Portable Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Jan. 29 - Feb. 2. 2007

Dave is continuing his odd little vacation - a few days last week and into this week. The Monday through Wednesday shows are repeats this week with fresh pants on Thursday and Friday.

Don't ask me why. Perhaps he flew to Rio with his buddy Regis. Or, maybe he's having quality time with Richard Simmons. I just don't know.

Here's this week's guest line-up:

• Monday, Jan. 29: A recent repeat with Will Smith promoting the movie The Pursuit of Happyness and musical guest Evanescense. A good show - Will Smith is always very entertaining and mixes it up well with Dave. But, too recent for me to rewatch. (Grr.)
• Tuesday, Jan. 30: Matt Damon promoting The Departed, Barbara Walters. Again, a fairly recent repeat. The Barbara Walters segment is interesting as she discussed recent brouhahas. (And you know I love to say "brouhaha.")
• Wednesday, Jan. 31: A Holiday Toy Demo (can you guess when this show first aired?), Renee Zellweger promoting Mrs. Potter, musical guest Taking Back Sunday. The Holiday Toy Demo is a hoot! I think I'll rewatch this one just to see that again.
• Thursday, Feb. 1: Ah, new pants! Actor Bill Murray and Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James. Bill Murray can be um... interesting... on shows. I'm not always so sure what's going on with him. And, for this non-NBA-watching person, half of the players I know by name, I know from Letterman.
• Friday, Feb. 2: David Spade promoting his new show Rules of Engagement (which isn't hitting my "must watch" radar at this point), documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi (Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra), and musical guest Dustin Kensrue. Okay.

So, there you go. Plan your TV-watching accordingly.

It's Pants-olicious! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Jan. 22-26

Last week I mentioned changes in the official website for the show. The Dave himself mentioned the changes during the week. If you're a Late Show fan, or even if you're just interested in some of the past guests, you should take a peek at the official site as there are tons of video clips in the archives and lots o' neat stuff. You could spend hours going through it all, so grab yourself a cup of joe and prepare to settle in.

My only complaint about the page is that it no longer lists the upcoming guests for the week. In a way that's okay as the website listings were notoriously obsolete for some time now. So, it's off to the listings for the show elsewhere...

• Monday, January 22: Actor Kevin Spacey, musician Alicia Keys, Nellie Kay and the Broadway Philharmonic perform. Oh, I always enjoy Kevin Spacey's appearances on the show. He's interesting and witty. What more could I want?
• Tuesday, January 23: Actors Forest Whitaker and Ricky Gervais with musical guests The Shins. Sounds good to me!
• Wednesday, January 24: Impressionist Frank Caliendo spoofs sports commentator John Madden, actress Mandy Moore and Rosanne Cash performs. Um, okay. For some reason Wednesday night shows aren't hitting with me so much lately. However, the monologue and other happenings keep me tuned in.
• Thursday, January 25: What? From the listings I see, this one is a repeat. Howard Stern (promoting himself and Sirius, as usual) and Gwen Stefani. The Stefani performance is excellent.
• Friday, January 26: Another repeat? Dave must have some wild plans for an extended weekend or something, eh? But, if you missed Clint Eastwood's appearance on the show in December, you'll want to check it out. Plus, actor Matthew Fox from Lost.

There you go. Pantsolicious, of course.

Pants for Progress - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Jan. 15 - 19, 2007

Goodness, they've changed the official website for the Late Show with David Letterman, mostly for the better. But, instead of faulty listings of the upcoming guests, they now have extensive video clips and such available for the past week's guests. Since they didn't even list Madonna on their upcoming guests last week, maybe they're better off to just focus on recaps from the past week.

As for me, it's off to the TV listings to see whom I'll be seeing on the show this week.

• Monday, Jan. 15: Actress Amy Sedaris, magician Jason Randall and, get this, the musical guest is America with Ryan Adams. The show sounds interesting - I like Amy Sedaris. And, though I thought them to be defunct, America (if it's roughly the same group) was a part of my growing-up music. Somewhere around I have them on vinyl... or maybe 8-Track. ;-)
• Tuesday, Jan. 16: Actor Paul Newman, racing star Sébastien Bourdais and Diana Ross is the musical guest. I don't know about the race car driver, but I surely want to see Paul Newman and, to a lesser extent, Diana Ross.
• Wednesday, Jan. 17: Ohh! Terri and Bindi Irwin (Steve Irwin's wife and daughter) are scheduled. No one else is listed, but I'm sure they won't be the only guests for the evening. Dave is great with kids and Bindi is a neat little girl, so this should be another fine show.
• Thursday, Jan. 18: Actor Harry Shearer is the lone guest listed. Um. Okay.
• Friday, Jan. 19: Dan Rather, actress Tricia Helfer and musical guest Todd Barry performs.

Well, I'm more impressed by the shows through Wednesday night, but it's an all-new no-repeat week on Letterman.

And, that's a good thing indeed.

Pimpin' the Pants - Guests on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' This Week Jan. 8 - 12, 2007

A blog reader asked about a band she saw on the repeats during the holidays. Just in case my answer was missed as it was an older entry, here we go again - the band in question is Robert Randolph and the Family Band. It wasn't their first appearance on the show; Letterman's where I discovered them some time ago even though the band has local roots. If you like steel guitar and want to rock the house, they're the band who will do it for you. Their latest CD is Colorblind and both music and video streams are available on their site.

Who does The Dave have on his guest list this week?

• Monday, Jan. 8: David Arquette (now on the new sitcom In Case of Emergency) and American Idol ex-finalist Jennifer Hudson who's creating a lot of buzz with her role in the movie Dreamgirls.
• Tuesday, Jan. 9: Penelope Cruz (Volver), Gary Muledeer and musical guest Ben E. King. I'm already humming "Stand by Me" as I write this...
• Wednesday, Jan. 10: Peter O'Toole (Venus) and Marc Maron.
• Thursday, Jan. 11: Julianne Moore (appearing in the play The Vertical Hour) and musical guest Hold Steady whose CD is Boys and Girls in America.
• Friday, Jan. 12: John Witherspoon

Hmmm... I get the guest list from the Late Show website, but this list doesn't look all that complete at this time. While I know that Letterman thinks a lot of John Witherspoon, I doubt he's the only guest that night. If you just can't get enough of the Donald Trump/Rosie O'Donnell fiasco and missed Trump's appearance this past Friday night, there's a clip available on the show's website for you.

Mean Man Trump on Letterman Tonight

Yes, Donald Trump is going to be on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight. The Apprentice is a show I watch and write about, but Trump's latest feud with Rosie O'Donnell has really turned me off. It's one thing to mimic someone, but another to call a person fat, disgusting, a slob and more.

Bad Donald.

I found a cute little Flash Rosie/Trump fight game online, but I can't get it to embed properly here. You can play it yourself at the IGN website. I don't know. When I'm Trump, Rosie wins. When I'm Rosie, Trump wins. I guess I was meant to be neither, huh?

That could, of course, be a very good thing.

(Although I wouldn't mind my bank account being a bit like either!)

Party Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Jan. 1 - 5

Like David Letterman, I've been laying a bit low this holiday week. I hope everyone has had a good holiday season!

Dave is a repeat Monday night - New Year's Day. But then he's back in full swing for the rest of the week with new shows, new pants for the new year!

Here are the scheduled guests for this week:

• Monday, Jan. 1: Originally aired 11/21/06, guests are Chris Elliott, Hugh Jackman and Jimmie Johnson. While I usually get a kick out of Chris Elliott appearances on the show, this wasn't a favorite of mine. Why, oh why, can't they show a repeat from a few years ago? Yes, the monologue would be untimely, but I'd enjoy it so much more than I do recent repeats. And, this is one show I wouldn't have picked for re-airing. Ah, well, Dave never asks me about these things!
• Tuesday, Jan. 2: Martin Short promoting Broadway's Fame Becomes Me and Donal Logue (Knights of Prosperity). Um, okay. I'm not a huge Martin Short fan although the Broadway show seems perfect for him. ('Nuff said.)
• Wednesday, Jan. 3: Matt Lauer from The Today Show, Artie Lange (Beer League DVD) and musical guest Augustana (CD is All the Stars and Boulevards). I like Matt Lauer, have no idea about the Beer League (although I've known some folks over the years who would love to be members), and I'm not familiar with Augustana. This could be interesting.
• Thursday, Jan. 4: Cedric the Entertainer promoting The Cleaner and musical guest Switchfoot (CD is Oh! Gravity.) Cedric is okay and the band sounds interesting. They're ringing a bell with me, but I just can't place them.
• Friday, Jan. 5: Now, this is the really big shoe... Donald Trump (probably promoting The Apprentice which premieres soon, but surely will touch on his latest embarrassing public feud with Rosie O'Donnell) and Mary Lynn Rajskub from 24. No musical guest is listed at this time.

There are the pants for this week. Keep in mind, if you are a stupid human or if your pet does a silly pet trick, they're always looking for new acts. I contend cats are under-represented but my own two cats refuse to go, something about shunning the spotlight. Go figure.

Pants With a Purpose - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Dec. 25 - 29

Last week we saw Dave knock the meatball off the top of the Late Show Christmas tree for the second time, leaving a crushed Jay Thomas in his dust.

This week we're in store for repeats, not unexpectedly I might add. Since I've seen them before, maybe I'll hit the sack early for a week! I wonder what it's like to get nearly seven hours of sleep.

Here's the line-up:

• Monday, Dec. 25: Originally aired 12/04/06 - Danny DeVito, duct tape expert William Beacom and Silversun Pickups (musical guest). The kid with the duct tape is fun - all you ever wanted to know about duct tape, but were afraid to ask. Er, okay, he has some facts, but basically makes things out of the duct tape. I want a pair of the duct tape Converse knock-offs.
• Tuesday, Dec. 26: Originally aired 11/22/06 - Matthew Broderick, Stupid Pet Tricks, Lupe Fiasco & Jill Scott. A decent show, but cats are so under-represented in the Stupid Pet Tricks segments!
• Wednesday, Dec. 27: Originally aired 11/06/06 - Will Ferrell, Britney Spears Walk-On, Jack Hanna. Now, this one I'll watch again. I'm not a big Will Ferrell fan although his latest movie sounds interesting - I like the thought of being a character in a novel, I guess. And, I can never get enough of the Jack Hanna segments on the show.
• Thursday, Dec. 28: Originally aired 11/28/06 - George Clooney and musical guests The Decemberists. The Clooney segment is fun as he taunts Brad Pitt with embarrassing photos, but that's the height of the excitement for this one.
• Friday, Dec. 29: Originally aired 12/13/06 - Regis Philbin, Kid Scientists segment and music guest Robert Randolph and the Family Band. An excellent show, for sure. But this is way too soon to see it again. If you're a steel guitar fan, check out the band. Robert Randolph is amazing.

So, there you go... your repeat pants for the holiday week. Hopefully Dave is enjoying the holiday time with little Harry who's really at a cute age for the season this year!

Jingle Pants, This Week's 'Late Show with David Letterman' - Dec. 18 - 22

Well, I don't think Dave can beat last week's Clint Eastwood appearance on the show. Dang, that guy is holding up so well and he's on shows too infrequently to really get to "know" him. It was neat to see him as himself, not a movie character. He joked about a Dirty Harry sequel and fancied himself chasing criminals in his walker, although he looks like he's in great shape. The Late Show website has a clip of that bit if you wish to take a gander.

Set to guest this week on the Holiday Pants:

• Monday, Dec. 18: Frank Caliendo, Ben Stiller (promoting Night at the Museum), musical guest Rodrigo y Gabriela.
• Tuesday, Dec. 19: Beyonce (promoting Dreamgirls), Marv Albert and comedian Marc Maron. I've never heard of the comedian, but Marv Albert and Beyonce are a rather scary combination. I guess it's good they won't sit together. If we're talking Dreamgirls, I'd rather see the American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson in an interview as she's also starring in the movie. Beyonce never really rocked my world. Um, neither did Marv Albert, but I do like his sports bloopers clips.
• Wednesday, Dec. 20: Holiday Toy Demo and Renee Zellweger (Miss Potter). That's it? Hey! Now the Toy Demo is always a fun bit, but there's got to be more to the show!
• Thursday, Dec. 21: Tom Brokaw (Tom Brokaw Reports: In the Shadow of the American Dream) and musical guests Cold War Kids (Robbers & Cowards). Speaking of yet another man who is aging well...
• Friday, Dec. 22: Cate Blanchett (Notes On a Scandal), Annual Christmas Tree Football Toss with Jay Thomas and Darlene Love in her Annual Christmas appearance. Oh, no! This is the holiday show and, unless my mind has gone a'fishing, the tree isn't even up yet! It's a show not to be missed, but have I gone batty? Did I miss the tree set-up somehow? Is it going to be put up this week? It seems it went up earlier in past seasons! Maybe the meatball and pizza go bad. I guess we'll see.

Oh, and just in case you're interested -- The Late Show is accepting applicants for both Stupid Pet and Stupid Human tricks. The information is up on the website. Me? Well, I could just go and say "my life" as a Stupid Human Trick, but I doubt they'd accept that. I have a cat who meows at each and every glance, but he wouldn't fare well with an audience, so that's out. I guess I'll just have to watch other stupid humans and stupid pets, eh?

Pants in Every Pot, This Week's 'Late Show with David Letterman' Guests - Dec. 11 - 15

After a week of much too recently aired repeats, Late Show with David Letterman is brand-pants-spanking new this week! Will this week bring about the annual Late Show Christmas tree? I guess we'll just watch and see!

Here's a look at the guests we'll be seeing this week:

• Monday (Dec. 11): Matt Damon (The Good Shepherd) and Barbara Walters. I think Barbara Walters has a crush on Dave, don't you?
• Tuesday (Dec. 12): Howard Stern and Gwen Stefani. The latter will be promoting her new CD, The Sweet Escape. The former will probably be promoting himself, as is his usual practice. Oh, he'll probably promote Sirius, too.
• Wednesday (Dec. 13): Regis Philbin, Kid Scientists, and musical guest Robert Randolph (Colorblind). I'm notching this one. I love it when Regis is on the show and the Kid Scientists segments are always a lot of fun. It's a great time of year for the kids to come to NYC for the first time, too.
• Thursday (Dec. 14): Will Smith, promoting his new movie The Pursuit of Happyness. If you don't know the background of the film, it's very interesting and rewarding. Check it out! Musical guest is Evanescence, CD is The Open Door.
• Friday (Dec. 15): Bette Midler, CD is Cool Yule, and Matthew Fox from Lost. Could this be Tree Night? It seems late, but she did do the Rockefeller Tree special and she's top-billed over Matthew Fox. I guess we'll find out.

Great Pants, Who's On 'The Late Show with David Letterman' This Week?

I must be too much of a Letterman fan. Last week, without looking at this week's schedule, I said he was due for a vacation week. And, I was right. This week is full of repeats, some definitely worth seeing if you missed them on the first run. To me, the shame of it all when it comes to Letterman reruns is that they're all recent shows. I realize they can't jump networks and show his old NBC shows, but I'd love to see some of the older CBS shows during his off weeks. There have certainly been some memorable ones!

Here's the skinny on the schedule this week:

• Monday, Dec. 4: From 11/02/06 - Rosie O'Donnell and musical guest Lady Sovereign
• Tuesday, Dec. 5: From 9/19/06 - Patrick Dempsey, Ventriloquist Jay Johnson and Darwin (part of the Infamous Ventriloquist Week), musical guest Kasabian.
• Wednesday, Dec. 6: The Late Show website lists this show as originally airing 12/06/06, but they're obviously wrong. It's a recent show from November and a very worthy of watching show. It's Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost) with the Top Ten, a hilarious segment with Teri Horton of Who the %#$ is Jackson Pollack fame (yes, I know who he is), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), and musical guests Elvis Costello and Roseanne Cash.
• Thursday, Dec. 7: From 10/30/06, another interesting show albeit too recently aired for my liking - Jerry Springer (just off Dancing With The Stars) does the Top Ten, Borat from Borat, Tiki Barber (football - NY Giants), and musical guest Beck.
• Friday, Dec. 8: From 11/08/06, it's Dustin Hoffman, Jamie Oliver (author of Jamie's Italy), musical guests are the cast of the Metropolitan Opera's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia." A good show, but again... much too soon to see it again for me.

Once this week of reruns is out of the way, we should be looking at this season's Late Show Christmas tree complete with the meatball on top and other typical holiday doings. In the meantime, I may have to see who Jay has on his show this week, heaven forbid!

More Pants, Please - Coming This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Nov. 27-Dec. 1

I'm sure he's due for a vacation soon, but never during November sweeps! It's All Fresh Pants for The Late Show with David Letterman this week and here are the scheduled guests:

• Monday, Nov. 27: Kate Winslet and a musical guest I'm eagerly anticipating - Tom Waits! Woohoo! Tom Waits is amazing and he just doesn't do enough television for my liking.
• Tuesday, Nov. 28: George Clooney (isn't he the World's Sexiest Man according to People Magazine once again this year?) and The Decemberists.
• Wednesday, Nov. 29: Richard Simmons returns after a six-year absence. This one is a Must See for any Letterman fan. How's it going to go? Musical guest is Ciara.
• Thursday, Nov. 30: Jennifer Connelly and Tom Dreesen. Um. Okay.
• Friday, Dec. 1: Danny DeVito, always interesting, and musical guest Silversun Pickups.

There, that's the Fresh Pants for the week.

Get Yer Pants Here - Coming This Week On Letterman (Nov. 20-24)

Although it's a somber time - Impressionists Week is done and over - this week's guest list for Letterman is winning me over. Plus, it's Thanksgiving week with all new shows throughout the week, including the holiday. Dave's holiday show usually features bits from the staff and I have to see what they're up to this year!

Here are this week's expected guests on The Late Show with David Letterman:

• Monday, Nov. 20 - Jerry Seinfeld (what's he up to these days?), DJ Shadow and Q-Tip. (Um, okay to the latter. One thing I love about the show is he often exposes me to music acts with whom I may not be familiar.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 21 - Chris Elliott, Hugh Jackman and the Nextel Cup Winner. Chris Elliott is old-school Letterman and I always get a kick out of seeing him on the show. As for the Nextel Cup Winner? I haven't a clue. Maybe it's the Annoying Walkie-Talkie King or the Most Obnoxious Cell Phone User In Public Places Queen. We'll see.
• Wednesday, Nov. 22 - Matthew Broderick, Lupe Fiasco & Jill Scott. Matthew, of course, is starring with Danny DiVito in the new holiday movie Deck the Halls, but I'm once again clueless on the latter two guests. It makes things more interesting that way, don't you think? I enjoy seeing Matthew Broderick on the show... he's always an entertaining guest.
• Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving Day) - Eugene Levy (For Your Consideration) and John Mayer. Eugene Levy is usually a hoot! And, though John Mayer isn't always my musical cuppa tea, he is very popular. As I previously mentioned, I think we can expect some staff bits on this show, too.
• Friday, Nov. 24 - Oh, the only guest listed is Helen Hunt (Bobby and Mad About You fame). I like seeing her, but I would also guess there's more to the show than solely Helen Hunt. I love surprises.

There, that's the week ahead for The Late Show. Did I ever tell you about the time I stood outside the filming of the show with the masses by the Roseland and excitement ensued?

Better Than Big Pants, Coming This Week On Letterman

I must confess. I have to confess.

I love David Letterman.

Oh, no -- not like that woman who kept breaking into his house in the '80s or, more recently, the woman who thought he was sending love messages in code to her. Not like that at all. This is more of a sane sort of love. Or, is it?

I've been a Letterman fan since his early appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and can even boast to watching his rather short-lived morning show circa 1980 or so. Through his NBC Late Night with David Letterman days into the present, he's my late-night fodder. Campy, zany, though oddly intellectual, I've spent my adult life with his show(s) on my must-see list.

Last week's highlights for me were the Jack Hanna segment (always a favorite with me) and Jorge Garcia (Hurley on Lost) reading the Top Ten Signs You're Obsessed With Lost. In particular, I enjoyed Number 10: "After each episode, you do an all-kitty reenactment in your basement." I have to admit that my two cats balked at playing all the characters and wanted to hold out for more money per episode.

The week ahead boasts Mr. Letterman's second rather unusual week-long programming event for the season. Earlier, it was Ventriloquist Week. This time we'll see Impressionists Week. Yep, you've got it! I'm not sure if it will match the excitement of the ventriloquists, but it'll be neat to see Rich Little once again. I didn't know he was still around.

Here are the guests scheduled for this week on the Late Show with David Letterman:

• Monday, Nov. 13: Robin Williams, Impressionist Rich Little, George Jones
• Tuesday, Nov. 14: Jack Black (promoting the new movie Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny which I misheard a while back as the "Pig of Destiny." I like it that way, don't you?), Impressionist Fred Travalena, Tenacious D
• Wednesday, Nov. 15: Christopher Guest, Impressionist Gordie Brown, +44
• Thursday, Nov. 16: Ellen DeGeneres, Impressionist Frank Caliendo, The Game
• Friday, Nov. 17: Senator John Edwards, Impressionist Kevin Pollak, Will Arnett

Okay, ventriloquists and impressionists... what's next? Tap dancers? Magicians? I don't know, but I'm sure to be watching. As for Leno, I watch or tape him when he has the Blue Man Group on. Dave should do more Blue Man Group.

Oops! I Goofed! Letterman NEW 24 Year Anniversary Tonight

Yikes... it's been repeats for Monday and Tuesday, it's the Oprah repeat tomorrow.

But tonight, Letterman is all new and it's the 24 Years of Letterman anniversary show.

Now I must stay up.