'Leno' aims for new feel, format

BURBANK — Jay Leno sauntered through glass doors and onto a newly renovated stage, nonchalant and trimmer since “The Tonight Show” stopped taping across the lot in May.

“The monologue is right here,” Leno said Wednesday, inching toward rows of stadium seats.

Technicians and stage hands bustled in the background, readying the set for the Sept. 14 primetime premiere of “The Jay Leno Show.”

The 59-year-old host continued past two 103-inch televisions, a practicing band and large detailed pictures from his vast car collection.

“Pay no attention to the that,” said Leno, who earlier this month promised a more relaxed set than what viewers of “Tonight” were used to. “They built a desk, they built a traditional set, just to see what it looked like. We won’t use a desk.”

The show, unlike his previous gig with the peacock network, is not a talk show, and promises to be faster paced with more comedic elements designed to hold viewer attention into the local news broadcast, he said.

The monologue, Jay Walking and Headlines will remain, but instead of the usual two or three guests, the show will incorporate short clips shot and edited by up-and-coming comics.

He gave the example of a segment that involves a visit to a retirement center to teach seniors about the wonders of the online social networking site Twitter.

“The old days of a comic standing on a mark and telling jokes for five minutes, that doesn’t really hold an audience anymore,” Leno said. “What we’re doing is we have about 15 or 18 comics, we give them a camera and a crew, shoot something funny, edit it, bring it in.

“If we can break some comics and make some stars that would be great.”

Music will also continue to be a part his program, but not as much as it has been in the late-night format. On premiere night, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Rihanna are scheduled to perform together.

The colorful set, complete with LED scrolls, a moving stage and a custom-designed cityscape, is the brainchild of Brandt Daniels, who pulled together the region’s most architecturally interesting buildings.

“We’re going to have people running all over Los Angeles looking for this view and they won’t be able to find it,” he said.