1/13/14 LEAVING the 2nd-to-Last JAY LENO TONIGHT SHOW

WRITTEN RECAP

of the

PENULTIMATE 

JAY LENO

TONIGHT SHOW,

So this IS actually the final "general-audience" Leno tonight show ...gal said tomorrow only friends & family of staff members & emplloyees of the show will be in the audience.& there's a giant tent set up next to the entrance,maybe for an "ater-party"?its 12:16 ...we r still in the "outer circle" waiting area,..at 130 we enter the "inner circle" waiting area,,the long benches next to the entrance..the latino gal wearing securty costume (she's been doing this for a while) warned that we are still "not guaranteed a seat"...it all depends on how many special guests tohere are on the list.

 Two ladies from wisconsin are behind me in line..they arrived on Monday ..went to Price is Right yesterday..got in line at midnight for the price..and one of them won an i-pod..she was excited she got to kiss Drew...apparently it was the 8000th show..so Bob Barker sent a taped video-message(she said she will be on TV on April 7 ).Tonights guests are Sandra Bullock,Blake Shelton, & one other musical group.There's about 20 people in frnt of me. They apparently did give out a few counter tickets this morning,surprise surprise. I got an email ticket a few weeks ago. ,

Its now 215p & were seated in the "inner circle"..the 2 wisconsin ladies have been sociable ..chatting with me while we waited in the outer circle..they r planning to visit holland's (mi) tulip festival this year..I told them that's where I grew up (grand rapids & holland)..one of them goes to nashville on a regular basis..she likes country music...they also plan a trip to florida..she mentioned the "peshtego fire" said it was bigger than the chicago fire.., I mentioned randolph wisconsin where I have relatives. (they didn't know of it,...its a tiny dutch farm town)...we talked about the dells & cave of the mounds..and house on the rock..all places I visited....finally got into the show...(unfortunately seated next to me on the right is a very odd fellow taking tiny notes with a golf pencil on a small slip of paper but apart from that ok); to my left is a sony digi-super27 camera..

They showed music videos while we waited,including "garbage","allen stone",bonnie rait,"vintage trouble" (who also played live),"cheap trick",avril lavigne,& just as roy clark jr began playing,Jay came out in his blue work shirt & jeans as he always does a few moments before the show actually begins and does a little meet-&-greet with the audience & says something like "This is live on tape..we don't stop,don't go back..everything is live at which point he mimics lip-synching & whispers "Britney spears" & says "most important remember to laugh at the monologue..." answers a few questions...usually people ask "Can I get a pic with u?" at which point his staff member pulls out a polaroid camera & does a pic with 2 or 3 people,..& this time he chose a lady from stockton & her husband a truck driver,..& a few others..then he says he has to go put on his "dorky suit" & tells us to "order whatever we like..everything is on the show" & he disappears. He did NOT break this routine on the 2nd-to-last show.

Then the usual african-american "warmup-crowd-control” dude comes on the stage & makes a few jokes & asks us to practice applause & laugh & has us recite a few lines (ie black man: I’m not fast I’m kinda slow, I’m not rich I’m kinda po…” ;

...& does a "mime" routine to entertain us ..and then the Tonight Show Band emerged & began playing,when suddenly the warmup man said "Get ready..." The TV Monitor said this was Show #4609, and the next thing we knew, the show was starting, & Jay came out & shook hands..& got a LONG STANDING OVATION…even after the crowd control dude tried to tell us to stop clapping & sit down the applause continued for another minute or so. And jay said “Where were you when I was doing contract negotiations?”

Then he  started his monologue....after which they showed an all-or- partial parody(?)  film clip of Jay's musical participation with guests over the years (did he every actually sing with some of the guests?) During the next commercial break  the Tonight Show Band drummer did an awesome drum solo  (“waiting for the break of day”) and jay was out in the crowd but from where we were we couldn’t see what he was doing or to whom he was talking, when suddenly he said, “Ladies and gentlemen…somebody very old is here…it’s MICKEY ROONEY!” (The legendary actor, 93,was sitting in the audience with his family !) That was quite a surprise (and I saw him, and got a brief video clip of him leaving after the show!   See  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HxowVZ-YdCc

Next, Leno did a “Cleaning out the office” segment…showing odd or interesting things he found in his office as he was cleaning it out…and out of one box a live lady emerged & did a brief dance; then he pulled something out & suddenly the comic “Carrot Top” came on stage and did a few of his gags;and Kevin smith came on and said “That’s my bong”,  and then Leno did a few more jokes and suddenly Arsenio Hall came on stage !

That was truly unexpected…in fact I thought that Arsenio had taken some shots at Jay  “back in the day” …maybe they kissed and made up somewhere along the way, apparently so.

Then in came Sandra Bullock, and the interview began with Jay asking her about one of the “Speed” movies…and he said something about a “crazy b----“  that seemed to be Jay taunting Sandra…& Sandra said, “Did you just call me a crazy b---h? “You’re such an a--…” in a jousting manner…and everybody laughed and the interview continued with Jay peppering her with questions about movie-making and her most recent “Gravity”  (they showed a clip of “the making of” because Sandra wants people to know “how hard she worked”) as well as a prepared clip of Sandra and her many various hair-dos  over the years (on the Leno show).

As the interview with Bullock was ending, she got teary-eyed and said, “You’ve been SO KIND to me over the years…” even when I did a bad movie you were nice, …a sentimental moment…that lasted a few seconds with Jay sort of shrugging it off..

Up next came Blake Shelton. He didn’t sing, but just sat and chatted with Jay…Jay asked about Blake’s wife and asked if a lot of guys “hit on her”…and Blake said, “I guess you just did on national tv”..and Jay says “Well, she’s not here…so that doesn’t count”  Blake said “Actually, I’m a wus, but I’m tall…” so apparently he is intimidating enough to keep guys at bay.

Jay read some tweets that Blake wrote over the years, and they played a game with Sandra guessing if he was drunk or sober when he tweeted. Shelton thanked jay for not making the show his personal political agenda, but equally roasting everybody ..and there was a lot more in their interchange, but you will have to watch the show to see it all. ..

The last act of the night was the music group “Vintage Trouble”. I must confess I’m not very familiar with their music but the lead singer definitely looked and moved a  lot like  Chuck Berry  . And that was it ! It ended without much fanfare. Jay yelled,
 “I want a picture with Mickey Rooney”.

Meanwhile, security kept yelling at audience members to “Put your phones/cameras away…no pictures in the studio!” I said, “They take their job seriously, don’t they..even up to the 2^nd-to-last show…” ha ha. Looks like the REAL FANFARE will be tomorrow night. There was a HUGE TENT set up next to the studio for what is apparently going to be a big after-show party. And I heard talk that tomorrow there will be NO general audience, only invited guests, and friends & family members of employees, et al. Thanks for the laughs, Jay ! Thanks for the memories !