What's eating Letterman?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Earlier this week I tuned into Late Night with David Letterman (talk show, US) for the first time in quite awhile. I was surprised how much he was laying into CBS president Les Moonves and into rival Jay Leno.

Surprised, but not shocked, of course. Making fun of network management has long been part the Letterman canon, and his longstanding ill-will towards Leno is well-known. What surprised me was the apparent genuineness of his anger with Moonves, and the fact that he was making digs at Leno on air, something he seemed reluctant to do in the past.

So, I’m assuming I missed something, pop-culture-wise. Were there any recent Moonves/Letterman or Leno/Letterman incidents that have Dave especially P.O.ed? Or is he just getting crankier in his old age?

2

Yes, there has been some conflict between Letterman and Moonves.

Moonves vistited Castro in Cuba and Letterman did several skits about it that did not sit so well with Moonves. Eventually they had a meeting and apparently it didn’t go so well. One thing that was said by Moonves was “You got a problem with me?” So you may have heard Dave use that phrase a lot recently. Moonves also apparently said that guests didn’t like coming on the show because Letterman belittles them.

More information can be found here at Aaron Barnhart’s web site.

3

Thanks, obfusciatrist, for the summary and the fine link. But, hey, 18 whole minutes aftwer the OP… what took you so long? [grin]

After reading the article, I’m assuming that the shots that Letterman was taking at Leno are just a function of his not feeling the need to hold anything in anymore.

4

Flesh eating bacteria?
Zombies?
Worker ants?
Hannibal Lecter?
Hungry wolves?

Any of the above would be good for me :stuck_out_tongue:

5

Boy, I give a thread a title short enough to fit on one line, and this is the thanks I get!

6

I’ve also heard that Dave is not happy about having to play up Survivor so much. It’s pretty obvious that he thinks the show is stupid (like most thinking people), but the network requires him to have the flunkees on the show to promote it. I have noticed that he’s stopped interviewing them, they usually just have some sort of walk-on, and Dave makes no attempt to hide his scorn. And it’s obviously genuine, not like the act he has with Richard Simmons. It’s a power struggle with the network, same with Moonves coming down on Dave for making all the jokes about Moonves’ visit with Castro and Dave responding with more, and sharper jabs. And Dave will win in the end, he’s the best thing the network has, they won’t let him be unhappy for long.

7

And decided he is just a selfish grumpy old fart, with only the ghost of a talent left.

We get Letterman here in Australia, it plays very late at night and irregularly. It’s delayed about a week or so, in order not to give away Survivor developments.

The other night the cute young english guy, The Naked Chef was on and was to do a cooking demo. Jamie Oliver is very good at what he does, with his warm cuddly youngster shtick, and very professional.

However, I’m watching, and I’m aware that Dave is interrupting him, and holding him up with one stupid unfunny gag after another. Then suddenly it’s, well we better finish, hurry along.

Oliver handles all this graciously, and he’s just arranging the food on a serving plate. In close up, it’s starting to look good and then a hand enters the frame, scooping up a forkful of the food, smearing the arrangement, BEFORE ITS EVEN FINISHED. As they go to the break Letterman is saying in an surprised way, that it actually tastes good.

I suddenly understood it all. Dave doesnt like anyone else on the show to do anything good. He’s jealous. He’s a lousy interviewer, the show is mostly padding (“right after this brak we’ll be back with…” and the opening stupid remark repeated twenty times throughout) and we all know that not only does someone else write all his material but he seems not to have read any of it before he came on camera.

He’s coasting. He’s a burnt-out shell, wrapped in the hide and remnants of a comedian. His concern with the human race is about as deep as Oprah’s, and his egotism rivals hers.

What’s eating him? He was once a man proud of his ability to see through the bullshit. Now he’s hooked on that endless, mindless applause, but knows he’s done nothing to earn it. He won’t break the bonds because he’s grown too fond of the money. At the same time he doesn’t feel he deserves the money, and he’s dead envious of those who are young and fresh, and are earning the respect of people around them.

In conclusion may I say, and how appropriately on Oscar day, “Oprah…Uma…Uma…Oprah”

This is not a talent. It’s an ex-talent.

Redboss
[sub] phew, that feels better![/sub]

8

He dissed Jamie Oliver?! How can anyone diss Jamie Oliver? How can anyone with half a heart do anything that might hurt the feelings of such a cute, cuddly, gorgeous, funny puppy-dog of a man?

Jim walks away muttering “He dissed Jamie Oliver…grrr…”

9

While I disagree with your general sentiment (I personally like Letterman, despite a definite decline in quality since the heart attack), I really have to disagree with the above statement. Letterman has been praised as one of the best interviewers on television. His interview of Dubya was one of the best of the election campaign, and he has consistently been one of the best and most poignant interviewers I’ve seen.

Two Cents.

10

I never have particularly like Letterman, because of his often ‘smartassed’ attitude, but he started cycling downhill even more rapidly after that nasty battle for Carson’s show. Leno was pretty good when he took over the Tonight Show, but has since developed an attitude that shows even in his body language.

He’s no longer the humble ‘kid,’ excited to get the show, but an older, much chunkier smart ass.

Letterman has held a resentment against the previously barely known Leno for getting the show, which he desired above all. They way I figure it, they should have replaced Leno a long time ago.

Then again, I figure they should have cloned Carson so they could have a copy ready to take his place when he aged. Carson is still the best late night talk show host there ever was.

11

Nah.

Not even if he was the last gap-toothed TV personality on Earth.

We have way better taste.

12

What is “stupid pet tricks that didn’t make the cut”?
Having seen the episode with the Naked Chef (“total fucking misnomer” BTW), I didn’t think Letterman did anything inapropriate. His job is to run a comedy show, not showcase Oliver’s cooking. Thus, he has to try to make it funny, for example by drinking a half a bottle of olive oil. As I recall, while doing the cooking and the schtick, Letterman also gave Oliver the chance to describe his show in some detail, which was why he was there in the first place. I think the surprise at the meal tasting good was due to the fact that it had about three freaking ingredients.

CBS is not going to give Letterman what he wants. He’s obviously unhappy with his job, and has been for a while, but really can’t get what he wants from CBS, so he takes it out on them on the air. Since CBS can’t afford to lose him, they pretty much just have to take it.

13

Drew Barrymore.

14

Yeah, Letterman is getting crankier and the same ol’ bits just aren’t funny anymore (although I think his barely disguised scorn for all things Survivor is an admirable quality).

Still, he would have to bring the suck level up a whole bunch more notches before I stop watching him and start watching Leno.

15

Here’s the scoop on that. A year ago, when the first Survivor ran on CBS, Letterman had a problem. He was in the midst of trying to get Al Gore and George W. Bush to come on the air and debate one another the day before the election. He asked for CBS’s help in promoting it.

They refused. He was mad because they were promoting Survivor like crazy. They were going to be a one time, unsuccessful show and he was a long time staple for them. Of course, the show was a huge hit.

Naturally, they wanted him to have the kicked off survivors on the show. He refused. They threatened him. He finally agreed to have them on, but they don’t get to sit down. As you may have seen, Letterman insists that they stand by the brick wall near the producer. They cannot approach Lettermand and they cannot ask him any questions. They are only allowed to talk when he asks them questions.

I love Letterman(heck, I’ve got a signed photo of him in my room), but he is really slipping. He’s becoming more and more compulsive. He is really rude to all the survivor cast aways, who don’t know how to handle it because they are pretty much average individuals off the street.

Some of the cast aways from Survivor II(Kimmi, Mitchell, and Jeff) have complained to Mark Burnett about Letterman’s treatment of them(he’s very rude to them and talks bad about them after they leave).

Well, Burnett is like a god to CBS(he saved them) and they have had several meetings with Letterman to try to get him to be nicer. Of course, he pretends to try but is still rather cruel. He clearly does not watch the show or put any real effort into trying to participate in the interviews in any serious manner.

Frankly, I think he’s missing a chance to boost his ratings. He’s way, way, way, behind Leno. Leno is pulling 5.5 million average and Letterman’s pulling 3.3 average.

And that, as they say, is that.

16

I think you found something.
He has a right to be bitter. He has no talent, and no future. Every year is just less of the same. He can’t even match Craig Kilborn any more. I would have hoped Moonves had put him on notice long ago.

What I don’t get is how Dave stays on the air at all.
He has only a couple of funny things: the monologue, letters, the top ten list.

The rest, including his inept “interviews” is fast-forward time.

He likes to “have nothing tonight”. That was funny maybe the first 2 times.
He has an old guy that does nothing. Not funny even once.
He annoys people by packing their shop with people in costume. Loooong way for nothing.

Leno does some of those “time killers” too, but about 1/3 of Dave’s. And he has written comedy, about 3xDaves.

Being scornful of others and having no talent yourself doesn’t ever fill the hour.

17

Wild, rabid, dingos.
[elaine] “The dingo ate your baby!” [/elaine]

Yep.