O'Brien boot may come back to kick NBC

NBC, the network that once let David Letterman slip away, is giving Conan O'Brien the boot.

The suits at the peacock must have pea brains if they think Jay Leno is the future of late-night. He's a nice guy and all that. But his audience is aging and his act didn't wow in prime-time. At 59, how much longer will he be a draw?

Leno is not the bad guy here but his image has been tarnished. O'Brien ultimately may not have succeeded in late-night but he didn't have much of a chance to find out.

Blame NBC head honcho Jeff Zucker, who announced the "retiring" Leno's prime-time version of "The Tonight Show" before O'Brien debuted or got a toehold in the 11:35 p.m. timeslot.

Leno's weak 10 p.m. ratings eroded O'Brien's "Tonight Show" audience and made it redundant. And now it appears Zucker and company are giving "The Tonight Show" back to Leno.

They turned on O'Brien for not wanting to host a midnight show - following Leno again. It's a cruel move to yank "The Tonight Show" away from O'Brien after dangling it like a carrot before the wild-haired one for 17 years.

After Friday, "Tonight" goes on hiatus. It returns after the Winter Olympics with Leno at the helm. O'Brien is expected to exit with a fat payoff check.

Leno has joked he is leaving NBC's prime-time as he found it - a disaster. And late-night has become a disaster, too. Look for O'Brien fans to bail on Leno. Look for a backlash as viewers turn to David Letterman or Jimmy Kimmel (especially after Kimmel skewered Leno last week).

At least O'Brien has kept his sense of humor. He and his staff keep putting "The Tonight Show" up for sale on Craigslist. The online marketplace keeps taking down the gag ad for a slightly used talk show, but O'Brien keeps reposting it.

PANTS UP: Simon Cowell joked that Larry Platt's infectious rap song "Pants on the Ground" might become a hit. After the 63-year-old Platt appeared on "American Idol" last week, performing his anti-droopy slacks anthem during the Atlanta auditions, he has become the next William Hung. Look for him today on ABC's "The View." We can't wait to see Barbara Walters doing "Pants on the Ground."

CHANNEL FLIPPING: Former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw finds hope and optimism along a 3,000-mile road that cuts through the heart of America in a special at 8 tonight on USA Network.

In "American Character Along Highway 50," Brokaw finds people coping with foreclosure, job loss and other political and cultural changes. It's inspiring and depressing. Read my interview with Brokaw on TBO.com.

• The new "American Pickers" reality series at 9 tonight on History follows two "antique archaeologists" who prowl junkyards for hidden treasures.

• "The Buried Life" at 10 tonight on MTV is a bucket list for twentysomethings. Four dudes go on the road checking off 100 things to do before they die.

• "Life Unexpected," debuting at 9 tonight on The CW, is the kind of drama the network used to produce when "Everwood" and "Gilmore Girls" were hits.

Bright orphaned teen Lux (Brittany Robertson) needs her birth parents (Kristoffer Polaha and Shiri Appleby) to sign away rights so she can be emancipated.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"24," 8 p.m., Fox

Two more hours of Jack Bauer's hectic day tick off tonight as the indestructible terrorist fighter tries to thwart an assassination attempt while dodging bullets in New York City.