Today and tomorrow mark the midpoint of 2010 -- and thus the midpoint of our year in movies and TV. Join Movieline in both taking stock and looking ahead.
Movieline has already celebrated the midpoint of 2010 by forecasting the dates that will shape the rest of the year, but what about the possible late night bookings that could go down in television history as format game-changers? Here are the guests we hope to see shaking up the after hours landscape (already shaken up itself after this year's late night wars) over the next six months.
· Conan O'Brien (Untitled Conan O'Brien Show)
Chris Rosen already covered the significance of November 8 today, but November 8 is too big to ignore in this post. Conan's return to late night not only marks a victory against networks who tried to push him back past midnight but it could also mark the cannibalization of late night.
· Sandra Bullock (Lopez Tonight)
Several sources are already reporting that the Oscar-winning actress has agreed to joke about her past year on her friend George Lopez's show to celebrate the show's first week behind Conan's new series in November. If that happens, she will likely give Lopez Tonight the biggest ratings of its run. Yes, even bigger ratings than the time she appeared on the show pre-Oscar and let G-Lo chola-fy her.
· Glenn Beck (The Daily Show)
You've seen Jon Stewart's segment-long tributes to the Fox newscaster this year and hopefully, the pair will be able to work through their differences (or just battle out their differences during a week-long Daily Show series) this year. It will probably require Jon Stewart to visit The Glenn Beck Program in return but hey, Stewart appeared on The O'Reilly Factor. Stranger things could happen like...
· Joaquin Phoenix (The Late Show with David Letterman)
Joaquin and Dave: 18 Months Later. It's hard to believe but it was only in February 2009 when the actor -- rumored to be quitting acting for a hip-hop career -- chewed gum throughout his Late Show appearance. Perhaps the two grumpy characters will reunite to mend their relationship on-air and try to build on their record for awkward late night silences while discussing the actor's documentary, which has been described as containing "more male frontal nudity than you'd find in some gay porn films."
· Charlie Sheen (Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
The Two and a Half Men star has to come out of hiding at some point. What better way to move past his dramatic year -- full of spousal abuse claims, contract negotiations and wrecked cars -- than on Kimmel!, where the Hollywood bad boy could joke about having an "off year."
· Howard Stern (Late Show with David Letterman)
As listeners of Howard Stern's Sirius show know by now, Howard Stern hates Jay Leno -- despises him, accuses him of being a fake and alleges that Leno stole material from Stern's show. While the King of All Media has frequently spoken about ConanGate on his own program, he has still hasn't opened up that can of worms with Letterman himself.
· Lindsay Lohan (Lopez Tonight)
Earlier this year, Lindsay Lohan found herself in a twitter feud with George Lopez after the TBS host joked about white powder traces on her shoes. G-Lo promised to stop harassing her in his monologue on the condition that she venture out into the cable wastelands for his show. Someone needs to promote the upcoming Lohan reality series.
· LeBron James (The Late Show with David Letterman)
If LeBron signs with the Knicks -- as Stephen Colbert has predicted -- the basketball star's first show in New York City will be electric and a must-see television event for any fan of the sport or the city.
· Betty White (Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson)
OK, really, Betty White on any late night program is worth watching, especially when she dresses up in costume for Craig Ferguson. Betty White as a fangbanger opposite Ferguson's lovesick, bed-headed vampire anyone?