The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

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John Melendez (2004—present)

Kevin Eubanks (1995—present)

Edd Hall (1992–2004)

Branford Marsalis (1992–1995)

Ellen Brown

(1996) – Star Price

Technical Director - Michael Stramisky

Lighting Director – Gary Thorns

Lighting Director – Patrick S. Steele

Producer – Jay Leno

Executive Producer – Debbie Vickers

Supervising Producer – Patti M. Grant

Supervising Producer – Larry Goitia

Joe Medeiros | Wayne Kline | Jack Coen | Mike Colasuonno | Brad Dickson | Dave Rygalski | Michael Jann | Anthony Caleca | Larry Jacobson | Andrew McElfresh | Rob Young | Jon Macks | John Romeo | Peter Sears | Jimmy Brogan | Marvin Silbermintz | Kal Clarke | Steve Young | Suli McCullough | Jay Leno | Marc Wilmore | Dan O'Keefe | Joe Toplyn | Beth Armogida | Jeffrey Spear | Ned Rice | Jeff Judah | Anne Parker | T. Sean Shannon | Buddy Winston | Ron Richards | Bob Smith | John A. Kennedy | Steve Ridgeway | Michael Riedel | Michael Loprete | Kevin J. Lynn | John Melendez | Rich Talarico | Troy Thomas | Jim Wise | Ryan O'Dowd | Beth Einhorn | Greg Grabianski | Logan Morton | Debra 'Debbie' Clark

Teo Konuralp | Kevin Castro | Bob Mathews | Don Misraje | Steven B. Ross

May 25, 1992 – May 29, 2009

March 1, 2010 – present

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson(1962–1992)

United States

English

Directors Guild of America

2001 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Ellen Brown For episode #1938.

1997 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Ellen Brown

1996 Nominated DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Ellen Brown For episode from Las Vegas.

Emmy Awards

2005 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Jay Leno (host)

2004 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special For episode "Live New Year's Eve Show".

2004 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series For episode #2625.

2003 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special For episode #2393.

2003 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series For show #2279.

2003 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

2002 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special For episode #2180.

2002 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series For episode #2230.

2002 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

2001 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multicamera) for VMC Programming For show #1865.

2001 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special For show #1938.

2001 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series For show #2057.

2000 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown For episode "Show #1770".

2000 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) For episode "1738".

2000 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series For episode "Show #1785".

2000 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

1999 Won Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode #1613.

1999 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown For episode #1613.

1999 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

1998 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program Jay Leno

1998 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode with guests Arsenio Hall, Siskel & Ebert, Leno Look-A-Likes, Blue Man Group.

1998 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

1997 Won Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode #1079.

1997 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown (director) For episode #1062.

1997 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special For episode #1082.

1997 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series For show #1036.

1996 Won Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode #914.

1996 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program For show #914.

1996 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown For episode #914.

1996 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

1995 Won Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

1995 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown For episode #541.

1995 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode #541.

1994 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Variety or Music Program Ellen Brown (director) For show #463.

1994 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode #273.

1994 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series For episode #378.

1993 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program For the Cirque Du Soleil performance. For show #153.

1993 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series For episode with guests Annie Lennox, Richard Jeni, Helen Hunt and Paula Poundstone.

1993 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series For show #84.

1992 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series

Image Awards

2002 Nominated Image Award Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series/Special Tyrese Gibson

Joey Awards

2001 Won Joey Award Film Talent Dane Andrew

TV Guide Awards

2000 Won TV Guide Award Favorite Late Night Show

1999 Won TV Guide Award Favorite Late Night Show

Young Artist Awards

1996 Nominated Young Artist Award Best Performance by a Young Actor - Guest Starring Role TV Series Lucky Luciano

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“This is not your father’s ‘Tonight Show’, quipped Jay Leno after one particularly hip musical act. The hefty jut-jawed comic took over the show from the legendary Johnny Carson in the blinding glare of high expectations and from the start tried to give it his own spin – while not alienating the huge Middle American audience Carson had left behind him. It was a tough balancing act. Doc Severinsen was replaced by hip, jazz musician Branford Marsalis and there was no Ed McMahon – style sidekick. The guests were still standard Hollywood A-list (Billy Crystal appeared on the first show), but musical acts tended toward the off-the-wall (Hootie and the Blowfish, Blue Man Group).

Among Jay’s recurring bits were comic newspaper headlines, “Ask Jay Anything”, “Police Blotter”, fitness expert “Iron Jay”, “Mr. Brain” (the smartest man in the universe), a “Jaywalking” man-in-the-street segment and “Evil Jay”, his nefarious alter ego.

Ratings were fine for the first year, but when David Letterman – who had been passed over for the ‘Tonight’ seat – launched 'Late Show’ opposite him on CBS in August 1993, ‘Tonight’ dropped out of first place for the first time. Ratings later recovered as Jay introduced such news making stunts as the “Dancing Itos” (a chorus of dancing, black-robed, Asian-American “Jurists”, mocking Judge Ito of O.J. Simpson trial fame).

Another defining moment was his 1995 interview of hot actor Hugh Grant, who had recently been arrested for soliciting a prostitute, in which Leno began by simply asking, “What the hell were you thinking?”. As the 2000s dawned Leno kept his show up-to-date with timely features such as “Stuff We Found on eBay”, “Videos We Found on YouTube” and “Wheel of Consolation”, a consolation game for contestants voted off of ‘American Idol’. On “Celebrity Jeopardy” actors portraying famous people such as Martha Stewart and President George W. Bush competed in a Jeopardy-style game, with Gilbert Gottfried tossing in wisecracks.

In 2004 John Melendez (formerly “Stuttering John”) took over as Jay’s announcer.

Became the first American nightly talk show to air in HD on April 26th, 1999.

Barack Obama's appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode dated 19 March 2009" (1992) marked the first TV talk show appearance by a sitting President.

[on guest Quentin Tarantino]
Jay Leno: He's the kind of guy you don't know is drunk until you see him sober.

Jay Leno: [to Hugh Grant] What the hell were you thinking?

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