Leno, People's Choice and the West Coast Disconnect

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

The demise of Leno in prime time is not a good thing for Country music on television.

Jay had several Country artists on this new show and he did get 5 million to see the show -- even as a failure. Conan has been a better friend, but not by much, in this change-over.

Give Jay a half-hour where he used to be and you push Conan back a half-hour. Jimmy F is better than Conan at this point even. No music most likely on the late-night Leno and Conan music will be pushed to nearly 1a on the East ... why would you waste the time?

Leno needs to leave NBC, go to Fox and do a show the way he would like to do it. NBC would have to compete ... so would Letterman and it's good for everyone.

Ratings ... we all live and die by them. Disconnect and ultimately perish. The People's Choice awards had 11 million one hour, 10 the other ... twice Leno. And TWICE as bad, what a pile of stink that People's show! That Rascal Flatts joke was criminal ... it looked bad. These guys sure deserve better than that! The WRITING was just horrible...

It's that Hollywood/Country music disconnect ... Right when you think we have passed it, you see we have not. I was waiting for the hay bales and wagons to roll out ... amazing!

Leno was disconnected, too. Blue humor at an earlier hour. Very little music. NBC remains disconnected in all but the morning shows. Even the Weather Channel has been screwed up with reruns. Imagine they rerun the weather morning show...

Taylor Swift's Grammy hopes remain strong. She is the story of 2009. Talk about disconnect. Grammy's go with someone else and they will look silly. It's like the Oscar folks ignoring "Avatar." That discussion has yet to begin, but will. How many Oscar noms and wins for that film? 1.4 billion box office and counting. Ignore and you disconnect.

Many questions as we enter 2010 ... The strength or weakness of this economy. Unemployment remains 10% and I think it's higher. How can you fill up all the concert seats available this year? Will ad revenue from car dealers come back ... it has a little. Will political help this year?

And with all the questions, how about this Country Crossings in South Alabama. What a political hot potato in the Deep South. Check out this back-and-forth that we join in progress: You will get the tone of the argument:

Riley Press Secretary Todd Stacy, in a written statement, called Country Crossing a "criminal enterprise" and criticized the commissioner in Dothan for publicizing the task force's search warrant, saying such documents should be kept confidential "to preserve evidence and protect law enforcement officials."

"Criminal Enterprise" is a strong description. Many Nashville folks are knee-deep in support of this entertainment/bingo destination. The problem remains the law in Alabama.

The legal foundation seems murky at best. The Governor says illegal, others aren't so sure. It's another fight like only the Hatfields and McCoys can do. This fight is bad even on Auburn/Alabama feud standards.

The Gov wanted to raid the place ... a judge stopped it. It is very high stakes. The BamaJam festival with Chesney is part of the overall organization. George Jones, Randy Owen and a dozen other are involved. This is a soap opera. Stay tuned. It changes everyday....