NBC on Monday made it official: Jimmy Fallon will be the next host of “Late Night,” taking over for Conan O’Brien in 2009.
The network delivered the news atop 30 Rockefeller Center in New York by showing a “Saturday Night Live” montage of Fallon impersonations.
“It’s a comedian’s dream to get this job, to work with writers and try to be funny every night,” Fallon said. “I’m hoping to make it the best show, a great show, for everyone, [so they’ll] choose me to fall asleep to.”
Since last summer, the industry has buzzed with reports that the 33-year-old Fallon would take over the late-night show in mid-2009, when O’Brien inherits “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno.
The Fallon transition is being managed by Lorne Michaels, who picked O’Brien out of obscurity to fill David Letterman’s old slot at NBC, then stuck with him despite savage early reviews. Fallon should have an easier time of it, Michaels said.
“You’re never really certain of these things, but I just think he’s built for it,” said Michaels, executive producer of “SNL.” “You’ve just seen that he’s really funny, he’s smart and he has a really, really good work ethic.”
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McCartney-Mills divorce granted
A judge in London granted a preliminary divorce Monday to former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. If no one objects, the divorce will be final in six weeks.
Mills will emerge from the rancorous divorce with a settlement of $47.5 million but a reputation damaged by her televised outbursts against McCartney.
Neither McCartney nor Mills was in court Monday, which might have been a good thing. At the end of a hearing in March, Mills stole the show by emptying a pitcher of water on the head of McCartney’s lawyer, Fiona Shackleton.
Mills will retain custody of the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice.
McCartney will retain the bulk of his fortune, estimated by the court at $880 million.
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Her lips are sealed
Hayden Panettiere can heal from just about any injury on “Heroes,” but in real life, Panettiere’s not immune to attacks in the tabloids.
“Nothing is private,” Panettiere told Teen Vogue in its June issue, according to E! “And when they write about you, it’s almost completely false.”
And don’t bother asking Panettiere about her rumored romance with “Heroes” co-star Milo Ventimiglia.
She told Teen Vogue: “I’ll not comment until the day I die!”
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And to top it all off …
It’s not like she could have worn jeans.
Miss fashionista herself, Sarah Jessica Parker, arrived Monday at the London premiere of the “Sex and the City” movie in an outfit that would make her Carrie Bradshaw character swoon, people.com reports.
Full-skirted Alexander McQueen couture? Check.
Fred Leighton diamonds? Check.
Enormous Philip Treacy hat, replete with green roses and yellow butterflies? Check and check.
For more Bradshaw fashion, catch the movie, slated for a May 30 release in the states.
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‘We’re all changing. I thank you for helping me as I grow through that.’
— Miley Cyrus, thanking fans for their support at a weekend performance in California. The teen didn’t specifically mention the scandal over racy Vanity Fair photos, according to People.
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Out of ‘The Hills’ and onto the beach
She may be feeling left out among her roommates, but things are starting to look sunnier for “The Hills’ ” Audrina Patridge.
The reality TV star plans to make her film debut in the sequel to the 2005 Jessica Alba/Paul Walker film “Into the Blue,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film follows a pair of scuba divers (“The O.C.’s” Chris Carmack and “Smallville’s” Laura Vandervoort) searching for Columbus’ lost treasure. Patridge is the first of the Hills girls to land a movie acting role, according to the Reporter, although Lauren Conrad made a cameo as herself in last year’s “Epic Movie.”
Audrina’s character is described as “a no-nonsense, beautiful beach babe whose boyfriend caters to her every command.” You hear that Justin Bobby?
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The Personals page was compiled by the staff of RedEye, and news services contributed. For updates all day, visit redeyechicago.com.
