Howard Stern looking to hammer Jay Leno in Thursday appearance with David Letterman

Stern vs. Leno is a bout we'd like to see.Sirius RadiojockHoward Sternsounds like he's looking to escalate his war on"Tonight"show hostJay Leno. Stern has made no secret of his distaste for Leno, whom he called"a crook"last month in an interview withPiers Morgan. (Whatever happened to him, by the way?)

When Stern appears on the"Late Show With David Letterman"Thursday, it sounds like he plans to torque up the tension."When I go onLetterman, I'm going to call for a boycott of Leno,"Stern said on his Tuesday show."I'm gonna talk to all of show business."

Stay tuned to see if he goes through with it - and whether Leno's camp will take the insult lying down. Reps for Stern and"Tonight"both declined to comment, but a source close to the latter show told us,"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."Stern later joked that he'd have nothing to discuss with Dave besides the Sirius phone app, but Letterman has a way of getting Stern to speak his mind.

Leto's new gal pal

Jared Letohas a leading lady. We spotted the"30 Seconds to Mars"rocker clutching hands with a petite brunette hiding herself beneath a big hat at the Nylon/Diesel party at theW Downtown Hotelon Tuesday night. She identified herself only as"Justina"and stayed glued to Leto's slender hip for the entire night. Well, almost: Upon exiting, Leto parted with his date long enough to give us a squeeze and anAri Gold-style farewell:"Let's hug it out!"Sadly, we didn't get physical with Nylon cover girlLeighton Meester, who was at the fete for just a few moments.

The Journal's games

Tiger Beat! might be a better name forThe Wall Street Journal. Three weeks ago, the paper published"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,"an excerpt fromAmy Chua's"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother"that started a media firestorm and made"Tiger Moms"an instant meme. Now, in Monday's real estate section:"Why Chinese Homes Are Superior" - maybe some powerful feng shui for building web traffic.

Lucky man

Brett Ratner -Isaak RappaportandElla Hatamianowe you one. Rappaport, anNYUfilm-school senior, says he"was in class"when he got a call from his mentor, Ratner - an NYU grad himself -"to come toPeter Beard's photo shoot"for a couple of days."This is the result,"says Isaak, referring to the documentary"Beard at Work,"which the duo directed and the 41-year-old Ratner produced. The film, about the photographer, 71, premieres tonight at the Chelsea Room, and stars modelsNatalie WhiteandLydia Hearst. The looker who left the biggest impression on Rappaport, though, wasVictoria's SecretangelDoutzen Kroes."Peter was like‘Doutzen, take off your shirt, touch yourself,'"recounts Isaak."I was hyperventilating, but then I got used to it."

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