Those who have had seen former “That’s Entertainment” face Jojo Alejar does his brand of hosting via late night shows on local TV must be thinking he is doing a Conan O’ Brien. Observe the hair and the built, or the way he pulls off his jokes.

Of course, we’re not belittling the Pinoy guy’s efforts as he should be praised for his successful showbiz comeback via hosting, proof he’s done a good job. The point is, it shows how recognizable and effective Conan is that, at least to most local viewers, he comes first to mind if the topic is naming Alejar’s foreign counterpart.

Small wonder that O’ Brien had been picked to replace the legendary Jay Leno for the long-running “Tonight Show;” he has made televiewers laugh for years now and earned their respect while hosting his own “Late Night” show from 1993 to this year. Even Leno himself agreed there’s no better choice than him.

For fans of Leno who retired from the show to have a new one to be called “The Jay Leno Show,” Conan is the next best thing to continue the legacy. For the others, he no doubt has the skills to give it a new flavor and retain tradition as that witty and entertaining talk show.

“Television is changing rapidly, and I want to make sure the new ‘Tonight Show’ isn’t too buttoned up,” O’ Brien told the critics.

During a recent press invite in line with the pilot episode of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’ Brien” last June 2, the hip crowd at Magnet, Bonifacio High Street, seemed to all agree that Leno’s show won’t take a slide with O’ Brien on board. The 46-year-old act is naturally funny, and he does look hipper than Leno.

Comedian Will Ferrell, described by O’ Brien as one of the funniest guys alive, and 90s big act Pearl Jam had the distinctions of being guests on the premiere. Much later, actress Gwyneth Paltrow got noticed when she appeared with “shiny” legs, reportedly resulting from excessive lotion.

“Comedy and Change” was dubbed as themes for that first episode. Such might go on through the next clips as O’ Brien tries to fill in the big shoes left by Leno (something he made fun of when he said that everyone’s asking the “big shoes” question, and implied he wanted to hear someone say “small shoes” instead).

For Leno, he waved his goodbye with resounding applauses. His last episode had that drama atmosphere but the healthy laughter was there till the end. He knew he wouldn’t be that missed with his friend Conan now hosting the show that made him; but he is deservingly confident too that he’d be remembered for his great stint.

“I want to make sure it is funny and a worthy ‘Tonight Show,’” added O’ Brien who used to write for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons.

The ball was passed on to him. He just took the shot and sank it.

(“Tonight Show with Conan O’ Brien” is shown via Solar Entertainment’s Jack TV nightly at 11 p.m. It’s seen on Global Destiny Cable channel 32, Cable Link channel 41, and on over 300 cable operators nationwide.)