With Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno receiving more hype now than when NBC switched their hosting duties last summer, as the network recently canceled Leno’s 10pm prime-time show and O’Brien is scheduled to film his last episode as “The Tonight Show” host on Friday, celebrities and fans alike are taking sides.  But O’Brien’s fans have one less reason to celebrate their favorite male red-headed comedian’s departure from the network that wronged him: NBC owns the characters recurring comedy sketches featured on both “The Tonight Show” and ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” the Hollywood Reporter announced. That means if O’Brien accepts a job on another network, much like David Letterman did…

Fueled by the hit single “Check My Brain,” currently No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Rock Songs and Alternative Charts, the new ALICE IN CHAINS album BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (Virgin/EMI) entered Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart at No. 5 with sales exceeding 126,000 copies. You can purchase the album on iTunes here. The debut comes amidst a flurry of activity surrounding the band, including heavy radio and video airplay (the “Check My Brain” video is currently featured on MTV2′s Elite 8), a sold-out U.S. buzz tour, and back-to-back performances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last Tuesday and Wednesday. The album has also been drawing rave reviews from both…

According to several news stories, including those by credible industry sources such as Broadcasting & Cable and TV Week, NBC will announce today that Jay Leno will take over the 9 p.m. slot on the network every weeknight starting Fall 2009. Leno will remain the host of “The Tonight Show” until May 2009 when Conan O’Brien, who currently hosts “Late Night” in the time slot after Leno, will take over for the show. Both shows have a similar format, featuring sketch comedy and celebrity guests, which is said to make the transition smooth. According to Kansas City Star TV critic Aaron Barnhart, the move will be a wise one. He…