The big question: Is Jay walking?
Conan O’Brien will take over the “Tonight” Show next June – and what happens to Jay Leno after that is anybody’s guess.
Leno’s last show will be Friday, May 29, and O’Brien will start the following Monday, June 1, NBC executives announced Monday.
NBC is angling to keep Leno with the network, but the late-night king has indicated he’s ready to jump ship.
Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, NBC Entertainment co-chairmen, were asked about the specter of Leno being hired by ABC and overpowering O’Brien in the ratings.
“We really believe in the decisions we’ve made with our partners, including Jay,” Silverman replied.
Former “Saturday Night Live” player Jimmy Fallon is poised to take over O’Brien’s “Late Night” next March or April, after honing his approach in brief Internet shows.
O’Brien will wrap his “Late Night” run sometime in the first quarter of the year, with exact dates to be determined, Silverman and Graboff said.
Reruns of shows with O’Brien will fill the gap until Fallon takes over.
That’s two thumbs down
Meanwhile, “At the Movies With Ebert and Roeper” will have to get along without either Ebert or Roeper.
Famed film critic Roger Ebert announced Monday that he’s leaving the nationally syndicated program, one day after fellow reviewer Richard Roeper called it quits.
Ebert didn’t elaborate on his plans, but pointed out he owns the rights to the signature “thumbs-up, thumbs-down.”
Back in the old ’hood
Brenda Walsh is coming back to “Beverly Hills 90210,” and she’s arriving in style.
Shannen Doherty will return as Walsh in CW’s new version of the 1990s series, with her character now a famous director who’s invited back to stage a musical at her alma mater.
A Fielder-Civil commitment
Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was sentenced Monday to 27 months in jail for assault and obstructing justice.
“It’s their ambition to divorce themselves from hard drugs, not to separate themselves from each other,” Fielder-Civil’s lawyer said of the couple, adding: “He knows that if he fails, an appointment with calamity awaits, not just for him, but for his wife as well.”
A small victory for mankind
“Mini-Me” actor Verne Troyer has settled a lawsuit he filed against a porn broker after the broker agreed not to distribute a sex tape depicting Troyer and a former girlfriend.
The agreement requires Troyer’s approval before the tape could be sold – which his lawyer says will never be granted.
The birthday bunch
Actor Orson Bean is 80. Actress Louise Fletcher is 74. Actor Terence Stamp is 69. Game show host Alex Trebek is 68. Singer-actor Bobby Sherman is 65. Singer Don Henley is 61. Actor Danny Glover is 61. Actor/comedian/director Albert Brooks is 61. Actor Willem Dafoe is 53. Singer Keith Sweat is 47. Actor/comedian David Spade is 44. Actor John Leguizamo is 44. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 35. Actress Franka Potente is 34.