Weather Update, Letterman's Survivor Top Ten Video

As of about 6:30 PM last night, the snow was officially just shy of waist-high to a six-year-old. Y'see, I don't own a yardstick, so I had to stick a kid in the snow. Christian from the third floor was happy to comply. No, he's not one of the rowdy mal-parented kids. He was out there with his mother building a snowman and playing. It's the most snow the Brooklyn native boy has ever seen. I think we're talking in the vicinity of 18 inches, nearby Westfield has an official 17.5".

Last night David Letterman's Top Ten featured castaways from Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Here's the video --

Christian's Snowman

Happy Super Bowl!

Just to point out that two posts back, I have up the Survivor villains.

Carry on with the game ... and I'll watch the party:

No, I Did Not Have Sex With David Letterman

Anyone who knows me knows that I've been a huge fan of David Letterman since his early days on national television -- from his brief morning show to his NBC days, then to the latest. Over the years I've often had fleeting thoughts about what it would be like to be on the writing staff for the show. But I never applied, never interned (it would be tough to explain the internship in relationship to an English teaching degree, plus his show didn't exist back then), and have only seen the man in person from a distance.

No, I'm not a stalker. No, I have not had sex with him. But, as a fan of so many years, I feel compelled to comment on the news which broke earlier this week.

To be honest, I'm not surprised that he's had sex with women staffers on the show. I'd be pretty shocked if it were men staffers. But women? Nah. I have a book written by Merrill Markoe some years back -- How to be Hap-Hap-Happy Like Me. She was his head writer on the NBC show ... and a girlfriend. His longtime girlfriend turned wife worked on the show's staff.

I recall the heavy duty years with "Monty" -- Stephanie Brikitt. I always thought something was going on between them. He seemed to have almost a schoolboy crush on her.

I look at things this way: If I vote for someone to hold the public's trust and they're married, then get involved in some stupid sex scandal ... I feel disappointed in them. You know, it's like I trust them to hold themselves to a higher standard because the public trusts them to run the country, etc.

But if someone is an entertainer, or even a worker/boss in the private sector, and unmarried ... it's their own business. Workplace affairs happen whether it's television staffers or convenience store employees. As long as there isn't any sort of coercion, it's no skin off my nose. I would think his wife of of seven months/many years girlfriend probably knew about at least some of his dalliances. After all, she worked there, too.

What's really creepy to me is that a man with the background of the alleged blackmailer would do something that incredibly stupid. It was also creepy that the audience inappropriately laughed. I could see Letterman was a bit perplexed by that, as was I watching at home.

But what do I know? I'm sitting here with a cat wrapped around my shoulders like some kind of really heavy boa on a Saturday night. And, it's pretty darned uncomfortable. For me, at least. The cat seems to be very comfortable.

TV Stuff and Stuff

I'm a pseudo-celeb and I'm stuck in weeds ... get me out of here!

Yes, I watched the second night of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. I'm not proud. It seems that Heidi and Spencer are gone. I hope it stays that way. The next one I want out is that Janice. Not only is she annoying, but she looks a bit like that Cat Lady with too much plastic surgery. She was really a supermodel at one point? I find that hard to believe!

I find it a bit incongruous that the show was followed by an NBC special featuring President Obama's day in the White House. As I watched that one, all I could think was that if I had so much important for the world stress on my shoulders I'd be screaming, "I'm not really the President! I was joking! Get me out of here!" I'd definitely crack under the pressure. But the burgers looked good.

Tonight on Letterman it's Jack Hanna! I'm such a sucker for those segments. Not only do I find the animals so interesting, I enjoy the interaction between Dave and Jack. I took a nap. I will stay up! I peeked in on Conan last night on and off between Dave. He's got some good guests lined up, but nothing will take me away from Jack Hanna tonight.

On writing bits, I wrote up a brief article on I'm a Celeb, blah-blah for TV Squad. Yesterday TVS posted my short newsy bit about the upcoming Big Brother 11. It's been confirmed that once again I'll be posting live feed reports from the BB house on TVS. Of course, I'll still be posting them here, too. And, not the same reports. Also yesterday, my latest Reality Clack column for CliqueClack TV was posted.

Other than that, there's not much TV going on in my life. Tomorrow will bring us So You Think You Can Dance. I haven't really checked the schedule, but watching that over the pseudo-celebs is a given.

Today's musical non sequitur:
The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.
-- "At the Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel

I'm a pseudo-celeb and I'm stuck in poison ivy ... get me out of here!

TV Doings This Week

Yikes! What a TV week ahead of us, starting tonight! Before I get into some of my viewing plans, just a quick mention on the photo. I took this one a while back as the stereo sign lined up nicely with the double "stereo" lamp post. I liked the way it turned out messing around with a photo editor above. The original shot is at the bottom of the post and was taken in North Plainfield, NJ. And, no. That has nothing to do with television.

Sunday: Argh. I have to write up two shows tonight -- The Amazing Race for TV Squad and Cold Case for CliqueClack TV. Barring any sports delays, TAR begins at 8 PM ET and my other shows schedule is clear. Good. Then comes 9 PM ET -- Cold Case starts, but there's also a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice starting at 9 PM. Waah! I know CA will be available online tomorrow and rerun on Saturday night, but I'd really rather watch that than CC! Throw into the mix that A&E has a Sopranos episode I want to see on at 10 PM (repeated at 11) -- what a night I have!

So, my plan is: Get my Reality Clack column for CliqueClack TV out of the way this afternoon except for the TAR bit. Watch TAR with a post going here as is my standard. Take notes on TAR and Cold Case as they air. I'll write up both reviews at 10 PM, hopefully to be done by 11 PM so I can catch the second airing of The Sopranos episode. As I write, I'll have the second hour of Celebrity Apprentice on in the background. I guess I can catch up with the first hour online. Sunday nights didn't used to be this complicated!

Monday: In the 8 PM (ET) prime time hour, I'll watch The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. I will have to write up a review of TBBT for CliqueClack TV. But I probably won't do that until after I've watched Heroes. My 10 PM hour has lots of possibilities for background as I write -- Saving Grace on TNT or maybe the new Animal Cops Phoenix on Animal Planet.

But then, later on, I have to absolutely positively see Letterman! He has two (not one, but TWO) of my all-time favorite guests on! First, Jack Hanna and animals. Those segments are priceless. Not only are the animals always fantastic, but I love the banter between Jack and Dave. Then, he also has Russell Brand on. That guy's a trip to a delightfully quirky place.

Tuesday: Ah, a relatively easy TV night. Two hours of American Idol, then I want to catch Trust Me (which I haven't seen) on TNT. Letterman has Stupid Pet Tricks, always a must see segment for me.

Wednesday: I plan to check out the new cooking reality show, The Chopping Block, on NBC in the 8 PM hour. Then it's American Idol and Criminal Minds on during the second hour. I'll record CM. LOST is a repeat. Even though I know it's going to be canceled, since they promise answers at the end of the season, I'm sticking with Life on Mars in the 10 PM hour. Letterman has on Tom Brokaw, another guest I enjoy. So I'm staying up.

Thursday: Gee, I think I'll watch Survivor for a change! Heh. Of course, I'll be writing that episode up for TV Squad. I see Bones is also a new episode running up against Survivor, but I'll catch it on the FOX website. In the second hour of the night, I'll probably catch Hell's Kitchen ... a show I've been keeping up with on the FOX website for the most part this season.

Friday: I sleep. Er, I watch shows I've recorded or shows on the Internet. Or, I catch up with my Bonnie Hunts recorded all week. Or I read. I sometimes catch Wife Swap. I'm not proud.

What are your TV plans for the week?

Today's musical non sequitur:
If there’s music we can use it
We need to dance.
We don’t have that time
For psychological romance
No romance
No romance
No romance for me mama
Come on baby tell me what’s the word.
Ah – word up.
-- "Word Up" by Cameo

What the ...? Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman Last Night

I'll be posting on Lost and American Idol soon, but I just had to comment on this and snag the video from YouTube if you missed it. Joaquin Phoenix was sort of on Letterman last night. Very odd. Is it an act? He looks like a well-dressed Blues Brother possibly captured from Skid Row. He makes the long-ago Farrah Fawcett stoned interview look coherent. Is he on drugs? Has he lost it? I admire David Letterman's restraint and, although Phoenix looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed at times, he brought any commentary on himself.

What the ____ is up with this?

Julie Chen (finally) on Letterman

Well, she was supposed to be on last week, but finally here she is. Let's see if she spills any dirty little secrets, eh? So far they're talking about how much time she spends in California vs. New York. Now they're talking about last night's SAG awards and an actress out of hand in the audience.

C'mon, talk Big Brother!

Finally. David is talking about how much he doesn't know about BB, but knows it originated in Holland. Julie tells him the original premise of ten strangers and each week they vote out one of their own. Now there are twists since the fourth season. Yes, there are live feeds, Dave. She said threee months ... was it a slip? Will this be a regular run of a season? Hmmm...

Fake clip time of a nakde woman playing bongos as the After Dark show.

As usual, she spilled no beans, gave no insight.

But Zoetawny made me a cool new logo!

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Nah, not an exciting photo, I'll admit. It's raindrops on a berry-bearing tree. We certainly won't see raindrops here tonight as the temperatures dip down into the teens. But we've been lucky so far this season here in the NYC area. I know folks in the Midwest, further up the Northeast coast and even just a few hundred miles north of here have had tremendous snowstorms. Since my knee won't allow me to ski, I'd just as soon as little snow as necessary here, thank you.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• In NYC News news, I was thrilled to see meteorologist Jeff Berardelli on and off the past few weeks on WCBS2. I got all excited thinking he was back for good, but he isn't. He was just helping them out as he visited his family for the holidays. Soon (if not already), he'll be back in Miami and we'll have to deal with Conan O'Brien's doppelganger Lonnie Quinn doing the weather. Blech. John Bolaris is off of CBS2 and into Philly. I'd like to put in a request for a real meteorologist and not a soaps actor, please.
• Law and Order returns tonight for a special two-hour season premiere beginning at 9 PM. I'm so there. I didn't care so much for Dennis Farina the last season or two. It looks like the cop cast has been revamped and I've always liked the stories.
• I'll also be watching David Letterman's return (with writers) tonight. His guest is Robin Williams. I'm not as keen on Williams as I was a few decades back, but I wouldn't miss the show's return tonight for anything! Leno won't be able to do a monologue and has one of the Presidential candidates on for his return tonight.
• Ohhh ... gossip! Claire and Peter from Heroes are a true-life couple these days? Yikes! He's 30, she's 18. She denied they were dating all through that odd haircut he used to sport.
• Tonight also brings us season premieres of Wife Swap and SuperNanny. A new Deal or No Deal is on as well. Power of Ten, too. Oh, my. Television has returned. I'm not so much into any of them, but I might watch Wife Swap before Law and Order. That can be amusing at times.

Today's musical non-sequitur:
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,
Logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
Clinical, intellectual, cynical.
-- "The Logical Song" by Supertramp

Make My Pants Purple! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - July 30-Aug. 3, 2007

What's this? Yet another week of fresh pants ahead of us?

Why, yes it is! I know Dave will probably take another week off soon, but it's not this one. Cool, I say.

Here are the scheduled guests this week as listed on the CBS website:

• Monday, July 30: Andy Samberg promoting Hot Rod, musical guests The Bravery (CD is The Sun and the Moon), and (get this) PBA bowling on 53rd Street! I think the bowling will be the hit of this show.
• Tuesday, July 31: Senator Joe Biden (author of Promises to Keep), actor Seth Rogen promoting Superbad, musical guest Gogol Bordello (CD is Super Taranta!). Um. Okay.
• Wednesday, August 1: Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), comedian Jeff Altman, musical guest Angelique Kidjo whose CD is Djin Djin. Djokay, djokay.
• Thursday, August 2: Al Franken, Jackie Chan promoting Rush Hour 3 and Michael Buble. Sorry, I'm not on the Buble train. Give me the real deal, please.
• Friday, August 3: Glenn Close (Damages), Judd Apatow (Superbad) and musical guests Chris and Rich Robinson (from the Black Crowes) whose CD is Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy.

Well. I don't think this week is going to be one for the records for me. Thankfully, the Top Ten lists and general Dave tomfoolery will save the week.

It Must be the Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - July 23-27

It's gotta be the pants! I'm talking Worldwide Pants, of course. We have another week of all new shows ahead of us. One of these years I'm going to take a count of how many weeks off Dave actually takes. Of course, when he started out, the show only aired four days a week. Now it's on for five, but if memory serves, they double up on the filming one day a week, so he still really works only the four days a week.

Here are the guests we can expect to see this week on the show:

• Monday, July 23: Drew Carey (Power of 10), Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray, the new version. Musical guests are Grinderman with a self-titled CD out on the market.
• Tuesday, July 24: Paul Rudd (The Ten - not to be confused with The Power of ...), Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, musical guests The National whose CD is Boxer.
• Wednesday, July 25: Catherine Zeta Jones promoting No Reservations, comedian Bob Sarlatte, musical guest Porter Wagoner (CD is Wagonmaster).
• Thursday, July 26: Sharon Osbourne lately of America's Got Talent and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
• Friday, July 27: Anne Hathaway (Becoming Jane), Jim Gaffigan of My Boys, musical guest Buffalo Tom (CD is Three Easy Pieces).

In an unrelated trivia note -- On Thursday, July 26, Mick Jagger will be 64 years old. Oh, my. That's scary.

Pants Mania - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - July 16-20, 2007

Even I need a respite from the Big Brother house, right?

Make mine pants!

Here are the guests we can expect to see this week on The Late Show with David Letterman:

• Monday, July 16: Michelle Pfeiffer promoting Hairspray, Jonah Hill talking about Superbad, Michele Lauziere (Master of the Unusual)
• Tuesday, July 17: Adam Sandler pimping I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and musical guest Mute Math (CD is Mute Math).
• Wednesday, July 18: John Travolta (Hairspray), Paula Abdul promoting her new reality series (which I've managed to not see yet) Hey Paula, musical guest Teddy Thompson whose CD is Upfront and Down Low.
• Thursday, July 19: Kevin James (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry), musical guest White Rabbits - CD is Fort Nightly.
• Friday, July 20: Julia Stiles of The Bourne Ultimatum and comedian Nick Griffith.

Yes, all fresh shows this week! Hairspray is getting a lot of hype. I think I'll have to go see it when it arrives at the theaters. I always like quirky John Waters things. I don't know how keen I am on a chubby female John Travolta, though. Vinnie Barbarino would take a bruising from the sweathogs on that!

Where's Your Pants? - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - July 9-13, 2007

Apparently CBS doesn't know where their pants are! As I write this, the entire guest list for the week at the official Late Show website is entirely blank... just an empty box. Grr. I'll have to peruse AOL TV Listings for my info, huh? It seems that CBS and the Late Show could hire someone who would actually keep their site in a timely fashion.

• Monday, July 9: Don Cheadle, a summer toys demonstration, musical guests The Smashing Pumpkins. This one sounds like a keeper to me. I love when Dave does toys!
• Tuesday, July 10: Sienna Miller, Michael era, musical guest Interpol. Um, okay. I guess.
• Wednesday, July 11: Actress Emma Watson, musical guest Spoon. I'm not really excited.
• Thursday, July 12: Actress Vera Farmiga is the only guest listed. I'm sure there's more to the show than that!
• Friday, July 13: Queen Latifah, author Alan Zweibel, and The Smashing Pumpkins. That can't be right... Smashing Pumpkins on both Monday and Friday? I doubt it!

Anyhow, there are the discombobulated guests for the week. CBS should get their site updated!

Phone Your Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - July 2-6, 2007

Yes, use your new iPhone to phone those pants! While I won't be getting an iPhone, I'll probably be watching Letterman this week. Heck, I don't have to pay over $600 for him and I can touch the screen if I want to! But the thought is kind of weird and then I'd have fingerprints all over my TV.

If you like Ryan Adams, take a peek at the Late Show website. He appeared on the show last week and sang one song, but they have him singing another in a video on the site. I looked through the clips they have and don't see the Julie Chen appearance. I'm not surprised. There wasn't much to it.

Who will be on the big shoe this week? Well, I'm glad you asked... we're in for another week of reruns.

• Monday, July 2: Kid Scientists, Luke Wilson, Rufus Wainwright and the Top Ten from Homer Simpson. This was a good show -- Luke Wilson was a hoot and the kids are always fun.
• Tuesday, July 3: Nicole Ritchie, Artie Lange, Chrisette Michele. Dave put Nicole on the spot as he talked about Paris.
• Wednesday, July 4: Stupid Pet Tricks, Rosie Perez, Dr. Dog. We need more CATS on Stupid Pet Tricks!
• Thursday, July 5: Jane Fonda, Tom Ruprecht, Kelly Clarkson.
• Friday, July 6: Teri Hatcher, Jonah Hill, Elvis Costello.

There's your Pants for the week. Wear them well!

'Big Brother 8' - Julie Chen on 'The Late Show with David Letterman'

Now that Robin Williams took up the major portion of the show (after the regular tomfoolery), it's time for the Chenbot.

Er, that's after a dozen commercials. At least one was for Big Brother 8 with the new houseguests.

Or not... now Robin Williams is doing an Alan Kalter skit. Hey, Dave... ten minutes to go. I want Julie Chen! Well, not on a personal level, y'see. I want her to be on the show already!

More commercials. I't now 12:29. The show ends at 12:37 here. Argh.

Sheesh. This is going to be an almost bump by the time the commercials end. It's now 12:32.

Finally...! Paul is playing Stevie Wonder's "Big Brother." They're talking about seasickness. Why are they talking cruises? Doesn't she have a show to promote? The show now. "Mostly felons, right?" Dave asks. "Just that one year."

Brief talk about the house. Two twists. She's telling about the person designated America's Player. She suggested something like the viewers wanting so-and-so to start a showmance as an example. Feed talk now. A schedule mention and that's it. She didn't even mention the "enemies" twist.

If you missed it, don't feel bad. I knew Robin Williams would monopolize the time.

Share Those Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - June 25-29, 2007

Dave had his week off, but he'll be back full-force on Monday. Hopefully, his broken nose is feeling up to snuff and he's learned a lesson about rough-housing with a three-year-old. The kid always wins against the "old guy."

Here's the guest list for the upcoming week:

• Monday, June 25: This is the show of the week for me. Bruce Willis (always a lot of fun when he's on with Dave), diving dogs out on 53rd Street, Morrissey, and... although I don't see her name listed on the official show website, Julie Chen (the host of Big Brother 8) was originally scheduled for the show.
• Tuseday, June 26: Paula Abdul, John Krasinski promoting License to Wed, and Bryan Ferry.
• Wednesday, June 27: Claire Danes (Evening), Keith Obermann & Dan Patrick, and Ryan Adams.
• Thursday, June 28: Robin Williams also promoting License to Wed
• Friday, June 29: Senator Dennis Kucinich, Shia LeBoeuf (Transformers), and comedian Brian Kiley.

Uh-oh... we have a big discrepancy here! I see on the Yahoo TV Listings that they have Julie Chen listed for Thursday night with Robin Williams. For some odd reason, I can't get AOL TV Listings to show after Wednesday night, so I can't confirm it there. Onto the TVGuide.com listings... yep, they also have Julie Chen listed for Thursday night. The official Late Show website only has Robin Williams listed, but he can't be the only guest on the show.

So, it should be Thursday night for Julie Chen instead of Monday. Oh, well... what's a few more days, eh?

Argh.

Puffin' Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - June 18-22, 2007

Oh, no! It's another week of repeats for Pants Man Dave!

What am I going to do? Well, I'll probably rewatch them but I'll warn you now... I'll be reading books with the show playing in the background. So there, Dave.

• Monday, June 18: Mike Myers (Shrek The Third) and America Ferrara (Ugly Betty).
• Tuesday, June 19: Jack Hanna (YAY), Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), and Patti Griffin whose latest CD is Children Running Through.
• Wednesday, June 20: Matt Damon (Ocean's Thirteen), Indy 500 Winner Dario Franchitti, musical guest Bright Eyes (CD is Cassadaga)
• Thursday, June 21: Johnny Depp and the Spinners. (No, Johnny Depp isn't the lead Spinner although that would be interesting.)
• Friday, June 22: Charles Barkley, Seth Rogan (Knocked Up), Michael Martin Murphey (best remembered for "Wildfire" but his latest CD is Heartland Cowboy: Cowboy Songs, Vol. 5)

Ah, we just have to wait until next Monday (June 25) on The Late Show with David Letterman. What's happening then? It's a new show! Bruce Willis is on! Diving dogs (always amusing) are on out on 53rd Street! But... most important to the Big Brother fans... it's the annual pre-season Julie Chen appearance on Letterman! Woohoo! We're getting near!

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, June 16, 2007

Wasn't last night one of the more lackluster evenings in television history? Yes, there was the Daytime Emmy Award Show, or you could "attend" National Bingo Night. But neither of those rocked my socks. I ended up watching some odd show about the hippie era on the History Channel while reading a book.

Well, there was also the Subway Series game between the Yankees and the Mets. I had to share my train ride home from work with raucous fans. But the Mets won and broke the Yankees winning streak! Eek! I'm glad I didn't watch that!

Here's what I found out there on the web for this edition of TV Newsy Bits:

• Although I'm posting this a bit after the fact, the prison escapee who had plotted to kidnap David Letterman's son Harry is once again back behind bars. Good.
• Marcellas Reynolds from Big Brother has announced that he won't be co-hosting the Internet show Housecalls this year. In his forum, he cites his ever-busy career as one of the reasons. Um. Okay. He also mentions budget cuts and a format change. I previously posted on the blog that I saw Gretchen Massey's name, but no Marcellas. There is no Marcellas. It's a bit of a shame because he asked the questions fans wanted to ask and really understands the whole thing better than Gretchen.
• A commenter asked in a previous about the ad mentioning that The Black Donnellys were returning. From my understanding, it will be the rest of the season that had already been filmed. NBC yanked the show after showing a handful of episodes. It's some HD channel which is airing it. I don't get the channel, so I've lost my Donnellys.
• American Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson has canceled her scheduled concert tour. She recently fired her manager and poor ticket sales were listed amongst other reasons for the decision.
• Director Wes Craven will be the guest judge on On the Lot next week (June 19). Ohhh... I wonder if they'll have to make scary movies!
• MSNBC has an intriguing article about reality television mogul Mark Burnett's hits and misses. In the article Burnett mentions that the 10 PM Sunday night time slot played a role in the demise of The Apprentice. I beg to differ. I think the change to L.A., the rich/poor gimmick, and the change away from George and Caroline to the TrumpKids had more to do with it. The time slot change was perhaps the final nail in the coffin to put the show out of its misery.
• The Fans of Reality TV forum has an interview with ousted from Hell's Kitchen little dude Eddie Langley. Eddie says that if he hadn't gone home he would have won. Okaaay...

That's it for now. When does Big Brother 8 start again? Where are we on our countdown? I need my live feeds for the down times of summer television!

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, June 11, 2007

Greetings! Happy Monday to y'all. Well, if there is such a thing as a "happy" Monday. I suppose it could be an oxymoron like "jumbo shrimp."

Do you realize that by this time next month we'll have already picked our favorites on Big Brother 8?

Here are today's TV Newsy Bits...

• Remember... The Closer third season premiere is next Monday, June 18 at 9 PM ET/PT on TNT. Did you miss some episodes of the second season? Not to worry! TNT is holding a fifteen-hour The Closer marathon starting at 6 AM leading into the season premiere. All of the second season will be shown. And, thanks to TBS, I was given a screener copy of the premiere episode -- it's a mind-boggler indeed.
• Yikes! There was a bit of controversy over the Sopranos finale, eh?
• Hide Harry! The man who was jailed in a kidnap plot to abduct David Letterman's son has escaped from prison. Don't go to Montana, Dave. Stay here on the East Coast and give us fresh pants.
• Speaking of late-night television hosts, it's dawning on me who Lonnie Quinn -- ex-soap opera actor, transplant from a Florida station, dubiously credentialed meteorologist (certifcate, no degree) new WCBS2 (NYC) evening "meteorologist" -- reminds me of... Conan O'Brien with blondish hair. Ack.
• Are you a fan of body art? Tomorrow night at 10 PM ET/PT, TLC will air the season premiere of Miami Ink. The show seems to be more about the art behind the tattoos than folks getting them. Check out the website for lots of cool show-related doings!
• Oh... those poor Law and Order: Criminal Intent stars! According to this AOL TV News article, the show's major actors including Vincent D'Onofrio, will be returning next season without a raise. For some odd reason, I think they're still in a higher salary tier than most folks.

Pants To Make Your Butt Look Big - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - June 11-15, 2007

It's a new week and it's a new list o' guests!

Fresh pants!

Here's who's scheduled to be on the show this week:

• Monday, June 11: Denis Leary promoting the new season of Rescue Me, Flight of the Conchords (HBO's Flight of the Conchords).
• Tuesday, June 12: Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Sir Richard Branson, Maroon 5 (latest CD is It Won't Be Soon Before Long).
• Wednesday, June 13: Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Elvis Perkins (CD is Ash Wednesday).
• Thursday, June 14: John Cusack promoting 1408, musical guest Pink Martini (CD is Hey, Eugene).
• Friday, June 15: Michael Moore promoting Sicko and comedian Bill Burr.

Persnickety Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - June 4-8, 2007

Last week's repeats are a thing of the past. Wait, they were a thing of the past before they re-aired them!

Oh, well. It's onto fresh new pants this week on The Late Show with David Letterman. Woohoo! The website has skimpy information as I post this, but here you go:

• Monday, June 4: Matt Damon promoting Ocean's 13, Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and musical guest Bright Eyes.
• Tuesday, June 5: Chevy Chase, Amanda Beard, and musical guest Satellite Party. Huh? Chevy Chase is still around? Don't tell me there's another Fletch movie on the horizon!
• Wednesday, June 6: Paris Hilton and Nichole Ritchie (um, isn't one of them in jail?), Artie Lange, and Chrisette Michele. Well, I'm not a big Paris Hilton fan for sure, but the segment should be interesting. Dave's not one to mince words.
• Thursday, June 7: Amy Sedaris, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, and Jordan Zevon. Yes, Amy is finally on! She was bumped for Toby Maguire a few weeks back. I enjoy her appearances on the show. She's a kook -- but that's a good thing! And, Jordan is the son of Warren Zevon.
• Friday, June 8: Ellen Barkin and comedian Brian Regan. There's got to be more to the show than just that, I would think. But that's all the web site has listed right now.