LATE SHOW NEWS #165 August 12, 1997 by Aaron Barnhart NOTE: This issue is rated L for language and F for fine print. *** Would you please do me a favor and take a moment -- *now,* before reading anything else -- to skip to the end notes that appear every week in LATE SHOW NEWS? I've rewritten them with new information on getting the freshest lineups and where to find recent back issues on those occasions when I haven't updated the LSN archive. Please save a copy of these end notes on your computer for future reference. There are now 10,436 subscribers to the LATE-SHOW-NEWS mailing list so I need everyone's help to keep my In box from backing up with requests that are already answered in the end notes. *** I read twin reviews in Variety for "Keenen Ivory Wayans" (Variety gave it thumbs up) and "Vibe" (thumbs down) and realized the two reviews could well have been switched and no one'd have been the wiser. Consider this sentence: "Though Arsenio proved that a hip, urban alternative to the middle-aged white guys could draw an audience, [Host A] has a tendency to erect an ethnic wall that sometimes excludes those not attuned to certain urbanized quirks and colloquialisms." And this: "[Host B's] interviewing style is little more than a collection of pandering and glad-handing. His comedy is tired at times." Tom Heald noticed that Vibe's house band, Mouse and the Mousetrap, hasn't quite mastered the art of music-appropriate walk-ons for the show's guests. When Demi Moore arrived to promote her new flick, "G.I. Jane," about the Army, the band played her out with The Village People's "In The Navy." But -- Lisa Napoli, take note! -- the "Vibe" Web site does run circles around the "Keenen" site, so far. "Vibe" features nightly comments from host Chris Spencer about the show's highlights and, unlike Wayans's page, has been listing the following night's guests on a consistent basis. *** Last week's late delivery of LATE SHOW NEWS left some readers confused as to which Wednesday I was referring as the makeup airdate for "Politically Incorrect" with Marilyn Manson that was originally to appear in prime time. It is this one, the 13th ... Buddy, the golden retriever who went from the Letterman show to Disney's "Air Bud," has lost his right rear leg to cancer. The dog had been limping toward the end of filming the Disney flick. Yet even after the successful surgery, his owner reports that Buddy can still sink baskets using a regulation basketball and a 10-foot rim, says the San Diego Union-Tribune ... At least one other journalist has seen fit to commemorate Jerry Lawler's and Andy Kaufman's scuffle 15 years ago on "Late Night." Check out: ... Dave and company will *not* be accompanying CBS to Japan during the 1998 Winter Olympics as previously reported. Reason? Logistics, sayeth "Late Show" sources. A scouting trip returned with the conclusion that Letterman could do just as good a show from New York with a full crew as from Japan with a skeleton staff ... CNN's Bobbie Battista was all set to make an appearance as herself on Al Franken's "Lateline," but won't now that CNN prez Tom Johnson is rescinding permission in light of the "Contact" controversy, reports Matt Drudge ... ABC's "Nightline" begins airing on Channel One's Classroom Channel, which is available in 12,000 participating schools, reports USA Today ... The AP was reporting Tuesday that David Letterman has been holding talks with CBS about a program hosted by Howard Stern that would compete head-to-head with NBC's "Saturday Night Live." CBS now owns Infinity Broadcasting Corp., which syndicates Stern on radio ... By the way, did I mention that when I was in L.A. I met "Melrose" Larry Green, favorite of Howard Stern's (he's appearing on a Stern repeat on E! Wednesday)? You can too: just stop at the red light at the intersection of Melrose and Highland during evening rush hour and look for the guy holding the sign. Larry gave me a button just for rolling down my window to talk. His sign that night was touting his new Web page (because, as he told me, "Crackhead Bob has one, I figure I should have one"). And he locked my door from the outside, for safety! *** Reader mail: Brian Conn unlocks the mystery behind that red napkin signed by "Ted Koppel" and found on the "Cheers" set in Hollywood: "This is from another Paramount sitcom of the '80's, 'Brothers,' on which I was one of the stage managers. This hung on *our* bar set, which was called The Point After, set in Philadelphia. Joe Waters, played by Robert Walden, was a former NFL placekicker. So, somewhere along the line, this prop made it to the 'Cheers' set. At least our show has achieved some immortality, indirect though it may be!" ... As if you needed, or wanted, more evidence that Conan O'Brien's long-running campaign to have "Dirty Dancing" re-released was just an elaborate snooker, several of you wrote in with confirmations. Andrew Johnston, movie critic for Time Out New York, writes, "The movie was on the Exhibitor Relations release schedule (a schedule for theatre owners that we use to keep us abreast of release dates), and we had been told about the re-release by a publicist before Conan started the campaign." That said, "it's possible that Conan and his writers came up with the idea not knowing that the re-release was already planned, or at least mounted the campaign without any input from the PR folks." (Lord knows how hard it is to do *anything* creative without input from PR folks.) Anne Raugh cuts through the crap when she writes, "With respect to 'Politically Incorrect' in prime time: F--- ABC and the smelly, limping mule- substitute they rode in on" ... Dan Papineau writes, "What kind of blackmail does David Brenner hold over David Letterman's head? ... Letterman would be better off interviewing an person off the street than to waste time talking to Brenner. I only hope that he realizes this, although historically he doesn't seem to care because Brenner's been a regular guest on the show since NBC. Thank God for cable, 'cause the remote walks when Brenner talks." ... Harrison Wyman sees some improvement in "Late Show" since its creative nadir last summer. "The most important change was moving the show to a four-day-a-week taping schedule. Even though I miss the same-day feeling, the production of the show has improved. ... Even the shows shot on Thursday for Friday airing look less rushed. Jerry Foley seems to be getting into a groove as director and in sync with the host. But the biggest difference is Dave himself: Maybe it's the day off, maybe some of the internal problems have died down but he's much looser and seems to be enjoying himself more (being kissed by Julia Roberts would help anyone's morale). He seems to have some of the confidence of his first two years of his CBS run and that is important to this viewer." That said, Harrison wishes, as do many of us, for "more of the sweetly daffy Calvert DeForest and much less of the annoying Leonard Tepper. ... As Charlton Heston said in the beer commercial a few years back, 'I don't know who you are, son, but you frighten me.'" ... And this from Dave Donnelly: "It came as no surprise to me that Julia Roberts has a "thing" for David Letterman, but it did cause a revelation. This is the same woman who married Lyle Lovett. It's all too obvious. She has a THING about bad hair. Steven Wright had better watch out." Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY Exclusive to LATE SHOW NEWS Tu 8/12: In 1989, plausibly live from the Laugh Factory on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, it's the nationwide debut of Fox's "Comic Strip: Live" with your host John Mulrooney. We 8/13: In 1994, Woodstock '94 takes place in Saugerties, New York, with Andy Richter reporting for "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and Calvert DeForest for "Late Show with David Letterman." Th 8/14: In 1945, Steve Martin is born. The King (Tut) of "Saturday Night Live," Martin has hosted a record 13 times. Fr 8/15: In 1992, "The Larry Sanders Show" debuts on HBO. Sa 8/16: In 1996, "Tales from the Crypt" digs up enough of a script for a second feature film movie - "Bordello of Blood," with Dennis Miller in one of his first *starring* movie roles. "It's like they airdrop me into various films. I have no depth of characterization, it's just kind of me stumbling around a film, me as myself. You remember how Quinn Martin used to have the epilogue at the end of 'Barnaby Jones' for stupid people who couldn't follow it? I'm that guy! ... Then I get killed and I'm gone from the film." Su 8/17: In 1994, Angelo J. Leno dies. "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno uses his monologue as a tribute to his father. [Thanks to Dave Tanny, Tim Brooks & Earl Marsh. Special thanks to Donz5 appearing as "Lord of The Pants," all this week on your local PBS pledge week.] E-mail is good. Send some to Tom Heald at . THE LINEUPS with Sue Trowbridge LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Tu 8/12 Dana Carvey, Robin Quivers, Afghan Whigs (R 4/26/96) We 8/13 Billy Crystal, Los Lobos (R 11/16/93) Th 8/14 Goldie Hawn, Louie C.K. (R 9/19/96) Fr 8/15 Mel Gibson, Ray Romano (R 5/23/95) Mo 8/18 Tom Selleck, Billy Joel Tu 8/19 Barbara Walters, Charles Dutton, Morrissey We 8/20 Mira Sorvino, Coolio Th 8/21 Charlie Sheen, Janine Turner, Bonnie Raitt and Ruth Brown Fr 8/22 Alicia Silverstone, George Miller, Todd Barry Mo 8/25 Vanessa Williams, Joe Montana Tu 8/26 Paul Reiser, Tia Carrere, Echo & the Bunnymen THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Tu 8/12 Lisa Kudrow, Natalie Cole We 8/13 Laurence Fishburne, Julie Scardina and Sea World animals Th 8/14 Kid inventors, Gary Sinise Fr 8/15 Kevin Sorbo, Woody Brooks Mo 8/18 Rodney Dangerfield, Lucy Lawless, Lyle Lovett Tu 8/19 Newt Gingrich, Chris Tucker We 8/20 Demi Moore Th 8/21 Paul Reiser, Cameron Finley, k.d. lang Fr 8/22 Steven Seagal, Christopher Walken Mo 8/25 Sandra Bullock, Maestro Harrell, Charles Shaughnessy (R 6/9/97) Tu 8/26 Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tim Allen, animal impressionist Hank Shores LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Tu 8/12 Sebastian Junger We 8/13 Adam Arkin Th 8/14 Meat Loaf Fr 8/15 Cathy Guisewite Mo 8/18 Jim Halperin Tu 8/19 Mike Luckovich We 8/20 Barry Sonnenfeld Th 8/21 TBA Fr 8/22 Queen Latifah Mo 8/25 John Cleese, Al Roker (Repeat) Tu 8/26 Brian Williams, Arlene Friedman (Repeat) We 8/27 Lou Holtz, David Brudnoy (Repeat) Th 8/28 Lisa Hartman-Black, Thomas Mallon (Repeat) Fr 8/29 Dave Thomas, Mary Karr (Repeat) LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Tu 8/12 Sylvester Stallone, Loretta Lynn, Cool for August We 8/13 Wayne Newton, Kennedy Th 8/14 Rosie Perez, Michael Rappaport, Wilco Fr 8/15 Jeremy Northam, child musician Michael James II Mo 8/18 Louie Anderson, Steve Irwin (R 5/22/97) Tu 8/19 Mira Sorvino, Marc Maron, Blues Traveler LATER, NBC Mo-Th 8/11-14 Joe Rogan with guests TBA CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Tu 8/12 Strauss Zelnick, President, BMG Music; Al Michaels; "Sunday" Film Panel (director Jonathan Nossiter, actress Lisa Harrow, screenwriter James Lasdun) We 8/13 Loretta Lynn; Generation "Q" Panel Th 8/14 Anthology Of Indian Literature (tentative); Jeanne Ashe (widow Of Arthur Ashe); Harry Marmion (Pres., USTA); Vera Wang Fr 8/15 Dorothy Dandridge Panel; Anthology Of Indian Literature; Paul Monette Documentary Panel 8/18 - 9/1 PBS Pledge Break; repeats TBA POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Tu 8/12 D.B. Sweeney, Cathy Ladman, Samuel L. Jackson, Reverend Earl Jackson We 8/13 TBA Th 8/14 Laura Innes Fr 8/15 Alan Thicke, Rick Santorum, Nadine Strossen VIBE, syndicated Mo 8/11 Bill Bellamy, Vicki Lewis, The O'Jays Tu 8/12 Steve Harvey, Jeremy Northam, Scarface We 8/13 Evander Holyfield, Maxwell Th 8/14 Natalie Desselle, Wyclef Jean Fr 8/15 Lil' Kim SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network Fr 8/15 Robin Leach and Merrill Markoe ... in which the chronicler of the rich and famous shows his evil side and shoots laser beams out of his eyes. Fr 8/22 Tower and Ice of American Gladiators THE DAILY SHOW, Comedy Central Tu 8/12 Lauren Lane We 8/13 Joy Behar Th 8/14 Tony Randall HOWARD STERN, E! Tu 8/12 Sex With Dolphin Guy, Tommy Chong Needs Crackhead Bob We 8/13 Gary Molested, Pt. 1, Melrose Larry vs. Howard's Staff Th 8/14 Gary Molested, Pt. 2, Marcia Clark Fr 8/15 Mental Adam and Scores Surprise, Stut. John/Grillo's Joke Sa 8/16 Amy Lynn and Her Kid, Elephant Boy/Billboard Awards Also on late nights: NIGHTLINE and WORLD NEWS NOW, ABC CHARLES GRODIN, CNBC CARSON'S COMEDY CLASSICS, Family Channel MAD TV, Fox SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC (this season) and Comedy Central (classics) THE RUPAUL SHOW, VH1 LOVELINE and ODDVILLE MTV, MTV UP TO THE MINUTE, CBS NIGHTSIDE, NBC DIE HARALD SCHMIDT SHOW, SAT.1 (returns August 28) KEENEN IVORY WAYANS, Syndicated Entire contents Copyright 1997 by Aaron Barnhart. All rights reserved. Distributed by e-mail and BBS to over 10,000 readers weekly. Back issues are at the LATE SHOW NEWS Broadcast Museum: Guest lineups are updated throughout the week by Sue Trowbridge at LATE SHOW NEWS is made possible with the generous assistance of ECHO, New York City's premiere online service. Send news for and comments about this newsletter to aaron@tvbarn.com