Michael T. Weiss: Good to see you again, sir.

Leno: Can you put your leg over your head?

MTW: [to fellow guest, Kelly Lynch] No, I am so excited to be sitting next to someone who can put their leg over their head.

Leno: See, guys will keep that rollin' around in their head.

MTW: It's a great life in Hollywood.

Leno: Yeah, that's what's great about this town. Well, you're an action guy. You do these action things. You should sort of ....That seems up your alley.

MTW: Yes, I've been very, very fortunate during this wonderful show to do a lot of different action-adventure sort of things.

Leno: Were you scuba diving in one? Did I see this?

MTW: I've scuba dived. I've sky dived. I've driven race cars. But the scuba diving thing was a trip for me because a...well, a psychic sort of ruined that experience for me.

Leno: A psychic?

MTW: Yes, sir.

Leno: How do you mean? So you go to a psychic....

MTW: Well, you know, whenever I do something, I do it with great zeal and enthusiasm, so I went and I took this extensive scuba diving course. Not just one of those, like, weekend scuba diving courses. I went for, like, five nights a week, with homework and schoolwork, and I...you know I....

Leno: ...take the written test....

MTW: The written test. You know, like the squid test and , you know, sharks and eels and things.... and you know, I was very excited about taking this test. And I do these extensive dives....And I go to this psychic. And the psychic goes....I fnally get my degree in scuba diving...And I go to the psychic, and the psychic says, (in psychic's accent] "Do you scuba dive?" And I said, "Yeah, I do. I'm kind of a studly guy. I just got my certification. It took me about six weeks." And he goes: "You will die scuba diving." So I can't even get in the bath tub anymore, and I'm freaking out a little bit.

Leno: First of all, it sounds like....Was Bela Lagosi the guy you went to?

MTW: You will die! I mean that's supposed to be the unwritten law, that you don't tell someone how they're gonna die.

Leno: Oh, is that the unwritten psychic law? Again, psychic law I'm not familiar with. Do you do this....Do you call the telephone psychic lines? Did you do that? I mean, what brought you to the psychic?

MTW: Now I'm doing it though. [Dialing pretend phone] "Am I really gonna die scuba diving?"

Leno: Alright, take off your clothes. Now what is the, ah....I mean, how'd you get to the psychic? I mean, do you go to psychics?

MTW: No, I didn't. Someone recommended a psychic. I was very excited to have this other experience in my life, and it ruined scuba diving for me.

Leno: So now you....But you still go, or you get frightened when you go?

MTW: I still go, but I still get a little freaked out.

Leno: You just go put your head under water.

MTW: I was recently in Tahiti, and a Morey eel came right in my face. I said, "Hey, you. I don't wanna die yet."

Leno: Oh, so again, always with the psychic.

MTW: Yes.

Leno: Now you just worked with our president, Don Ohlmeyer.

MTW: Yes, Mr. Don Ohlmeyer.

Leno: Well, he's, as we say in my home country, the boss of bosses. Is he a fan of your show?

MTW: He's the big chesse at the network. He's the big kahuna, and he was very nice to guest on our show. And he pulled me aside, and he goes, [in a Chicago accent] "Michael ('cause he's from Chicago) he goes, "Michael, my Mom is a big Laker fan. I had front row, center seats to the Laker game, and I want you to know that she said to me, "I can't go because I gotta watch my favorite show on television."

Leno: Ooh....

MTW: The Pretender

Leno: So his Mom is...that's good. And good demos.

MTW: Good demo, you know, when the president of the network, when your Mom wants to watch your....

Leno: Was he a good actor? Be hon....Turn the camera off. Was he any good?

MTW: He was brilliant, Jay.

Leno: Really? [waves toward camera] This isn't on. Wait a minute. Can he act?

MTW: I thought he was up there with DeNiro.

Leno: And he wanted to be in it because his Mom would see him? Is that what it is?

MTW: Yeah, I think that must have been it.

Leno: Do you have a clip? Do you have a clip of our president?

MTW: We have a clip. It's a bit of a rough-cut clip of the president of NBC.

Leno: Folks, I want you to look at it. You tell me whether you think Don Ohlmeyer, our president, can act. Take a look.

[clip from Indy Show/#31]

(audience gives standing ovation)

Leno: [gestures at audience] Wow, you know, I can see people were visibly moved.

MTW: Jay, I read in the paper today that you were picked up until the next millenium. So you don't really have to kiss his butt anymore.

Leno: No, I'm all set. I'm all set. So where else you been? You going around the world in this show?

MTW: I'm going all over, all over around the world. It's been a great gift in my life, this show. I mean, we get to do...I get to play a different character every week. I get to experience different people every week.

Leno: Were you driving race cars? Did I see that one?

MTW: Yes, I got to drive a race car.

Leno: Now, do you like that? Is that fun?

MTW: That was a whole new world for me, and a very exciting one. Now, you think you probably get lucky being a talk show host, you know. I'm sure that's a chick magnet for you, Jay.

Leno: Yeah, it's a chick magnet. That's the kind of talk my wife loves. I have one chick, and then my magnet's been....Well, it's only got one polarity, if you know what I'm saying. I had the other magnet....Well, go ahead. But for you, you're a single guy. You can be a chick magnet.

MTW: I got to....We were at the California Speedway, and I got to put on a race car driving suit and hang out with Mario Andretti and Al Unser, Jr., and I got to go around the pacecar--at 150 miles per hour on the track--which is really cool. But if , you know, you wanna get lucky, you just wear a race car driving suit.

Leno: Really? Women are attracted to that?

MTW: Unbelievable. I mean, people....

Leno: Now, did you wear it....Did you come into Hollywood, and you walk around town in your race car outfit? Hi, girls. You get the big shoes, too, if you get the, uh....
Now, you were in Australia, too?

MTW: I was in Australia recently for the Logie Awards.

Leno: Now what is that?

MTW: It's the Australian version of Emmys.

Leno: Oh, I see.

MTW: And you walk around, and they're like [ Australian accent]: "Eh, you're The Pretender. You're The Pretender."

Leno: It's two words in Australia.

MTW: [again with an Australian accent] Pretender

Leno: So what....I mean, did you have fun there? Is it nice? See, I've never been there. It seems like a lovely place.

MTW: Australia's a very lovely place. People are really, really sweet people.

Leno: Well, Michael, thank you very much. The Pretender. Every Saturday night. Michael T. Weiss.

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