Kimmel to share slot with Leno, Letterman

Updated: August 21, 2012 - 7:52 PM

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ABC's Jimmy Kimmel is about to get a promotion -- to 10:35 p.m.

Following a flurry of rumors, the network confirmed Tuesday that it will move "Jimmy Kimmel Live" earlier, starting Jan. 8.

That will put it in direct competition with NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" for a three-way ratings brawl.

"Nightline" -- the storied late-night news program that has survived attempts to demote or kill it for years -- will start at 11:35 p.m. and also, starting March 1, get a new prime-time Friday news magazine.

Kimmel has seen ratings improve in recent months, while Leno in particular has experienced a slump after NBC made a disastrous experiment with Conan O'Brien in the "Tonight" slot. "Tonight" last week laid off some staffers, and Leno took a pay cut to prevent further departures.

Ready for a 'Good Time'?

Don't call Minnesota's own Owl City a one-hit wonder. "Good Time," a collaboration between Owl City's Adam Young, left, and Carly Rae Jepsen, best known for this year's smash "Call Me Maybe," has sold more than 1 million copies this summer. Expect that number to jump when the musicians appear next Tuesday on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," as well as TBS's "Conan" next Wednesday. Young, who hails from Owatonna, previously had huge success with the single "Fireflies," which went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. Those who can't wait that long to check out a local band on late-night television can tune in Wednesday to "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which will feature a performance from Poliça.

NEAL JUSTIN

SWIM ENDS IN FAILURE: Diana Nyad, who turns 63 on Wednesday, ended her fourth attempt in nearly 35 years to swim across the Straits of Florida on Tuesday, her dream of setting a record thwarted by storms, jellyfish stings, shark threats, hypothermia and swollen lips. In a blog posting, crew member Candace Hogan wrote that Nyad angrily shook her head after being pulled from the water about 50 miles short of success. "I'm not going to get that moment I dreamed of for so long," Nyad said after arriving in Key West.

A LICKING: As Homer Simpson would say, "D'oh!" In a move that wasted $1.2 million in printing costs, the U.S. Postal Service produced 1 billion commemorative stamps featuring characters from "The Simpsons" but sold only 318 million, according to a report by the Postal Service's inspector general.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

Actress Valerie Harper, 73

Actress Cindy Williams, 65

Actress Regina Taylor, 52

Singer Tori Amos, 49

Actor Ty Burrell, 45

Actress Kristen Wiig, 39