Dave Letterman - c/d?

I remember enjoying his oscar hosting gig along with my family. He did video taped skits if I can recall. It wasn't disimilar to the comedy bits on his show. All of the aftermath about it being "bad" was kind of weird. If I could speculate, it could be because people take the awards somewhat seriously. His wiseass approach may have turned off soccer moms and celebrity journalism types. The following year was hosted by the pompous, unfunny Whoopie Goldberg who America inexplicably preferred.

uhhhh.. got any gum?

i'm dying

His David Letterman wasn't very dissimilar from his Larry King, now that I think about it.

the most absurd thing about the skit is it hardly has anything to do with letterman. mostly just macdonald and mark mckinney acting fucking insane.

David Letterman: Oh-ho, Andie MacDowell! Did Andie MacDowell ever give you one of these? [ starts mimicking boxer moves ] Ha haa!! Huh? Hee hee! Can you imagine such a thing? Just, boom! Boom! Ha ha ha haaa!!

Paul Shaffer: Ah ha, ha ha ha ha!

William Hurt: What is your trip?

Hee hee hooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Are his writers all in their late sixties? Why would anyone find him funny anymore?

Carson in '85 was funnier than this.

Best 1982-86, esp when Sandra Bernhard or Pee-Wee were on. He's still gold compared to fucking Leno, but I watch maybe 3x a year.

The reason his Oscar hosting was called 'bad' is his sensibility jarred with that of the Academy. Since the ideal Oscar show would involve the host dynamiting the theater, he was fine. His joke that "Eat Drink Man Woman" was how Schwarzenegger first asked Maria Shriver on a date -- followed by a grinning thru gritted teeth shot of Ahnuld in the audience -- was justification for the assignment by itself.

does it float and know your cut of meat and 80% of the rest of his show isnt supposed to be funny the same way leno's show is funny. letterman is all about dry irony.

good fer Dave

Best Line: "And here to introduce Best Foreign Film are Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins...and hang on, they're probably pissed off about somethin'."

http://www.jimgilliam.com/2004/10/bill_oreilly_on_letterman_last_night.php

Horses wearing diapers!

Classic, by the way.

Classic.

whos the dude on letterman right now?

it was bad tonight, huh?!?!

i duno i changed it to kimmel but the actor in the bit in the beginning was lol

I LOVE how he's still doing "Great Moments in Presidental Speeches" or whatever it's called EVERY FUCKING NIGHT!

haven't bothered watching him for years (the decline since '82-88 is too sad), but tis pity he's now devolved into a self-regarding would-be pundit a la Jon Stewart. RIP.

(the decline since '82-88 is too sad)

nah, too easy

after 20 years of pitiful Letterman, NOW you say something?

He was always pretty damn self-regarding, and I don't think you could call any of his comments on McCain "punditry". Maybe sour grapes. I thought it was diverting enough. As Letterman usually is, if I'm in that mood.

and what otm

morbs = madonna + cher

wingers this morning are in hilarious "I was a huge fan until THIS" mode

NOW you say something?

Best 1982-86, esp when Sandra Bernhard or Pee-Wee were on. He's still gold compared to fucking Leno, but I watch maybe 3x a year.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, October 28, 2005

Mackro, Shirley MacLaine says you and 'twat really are assholes.

"'twat"?

That's his nickname for Ethan.

wingers this morning are in hilarious "I was a huge fan until THIS" mode

oh brother. i've been all kinds of busy today.. is last night's show getting any major press?

morbius how come you've never made up a hilarious nickname for me?

suggestion: an/noy

That's his nickname for Ethan.

I want to know what the apostrophe is for!

and 'twat

Letterman > O'Brien > Ferguson >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Leno

what does Shirley MacClaine have to do with any of this???

oh, morbius, shut up.

YESSSSSS

it seems like now that Morbs is in some kind of self-imposed exile from the election thread, he's turning into a sort of political gershy, reviving threads to sneak in posts

Nader, the Democracts, Chomsky, and the Left this time around

That's his nickname for Ethan.

No, it's on the back of his baseball card.

Like anyone in showbiz, of course Letterman was self-regarding, but it was of an apolitical nature that at least had a solipsistic integrity about it (and was always leavened with his "I'm a jerk" ad libs which always sounded admirably sincere).

fun trend: bloggers telling ppl to shut up

i think craig ferguson is the funniest dude out there right now

wait Ethan plays baseball with Shirley MacLaine now i am really confused

fun trend: old ppl who don't watch the TV shows they complain about

lol at you assuming thread ban was self-imposed

complain about tv shows they don't watch rather

like all of you, I am a jerk as well, btw.

Cutis stfu.

It is, ethan, you pederastic little fuckface (alt nickname).

Best 1982-86, esp when Sandra Bernhard or Pee-Wee were on.

OTM. The decline began as soon as Steve Jordan left the band and that ham-fisted fuck Anton Fig took over on drums. And when the band started to play pre-composed theme music for the bits instead of just flailing with Paul yelling "Yeah!" repeatedly.

ferguson is pretty funny, he was easily the best during the writers' strike too

what does Shirley MacClaine have to do with any of this???

MacLaine called Letterman an ashole on the air btw

many x-posts

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/jbl55/oldmanyellsatcloud.jpg

Letterman is still funny and not at all a "pundit"

clowns interviewing pols w/ "serious" questions always = pundit aspirations

tis pity he's now devolved into a self-regarding would-be pundit a la Jon Stewart

tis pity (but not surprise) that you can't catch the ironic tone of his self-regard or the dignified passion of his emeritus-years nightly digressions into the state of the country

man I never get tired of that old man yells at cloud thing

mr dorbius

sara otm re: letterman drummers

Letterman has gotten funnier since he's gotten more political. Props to Stewart, maybe, but it's a craft, not a science.

NB: Morbs = ginger nut.

I'm glad you caught them, gabb. So very glad.

This was Letterman's finest moment in years, wtf. That he was pulling it off in his resolutely non-Daily Show format is just icing.

http://i35.tinypic.com/erzepl.jpg

xp: I expect Obama supporters to think so.

YESSSSSSSSSSSS

seriously, i love dave, and i like conan, but craig ferguson is yoga flame

he was on wait wait dont tell me which admittedly i like but mostly is just like a smirk & maybe a chuckle and i was guffawing and shit

I expect sour assholes to disagree. xxxp

check out the first post in this thread
Misunderstood comedy genius or creepy unfunny old man?
― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, June 10, 2004 2:49 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I am a semi-sweet asshole, per FDA labeling.

would totally hit Ann-Margret btw

dont hit girls morbs

'course not, I only cockpunch. Please line up to my left.

lol danger!

Misunderstood comedy genius or creepy unfunny old man?

nah, too easy

To be sure, I'm not saying Dave is a great pundit, or that last night represented great political discourse. But that it was compelling TV seems to be beyond dispute.

xp: I expect Obama supporters to think so.

I love that you meant this as some sort of slam.

i just want to take this moment to express how much i love paul schaffer, that obsequious little dorko

Tracer Hand OTM

9:11

otm, xxp

i thought the whole thing was fucking genius // the sarcastic take down of mccains war hero pimping // the personal resentment at being stood up // and the awzom awzom live feed of mccain getting his make up did // shit was virtuoso

tone of voice when he says "HEY JOHN I'VE GOT A QUESTION" is priceless

word. and i think dave did a good job of coming off legitimately pissed + dignified, rather than a vulgar grab for attention/controversy.

I love that you meant this as some sort of slam.

Eric, not necessarily. There are things about Obama I admire, and I voted for him in the primary to stop the Pantsuited Thing, but as his FISA vote/Likud bows/silence on civil liberties/pick of MBNA Joe etc show, O is still a politician and they all tend to be lower than whaleshit. I hope he wins the election and I hope (foolishly) progressives never stop pressing him to do the right things in office.

The last compelling TV I saw was Sandra Berhard daubing between her legs with a sponge and sending Dave bolting from his desk.

silence on any issue during election season is not a sign of disinterest

lol, that's exactly why Dems expected Clinton to suddenly become a liberal in his second term.

I sort of don't wish on anyone what the next president will have to inherit.

I really wish they'd cut Paul's mic sometimes.

The last compelling TV I saw was Sandra Berhard daubing between her legs with a sponge and sending Dave bolting from his desk.

Are you sure you're working with an accurate definition of "compelling" here?

the Pantsuited Thing, ... Likud bows ... MBNA Joe ... lower than whaleshit ... Sandra Berhard daubing between her legs

― Dr Morbius ... Suggest Ban

hey, that was almost a reasonably sane post, morbs.

thx, that makes me feel like shit.

Eric: ditto. That's why only a power-crazy man, or a dick like McCain, would want the job.

I saw Shaffer near Rockefeller Ctr last year and was dying to hear one ungodly laugh. EEEAGGHH-HEH-HEH-HEH

Anyone who doesn't think that Sandra daubing is compelling is dead to me.

i don't want to beat up on you, morbs, but i also would rather read serious discussion than scatological rants about comic-book characters

aaaand you read ilx why?

*rimshot!*

without you, I'm nothing

peder-tastic, more like

com·pel·ling /kəmˈpɛlɪŋ/
(kuhm-pel-ing)
–adjective
1. tending to compel; overpowering: compelling reasons.
2. having a powerful and irresistible effect; requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect: a man of compelling integrity; a compelling drama.

I guess I can get behind definition #1.

i think craig ferguson is the funniest dude out there right now

― Mohammed Butt (max), Thursday, September 25, 2008 10:42 AM (1 hour ago)

is morbs talking about the same obama who said "I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you’re anti-Israel and that can’t be the measure of our friendship with Israel. If we cannot have an honest dialogue about how do we achieve these goals, then we’re not going to make progress." to a group of over 100 jewish leaders earlier this year??

He has not consistently maintained that tone.

I knew Jimmy Kimmel's producer in college. What a jerk.

you complain about the dumbest shit morbs. a major television entertainer teeing off on the most ridiculous campaign in my adult life, maybe yours, out of personal offense? what's wrong with that?

I believe in the separation of comedy and State.

i think he wants david letterman to be played by dan ackroyd and paul schaeffer to be played by chevy chase

NOW THAT'S SATIRE

getting olbermann to fill mccain's guest spot was a nice little fuck-you. (also olbermann is more genial and less annoying on letterman than on his own show.)

anyway, i thought the contempt was bracing. you don't often see people on national tv exuding such complete i-just-dont-give-a-fuckness.

I believe in the separation of comedy and State.

― Dr Morbius, Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:02 PM (30 seconds ago)

no you don't!

you complain about the dumbest shit morbs. a major television entertainer teeing off on the most ridiculous campaign in my adult life, maybe yours, out of personal offense? what's wrong with that?

― "goole" (goole), Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:59 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i dunno, thomas dewey was pretty bad

no you don't!

Yeah he does; that's why he reads Perrin.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/jessmermaideyes/thestatewallpaper.jpg

btw n/a, just bcz we annoy each other on the internets doesn't mean I hold you in contempt requiring a nickname. You are married to a nice person and Casuistry seems to like you.

Perrin, like andwhat, loves Groucho and Fields.

goole, I mean comedians playing felchparty w/ politicos on TV, not engaging in targeting them.

lol I really didn't expect you to respond to that; in retrospect, I have no idea why

not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.
not engaging in targeting them.

YESSSSSSSSSS

so not googling "felchparty"

be bold.

Laughing AT politicos fine; with them, pass the ammo. YA GIT ME?

so what was your problem with letterman again?

up against the wall obsequious dorkos!

a) I'm at work
b) I know what "felch" means and I know what "party" means; I don't need to know how Internet denizens put those together.
c) ew

He needs a new Brother Theodore.

he does: Tom Hanks

Re Brother Theodore: '80s r over [shrug]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/26/cbs-news-executives-aggra_n_129531.html

more McCain zings:

David Letterman drilled McCain at length for a second night in a row for canceling on Wednesday, saying at the top of his monologue: “Paris Hilton is on the program tonight -- unless she needs to rush to Washington to fix the economy. … Paris Hilton was actually McCain's first choice for running mate … I was thinking about this: John, here's how it works. You don't come to see me, you don't come to see me? Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day. That's how it works. You see?”

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/lettermans-most-brutal-bush-bashing-ever/

didn't he spend most of his time clobbering Anne Hathaway over that Italian crook BF of hers?

Maybe, I didn't watch.

Not so much "clobbering" as "interrogating." She wasn't to thrilled about it, but was a good sport.

McCain rescheduled for Thursday. Expect make-nice.

i.e.

http://www.aolcdn.com/red_galleries/britney-madonna-400ds0629.jpg

hott

pretty close.

I was mostly watching the Tampa Bay bullpen's impression of the NY Mets, but saw DL let McNuts air enough of his talking points to demonstrate that the events of 3 weeks ago were simply the display of a wounded showbiz ego, not some rahrah electioneering by America's most beloved Hoosier.

I don't think you were watching then. Of course he aired his talking points: that's what political candidates do when they talk. But Letterman had him on the ropes for the entire interview.

very curious to see what tack he takes w/ Blagojevich tonight.

I'm going to guess contrasting hair jokes.

I missed. Anything good?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/02/03/exchange_of_the_day.html

Well then.

aw

I think Palin's response to Letterman, which is to turn this joke into a discussion about perverted old pedophiles and the jokes they make, is really low and funny.

“Concerning Letterman's comments about my young daughter (and I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter): 'Laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/NY entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands - that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.' ”

Todd Palin added: “Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too.”

Letterman responded last night by saying that the joke was aimed at 18-year-old Bristol Palin, not Willow: “We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter (Bristol)... and now they’re upset with me…” Letterman said.

“These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl.... Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was okay for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No."

Letterman also invited the Alaska governor to come on his show.

UPDATE: Per ABC News' Kate Snow: Gov. Palin pushed back at Letterman again this morning, issuing a statement via Palin PAC spokesperson Meghan Stapelton.

"The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show," Stapelton said in an email to ABC News. "Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."

LOLOLOLOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5g8kE_g-YA

im all about having fun at the palins' expense but that joke wasn't even funny. "her daughter was knocked up by alex rodriguez"?????

let me break it down for you--alex rodriguez is a promiscuous third baseman for the New York Yankees. Bristol Palin is a semi-famous Alaska teen. Dave implied that they had sex with one another.

thanks mister what

no probs

what a disaster for CBS

letterman otm, that girl is a str8 up ho

also the Palin's response is predictably lame, but I'm a big fan of their work making the Reupblicans look like idiots

I like the willful ignorance, insisting he was talking about Willow NO MATTER WHAT.

Yeah, to think that he was talking about Willow involves a very literal interpretation of the joke, which is that Willow was the one who went to the baseball game, not Bristol, so obviously a reference to "Sarah Palin's daughter" could only mean Bristol. But most people hearing the joke aren't even going to know who accompanied Palin to the game, and when they hear "Sarah Palin's daughter," they immediately imagine the daughter that's gotten the most media attention. Especially when the joke references the very thing that gained her that media attention. So in that sense it works.

I think the insistence on Willow is dishonest and passive aggressive, not ignorance.

"No, no, it's okay. Our faith says you must forgive everyone - even the creepy pedophiles. God's mercy is upon the perverts, Dave. Go and sin no more. We've decided to look past it. All is forgiven."

no to worry; in 2 years literal interpetation of joek will likely hold true

besides willow probably banged jeter after the game

what a disaster for nbc

The Palins' response is way sleazier than Dave's joke. Seriously, does making a lame "LOL Bristol Palin is promiscuous" joke really warrant "YOU ARE A PERVERT WHO IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS"? And their publicist insinuating he's pedophile? And for some reason insisting he was referring to their young daughter and not the older daughter who was, you know, kind of famous for getting knocked up and that's what the joke was obviously resting on?

Todd Palin added: “Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable. Alaskans know it and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too.” Pretty solid distortion of the joke there, Todd. Fuck the Palins.

fuckin martyr complex

I dunno how many of you are SCTV fans, but Stern's appearance on Letterman this week was an amazing homage to Bobby Bittman visiting Sonny Maudlin.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/09/howard-stern-hates-on-len_n_213144.html

"Let me tell you something about loyalty!"

lol @ all this reminding us how ridiculous all her kids' names are

"the joke wasn't about Tug, it was in reference to Bundle!"

10 bucks says Willow has a son named Ipod within the next decade

idk, that's more of a girl's name

who cares

exactly

no to worry; in 2 years literal interpetation of joek will likely hold true

^ The actual subtext of the joke, no?

Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity are attacking Letterman. Shocking, I know. They keep insisting that only lefties go after the kids of politicians. Meanwhile online wingnuts are trying to deny that Rush once referred to a young Chelsea Clinton as the family dog.

cbs must be thrilled @ all this

ya but nbc gotta be pissed tho

what a disaster for nbc

^^

http://www.letsgoquakers.com/AllenAlleyOop.gif

I never much saw in the attraction in Letterman. It's nice that he strives for non-punchline humor, but my main reaction is... eh.

I never much saw in the attraction in Bristol Palin, either. It's nice that she lends herself to humor, but my main reaction is... eh.

huh?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/11/sarah-palin-today-show-in_n_214587.html

"Your name has been on a list with people like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney -- does that translate to you being the future of the GOP?"
"Absolutely not necessarily."

Reading that before I saw it, I expected an ironic reading of the line, but no, she just sort of starts talking and then... blinks and pivots

Absolutely not necessarily!

!

damn palin never stops droppin gems on em

and apologies, in truth it's the opposite of blinking, in fact her eyes nearly pop out of her head as if her brain is exploding as she hears herself add the word 'necessarily'

ya but nbc gotta be pissed tho

palin was talking about it on the today show, maybe they hope this will inspire conservatives to stick with the tonight show even if the linda tripp jokes leave with leno

what a disaster for msnbc to cover

the main joke was pretty unfunny, but i found his 7 minute "apology" some of the best stuff I've seen him do in a long time. I loved his self-deprecating "we'll do anything for a laugh" shtick throughout the thing, as well as his poker face as the crowd roared at every one of the lame jokes when he repeated them. they really were way funnier in the context of the apology than they were the first time he told them.

imo guys like Dave and Conan are at their best when they give the impression that they are like mischievous barely-relevant trolls of the entertainment industry.

"impression"?! that's what they ARE!

WANNA BUY A MONKEY?

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/dave-letterman-oscars.JPG

imo guys like Dave and Conan are at their best when they give the impression that they are like mischievous barely-relevant trolls of the entertainment industry.

well, the great thing about '80s Dave: HE WAS.

you also don't see him open the show like this anymore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lT2Jn_jHM

man I miss Larry Bud

agree 100%, Morbius. I stayed up late to watch Dave whenever I could as a kid in the 80s. great clip btw - thx!

Dave was at his best on Late Night, maybe the last time anyone did something interesting with the standard talk show format.

Apologized to the Palins again, and for the joke! No balls.

yeah--pretty lame

yeah morbs otm

"again"? i haven't seen the second, but y'all thought the first patronizing dismissal was an apology?

someone please RIP Fidel Gastro

you want someone to kill me?

"jeff"?

rest in peace

you would like me dead too, Mr. Que?

RIP Fidel Gastro

i mean, how crazy are y';all?

i don't want someone to kill you, i'm just mourning your death, Fidel Gastro. RIP.

you didn't ask someone to "RIP" me, Que

no one wants to rip you

maybe ramón gastro will be more receptive to our interests

Do the mods know who jeff (lowercase, not upper) is a sock for?

i'm not a sock. it's just a bad joke. sorry :(

no one wants to rip you

― Having Fun! (jeff), Tuesday, June 16, 2009 1:13 PM Bookmark

ok bill o'reilly

gabb's pulling a palin--it was obviously a joke that jeff made hoping that someone would ban him

Ohmigod the post are coming from your house! DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU!!!

no one's talking about death so get off your high horse and go back to whatever it is you do and stop being so obtuse.

also RIP Fidel Gastro

i'll pull sponsorship if you don't apologize to gabbneb about wishing to see him dead

i think my talk show can live without the support of Omar Little's Ice Cream Shoppe and Scone Emporium

y'all thought my first patronizing dismissal was an apology?

i withdraw my support for the mr que revue

and rip fidel gastro

jeff is the mr que revue?

what a disaster for gastro

jeff has been a valuable member of ILX for many years.

also RIP jeff

This is all thanks to our U.S. Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's Right to Free Speech - in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect.

does anyone know who jeff is a sock for???

PM me if you know who jeff is a sock for--valuable reward involved

hes a front for a group including the cia and the mob that wish 2 RIP fidel gastro

whats my reward

welcome to 77, you should have access to the board now

lowercase, not upper

WHO IS A SOCK FOR JEFF LOWERCASE--WHY WILL NO ONE ANSWER ME

GIS for 'jeff sock':

http://fashionablygeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/lefty_socks.jpg

DEAR JEFF LOWERCASE CAN YOU HEAR ME

LOVE THE QUE ZOO REVIEW

p.s. RIP GABBNEB

*sigh*

jeff has been a valuable member of ILX for many years.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, June 16, 2009 1:20 PM Bookmark

lol at the notion of 'a valuable member of ILX for many years'

http://medienkritik.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/guesock.jpg

jeff! where have you been! we thought you were dead!

RIP Fidel Gastro. . .who knew?????

R U sure?? We live in Miami and have not seen/heard ANYTHING.

i'm pretty sure he's dead

I don't know, jeff. You may want to look out your window a little longer.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/mmc-digi-beta-production/assets/3227/calle_ocho_article.jpg

http://videos.nymag.com/video/At-the-Fire-David-Letterman-Ral

My brain hurts after watching that.

Jeeesus. Let's see racism, crazy SOCIALISM IS EVIL chanting, some lady calling Dave's wife a slut. Good to see the Palin contingent in action once more.

This guy otm, tho:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i191/fluxion23/protester.jpg

Yeah, I caught that too. Love sarcastic New Yorkers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M7tbmHbX6U

*heart* Sam Seder

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- David Letterman acknowledged on Thursday's show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort him over the affairs.

During the taping of his CBS late-night show in New York, Letterman discussed receiving a threat to either pay $2 million or risk the relationships being made public.

In a release from the show's producer, Letterman said he referred the matter to the Manhattan district attorney's office and that an investigation ended in an arrest Thursday. Letterman did not identify the person he said was arrested.

As part of the case, Letterman said in a release that he testified before a grand jury and acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff.

CBS spokesman Chris Ender says "Letterman's comments on the broadcast tonight speak for themselves."

The original question on this thread now takes on a new light.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2009/10/d2.jpg

Plus, now he must resign from the California State Legislature.

UPDATE: 10:30 PM ET: TMZ has learned the identity of the alleged extortionist who was arrested today. His name is Robert Halderman. He's 51 years old and lives in Norwalk, CT. Halderman has a business in Manhatten, where he was arrested today.

David Letterman says someone has demanded $2 million from him in return for not blowing the lid on Letterman's sexual liaisons in his office.

Letterman said on his show tonight he received a package 3 weeks ago from someone claiming to have info about sexual escapades between Letterman and some female employees on his staff.

According to Nikki Finke the individual said Letterman would have to pay $2 million to keep the info secret.

Letterman went on to say he contacted the Special Prosecution Bureau of the Manhattan D.A.'s office. He said the D.A. investigated and cut a phony $2 million check to the alleged extortionist who was arrested today.

Letterman says he testified today before the grand jury. In his testimony, he says he acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff.

Letterman married his girlfriend of 23 years last March

zzzzz

very well said

more like $$$$$

because of the fact that it was a potential extortion attempt

Apparently, Halderman is (was) a producer on CBS' true crime show 48 Hours.

Erm, if there's one thing I've learned from watching a lot of true crime shows is that extortion schemes rarely ever work.

You never hear about the ones that work.

always the gaptoothed guys

how the hell did he think he could get $2 million out of this? he shoulda been more reasonable w/ his demands.

This is the most fucked-up country re sexual mores on earth. Like, more than Italy.

Yeah... I was going to ask, do all American men in a position of authority treat their female juniors as their sexual playthings?

um

do all female juniors go for it?

anyone got some gum

This is the most fucked-up country re sexual mores on earth. Like, more than Italy.

― A Patch on Blazing Saddles (Dr Morbius), Friday, October 2, 2009 4:03 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

not more than italy.

not more that rapeonia

what kind of stuff do you think letterman says while doing sex

hasn't david letterman suffered enough?

shes in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33IIAk5cEKs

real dirty Top 10 lists

xxp

top ten reasons i am having sex with u

he just grins like a death's head

would you like to eat a sandwich in Dave's office ;)

the rod stewart chimp dance was great, stephanie was always a traet on the show. we all liked steph, dave, but you took it too far. TOO FAR!

http://i35.tinypic.com/2dlrslc.jpg wonder how soon this will be taken down from the CBS website

he lost his father, larry "bud" melman, in the holocaust. who are we to judge such a tormented soul?

whoa the chick he always referred to as "Monty"?

yes!

wonder if he called her Monty... in bed

In a 2002 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Birkitt called Letterman "the best boss I've ever had."

She expanded on that claim in a 2003 interview with her alma mater, telling a Wake Forest publication:

Aside from being incredibly funny and personable he is generous, kind, and is great fun to play catch with. I really couldn't ask for a more fun work environment. Dave is truly the greatest boss I could ever have.

full monty amirite

Aside from being incredibly funny and personable he is generous, kind, and is great fun to make love with. I really couldn't ask for a more fun work environment. Dave is truly the greatest boss I could ever have.

can't believe nobody caught that

this puts "did you see or touch any monkeys" in a whole new context

A SEXUAL CONTEXT IN FACT

in the bed.

I wonder if Letterman will now apologize for all the mercilous ribbing of Bill Clinton's peccadilloes.

No, he really only ribbed for our pleasure.

I really stopped watching him when the Clinton dick jokes became a nightly staple, but this adds an amusing sheen of hypocrisy.

not so sure hypocrisy is the right word for it, since his Clinton jokes were never really self-righteous criticisms of adultery as much as they were just general laffs about the ridiculousness of it all. in this case Letterman is openly poking fun at himself about it, too, so the sheen is really more irony than anything.

You mean we're not gonna give DL a moralistic beatdown for using his boss-man position to score with women? That's just for, oh, maybe another hot thread this week?

(I am NOT drawing any equivalencies btwn the respective artists' actions, which are very different, so far as we know)

I've read your writing elsewhere and know you cannot possibly be that fucking stupid.

thank you.

Cuddly ol' Uncle Dave has built up enough goodwill that ppl will tend to forgive him, tho. SEE?

TELEVISION IS A COOL MEDIUM

i have not read your writing elsewhere so as far as i know you are that fucking stupid

I already figured Letterman was just another Arthur Godfrey-type horrible boss before this.

I just watched Letterman's confession from last night, and I think "I am a tower of Midwestern Lutheran guilt" is probably the most honest thing he's ever said on TV.

Also, being in his position in American culture is very much like holding elected office. There's not much difference anymore.

I know from your "writing" what a fucking dick you are, n/a.

well whatever cocktail of emotions Jay Leno is a tower of, it's not very good at producing lols

xp oh he's a dirtbag for sure, and it must feel extraordinary to know you are not among the fools who have been duped into making an emotional investment into the moral character of this Legendary Entertainment Celebrity

no, I have some warm feelings toward DL, given that he made one of the few must-watch shows in the last quarter-century of American TV (from '82 til maybe the Crispin Glover kick -- was that around '92?). AND I give him points for declaring himself "creepy."

'87, but yeah that's about '92 in Morbs years

yeah, yer right, his studio audience went tourist/frat by the end of the '80s.

j'deteste an impure studio audience

when I couldn't get in anymore on the air date, yeah!

has Bernard-Henri Levy issued a statement yet?

his "confession" was really well-played, rhetorically! and, yes, really Midwestern, especially compared to the usual ritual of public apology, which tends to be very, umm, self-centric

its most clearly set-up laugh line -- "it would be embarrassing for the women" -- doubles as a serious, true, and decent statement that digging into Letterman's dirt would surely be way worse for them than him; I can't help but be impressed with the neatness of that. and the whole thing managed to honor the entertainment contract of being interesting and non-sensationally watchable without making any jokes or big gestures out of anything (apart from I guess the weirdness of being blackmailed)

this is like the second time someone had gotten all criminally up in Letterman's life in an attempt to get money, isn't it?

^^ haha it should be clear there that I'm fundamentally not too interested in his personal life and more interested in his rhetorical approach

top ten reasons i am having sex with u

― gore vitalic (s1ocki), Friday, October 2, 2009 10:26 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

^_^

You just know #1 on that list would be something anti-climactic like "Cause you're a woman!"

oh dave

what a disaster for cbs

it is kinda crepy thinking how he always made stephanie wear weird outfits on the show

They're all grownups; meeting people at work that you have relationships with is acceptable, being penalized at work for declining to partake in relationship with boss is not. I hardly think we are dealing with the latter framework so am movin' on along...

nabisco, as far as I know the other major legal snafu was the crazy woman stalking him and breaking into his house repeatedly. No money angle that I recall.

somebody plotted to kidnap his kid a couple years ago

when i first saw this i wanted to joke: "i wonder if it's that assistant he always had on who would imitate her boyfriend's dance and shit." and, shit, it was. fuck robert haldeman, that dude is a fucking faggot and read his girlfriend's diary and got his feelings hurt, charge it to the game you gay-ass 48 hours producing bitch. MR SUPERTRICK, MR SUPERSNITCH, YOU WANNA EXTORT ME CAUSE I FUCKED YO BITCH? YOU SHOULDA HAD YOUR CAPE ON TIGHT THAT NIGHT

Do we know if any of this happened post-marriage? (Not that he wasn't as good as married before.)

this afternoon i discovered a whole new realm of Things I Don't Want on My TV: wolf blitzer talking about dave letterman's sex life.

If the sex tape ever comes out it is going to be as gross as that Duck Phillips/Peggy sex scene on Mad Men.

Letterman fucking Monty is hilariously creepy, I love it.

http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1495007.1254501301!image/3550389085.jpg_gen/derivatives/feature_416/3550389085.jpg

Deep in the Nikki Finke thread comments on it all:

As a guy it is getting boring seeing these old seniors on tv
having sex issues. We already have to see the commercials of
old folks in bathtubs talking about sex. Now we got Bob Barker, Dave,
etc etc. Go Home old folks and take the old directors and producers with you.
CBS = OLD PEOPLE SEX NETWORK
Comment by Mr. G — October 2, 2009 @ 12:36 pm

I can't imagine Jay Leno having any sort of sex scandal, he seems like he doesn't have any genitalia.

A car, maybe.

Oh hey, from his sex manual:

http://squadron-mx5.net/sitebuilder/images/jay_leno-390x600.jpg

He really pumped the car's gas that night.

i'm confused, did letterman say something really creepy or insensitive about this or something after the fact (i havent been tabloidin' it up like yall). what's the big deal besides him cheating on his gf (his business) and how is this being spun like he's taking advantage of his young employees/sexist?

x-post -- Caught in flagrante:

http://image.motortrend.com/f/editorial/publishers-blog-first-2008-dodge-challenger-delivered/9676580+cr1+re0+ar1/jay-leno-in-car.jpg

He does look very guilty there. I bet oil was dribbling everywhere.

i'm confused, did letterman say something really creepy or insensitive about this or something after the fact (i havent been tabloidin' it up like yall). what's the big deal besides him cheating on his gf (his business) and how is this being spun like he's taking advantage of his young employees/sexist?

it's only a big story because of the blackmail - would be a news blip otherwise. there is nothing saucy about this.

when i first saw this i wanted to joke: "i wonder if it's that assistant he always had on who would imitate her boyfriend's dance and shit." and, shit, it was. fuck robert haldeman, that dude is a fucking faggot and read his girlfriend's diary and got his feelings hurt, charge it to the game you gay-ass 48 hours producing bitch. MR SUPERTRICK, MR SUPERSNITCH, YOU WANNA EXTORT ME CAUSE I FUCKED YO BITCH? YOU SHOULDA HAD YOUR CAPE ON TIGHT THAT NIGHT

― dylannn, Friday, October 2, 2009 5:16 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha

definition of a player hater real talk

Dave's original head writer, who essentially created the NBC show, was his longtime "fiancee" Merrill Markoe.

This just smacks of Bob Hope in his 60s having gals stashed all around L.A. (at least Dave is still funnier than Old Hope.)

this smacks of dr. morbius being a player hater

CBS = OLD PEOPLE SEX NETWORK

^not since Angie Lansbury left

It's like Murder She Wrote
Once I get you out them clothes

Privacy is a the door,
still they can hear you screaming "more"

*insert photo of Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis Murder*

Privacy is a the door,
still they can hear you screaming "more"

*insert photo of Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis Murder*

insert photo of Dick Van Dyke on Mary Tyler Moore

Love Halderman's lawyer here:

"I'm not saying he didn't take the check," Shargel told Maggie Rodriguez on CBS’ “The Early Show." “But the question at the end of the day is, what was his intent? One of the things that the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, one of the elements of the offense, is that Joe Halderman had specific criminal intent. And I say to you and to the public that we shouldn't rush to judgment, because I think, at the end of the day, when the case is tried and after the cross-examination of David Letterman and the full story comes out, I'm confident that a jury will not find that specific criminal intent."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WCGv9y4crQ

after the cross-examination of David Letterman and the full story comes out...

Am I the only one who reads this part of the quote from the lawyer as a veiled threat? WTF are we supposed to make of this, that Letterman just felt strangely compelled to give this guy a $2 million check for some as-yet-unknown reason that will come out in court?

I'm no lawyer, but when your client collected the phony blackmail payment, on tape, in a whole big investigation, and then went and attempted to deposit it, I assume you really don't have much left to say besides the claim that it wasn't actually blackmail he intended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S436Nu8i6fg (Dutch parody)

he's got the giggle and the tics down pretty well. Does Dave have any female writers on staff, btw?

The clip that dougzibart posted is fucking funny. Excellent Dave impression. "Oh, for Chrissake!"

Also, warning: unspeakably filthy.

Evil Dave is the best.

Former Letterman writer in VF (a woman; ZERO female writers currently for Dave, Jay, OR Conan):

Without naming names or digging up decades-old dirt, let's address the pertinent questions. Did Dave hit on me? No. Did he pay me enough extra attention that it was noted by another writer? Yes. Was I aware of rumors that Dave was having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes. Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no.

Here's what I did: I walked away from my dream job. The show picked up my option after 13 weeks; then, about two months later, while looking for a nicer apartment, I realized I didn't want to commit to a yearlong lease. I'd seen enough to know that I was not going to thrive professionally in that workplace. And although there were various reasons for that, sexual politics did play a major part.

http://gawker.com/5391017/more-true-tales-of-creepiness-and-terror-from-the-letterman-staff

ok

most successful television shows or television production companies, or for that matter television networks, are probably pretty horrible places to work for many reasons and those reasons listed above are usually always kind of a factor. letterman and espn are pretty par for the course (as a result of long hours, high pressure, success, and the lure of $$$ and fame.) none of this is any kind of surprise.

Cheers, David.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU7CknpKlTU

If his wife doesn't make the list of people who hate him, he must have done some world-class explaining.

so Conan on Dave the other night leaves me thinking they are doing a little prepro on a dave leaving the CBS 11:30 slot/conan taking over move. some super quick research shows they have both recently renewed their contracts through April 2014. its just a hunch but it feels like a strong one.

i mean it would be kind of perfect for Conan, right? Also by then Dave will be the longest running late night talk show host

leaves me thinking they are doing a little prepro on a dave leaving the CBS 11:30 slot/conan taking over move

Maybe, maybe not. I think everyone was just waiting for them to get together for exactly what happened: a string of jokes at Leno's expense.

Conan would be a really weird fit for CBS. Their programming skews so old.

sunny successor I think you're right and this is something I've often thought myself.

Conan would make a super new Dave.

(Not a new Super Dave, which was Johnny Knoxville.)

I think everyone was just waiting for them to get together for exactly what happened: a string of jokes at Leno's expense.

almost 2 1/2 years later? that doesn't really sit right with me. Dave spent the majority of the interview driving home his support for Conan. It was a little weird.

What a disaster for CBS

hasn't CO'B proven he can't draw enough at 11:35 for a network? tho who knows what the standard will be 2 years from now.

Conan would be a really weird fit for CBS. Their programming skews so old.

― polyphonic, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3:15 PM (53 minutes ago) Bookmark

well, what "skews old" changes over time. people who were 30 when Conan started at late night would be 50 by time of the theoretical move to CBS.

although really Conan and Dave have ALWAYS seemed very friendly and fond of one another and each other's shows, just didn't do a lot together probably because they were on diff't networks etc

i mean it's always seemed totally obvious that Conan's way closer to Dave than Jay in terms of comedy and probably as people too, but that it would've been bad politics to make a show of that before the whole Tonight Show blowup

hasn't CO'B proven he can't draw enough at 11:35 for a network? tho who knows what the standard will be 2 years from now.

― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3:10 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dave is losing to leno/fallon repeats at the mo so i guess CBS is used to it and maybe looking long term to when leno finally gives it up and fallon or some other non-comp take the tonight show and everybody is all tonight what?

talk show hosts are a weird occupation, you never really know who will do well in that job until they do it, and a lot of attempts to just throw some likable and famous actor or comedian behind a desk have failed. so it's like, even if Conan wouldn't necessarily thrive in Dave's spot, who else is even a remotely safe bet to take that timeslot on that network, besides, like, John Stewart, who will never do it?

i thought john stewart wanted to do that

really? i always got the sense that he would hate to move from TDS to a more trad 60 minute talk show and that people always bring him up as a candidate for those types of jobs with zero encouragement from him

I think Stewart's been approached a few times for a network gig (most recently for Fallon's job) but wasn't interested.

jon stewart btw

yeah sorry after the first time i posted 'john' instead of 'jon' i was all doh what's wrong with me

"hasn't CO'B proven he can't draw enough at 11:35 for a network? tho who knows what the standard will be 2 years from now."

But he was against Dave then, he'll be against Jay "Big Jaw" Leno in 2014.

And every network (except maybe Nickelodeon) wants to skew younger.

iirc 'jon' stewart interviewed extensively for and really wanted the show they gave to kimmel, so maybe hes into the 1130 spot but not 1230

but also he couldve changed his mind since then

interviewed by oprah on 1 of her own network shows, worth finding imo

So who is going to take over for Dave? Ferguson??

Whoa, wait. You aren't just being hypothetical!

http://www.businessinsider.com/david-letterman-retiring-2014-4

They should replace him with Leno.

three years longer than Carson

He's been coasting for a while, but weirdly, I'm gonna miss the guy.

Anyway, to answer ss's question, I'm going with Tom Green.

http://s3.vidimg.popscreen.com/original/12/Sm9KV005MEJNTUEx_o_2002-03-scott-stevens-on-late-show-w-dave-letterman-w-.jpg

I'm really going to miss him, he's been on since I can remember. Can't fathom who could possibly replace him. I love Ferguson, but he wouldn't work at the earlier time slot.

ferguson is the only talk show i really catch any of w/ any regularity and he would be an interesting contrast w/ the jimmys though so much of what works about his show is due to it being the late show. i did watch some of last night's letterman w/ bill murray hijacking the monologue. several years back word was jon stewart was the heir apparent and supposedly getting to pick his successor was part of the deal when he was flirting w/ jumping to abc a few years back but i can't imagine there's any way jon stewart leaves the little kingdom he's built. i know he's phoned it in for quite awhile now but he was still the best at 11:30. the interview baldwin did w/ him on his podcast a couple of years back it seemed like he'd finally achieved some measure of peace or maturity, the show was finally just a job and he seemed more focused on his family. guy's impact and influence on comedy in this country can't be overstated.

i like ferguson well enough, but he seems more a curiosity than an 11:30 competitor. if he really has a right of first refusal clause i don't see cbs not buying him out.

get this guy imo

http://nowhitenoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/louie-4.jpg

i have given this a lot of thought over the past :38, and i endorse any of the following to replace david letterman

• conan o'brien
• crispin glover
• ray liotta
• alex jones
• sarah palin

OMG, I would love to see Sarah Palin host a network Tonight Show-styled variety show! At least I would for the three days she lasted. Where do I sign!?

guy's impact and influence on comedy in this country can't be overstated.

OTMFM. His 80s shows were total game-changers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9eYkpgeeI8

letterman is great.

glad to see him go

i know he's phoned it in for quite awhile now but he was still the best at 11:30.

I haven't watched a whole show since the Clinton administration but in those first couple years after Leno took over from Carson Letterman was a balm.

same with me (haven't watched a full show in years). but letterman's brand of humor will make him cool forever. especially compared to unfunny jay leno.

i don know how i feel about this prediction these days but the timing is kind of perfect

so Conan on Dave the other night leaves me thinking they are doing a little prepro on a dave leaving the CBS 11:30 slot/conan taking over move. some super quick research shows they have both recently renewed their contracts through April 2014. its just a hunch but it feels like a strong one.

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 2:05 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i mean it would be kind of perfect for Conan, right? Also by then Dave will be the longest running late night talk show host

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 2:07 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dave is losing to leno/fallon repeats at the mo so i guess CBS is used to it and maybe looking long term to when leno finally gives it up and fallon or some other non-comp take the tonight show and everybody is all tonight what?

― fine with 49 (sunny successor), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3:33 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i could see ferguson working fine as long as he lose that ridiculous monologue camera angle, loses the skeleton sidekick and tone down the whole oo im a wee scot lost in the wilds of america THEY MADE ME FIX MY TEETH

dave is losing to leno/fallon repeats at the mo

ugh, that stings. mostly cuz jay leno hasn't been funny, but has been contemptible, for maybe 20 years.

Can't see ferguson getting it, of people who have shows now I can fathom wanting Dave's spot more than the sweet niche they got, the only one is handler

Older than the Jimmys but edgier and also female, she wouldn't be a bad choice for counter programming.

Lol wait kimmel's older, I forget thanks to his facelifts

wait, wouldn't conan o'brien jump at this chance, and escape the ghetto of late-night basic cable?

ppl always say leno 'used to be funny' but i'm not sure anyone ever found any evidence of that.

i meant not funny for "at least" 20 years.

I'm sure he fell on his face once as a kid and his mom laughed

i think i first heard it from that bill hicks routine about leno, but maybe that's not the most reliable source.

ppl always say leno 'used to be funny' but i'm not sure anyone ever found any evidence of that.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, April 3, 2014 7:26 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

one of many great myths of the pre-internet era

crazy all these years later and who's the last man standing?

http://splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Arsenio_Hall_Lead.jpg

Ha ok Conan too but why on earth would he get another chance

why not? he's got a following, he was a critical success when he hosted the tonight show, it would be a good "changing-of-the-guard" story to have him and fallon competing where letterman and leno once did, also he seems like a good guy who got a raw deal so ...

uh because he had underwhelming ratings on the tonight show and has since proven underwhelming on tbs?

hm. can't imagine what "underwhelming on tbs" is like. audience of 740?

rating-wise if they wanted to steal something from tbs they'd probably be better off with family guy re-runs

i'm not especially loyal to o'brien (i do think he's funny; i did sympathize with him tremendously over the jay leno situation), but were the ratings woes mostly due to o'brien or to the shrinking audience generally?

conan's stuck where he is. CBS isn't gonna poach from cable to get someone who, justified or not, had an air of compromise and failure as he left his last broadcast spot. Also they presumably would want someone younger?

well, that can't be fergueson, then.

way i figure it -

first tier - a comedy central hotshot who'd see this as a promotion worth giving up edge and security for (they allegedly offered john oliver 12:30, which doesn't suggest much for ferguson unless they were planning on making it a night of UK charm, but oliver thought hbo was a better fit)

second tier - handler or a daytime veteran (degeners, carey) if they want to keep CBS scanning familiar but less fratty than the Jimmys

third tier - someone really left field and untested but attention-getting like Louis CK or Neil Patrick Harris

fourth tier - ferguson or conan, where you're not even pretending you're gonna compete with the Jimmys

no love for jon stewart, eh?

or was that yr "first-tier" guy?

yeah i'd call him a comedy central hotshot

i'm rooting for mike huckabee, personally.

ellen probably owns her show and is set where she is. can't imagine louis ck giving up his the freedom and control he has and nph (which was the first suggestion i've seen that made me go 'that could be very interesting') just ditched a ball and chain, i'd have to figure he'd want to do some more broadway and maybe finally pursue some non-smurf movies before he'd commit himself to a talk show.

yeah if i had to put my money on someone getting an offer it'd be nph, he's a good idea, but it doesn't seem like his thing so much?

wonder if letterman will be allowed any input

give it to a comedian who can be downright evil, e.g., patton oswalt or sarah silverman. no idea if either can be good talk show hosts, but i've already seen chris rock's name suggested (who is great, by the way, but hasn't helped himself with movies like grown-ups or whatever it was called), so why not other untested comic hosts?

deadline saying chris hardwick is the 'heavy frontrunner'

the mtv game-show host? oy.

silverman's not going to get a broadcast gig and oswalt's too weird for cbs/mainstream america probably. rock is just too established for this sorta thing. xxp

oh god hardwick is the worst.

Letterman's influence? what in the current shitshow wd you lay at his door?

Almost all of these suggestions are way more appealing than Hardwick.

this is ridiculous. they need a hip, edgy host to lead a 21st century late-night franchise. the obvious choice, staring them in the face.

http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~culttv/lee-majors2.JPG

if they only had the courage to see it.

or maybe . . .

Carson Daly hosts a late-night talk show on NBC. Let us never speak his name again.

. . . or maybe not.

Late-night TV is a nearly extinct dodo

deadline saying chris hardwick is the 'heavy frontrunner'

If they're going to use a podcaster, go all the way and pick up Maron.

The Carson Daly show was much better than it had any right to be.

lol podcasters hosting a network show. You dingalings need to realize Letterman would never have gotten his job today.

Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Show With Dave Letterman
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Last Call with Carson Daly
Conan
The Pete Holmes Show
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
The Arsenio Hall Show
Chelsea Lately

won't someone save the nearly extinct late night talk show xxp

Reed Tucker @reed_tucker --Is it even in the realm of possibility that CBS would hire Leno to replace Letterman?

no.

Nikki Finke @NikkiFinke -- Letterman 2015 Replacement: My sources say Stephen Colbert "the only one on the air currently that CBS is considering."

waht?

Patton Oswalt ✔ @pattonoswalt -- "Y'know who does a wonderful David Landerman impersonation? Joe Piscopo." -- the CBS exec they can't fire because of nepotism

should be this guy.

shelby fero @shelbyfero -- There is literally not a single doubt in my mind that I will be asked to replace David Letterman.

i take it back. it should be shelby. whoever that is.

after the past week would be pretty hilarious if it was colbert

new king of late-night

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1215636/thumbs/r-ROB-FORD-ONTARIO-LIBERALS-large570.jpg?16

Chelsea Handler is leaving E! at the end of this year, and Letterman said he'll be done in 2015 (how early in 2015? dunno). Nikki Finke says CBS is only considering one person currently on the air, though, and as much as I admire Chelsea for creating a woman-positive work environment, I think her interview skills are for shit—not super important in late night, but a baseline needs to be met.

Clay, the combined size of the audience of all those shows is what, half of Carson's? A plethora of niches.

but that's also true of literally every other entertainment medium

like if you wanna bemoan the death of the monoculture be my guest, but the vestiges persist

chris hardwick - yeesh, well i hear @midnight is doing well but christ are they gonna call it "Talking CBS"

none of you fuckers click links huh. when i posted it it was a joke but now i've seen him mentioned for real. feel like oppenheimer.

I SAW YOUR JOEK LINK BUT YOUR POST MADE IT SO

shame on you either way

the more i think about it, the choice is rob ford. let him drink a full bottle of sweet vermouth and a full bag of pretzel m&m's before every show, give him no script to work from, and see what happens.

true post-modern culture.

i think nph would be the best left hook, but yeah he's probably not interested. honestly could see them just going with drew carey since trying to out-hip the jimmys and following cbs crime procedurals don't really go hand in hand. they could always put a baby with a twitter feed at 12:30

my wild suggestion is that cbs should jump way in front of the curve and hand it over to Tavi

I stand by Marc Maron. It would be really entertaining for three weeks until he fell off the wagon or killed someone.

NPH definitely the least evil or boring option listed here that sounds even a little bit plausible

No idea if he's even a possibility but doubt Louis CK's endlessly selfloathing schtick'd wear too well on a nightly basis

No way in hell CK would take it; even less likely it'd be offered

voting for chris rock followed by tavi, with the simpsons killing off grandpa simpson in tribute

though apparently chris rock is starring in a new movie he wrote and directed about an actor tempted to leave gabrielle union for rosario dawson, and jesus why would you take a 9 to 5 when you can focus on passion projects like that

...that sounds like the exact same plot as his last movie? the one that CK wrote, derived from Rohmer?

this time he's got a reality tv fiancee, not a teacher wife. but hey, ny writer/directors repeatedly casting themselves into the beds of hotties has a long precedent.

lol @ both actresses being a little younger than their counterparts in the previous movie

sorry for derail, back to speculating about shit none of us will actually watch more than once or twice

Colbert would be an interesting choice, actually. It gives him an excuse to retire the full-immersion character he's been doing for eons, non-stop, it allows him a shot at being a real host vs. a fake hose, which could be appealing, because he actually has good interview skills he's had to suppress/subsume into his personality. He's smart, funny, fast, likeable, can sing and dance ...

fake host not fake hose, though that could be the opening skit.

Underrated, btw: Letterman's incredible original band.

Letterman would never have gotten his job today.

This is OTM.

oswalt's too weird for cbs/mainstream america probably.

Have you see 80s Letterman? For example,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y42v7-IOOXo

Underrated, btw: Letterman's incredible original band.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, April 4, 2014 9:37 AM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeha, this. Everything went downhill after Steve Jordan left.

*yeah

surely the only worthy successor:

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1170122820/Piers_profile_twitter.jpg

btw it's worth mentioning that Letterman's ratings at 12:30 in '82-86 were almost microscopic. He was heavily watched in dorm rooms.

in my dorm room, at least.

True, but he was the only game in town. His only competition was the CBS Late Movie -- it's no movie, folks.

I'm sure NBC was happy to take "microscopic" over "absolutely nothing."

CBS should just go back to showing reruns of "Gunsmoke".

yeah, it was a no-pressure time slot. Now there's no such thing.

he debuted on NBC when I was a month old, and if I kept my mom up late she'd watch Letterman, so we were early adopters. when my brother was 6 and I was 4, we took the family camcorder and taped a talk show, my brother was the host and he addressed me as "Paul."

if the terms of Dave's retirement are that he got to pick a successor, then the question is really who he likes, not who CBS likes (although i'm sure they've got their backup ideas if Dave's pick doesn't last). i hope that's the case, i feel like whoever he wants to have the job should get their shot.

I used to tape Dave and watch the show after school on the VCR. Every day.

I even collected audio to make "radio shows" I could listen to in my room away from the family set. I've still got a whole side of Chris Elliott's Brando impersonations.

"Ooh, I'm covered in witty jabs! Someone get these things off me!"

by the time i was old and nerdy enough to program the VCR to tape late night shows to watch after school, it was mostly Conan, unless Dave had a musical guest i wanted to see.

http://playboysfw.kinja.com/david-lettermans-1984-playboy-interview-a-candid-conv-1557838143/+gabriellebluestone

weird how erudite everyone sounds here, the old dayz i guess

I can get a little Hinkley talking about the guy.

• Dad didn't live with us after the divorce, and in our nightly phone calls, we'd basically talk about what we saw on the most recent Late Night.

• Since I was the caustic, sarcastic guy on the playground, all the country folk compared me to Letterman which only made my head swell to the size of one those watermelons he'd drop from a six-story building in Brooklyn.

• Watched the debut of Late Show in college. Moment of moving up for both of us.

• His son was born on my 30th birthday.

I haven't watched the guy regularly in years. He has been phoning it in since the open-heart surgery. Still going to miss him though. Seems like he'll do ok in retirement, unlike Johnny.

xpost I'd be curious to hear how "microscopic" ratings in 1982 or 1983 compare to ratings today.

I got the impression that post-kid he just thought the whole thing ws kinda stupid, rly. He could still do it when he wanted to, bt mostly "Eh, fuck it"

if the terms of Dave's retirement are that he got to pick a successor, then the question is really who he likes, not who CBS likes (although i'm sure they've got their backup ideas if Dave's pick doesn't last). i hope that's the case, i feel like whoever he wants to have the job should get their shot.

From what I understand this is the case if they want to continue "The Late SHow" as Worldwide pants owns the name. But they could always just cancel The Late Show and do Up Late With McBain or whatever

there's a million reasons these numbers are difficult to compare in a way that feels decisive, but it looks like Letterman's first week drew an audience of about 1.5 million, which appears to be roughly what Craig Ferguson does these days, while Seth Meyers's debut got about 3.5 million. the important thing, though, of course, is that Letterman beat Tom Snyder right out of the gate.

I vote for Joel McHale, NPH or Zach Galifianakis out of the small pool of 'guys who have already shown a basic ability to host stuff.' I have very romantic notions about how Dave and Conan got plucked from relative obscurity and found their niche, but that only makes sense at 12:30, you gotta think bigger at 11:30.

one those watermelons he'd drop from a six-story building in Brooklyn.

AHEM...that building was in New Rochelle, NY.

if the terms of Dave's retirement are that he got to pick a successor, then the question is really who he likes

Then there's only one option:

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2014/03/Future-Islands-gif.gif

i see that guy everywhere. what is wrong with that guy?

he must be an "indie" "rocker."

Wyatt Cenac should host.

^^ good idea

i have no idea what a network that mounted SUCH a "challenging" sitcom as How I Met Your Mother might be thinking

I thought Wyatt Cenac should take over Late Night. I still do, actually, because Seth Meyers is stinking up the joint.

colbert would be perfect. he's the most talented and funniest. and he is a great interviewer. he would be so much better than fallon and the rest. he already is better. i would watch. and i never watch dave.

Colbert is great and I bet CBS would sign him in a heartbeat, but on his end I wonder if he'd want to lose both the security of Comedy Central and his character, which presumably hed have to abandon or adjust dramatically. Plus hed be up against Stewart - there's no going back if it flops.

Like would either of those guys want more network notes in exchange for less interesting guests? Only way I can see it is if colbert's sick of the right wing schtick anyway

I can't imagine Colbert doing an hour-long show either in or out of character.

I'm really hoping they throw this to an unknown, or just someone who doesn't currently have a show.

i have a hard time imagining Stewart or Colbert really relishing the changes that a move to network would bring -- the same amount of comedy stretched out over twice the running time, more interviews with movie stars on press junkets, a house band (it might take Springsteen being his bandleader to bring Stewart to CBS). maybe if Colbert was really dying to stretch his legs and get out of the satirical persona that has lately had its downsides, but he seems to still enjoy that tightrope walk afaict.

xpost

like, Stewart had to steer a smaller ship previously piloted by Craig Kilborn towards what seems to be, for better or worse, the exact show he wants to do. i don't feel like it would make Stewart or any of his or Letterman's viewership happy to see him do a variety show on CBS with a more pointedly political monologue.

yeah i could see colbert relishing the opportunity to move on from the character and dude's doing pistachio commercials so you can't tell me he isn't interested in more money and a higher profile (though i guess you could argue that, like me, he just really really loves pistachios).

Scariest possibility (that would probably involve telling Worldwide Pants to buzz off, but I could see them not feeling beholden to rarely-first-place Dave anyway):

1130 drew Carey
1230 tosh

I could give a shit about 80% of the interviews on these shows (and Letterman appeared to come to feel the same)

They definitely won't go with Carey. CBS is still shaking their image of being a network for old folks; bringing in the 50-something Price Is Right host won't help in that regard.

daily show apparently finishes first in 18-49 demo over the network shows and stewart apparently gets paid very well, more than leno did nevermind the jimmys. i think he takes his 'mission' or whatever it is in his mind pretty seriously (to the detriment of the show imo) and obv if he wants to take time off to do a movie or whatever he has that luxury. in a way he's the closest thing to carson in late night right now, in terms of security and freedom.

carey guest hosted for ferguson last week, i'm kinda skeptical he comes in in a scenario where cbs does a total worldwide pants free makeover of late night and ferguson gets replaced (a scenario i'm seeing mentioned as often as ferguson getting 11:30). in a similar way i'm skeptical that chris rock would want to go head to head w/ lorne's late night empire. then again it ain't show friends. goddamn you croup for raising the possibility of tosh btw.

dude in Slate mad for Ellen

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/04/david_letterman_retirement_ellen_degeneres_is_the_perfect_replacement.single.html

There's a lot I love about Ellen but I think CBS might be chicken shit about putting woman already eligible for AARP status in late night against the jimmys

Like would either of those guys want more network notes in exchange for less interesting guests? Only way I can see it is if colbert's sick of the right wing schtick anyway

― da croupier, Friday, April 4, 2014

schtick?

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

from the Happy Endings thread:

Eliza & Elisha need to stay on TV in perpetuity. maybe they can get the Letterman gig.

― some dude, Friday, April 4, 2014 12:34 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OR...Eliza Coupe and Damon Wayans, Jr. could co-host the Late Show!

Ellen's daytime show is pretty much proto-Fallon in its good-vibes-and-pop-culture-chuckles-over-actual-comedy but i dunno if it would fare well against Fallon

as for DL's style, I think it's much more closely related to his faves, Steve Allen-Kovacs-Carson, than anyone who'd followed him.

Kimmel had a "L8 NITE" vanity license plate as a teenager. It would be his Tonight Show, and his contract is up next year.

i would just love to see colbert on that big stage and have more money to do stuff. i think he'd be a hit! young people and old people seem to like him. and again he's pretty much the only genuinely funny person on late night that i can think of.

http://deadspin.com/keith-olbermanns-tribute-to-david-letterman-is-great-1558210226

i get the feeling that colbert out of character would disappoint a lot of people for various reasons

but then he could just play "mr. late show host". he'd be great at it! he's so versatile.

NPH is definitely the best choice of the ones mooted here, CBS would no doubt appreciate him b/c he has that ability to mock showbiz while simultaneously being an integral part of it (which dave never really has been). it's a combination i find nauseating a lot of the time but it probably is what a network is looking for in a host.. CBS would also get points for "first gay 11:30 talk show host!" (right?)

Didn't hear about this until this morning. I watched him religiously during the early '90s, before and after the network switch. At his best, maybe not a comic genius, but a television genius, yes (helped out considerably by people like Chris Elliot and Larry Bud Melman and various staff--Biff Henderson's great). At his worst...caustic hatred of your industry is fascinating for a while. A few months, maybe.

i love the part in that playboy interview about wanting to communicate w/ people without actually having to endure their presence, so a career in broadcast performance being ideal

v. midwestern

that post-adultery-with-the-staffer veil-dropping had to be the highlight since his heart surgery, no?

Also from the interview: "Among the newer people, I like Jay Leno's observational comedy. I think he's very bright."

xp, definitely. Either that, or his McCain trashing.

i would support mccain taking over the late show. by force. with army tanks and paratroopers.

actually john mccain would be a funny late-night host. make it happen, cbs.

funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZ3DY3x1pE

"paul sings dominating stepsister."

well, that's kind of funny, jay leno.

pains me to admit leno was funny, even once.

he is not funny in that clip

I have fond nostalgic memories of 80s Dave, he seemed like such an anarchic, unpredictable thing. maybe I was just young and naive. nowadays I find the entire prospect/genre of "late night" television kind of nauseating, the endless parade of press junket interviews etc.

if you watch 70's leno and 70's david brenner you realize where, like, half of modern mainstream comedy club stand-up comes from. they kinda created seinfeld. jay had his moments. until the rot set in.

to be fair George Carlin's nonpolitical stuff too was a factor ("Ever notice there are no Chinese guys named Rusty?")

I can't see the following 'contenders' contending at all TBH:

*NPH is a Broadway kid, no? Can't see him ditching acting for hosting 5 nights a week.

*Chelsea Handler's monologues on Lately are so painfully bad. The jokes, the monotone delivery, everything. Its 90% the same old sex jokes and 10% tearing apart women celebrities. Fine for a cable panel show but 11:35 on a network? Eh. Would welcome Chuy as band leader though.

*Chris Hardwick is clearly being groomed to be the next Seacrest. If he did get into late night talk shows it would have to be 12:35 at the earliest. He still seems like a kid whose primary talking points revolve around geek fandom of one kind or another.

*Patton Oswalt probably doesn't look great in a suit. Shallow? Welcome to TV.

*Chris Rock: Cant imagine him bothering.

*Louis CK: See Chris Rock

*I didnt even think of Joel McHale until some dude threw him in the fray. My first reaction was YES!! Hes a writer, a host, has awesome comedic delivery and is a downright pleasure to look at but does he have talk show experience besides co-hosting Kelly and ???? after Regis' departure? I know Conan and Dave were plucked from relative obscurity but that was for 12:35. 11:35 hosts usually have some talk show/late night experience, right?

*Can't see Tina Fey severing ties with Lorne Michaels and his NBC kingdom.

*I know no one has brought up Norm MacDonald as a contender but it would make me so happy to watch norm's late show for the week or so preceeding his inevitable firing.

The contenders as I see them:

*Ferguson: Dave likes him a lot. The Late Late Show host seems like the rightful successor to The Late Show just as the Late Night host is generally considered successor to the Tonight Show. He would need change up a lot but he would probably do okay.

*Conan: Dave likes him a lot. His TBS contract is up in 2015. Les Moonves has shown a fair bit of interest in him in the past. If I recall correctly Moonves was pretty aggressive in courting Conan for the Late Late Show when word got out that Zucker wouldn't guarantee Conan the Tonight Show job because he was still flip-flopping on ousting Jay. As for Conan's bad ratings on the Tonight Show and on TBS, I seriously doubt 5 months of growing pains and a shitty lead in equate to this man being considered a ratings sinkhole. Do basic cable ratings even count?? I cant even find TBS and I watch an excessive amount of TV. Also 11pm is a really stupid time slot. Lead ins include big bang theory reruns and Howie Mandel prank shows. Conan didn't have a whole lot options when he was done with NBC. ABC had Kimmel and Nightline, CBS had Letterman. I cant recall if there was talk of getting rid of Nightline and slotting in Conan at that point. If there was it couldn't have been too serious although Nightline has been teetering on the edge of cancellation since 2005 at least. Point is, I doubt Conan is thrilled with his current situation. And let's not forget, if Conan really wants the late show and hes ready to fight for it, he has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Ari Emanuel.

*Stewart/Colbert: Both obviously capable of the job. Both already located in NYC. Both have contracts with CC that expire at the end of 2014. Stewart has been courted for late night talk shows before (ABC and CBS?) but I think Colbert is a more likely candidate. He's an awesome interviewer, super witty and he could bring some great stuff to the first 1/3 of the show. Furthermore, the overriding joke of the Colbert Report, satirical impersonation, gives the show an inherent used by date for both Colbert and the audience. The Daily Show, on the other hand, could probably go on forever. Jon looks comfy in that job and didnt he just make a movie? I get the impression pushing three celebrity vehicles per show five times a week would not be of much interest to him.

*Jimmy Kimmel: He's basically doing 11:35 an hour earlier and he does a solid job. Why ABC doesn't switch Kimmel and Nightline in the schedule is beyond my comprehension. Maybe they figure people who hate late night talk shows will switch to a news show. Maybe they like having a late night talk show with no competition. In any case, Kimmel seems to be doing just fine despite crime drama and reality show lead ins.

*Jerry Seinfeld: Sweet lord I hope not but its hard to imagine him not being considered.

*Brian Williams: The longest of shots but I think he might be great.

*Joel McHale: Okay. Okay. He probably does have a slim shot.

i get the feeling that colbert out of character would disappoint a lot of people for various reasons

― espring (amateurist), Friday, April 4, 2014 12:48 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

colbert breaks character every 5 or 10 minutes on the report.

I love how Dave once turned over half of his show to James Brown (and this was pre-"Living In America," iirc):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm28ToJxx50

you can tell the year by the height of the drummer's cymbals.

Sheffield:

Letterman came to late night in 1982 as the first of the young guys, and he leaves as the last of the old guys. There was nobody like him before; you can see all his acerbic sensibility in a sketch like "They Took My Show Away," in the way he mocked both TV and the idea of a world beyond TV. ("Don't be swayed by so-called ‘friends' who reject TV in favor of ‘going out,'" he advised back then.) He was New York via the Midwest, definitely not L.A., yet he had total disdain for the idea of aspiring to SNL-style outlaw cred. There was no "guerrilla television" in his game. He was a comedy pro, a surly workaholic man-boy living single in Manhattan — a few years later, Jerry Seinfeld would turn this same image into the premise of a sitcom.

Dave was the first late-night guy rock kids stayed up to watch, triggering that familiar impatience as you wait for the band — whether I was staying up late to see X and R.E.M. in 1983, or staying out late to see the So So Glos in 2013, part of the ritual was the agonizing 50-minute wait, worrying whether Dave might run out of time. (Have you watched that X clip lately? Watch it again. Look how at ease they all look, because he's not worried whether the band likes him and he's not trying to compete with them hipness-wise.)

Man I hate X

Long shot, but I wonder if CBS would just poach Jeff Probst from Survivor and put him on The Late Show. I have no idea if that guy is funny in any way, but he's got to be tired of presiding over tribal councils.

lol never mind. I didn't even know about this thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jeff_Probst_Show

Mr. Colbert has been aware of the coming change at CBS for some time. His last few contracts at Comedy Central have been structured to match up with Mr. Letterman’s at CBS, according to a person with knowledge of the deals who said he was not authorized to speak publicly about them. His current contract runs out at the end of this year, which would free him to negotiate with CBS at just the right time.

*Can't see Tina Fey severing ties with Lorne Michaels and his NBC kingdom.

I can. That would be an interesting move. Her brand and appeal aren't overtly tied to Michaels' name, though she achieved it on shows that he produced.

there are a lot of people I'd like to see do a talk show that i can't imagine will ever go for it if they have the luxury of doing a movie a year and then having months of free time vs. putting on a show 5 nights a week. Tina especially seems to be relieved 30 Rock is over.

colbert would be such an interesting choice. and unlike, say, fallon (who is totally charming and fun), colbert can do a heavy interview.

dude's put in his time, and can't blame him if he wants a challenge, but I'd be really sad to see his character go. It's been such an effective persona to mock Fox News types and I'd rather have that than a really great interviewer of Lindsay Lohans. Maybe he'd find a way to be as admirable on CBS, but if hes not pistachios may wind up his Doritos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb7NkqvL0iw

not really a fair comparison, I'll admit, as I'm not in the "leno used to be funny" gang and Colbert has always been funny

it's possible he's had a different "stephen colbert" character up his sleeve for a while - i mean, there was that amazing speech he gave to that house sub-comittee about farm workers - but if he can successfully manage shifting networks and evolving into a persona just as funny and worthwhile while decreasing the degree of satire dude would be on the comedy mt rushmore

Maybe he'd find a way to be as admirable on CBS, but if hes not pistachios may wind up his Doritos

That reminds me: Letterman is alone among his peers in never having shilled for a product.

Good for him! I always liked Letterman the most out of the talk show. Well, less than Conan's during his heyday, but Conan's was on late anyways so sometimes I would only manage to make it through Letterman's show.

For some reason him saying "Uh...uh...you got any gum?" is coming to mind as a Letterman gag, though I have no idea what it's from.

can't recall why people said he was a failure, but i thought the idea of letterman hosting the oscars -- and skewering all the nominees (like chris rock did on the mtv video music awards (n.1)) -- was inspired.

______________________________
(n.1) never forget how he deadpanned, as the camera focused on britney's displeased, frozen expression, "britney spears. oops, i did it again. oops, i did it again. wha'd she do the first time?" britney was not happy.

For some reason him saying "Uh...uh...you got any gum?" is coming to mind as a Letterman gag, though I have no idea what it's from.

http://vimeo.com/15243552

YES! Consider my vote for Norm MacDonald cast.

only if he does a permanent-letterman shtick like colbert does the permanent-limbaugh shtick.

They should just give it to Paul Shaffer. Not even make him interview people, just let him do whatever he wants to.

http://www.stevemandich.com/uploaded_images/blogpaulshaffer-767263.jpg

i seem to be in the minority here but i think ferguson would mildly kill with a slick big set show in the earlier time slot, directly move into the infrastructure left over from the late show, the backing of letterman and his staff. he's a professional, has a track record, has maybe some loyalty from letterman viewers, committed to late night. none of the names i've seen so far are going to compete with fallon and kimmel except in the short term. try out new talent in the later slot, and give the show to ferguson.

WITH geoff peterson

yeah, what the hell

Are we sure CBS wants to go young, hip, and edgy? A couple of people above have mentioned Drew Carey and when I first read it I thought, yeah, that's what's likely to happen. Leave the young audience to the Jimmys and get the Leno crowd with Carey. At least for a few years. How were Leno's ratings at the end? Didn't he do OK right up to goodby?

Young, hip and edgy is relative. Jimmy Fallon is 40 and has been a fixture on network TV for 15 years, but, y'know, he replaced Leno.

I mean, what are you even suggesting? They find a guy only a little younger than Dave who in a best case scenario would themselves retire in the next 10 years?

Compared to Fallon and Kimmel, Carey is much more appealing to an older, conservative crowd (regardless of actual ages), and that may be a demographic CBS will want to go for.

if a job like The Late Show was ever in Carey's grasp that ended a while ago. if anything they'll give him The Late Late Show after Ferguson gets shown the door.

I agree that he peaked a while ago, but I'm not convinced CBS wants to ignore the Leno crowd, which may seem ripe for the picking now.

an older, conservative crowd (regardless of actual ages), and that may be a demographic CBS will want to go for.

Eh, I dunno; it's not a demographic typically coveted by advertisers.

CBS: The Network For Older People is probably not the 'brand' they want to build either

cbs has explicitly stated they're trying to move away from that demo

they'll have all those boomers and boomer dollars for another 80 years or so. because they refuse to die. i don't even know who boomers like on t.v. anymore.

NCIS and spinoffs

My boomer mom watches two shows: Two and a half men and the Big Bang theory

IMO Carey would be dreadful. I still can't believe he got the price is right

My secret wish: Bob Saget

sunny successor that's p much what my mum likes too, even tho she hates Charlie Sheen irl, also pls not Charlie Sheen

Sheen couldn't hold his shit together to tape 5 days a week. There's no keeping a man coursing with tiger blood and a bevy of goddesses at his disposal chained to a desk 12 hours a day.

I haven't seen enough of Ferguson to have a complete opinion, but from the limited amount I've seen he seems anxious and hyper in a way that Letterman wasn't. The nicest part of Letterman was his kind, peaceful manner... Ferguson seems just too spastic. I think that of the new guard, Kimmel echoes Letterman's dry, understated schtick best. He's still a work in progress but I think his newfound "workmanlike" image draws a lot of inspiration from 90s-00s Dave. For the record, 90s-00s Dave was very underrated. He may have been "off" 95% of the time but was completely without peer when he was on.

Ferguson's anxious monologues remind me a lot of earlier Letterman, who would always button/unbutton his double-breasted coat and weave around the soundstage.

he seems anxious and hyper in a way that Letterman wasn't

sounds like Conan too