Jay Leno was absent from the nation’s TV screens for little more than three weeks, but he’s returning Monday night, March 1, with renewed purpose.

Leno will be reclaiming his old job at NBC’s “Tonight Show” just nine months after giving it up to Conan O’Brien, and only 19 days after NBC pulled the plug on Leno’s own prime-time misadventure.

Now the late-night war resumes between Leno and his longtime CBS opponent David Letterman, who gained the ratings upper hand during O’Brien’s brief, unhappy stay as “Tonight Show” host.

NBC is praying that Leno will settle comfortably back into his “Tonight Show” desk chair, where he ruled late night (and beat Letterman) for much of 17 years.

But already handicappers are weighing whether Leno can recapture his momentum after leaving last May in favor of O’Brien, and after stumbling badly in his weeknight prime-time hour, yanked last month by NBC.

Dorothy Elayan, 50, of Louisville, Ky., and her daughter, Jena, 19, who were visiting Southern California, were waiting to enter the NBC studio in Burbank for Monday’s taping. Both said they preferred Leno over O’Brien.

“I didn’t like Conan. I didn’t like his sense of humor,” Jena Elayan said. “I watched ‘The Tonight Show’ when it was Jay Leno.”

Her mother said she had remained a fan of Leno in prime time.

“I would like him earlier because I go to bed earlier. I was that one little person still watching,” she said, referring to his disappointing prime-time ratings.

Also in line was Natalie Hanks, 19, of San Clemente, Calif., who said she found O’Brien funnier than Leno but added, “I wish there was room for both.”

She said Leno might face resistance from O’Brien’s fans.

“I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook rallying around Conan. I think younger people will boycott “Tonight” with Leno,” Hanks said.

Meanwhile, rumors abound concerning the next step for O’Brien, widely seen as victimized by Leno and by NBC’s ham-handed shake up.

The most popular theory places him on the Fox network, butting heads nightly with Letterman and Leno.

With NBC’s much-watched blanket coverage of the Winter Olympics now just a memory, the battered, often-ridiculed network desperately needs something new to brag about. A successful trip back to the future with Leno hosting “Tonight” might qualify.

Leno’s scheduled guests tonight are Jamie Foxx, Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn and singer-songwriter Brad Paisley. Letterman is countering with Bill Murray and rap star Ludacris.
“The Tonight Show” and “Late Show with David Letterman” air at 11:35 p.m. Eastern time.

Staff Reports
Since the start of the Olympic games on Feb. 12, people from all across the world have been tuning in to watch and see how their country fares when being pitted against the best of the best from various competitors of other nations.

The Beijing Olympics, held in 2008, was declared by NBC the most-watched event in American television history with a staggering 214 million viewers. However, around APSU, the enthusiasm seems to be lacking for the 2010 Winter Olympic games.

“I watched the Olympics last time around, but I just couldn’t get in to them this year,” said freshman Robyn Simpson. Students who haven’t watched the Winter Olympics claim a number of reasons, from not having enough time to being interested in the games.

There are some events students believe should not be a part of the Winter Olympics. Freshman Christopher Silk believes that curling, an event where four members slide a heavy blue stone across a floor made of curling sheet, should never have been added to the Winter Olympics. “Curling is basically glorified housekeeping,” said freshman Bo Hunter, in agreement.

However, some events, like freestyle aerial skiing, still manage to captivate the attention of students. “It’s interesting how you can be on skis and do so many flips,” said freshman Brianca Williams. “That takes a lot of athleticism.”

Another event students have shown interest in is both men’s and women’s hockey. “I think it’s great that the Canadian team beat the States in women’s hockey,” said freshman Sean Bailey, who is a native Canadian.
Although the number of students tuning in to the Vancouver Olympics may be less than anticipated, it doesn’t make United States fans less proud of the United States’ victory, earning a grand total of 37 medals.

By TANGELIA CANNON
Features Editor
At a time when most students are stressing about upcoming mid-terms and getting ready for spring break, some students still make sure to make time for themselves.

Kevin Reynolds, a sophomore biology major is one of the many students that tries to make time for themselves in a busy schedule.

“I play the XBox an average of two hours a day,” said Reynolds. “It’s not as much as I would like to, but with me being in school and working, it’s all the time I have . . . depending on what is going on during the week and what is happening at school.”

Reynolds began gaming at an early age, due to growing up with four brothers.

“I remember having two PS1 consoles in our house, but all we had were awful games,” said Reynolds. “So instead of playing the PS1, me and my brothers stuck to the Super Nintendo. I remember playing games like “Rock and Roll Racing,” “Super Mario Bros.,” “Zelda” and “Mortal Kombat.”

Growing up with a house full of boys, influenced Reynolds’ game-play greatly. “I enjoyed playing two player games that were either co-op or versus,” he said.

“I really liked playing “Mortal Kombat” because I was really good at it. It gave me the chance to beat up on my bigger brothers.”

Having a busy schedule does not deter Reynolds from keeping in touch with his family. Playing the XBox gives Kevin a way to keep in touch, while having fun.

“I remember having little tournaments with my brothers in games like “Mortal Kombat” on the Super Nintendo,” said Reynolds.

It was in 2004, when Reynolds first took his passion for gaming and began competing in a local tournament.

“My high school hosted a “Madden” tournament on the PS2,” said Reynolds. “I didn’t do too hot, but there were a lot of people there that were much better than me.”

Since 2004, Reynolds has only been to a few competitions. However, he plans to begin entering more tournaments.

“I am beginning to enter one every couple of months with my friend, Greg Hunt,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds and Hunt recently entered a tournament in Waverly, Tenn., which featured competitions in XBox and PC games.

“We competed in both the “Madden” and the “Call of Duty 4” competitions,” said Reynolds. “We won the tournament and received a free entry into the next tournament, free pizza and an XBox 360 skin/face plate.”

“My favorite part of tournaments is the competitiveness. It is completely different than just playing on XBox Live,” said Reynolds.

If you are interested in going to tournaments, Reynolds said the best way to find out about upcoming games is the Internet or friends that are gamers as well.

One piece of advice Reynolds offers any future competitor is to communicate with team members.
“If you do not communicate, then you will just be picked apart by a team that does,” said Reynolds.

By JENELLE GREWELL
News Editor

“No More Heroes” for the Wii was quite a stress reliever, brimming with violence, sex and gross humor. Its sequel, “No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle,” not only lives up to expectations, but exceeds them.

The game smashes all expectations one might have on Wii game. Instead of Mario and mushrooms, the game features a charming, grungy, anime-loving main character named Travis Touchdown, who in the first game reached the rank of “number one assassin.” Two years later, he is not only back in the ranking game to be number one, but he is fueled by the lust to avenge his best friend’s death in the city of Santa Destroy.

As Travis wielding a beam katana, you will slash your way through ranking battles set up by a voluptuous assassin agent Sylvia Christel, whose presence adds a lot of sexual humor to the game by flirting with him.

The ranking battles are everything one loves about a violent game: fountains of blood and enemies being split right down the middle.

However, just like its predecessor, “No More Heroes 2” is very confusing and has little battle structure.

When fighting enemies, the camera has to constantly be refocused and there is mostly random slashing of the katana.

A plus to the battles is somewhere in the chaos of slashing and killing an enemy, a slot machine shows up. If it lands on three bars, Travis transforms into a tiger and rips everyone to shreds.

Another downside is the feeling of fighting the same enemies over and over again and they all spew out the battle or death cries, which are quick to annoy.

But this is all made up for in the boss battles, which feature assassins with diverse and humorous personalities which break up the monotony to the same old, same old.

The one thing that makes “No More Heroes 2” a great game is not just the violent nature, but the style. The game features witty, gross and sexual humor with every turn that is never boring.

One of the more humorous things about the game is the charge of the beam katana is represented by a smiling phallic shape in the top corner.

As the katana loses the power, the shape begins to go limp and can only be recharged by jerking the katana up and down until the shape is fully erect.

The game has many features to where you can train at a gym, buy clothes or participate in many side job games. The side job games take on a style and game play much like the old Nintendo Entertainment System. The games are reminiscent of “Pac-Man” and “Super Mario” and all vary in the level of difficulty and cash received.

One of the better features of the game is Travis’ motel room, where there is an arcade, the option to decorate and take care of a fat cat named Jeane.

Overall, “No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle” caters to the gamer with a love for violence, witty humor, sex and nostalgia.

Even with its’ confusing and chaotic battle play, it still manages to entertain and feed the need for a unique and stylish game.