Leno leaving 'Tonight' next season?
LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- The 2013-14 television season will be the last for Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter quoted two sources as saying.
Public confirmation regarding Leno's departure is expected to be made in May when "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon is announced as his successor on the 11:35 p.m. program.
"We do not speculate on rumor," Leno's representative told THR Friday.
The move is apparently being considered because NBC feels Fallon can better compete with the younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel, whose "Live!" program ABC moved into the 11:35 p.m. time slot in January, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.
NBC previously booted Leno, 62, as host of "Tonight" at the end of the 2008-09 season and gave the position to "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien to keep O'Brien from moving to another network. NBC then offered Leno a nightly, hourlong, 10 p.m. series, which kicked off in September 2009.
But when the prime time "Jay Leno Show" failed to be a strong lead-in for local news broadcasts, NBC announced it would push Leno's show back to 11:35 p.m., shorten it to 30 minutes and air "Tonight" at 12:05 a.m. However, O'Brien said he would not remain on "Tonight" if it was bumped to 12:05 a.m. and left the network, paving the way for Leno's return as "Tonight" host in the traditional 11:35 p.m. time slot in March 2010.
O'Brien now heads up his own chat show "Conan" on TBS.
Yet another court date set for Lohan
LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles judge ordered Lindsay Lohan to return to court March 18 for another hearing on allegations involving a car accident last summer.
Lohan faces possible jail time if Judge James Dabney decides the star violated her probation in a 2011 theft case.
The hearing takes place within the same time frame as Lohan's scheduled taping of an episode of Charlie Sheen's FX television series "Anger Management."
Friday's hearing featured its own twists and turns even without Lohan present in the courtroom.
The Hollywood Reporter said Lohan's new attorney made a couple of gaffes that didn't get by Judge Dabney.
New York lawyer Mark Heller has 44 years of legal experience but he was corrected by Dabney about the requirements for Miranda warnings after a traffic acciden. He was also reminded that April 1 in California is Cesar Chavez Day, on which state courts are closed.
Cowell launches online talent contest
LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- Britain's Simon Cowell says he is launching a new talent contest asking people with unconventional talents to submit YouTube videos online.
The creator of "The X Factor" and "Britain's Got Talent" is turning to a completely online format with "You Generation," the BBC reported Thursday.
He said he wants people with "unconventional and original talents" to audition for the contest by uploading YouTube videos of themselves performing or displaying their gift, from music to make-up to photographers, the BBC reported.
The public will then be able to view the videos and people associated with Cowell's company Syco will judge and select the best. Every two weeks auditions will be held for different categories and winners will receive prizes. The process will continue for a year and will be aired in 15 languages in 26 countries around the world, the BBC said.
Susan Boyle starring in first film
LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- Scottish singer Susan Boyle is filming her big-screen debut, a Christmas period film set in an 1890s English village, the star said.
Boyle, who rose to fame after singing the "Les Miserables" song "I Dreamed A Dream" in 2009, stars along "Les Miserables" star Samantha Barks, the BBC reported. Former "Doctor Who" star Sylvester McCoy and Bafta-nominated actor John Hannah also appear in the film adaptation of U.S. author Max Lucado's novella.
The film, "The Christmas Candle" is about blessed candles that answer people's prayers, TMZ reported. It is being filmed on location.
"It's very cold. ... I'm wearing long johns under my bustle," Boyle said. "Everyone on set is a delight to work with and it's a fantastic experience to be part of the team."
Co-star Barks flew into Britain for filming immediately after an Oscar performance of the "Les Mis" song, "One Day More."
"I had an hour to unpack and repack and get to set," she said.
The film is set to be released at Christmastime.
