If not NBC, then maybe ABC or Fox will do. Hell, why doesn't Jay Leno, when his contract expire and he's replaced by Conan O'Brien in 2009, just head to CNN Headline News? With his tenure at NBC down to counting away the weeks and months, Leno's future prospects are worth resurrecting for another high-profile discussion. Leno is being courted by the Disney and News Corp.-owned stations, as well as Sony Pictures Television, to hammer out a possible deal to keep him on late night, trying to steal Nielsen points not just from David Letterman, but his old NBC cohort as well.

Back in 2004, the peacock network, fearing the loss of Conan O'Brien to a competitor, promised him Leno's gig for next year. Now that leaves 'em struggling to hold on to the $25-million-per-year late night ratings winner, even if they can't offer him his regular time slot. (SNL vet Jimmy Fallon is rumored to be the top pick to replace Conan.)

So far, Sony is said to be offering the most lucrative gig: $40 million per year, and ownership of his show plus an hour-long slot that would air after his show. Sony is also said to be the least likely winner for Leno's hand, since it would be unable to offer him an 11:30pm timeslot on a network.

For his part, Leno's NBC contract keeps him off the air until January 2010 (so Conan can get a jump start, sans competition). The kicker, however, is that his current deal forbids him from even being able to talk new deals with suitors until November 2009, which means we're going to have to revisit this whole thing again in 18 months. So stop caring for now.