![Julia Roberts [The Late Show with David Letterman; 03.17.09]: Ok, ok—I will watch Notting Hill. Fallon: notebook time. A [video]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/L8H9zWHTil75y4gplWVXKEjTo1_r1_500.jpg)
Julia Roberts [The Late Show with David Letterman; 03.17.09]: Ok, ok—I will watch Notting Hill. Fallon: notebook time. A [video]
![Lil Wayne [Late Show with David Letterman, 02.05.09]: Pause! [video] A](http://25.media.tumblr.com/L8H9zWHTijlzulpu9HSlFT6Xo1_500.jpg)
Lil Wayne [Late Show with David Letterman, 02.05.09]: Pause! [video] A
![Dustin Hoffman [Late Show with David Letterman, 12.22.08]: Stories get a bad rap because they’re the default. “Hey, got any stories?” “Got any kids? “Got any stories about kids?” are questions prep people ask famous actors and actresses who don’t know how to tell stories. I’m not sure if that’s a great job (I’m thinking Garofalo on Larry Sanders), but I’d like to try it for a week. Anyway, I’m sure Hoffman was prepped but the guy’s got stories. Real ones. Three segments worth. How long has he waited to tell the yarn about putting some 3 in a Dusty/Duvall sandwich in a shower on 109th 50 years ago? New to me. Did I mention the man is 71?! Incredible. (Letterman’s right about the Hoffman/Duvall/Hackman tell-all, too—publishers make note.) Jose Ferrer/Tootsie is gold, clearly. And he’s so relaxed, as if these are just a few of thousands of Hollywood tales he’s got hidden away, ready to be spontaneously remembered at some time or another. Looking at IMDB, Hoffman’s been on Letterman three times total. An injustice. A [clip/full episode]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/L8H9zWHTii62jsnypeNlsLFKo1_500.jpg)
Dustin Hoffman [Late Show with David Letterman, 12.22.08]: Stories get a bad rap because they’re the default. “Hey, got any stories?” “Got any kids? “Got any stories about kids?” are questions prep people ask famous actors and actresses who don’t know how to tell stories. I’m not sure if that’s a great job (I’m thinking Garofalo on Larry Sanders), but I’d like to try it for a week. Anyway, I’m sure Hoffman was prepped but the guy’s got stories. Real ones. Three segments worth. How long has he waited to tell the yarn about putting some 3 in a Dusty/Duvall sandwich in a shower on 109th 50 years ago? New to me. Did I mention the man is 71?! Incredible. (Letterman’s right about the Hoffman/Duvall/Hackman tell-all, too—publishers make note.) Jose Ferrer/Tootsie is gold, clearly. And he’s so relaxed, as if these are just a few of thousands of Hollywood tales he’s got hidden away, ready to be spontaneously remembered at some time or another. Looking at IMDB, Hoffman’s been on Letterman three times total. An injustice. A [clip/full episode]
Tracy Morgan [Late Night with Conan O’Brien, 10.29.08]: Tracy Morgan doesn’t do bits. At least it doesn’t seem like he’s doing bits, which is basically the same thing and probably more impressive. Only the first joke on Conan seemed planned out at all, and he riffed it into some kind of comedy netherworld anyway. Conan’s like, “I will never understand you,” and that’s exactly why Tracy will continue to be the best annual guest on Conan. Not to say the host doesn’t understand how to get the most of this man—these two would be perfect buddy movie foils. I would pay to see that movie and I know at least three other people who would, too. The “creation myth” bit is remarkable—flying without a parachute never looks this easy or is this funny. If that parachute is hidden, he might be even more of a genius. And, seriously, why hasn’t he hosted SNL yet? A
![John McCain [Late Show with David Letterman, 10.16.08]: It’s not wise to make Dave do more work than he has to. John McCain learned this the hard way when he blew Letterman off a couple weeks back, giving him a cockamamie excuse about flying back to D.C. that was all kinds of bullshit. Dave has been giving him the business since, repeating mostly lazy jokes in an effort to get the Arizona Senator to return. We knew he was going to rib McCain about the no-show (right off the bat: “can you stay?”), but the question remained: Is Dave planning on really going in here, you know, like he did with O’Reilly. Much to McCain’s discomfort, the answer was yes. The interview started with Paul gearing up with the Who’s “I Can’t Explain.” It ended with McCain practically jumping off the couch to make an escape. For most of the three-segment chat, Dave pinned the Senator down in ways that Barack Obama couldn’t (or, I suppose, didn’t) during the previous night’s debate. It was an Important Interview masterclass. Go in easy, aim for the gut in round two and then softly back away out and stitch up the scar like nothing happened. Dave claims to be an independent who “knows nothing about politics,” but watch a few recent shows and it’s pretty clear which way he’s leaning. But he’s not in the tank for Obama—he’s a 61-year-old millionaire weighing his options and making a choice. In fact, he hasn’t shown much genuine vitriol toward McCain. It’s Sarah Palin who’s gotten the brunt of Letterman’s wrath—it’s plain to see he’s not kidding when he talks about the prospect of a Palin presidency in frightened and perturbed tones.
And the most powerful part of this interview was when he grilled McCain on his VP pick, saying he can’t recall a worse moment for America in his lifetime and invoking the tenuous fate of his 4-year-old son’s generation. Dave plays the fool, but he’s no dummy—he saves his straight talk for moments that matter. After 26 years as a late night TV host, Letterman has nothing to lose. With his poll numbers dwindling and his campaign’s negativity turning on him, McCain had a lot to lose last night. Dave will still be on TV every night after Nov. 4. A
Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4](http://24.media.tumblr.com/L8H9zWHTif5yg2jc5xLaqhhzo1_500.jpg)
John McCain [Late Show with David Letterman, 10.16.08]: It’s not wise to make Dave do more work than he has to. John McCain learned this the hard way when he blew Letterman off a couple weeks back, giving him a cockamamie excuse about flying back to D.C. that was all kinds of bullshit. Dave has been giving him the business since, repeating mostly lazy jokes in an effort to get the Arizona Senator to return. We knew he was going to rib McCain about the no-show (right off the bat: “can you stay?”), but the question remained: Is Dave planning on really going in here, you know, like he did with O’Reilly. Much to McCain’s discomfort, the answer was yes.
The interview started with Paul gearing up with the Who’s “I Can’t Explain.” It ended with McCain practically jumping off the couch to make an escape. For most of the three-segment chat, Dave pinned the Senator down in ways that Barack Obama couldn’t (or, I suppose, didn’t) during the previous night’s debate. It was an Important Interview masterclass. Go in easy, aim for the gut in round two and then softly back away out and stitch up the scar like nothing happened.
Dave claims to be an independent who “knows nothing about politics,” but watch a few recent shows and it’s pretty clear which way he’s leaning. But he’s not in the tank for Obama—he’s a 61-year-old millionaire weighing his options and making a choice. In fact, he hasn’t shown much genuine vitriol toward McCain. It’s Sarah Palin who’s gotten the brunt of Letterman’s wrath—it’s plain to see he’s not kidding when he talks about the prospect of a Palin presidency in frightened and perturbed tones.
And the most powerful part of this interview was when he grilled McCain on his VP pick, saying he can’t recall a worse moment for America in his lifetime and invoking the tenuous fate of his 4-year-old son’s generation. Dave plays the fool, but he’s no dummy—he saves his straight talk for moments that matter. After 26 years as a late night TV host, Letterman has nothing to lose. With his poll numbers dwindling and his campaign’s negativity turning on him, McCain had a lot to lose last night. Dave will still be on TV every night after Nov. 4. A
![Sarah Silverman [Late Show with David Letterman, 10.14.08]: Even though Sarah may be at the height of her comedic powers right now, it seems like she’s underrated. (When she was recycling the same 45 minutes of material over and over just a couple years ago she was probably overrated, so this may be some sort of comic justice.) You’ve got the Obama/Jews video. And, considering it’s the best Mr. Show-style inside-joke fest since Mr. Show, her Comedy Central series is oddly slept on. I mean, on last week’s episode she sued Mongolia as a whole for raping and pillaging her Jewish ancestors in the thirteenth century. What more do you want from a half hour jerk-com? I laughed (ha ha) more during last season’s Cookie Party episode than during the last (let’s say) five years of SNL. Please watch her show.
And yes, Letterman! Always makes for a great faux-rivalry moment with the Kimmel mention and tonight is no different. Socks are ridiculous. I suppose this should be expected, but she works way better on the Late Show than on Kimmel—Dave plays into her Larry Sanders-bred skewed cleverness whereas Jimmy plays more into her shocktacular shtick. Can’t blame Dave for harping on the semi-break-up a little, you don’t get the chance to make Sarah Silverman squirm that often. A
» The Rant: Note to the people running the Late Show website—you’re fucking up. Your video player makes me angry. Hate to say it, but NBC and Hulu are crushing you. I get it: CBS is old and everyone who works there (ha) types with their ring fingers. But, really, why not put the Late Show up in its entirety with ads on a flash player that doesn’t look like it was designed by a 12-year-old super whiz circa 2004. More young people watch Dave. More young people use the internet. We know this. Especially with Dave getting some huge breaks this election season, why not offer up more than one or two hacked clips from each night? This is the type of thing that bothers me.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/L8H9zWHTif1nby8jjbnPsMFDo1_500.jpg)
Sarah Silverman [Late Show with David Letterman, 10.14.08]: Even though Sarah may be at the height of her comedic powers right now, it seems like she’s underrated. (When she was recycling the same 45 minutes of material over and over just a couple years ago she was probably overrated, so this may be some sort of comic justice.) You’ve got the Obama/Jews video. And, considering it’s the best Mr. Show-style inside-joke fest since Mr. Show, her Comedy Central series is oddly slept on. I mean, on last week’s episode she sued Mongolia as a whole for raping and pillaging her Jewish ancestors in the thirteenth century. What more do you want from a half hour jerk-com? I laughed (ha ha) more during last season’s Cookie Party episode than during the last (let’s say) five years of SNL. Please watch her show.
And yes, Letterman! Always makes for a great faux-rivalry moment with the Kimmel mention and tonight is no different. Socks are ridiculous. I suppose this should be expected, but she works way better on the Late Show than on Kimmel—Dave plays into her Larry Sanders-bred skewed cleverness whereas Jimmy plays more into her shocktacular shtick. Can’t blame Dave for harping on the semi-break-up a little, you don’t get the chance to make Sarah Silverman squirm that often. A
» The Rant: Note to the people running the Late Show website—you’re fucking up. Your video player makes me angry. Hate to say it, but NBC and Hulu are crushing you. I get it: CBS is old and everyone who works there (ha) types with their ring fingers. But, really, why not put the Late Show up in its entirety with ads on a flash player that doesn’t look like it was designed by a 12-year-old super whiz circa 2004. More young people watch Dave. More young people use the internet. We know this. Especially with Dave getting some huge breaks this election season, why not offer up more than one or two hacked clips from each night? This is the type of thing that bothers me.
