CHICAGO - JAY AND DAVE CONTINUE TO BATTLE OVER GUESTS

JAY AND DAVE CONTINUE TO BATTLE OVER GUESTS

They may no longer be on the air opposite one another but the competition for A-list guests between David Letterman and Jay Leno is growing more intense, Chicago Sun-Times TV columnist Bill Zwecker reported today (Thursday), citing an unnamed member of Leno's inner circle. According to the source, bookers for each show are "talking tougher to publicists than I've ever heard," in order to land exclusive interviews with top celebrities. "It's brutal," he added. The pressure is particularly acute for Leno's bookers, the source noted. "Since Jay now usually only has one or maybe two big stars on each night -- they have to be really big, or viewers won't stick around." Meanwhile, publicists for the stars suggest that they feel caught up in a squeeze play. "Obviously, we have to do all we can to keep all the shows happy," one of them told Zwecker, "not easy these days."

24/09/2009