After years of notoriety in his native United Kingdom, our boy Ed Harcourt is finally making his name stateside. Following the US release of his album The Beautiful Lie (available now on Dovecote Records), and a stint on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Harcourt has signed on to write and record the score to the upcoming, and long-anticipated, sequel to Donnie Darko.

I tagged along with Ed for a bit at South By Southwest and caught him doing something his parents would not approve of. Check it:

From the Ink Tank Press Release:

LOS ANGELES, July 14, 2008 - The ever prolific British singer/songwriter Ed Harcourt is about to add film scoring to his repertoire, as he’s signed on for “S. Darko,” the supernatural sequel to the cult favorite film, “Donnie Darko.” Set in 1995, seven years after the original, Donnie Darko’s younger sister Samantha is the focus as she deals with her brother’s death and finds herself caught in the midst of a meteorite crash. The movie, which began shooting in May, is slated for a 2009 release and directed by Chris Fisher (”Nightstalker,” “Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders”). “I read the script and loved it, so I jumped at the opportunity,” exclaims Harcourt. “I’m really looking forward to experimenting and getting to do whatever I want. I have tons of ideas. This is all I’m thinking about - Darko on the brain.”

While Harcourt has returned to the states for another round of touring in support of the U.S. release of his acclaimed album, The Beautiful Lie, [June 3, Dovecote Records] he maintains he will be hard at work composing while on the road. “I’m coming up with ideas all the time,” he explains. “My goal is to compose something every day.” Venturing outside of the world of conventional songs, Harcourt says his references and inspirations run the gamut from “weird electronic music like Autechre and Aphex Twin to Clint Mansell’s score for “Requiem for a Dream,” to “Phillip Glass and Arvo Part.” “I plan for this to be sort of a merging of organic, acoustic instruments, like chamber strings and such with heavy atmospherics and drone,” he explains. “It will be surreal and psychedelic just like the movie. Greg Dulli recently turned me on to The Disintegration Loops I-IV of William Basinski, so that’s a big influence right now.”

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I caught what may have been a repeat of Jay Leno last night and watched Priscilla Ahn give a moving performance. I even shushed my boyfriend when he said she needs to eat a cheeseburger. Kinda true, but the girl is talented. Great song complimented by the voice of an angel. I can’t wait to be taking a candlelit bubble bath with her (“A Good Day” came out June 10th) …on the stereo.

Girl was an ice sculptor, rrrrrandom!

Never mind the fact that this video is a black and white hand held of the television. This is Chris Farley’s first national interview on the Tonight Show in 1992. Well worth the watch for any Farley fan.

Though NBC has been tight-lipped about who will replace Conan O’Brien when he steps into Jay Leno’s Tonight Show hosting spot in 2009, both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter are now saying its certain to be SNL alum Jimmy Fallon:

As he did with O’Brien, Fallon’s former Saturday Night Live boss Lorne Michaels will produce his newest protégé’s late-night show.

Fallon isn’t a complete neophyte, having served as guest host for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman back in 2003.

The switch is expected to take place in early 2009, when O’Brien will take over Tonight for a reluctantly departing Jay Leno.

Though I have my doubts about Fallon, I’m just glad someone is finally getting rid of Jay Leno’s tired ass.

The gay community got pretty ticked off at Jay Leno for making insensitive comments during an interview with actor Ryan Phillippe this past Thursday. Phillippe didn’t seem too stoked about the whole experience either. I’ve been nice enough to include the video here:

However, Leno has apologized for his comments:

“In talking about Ryan’s first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong. I certainly didn’t mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say and I apologize.”

From the video, it doesn’t seem like Jay meant anything bad by it. Leno also brought up an old commercial Phillippe had done in which he had to run around naked. The Tonight Show host mentioned that he found out about Phillippe’s first role as a gay man on a soap opera and the revealing commercial by Googling his name. When you Google my name, the first thing that comes up is this. Unfortunately, my abs don’t look half that good.