View: Next message | Previous message Next in topic | Previous in topic Next by same author | Previous by same author Previous menu (July 1998) Main LATE-SHOW-NEWS menu Search Options:   Chronological order | Most recent first Proportional font | Non-proportional font ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 23:43:25 -0400 Reply-To: barnhart@echonyc.com Sender: The LATE SHOW NEWS Broadcast System From: Aaron Barnhart Subject: LATE SHOW NEWS 7/14/98 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII LATE SHOW NEWS #210 July 14, 1998 by Aaron Barnhart To join or leave the LATE-SHOW-NEWS mailing list, see instructions at end of message. I unexpectedly wound up without the use of my PowerBook late last week -- not a good thing since I am currently on the road -- so a full edition of the newsletter will have to wait until next week, provided Apple repair doesn't accidentally reformat my hard disk. There are only two really pressing news items to note. One is that, for the first time in what seems like forever, "The Late Show with David Letterman" claimed a ratings victory over "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The victory came in key demographics rather than total households or viewers, and it was in the "Dave demo" of 18-to-49-year-olds. But still, a win is a win. More intriguingly, it came despite the fact that Letterman was airing repeats and Leno new shows. "Late Show" scored a 2 rating among 18-49's to Leno's 1.8 and Ted Koppel's 1.5. A rating point stands for 1 percent of the viewers in that demographic, whether they are watching TV at that hour or not. Letterman was undoubtedly helped by NBC's collapse in the ratings since summer reruns started. I guess it wasn't "new to you," or *you* or *you* or *you* ... but as I've noted here before, Letterman was as responsible for his own decline in the ratings as CBS was. By the same token, he can take credit for pulling viewers back to his show. Which is why I wish I'd devoted an issue sooner to how much I'm enjoying watching Dave these days. It's been an absolute pleasure, in fact. For about two years there I -- and judging from my mail, many of you as well -- tuned into CBS with more than a little trepidation. Would this be a kind, genial Dave night or a fussy, annoying, beat-the-gags-into- the-dirt Dave night? Without exception, the Dave who's been on the air in recent months has been the genial one. It must be the glasses. They may very well represent the resignation with which Letterman has had to accept his own mortality -- the fact that he's not 34 anymore -- as well as his mediocrity in the ratings. Lo and behold, though,as soon as he put on those specs, he actually started looking *younger,* didn't he? Certainly the show seemed to get some of its old zing back. Perhaps the biggest stroke of genius was taking a former broadcast killer, that godawful Quiz Machine, and repackaging it into a Johnny moment, the weekly "Know Your Current Events." At any rate, it would be the most fitting turn of events if, having learned to live with third place, "Late Show" found itself back in the catbird's seat. The other important news of the week is that William Preston, aka Carl "Oldy" Olsen on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," died Friday in New York after a brief illness. He was 76. Preston was a great story, as any of the "Late Night" staff who had the chance to know him will tell you. A native of Pennsylvania and lifelong Shakespeare buff, Preston got into acting at the age of 50 when did his first show, Moliere's "The Imaginary Invalid," with the Drama Guild in Philadelphia. He subsequently appeared in more than 170 plays and numerous professional and student films, among them "The Fisher King," "Arthur," "Taxi Driver," "The Crucible" and "Waterworld," about which one critic said he was the best thing in the movie. He did a dozen movies in the 1990s alone. Those of you in Manhattan, Brooklyn, parts of L.A. served by MediaOne, the state of Maine and Valdosta, Ga., can watch an encore showing of an interview Preston gave to the public-access show "Arts Insight" earlier this year. It will air July 21 in Brooklyn on channels 35 (Time Warner) and 68 (Cablevision), repeating July 22 at 12:30 p.m.; in Manhattan at 8 a.m. July 24 on Channel 16, and TBA elsewhere. Check this Web page for schedules: http://www.users.interport.net/~fernando/arts/docs/progsched2.html *** Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY We 7/15: In 1997, in New York, David Letterman proudly proclaims his show is #3 in a billboard on the same Broadway block where NBC has put up a billboard of a smiling Jay Leno crowing about being #1 in the late-night television ratings. Both billboards are in full view of the Ed Sullivan Theater, where Letterman's show is taped. Th 7/16: Momentous Monologue Moment: model Anna Nicole Smith, 26, weds billionaire J Howard Marshall II, 89. Fr 7/17: In 1952, David Hasselhoff is born, providing Norm Macdonald with an unfunny theory for about a season and a half of "Saturday Night Live." Sa 7/18: In 1993, "The Edge" last aired on Fox. Another failed sketch comedy series, this one featured Julie Brown, Jennifer Aniston, Wayne Knight, Alan Ruck, and the voice of "Tonight Show" announcer Edd Hall. Su 7/19: In 1994, "TV Nation" makes its debut on NBC. Michael Moore hears about the North American Free Trade Agreement and attempts to move the show to Mexico, while Merrill Markoe visits the quietest prison in America. Mo 7/20: In 1994, Jon Lovitz's cartoon satire "The Critic" last airs on ABC; it will move to Fox the following March. Tu 7/21: In 1994, Jon Lovitz dies... Yeah, that's the ticket... oops... In 1957, Jon Lovitz is born. [Danitra Vance was born in 1959, and A. Whitney Brown says his birthday is 7/8/52. Thanks to David Tanny, and Smith2003 and the too many others who wrote in. Special thanks to Donz5, alias Long Donz Silver. Tom Heald's Dennis Miller FAQ now includes The Dennis Miller Bookstore at http://members.aol.com/thisnite/dstore.html .] THE LINEUPS with Sue Trowbridge (http://www.interbridge.com/) LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Mo 7/13 Don Rickles, Matt Drudge, Cherry Poppin' Daddies Tu 7/14 Matt Dillon, George Foreman, Arj Barker We 7/15 Antonio Banderas, Chris Elliott, Cowboy Junkies Th 7/16 Anthony Hopkins, Reggie McFadden Fr 7/17 Gabriel Byrne, John Witherspoon, Tricky and P.J. Harvey Mo 7/20 James Caan, Buck O'Neil, Lenny Kravitz (*** PICK TO CLICK ***) Tu 7/21 Nick Turturro, radio personality Scott Ferrell, Nanci Griffith THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Mo 7/13 Sarah Jessica Parker, Geraldo Rivera, Trisha Yearwood Tu 7/14 Richard Simmons, hollerin' champ Gregory Jackson We 7/15 Kids Show-'n-Tell, Jeff Foxworthy, Garcelle Beauvais Th 7/16 Matchbox 20 Fr 7/17 Pamela Anderson, Chef Wolfgang Puck, Carrot Top Mo 7/20 Natasha Richardson, Jay Mohr Tu 7/21 Tom Hanks, Lindsay Lohan We 7/22 Jamie Lee Curtis, Ed Burns, Vince Gill Th 7/23 Antonio Banderas, Lucy Lawless LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Mo 7/13 Tom Selleck, Gloria Stuart (R 3/11/98) Tu 7/14 Scott Hamilton, George V. Higgins (R 11/4/97) We 7/15 Natalie Cole, Ruth Reichl (R 3/16/98) Th 7/16 Larry Gelbart, Faith Ford (R 4/18/98) Fr 7/17 Jay Thomas, Rob Morrow (R 4/10/98) LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Mo 7/13 Cheech Marin, Jonathan Harris, Steven Wright (R 4/8/98) Tu 7/14 Roger Daltrey We 7/15 Ben Stiller, Seth Green, The Brian Setzer Orchestra Th 7/16 Matt Dillon, Jake Johannsen, Ben Folds Five Fr 7/17 Chris Elliott Mo 7/20 Denis Leary, Holly Robinson Peete, Mary Lou Lord (R 3/13/98) Tu 7/21 Joy Behar We 7/22 Jay Mohr, BR-549 Th 7/23 Paul Tompkins Fr 7/24 Edward Burns, Bob McCoy THE MAGIC HOUR, syndicated Mo 7/13 Eddie Griffin, Downtown Julie Brown, Hanson Tu 7/14 Bernie Mac, Kelly Price We 7/15 Monica Th 7/16 Shari Belafonte, Stomp Fr 7/17 Regina Belle CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Please note that Charlie Rose listings are very tentative Mo 7/13 VH1 president John Sykes Tu 7/14 Men's Health Panel with Gail Sheehy We 7/15 TBA Th 7/16 TBA Fr 7/17 TBA Mo 7/20 Tom Hanks Tu 7/21 TBA We 7/22 Gloria Estefan Th 7/23 John Lewis POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Mo 7/13 Kenny G, Miss America Kate Shindle, Barbara Olson, Marion Ross Tu 7/14 Joe Queenan, Arianna Huffington, Seth Green, Janeane Garofalo We 7/15 Kevin Nealon, Floyd Brown, Morgan Fairchild Th 7/16 Reginald VelJohnson, Holly McClure, Karen Finley, Suzanne Somers Fr 7/17 Illeana Douglas, Adam Carolla, Kellyanne Fitzpatrick VIBE TV, syndicated Mo 7/13 TBA Tu 7/14 Christopher Darden, Adrian Lester, Kenya Moore, Goodie Mob (R 3/10/98) We 7/15 Charles Woodson, Stacy Kenan, The Whispers, George Benson (R 1/28/98) Th 7/16 Tracy Scoggins, Billy Zane, Isaac Hayes Fr 7/17 Beverly Johnson, Donald Adeosun, Faison, Evelyn Champagne King (R 1/23/98) DENNIS MILLER LIVE, HBO Fr 7/17 Tom Hanks on "The Space Program" SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network lineups not available. HOWARD STERN, E! Mo 7/13 Hank Breathalyzer/Pamela Lee Lookalike Part 1 (R), Pamela Anderson PETA (R), Perfect 10's/Sandra Bernhard Part 1 (R) Tu 7/14 Hank Breathalyzer/Pamela Lee Lookalike Part 2 (R), Robert Duvall (R), Perfect 10's/Sandra Bernhard Part 2 (R) We 7/15 Jessica Hahn (R), Cindy Margolis (R), Pamela Anderson PETA (R) Th 7/16 Marilyn Manson Out Of Hell Part 1 (R), George Clooney Part 1 (R), Playmate Julia Schultz (R) Fr 7/17 Marilyn Manson Out Of Hell Part 2 (R), George Clooney Part 2 (R), Kielbasa Queen & Deep Throat Dallas (R) Sa 7/18 Zack Streaks (R), Jesus Twins Perform (R) (*** PICK TO CLICK ***) DIE HARALD SCHMIDT SHOW, SAT.1 lineups not available 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 and LATER, 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 (except this week because I am sans PowerBook!) 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to: Top of message | Previous menu | Main LATE-SHOW-NEWS menu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] Back to the AMERICAN.EDU archive index. [Image]