Letterman, Oprah, and….Jay Leno? Seriously, WTF?

In recent years, the Superbowl has become just as well known for the TV commercials that air during the game as it is for the game itself. Last year The Late Show with David letterman gained some attention for an advertisement they screened featuring Dave and Oprah sitting on a couch together eating chips while watching the game.

This year they have expanded the advertisement to include a third on the couch. Jay Leno.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT7woALgv5A[/youtube]

The advertisement is genuine and was reportedly shot at the Ed Sullivan Theatre on Thursday night. For fans of US late night TV, this is practically mind-blowing. A few thoughts on this:

• Following the fallout of the Leno/Conan NBC debacle, Leno needed to gain some credibility back and something like this would be wildly beneficial for him.
• Is Leno really this desperate to start generating some cred?
• The fact NBC would allow Leno to appear on his direct oppositions television commercial is mind boggling.
• The fact Letterman would be willing to share the stage with Leno is surprising considering his intense dislike and ridicule of the man.

UPDATE: The New York Times Bill Carter has published a story which explains how the TV spot came about.