LATE SHOW NEWS #150 April 21, 1997 by Aaron Barnhart Quietly, the ABC Television Network -- is there anything that ABC *doesn't* do these days under the shroud of near-anonymity? -- has renewed "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" for another 26 weeks, extending its run through the end of 1997. The show had initially been signed for six months, but with ratings swimming along and everything else going pretty much according to plan, the network has locked in "PI" for another six. Barring some unforeseen disaster, Maher & Co. can likely look forward to renewals of longer duration in the future. "PI" is a stable, proven show that may not set all the critics on their ears, but if David Letterman's roller coaster ride with viewers and the media these past four years has proven anything, it's that a network should be careful what it asks for. ABC has apparently asked for a program that can keep a fair chunk of Ted Koppel's audience and suck away a few thousand viewers from Leno and Letterman; by all accounts that has happened. Ratings for "PI" are firmly ensconced in a zone between the lowest-rated 11:30 show ("Late Show") and the highest-rated 12:30 show (Conan). That's not to say things are settling into concrete over at CBS Television City, where "PI" is taped five nights a week, just down the hall from late night's other dependable performer, Tom Snyder. As you may have noticed, the voice-over at the top of the show has changed, as has the theme song. As with most of the other changes that have occurred over the years at "PI," however, these are tweaks rather than overhauls. The announcer, for instance, is still the same -- producer Doug Wilson, doing what executive producer Scott Carter, in a Monday chat with LATE SHOW NEWS, called his "golf-announcer quiet" voice, as compared with the let's-get-ready-to- rumble bellow of Wilson's earlier intro. Carter hinted that Wilson will try another intro somewhere between the older and the current versions. "We're just modulating him because we thought it was 11 o'clock appropriate," but perhaps too noisy now that the show airs just over an hour later than it used to back on Comedy Central, Carter said. The theme music is now a stylized variation on the original; once again, the same musician is involved as the one who did the original. The four-year history of "PI" has been a series of gradual but continuous changes that have transformed the show since it signed on in mid-1993 as a weekly "McLaughlin Group" parody taped so far in advance that Maher didn't dare try using the ripped-from-the-headlines topics that are the backbone of the show today. "This show started out so small that a lot of us did a lot of different things," said Carter. "As the show grew, those people kept doing their things, so we all have very idiosyncratic job descriptions now. But every job seems right for the people (holding them)." *** Yes, that was Pamela Lee's actual body you saw nearly buck naked on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. The ever-eager Pamela Lee sported a nipple-masking bikini and flesh-colored, uh, pussy patch when she undressed during the opening segment of "SNL." Miz Lee's breasts enlarged NBC's ratings to a 7.9 (or 22% of the TV sets in use), one of the higher scores "SNL" has gotten this season, after of course Howard Stern's February appearance, which scored an 11.2. Husband Tommy Lee also made a cameo, pummeling his lookalike Norm MacDonald in much the same way that the real Joe Pesci and Bobby DeNiro stepped onstage the week before and kicked their impersonators' butts ... Speaking of last week's "SNL," if any Mountain and Pacific viewers are still wondering what it was MacDonald said last week during "Weekend Update" that got deleted, it was the word "twisted," believe it or not. As in, "I wonder who will win (a custody suit involving a man who'd had a sex change)? The mother of the child, or the father who had his penis twisted into a vagina-like thing?" By the way, in case you're wondering if NBC ever bleeps this kind of stuff in the east, the answer is that in order to do that, the network would first have to turn on the seven-second delay. Normally "SNL" is on a zero-second delay. Not that seven seconds would've spared the Spice Girls worldwide embarrassment ... Looks like Howard Stern's "Private Parts" is going to come in at around $50 million box office -- well below, by a factor of one-third or more, industry projections after the first weekend's $14.6 million take. Forget the Tim Allen-Disney conspiracy theory Howard was floating; the real reason "Private Parts" floundered is that other stars have more fans. Not more loyal, perhaps, but more of them ... E! still hasn't assigned a TV rating to "Howard Stern," notes USA Today ... And while you'll have to wait until fall for fresh "Larry Sanders Show" episodes, HBO is planning another "Larry-thon" this year, with 13 episodes to air between June 2 and 6. *** Reader mail: Robert Lopez-Portillo writes, "I just attended a taping of 'PI' and I have found that when they don't have enough people to fill the chairs, they cover the back rows with black. Why? So Bill won't get nervous (he can't figure out that those chairs are covered because of the bright lights that hit him in the face) and so the when the camera goes by you can't see the empty seats." Producer Scott Carter confirmed this, but quickly added that it's almost never needed, usually on rainy days when southern Californians show a distressing tendency to scamper home and hide under their beds ... Speaking of distressing, in Chicago, where the ABC owned-and-operated station actually delays "PI" to make room for an Oprah repeat, Lisa Kemper writes, "Could you also pretty please mention how Channel 7 in Chicago is totally screwing up 'Politically Incorrect'? Not even considering that they for no reason (other than they're idiots) re-ran an old show instead of the scheduled show last Thursday and then ran one recent show with a chunk missing, but mainly that I miss so much of it because they change the time of broadcast all the time" ... Randy Reichardt echoes several writers who said they've also come to enjoy Norm MacDonald, though he adds, "What mystifies me is that I find Weekend Update to be the lamest segment of 'SNL,' and it has *nothing* to do with MacDonald - it's the bad, bad writing. The jokes are stale and boring, with no punch to them. Often I sense MacDonald wincing as he reads another bad punchline. How many more times are we going to see Frank Stallone's picture? If I'm in a minority here, I'd be very surprised. I wish the writing would improve for his sake, but it doesn't seem to be happening." Thanks to everyone who set me straight on Britain's Channel Five, an independent that competes with the BBC and is not a subsidiary by any means. Not only that, as reader Dave Porter notes on his web page at , you can't even get it in much of the country ... Paul Presley adds, "One of Britain's leading cable companies has just shut down their transmissions of CNBC and subsequently the only source we had for Leno and Conan. Some might suspect the hand of Rupert Murdoch at play here, removing the only rivals to his Letterman broadcasts on Sky TV, but who can really say?" Actually, reader David Jordan writes from Ireland that since Murdoch moved Dave to a different Sky channel, he hasn't been able to catch the show ("of course there is still Conan," he adds, naturally) ... (By the way, did you know that the BBC's new tapeless system for producing radio reports is called the Digital Audio Voice Editor or DAVE2000? Now you do ...) And Tom Grier speaks for many when he writes, "Just wanted to comment that I think David Letterman's 'How Many Guys in Bunny Suits Can Get into H & R Block?' was one of the funniest things I've seen on late night TV in months. I was laughing hysterically when the H & R Block exec manhandled the bunnies out of the storefront, across the sidewalk, then continued to jaw at them. Dave's comments about getting sued, etc. were very funny also. Now that's the kind of Dave TV I want to see more of." Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY Mo 4/21: In 1981, in a hairstylist's nightmare, "Weird Al" Yankovic makes his first nationwide TV appearance on NBC's "Tomorrow" with Tom Snyder. Tu 4/22: In 1994 "Dennis Miller Live" debuts on HBO. And while Miller makes the leap from syndication to premium cable, "Jinky the Fruitbat" does not. We 4/23: In 1957, actress/comedienne Jan Hooks is born. Hooks auditioned for "Saturday Night Live" at age 28, only to be rejected for being too old. They hired her the next year and she stuck around from 1986-1991. She's now facilitating support groups for super-fast athletes in those Nike ads. Th 4/24: On "Saturday Night Live," Joseph Franklin (Dan Aykroyd) of the U.S. Council of Standards and Measurements explains the "Decabet," the new metric alphabet consisting of 10 letters. "A-B-C and D, our most popular letters, will remain the same. E and F, however, will be combined and graphically simplified to one character. The groupings G-H-I and L-M-N-O will be condensed to single letters. (Incidentally, a boon to those who always thought that L-M-N-O was one letter anyway.) And finally, the 'trash letters,' or P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y and Z, will be condensed" to one "easily identifiable dark character." The sketch can be found on a "Best of Dan Aykroyd" video at . Fr 4/25: In 1988, "ABC News Nightline" goes on location to Jerusalem for a town meeting between Palestinians and Israelis. A three-and-a-half-foot wooden wall placed down the center of the stage separates the two factions. Sa 4/26: In 1993, NBC names David Letterman's successor as host of NBC's "Late Night," former "Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live" comedy writer Conan O'Brien. Su 4/27: In 1993, on "Late Night," David Letterman gives his just-named replacement some advice: "10. A drugged guest is a well behaved guest; 9. Proper gratuity for Marv Albert: nickel a blooper; 8. Kids will look up to you; don't let them think it's 'cool' to smoke; 7. Willard's insane; 6. If you ever have a baby, look out for giant birds; 5. GE executives are 'pinheads,' NBC executives are 'boneheads'; 4. No one cares about Walter Cronkite's lunch; 3. Don't panic if you find a strange woman in your house; 2. When all else fails, just say 'Buttafuoco'; 1. Two words: laugh track." [Thanks to Ted Koppel, Dave Tanny, Frank Serpas III, Starmaker Video, NBC Television, and Mark Coleman. Special thanks to the crisp, clean, imcomparably smooth Donz5.] Nude photos of Jay Leno should never be sent to Tom Heald at . THE LINEUPS (with Sue Trowbridge) LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Mo 4/21 George Foreman, Alicia Witt, Mary J. Blige Tu 4/22 Katie Couric, Roma Downey, INXS We 4/23 Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Wilco Th 4/24 Lisa Kudrow, The Verve Pipe THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Mo 4/21 Kurt Russell, Rebecca DeMornay Tu 4/22 Michael J. Fox, Penn & Teller We 4/23 Carmen Electra Th 4/24 Bill Paxton, Joan Embery and animals, LeAnn Rimes Fr 4/25 Mira Sorvino, Rob Reiner, Tina Turner Mo 4/28 Mike Myers, Deborah Farentino Tu 4/29 David Helfgott LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Mo 4/21 John Hockenberry Tu 4/22 Tanya Tucker We 4/23 Computer expert Robert Cringely LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Mo 4/21 John Turturro, Colin Quinn, Keb Mo Tu 4/22 Fiona Apple We 4/23 Martin Mull, Dr. Joyce Brothers Th 4/24 Steven Weber, Radish Fr 4/25 Charlie Rose, Physics guru Dr. David Wright Mo 4/28 Phil Hartman, Roger Ebert, Ken Shamrock (R 1/22/96) Tu 4/29 Sinbad, Roy Clark, Deana Carter We 4/30 David Sedaris LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN RERUNS, CNBC Mo 4/21 TBA Tu 4/22 TBA We 4/23 TBA Th 4/24 David Hasselhoff, Dave Thomas, Billy Martin (R 1/7/97) LATER, NBC Mo 4/21 Jeff Ross with Downtown Julie Brown Tu 4/22 Jeff Ross with Ivan Reitman We 4/23 Cindy Crawford with Reese Witherspoon Th 4/24 Cindy Crawford with Jay Leno Mo 4/28 Cindy Crawford with David Spade Tu 4/29 Cindy Crawford with Kristen Johnston We 4/30 Cindy Crawford with Kevin Pollak Th 5/1 Cindy Crawford with Jeff Goldblum CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Mo 4/21 Terry Gross, Robert Reich Tu 4/22 Rick Pitino We 4/23 Donald Marron, Joan Rivers, Lisa Kudrow Th 4/24 Ivan Reitman, Ada Louise Huxtable Fr 4/25 Norman Mailer Mo 4/28 TBA Tu 4/29 Peter Bogdanovich, Elizabeth Drew We 4/30 Michael Pollen Th 5/1 Earl Woods Fr 5/2 Kofi Annan (tentative) POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Mo 4/21 Carrot Top, Deepak Chopra, Nancy Friday, Naomi Judd Tu 4/22 Deanna Carter, Richard Belzer, John Hockenberry We 4/23 Michael Hutchence, Howie Mandel, John Schneider, Helen Thomas Th 4/24 Steve Allen, Joe Nickell, Bill Press Fr 4/25 Luke Perry, Caroline Rhea, Norman Mailer, Likita Ga THE DAILY SHOW, Comedy Central Mo 4/21 Tom Wopat and John Schneider ("Dukes of Hazzard Reunion") Tu 4/22 Kevin Meaney We 4/23 Cathy Moriarty Th 4/24 Dr. Joyce Brothers HOWARD STERN, E! Mo 4/21 David Spade, Pt. 1, Josie Returns Tu 4/22 David Spade, Pt. 2, Penthouse Pet In a Suit, Pt. 1 We 4/23 The Jesus Twins Perform, Penthouse Pet in a Suit, Pt. 2 Th 4/24 Dani's Playboy Evaluation, Pt. 1, Joan Rivers New Book Fr 4/25 Dani's Playboy Evaluation, Pt. 2, Smelly James vs. the Kid Sa 4/26 Nico Treasures, Pts. 1-2 Mo 4/28 Stuttering John at VH-1 Honors, Jail Barrymore In Sylvia's Funeral Tu 4/29 Michael Buffer and Girlfriend, Stut. John's Scam Backfires, Pt. 1 We 4/30 Grandpa Al Lewis, Stut. John's Scam Backfires, Pt. 2 DENNIS MILLER LIVE, HBO Fr 4/25 David Spade, on mothers Fr 5/2 Lisa Kudrow, on computers SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network Fr 4/25 David Byrne and Donny Osmond (R) Hulk Hogan and Slash (R) DIE HARALD SCHMIDT SHOW, SAT.1 Di 22/4 Rudi Cerne, Mandy Woetzel, Ingo Steuer Mi 23/4 Marco Rima, Leslie Malton Do 24/4 Berrit Arnold, Matthias Reim Fr 25/4 Nena, Nils Bokelberg Also on late nights: NIGHTLINE, ABC CHARLES GRODIN, CNBC CARSON'S COMEDY CLASSICS, Family Channel MAD TV, Fox SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Comedy Central WORLD NEWS NOW, ABC UP TO THE MINUTE, CBS ====================================================== AARON BARNHART IN THE KANSAS CITY STAR (soon to be a Knight-Ridder newspaper) How to find my articles in the Star archive: (1) Go to . (2) Under the "Additional search criteria" heading, type Aaron Barnhart in the "AUTHOR" entry blank. (3) Click the Search button. Entire contents Copyright 1997 by Aaron Barnhart. 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