Conan was on Letterman last night for the first time in 13 years and they didn't waste anytime getting into Leno talk, as they assumed he was watching and would want them to cut to the chase. Conan has talked about the time he lost the Tonight Show before but Letterman is able to bring out a new angle on it, as he went through nearly the exact same situation. Since he's further removed from the situation, however, Letterman is able to take a sick pleasure in it all. Their relationship is fun, not exactly father and son – more like nephew and son-of-a-bitch uncle. Leno is the uncle [...]
Through the magic of film recording, last night, Stephen Colbert was being interviewed by Letterman on CBS whilst interviewing Lena Dunham on Comedy Central (welcome to the future and the jungle – welcome to the future jungle). Colbert was on as himself and talked about his Super PAC – you know the one that has made more money than Ron Paul's PAC (but let's not get into those politricks again). It's nice to see Colbert out of character and talking about all the money his PAC has made. I don't think it's presumptuous to assume right now he's swimming in it all like Scrooge McDuck (Why hasn't [...]
David Letterman has just signed a new two-year contract with CBS, squashing rumors that he'd be stepping down imminently. And even better news is that his contract doesn't stipulate an end-date, leaving the door open for further contract extensions down the line if Letterman feels like sticking around even longer. Craig Fergeson, who is expected to take over for Dave when he does end up leaving his post, also extended his contract for another two years.
The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 120,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)
As you may already know, this week marks David Letterman’s 30th anniversary. In this series of articles, we’ve already looked at a classic example [...]
Jeez Louise. It looks like David Letterman is going to make a deal to stay on the air until 2014, which would mean he'd been hosting a late night show for 32 years. After 11 years at NBC, he's closing in on 20 at CBS hosting The Late Show. 32 years would beat Johnny Carson's 30-year record on The Tonight Show at NBC, and it would also beat the record for Amount of Time Humans Can Do Any One Job Without Going Completely Insane. So that'll be fun to watch.
Remember when you started college and you didn't really have friends yet so you just walked around looking for parties, hoping some cool dude (with an attitude) would see you and invite you into some idyllic rager, featuring a keg of beer, if not multiple kegs of beers? (Yes? Ok, great. Than keep on reading) Well, Adam Scott and Nick Offerman are just like you and I in that regard. The two of them had a very similar experience – no, not while they were in college – recently, as TV stars. I literally cannot fathom someone not wanting to drink beer with Nick Offerman. It's unthinkable. Try to [...]
It must be nerve-racking to meet the President. What if you are walking up to show him your new pen and you slip on the rug and stab him in the knee with it? You would have stabbed the president – that has to be against the rules. It's probably in the Constitution – Thou Sha'll Not Stab The President, Accidentally or Not Accidentally. Seth Meyers was on Letterman last night to explain how he totally blew his chance to shake the man's hand at last year's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Also, after the jump he explains how Donald Trump has still not forgiven him for a joke he [...]
The Paley Center for Media, which has locations in both New York and LA, dedicates itself to the preservation of television and radio history. Inside their vast archives of more than 120,000 television shows, commercials, and radio programs, there are thousands of important and funny programs waiting to be rediscovered by comedy nerds like you and me. Each week, this column will highlight a new gem waiting for you at the Paley Library to quietly laugh at. (Seriously, it’s a library, so keep it down.)
No one has left me an angry comment or emailed me about this yet, but as of writing, four out of the twenty-three articles [...]
David Letterman has been a late-night host for 30 years yesterday, and it's worth taking a look back through this collection of clips ranging from Merrill Markoe's dog poetry (above) to Dave's time working at Taco Bell. Or reading this piece about Letterman's early TV career, starting with his morning talk show The David Letterman Show. May he have 30 more years in late night! Or, however many he wants, because dude deserves to retire whenever he feels like it.
Everyone knows that Merrill Markoe just wrote a book called Cool, Calm & Contentious. But did you know she also did a first book? It’s true, because that is how ordinal numbers work, and for the purposes of this, it is Late Night with David Letterman: The Book.
Perhaps you can tell by the cover that this book was published in 1985 (also: there are some Tip O’Neill jokes). But: it captures a lot of what we might now refer to as “Late Night High Ironic” and at the time was referred to as “confusing to anyone not accustomed to constantly adjusting their point of reference”. That [...]
Conan O'Brien is set to swing by New York's Ed Sullivan Theater next Thursday, May 17th to sit on Dr. David Letterman's couch to either discuss how they both were so royally screwed over by NBC and Jay Leno when they thought they were in line for the Tonight Show throne or very awkwardly avoid the subject. Obviously I'm hoping for the former, although Coco in particular hasn't really discussed the situation or any lingering animosity for quite a while. But if anyone can drag some bitterness out of him, it's Letterman.
Conan was last on The Late Show a whopping 13 years ago, when he was still [...]
Last night, Amy Poehler was on Letterman and he used that opportunity to gush about Parks & Recreation like he was stepping on bag of Gushers. (You can see the clip here.) He explains, "It's very funny – very consistently funny. The cast is unequaled on television." I know right, Dave? Seriously though,it was a really nice little moment and Amy is obviously touched. For all the show's female comedian issues earlier in the year, it's hard to argue that when Letterman himself finds a woman comedian funny, like [...]
Jon Stewart dug himself into some real collar-yanking awkwardness on Letterman last night. The interview starts out innocently enough with chit-chat about that handsome Mitt Romney, but once Jon Stewart asks if Letterman gives people college credit to hug his groin, things become a little uncomfortable. To his credit, Letterman acknowledges it, saying "I had a little trouble along those lines." Hoo boy.
In the New Yorker's 1978 profile of TV icon Johnny Carson, author Kenneth Tynan pinpoints the essential quality of Carson's genius: contempt. It's what the paterfamilias talk show host imparted to fellow midwestern David Letterman, rightful heir to the Tonight Show estate. In the early days however, Letterman ran aground. As the 1980s saw the Late Show struggling to find its way, there was no telling what Carson saw in the weatherman-turned-bumbling court jester. Dave's routine lacked both the deceptive modesty and turnaround wit he's now able to muster five nights a week, even, and especially when, his guests falter.
Letterman was never a great comedian. Jay Leno was. [...]
