Leno’s 11 – Why Jay Should Think like Danny Ocean for Next Show

Jay Leno Should Round Up Ex-NBC Stars for New Late Night Program

It's official. Jay Leno will be leaving "The Tonight Show." Executives at NBC appear to be pushing the 60ish talk show host out to make room for the younger Jimmy Fallon.

What should be Leno's next play? Well, that's easy. The comic should think like Danny Ocean and organize a crew of disgruntled talent from the Peacock Network to seek revenge.

And in TV talk, there's only one kind: rating revenge!

The new show should be a must-definitely-see variety, sports, news, talk, sketch, reality, show extravaganza. Preferably on cable.

Here's a look at the players:

Ann Curry

The best sidekick would be one with something to prove, making Ann Curry, fired as co-host of NBC's "Today" show, the perfect candidate.

Sure she was criticized for being a tad solemn, as noted on people.com, but that could be alleviated in late night by serving cocktails a la Andy Cohen.

Watch the ratings soar as Curry sips an apple martini, leans back on the couch, and kicks her feet in the air like Sally O'Malley from "SNL."

And chemistry would be a non-issue, as Leno appears to like everybody. I'll bet he could end a Bernie Madoff interview with a handshake and smile.

"It was great having you," he may say, "Come back soon!"

Tiki Barber

Former NFL star and broadcaster, Tiki Barber, could prepare a sports segment for the show. Fired from NBC for breaking its moral conduct code by dating an intern, according to the Bleacher Report, Barber would likely enjoy much looser standards on cable.

Didn't two cast members from "Mad Men" just get married?

Barber would bode well to think outside the box and interview athletes from offbeat sports around the world. Who needs a sit down with Tiger Woods, when an interview can be had with the winner of the World Bog Snorkeling Championship?

Jack Osbourne

Ozzie's son, Jack, was let go by NBC because of his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, according tousmagazine.com. The network thought he might be unable to compete in the physically demanding challenges faced in the show "Stars Earn Stripes." Whatever the reason, Osbourne could be the reality TV component in Jay's show. The lad could throw caution to the wind and partake in a variety of extreme tasks such as:

• Climb Mount Everest in flip flops
• Be submerged in a shark cage made of pipe cleaners
• Parachute into North Korean and open a Potbelly

Stone Philips

Stone Philips was not fired from NBC, but rather his contract wasn't renewed, as revealed byusatoday.com. Nevertheless, the reporter would make an excellent addition hosting a news segment of the show.

As viewers are sick of real world events by 11:30 p.m., Stone could rip a page out of the Weekly World News playbook and go for crazy, offbeat stories.

First up could be a feature on speed dating for werewolves, followed by an exclusive visit to the boulevard of broken dreams to interview clones of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis.

Rainn Wilson, John Kraninski, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak

The documentary-style sitcom, "The Office," was cancelled by NBC, as reported by ew.com. I'm not sure if the cast is disgruntled, but they probably wouldn't mind keeping the party rolling on another show.

The talented groups could write and perform original comedy sketches that would be similar to scenes from their former show, only funny.

Possible ideas include a lumberjack that longs to be an opera singer and a game show where all losing contestants are forced to eat lunch with Andrew Zimmern.

Of course, these ideas would need to be flushed out.

Dan Harmon

The talented creator of the NBC sitcom "Community," Dan Harmon, was let go due to creative differences, according to time.com.

What can the ultra-talented writer/producer do on Jay's new show? Well, the only remaining hole in programming is a person to handle crazy animal segments.

As any successful late night producer will tell you, exotic zoo animals make the show funny and spontaneous. Who doesn't remember the marmoset that relieved itself on Carson's noggin? I saw it onYouTube and it's hysterical!

And Harmon can be given all the creative freedom he wants. Book a giraffe that can play an accordion or a lizard that enjoys pancakes.

Jeff Zucker

Well, someone has to hire these talented people and put the wheels in motion. My vote is for Jeff Zucker, former NBC chief executive, who was fired from NBC after Comcast purchased the network.

Zucker could make room on CNN, the network he's currently attempting to revitalize, as discussed onthefiscaltimes.com. Replacing an hour of tired programming with Jay's surefire, whiz-bang show would elevate Zucker to a status of super-genius. Or at least score him a parking space by the door.

So there you have it. "Leno's 11" - a brand new TV show that's sure to be a hit.