Johnny Carson

The weekend began with some unfortunate news, as David Brenner, comedian and Tonight Show veteran, died Saturday at the age of 78. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brenner died without any complications and surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his sons Slade, Wyatt, whom he had with Slater, son Cole, whom he had with an ex, and grandson Wesley.

Sad news to report about comedian & Tonight Show fave David Brenner, dead at the age of 78. http://t.co/6PmJAa5ZrL pic.twitter.com/IeZwPD8VXP

— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) March 16, 2014

Continue reading: Comedian And "Tonight Show" Regular David Brenner Dies At Age 78

David Brenner, the former darling of The Tonight Show, died on Saturday (15th March) at the age of 78.

His publicist, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, said "Brenner died peacefully in New York City surrounded by his friends and family." Brenner had been suffering from cancer which, according to sources speaking to TMZ, was aggressive and spreading rapidly. It seems the comedian slipped into a coma earlier this week from which he never woke up.

Originally from Philadelphia, Brenner worked in a number of professions including the army before becoming a successful comedian, actor and author. During the 1970s and 80s he guest hosted The Tonight Show in lieu of Johnny Carson and appeared on the show 158 times, earning the title of the show's most frequent guest. 

Continue reading: Comedian & 'The Tonight Show' Darling, David Brenner, Dies Of Cancer Aged 78

Jimmy Fallon. The Tonight Show. New York. These three things sound like a great combination, but we won’t know for sure until Fallon actually takes over from Jay Leno this Monday. At T minus one day to go to the big premiere, the host has been doing the obligatory press rounds, including a guest article on the New York Daily News, in the style of his thank you cards, which became a staple of The Late Show (Fallon's previous home).

Fallon is a New Yorker, through and through and that will mean some changes for the show.

In the heartfelt open letter, Fallon pays tribute to the masters. He thanks the previous hosts of The Tonight Show - Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno – not forgetting stars of late night television from other shows – like David Letterman, Ernie Kovacs and SNL’s Lorne Michaels. And he does have a lot to be thankful for – after all, Fallon’s career found its roots in his early days at SNL.

Continue reading: Jimmy Fallon Stands On The Shoulders Of Giants In "The Tonight Show" Takeover

Johnny Carson's long-time lawyer Henry Bushkin released a tell-all biography about his former employer's closely guarded life and one of the most discussed stories to emerge from the account stems back to an alleged affair his wife Joanne had with former Giants' ace Frank Gifford. After Joanne denied the rumours herself, Frank's wife Kathie Lee Gifford has also come forward to shoot down the claim, saying her husband said the whole thing is a lie.

Frank and Kathie have been together for almost thirty years.

The New York Post first reported the alleged affair, citing the new biography from Bushkin. In the extract, Bushkin claims that, upon learning the his wife was having an affair with Gifford in 1962, a gun-totting Carson broke in to Joanne's private Manhattan apartment and found it full of pictures of the former NY Giants star. However Joanne was the first to deny the reports, telling the NY Post that she never had an affair with Gifford, although she did recall that Johnny was "jealous" of her friendship with him. As for the gun part, Joanne said that it was totally bogus, because Johnny was "terrified of guns."

Continue reading: Kathie Lee Gifford Denies Johnny Carson Affair Rumours

In a year full of biographical features, NBC is developing one of the, if not the first biographical miniseries about a TV legend, Johnny Carson. The late night host has ignited a lot of interest with his work and he is now the subject of an upcoming book, “Carson the Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait” by Bill Zehme. In fact, Zehme’s book will serve as the basis for the upcoming, currently untitled book. Information about the project is still scarce, but NBC has released a statement about it, quoted here from Fox News.

The statement reads: "The project will cover Carson’s legendary 30-year run (1962-92) as host of 'The Tonight Show,' as well as his childhood growing up in Nebraska, his often secluded off-camera life and friendships he made throughout his career as one of the most beloved TV personalities of all time.”

No information was given about the adapted script, but it seems that NBC is past that stage already, as according to the release, casting for the Carson movie is expected to begin soon. Deadline reports that the project will cover Carson’s 30-year run (1962-92) as host of The Tonight Show, as well as his childhood growing up in Nebraska, his often secluded off-camera life and friendships he made throughout his career as one of the most beloved TV personalities of all time.

Sunday's glittering Tony Awards for theatrical performances brought four-time earned Neil Patrick Harris widespread critical acclaim, meaning The Muppetsactor could be a contender to host the 2014 Oscars.

A natural performer and entertainer, 39 year-old Harris - best known for his role as womaniser Barney Stinson in CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother - was named on Time magazine's 2010 '100 Most Influential People', and has since been awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Set to also host this September's Emmy Awards, Harris has just completed his fourth stint at Tony's host in an extravaganza of rapping, singing, dancing and comedy, showing the Albuquerque-born actor's versatility, even earning him comparisons to legendary television host Johnny Carson.

Continue reading: Neil Patrick Harris: Tony Awards Host Is Ready For The Oscars

Seth Macfarlane's name is being bandied about the media right now, as he has been announced as next year's Oscars host. However, the American Dad and Family Guy creator has had a pressure group snapping at his heels for years and now, the Parents Television Council is filing a complaint about the forthcoming episode of American Dad. The episode, scheduled to air on the Fox network on Sunday, contains alleged references to oral sex and ejaculation and the PTC are none too happy about it.

"Is the man that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected to host next year's Oscars telecast, following in the footsteps of such Hollywood legends as Bob Hope and Johnny Carson?" asked the PTC president Tim Winter. "In the past, American Dad and MacFarlane's other programs have included scenes mocking people with Down syndrome, implying father-daughter incest, a man masturbating a horse, a baby eating horse sperm, and a character eating vomit and excrement out of a baby's diaper." The problematic scene this time round is an SUV that runs on carbon, oxygen and potassium, branded the Hummie COK Guzzler.

Macfarlane has previously said that receiving a letter from the Christian PTC is like "receiving hate mail from Hitler" so we doubt he's too concerned about their renewed efforts to snub him. "They're literally terrible human beings," MacFarlane said back in 2008. "I've read their newsletter, I've visited their website, and they're just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Christian values - I mean, I'm an atheist, so what do I know? - they spend their entire day hating people."

American television star, comedian, writer, actor and musician, Johnny Carson, passed away in January 2005 at the age of 79. He left behind an estate worth 450 million USD, and, as expected, this has led to a family feud, as his relatives are desperate to ensure that they get some of the inheritance.

Related: Comedian And "Tonight Show" Regular David Brenner Dies At Age 78

Christal Love Carson, the deceased star's illegitimate granddaughter, wants a share. So far, Carson's surviving sons, Cory and Chris, are due to receive around 150 million USD between them, with Carson's widow Alexis Maas, likely to make 200 million USD. Love Carson is the daughter of Chris Carson and ex-girlfriend Tanena Love, and reportedly never even met her famous grandfather.

Continue reading: Johnny Carson's Illegitimate Granddaughter Wants Her Share Of Inheritance