows anything about these shows can tell you is that you've got to do it your way. That's actually the oldest advice I've ever had – I got it from Johnny Carson, years ago, when I first met him. He basically told me, 'Just be yourself,'" he said. "These shows are such an extension of the host. I think the reason Jay's show worked so well is that he did it his way. And Johnny Carson did it his way, which was quite different from Jack Paar, who did it his way, which was really different from Steve Allen, who did it his way."
(Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC)
Jay Leno Says Goodbye To 'Tonight Show'
Posted on May 30, 2009 @ 05:45AM - Add a comment
Jay Leno gracefully bowed from his desk at NBC's The Tonight Show on Friday evening, an hour of reflection, thanks and even a Jon & Kate joke!
"When I started here, my hair was black and the president was white. Jon and Kate were both 8," Leno said, considering the amount of change in his 17-year tenure.
Leno, recently hospitalized for exhaustion due to his frenzied departure, was greeted with continuous applause upon entrance. His final guest was successor Conan O'Brien.
Ed McMahon Settles Lawsuit
Posted on May 26, 2009 @ 02:50PM - Add a comment
Finally some good news for Ed McMahon: Johnny Carson’s former sidekick has had a lawsuit against him dismissed by an L.A. County judge.
Westmoore Lending of Huntington Beach, CA sued McMahon and his wife Pamela for $250,000 plus interest and penalties after their 2007 default on an unsecured loan.
The parties quietly settled the dispute, and the court has now dismissed Westmoore’s lawsuit against the McMahons.
McMahon, 86, has been seriously ill for the last several years and has also defaulted on the mortgage on his Beverly Hills mansion.
(Photo: PR Photos)
