Tonight David Letterman celebrates 30 years on the air. It's been quite a ride for old Dave, through different timeslots and networks, from the peak of zeitgeist to something else entirely. He's hosted starlets and politicians, often treating them with a dash of anger and more than a bit of sarcasm. Here are some of the most memorable moments from his time on television.
David Letterman celebrates 30 years in late-night television tonight. Chances are, though, that you aren't gonna be watching the anniversary episode—especially if you're under the age of 50. It's been a long, long time since David Letterman mattered all that much.
The Late Show with David Letterman just fired its booker Eddie Brill. The ostensible reason is some horribly sexist comments Brill made in the New York Times. The real reason is Letterman's festering woman problem.
Last year, veteran TV news producer Joe Halderman was sentenced to six months in jail for pulling a failed $2 million blackmail scheme on David Letterman, who was having an affair with a staff member. Now, the ID Discovery network's "On the Case With Paula Zahn" has hired Halderman as a producer. He's experienced, so he should be fine, as long as he does not blackmail Paula Zahn for $2 million.
Jessica Biel stopped by tonight's Late Show to chat with David Letterman and promote New Year's Eve, rom-com king Garry Marshall's star-studded regurgitation of 2010's inexplicably successful Valentine's Day. At one point, Letterman read Biel a list of about 15 of her A-list co-star to see how many of them she'd actually filmed with—any guesses?
Justin Bieber stopped by the Late Show this evening for a chat with David Letterman. At one point, Bieber noted that he'd been to "every continent." But after being challenged by Letterman to actually name each of them, Bieber was less than successful. See that, plus Letterman telling Bieber that a photo of him looks like Marie Osmond, in the above video.
Justin Bieber admits he took a DNA test to see if that baby is actually his. Angelina Jolie is into some kinky stuff. Britney Spears has a hard, hard life. Howard Stern thinks he and America both have talent. Wednesday's gossip is on the 4:07 to New Haven.
Herman Cain stuck around for three segments on tonight's Late Show, during which a noticeably "I'm not here for this" David Letterman listened to him give rambling half-truth answers to questions about everything from his "999" economic plan, to his smoking campaign manager (who was there, smoking), to the sexual harassment allegations that have mired his campaign as of late. A clip of Letterman and Cain's tense discussion related to the sexual harassment scandal is above.
Regis Philbin bids farewell to Live! tomorrow, but he still had time to stop by tonight's Late Show. Philbin stuck around for much of the hour, during which he and David Letterman talked about making out with each other, the possibility of Jerry Seinfeld coming between them, and more. Then, Philbin crashed the Vespa that Letterman bought for him as a retirement present. Here's our video of highlights.
Jerry Seinfeld is set to temporarily take over as co-host of Live! after Regis Philbin's final show on Friday. Hey, when did Seinfeld and Philbin get so close, anyway? And why is Philbin on the cover of Newsweek with him instead of with longtime friend David Letterman? That's what a jealous Letterman wanted to know when he asked Seinfeld about his relationship with Reeg on tonight's Late Show.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck had quite a bone to pick with Bill Maher on The View this morning about a joke he'd told about her months ago, and pick it she did. One would think he'd mind being attacked, but on tonight's Late Show, Maher told David Letterman he was actually pleased with how she reacted: "Thank you, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, for making me look good!"
In a span of 24 hours, Rick Perry has gone from longshot presidential contender to unwitting Gingko Biloba spokesman to national joke to late night comedian. At this rate, by 4 a.m. he should be hosting an infomercial for Epilady for Men® on the Ion channel. Soak it up, Rick. This is your moment. Probably not the moment you'd hoped for, but it's a moment nonetheless. [Late Show]
Salma Hayek has kept a relatively low profile since having a child with (and eventually marrying) French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, so she had lots to discuss with David Letterman when she stopped by tonight's Late Show to promote her new film. Here are highlights of their lively chat, including her struggle to quit smoking, her four-year-old daughter's adult-like attitude, and Letterman's obsession with Hayek's earrings.
George Clooney returned to the Late Show tonight after a three-and-a-half year absence, so naturally there were many things David Letterman wished to discuss with him. Chief among them: Vera Farmiga's backside, which apparently has been on Letterman's mind since seeing Clooney and Farmiga appear together in Up in the Air a couple of years ago.
Well, this was uncomfortable. On tonight's Late Show, David Letterman interviewed '80s movie star-turned-alcoholic flameout Sean Young. The chat was bizarre from the onset—Young described disciplining her teenage sons with a horsewhip—and then turned downright sad as Young pleaded for work with anyone who'd consider hiring her. The saddest part? The video clip that Young shared of her dressed up in a Catwoman suit, screaming "I'm not crazy!" to random passers-by.
While many TV newsmen aren't good at anything else, a one-trick pony Brian Williams is not—and he's got a reel full of everything from cameos on 30 Rock to slow jams with Jimmy Fallon to prove it. The NBC Nightly News anchor does best, though, when there's no agenda or script, which is why his appearances with David Letterman on the Late Show are often so memorable.
A year plus after the whole late night kerfuffle, everyone's back to not caring at all about late night. During this past premiere week (when all the shows are new and sparkly) both Jay Leno and David Letterman's ratings bombed.
Anderson Cooper probably woke up this morning thinking he'd only be on two television shows by the end of the day. But then the opportunity came along to appear on a third program—and promote his new daytime talk show in the process—and he couldn't resist.
