This week marked the return of Jay Leno as host of the Tonight Show, after Conan was unceremoniously pushed out of his promised spot at NBC. It also marked a rise in vocal Leno critics. On Tuesday, Howard Stern made an appearance from his studio at Sirius XM on CBS’ Early Show, wherein he expressed his hatred for Jay Leno, outlining the reasons the late night host has not been not acting like a man nor a professional.
A Day later, however, comedian Jim Norton, the man behind the third mic on Sirius XM’s Opie & Anthony Show (a long time rival of Stern), popped up on a Web-only interview on CBS news, defending Leno’s character and business decisions. Norton was a regular contributor on the Jay Leno Show. So let’s take a look at both interviews. Who makes better points? Does this resolve anything? Let us know in the comments section!
After the jump, check out Stern’s appearance on Conan from 2006, where he warns Coco about the deal he’s made with NBC to take over the Tonight Show.
Clear Channel, the radio chain that fired Howard Stern six years ago, and thus began the age of Stern’s reign on satellite radio, confirmed today that they want him back, reports the Associated Press. The jock is currently in the last 11 months of his five-year, $500-million contract with Sirius XM, where he’s the host of the Howard Stern Show.
Late last week while appearing on the Bubba the Love Sponge show — also on Sirius XM — Stern even admitted he was getting offers, clarifying thusly: “Not a bona fide offer, but people have been making them.”
Though he did say, rather, forcefully: “I can’t imagine the day where I would ever work for Clear Channel. That’s pretty sure.”
Do you think Stern would ever go back to work for the people who fired him? Does Stern have his price? Let us know in the comments section.
Upon hearing the news this morning that Howard Stern’s longtime show staffer comedian Artie Lange was hospitalized last weekend as a result of an attempted suicide, friends began to rally behind him.
The blog savebabygorilla.com, which was launched years ago in an effort to help the troubled comedian and always maintains great respect for the comedian when reporting on him, is taking up donations to send Artie flowers and a gift basket; the site creator Matt Crouch has also put a moratorium on any negative comments.
In addition, close friend, frequent Artie opener and co-worker at Sirius XM, Pete Dominick, the host of Stand Up with Pete Dominick on the POTUS channel had this to say to Punchline Magazine:
“Artie Lange is just like the rest of us. He is the consummate comedian. He has the quickest wit I have ever known. Busting balls with him is the best. He is relentless. Like the rest of us he loves to quote other comedians’ bits….’you ever hear Attell’s bit about______?’ He pays his openers more than any other comedian I have heard of. He loves his fans. Working with Artie over the past three years has been one of the great highlights of my career. I consider him a brother and I know he will recover from this.”
According to the New York Post, a suicide attempt was the reason Artie Lange was rushed to the hospital over the weekend. When the news broke on Jan. 2, that Artie had been admitted to a New Jersey hospital, details were scarce. The Post this morning, however, cited “a source close to Lange’s management team, ” saying that he “landed in the hospital after stabbing himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt”
We were told weeks ago that Artie was available for an interview to promote his new album Jack and Coke; when we followed up, we were told on Dec. 18 simply that Artie was not available for an interview. Lange also recently canceled tour dates in Atlantic City, Connecticut and Ohio. In a Dec. 3 interview with New Jersey’s Star Ledger Artie explained the cancellations: “I felt I really needed time to relax, and I might decide just to go away from Christmas to Jan. 2, with my girl, and try to get my head straight, or just relax.”
Though Howard Stern has been relatively vague about Artie Lange’s whereabouts since he’s gone AWOL a few weeks ago from The Howard Stern Show and especially since last weekend, when it was announced the troubled comic was rushed to a New Jersey hospital, he said something a bit strange this morning on the Sirius XM show.
Savebabygorilla.com, the online authority on all things Artie reported that Stern admitted, “I’m not sure Artie hasn’t left the show. We don’t know where he is.”
During the show, Stern also mentioned that he was going to start working on a “best of” Artie show, which would be an odd move if Artie hadn’t already left. Though, who knows how serious Stern was. We reported on Jan. 4 that Artie may not return as a full-time regular staffer on the show. That’s starting to look more like a possibility.
Even before the Jan. 2 announcement that Artie Lange had been hospitalized for an undisclosed reason, rumors had been circulating about how the veteran comedian would not return to the Howard Stern Show, from which he’s been absent for the last few weeks. And now, one source says that a Sirius executive has said Artie Lange will not be returning to the show in his current role. “The exec told me Artie will no longer be on Howard as a full time regular,” the source tells us, adding that this conversation happened on Dec. 23.
Since Punchline Magazine launched in 2005, we’ve been closely watching Mitch Fatel’s career. At that time, Fatel was a well-respected headliner, had two albums under his belt and 20 appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. So it comes as no surprise to us that Fatel is now on fire, set to premiere his first hour special for Comedy Central — Mitch Fatel is Magical — on Sept 19; the DVD will be in stores Sept. 22. As he was starting to prep for the special, we did this video interview with Fatel last year and even caught up with him last month as he was doing spots in New York to practice for his recent set on Late Show with David Letterman. And look, Mitch shot this video, just for you, the Punchline Magazine readers. So check it out.
The point is this: We’re incredibly excited knowing that Fatel’s brand of x-rated humor filtered through the lens of a child is going to be unleashed on the masses in a very big way. To prepare for Friday’s premiere of Mitch Fatel is Magical, we wanted to give you these additional clips. Enjoy!
A Howard Stern fan has started a write-in campaign mayorartie.com to elect Artie Lange as the next mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. A special election will be held in November to replace Mayor Peter Cammarano, who served only 30 days before he was arrested in a major corruption scandal.
Lange, who has been a Hoboken resident since 2001, “doesn’t know shit” about politics, according to the campaign site. But with the support of Stern, Lange brainstormed on his political agenda.
“I would legalize all drugs and tax the shit out of them,” Lange said on-air. The money generated would go to city workers. “Police would get $200,000 a year and firemen would start at $150,000” in a Lange administration.
The campaign — not yet officially endorsed by the candidate— kicked off Monday with a Wiffle Ball tournament.
Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons, he of Howard Stern Show and his own Sirius XM gig The Greg Fitzsimmons Show fame – will write a memoir for Simon & Schuster. The book, Dear, Mrs. Fitzsimmons will not be presented as a traditional biography; rather the many “disciplinary letters, incident reports, and in worst cases, newspaper clippings, that his parents received from teachers and school officials” about Greg throughout his youth will build the story of his life.
“I am beyond flattered that a company as distinguished as Simon & Schuster would get behind me writing this book,” Fitzsimmons said. ‘I apologize to them in advance for the difficulty they now face in working with me.”
Dear, Mrs. Fitzsimmons will be published next year.
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Clear Channel, the radio chain that fired Howard Stern six years ago, and thus began the age of Stern’s reign on satellite radio, confirmed today that they want him back, reports the 
According to the New York Post, a suicide attempt was the reason Artie Lange was rushed to the hospital over the weekend. When the news broke on Jan. 2, that Artie had been admitted to a New Jersey hospital, details were scarce. The Post this morning, however, cited “a source close to Lange’s management team, ” saying that he “landed in the hospital after stabbing himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt”
Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons, he of Howard Stern Show and his own Sirius XM gig The Greg Fitzsimmons Show fame – will write a memoir for Simon & Schuster. The book, Dear, Mrs. Fitzsimmons will not be presented as a traditional biography; rather the many “disciplinary letters, incident reports, and in worst cases, newspaper clippings, that his parents received from teachers and school officials” about Greg throughout his youth will build the story of his life.
