The End of the Gibson/Universal Amphitheatre

Sorry music fans, Harry Potter needs the room. After 40 years, the Gibson Amphitheater -- the venue formerly known as the Universal Amphitheatre -- is set to close. And it's a shame. It's still one of the best places to see a concert in all of L.A., as there's not a bad seat in the house, even in the back.

But Universal will tear the building down after its last show in September in order to make room for a new Harry Potter-themed attraction. Here are the details:

Starting in late summer, NBCUniversal will begin construction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed land at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, as well as new and upgraded television production facilities, office space and infrastructure on the Universal Studios lot. These projects represent a nearly $500 million investment in the Los Angeles economy and the creation of more than 2,000 construction jobs alone.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be a fully immersive experience for the entire family designed to bring the Harry Potter fiction and films to life with impeccable detail and authenticity. Similar to the dynamic Universal Orlando Resort themed land that opened in 2010, the Hollywood experience will be faithful to the visual landscape of the fiction and films, including Hogwarts castle that will serve as the centerpiece of the impressively themed environment. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Entertainment and Universal Parks and Resorts.

The Universal Amphitheatre first opened as an open-air venue in 1972, but was covered in 1982. News that the Gibson might shut down first leaked in 2011, but today's announcement makes it official.

I'm guessing the Gibson/Universal is the biggest venue in L.A. to be torn down since the Shubert Theatre was erased from Century City.

Get Over It, Burbank: You Were Going to Lose "The Tonight Show" No Matter What

Let's calm down, folks. The Los Angeles Times reports that Burbank mayor Dave Golonski jokingly will go on a hunger strike if "The Tonight Show" leaves Burbank:

[Golonski]said he is drafting a letter to NBC executives asking them to reconsider the plans to move “The Tonight Show” from Burbank to New York.

“We would be extremely disappointed if the plans to move ‘The Tonight Show’ go through,” Golonski said by phone. “We would like it to remain in Burbank and the region.”

That's fine and good. But others are turning this into a bigger story -- bugging L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, strangely, or touting New York production tax breaks allegedly being put into place solely to steal away "The Tonight Show."

But here's the thing: This is a case of Jimmy Fallon simply not moving. He's been doing a show in New York. He'll continue to do a show in New York. That show's title will change from "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to "Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." But other than the title switching coasts, nothing is actually physically moving. Jay Leno will still be in Los Angeles, and will very likely host another TV show -- but again, just under a different title (and perhaps for a different network).

There's good reason that Fallon isn't moving to L.A.: NBC tried that with Conan O'Brien -- made O'Brien and his entire team uproot their lives and move to Los Angeles. That didn't quite work out as planned.

I would like to remind Golonski that Burbank already lost "The Tonight Show" -- to Universal City, where Conan hosted the show. Where was Golonski and his wacky fake hunger strike then? If anything, Burbank lucked out: Thanks to the last late night debacle, when Leno (a creature of habit who never left the former NBC lot) took over "The Tonight Show" again, that meant the title returned to Burbank. But it's living on borrowed time: NBC doesn't own its old Burbank lot anymore, it simply leases the production space for Leno. And once Leno goes, even if "The Tonight Show" stayed in Southern California, I can pretty much guarantee it would move to Universal City, where the rest of NBC now resides.

That being said, I was joking today that Leno may never leave his stage -- it may just be a different network that starts paying the rent. But the more that I think about it, that may be a real possibility. So Burbank, you may be losing "The Tonight Show," but you'll always have Jay Leno -- for better or for worse.

Meanwhile, I'm just making an educated guess here, but should Fallon take over "The Tonight Show," I'm pretty sure NBC would move the "Late Night" franchise to Los Angeles (but again, to Universal City -- perhaps even at CityWalk. Sorry, Burbank). That bi-coastal model has worked for NBC since 1982, and it's something CBS now emulates.

Meanwhile, Hollywood.com asked me to comment on where Leno's displaced audience might go once he leaves "The Tonight Show." This is what I told them:

Michael Schneider of TV Guide Magazine, lends his expertise on the subject to Hollywood.com: "In this fragmented TV world, if Leno leaves The Tonight Show, his audience would likely be spread far and wide — it's unlikely one show would be the beneficiary."

"If Letterman outlasts Leno, he'd pick up some of those viewers. Some might stick around to check out Fallon or try Kimmel, but others will likely move on to news shows, syndicated repeats or even their DVR," Schneider adds. "If Arsenio [Hall]'s still on the air at that point (he launches this fall), he could very well pick up a chunk of Leno's audience. But in the end, once Leno's show goes away, his audience may choose another, powerfully seductive late-night competitor: Sleep."

The NBC Universal Tower Becomes the "NBCUniversal Tower"

Thanks to my pal Pang-ni for snapping this pic. NBC Universal -- which became "NBCUniversal" after merging with Comcast (where they apparently hate spaces) -- is finally updating their Universal City tower with the new corporate logo.

Back in 2004, when NBC and Universal first merged, the tower's sign (which previously just said "Universal") somehow was changed the EXACT day that the merger was approved. This time, NBCUniversal took a few months. But hey, they're kind of busy over there, you know, saving NBC.

NBC Turns Conan's "Tonight Show" Studio Into KNBC's New Home

NBC Universal will turn its empty "Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" soundstage into the home for KNBC and NBC News' Los Angeles bureau.

Move will take place in 2012. That means KNBC will move out of Burbank after 50 years.

Feeling a bit of deja vu? Yep, KNBC announced in 2007 that it would relocate to a property across the street from Universal Studios.

Thomas Properties is developing that site, dubbed "Metro Studio @ Lankershim," a 650,000-square-foot project located on Lankershim Boulevard where an MTA Red Line subway stop and a parking lot stand.

But that complex, originally targeted to open in 2011, was delayed by entitlements and other issues (local homeowners raised a fuss over traffic concerns, for example).

According to a Thomas representative, Metro Studio @ Lankershim is still in the works and is now targeted to open at the end of 2016 or early 2017.

NBC U is still expected to be a major tenant at that time, and KNBC may make another move then. But for now, 2016-17 is too far away for the station, which also needs a fresh coat of paint.

Hence the Universal lot's Stage One, which has been dark since O'Brien signed off earlier this year. NBC U announced Thursday that it would remodel the building into a two-story high-definition studio and newsroom housing both operations.

NBC U sold its longtime Burbank lot in 2008 to M. David Paul/Worthe Real Estate Group; since then, it has leased back much of the facility.

Besides KNBC and NBC News' L.A. bureau, the lot continues to be the home of KVEA, "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Access Hollywood" and "Daysof Our Lives," among others. NBC Entertainment moved to the Universal lot a few years ago.

Plan will separate KNBC and Telemundo's KVEA, which previously operated as a duopoly. That's because NBC U is also shopping for a new facility that would consolidate KVEA, Telemundo network news, the network's sales department and its spinoff channel Mun 2 all under one roof. Those divisions are scattered across Burbank, Glendale and Universal's CityWalk.

A Telemundo rep said NBC U is looking at several locations for the network's operation, and it hopes to move by the end of 2011.

Read more about it here at Variety.

Take a Bite Out of Betty White

It continues to be a Betty White world. Next up: Famed hot dog purveyor Pink's has created a new hot dog named after the actress.

Pink's will unveil the dog next Monday, timed to the grand opening of its new Universal Citywalk hot dog stand.

As part of the opening event, Pink's will donate all proceeds from the first day sales to LA Animal Services’ East / West Valley Animal Shelters. White, of course, is a well-known animal supporter.

The details: "Universal CityWalk opens the San Fernando Valley’s first ever Pink’s Hot Dogs and unveils the Betty White “Naked” Hot Dog, assisted by two male models (with nice buns). Proceeds from the Pink’s Universal CityWalk Betty White’s “Naked” will benefit LA Animal Services’ East / West Valley Animal Shelters. A “Pooch Ambassador” will join in the festivities.

So what's in a Betty White "naked" hot dog? Turns out it's exactly what you might think: Nothing. Hot dog and bun, that's it. "Betty likes her hot dogs simple," her rep said.

My 25th TV Critics Association Press Tour

Twice a year, the Television Critics Association -- a national grouping of TV scribes from newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet -- throw their television press tour. I'm not a critic, but enough execs attend and hold sessions that it's worth my time; it's also still a kick to check out the panels on new and returning TV series.

This winter's event marks my 25th press tour, having covered the event since the summer of 1996. A lot has changed: The tour is much less lavish than when I first started covering the beat (and from what I understand, by 1996 the tour had already dumped most of its lavish elements), and the networks spend a lot less time hawking their wares than they used to. In the summer of 1996, each network spent three days a piece, promoting every new show, miniseries and movie, and daypart. This winter, most networks are taking just a portion of a day, sharing time with their cable brethren.

Nonetheless, it's gonna be a busy week, so posting may be a little lighter than usual.

Above, a famous shot from 1997 (post on Alan Sepinwall's site), when embattled ABC Entertainment president Jamie Tarses was forced to defend her tenure... and respond to rumors that she was about to be fired. That's young me (well, the back of my head and right ear) on the far left, writing on a notepad.