Carson’s Days Are Numbered

With all the changes taking place on the late-night talk show circuit, will Carson Daly still have a job?

NBC has started conversations with Daly to keep him on board as host of Last Call. Currently, his deal expires this August.

After the peacock network’s decision to move Jay Leno into primetime at 10 pm, many are wondering if it’ll make sense to keep Daly’s show on the air. That would mean there’d be four talk shows back-to-back on NBC.

Will Daly even want to stay on? Is he still upset that NBC chose Jimmy Fallon to replace Conan O’Brien instead of him?

NBC’s mouthpieces say that Daly wants to stay.

Rick Ludwin, NBC’s executive VP for late night and primetime series, said “We have begun conversations with Carson. We do want to continue with Carson Daly, both with ‘Last Call’ and with [his] New Year’s Eve [specials]. We’re going through the budgetary process with all of our shows. There are new budgetary realities. … It’s tough. We want to keep [Carson] going as long as we can make the budget work.”

We smell a lame budget excuse in the works!

[Image via WENN.]

Kid Rock To Make America A Better Place, Employ Hundreds – Thanks To Beer!

We never thought we’d ever say this, but Kid Rock is actually making himself useful and doing something we like!

A Webberville-based Michigan Brewing Company received approval for a tax credit from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority. The company is receiving $722,957 to produce a new line of beer for Kid Rock, this creating 400 new jobs in the state.

Kid Rock is working closely with the company to develop the beer, which they hope to have in stores in time for spring.

So if you’re jobless in Michigan with a passion for beer, you might want to turn in an application!

[Image via WENN.]

The Oscars Are Hurting For $$$$$

The recession is even hitting the Oscars!

After historically low ratings for last year’s telecast, the sponsors are not backing the awards show the way they have in years previous. In fact, the Oscars and ABC are only expected to bring in $68 million dollars from advertisements this year, which is a dramatic drop from last year’s $81.8 million!

ABC cut their advertising costs by 18%, but as Jon Swallen at TNS Media Intelligence explains, “The fact is that advertisers are really taking a long look at how they’re investing their marketing dollars, and discount or no, this is still a lot of money. Even a reduced price tag is still a barrier to entry.”

Cosmetic giants L’Oréal Paris have decided not to advertise in the 2009 awards, which is a $22 million loss for ABC.

The reason for their absence?

Not advertising costs! It’s the wrong target audience!!

The 18-49 year old age bracket’s viewership went dramatically down in last year’s awards, 24% less than the 2007 awards.

“A lot of cosmetics companies reach out to younger women, and those viewers are leaving in droves,” explains Shari Anne Brill of ad agency, Carat.

The Oscar’s median age is 49.5 years old!! Yikes!

The legendary awards better figure out a way to appeal to a younger audience ASAP before they go under!!

[Image via WENN.]

New Kanye!

KANYE WEST “Welcome To Heartbreak” Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Although Amazing is his next single, Mr. West just dropped the Michael Jackson-inspired video for Welcome to Heartbreak because….

As he says, “This is the video we’ve been working on for the last month. We know there is another video out there using the same technique so we were forced to drop it now.”

Check it out above!

Thoughts???

Kimmel Wants To Move – Earlier!

As we mentioned last month, reports speculated that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel might be taking over the 11:30pm time slot on ABC.

That would mean that Kimmel would take over Nightline’s late night news spot. However, Kimmel, Disney, and ABC have all refused to talk about it. Until now.

In a new interview, Jimmy opens up about his career and the media. He even talks about the 11:30pm “rumors.”

When asked what he’d do if Fox or another station offered him an 11:30pm slot, Kimmel responded:

“Fox doesn’t really have an 11:30 spot, but I really don’t worry about it too much. I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about it. There were so many factors, so many people involved. The truth is, the safest thing for me to do would be to stay right where I am because I can stay in this time slot indefinitely. But if ABC one day asked me to go to 11:30, I’ll be excited and I’ll be ready to go at 11:30. It’s not something I bug them about.”

He so wants to go head-to-head with the big boys!

And when asked if he wants the time slot and if he’d do anything different, he said:

“Yeah I would [want 11:30pm], sure. Would I do anything different? Mostly thematic. I don’t think the approach of the show would be much different. I’d like to have more staff. We put out a lot of material every night and we do it with a smaller group than most shows—but essentially it would be the same thing. There are a lot of boring things I could tell you about, but as far as big changes that would be about it. Maybe we’d need a bigger theater, a theater that looks bigger on camera. We’re in a very old building.”

Read the rest of Kimmel’s interview…. after the jump!

[Image via WENN.]

What was your initial reaction to Jay Leno making the deal at NBC?

I was surprised. I wasn’t surprised that NBC did it, I was surprised because it hadn’t crossed my mind. I really thought Jay would come to ABC.

In your heart, would you rather have followed Jay at ABC or gone somewhere else?

I have mixed feelings. Every scenario has a good side and bad side. It would be safer to be on at 12:30 after Jay Leno.

Safer how?

You know Jay’s going to do well, and you know you can just ride his coattails at 12:30 and be left alone for the most part.

What about Jay? You joked on-air about him coming to ABC, but did it ever get uncomfortable?

No, he’s a very nice guy and he’s professional and he understands this whole thing just as well if not better than anyone. He always has good advice. During the strike, that was a difficult time and he helped calm me down. The strike really brought us together more than anything. But no, we don’t spend time together. We’ve never gone out to dinner or anything. Every once in a while we talk on the phone.

What if Fox or someone else came calling offering you 11:30?

Fox doesn’t really have an 11:30 spot, but I really don’t worry about it too much. I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about it. There were so many factors, so many people involved. The truth is, the safest thing for me to do would be to stay right where I am because I can stay in this time slot indefinitely. But if ABC one day asked me to go to 11:30, I’ll be excited and I’ll be ready to go at 11:30. It’s not something I bug them about.

The rumors have surfaced again lately that ABC’s entertainment side is making a run at Nightline.

News always wants as much real estate as they can get, and so does entertainment. I don’t know that I’ve ever met David Westin, to be honest with you. I just stay out of it. I’m the action figure in their playground, you know, in their bat cave. But it’s weird to be part of this circle of gossip. Especially being a fan of late-night television. It’s very surreal to be a character in this story.

So do you want 11:30? Would you do things differently?

Yeah I would [want 11:30], sure. Would I do anything different? Mostly thematic. I don’t think the approach of the show would be much different. I’d like to have more staff. We put out a lot of material every night and we do it with a smaller group than most shows—but essentially it would be the same thing. There are a lot of boring things I could tell you about, but as far as big changes that would be about it. Maybe we’d need a bigger theater, a theater that looks bigger on camera. We’re in a very old building.

What do you think Jay will do content-wise at 10?

It’s tough; you can’t throw the last part of the show away like a lot of people do. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but they’re probably going to steer clear of putting a band at the end of the show. So I don’t know how they’re going to handle that. I don’t envy them. That’s the truth.

You wouldn’t like primetime rather than late night?

No, I really wouldn’t. I want to be as far off the network radar as possible without actually disappearing.

Do you watch other late-night shows?

Watching other people is good and it’s bad. The most I learned about comedy was from watching David Letterman growing up, and I didn’t realize I was learning at the time, I thought I was just watching TV. But also with that you learn how things are supposed to be done, which isn’t necessarily good. Because there is no answer to how things are supposed to be done. You do take cues from other people who have done it before you.

What’s it like going on Letterman?

It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done professionally. Without a doubt.

Have you gotten to know him?

Not really. He doesn’t want to be bothered by me. I’m sure he means a lot more to me than I mean to him. I think the greatest gift I could give him is to just leave him alone.

What was your reaction to our story that Letterman and CBS are talking about a new deal?

I wasn’t surprised, just curious. It certainly can’t be money. Leno and Letterman aren’t in it for the money at this point. There’s no way they could spend all the money that they have. What is it about [hosting a talk show] that’s so addictive? I don’t know. I think if I had a hundred million dollars, I’d head for the hills. I’d grab a fly-fishing rod. The last anyone has ever heard from me. Now I say that, but I don’t mean it. I know six months would go by and I’d be like, “Hey, you know what would be funny?” and try to convince somebody of something.

Do you consider yourself a student of thelate-night game?

I guess so; I always was. As a high school student I was. I’m interested in it. I’m as interested in it as I am in sports or cooking or any number of things. If I weren’t working in late-night television, I would be very interested in all of this. What was going on and what this guy was going to do. Who would win the battle and all that silly stuff.

What will happen when Conan O’Brien takes on Letterman?

I’ve learned not to make predictions like that. I don’t know what Conan’s plan is at 11:30. I don’t know what the competition will be like for guests. It’s going to be very interesting to see how The Tonight Show and Leno arrange their guest situation. There’s definitely a pecking order as far as guests go. Even though Leno will still be at the top of the pecking order, it makes me wonder. If he’s successful at 10 o’clock, he will have free reign over what he does guest-wise. He’ll be really unstoppable. There are just a lot more people watching television at that hour. What happens when somebody like George Clooney has a movie coming out? Leno first and then Conan, or Leno and then Letterman? Both shows on the same night?

Where do you fit in?

I think we’re in pretty much the same position we’re in. We are fourth essentially, after Leno and Letterman and Conan. There’s just sort of a pecking order that the publicists go by. We used to be at the bottom of it.

You told me you don’t know show business. That’s not true.

It absolutely is. Very little of [show business] makes sense to me. If I were an advertiser, I would demand a better system for measuring an audience. I really don’t totally understand the whole thing.

What do you understand about the business?

I really believe I’m on the very tail end of television as a big money-making business. I think there will always be a certain number of people who make a lot of money, like American Idol or NFL football, but I just think that in 10 years when people have good Internet connections, there are going to be a thousand channels. People will be making money, they just won’t be making a lot of money. Even successful shows or programming will bring in small amounts of money.

When? In 10 years?

Maybe. It can’t just be the early adopters; people’s grandparents have to have same equipment as everyone else. Yeah, the golden age of making a lot of money as a television personality is coming to a close. I was lucky enough to get in before the doors closed, but in 10 years I just don’t think that you’re going to see people make as much money in late-night television as Leno and Letterman do now.

What’s the most improved part of your show?

Guest booking. But everything leads to that because the better the show does, the more comfortable people feel going to it and the better guests you’re going to get. We didn’t know what we were doing when we started.

What still needs the most improvement?

The host. You just get better at doing your job until I think you reach a point you don’t get better at it, you get worse at it. But certainly the biggest area of improvement has been my performance on the air. I just got more comfortable.

How have you grown as a host?

I’m always getting fatter—and more relaxed. There was so much riding on every guest interview in the early days.

What’s next after this show for you?

Death. I will do this as long as I can or I want to. Does anybody ever do anything successfully after they’ve hosted a talk show? Doesn’t seem like it. Do a show in Vegas every once in a while? Really what I want more than anything is to consistently make great pizzas in my backyard.

A-Fraud Opens Up About His ‘Roiding

At a news conference on Tuesday, Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez doled out more info about about his ‘performance-enhancing’ drug use.

A-Roid claimed that his cousin injected him with an over-the-counter substance from the Dominican Republic to gain an energy boost.

Eye roll.

RodFraud said that it was a “stupid mistake” and “I knew we weren’t taking Tic Tacs.”

What ever you say, Roidriguez!

[Image via WENN.]

Mariah and Nick Wrote a Song for Her New Album – BARF!!!!!!

In a recent interview with France’s Télé Loisirs magazine, Mariah Carey revealed that she and husband/buttboy Nick Cannon co-wrote a song together for her upcoming album.

We’re not sure we’re ready for that!

Prepare for an assault on our ears!

We wonder if it’s about how much she likes to buy him stuff to make him happy!

[Image via Télé Loisirs.]

The Lohans Are Loyal To The Big Mac, No Word On Whoppers

Never turning down a chance to talk to the tabloids, 2008’s Mother of the Year, Dina Lohan, is now weighing in on the returning controversy about her daughter’s shrinking frame.

It would appear Dina is a firm believer in the “McDonalds anti-diet” as well!!

“I don’t know why people care about other people’s weight. I think they should look in their own mirror and stare at themselves. I’m a mom. If I see my daughter a little thin, I say, ‘Eat more McDonald’s.’” Dina waxed on in an interview with Access Hollywood.

“I told Lindsay I think she’s a little thin, but we go through this every couple of months.”

“Go through this” meaning Lez returns to her hard-pAArtying ways every couple of months???

Does a token line of blow every couple of months??

Goes to rehab every couple of months??

Which is it, Dina???

[Image via WENN.]

Roseanne Gives Chris Brown A Verbal Beatdown!

Roseanne’s let loose some fighting words for the not-too-apologetic Chris Brown and his weak statement:

Says the former sitcom star:

chris brown’s lies and excuses

make me want to beat the crap out of him…he uses the language of the perpetrator just like every sleazy bastard who ever smacked his wife, kid mother or girlfriend around uses. you dirty bastard, I hope you go to prison for ten years. IT’S YOUR FAULT, ASSHOLE! as for all the mealy mouthed hollywood and music scene chicks that can’t bring themselves to condemn a misogynistic bully, let me say this: your time as whores for propaganda is ending, bitches.

She perfectly echoes our sentiments!

[Image via WENN.]

Hellooooooo!!!!!!!

Awwww, so cute!

Perez and Teddy Hilton are featured in the new issue of Hello! Canada, on newsstands later this week.

The mag interviewed the Gossip Gangstar about our new book, and gave us the honor making us their “last word” feature – the very last page of the magazine, prime piece of mag real estate.

Thanks!!!!!