Conan's feeling Comcastic

Earworm of the day: listen to Conan O'Brien's musical salute to Comcast's acquisition of NBC, and just try to get it out of your head. It's "Com-com-com-Comcastic!"

Jimmy Kimmel: Adam Lambert uninvited from his show

"American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert had been scheduled to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Dec. 17 to perform songs from his new album For Your Entertainment. However, following his controversial performance on ABC's "American Music Awards," it's obvious that someone at the network doesn't want to give the singer any more air time. Along with the nixed "Kimmel" spot, he has also been removed from the lineup of "Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve."

However, NBC is more than happy to give the star a place on its airwaves. The Twitter feed for "The Jay Leno Show" announced earlier today that Lambert will be appearing on that program on Dec. 21, and the publicist for "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" just sent out a new set of listings which included the "Idol" favorite on Dec. 14.

And Lambert hasn't been completely banned from the Alphabet Network -- Barbara Walters will be interviewing him for her "Most Fascinating People" special, to air Dec. 9 at 10 PM, along with fellow pop provocateur Lady Gaga.

Jay Leno: Move him to 8 PM?

Now that Comcast has acquired NBC Universal from the Sheinhardt Wig Company -- uh, I mean General Electric -- TV writers are pondering what it could mean for the suffering Peacock Network. Of course, the deal could take 18 months to finalize thanks to regulatory hurdles, but why not speculate?

Last month, I suggested that a slimmed-down "Jay Leno Show" could work at 11 PM. Now, Josef Adalian of TV MoJoe comes up with another idea: put Jay on at 8 and move "serious, groundbreaking drama" back to the 10 o'clock hour. Apparently, NBC initially suggested this to Leno, who vetoed the plan, but Adalian says, "If Leno objects, NBC should simply break up with him." Jay's sagging ratings at 10 "are clearly hurting local newscasts and, worse, deny [Conan] O'Brien any chance at success (CBS' 10 p.m. shows give David Letterman three times as many viewers as a lead-in and promotional base)."

Of course, it's not like NBC has any "groundbreaking" dramas in its pipeline, so it would take a while to get that plan up and running.

Monday night's overnight ratings brought more bad news for Jay: a new broadcast came in third, after reruns of "Castle" and "CSI: Miami," with an anemic 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Get well soon, Reege!

Who doesn't love Regis Philbin? The 78-year-old talk show host, who holds the Guinness World Record for having logged more hours than any other TV personality, had a successful hip surgery and should be back on the air early next year. In the meantime, Kelly Ripa will co-host with a variety of substitutes, from frequent Reege replacements Anderson Cooper and Jeff Probst to her hubby Mark Consuelos and, on Friday's show, actor Christian Slater.

In case you missed it last week, here's Regis taking over "Jimmy Kimmel Live":

Jay Leno preempted by the Prez

For the first time since it began airing in September, "The Jay Leno Show" will be preempted tomorrow night, due to the President's speech on the war in Afghanistan. The speech will air at 8 PM Eastern time, while "The Biggest Loser," one of NBC's few genuine hits, will run from 9-11.

According to The Live Feed blog, Leno's ratings have stabilized. "For the past 11 episodes in a row, Leno's program has either maintained or improved its adult demo rating compared to the previous week," writes James Hibberd. "Often, 'Leno Show' has increased despite a declining lead-in as the holidays approach. And last week was Leno's most-watched since mid-October." Of course, that "doesn't change the fact that on any given evening, his shows is usually the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Leno's biggest competition isn't other 10 PM shows like "CSI" and "The Mentalist": it's recorded programs. "With one-third of American TV households now equipped with DVRs like TiVo, the 10 p.m. hour is emerging as a popular time for people to catch up on what they missed earlier in the evening, or earlier in the week," says the AP's David Bauder.

Beginning in mid-January, people who long to see more drama at 10 PM without relying on their TiVos can simply switch over to the USA Network. In what looks an awful lot like an attempt to provide counterprogramming, USA (which is owned by NBC Universal) is putting some of its most popular programs on the air in the 10 o'clock hour: freshman series "White Collar" will air on Tuesdays, "Psych" returns for the second half of its fourth season on Wednesdays, and spy drama "Burn Notice" finishes up its third season on Thursdays.

Turkey time TV: NBC, Lopez say no to reruns

One of the most common search phrases that people use to find this site is, "Why is [name of show] in reruns?" That shouldn't be such a mystery; everyone needs a vacation, even highly-paid talk show hosts (and their less-highly-paid staffs). Thanksgiving is a day off for most people, but some shows will be airing brand-new episodes for the benefit of viewers who want to spend the night relaxing in front of the TV.

NBC will feature a full slate of new shows. Jay Leno and guest Megan Fox will entertain a studio audience made up of members of the U.S. military. Conan O'Brien follows that up with Pee-wee Herman, actor Donald Faison and Bon Jovi, and then Jimmy Fallon will sit down with Robin Williams and "Parks & Recreation" actress Rashida Jones. Finally, Carson Daly and Weezer are on at 1:35 for anyone who hasn't yet fallen into a tryptophan-induced slumber.

Over on TBS, George Lopez offers up a new broadcast with "New Moon"'s Taylor Lautner, "The Hills'" Kristin Cavallari and electro-hop musicians LMFAO.

The next night, Jay, Conan and Carson will be showing reruns, but Fallon has a new program with "SNL" cast member Fred Armisen, actress Carey Mulligan and chef Daniel Boulud (with ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers, perhaps?).

TSN Holiday Gift Guide: Presents for the talk show fan in your life

Only five and a half weeks 'til Christmas! If you're shopping for a talk show lover, here are some great gift ideas:

Late Night with David Letterman: The Book: Sure, it was published way back in 1984, but copies are available on Amazon.com for a penny, and it would make a fun present for the Dave fan in your life who was too young to watch his old NBC broadcast -- or the nostalgic older fan. You can't watch these segments, since the show is out of circulation, but you can read them: "Hotel Etiquette," starring Larry "Bud" Melman! "Dave's Video Funhouse"! "The Museum of the Hard to Believe"! And so much more.

Dueling Memoirs: What Craig Ferguson enthusiast wouldn't adore the audio book version of American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot, read by Craig himself? If your friend is a Paul Shaffer fan, pick up the keyboard player's unabridged recording of We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Showbiz Saga.

Chelsea Handler's Playboy Cover: It's only available on newsstands, but if you can't find it in your local store, MyMags will sell you the individual issue.

Conan O'Brien fans who can't get enough of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will enjoy the rude canine's talking key chain toy, which spouts signature phrases like "I keed!" and "You're a great friend, for me to poop on." There's more Triumph madness on this double feature DVD, which includes a "best of Triumph" and O'Brien's tenth anniversary special.

If your friend likes Jay Leno, or bad movies, he might be amazed to know that the host co-starred with "Karate Kid"'s Pat Morita in a film called "Collision Course." The 1989 flick never got a theatrical release, due to the bankruptcy of distributor De Laurentiis Entertainment, but it's still in print on DVD! Leno plays Detroit cop Tony Costas, who teams with a Japanese detective (Morita) to track down a stolen engine prototype.

Regis Philbin and his wife, Joy, have recorded a new CD called Just You. Just Me. With standards like "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and "This Guy's In Love With You" (featuring special guest Paul Shaffer!), this might be just the ticket for your grandma.

Anyone who misses Jimmy Fallon's old "SNL" sketches, like "Barry Gibb Talk Show" and "Sully & Denise," will appreciate his "best of" DVD. A CD by Fallon's house band, The Roots, will please hip-hop fans.

For the future correspondent, pick up a "Daily Show" desk set, with a spiral notebook, pen, and sticky notes. Any Colbert fan would want their very own "On Notice" dry-erase board. Also, Stephen's 2007 book, I Am America (And So Can You!), is finally out in paperback. For the intellectual, Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!) features chapters like "Is Stephen Colbert America's Socrates?" and ponders questions such as "Has truthiness taken the place of truth?"