Letterman to retire in 2015

The only problem with last night's show was Johnny Depp. What a dud.

 

I liked his show a lot in the 80s when I was a teenager and all I cared about was baseball. The whole Terry Forster and Buddy Biancalana stuff slayed me for some reason. I stopped watching late night TV when I went to college and never really got back into it. But the few times I watched Dave over the last couple decades it was pretty clear he was mailing it in. But if Chris Rock was the host, I would watch every night.

 

Excellent piece from Alex Pappademas.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/david-letterman-legendary-human-being-of-late-night-is-retiring/

 

Dave had more fun than human beings should be allowed to have.

 

He definitely cared about the 12:30 show. He had such crazy rules that he had to abide by because Carson was such a dick, that he couldn't have certain guests and they couldn't play certain songs and stuff like that, that he took what he had and made a show that was so inspired and hilarious.

I don't have a problem with him toning it down when he went to 11:30. I enjoyed when he wouldn't kiss the guests' asses the way the others do. That's not indifference, that's Dave entertaining himself and when he did that, we all won. It was great TV.

I just noticed with me, when I was Tivoing both his show and Kimmel, I would watch Letterman first and Kimmel second and then gradually, I started watching Kimmel first and then I started deleting Letterman unless there was a guest I really wanted to see.

That's the way it was for me.

 

It's not that he didn't care, it's that he wasn't going to pretend -- like Leno -- that your latest movie was the greatest fucking thing on two legs. For that reason, a lot of celebrities (Tom Cruise) would avoid him, and remember Cher saying in '86 she stayed off his show because she was afraid he would be an "asshole."

Speaking of Cher, one of the great Letterman moments -- the Sonny and Cher reunion. It wasn't clear that Cher was going to sing "I Got You Babe," and you can hear her flub it in a big way at the end. It was magical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUtofZzEnbA

 

So. Very. Good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldhf30YtWkI

 

Nice piece, and that Zevon interview/performance is still heartbreaking.

On a lighter note on being human, Letterman got on a kick about the 70s weeper "Wildfire" -- so he brought Michael Martin Murphey on to sing it. It was a throwback to the NBC show in that Murphey used the house band.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hVoDQhVg8e8

 

Bob, am I misremembering, or did Shaffer insist on playing with any guest musicians, even well into the CBS days?

I just have a mental picture of him always being on the piano, no matter who it was.

 

One more Darlene Love Christmas appearance.

 

A NYT story mentioned Tina Fey as a good possibility, though someone whose career would have to take a left turn.

Amy Schumer was mentioned as a longshot. I think it's more a no-shot, but I would love to hear a wicked monologue from her every night.

 

Yeah - the names being tossed out? I'd say no chance. The Colbert interest (apparently on both sides) I find intriguing. I'm trying to think of a personality who rose to fame off of a persona and successfully transitioned to their regular-self. Dice Clay? not really. Foster Brooks? no. Mr. Bean? Larry the Cable Guy? Jim Varney? Pee-Wee Herman? Rip Taylor?