Latest in Johnny Carson

Author Bill Zehme, the last person to interview Johnny Carson and biographer of Frank Sinatra and Andy Kaufman, has died. He was 65 and passed in Chicago after a long battle with colorectal cancer. Zehme was known for his ability to land interviews with hard-to-reach celebrities. His works included I…

I had just arrived at a small dinner party several years ago when a surprise guest, Johnny Carson, seated himself across from me and promptly invoked the dreaded "L" word. "We haven't met before, so I should explain that I'm not a very ‘likable' dinner companion," he advised. "I'm paid to be entertaining…

EXCLUSIVE: The story of one of America’s most beloved TV personalities, Johnny Carson, may finally be coming to the screen. A high-profile series, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Carson, written by Deadwood creator David Milch and to be directed by Jay Roach, was recently taken out and has been heating up the premium…

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. After the ABC announcement this week of a second year in a row with no traditional Oscar host, I happened to be on the phone talking with a former Oscar show producer. He said it was getting to the point where no performer is going to want to commit…

UPDATE: Few in Hollywood had more stories to tell, or told them better than Burt Reynolds. Wanna bet? Read this interview Reynolds did with Deadline while promoting his memoir, with great tales about his interactions with everyone from Bette Davis to Orson Welles, Clint Eastwood and Johnny Carson. He would have told…

Barry White's suit patterns? Rhett and Scarlett's baby cradle? Gene Siskel's critic's chair? If Hollywood's crazy aunt decided to clean out her attic, the pile on her Beverly Hills lawn might look like the 60 or so peculiar lots put up for sale by Screenbid.com on Monday night. "We have a strange auction here, lots of…

Jay Leno explain to Billy Bush why he never had Joan Rivers on NBC’s Tonight Show:

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. worked together for two decades at Daily Variety. In this occasional column, two old friends get together and grind their axes on the movie business. BART: It was Charlie Rose who remarked this week that the death of a Robin Williams or Joan Rivers — people who made us laugh — evokes an…

NBC has put in development a miniseries about the life of iconic late-night talk show host Johnny Carson. Based on Bill Zehme’s upcoming biography Carson The Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait published by Simon & Schuster, the project will cover Carson's 30-year run (1962-92) as host of The Tonight Show, as well as…

Turner Classic Movies has pacted with the estate of Johnny Carson to produce Carson On TCM, a showcase of Hollywood interviews from Carson’s three decades as host of The Tonight Show — many of which have not been seen since their original airdates. The deal licenses 50 interviews from the Carson Entertainment Group…

EXCLUSIVE: Heeeeeeere’s a feature film project that has potential. John McLaughlin and producer Tom Thayer have teamed up with the estate of Johnny Carson on a feature film about the life of the venerable Tonight Show host. The film will be scripted by McLaughlin, who wrote the Darren Aronofsky-directed Natalie…