Mike Huckabee's picket-line crossing visit to Jay Leno's Tonight Show included jokes about the former Arkansas governor's stint in a triple-wide and this musical interlude that had the band grinning in appreciation. (Gotta say we'd rather listen to the this guy from Hope, Arkansas play rather than Bill Clinton cranking on the sax. But we're admittedly Clintonophobic). That said, we admit we'd rather listen to him play bass than vote for him for President.

Mr. Huckabee pointed out that the Bill Clinton, "the man from Hope", actually left his birthplace at quite an early age, saying "the man from Hope" tag had a better ring to it than "the man from Hot Springs".

Jay Leno's controversial strike breaking program without writers rocked the time slot compared to that of the hirsute David Letterman with writers. And Conan O'Brien? He actually killed 2 minutes alternately drinking water and spinning his wedding ring thusly while someone in the booth timed its gyrations on a stopwatch. And he jumped up on his desk and danced like the offspring of Ben Blue and a Solid Gold dancer. Sort of. Conan O'Brien with writers: stilted, stretched to the limits, tense. Conan O'Brien without writers: more essentially Conan, stretched to the limits, edgy. Though the show was dull as dishwater, (even with the lovely Bob Saget there, his nasty on hold), we've gotta admit we like O'Brien better without writers.

Gotta give props to Carson Daly, by the way. His show came back to the air a couple of weeks ago at the point his staff of 73 would have been laid off otherwise. Although the show only runs 30 minutes, the early programs showed the strain of working without writers, (live bar with inept but hip, cool mixologist serving drinks with huge chunks of ice). It's actually been refreshing to watch a talk show with talk and not performances of guest interviews. Occasional really funny stuff like this visit to the Ojai Pirate Fair. And who can't sympathize with a guy who values the lives and welfare of his staff above that of keeping cool with the writer's union.

We forgot to mention Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel.*

*We can't help it. We love Jimmy Kimmel. Even when he hosts the vile Andy Dick, as he did last night. (The same Andy Dick clocked by Jon Lovitz and the same Andy Dick who pawed the Trumpster's daughter and forcibly removed from an earlier Kimmel show).


Image: Ben Stein and Jimmy Kimmel from Win Ben Stein's Money

Link to the Huckabee clip via Lucianne

The San Francisco Gate's Carla Marinucci writes in their blog covering the Iowa race that Fred Thompson gave an emotional speech about his conservatism and the importance of what's at stake to a group of 300 or so enthusiastic supporters in Iowa. From the sound of it, the address had the tone of a concession speech and Mr. Thompson left immediately afterwards without shaking hands with those in attendance.