Don’t look now, but Jay Leno’s contract is almost up, (2009), at which time he’ll pass the baton to Conan O’Brien, who in turn will leave the keys under the mat for former SNL’s ``Weekend Update’’ co-host Jimmy Fallon as the new Late Night host.
         After 16 years of towering ratings as the Tonight Show host, NBC is reportedly working hard to keep Leno with the network in some capacity when his contract expires; though the prospect of that happening ``would be a reach’’, according to Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. 
         The Associated Press speculates Leno will be scooped up in a heartbeat by rivals Fox or ABC once he becomes a free-agent, which makes me wonder if NBC pulled the trigger prematurely when they committed to O’Brien as heir apparent to the Tonight show duties.
         Since Fallon left SNL in 2004, he hasn’t exactly become a matinee idol, so for him to return to a format where he could display his repertoire of impressions in front of a live audience again, seems like a perfect fit.
         It’s Conan that troubles me as Leno’s successor. For the life of me, I don’t know why NBC promoted him as quickly as they did, considering he’ll likely get pounded in the ratings by rivals David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel
        O’Brien, the slim freckled-faced Irish comedian is top-rate writer; he cut his teeth as writer on SNL and the Simpson’s before being named Letterman’s replacement, but I can’t imagine viewers staying up after the news to catch his luke-warm comedy routines and ham-fisted chats with guests.
         I always thought, and still do, that NBC would have been better off if they waited to see how things developed with Leno; if he was dead-set against remaining with the Peacock Network, they could have then picked a marquee replacement. If nothing else, it would have added an element of surprise.
         The perfect choice would have been the wildly comical Jerry Seinfeld, not the hum-drum O’Brien. Could you imagine what Seinfeld’s legendary stand-up routines would have brought to the table as the next Tonight Show host?
         He’s the king of ad-libs, loves doing monologues, especially about current events and subtle observations (Have you ever noticed…? Why is it that...?), he’s quick on his feet, he’s a likeable guy, celebrities would flock to sit next to him and chat it up. Besides, Jerry is about as synonymous with NBC as eggs are to bacon.  The Seinfeld Show, which just celebrated its 10-year anniversary since going off the air, (no Larry, it wasn’t cancelled) would have stirred up fresh excitement about the Seinfeld phenomenon, and would obviously have been a great boon to the network. If only NBC had waited.
           Now the network is stuck with Conan. I guess we’ll grow to love him, or at least live with him, but snagging Seinfeld would have been a monster coup, equivalent to Manny Ramirez committing to the Boston Red Sox, or LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
         And it looks like it’s a little too late for NBC to get cold feet about going with Conan. AP reports if the network reneged on their deal with O’Brien, he would be owed a penalty fee of around $40 million. Ouch!
         If NBC had played their cards right, viewers could have been greeted with the familiar intro: Heeere’s Jerry!
          -Bill Lucey
           billlucey@bellsouth.net