Jay Leno returned to his mainstay, The Tonight Show, on Monday Night, featuring Jamie Foxx, Olympic skier Lindsay Vonn, and musical guest, Brad Paisley.

The show opened with Leno awaking from a bad dream and repeating "there's no place like home...there's no place like home" - referencing to The Wizard of Oz. To Team Conan supporters across the country, that was agonizing to witness.

After the introduction, Leno stepped onto his stage, and embraced America once again. As the crowd was applauding, the terrible band wailing, and Jay Leno muttering thank you repeatedly, the overlying awkwardness of the entire predicament, involving former Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien during the weeks leading up to the change, filled the air. Nevertheless, the show must go on; and in painful fashion, it sure did.

Leno still had his swagger, I must admit. His playful, witty jokes that play with sexual innuendos and creative jabs make the viewers howl in laughter, or turn away in embarrassment. In an attempt to solidify their position back on at 11:35 - with an obviously more mature audience - they flashed a clip of "The World's Tightest Pants." To sum it up, it inconveniently bombed.

His pokes at Tiger Woods were safe, and somewhat funny. "Gatorade has ended their sponsorship with Tiger Woods," said Leno. "Apparently, he was seeing five other sports drinks."

After the commercial break, Leno introduced "Jay Looks for a New Desk," with him and a camera crew knocking on random peoples' doors, asking to try out their desk for the Show. It was an enjoyable skit, and I got a few laughs out there. Nothing like the skits Conan rolled out every night - but that's the past, the sad past.

And now for the big unveiling - Jay Leno's new desk! This shall exhibit strength, fortitude, persistence, and stability, indeed! This is the new desk for the new Leno, back where he belongs! The sheet was pulled off, and there it was! ...A desk looking like the front entrance to a Staten Island strip club. I could barely watch, just peeking through my fingers as my hand covered my face. Who approved that? Let me guess, NBC exec Jeff Zucker?

From the desk on, the show was television murder - minus the Lindsay Vonn interview, and Paisley's performance. Okay mostly it was Jamie Foxx, the first guest. He came out like a mascot for an NBA team, or a DJ at a club - constantly pumping up the crowd, chanting "Le-no, Le-no, Le-no." Yes Jamie, Le-NO!

He had to be drunk, or high, or both. He popped and sprayed a bottle of champagne over the front row, proceeded to knock over his coffee cup, spilling water everywhere, and constantly was in a struggle to catch his breath. Blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol, indeed. Calm down Jamie, I think you can keep your day job as a singer-actor-comedian, and leave the Pump-Up obligation to Kevin Eubanks and his terrible band. Let's just all thank NBC for scratching the horns from the band - at least now we can truly hear how bad of a singer Vicki Randle is.

Foxx continued on his uncomfortable rage of exuberant energetic prowess as millions of viewers looked on, and I'm assuming here, with jaws dropped. Thankfully, Leno's next guest, Lindsay Vonn, saved the day with her American-heroin persona, and long, beautiful legs.

From a chaotic, master-mess of an interview with Foxx, to a bland, formal interview about how she felt winning the gold; how she felt skiing down the mountain; how she felt when she broke her finger. Yawn, Leno, yawn.

The musical guest, Brad Paisley, followed Vonn, and in an unprecedented move, used a nearly identical set to the one of Will Ferrell's "Sweet Home Alabama" cover on the finale of Conan's Tonight Show. Jeff Zucker at his best!

In spite of that, the song was decent, and the show came to a close. Overall, it was hard to watch. After being treated to seven months of a youthful, energetic Conan O' Brien, who suited the comedic relief of college students and 20-somethings all over the country, Leno's return was demoralizing. Sure, he's funny. He's always been, he'll always be. But this Tonight Show will never be like the original, which he led for 17 years. And it certainly will not be like Conan's, which was around for only, and unfortunately, a mere test-run.  nyunews