LATE SHOW NEWS #194 March 17, 1998 published Mar. 18 by Aaron Barnhart To join or leave the LATE-SHOW-NEWS mailing list, instructions are at end of message. [A version of this article appears Mar. 18 in the Kansas City Star.] "The Barbara Walters Special" has become an annual Oscars-night tradition, right up there with dinner at Spago and interrogations with the Joan Rivers fashion police. Wednesday, however, the Walters show gets a delicious send-up with "The Beth Littleford Interview Special," featuring the comedian and correspondent for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." The program, a compilation of previously shown segments, airs at 7 and 11 p.m. Eastern, mere days away from the real "Barbara Walters Special" on Monday. (The special will also be repeated later this week.) In her 18 months on "The Daily Show," Littleford has made a specialty out of these gauzy, patently insincere interviews. She kills her guests with kindness in person, then chops them into hamburger at the editing suite. Thus, what must have seemed at the time an innocuous discussion of gardening with ex-surgeon general Joycelyn Elders is jerked out of context and stroked into an incredibly suggestive (and hilarious) romp. And imagine white supremacist David Duke's face after viewing the edited result of his day with Littleford. The segment begins with her introducing Duke as "a loving father and a semi-successful politician -- but mostly a racist." It ends with Littleford pleasantly asking the onetime Klansman about his plastic surgery and how to get stains out of a white sheet. In between, Duke is shown playing the piano for an artificially bemused Littleford -- an unkind reference to Richard Nixon's famous appearance on "The Jack Paar Show." In her interview with mega-beefcake Fabio, Littleford gets to ask the ultimate Barbara Walters parody question: "You've said in the press that you don't want to be seen as a piece of meat. Let's just say for a second that you were a piece of meat. What kind of meat would you be?" Fabio, by the way, answers the question. Also on the program: "Diff'rent Strokes" co-stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges. In a telephone interview from Alberta, where she is filming "Mystery, Alaska," a hockey movie produced by David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal," "Chicago Hope"), Littleford admitted she can't do an interview if she isn't lovey-dovey with her subject -- even, or perhaps especially, when it's someone like Duke. "The people I interview, I'm always surprised by their humanity," she said. "I bond with them." At least until the taping is over. "Yes, the editing tends to be a little crueler," Littleford said. "But it's funny!" At "The Daily Show" Littleford has become the most prominent female talking head since the exit three months ago of co-creator and head writer Lizz Winstead, who reportedly clashed with the show's producer. The writing staff consists of what Littleford called "eight angry young men" cranking out insults for the show's anchor Craig Kilborn. "It's a boys' club -- but comedy is a boys' club," Littleford said. "The humor that is mine is a little less searing, a little more fun," she added, and over the phone lines you could almost hear her creasing into a mock Barbara Walters smile. *** "Keenen Ivory Wayans" is no more, the victim of poor ratings -- not as poor as "Vibe's," of course, but "Vibe" isn't under the pressure that "Keenen" was. The show's distributor, Disney's Buena Vista, knew good and well that Wayans's show would be losing its primo time spot come June on the Fox-owned stations, and likely other stations, as Earvin Johnson's "The Magic Hour" took to the air. It also knew that Wayans wasn't getting any better as an interviewer and that both black-oriented shows were underdelivering in terms of audience size. What had looked like such a big, wide-open niche for reaching urban viewers only a few months ago now appeared to be either a mirage or a blown opportunity for both shows. Buena Vista's chief Mort Marcus said in a statement that "We fought hard for this show" but added, "Bottom line is the ratings haven't reached the levels necessary to sustain such an expensive production." During the February sweep "Keenen" pulled in just 2.1 percent of households for a 6 percent share of the late-night audience. And remember, his was the *higher*-rated program. So will "Vibe" be next? It seems unlikely. Host Sinbad is under contract to Columbia TriStar to do movies and other TV deals, meaning that the talk show could be pulled out from under him and the big bearded one would still be standing. "Vibe" is on executive producer number three or four, I've lost count, in just nine months, and however you term it -- either a failed demographic or a failed attempt to reach the demographic -- the audience may not tune in, ever, regardless of how much futzing Quincy Jones does. On the other hand: "Vibe" now has that urban market to itself. It is not in grave danger of facing the kind of seismic downgrade in time slots that "Keenen" was facing. It is on a lot of UHF stations and is undoubtedly cheaper to produce and cheaper for those stations to carry than "Keenen" ever was. And with the May sweep just four weeks ago, look for Columbia TriStar to keep the thing on the air long enough to ride out the season's last big ratings- measurement period. *** One of Harry Knowles' moles has supplied him with a script excerpt from the upcoming doomsday thriller "Deep Impact." In it, with the prospect of a comet speeding toward Earth, both Jay Leno and Dave Letterman appear on their shows and announce they are closing up shop until the big rock crisis is resolved. Here are the suggested lines for Dave: "The comet is such a great set up for a joke, but the problem is that we don't want to be the punch line. So here's my last Top Ten List. Ten: Be grateful to the crew of the Messiah. Nine: Make peace with your enemies. Eight: Be strong for the children. Seven: Try to help someone you don't know. Six: Don't get crazy. Five: Don't get selfish. Four: Love your friends and family. Three: Love your friends and family. Two: Love your friends and family. One: Love your friends and family. We'll see you back when the mission succeeds. God bless you all. God save us all. (Slowly, he walks off the set.)" The mole notes, however, that the scene has not been filmed with Letterman -- which is why it didn't appear in the first test screenings shown earlier this month -- and I don't think it's going too far out on a limb that with those lines, it never will. *** And Letterman fans were surely surprised to see Dave wearing specs on Monday's and Tuesday's shows. Letterman has worn glasses off-stage forever, and going back to the early days on NBC they have always been the distinguishing mark of his remote video shoots. But taking them onstage -- that's a new one on us. Our pal Guardian has one idea: "After this weekend's 'Larry Sanders Show,' I'm wondering if he really needs them or if some CBS execs have a survey that shows people like and will watch someone longer if they have glasses on," he writes. *** Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY tomalhe@aol.com Exclusive to LATE SHOW NEWS Tu 3/17: In 1979, "Saturday Night Live" host Margot Kidder is visited by Dan Aykroyd as the creepy "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute." We 3/18: In 1978, on "Saturday Night Live," Prymaat Conehead discovers that her husband Beldar is having an affair with student driver, Jill Clayburgh. Th 3/19: In 1994, on "Saturday Night Live," Total Bastard Airlines employees David Spade and Helen Hunt insult passengers as they leave the plane, creating a catch phrase out of the word "buh-bye." Fr 3/20: In 1996, "Dream On," aka the male "Ally McBeal," last airs in late night on HBO after seven seasons. Sa 3/21: In 1991, on NBC's "Later with Bob Costas," guest host Tom Snyder and guest Howard Stern get into such a heated argument they almost strangle one another; years later, Snyder claims it was all a big put-on. Su 3/22: In 1924, broadcast legend Bill Wendell is born. From his announcing work in the early days of TV with "The Ernie Kovacs Show" to the fake ads of "Saturday Night Live" and all three incarnations of David Letterman's show, Wendell remains one of the classiest guys in this business we call "show." Mo 3/23: In 1957, bimbo extraordinaire Teresa Ganzel is born. Ganzel joined The Mighty Carson Art Players as their second matinee lady for "The Art Fern Tea Time Movie" on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson," following the death of the original matinee lady Carol Wayne. Tu 3/24: In 1994, the first "Saturday Night Live" movie sequel, "Wayne's World 2," opens in Germany. [Thanks to David Tanny, & Frank Serpas III. Special thanks to Donz5, who manages to drink green beer all year long.] Ever wondered what's in the pockets of Tom Heald's pants? Find out at THE LINEUPS with Sue Trowbridge NOTE: "Pick to Click" means a must-watch show. LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Tu 3/17 John Travolta, Jack Johnson, The Chieftains We 3/18 Bill Murray, Eddie Izzard Th 3/19 Pierce Brosnan, million-dollar kicker Lance Alstodt, Brian Regan (R 2/6/97) Fr 3/20 Jason Alexander, Griffin Dunne, Sammy Hagar (R 5/23/97) Mo 3/23 Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Linda Ronstadt Tu 3/24 Dennis Hopper, Patricia Heaton, Robert Klein We 3/25 Ed Burns, Charles Grodin, Marcy Playground Th 3/26 Dolly Parton, Bob Hoskins Fr 3/27 Gary Oldman, Ani DiFranco THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Tu 3/17 Matt Dillon, Michelle Williams We 3/18 Matt LeBlanc, Rebecca Romijn, Peter Gros Th 3/19 Billy Crystal, Wynonna Fr 3/20 John Travolta, Lacey Chabert, Jimmy Ray Mo 3/23 Denzel Washington, Joey Lauren Adams, the Backstreet Boys (R) Tu 3/24 Burt Reynolds, Kate Winslet, Michelle Kwan (R) We 3/25 Kim Basinger, Greg Kinnear (R) Th 3/26 Michael Jordan, Kevin Spacey, Joan Cusack (R) Fr 3/27 Robin Williams, Tracey Ullman (R) LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Tu 3/17 TBA We 3/18 Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell Th 3/19 TBA Fr 3/20 TBA Mo 3/23 TBA Tu 3/24 TBA We 3/25 Peter Fonda, Charles Jaco Th 3/26 Martin Mull, Rosemary Bray Fr 3/27 Bob Hoskins LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Tu 3/17 Blink 182 We 3/18 Kevin Bacon and The Bacon Brothers Th 3/19 Julianna Marguiles, Doris Wishman Fr 3/20 Al Franken, Ricky Jay (*** PICK TO CLICK ***) Mo 3/23 Dave Chappelle, Ted Williams (R) Tu 3/24 Francis Ford Coppola, Bryant Gumbel, Green Day (R) We 3/25 Dan Aykroyd, Rebecca Romijn (R) Th 3/26 Ben Stiller, Dan Cortese (R) Fr 3/27 Michael Keaton, Angelina Jolie, the Denver Broncos' 1997 offensive line (R) LATER, NBC Tu 3/17 Angie Everhart with Wendie Malick We 3/18 Angie Everhart with Patrick Walburton Th 3/19 Angie Everhart with Jon Cryer CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Please note that Charlie Rose listings are very tentative Tu 3/17 - Fr 3/20 Previously-aired segments TBA POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Tu 3/17 Tim Meadows, Charles Shaughnessy, Rev. Earl Jackson, Susan Brooks We 3/18 Leslie Cockburn, Jack Burkman, Veronica Webb Th 3/19 Sally Jessy Raphael, Brian McKnight Fr 3/20 Kennedy, Henry Rollins Mo 3/23 TBA Tu 3/24 Dick Clark, Michael Bolton, Kathy Griffin, Jamie Dettmer We 3/25 Ron Silver, Bernie Siegel, Harlan Ellison Th 3/26 Vicki Lawrence, Frank Keating, Russell Banks Fr 3/27 Penn Jillette, Neil Patrick Harris, Cy Curnin, Kellyanne Fitzpatrick VIBE TV, syndicated Tu 3/17 Carrot Top, Karen McClymont, Confunkshun We 3/18 Malik Yoba, Denise Richards Th 3/19 Christy Haubegger, Peter Escovedo Orchestra Fr 3/20 Kevin Bacon, Dr. Dre and Ed Lover, Terry Murphy Mo 3/23 TBA Tu 3/24 Ice-T, Cedric The Entertainer, Allure We 3/25 Penn & Teller Th 3/26 TBA Fr 3/27 Steve Guttenberg HOWARD STERN, E! Tu 3/17 Blockbuster Awards Part 2 (Minnie Driver), Hank In A Box Part 2 (R) We 3/18 Blockbuster Awards Part 3 (Terry Farrell), Abby The Doorman (R) Th 3/19 Blockbuster Awards Part 4 (Mariah Carey), The Singing Psychic (R) Fr 3/20 Blockbuster Awards Part 5 (Wack Pack), James Cameron (R) Sa 3/21 Scott Salem's Pushup Test Parts 1 and 2 (R) THE DAILY SHOW, Comedy Central Tu 3/17 Carrot Top We 3/18 Anjelica Bridges Th 3/19 Robert Klein DENNIS MILLER LIVE, HBO Fr 3/20 Robert Forster on "The Oscars" Fr 3/27 Tom Arnold on "Going Bald" Fr 4/3 Stephen King on "Fear of Flying" Fr 4/10 Judge Mills Lane on "Capital Punishment" KEENEN IVORY WAYANS, syndicated (and cancelled) Tu 3/17 Bill Bellamy, Angie Everhart, En Vogue (R) We 3/18 Jada Pinkett, Brendan Fraser, Babyface (R) Th 3/19 Johnnie Cochran, Margaret Cho, LL Cool J (R) Fr 3/20 Gena Lee Nolin, Mark Curry, Rosa Blasi; Cube, Snoop, Mack 10 (R) Mo 3/23 Eddie Griffin, Adrian Pasdar, Charisma Carpenter, Wu Tang Clan (R) Tu 3/24 Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolette Sheridan, Puff Daddy With Lil' Kim (R) We 3/25 Kenan & Kel, Kelly Packard, Mjg (R) Th 3/26 Damon Wayans, Daisy Fuentes, Ginuwine (R) Fr 3/27 Victoria Rowell, Joe Rogan, Mystro Clark, Chico Debarge (R) SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network Fr 3/20 Michael McKean, David Lander (R) Bill Nye, Michael Norman (R) Fr 3/27 Ice-T, Ernie - C, Fred Willard (R) Wylie Gustafson, Bill Manspeaker (R) DIE HARALD SCHMIDT SHOW, SAT.1 Mi 18/3 Sandra Speichert, Gert Haucke Do 19/3 Mo Asumang, Heino Ferch Fr 20/3 Stefan Raab Also on late nights: NIGHTLINE and WORLD NEWS NOW, ABC CHARLES GRODIN, CNBC MAD TV, Fox SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC (this season) and Comedy Central (classics) THE RUPAUL SHOW, VH1 LOVELINE, MTV UP TO THE MINUTE, CBS NIGHTSIDE, NBC (going away soon) Entire contents Copyright 1998 by Aaron Barnhart. All rights reserved. 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