Leno set to Fallon his sword

OUR LONG, national "Tonight"-mare is almost over.

NBC on Wednesday officially announced its poorly handled switch in late night, replacing incumbent Jay Leno, 62, at "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon, 38 - and moving the iconic franchise back to New York.

The move had been widely reported but not confirmed by the network. NBC reportedly just wrapped up negotiations with Fallon on a contract extension.

Even though NBC has little experience with shows at the top of the ratings, Steve Burke, chief executive of NBC Universal, said that the network is purposefully making the move when Leno is still at the top, just as when Leno replaced Johnny Carson at "The Tonight Show."

"Jimmy Fallon is a unique talent, and this is his time," Burke said.

To boost the switchover, Fallon will take over in conjunction with NBC's coverage of next year's Winter Olympics.

NBC was worried that ABC's 45-year-old Jimmy Kimmel would establish himself as a go-to late-night performer for a younger generation if the network didn't move swiftly to install Fallon. But the move also has the potential to backfire with Leno's fans, who did not embrace 49-year-old Conan O'Brien when Leno was temporarily moved to prime time a few years ago.

The move of "Tonight" to New York also could have a positive impact on Kimmel, who will now be first choice for any would-be guest on the West Coast.

"Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels, will take over as producer of the new "Tonight Show." Michaels is 68, and already has a fairly busy schedule. Fallon's replacement at 12:35 a.m. was not named, although 39-year-old Seth Meyers of "SNL" is considered a strong candidate.

The first effort toward making that transition smooth came on Monday night, when Leno and Fallon appeared in a comic video making fun of all the late-night rumors. It aired in between each man's show.

Leno, in a statement, offered his congratulations to Fallon.

"I hope you're as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you're the old guy," he said. "If you need me, I'll be at the garage."

Fallon said, "I'm really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow."

Ron Jeremy is out of the hospital, his heart is OK and all his equipment seems to be working.

In fact, CNN reports, the 59-year-old porn legend has already shot a scene for "Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex: Legends."

It's an instructional film about how to please a woman, and Jeremy stars with Evan Stone, Steven St. Croix and Sean Michaels.

For his first scene back, the never-bashful Jeremy cleared the room in case, you know . . .

"I was nervous," he told CNN. "Blood-pressure medicine can affect the penis. I'm taking blood-pressure medicine now, and I was able to do it, but my scenes aren't as good as they used to be. I don't get the full massive. If I could be so specific, CNN, it bends a little. But it felt good being back in the saddle."

"I'm really grateful that Ron Jeremy could be here with us today," Drake said during a break in shooting. "I'd like to pick his brain some more, but I wanted to go easy on him. I was really worried about having him on the set. When he was getting [oral sex], I was really watching; watching his breathing, watching his face. Everything."

On Twitter: @DNTattle