Welcome back to late night, Coco.

Last night the former Tonight Show host made his basic cable debut on the TBS network and it did not go unnoticed. Conan O’Brien wasted no time in reminding viewers of how his firing went down last year, literally likening the NBC Network honchos to Godfather-like hitmen.

While it may have lacked the vim and verve of O’Brien‘s dash across America as he headed towards the land of Burbank for The Tonight Show, last night’s cold open showcasing O’Brien‘s search for new employment (including cameos by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and “Guardian Angel” Larry King) proved the comedian could take a licking – and a joke.

And he’s got the last laugh: the debut of Conan won the ratings battle, beating NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman, and fellow basic cable funnymen Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Let us here at WHC Insider be the first to publicly declare our vote for Conan O’Brien as the host of the 2011 White House Correspondents Association Dinner…although maybe he should shave first? Check out the bearded-one in last night’s monologue:

WHC Insider Late Night Conan, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Late Night, Stephen Colbert

There’s probably no tougher room to play for a comedian than the Washington Hilton where hundreds gather for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, with the guest of honor – the President of the United States – seated at your side.

And this year there’s no tougher act to follow than his own for Jay Leno, just months into his second stint as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” after a much-publicized tussle between the peacock network, Leno and Conan O’Brien.

So The Hill gathered some advice for the funny man from some fellow comedians as he preps for his hosting duties.

jdonofrio DC, Event Coverage, Late Night, Washington Events Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, The Hill, WHCA Dinner

Jay Leno’s back at the Tonight Show (in March) and back at the WHCD (in May), a venue he “headlined in 2004, 2000 and 1987,” according to Ed Henry’s report this morning at CNN.

The WH Correspondents Association, which hosts the annual dinner to raise money for college scholarships and journalism prizes, invited the comic weeks ago when “he was simply the host of a prime-time show that was failing five nights a week. But when he appears at the [dinner] … Leno will be the guy who pushed aside Conan O’Brien,” writes Lisa de Moraes in today’s Washington Post.

Click here for Lisa’s write up.

gtruong DC, News Media, Washington Events Conan O'Brien, Ed Henry, Jay Leno, Lisa de Moraes, White House Correspondents Association

D. L. Hughley came to DC as a correspondent for NBC’s The Jay Leno Show and asked people about health care and tried to bring the Democrats and Republicans together in a segment called “D. L. in DC.”  And what better way to bring people together than a little Kumbya?

Watch what happens below.

gtruong Late Night D.L. Hughley, Jay Leno, Kucinich, LaTourette, Snuggies

Jay Leno premiered his new show last night on NBC and asks President Obama about owning a lot of cars, the ladies of The View, the future of his show, among other “hard-hitting” questions.

gtruong News Media Barack Obama, Jay Leno

Ali Wentworth from whcinsider on Vimeo.

Ali Wentworth, actress, comedienne, Oprah regular, and wife of George Stephanopoulos gave WHCInsider the exclusive insight on her e-rules for the Information Super Highway. WHCInsider has learned that George Stephanopoulos is not permitted to tweet when Ali Wentworth is talking. Ali also doesn’t permit BlackBerrys in the bedroom and says tweeting should be something you do when you’re alone.

And she predicts her former boss, Jay Leno, will be a hit in his new 10:00 p.m. time slot, and thinks Wanda Sykes was told to tone down her blue humor for the WHCD. We picked up these scoops at the raucous party Ali and George hosted Monday night for the fun and fabulous Lee Woodruff’s second book: Perfectly Imperfect.

Check out our interview with Ali and you’ll know why she’s got her own show, “Head Case,” why she has a regular seat on Oprah, and why George is always smiling!

thaddad Washington Events Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos, Jay Leno, Lee Woodruff, Oprah, Wanda Sykes, White House Correspondents Dinner

The WH Correspondents Dinner is known for outrageous moments, when a headline comedian roasts the President, who must sit and smile through the jokes. But in 2004, President Bush turned the tables on Jay Leno, giving him a little assist in standing.

John Fox Sullivan by Liz Lynch of National Journal

It was 2004 and Carl Cannon of National Journal was president of the White House Correspondents Association. National Journal Group Publisher John Fox Sullivan was seated on the dais, with a clear view of President and Laura Bush, and late night talk show host Jay Leno.

Sullivan said, “When it comes time for the president and the first lady to be seated, we all stand up, but Jay Leno was a little slow to rise from his seat. President Bush secretly reached over and goosed Leno, while making a funny sound to startle the comic.”

In a ballroom packed with 2000 reporters, a sitting president grabs an American icon — who is about to tell jokes at the president’s expense! This is what makes the White House Correspondents’ Dinner a must-attend event every year.

“The president looked at Leno with a wonderful jocular smile,” said Sullivan. ”Leno burst into laughter. After the speeches people asked what happened. Some thought it looked like Leno tripped.” Sullivan told WHC Insider it was one of the most memorable moments in his 33 years of working in Washington. 

Go to the Back Story to watch Leno’s 2004 roast of President Bush, after the president got closer than Leno ever expected.

thaddad History of Dinner Carl Cannon, Jay Leno, john fox sullivan, President Bush, White House Correspondents Association, White House Correspondents Dinner

Jay Leno says he got competing advice about how to prepare for his first White House Correspondents Dinner when Reagan was president: 

“[I] was just a kid, well 30, but that’s a kid, and he’s the president and people said don’t make fun of him, and others said he’s got a great sense of humor so go ahead and make fun, and so I start throwing jokes out in both directions and the last group was right. President Reagan had a great sense of humor.”

From The Sacramento Bee, April 5: “It’s a Reno show, with Jay Leno”

gtruong History of Dinner Jay Leno, Ronald Reagan, White House Correspondents Dinner

Wanda Sykes, the bawdy-humored comedian who will emcee this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner, has just landed a late-night network talk show on Fox for her often jaundiced, R-rated take on the world.
 
Starting this fall, Sykes — who once lived near D.C. and whose first job was with the National Security Agency — will enter the white male-dominated landscape of late-night TV talk shows, hosting her own on the Fox broadcast network. The hour-long yakker, as the trade papers like to call talk shows, will be topical, focusing on politics and pop culture and regularly featuring guests as well as spots Sykes will do outside of the studio, according to news reports on April 1 (yes, April Fool’s Day — but Fox confirmed the reports). Read more…

gtruong Wanda Sykes David Letterman, Fox, HBO, Human Rights Campaign, Jay Leno, Larry David, Oprah, Rush Limbaugh, Wanda Sykes

Timeline of WHCD Performances From Wikipedia

1945:Performers included Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Fanny Brice and Danny Kaye.

1969: President Richard Nixon personally requested the Disneyland Golden Horseshoe Revue.

Wally Boagpecosbill from Golden Horseshoe Revue

1976:The dinner featured Bob Hope as emcee and Chevy Chase.^[10] When President Ford rose to speak, he “accidentally” caught a tablecloth in his trousers, causing silverware to fall in Chase’s lap. He also pretended to trip as he approached the podium, flinging pages he was carrying into the audience—he then began his speech with “Good evening. I’m Gerald Ford and you’re not” (a reference to Chase’s catchphrase from Weekend Update

1985: Rich Little and President Ronald Reagan in a dual press conference skit.

1988: Yakov Smirnoff

Read more…

David Adler WHCD History Al Franken, Alretha Franklin, Bob Hope, Brian WIlliams, Cedrick The Entertainer, Chevy Chase, Danny Kaye, Danny THomas, Darrel Hammond, Disneyland, Drew Carey, Elayne Boosler, Fanny Brice, Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford, Golden Horseshoe Reveiw, Jay Leno, Jimmy Durante, Norm Macdonald, Ozzy Osbourne, Ray Charles, Ray Romano, Rich Little, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Steven Cobert, White House Correspondents Dinner, Yakov Smirnoff