Jay Leno is twisted, and funny, in bleak promo for his NBC show

If Jay Leno had been this subversively funny at 11:30, I might've been watching him instead of Letterman all these years. So, why wait until now, when his show is moving from late night into more ad-friendly prime time, to give us a glimpse of his twisted side? This NBC promotion, now running on 15,000 multiplex screens in front of PG-13 and R-rated movies, shows Blair Witch-style "lost footage" of Leno and Fred Armisen driving in the desert, where they run over and kill ... something. Then it ladles on the noir, with an aftermath that includes yet another major crime, caught in grainy hand-held glory. So, what's the take-away here? That Leno's a better actor than anyone's given him credit for, and that he's been hiding his dark, Coen-brothers sensibility? Or that famous people get away with all kinds of mayhem? (This is L.A., after all). I don't know, but I get the feeling it's a bait and switch, since most of the on-air promos for The Jay Leno Show (launching Sept. 14) have him goofing on people who don't know what the Gettysburg Address is or who lives in the Vatican City. If it turns out to be an accurate peek at what's in store for his switch to 10 p.m., count me in. (Will he have celebrities with fewer clothes?)

—Posted by T.L. Stanley