Posts Tagged ‘late show’

John Nolte

The Oprahfication of David Letterman

by John Nolte

Sure, holding it all in might have taken 15 years off of our lives but at least when men were stoic they died with their dignity intact. Watching the once mighty David Letterman confess, apologize and then re-apologize like some narcissistic nobody who suddenly finds Oprah’s attention and camera on him is just another exhibit in the trial of How Far Men Have Fallen.

Compounding his mistake from last week, we got this last night:


Of course Letterman didn’t think about how the media would hound every female who ever worked with him as he bared his precious soul for ten minutes last week. How could he when he was thinking only of himself? Anyone who spends ten minutes confessing their sexual indiscretions on national television obviously hasn’t yet figured out that everything isn’t all about him. If he had, he would’ve issued a short statement, taken the incoming fire without comment, and quietly and privately begged forgiveness from those he hurt. (more…)

Big Hollywood

Barack Obama on Letterman

by Big Hollywood


Watch CBS Videos Online

Obama on Jimmy Carter: “I think it’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election… So the American people I think gave me this extraordinary honor and that tells you I think a lot about where the country’s at.”

John Ziegler

Inside the Letterman/Palin Flap

by John Ziegler

The fact that I’ve needed to correct the record every time I’m involved in some sort of media firestorm (about once a month since the election, it seems), probably says at least as much about the pathetic nature of our news media as anything I put in my documentary “Media Malpractice,” a film whose truth I’ve dedicated almost all of the last year of my life to. The most recent episode involving the controversy over David Letterman’s comments about Governor Sarah Palin and her family is certainly no exception.  

First, let me tell you what really happened, and then I can explain what we should all learn from this.  Here’s the timeline… 

Monday, June 8th: Letterman uses Palin’s trip to New York to unleash a torrent of  ”comic” attacks on her and her family. The entire “Top Ten” list is devoted to the Governor and includes cracks about her updating her “slutty” wardrobe and possessing illegal drugs. The monologue includes a “joke” about Palin’s “daughter” getting “knocked up” at a Yankees game by Alex Rodriquez during the 7th inning stretch while her mother and a stadium full of spectators presumably watched.   (more…)

Jane Shaffmaster

Letterman Loses His Mojo

by Jane Shaffmaster

In the 80’s my quest was to see the Letterman show live.  I LOVED his sense of humor. Memorable segments were “the guy under the stairs,” Larry “Bud” Melman, “Fun with Rupert,” and Biff Henderson’s “Map Across America.” I also got a kick out of Dave’s mom going to and reporting on the Olympics as well as her “name that pie” bit on Thanksgivings. My ultimate fav was Dave’s wacky antics with Mujibar & Sirajul.  It was all comic originality; fresh, silly, and sometimes mindless, but really entertaining and funny.

Disappointingly, by the time I finally did see the show in 2004, the bits I loved ceased to exist and most likely had been banished to the “Late Show” archives.  Rather than attending my first show with eagerness, it was just a cheap way to kill an evening during a business trip.  Since I didn’t have a ticket, I knew I’d need to charm my way in.

A friend had told me that to get in the front row they have “audience scouts” outside the theatre looking for people who are attractive, friendly, expressive, and bubbly.  Being an actress I knew how to play that part, so I glammed up and put on my best New York artsy chic and set out to the Ed Sullivan Theatre.  The “audience scouts,” who looked all of about 14-years-old, were out in front waiting for their subjects to approach.  Oh, to be that young making so little money but holding so much power!  Knowing what I must do, I got my “bubble on” and with just the right amount of star stuck enthusiasm I approached one of the 14-year-old keepers of the audience paperwork! (more…)

John Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Thursday, February 5th

by John Nolte

4am PST - Time Machine, The (1960) – A turn-of-the-century inventor sends himself into the future to save humanity. Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot Dir: George Pal C-103 mins, TV-G

George Pal’s take on the classic story by H.G. Wells is further proof that story triumphs CGI. Even as a kid watching this on a fourteen inch television, the special effects looked cheesy. But it takes more than bad costumes and cheap models (the stop-motion photography remains impressive, however) to undermine imagination and a great story. You get so wrapped up in the drama and ideas the bad effects barely hit the radar. The remake came out in 2002 (directed by Wells great-grandson Simon, no less) and enjoyed all the latest technical movie magic available, and still it laid there like poorly written, PC-infected roadkill. (more…)