The other day, we introduced you to the two comedian contestants on this season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. Well, in one episode’s time, the comic representation as been cut in half, as the Donald axed comedian Carol Leifer on Sunday. Sinbad is now the lone comedian on a show full of the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Darryl Strawberry and Cyndi Lauper.

Check out Leifer getting fired below. Guess she’ll have to go back to being a successful show writer and touring comedian.

For all the members of Team Coco, the idea of winning tickets to see Jay Leno host the premiere episode of the show he once had, promised to Conan and then stole back from Conan, has to be little more than barf inducing. But that’s what’s happening. A few hours ago, Leno announced the contest to his studio audience. Apparently one person and a friend can snag the spots for this historic, albeit, incredibility tainted television event. Leno supporters need to go to facebook.com/jayleno and fill out some info in order to be considered to win. You also need to have removed your soul. Kidding, of course! Can’t we kid?

For the last few years, soft-spoken, guitar-wielding comedian Nick Thune has been slowly building a reputation as a respected artist in the alt-comedy scene, especially in Los Angeles, where he’s based.

But in 2009, he became part of Jay Leno’s posse of seemingly not primetime-friendly — not because of lack of talent but because of their non mainstream approach to joke writing — comedian correspondents. We get that Leno is the devil, but before the whole late night debacle of 2010, we were, admittedly praising Leno for exposing the likes of Thune, Jim Norton, Marina Franklin and more to the average television viewer. We won’t stop praising that behavior now.

So now, Thune, with the Leno exposure under his belt and his already strong comedy pedigree, is set to release his debut album on Comedy Central Records. Thick Noon comes out on Feb. 23. But you can check out a pair of tracks here. Let us know what you think. And after the jump, check out Nick’s appearance on last night’s Jay Leno Show, his final piece of screen time for the show.

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Funny. Really funny. Genuinely and truly funny! That’s not often said about modern Saturday Night Live, but that’s sure what we got on Saturday. Mad Men madman Jon Hamm hosted up a storm of characters and was sexy (almost) all over this week.

Cutting to “clips” from his stints on the teen show Late for Class, QVC and Def Comedy Jam, Hamm’s monologue was a great display of deadpan humor, poking fun at his pre-Don Draper days.

The sketches that followed, however, took him well beyond that one-trick pony joke, showing a great range of not just acting chops, but humor.

In the Andy Samberg digital short “The Curse,” Samberg earns the wrath of a homeless man. Hamm plays “Lost Boys”-like sexy shirtless sax player Sergio, who appears at the most inopportune times. For a joke that’s based in a sort of repetition that makes the final scenario’s outcome obvious, the visual impact of the punch line is downright disgusting in the most hilarious sense.

“Closet Organizer” is a sketch that deserves more than just a quick mention. While Will Forte went slapstick by having stuff hurled at him – jeans, socks, underwear, blankets, lamps, water, trophies, marbles, additional water and pies, pies, pies, pies, pies! – Hamm got the real laugh as the moronic misogynist offering his testimonial.

But it’s not just that sketch by itself that earns the writers a notch in their belts. It’s the payoff in a referential later sketch, also starring Forte and Hamm, that gives it real comedic depth…. the way we love it when stand-up circles smartly back to an earlier bit. Comedy nerds, you know that as a “call back.”

Plus it proves that even in plaid, Hamm heats up the stage.

In fact, the only time Hamm wasn’t the brightest star on the set was when Fred Armisen, in drag as a typewriting stenographer, showed Wiig how to make her own gimmick actually work, repeating “I can’t find my crackers” to absurdly funny effect.

Meanwhile, Michael Bublé may be a love him or ignore him singing performer, but when he’s side-by-side with Hamm in a pork and champagne commercial, he’s nothing short of riotously talented.

I’m leaving a few out, and it’s not fair! Because seeing Hamm as hot Scott Brown, donning disco red, white and blue or as an Indianapolis Colts coach turned alien is just as funny as anything else I’ve described already. But we can’t just go on and on, and it’s only right to point out that the show, while fantastic, had its low-points, too.

The weakest sketch was either (no surprise) the Kristin Wiig spotlight “1920’s Party” or (total surprise) Weekend Update.

Oh, yeah, there were a couple of great news lines… Mac addicts probably groaned at this one about the new iPad: “This week Apple released a thing that does stuff that its other stuff already does.” And you can’t go wrong comparing President Obama to Aquaman and Indiana Jones. But for the most part, Meyers’ usually spot-on one-liners fell a bit flat this week. The segment did, however, include another fantastic appearance by Bobby Moynihan as Snooki from “Jersey Shore.”

And on that odd note… next week’s host is Ashton Kutcher with musical guest Them Crooked Vultures

We’re not sure how many of our readers watch the Oprah Winfrey Show, even when someone like Jay Leno guests on the chat fest. So, in the event, you didn’t catch his interview yesterday with Lord Oprah, Nikki Finke over at Deadline.com has provided the entire transcript for our reading pleasure.

Most interesting, in our opinion, is a part of the discussion when Winfrey asks Leno to explain how NBC originally asked him to leave his Tonight Show spot five years ago, despite him being number one in the ratings. Check it out

WINFREY: When they came into your office, they, NBC executives, come to your office, your show is number one in nighttime and tell you that you’re going to be moving out in five years, what is your first reaction to that?

Mr. LENO: It broke my heart. It really did. I was devastated. This is the job that I always wanted and it was the only job that ever mattered in show business to me. It’s the job every comic aspires to. And it was just like, “What’s–why–what is it?” “Well, we’re getting pressure here and Conan’s people want to make this announcement and to make sure you do leave we want to announce it right now, you know, prior to the five years.” And I said, “Can we at least wait and as I said the other night on my show, couldn’t we wait until I’m number two and then say, okay, he dropped to number two, that’s the reason we’re moving you.”

WINFREY: So in your mind this happened or that move happened, because Conan wanted that spot?

Mr. LENO: Yeah.

WINFREY: And…

Mr. LENO: Well, what happened was Conan’s contract was up and ABC I think and some other networks were making overtures.
WINFREY: To Conan.

Mr. LENO: NBC didn’t want to lose him.

WINFREY: So they asked you to move out in order to make room for Conan to promise Conan “The Tonight Show” slot.

Mr. LENO: Right. Right.

WINFREY: Even though your show was number one at the time?

Mr. LENO: Mm-hmm.

WINFREY: So that broke your heart?

Mr. LENO: Yeah, it really did. I mean it was–I was devastated. I’m not a person who carries my emotions on the sleeve, but you know something? I’m happy with what I had, it was a tremendous success up to that point, I’m going to do the best I can to keep it number one for the next five years.

Interesting, to say the least. We wonder if this recollection would make any member of Team Coco see Conan as partly responsible for the current late night debacle. What do you think? In the meantime, check out some video from yesterday’s interview below.

You may not know it if you watch the news, but NBC has other things going on besides the Late Night War or 2010. In fact, one of the shows that will help fil the gap of Jay Leno’s 10 pm chat show, is the Jerry Seinfeld-helmed The Marriage Ref hosted by comedian Tom Papa.

The show, wherein we get to see real American married folks fight and then Papa concludes who the winner is, is already getting an incredible promotional push, despite its official announcement only coming Jan. 10.

Mainstream stars Eva Longoria Parker, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey as well as Larry David and Charles Barkley have signed on to act as panelists. And longtime sports announcer Marv Albert will also play a small roll, handing out prizes to winner of the marital disputes.

Check out a funny promo for the show below, starring Seinfeld and Papa. The video after is a look inside of a production meeting at The Marriage Ref offices, wherein the staff, including Jerry and Tom, discuss the differences between being married and just living together.

The Marriage Ref will have a special premiere after the closing ceremony of the Winter Olypmics on Feb. 28 and will then move to its regular slot at 8 pm on Sundays starting on March 14. Check out our interview with Papa here.

Conan O’Brien will vacate NBC offices with $32 million in his pocket. At 6:27 a.m. today, The Wrap reported, “NBC confirms a deal is signed and an official announcement will be made this morning.”

The payout also dictates that O’Brien will be permitted to return to television in eight months. His last show will air Friday with guests Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell. Neil Young will be the musical guest.

“In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket,” O’Brien’s manager Gavin Polone told The Wrap. “Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible.”

For the the third night in a row, David Letterman is hitting at Jay Leno hard. We guess it makes sense. Letterman has nothing to lose. However, it’s funny that after poking fun at NBC sports chief Dick Ebersol for meddling in the Conan/Leno fight — saying it has nothing to do with him — Letterman is investing so much time in the same thing. We’re pretty sure Letterman has nothing to do with the Late Night wars at this point too. But we like him. So here’s what you’ll see tonight at 11:35 pm on CBS.

Meanwhile, Leno shot back at David Letterman tonight for his constant bashing from the last three nights. Check it out below:

After last night, when he barbed Jay Leno harder than he had since this whole late night situation began, David Letterman will once again take shots at his long-time rival when the Late Show airs tonight at 11:35 pm on CBS. Luckily, you can take a look now, a few hours before that.

In response to NBC sports honcho Dick Ebersol calling Conan O’Brien and David Letterman “chicken-hearted and gutless” for making fun of Jay Leno, someone “[they] couldn’t beat in the ratings,” Letterman struck back in tonight’s Late Show opening, to air at 11:35 pm EST. He basically likens Ebersol to a meddling mother who breaks up a fight between young boys and defends his position as one of the many lashing out at Leno by saying it’s “just fun.”

Letterman also does a few quick “Big Jaw” impressions, because, you know, why not? Check it out below before the show airs tonight!

Meanwhile, on Leno’s show tonight, he continued his vanilla-tinged jokes about the whole late-night debacle. Check out the clip below.

Later in the show, Leno addressed the entire genesis of the story, dating back to 2004. Check it out.