Stern words for Leno

New York Daily News ^ | 2/23/2004 | RICHARD HUFF

[Born Conservative]

Stern words for Leno By RICHARD HUFF DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR Monday, February 23rd, 2004

Calling Jay Leno "creatively bankrupt," Howard Stern lashed out at the "Tonight Show" host yesterday for hiring away Stern show regular Stuttering John Melendez to be his announcer. Stern told listeners on his first morning back on the radio since Melendez gave notice that Leno called him twice since the announcement.

"You're using this to get some edge, and you're lame and you're gay," Stern said he told Leno. "Jay's just lame," Stern added. "I told him 'You're an a, you're a ripoff...' "

Radio's most famous morning motormouth also slammed Leno for thinking that by getting Melendez, he would draw viewers not watching the "Tonight Show" now.

"What John has to do with Jay's show is just beyond my comprehension," Stern said.

"Jay, at what point did your creativity turn off?" Stern asked. "You're creatively bankrupt."

Melendez, who will get $500,000 a year for the NBC gig, is leaving Stern's show at week's end. He'll start on March 29, replacing current "Tonight Show" announcer Edd Hall.

Leno and Stern have been friendly throughout the years. And each has appeared on the other's show. However, Stern has often criticized Leno's "Tonight" work as being soft, and not nearly as good as his time in standup comedy.

"Jay is just a really odd guy," Stern said. "He's bizarro."

By hiring Melendez, Leno gets someone with a builtin following, especially with young male viewers, a crowd tough to lure on TV.

Melendez has been toiling on Stern's show for 15 years. He started as a gofer, grew into doing absurd celebrity interviews while stuttering and is now a fixture on the program.

Stern said he chided Leno during their phone conversations for copying bits from the radio show. Leno, Stern said, attributed the pieces on his "Tonight" show to those done by Steve Allen decades earlier.

"You're just comical in your ability to rip things," Stern said he told Leno. "You reek of desperation."

"Dude," Stern added, "you already take half my crap, you might as well steal my people."

Leno, through a spokeswoman, had no comment on Stern's rant.

Stern said yesterday he's starting the process of hiring a new staffer.

[Bikers4Bush]

It's Sterns own fault. He built his show on the backs of his cast of characters and then constantly put them down or belittled them.

What the heck did he think would happen when they got offered better jobs?

[mbynack]

In a battle of wits I'd take Leno over Stern any day. I bet the exchanges between the two over the next month or so will be pretty good.

[dead]

It had nothing to do with "belittling." Leno offered him $500,000 a year.

You can't pay an assistant radio producer $500,000. And you can't keep him from leaving for that kind of money by being sweet to him.

[Rutles4Ever]

I think it's hilarious watching these rocket scientists get into cockfights like this. Who the hell cares what either one of them thinks? Stern was creatively bankrupt from the word "go". I could pull a guy off the subway, put a mike in front of him, and let 'er rip, and get the same "uncensored" stream of thought broadcast formula he's made popular. Wow. "The Hollyweird Squares" and porn stars.

Talent.

[RoseofTexas]

Leno was sooooo brutal on W last night...serves him right! I hope Leno's show TANKS!!

[JennysCool]

I've gotta go with Howard on this one. I used to love Leno as a stand-up; but his agent's machinations in getting him the "Tonight Show" -- effectively screwing both Carson and Letterman -- and his outright theft of some of Letterman's ideas -- whether they originated with Steve Allen or not -- is dismaying. Hiring "Stuttering John" smacks of a weird desperation.

[Bikers4Bush]

So you're saying that Stuttering John hadn't put out feelers looking for a new job because he was sick of Sterns crap?

Guess again, he'd been trying to get off that show for awhile.

[novacation]

Stern is disgusting.And he thinks he has talent?Good for Leno. Wish Stern would crawl back into the sewer he was born in.

[dead]

I could pull a guy off the subway, put a mike in front of him, and let 'er rip, and get the same "uncensored" stream of thought broadcast formula he's made popular.

Well then, why don’t you just do that? Then you’ll make the hundreds of millions of dollars a year that Infinity Broadcasting makes off Stern.

Congratulations on finding the easy path to fast wealth. Anybody can do it! Who knew?!

[dead]

So you're saying that Stuttering John hadn't put out feelers looking for a new job because he was sick of Sterns crap?

No. They get along fine. The arguing is part of the show.

He put out feelers because Infinity wasn’t paying him very well and now he’s making $500,000 a year.

Do you think he would have turned that down and continued working for 20% of that salary if Stern was more complimentary? Maybe bought him donuts every once in a while?

[sinkspur]

I question the sanity of anyone who has a single good thing to say about the foul-mouthed, pornographic Howard Stern.

And his juvenile, tricycle-riding followers, with their "Bababooey" signatures, do nothing but make fools of themselves when they inject themselves where they're not wanted.

Thank God most adolescents grow out of Howard Stern.

[AgentEcho]

I never liked Leno and Letterman's act has become tired.

Conan O'Brien is, in my opinion, the best thing on late night TV.

Æ

[JennysCool]

Agree with you on Stern -- but have to agree with him on Leno. Jay's stuff has just become too tired and derivative.

[BrooklynGOP]

It's Sterns own fault. He built his show on the backs of his cast of characters and then constantly put them down or belittled them

But that's his shtick! John would still be a nobody if Stern wasn't ripping on him.

[Bikers4Bush]

No I think he never would have bothered to job hunt in the first place if Stern wasn't such a jerk to work with.

[Rutles4Ever]

I can get rich loan sharking, publishing the National Enquirer and running a lottery, too.

You must have a pretty low standard for integrity.

[Rutles4Ever]

Not to mention trial-lawyering, abortion-providing, and mail-order envelope stuffing schemes. I can think of dozens more that offer boatloads of money... Maybe not hundreds of millions, but then I'm no George Soros.

[aruanan]

Hey, Stern. Better to be creatively bankrupt than morally bankrupt.

[dead]

I can get rich loan sharking, publishing the National Enquirer and running a lottery, too.

The fact of the matter is that you are wrong.

You (or somebody on a shorter high horse) cannot just put anybody in front of a mike and earn the ratings and money that Stern earns.

Thousands of people try every day in radio markets all over the country. And they try their very hardest to be just as “controversial and shocking” as Stern. But nobody wants to listen to them, because they are not interesting or funny.