LATE SHOW NEWS #208 June 30, 1998 by Aaron Barnhart To join or leave the LATE-SHOW-NEWS mailing list, see instructions at end of message. "The Jerry Springer Show" is already late-night programming in some markets, including Los Angeles where it is going head-to-head with the 11 o'clock news -- and winning. Now the show's producers are offering stations the opportunity to air a repeat episode of "Springer" on weekends. Here in Kansas City, the ABC affiliate is airing it at 3:35 a.m. Saturdays, but Seattle and other markets are countering "Saturday Night Live" with the positively true tales of fat strippers, cross-dressing cheaters and the people who dump people on the air. Springer's ratings are down slightly since the show went to a no-violence policy but, in fairness, the show has also been in repeats ... "Saturday Night Live" Svengoolie Lorne Michaels has lined up his next show-stopper. It's "Superstar" and it's based on Molly Shannon's white-panty portrayal of Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher. According to Variety, Paramount and NBC are negotiating a deal to co-produce the movie as part of a multi-film deal that will give NBC a bigger stake in movies based on its shows. Already produced is the Roxbury Boys vehicle coming out this fall. The trailer for that film looked exactly like the first 90 seconds of the "SNL" sketch ... Norm Macdonald's second movie vehicle, "Ballbusted," was yanked by MGM last week after the studio saw the appalling box office for "Dirty Work" ... Michael Moore is getting the word out -- he wants ideas for "TV Nation" and will pay $700 plus a show credit for readers whose ideas get used. Michael's main mailbox is at MMFlint@aol.com ... Frustrated European Conan fan Linzi Gallacher wants viewers to write CNBC Europe and beg them to air "Late Night" repeats, not on weekends as is its plan, but on weeknights, "just as NBC does." More info at http://www.angelfire.com/ny/ latenightnews/frontpage.html ... Dave Letterman is apparently falling for a ranch property in northwestern Montana, where he visited recently. This reminds me of the time when I was attending college in Chicago and I once caught a ride home to Billings off the ride board. My ride was a freshman, journalism major. She'd never been west but this fact hadn't stopped her from persuading her dad to buy her some land in western Montana. So that's where she spent her spring break, looking for land. I forget if she found anything she liked, but she was a journalism major and I do recall thinking, *Dad must have mighty deep pockets because he ain't never gettin' a return on this investment.* Anyway, the property Letterman's looking at is outside of Choteau on a 10,000-acre corner of the ranch owned by a guy named Jack Salmond ... Here are ratings for some of your favorite late-night shows for the week ending June 15, according to A.C. Nielsen. Read carefully because I'm only going to say this once: the numbers in parentheses are for viewers ages 18-49 -- the "key demo" advertisers are supposedly salivating to reach -- while the unbracketed numbers are for total households regardless of age. The number on the left side of the slash (/) is the show's rating (percentage of all households or 18-49 viewers in the U.S.), the second number is the show's share of households (or 18-49s) watching TV at that hour: "Tonight Show," 5.1/15 (3.0/14) "Nightline," 3.7/9 (1.6/6) "Late Show With David Letterman," 3.0/8 (1.8/8) "Politically Incorrect," 2.4/8 (1.1/6) No, Nielsen didn't supply us with Conan numbers this week. As for "Magic Hour," it got a 1.8 rating during its first week, lower than "Keenen's" average but higher than "Vibe's." *** Thanks to several readers for joggling my memory about Dennis Miller's appearance on the Tom Snyder show a few months back. Last week I printed reader mail from a viewer wanting to know why it had been nearly two years since Denny had appeared on the Letterman show. Viewer Rene Robichaud refreshed my memory. "He told Snyder he stopped doing Letterman because he hates the whole atmosphere around the set. He said Dave doesn't like to talk to people before the show and this creates an atmosphere that Dennis can't stand. Then last week, I saw Miller on 'The Tonight Show' and he was (in my opinion) sucking-up big time to Jay Leno. He was telling Jay he could see why Jay was the best, etc. I could not believe that Miller was doing this and I figured that it would be a very, very long time before his next appearance in New York." *** Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY We 7/1: In 1988, on "Late Night with David Letterman," Madonna takes over Letterman's interview with Sandra Bernhard. Th 7/2: In 1969, Sonny and Cher appear on the panel of "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." The show lasts almost as long as Cher's later marriage to Greg Allman. Fr 7/3: In 1939, "Late Show with David Letterman" player Leonard Tepper is born. The "Late Show" tries to avoid booking both Tepper and Calvert ("Larry Bud") DeForest for the same show, as they often squabble backstage over who's getting more of the "creepy guy" roles. Sa 7/4: In 1975, Prymaat weds Beldar Conehead. Su 7/5: In 1982, With "the sound of Donald Duck drowning" ushering them in, "NBC News Overnight" with Linda Ellerbee and Lloyd Dobyns debuts at 1:30 a.m. Mo 7/6: In 1925, Merv Griffin is born. (He's still alive, isn't he?) Tu 7/7: In 1993, David Letterman appears as his own self in the first of two appearances on "The Larry Sanders Show." In "Life Behind Larry," everybody has their own ideas about who should host the show being readied to follow Larry. Among them? Tom Snyder, who also turns up in a cameo. [Thanks to David Tanny, Linda Ellerbee and Karen Kanter. Special thanks to Donz5, the voice of reason in "Dr. Dolittle."] Tom Heald is currently having way too much fun with the "Saturday Night Live Goes Political" CD-Rom he got for under $10 at THE LINEUPS with Sue Trowbridge (http://www.interbridge.com/) LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Mo 6/29 Lisa Kudrow, Mike Piazza, Billy Bragg and Wilco Tu 6/30 Ben Affleck, Lucinda Williams We 7/1 Helen Hunt, Steve Zahn, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon & the Dixie Hummingbirds (*** DOUBLE PICK TO CLICK ***) Th 7/2 Ben Stiller, Hatty Jones, Spice Girls (*** PICK TO CLICK ***) Fr 7/3 Elizabeth and Bob Dole, naked valedictorian Kate Logan Mo 7/6 Salma Hayek, Joan Cusack, Louie Anderson (R 9/9/97) Tu 7/7 Mel Gibson, Christine Lahti, Joni Mitchell (R 11/4/96) We 7/8 Cameron Diaz, Adam Arkin, human slinky Venianmin (R 10/1/97) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Mo 6/29 Neve Campbell, Ben Affleck, Spice Girls (R 12/5/97) Tu 6/30 Eddie Murphy, Seattle Sonics' Gary Payton, Tori Amos (R 6/27/96) We 7/1 John Travolta, Lacey Chabert, Jimmy Ray (R 3/20/98) Th 7/2 Meg Ryan, Gary Oldman, Trace Adkins (R 4/8/98) Fr 7/3 Nicolas Cage, Hallie Eisenberg, Hanson (R 4/6/98) (begin "Lethal Weapon 4" promotion ...) Mo 7/6 Danny Glover, Julie Scardina and Sea World Animals, Semisonic Tu 7/7 Chris Rock, Lena Olin We 7/8 Rene Russo, Gary Noel and his performing Pomeranians, Willie Barcena Th 7/9 Mel Gibson, Cameron Diaz, Smashmouth (end "Lethal Weapon 4" promotion ...) Fr 7/10 Catherine Zeta Jones, Leann Rimes LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Mo 6/29 TBA Tu 6/30 Author Graham Hancock We 7/1 Relationships expert Bob Berkowitz Th 7/2 Orson Bean Fr 7/3 Jerry Seinfeld, Calvin Trillin (R 6/6/96) Mo 7/6 Robert Blake (*** PICK TO CLICK ***) LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Mo 6/29 Robert Duvall, Bill Bellamy, heroic senior citizen Samuel Folsom (R 2/25/98) Tu 6/30 David Schwimmer, Kurt Loder, Ed Byrne (R 2/27/98) We 7/1 John Malkovich, Craig T. Nelson, H. Keith Melton (R 3/3/98) Th 7/2 Julianna Margulies, Lewis Black (R 3/19/98) Fr 7/3 Frederique, Boyd Matson, Finley Quaye (R 3/6/98) Mo 7/6 Fred Savage, Ian Bagg, Jeth Weinrich and dog Bill (R 3/12/98) Tu 7/7 Ben Stiller, Kristen Johnston, Jimmy Vaughn We 7/8 Todd Barry, Doris Kearns Goodwin Th 7/9 Lena Olin, Rich Hall Fr 7/10 Chris Rock, Judith Martin (Miss Manners), Lucinda Williams LATER, NBC Mo 6/29 Joe Rogan with Thomas Haden Church Tu 6/30 Joe Rogan with Ultimate fighting champion Maurice Smith We 7/1 Joe Rogan with Michael Jai White Th 7/2 Joe Rogan with Kelly Packard Mo 7/6 Rita Sever with Jeff Conaway Tu 7/7 Rita Sever with Marcia Clark We 7/8 Rita Sever with Jonny Moseley and Eric Bergoust Th 7/9 Rita Sever with Usher THE MAGIC HOUR, syndicated Mo 6/29 Kelsey Grammer, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Destiny's Child Tu 6/30 Veronica Webb, Oscar De La Hoya, Brian McKnight, Tia and Tamara Mowry We 7/1 Little Richard, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell Th 7/2 Noah Wyle, Shemar Moore Fr 7/3 Cherry Poppin' Daddies CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Please note that Charlie Rose listings are very tentative Mo 6/29 RAO panel; author Arthur Golden Tu 6/30 Author Bill Bryson; Starr investigation update with Michael Isikoff We 7/1 TBA Th 7/2 TBA Fr 7/3 TBA Mo 7/6 TBA Tu 7/7 Warren Christopher We 7/8 Malcom Gets, Graciella Danielle, playwright William Finn Th 7/9 Film critic Stanley Kaufman POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Mo 6/29 Victoria Jackson, Ron Eldard, Ann Coulter, Alice Nutter Tu 6/30 David Cross, Jerry Mathers, Henry Jaglom, Lynn Redgrave We 7/1 Monica Crowley, Larry Miller, Pat Boone Th 7/2 John Henson, Nell Carter, Rev. Earl Jackson, Nancy Friday Fr 7/3 Andy Richter, Shari Belafonte, Clay Jenkinson, Tucker Carlson VIBE TV, syndicated Mo 6/29 Eddie Griffin, Nicholas Brendon, The Masked Magician, Scattered Thoughts (R 5/4/98) Tu 6/30 Tyra Banks, Adrian Paul, Zen Gesner, Queen Pen (R 4/23/98) We 7/1 TBA Th 7/2 Cheech Marin, Richard Branson, George Wallace, Black-Eyed Peas (R 5/14/98) THE DAILY SHOW, Comedy Central Mo 6/29 Ray Manzarek Tu 6/30 Diamond Dallas Page We 7/1 Joy Behar Th 7/2 TBA (R) DENNIS MILLER LIVE, HBO Fr 7/3 John Cleese on "Greed" (R) Fr 7/10 Sarah Jessica Parker on "Talk Radio" Fr 7/17 Tom Hanks on "The Space Program" SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network Fr 7/3 Terry Jones, Glen Phillips (R) Fr 7/10 Jon Stewart (R) Danny Bonaduce and Branford Marsalis (R) HOWARD STERN, E! Mo 6/29 Drew Carey and Sam Simon, Russian Playmate Part 1 (R), Dani's Playboy Evaluation Part 1 (R) Tu 6/30 Jaid Barrymore Cries Over Drew, Russian Playmate Part 2 (R), Dani's Playboy Evaluation Part 2 (R) We 7/1 Howie Mandel, Tim Allen's Hammer Part 1 (R), Miss Nude World (R) Th 7/2 Amy Lynn's DeNiro Audition, Tim Allen's Hammer Part 2 (R), Strippers (R) Fr 7/3 Miss Nude World (R), Eric Roberts (R), Jessica Hahn (R) Sa 7/4 Kielbasa Queen & Deep Throat Dallas (R), Miss Nude Universe (R) DIE HARALD SCHMIDT SHOW, SAT.1 Di 30/6 Frank Busemann, Hubert von Goisern Mi 1/7 Rapper (!) Young Deenay, Jan Hofer Also on late nights: NIGHTLINE and WORLD NEWS NOW, ABC 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. Each issue is posted by 12:01 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday to latest.html LATE SHOW NEWS is made possible with the generous assistance of ECHO, New York City's premiere online service. http://www.echonyc.com Send news for and comments about this newsletter to aaron@tvbarn.com