NBC today confirmed that Jimmy Fallon is taking over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014, ending months of rumors in a deal that was (according to Variety) brokered by Comcast exec and NBCUniversal president Steve Burke.

Leno will retire following a 22-year run, while Fallon's reign will begin, Variety hears, following the Sochi, Russia, Winter Olympics coverage on NBC and its sister TV networks.

A hint that a deal had been struck came earlier this week with the release of a video between the two late-night comics, which Leno and Fallon tweeted and NBC promoted online.Continue reading...

As one of the commenters on the YouTube upload of the official trailer for The Internship movie notes, "I can't believe Google was okay with this movie." Not only did the brand approve all the teasing of Google's corporate culture, there was a Google+ Hangout for the film with Conan O'Brien chatting with co-stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

In a bid to outdo last year's April Fool's Day jokes, a few April Foolin' Around branded fake gags today include:

• Richard Branson's next adventure, Virgin Volcanic, will take the intrepid billionaire to the center of the earth with Tom Hanks;

• in addition to really advanced search and Google TV Click, perennial prankster Google brings its self-driving car to NASCAR racing (above) and, below, announces Morse Code-based Gmail Tap (double your typing speed!) with LL Cool J, plus 8-bit Google Maps for the neglected Nintendo Entertainment System, and more:Continue reading...

This week saw the iTunes store add an iPad app that will make guitar, rock and Beatles fans gently weep.

Keeping the Beatles' b(r)and alive and well on digital, George Harrison's son Dhani this week showed Conan O'Brien a new iPad app that catalogs his dad's iconic collection of guitars, with narration by the late guitarist talking about why he loved particular brands and guitars, and how they were used on the Beatles and solo songs they were featured in.Continue reading...

Apple slows down growth in China and plans reveal iPhone 5 on its campus, as Verizon sides with Samsung in Apple dispute.

Arizona and Lipton fight for first place in dynamic tea category.

Audi and its new A6 "take over" Jersey City in new branded content with FX.

Blockbuster unveils streaming movie service as Netflix secures streaming deal with Dreamworks.

Bloomberg and Time shuffle web heads.

Boeing offers bidets and electric window shades on new Dreamliner for All Nippon Airways.

Bud Light pairs with Pitbull in pitch for Cuban-American consumers.Continue reading...

Continuing the innovative usage of YouTube by brand marketers, the advergame above claims to be first to use 3D sound. More details here.

Is Apple's "Buddy Finder" patent application a stealth dating service for iPhone users?Continue reading...

Fun stuff: New Era baseball caps (which given its sport, doesn't need salary caps) taps a raft of celebs in its new campaign.

In the first spot, fellow NBC stars Alec Baldwin of 30 Rock and John Krasinski (The Office) trash-talk each other's beloved Yankees and Red Sox, in keeping with baseball's humorous marketing this season. Fans are invited to pick their fave of the rival teams on New Era's Facebook page.

Future spots will include Conan O'Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Martin Scorsese and Justin Bieber.

The first Easter candy was thought to be chocolate eggs, which appeared in Europe in the early 1800s. Cadbury has built an entire business around that concept, with over fifteen different chocolate egg products (including the seasonal Creme Egg) available for Easter.

But one of the most recognizable Easter candies in the U.S. is undoubtedly those little yellow marshmallow chicks known as Peeps. They're Justin Bieber's favorite candy, as Conan O'Brien teased him above, and they've inspired fans (from Washington Post readers to Zappos employees) to fashion them into artistic scenes.Continue reading...