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A Salute to Jay Leno

10:30pm JAY LENO: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE - Performance 

A lineup of top entertainers, including Garth Brooks, Kevin Eubanks, Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Handler, Seth Meyers, Jerry Seinfeld, J.B. Smoove, Wanda Sykes, and others, saluted Jay Leno at the 17th Annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on October 19, 2014. https://youtu.be/FCyNDcyhYcQIt was in May of 1992 when Leno followed in the footsteps of legendary NBC late-night hosts Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson as Tonight Show host. Prior to becoming host, Leno had been the exclusive guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson since September 1987. He first appeared as a guest on the show March 2, 1977, and he made numerous additional appearances on the show, as well as NBC’s former program Late Night with David Letterman. An indefatigable performer, Leno loves to test his humor live on audiences across the nation, performing over 100 live appearances in nightclubs, theaters, and stadiums each year, in addition to hosting the Tonight Show.

Jay Leno and Jerod Shelby, Founder of Shelby SuperCars
Credit Jay Leno and Jerod Shelby
Jay Leno and Jerod Shelby, Founder of Shelby SuperCars

Jay Leno Leno has also gained an international following on the internet with his new creation, Jaylenosgarage.com, winning an Emmy Award and two additional nominations for Outstanding Special Class–Short-Format Nonfiction Programs. Leno, himself, is the recipient of the People’s Choice Award and other honors, including the Harris Poll selection as most popular star on television. Other personal highlights include the Hasty Pudding Award at Harvard University and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Emerson College. Like Mr. Carson, Groucho Marx, and an elite group of entertainment figures, he has been invited to have his papers installed in the Library of Congress.

Jay Leno at a book signing event in Torrance, California to promote his book 'If Roast Beef Could Fly'
Jay Leno at a book signing event in Torrance, California to promote his book 'If Roast Beef Could Fly'

Leno’s children’s book If Roast Beef Could Fly (from Simon & Schuster) was published in April 2004 and immediately became a New York Times Bestseller. His follow-up kids book How to be the Funniest Kid in Your Class was similarly successful. He has also published the book Leading with My Chin (from HarperCollins), as well as four versions of Headlines, the compilation of books and desk calendars featuring his favorite funny newspaper headlines, and Police Blotter, a book with more humorous newspaper clips involving police stories. When he is not performing, writing, or doing charitable work, Leno keeps busy doing voice-over work in such movies as Cars and Igor and the hit-TV show The Fairly Oddparents (Nickelodeon), where the character The Crimson Chin – a superhero with a chin with superpowers – was inspired by Leno’s own noted jawline. He is also a monthly columnist in Popular Mechanics and in his spare time, he enjoys working on his collection of classic cars and motorcycles, building a number of cars, including an eco-car in his eco-friendly garage. Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in Andover, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Mavis, live in Los Angeles.

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Mia Laurenzo is a 30-year veteran of public television in Miami. She began her career learning every aspect of video production. Currently she is a writer, producer, on-air host and promotions coordinator for TV, radio and the web. Her experiences include producing for a series, special events and historical documentaries. As a native Floridian, she is a perfect fit for South Florida's Storyteller Station, WLRN. She has produced award winning, nationally distributed documentaries like Journey to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where one year she followed a high school band and a clown as they prepared for the big day and the next year, she had the privilege of being a clown herself. Previously, she produced Weird Florida: On the Road Again, a sequel to the highly successful show Weird Florida: Roads Less Traveled, where the cast and crew travel over 1,500 miles searching the Sunshine State’s weirdest and wackiest places. On a more serious note and what she considers to be her most important work, she produced Out of Darkness, Into Light, a documentary on child sexual abuse,which delved into the lives of three adult survivors, a show in which she was awarded her first of two Emmys.