TELEVISION - Aug. 12, 1992

Jay Fires Back: Jay Leno came out firing when “The Tonight Show” returned to the air Monday after a two-week hiatus during the Olympics. In the opening minute of his monologue, Leno took an uncharacteristically serious tone to refer to the ongoing war of words involving him and late-night talk-show host Arsenio Hall. “Oh, they’ve been taking shots at us,” he said. “You know, sometimes people think if people say nasty things about you and you don’t answer it, it’s a sign of weakness. Well, you don’t get this far, you don’t get this job, by being weak. And if you don’t think that nice guys can finish first, just keep watching.”