Letterman to retire in 2015

Yeah, that's the problem with his character becoming so deeply ingrained in his persona. It's going to be hard for audiences to accept the real Stephen Colbert (with a hard 'T').

 

Damn, I'm old enough to remember when Jon Stewart was marketed as the young, hip late-night host on MTV, leather jacket and all.



If there's a host from the Daily Show/Colbert orbit that could stand out as a late-night host, I would go with John Oliver, though HBO has already snapped him up for that.

I would suspect Craig Ferguson is a strong case, too, given his contract also is up in 2015. But he's too off-the-wall, even more than Letterman was, for that spot, though it would allow him a non-robot sidekick and a real band instead of Alfredo Sauce and the Shy Fellas. (Note to non-Ferguson viewers: that's the "band" he introduces that is behind a curtain on the set because he can't get a real one, and his joke is that they're too shy to appear on TV.)

Letterman does some of this, but I suspect CBS will want more of what Kimmel and Fallon produce -- viral videos everyone shares the next day. Maybe for that they'll go after Andy Samberg and Lonely Island.

 

Hopefully whatever happens, someone hires Sheryl Zilikson, Letterman's music booker. Hands down, she gets him the most interesting music of the late night. I think Letterman demands that -- his tastes are fairly eclectic.

 

I like NPH, and he does a great job with award shows, but that's a big jump to hosting a late-night show. I think he could do it, I just wonder if anyone would watch.

It would be interesting if CBS would throw a shitload of money at Chris Rock or Seinfeld. I actually could see Rock considering it for the right price.

 

Is there some contractual requirement that when writing about Ellen DeGeneres that you always have to add
that she is "well liked"?

 

Chris Rock would get fired in about a week -- and be pleased with himself.

 

They should ask Cosmo Kramer. He did a good job subbing for Merv Griffin

 

Just watched all three parts of Larry "Bud" Melman at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Oh my God. I laughed as hard as I did when I saw it 20-some years ago. Still wiping away the tears. ...

I'm 42. I taped Late Night every night back in the 80s and watched it before school as I ate breakfast -- at least until I was old enough to stay up that late regularly. Letterman set the standard for what followed -- the irony, the sarcasm, the silliness -- on late-night TV, whether it was Conan, Kimmel, Fallon and now Meyers.

At almost 67 he's lost his fastball, but I still think, even though I don't watch him religiously anymore, he can still be great, great pro. And in those moments when he is on his game, few, if any are better.

I also think that post-9/11 and post-heart surgery, he's pretty much decided that he's going to put on the show he wants. He's not trying to please anyone else, except maybe his audience. He stopped competing with Leno and others to some degree. He could limit shows to one guest/one musician and not cram too much in. He could bring in the guests he wanted, the music he liked, not just the plug-of-the-week movie star all the time.

Now I need to get to NYC in the next year or so and finally see him live, something I've wanted to do since I was probably 14 years old.

 

I just hope whoever they pick, he's not against gay marriage.

BTW, is that an acceptable interview question now?

 

Carey is 55 but would be able to make a seamless transition. Another Midwest guy with
huge following after adding The Price Is Right to his resume. Also already in the CBS
family.

Given the timing of Letterman announcement thinking that Carey hosting Ferguson show
Monday night was more than an April fools joke.

Still willing to bet that a large percentage of the country has no idea who Stephen Colbert is.

 

That's the thing. Letterman hasn't lost his fastball. He stopped caring/trying a long time ago, but there will be those little reminders a few times a year where you can see how good he can be.

I never missed his show when he was on after Carson. When I was in high school, I would tape it every night. I watched it most nights in college when he moved to 11:30 in 1993.

 

Mizzou ... But wasn't he always accused of not caring or not trying, even on the old Late Night show? Of being bored with/indifferent to guests? That was the knock on him. Maybe that was perceived differently back then because it was considered ironic, and guys around our age (we appears to be around the same age) laughed that off and defended it because there was nothing else like it -- something easier to do in our teens and 20s than in our 40s.

I'm not saying that he doesn't mail it in more often than not nowadays. However, I'm not sure I watch it enough to judge that one way or the other. I can say, for me, that a bored Letterman was still better than a hard-working Leno any day.

The last two episodes of Letterman I watched were damn-good television. One was last night, with the retirement announcement. And the other was the Jimmy Carter episode last week. Letterman was as professional as a broadcaster could be for that Carter interview -- better than ANY current TV newsman would be in that situation, as Carter talked about human trafficking and the treatment of women around the world. And the audience was completely silent. At the end, Letterman broke the ice a bit in a way only he could, by saying, "I thought you'd be funnier."