Recycled Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 28-June 1, 2007

Well, May Sweeps have ended and we're (not unexpectedly) if for a week of repeats on Letterman this week.

As always, my complaint with the repeats is that they're much too recent. Yeah, I know they do that because movie promotions, news issues and more all have to be timely or current. Yes, that's the logic behind it all. But, as a regular viewer, I'd like just once to see a way old repeat. Heck, I'd watch that while I rarely want to watch a show I just saw two weeks ago over again so soon.

Here's what you can expect this week on the show and I guess I'll go to bed a bit earlier unless Leno has a guest I really want to see:

• Monday, May 28: Ray Romano promoting The Grand, Impressionist Reggie Reg, Dennis Haysbert from The Unit. Not worth a second watch from me.
• Tuesday, May 29: Senator Barack Obama, Halle Barry promoting Perfect Stranger, and Masters Champion Zach Johnson. This one was interesting for the Obama segment... he's a very personable kind of guy.
• Wednesday, May 30: Dr. Phil promoting his special Caged? and Jack Hanna. Hey, wasn't this shown only a week ago or so? Sheesh! I felt cheated by the Jack Hanna segment cut short for time.
• Thursday, May 31: Regis Philbin talking more than promoting Shrek the Third and Darlene Love (who's always tremendous). It was a good show, but again it aired just a week or maybe two ago.
• Friday, June 1: Tobey Maguire promoting Spider-Man 3, Modest Mouse, and Impressionist John Byner. Excellent show, but I won't watch it again so soon.

I foresee earlier bedtimes for me this week.

Pants in Bloom - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 21-25

The subway series has the Yankees down two games to the Mets. But, more important... will Dave's guests score a home run this week?

Here's the list:

• Monday, May 21 - Rudy Giuliani, Mike West and his Cra-Z-Boy Chair, and music guest Jesus & Mary Chain.
• Tuesday, May 22 - Charles Barkley, Seth Rogen promoting Knocked Up, Michael Martin Murphey (CD is Heartland Cowboy: Cowboy Songs, Vol. 5)
• Thursday, May 24 -Al Gore pushin' his latest endeavor, a book entitled The Assault on Reason, comedian Jim Short.
• Friday, May 25 - Kevin Spacey (Broadway's A Moon for the Misbegotten) and Alexis Bledel (I'm Reed Fish).

Yes, you're seeing things right. According to the official website, there is no Wednesday this week. But, according to the AOL TV Listings, Wednesday does indeed exist --

• Wednesday, May 23 - Stupid Pet Tricks, Rosie Perez and musical guest Dr. Dog.

Who's sleeping on the job at the show's website, eh?

It's Prom Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 14-18, 2007

Have you got your prom pants? After all, 'tis the season.

Um... if you're in school, that is. If you're not, then it's just a bit odd that you have prom pants. But, who am I to tell you how to live your life?

However, if you are in school, I see on the official show website, they're looking for interns! Gee, where was that opportunity back when I was in college? I would have loved to work with the writers! Okay, back when I was in school, Letterman was barely out of school himself, but that's beside the point. Too bad they don't allow "students of life" to take part in the internships. But, of course, they'd have to pay enough to live on. They do make it clear - "Please note once again that YOU MUST BE ENROLLED IN COLLEGE to be eligible to participate in our program." Once again, I'll note it. Hey, wait... they didn't say "currently" enrolled, did they? It's a loophole!

Here's the guest list (along with a bit of my opinion on said guests) for the show this week:

• Monday, May 14: Mike Meyers promoting Shrek the Third and America Ferrara of Ugly Betty. Eh. All in all, it doesn't sound like a bad show, but it ain't no Jack Hanna!
• Tuesday, May 15: Don Rickles promoting his book Rickles' Book: A Memoir and Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos. The musical guest is Wilco (latest CD is Sky Blue Sky). Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes) will do the Top Ten List. Well, Masi Oka is a must for me to watch, but I'm not so keen on Rickles. I find him a bit mean-spirited and way out of step with today's world.
• Wednesday, May 16: Ricky Gervais, Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Mavis Staples (CD is We'll Never Turn Back) and the Top Ten List with Bob Barker. It's Bob Barker's 50th TV Anniversary this week. Has television been around that long? Heh.
• Thursday, May 17: Kid Scientists, Luke Wilson promoting The Wendell Baker Story, Rufus Wainwright (CD is Release the Stars) and a Top Ten List with Homer Simpson. Now, this sounds fun. I always get a kick out of the kids and the way Dave interacts with them. He's a nut! I wonder if I stand out in the street on 53rd, perhaps I can watch Homer Simpson arrive? Maybe get his autograph?
• Friday, May 18: Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Jonah Hill (Knocked Up - although I don't think he himself is in that state) and musical guest Elvis Costello promoting not one, but two CDs - The Best of Elvis Costello: The First Ten Years and Rock and Roll Music. Elvis Costello usually puts on a good show. I love the new Lexus commercials featuring him. Beethoven's music has the same effect on him as it does on me. Alas, I don't listen to Beethoven in my Lexus, though.

So, there's your week of Pants!

Sweeps Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 7-11, 2007

Well, last week Dave pulled a fast one on us by replacing Amy Sedaris with Toby McGuire. It was an interesting segment, but I want Amy, too!

What's on the schedule for this week as we're heavy into the May Sweeps period?

• Monday, May 7 - Regis Philbin promoting Shrek the Third, but I'm sure the appearance will be a lot more than just Shrek. Darlene Love from Broadway's Hairspray is also a guest. I'm checking this one off as a "best of the week."
• Tuesday, May 8 - Jane Fonda will promote her new movie, Georgia Rule. Author Tom Ruprecht (George W. Bush: An Unauthorized Oral History) and American Idol first season winner now a huge success, Kelly Clarkson (latest CD is My December). An interesting note is that Ruprecht either is still, or at least was, a writer for Letterman. So I'm looking forward to that segment.
• Wednesday, May 9 - Lindsay Lohan (also promoting Georgia Rule), comedian Tom Dreesen, and musical group The Kooks whose new CD is Inside In/Inside Out.
• Thursday, May 10 - Dr. Phil, who has a CBS Primetime Special to promote - Caged. I don't know what that's all about, but his interaction with Letterman is always entertaining. Oh! And Jungle Jack Hanna will be on, too! Woohoo... we have a tie for best of the week. Heck, this just may push Regis off my top list.
• Friday, May 11 - Charles Grodin (The Ex) and comedian Jake Johannsen. Um... okay. I get a bit tired of Grodin's "upset" schtick when on the show, though. How many decades can you act miffed?

Pants On Fire - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 30-May 4, 2007

It was so successful the first time around that he's doing it again for May Sweeps. Yes, it's a second round of Impressionists Week!

Me? Heck, if he doesn't get Rich Little, I'd just as soon see Tapdancing Week. What? No Tapdancing Week? Why not?

Here's the guest list from the official show site:

• Monday, April 30 - Kirsten Dunst promoting Spider-Man 3, impressionist Rob Magnotti, musical guest Dinosaur, Jr. (CD is Beyond). Spider-Man 3 has Venom... woo!
• Tuesday, May 1 - Amy Sedaris (oh, I so enjoy her appearances on the show!) promoting Shrek the Third (how creative to not have yet another "3" in the title), impressionist John Byner (ah, old school, love it), and musical group Modest Mouse whose latest CD is We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. This looks like the winner show of the week for me. Although... I have to admit I like Modest Mouse's name more than I enjoy their music for the most part.
• Wednesday, May 2 - Drew Barrymore promoting Lucky You, impressionist Mike MacRae, musical guest Ben Kweller (CD is Ben Kweller).
• Thursday, May 3 - Marcia Cross of Desperate Housewives, impressionist Joe Piscopo, Tori Amos (latest CD is American Doll Posse), and Kenny Brack will be sitting in with the band. No, he will not be driving a car around the band. At least, I don't think he will. That would be cool if he did.
• Friday, May 4 - Ray Romano promoting The Grand, impressionist Reggie Reg, and Dennis Haysbert of The Unit. What? No musical guest? Hmmm...

So, Dave... what about Tapdancers Week? Huh? Give it a shot!

Puff Up the Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 23-27, 2007

Ah, it's finally really spring here in the New York City area. It's the perfect time to go stand by the Hello Deli and watch the guests come and go from the show, and perhaps even a bit of tomfoolery on 53rd Street.

Oh, but I probably won't. I've done it before, though. It's fun, but be warned... no offense to Rupert, but the Hello Deli is a bit of a teensy deli dive.

Here's the guest list for this week:

• Monday, April 23: Sanjaya Malakar (American Idol recently booted contestant in case you're living under a rock) will present the Top Ten list, Brian Williams (MSNBC), and Steven Wright whose latest DVD is When the Leaves Blow Away. I'll most certainly be watching this one. I have to see if Sanjaya can get the words right when they're on a cue card and I've been a Steven Wright fan for a few decades... or so.
• Tuesday, April 24: Ex-Frasier co-star David Hyde Pierce who's currently starring in Broadway's Curtains, and Corinne Bailey Rae (CD is Live in London & New York.)
• Wednesday, April 25: Nicholas Cage promoting Next, Barry Sonnenfeld (Notes From the Underbelly - which I really have to check out, but haven't done so yet), musical group The Fratellis whose latest CD is Costello Music.
• Thursday, April 26: Oh, this one may be the winner of the week for me -- Steve Martin, David Cota & AJ the Parakeet, and a performance by Tony Trischka, Steve Martin & Bela Fleck (CD is Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular). Of course, I'm in it for the parakeet. Heh. No, I'm a big Steve Martin fan and love the banjo-playing. But, then again, maybe the parakeet will dance to the music! After all, the parakeet can golf... so I'm sure he can dance.
• Friday, April 27: Frank Caliendo as George W. Bush (which I'd prefer to watch than George W. Bush as George W. Bush), Andy Dick whose CD is Do Your Shows Always Suck? (Yes, they do, Andy. It's you, it's not me.) Jarvis Cocker whose CD is Jarvis is the musical guest.

It looks like a good week of late night entertainment and a good bit of silliness, as well. After all, there can never be too much silliness in the world today

It's Pouring Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 16-20, 2007

Oh, my... I've had a lazy Sunday. I usually post this early Sunday morning, but something went awry today, eh?

I blame the rain, the big nor'easter. While we haven't had the horrible winds forecasted (yet), we've had about four inches of rain. I've lazed about listening to the rain on the windows, old jazz, and the upstairs neighbors bowling (or whatever they're doing up there). I've read, watched the latest (tape) BET The Wire episode, took a bubble bath, did a bit of housecleaning... and now I should get the Letterman schedule up.

While we won't have Bruce Willis with a Sanjaya FauxHawk this week, here's what we can expect:

• Monday, April 16: Kelly Ripa from Live with Regis & Kelly, Simon Pegg promoting Hot Fuzz, and comedian Jim Short.
• Tuesday, April 17: Craig Ferguson (The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson), Dave Della Terza from votefortheworst.com, Avril Lavigne whose latest CD is The Best Damn Thing. Okay, I'm marking this the hit show for me for the week. Craig Ferguson makes me snicker and votefortheworst? Gotta see that segment!
• Wednesday, April 18: Edie Falco from The Sopranos, Paul Scheer (Human Giant), and musical guest Son Volt (CD is The Search).
• Thursday, April 19: Garry Shandling promoting his latest DVD Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show, American CHopper guys Paul Teutul Sr. and Jr., and musical guest Tokyo Police Club whose CD is A Lesson in Crime. This one sounds very intriguing, doesn't it?
• Friday, April 20: Jessica Biel (Next), Ira Glass (This American Life), and Regina Spektor promoting her CD Begin to Hope. Um, okay. I'm not familiar with the first two guests and not a Regina Spektor fan at all. Ira Glass sounds a bit intriguing. I guess I'll see!

There are your hip-waders pants for the upcoming week!

Pretty Kitty Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 9-13, 2007

It's Dave's birthday this week. If memory serves, it's the 12th. Happy birthday, Mr. Letterman!

And, we have a week of new shows... yay!

The guests scheduled for this week include:

• Monday, April 9: Senator Barack Obama and actress Halle Barry. Um. Okay.
• Tuesday, April 10: Actor David Duchovny, baseball player Ryan Howard and a performance by Andrew Bird.
• Wednesday, April 11: Actor Alec Baldwin and the woman whose dog performed the Heimlich Maneuver on her, Debbie Parkhurst. Musical guest is LCD Soundsystem.
• Thursday, April 12: Actor Bruce Willis (always fun on the show) and magician Jason Randal.
• Friday, April 13: Odd... the show's website says that Bill Cosby and Angela Kinsey (The Office) will be the guests, nothing about a repeat. AOL TV Listings has a generic entry about the show with no guests listed and no "new" logo. I'm thinking it's a repeat, but I'm not sure.

What? Prior Pants Again? - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 2-6, 2007

Yep, it's a week of repeats ahead of us on the Late Show with David Letterman. Now, I don't know why he didn't just take his vacation during the March Madness time when he was preempted more than a few nights of the week.

My normal gripe about the repeats still stands -- the shows chosen are much too recent. But, does Dave ever listen to me? Does he care that I'd love to see shows a few years old during repeats? Um, for some reason I doubt I'm high on his list of advisors.

Here's the skinny on the week ahead:

• Monday, April 2: Stupid Human Tricks, Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac), Brand New (CD is The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me).
• Tuesday, April 3: Ventriloquist Jim Barber & Seville, Sienna Miller (Factory Girl), NAS (CD is Hip Hop is Dead).
• Wednesday, April 4: Paula Abdul (American Idol), Bernie Mac promoting Pride, Joss Stone (new CD is Introducing Joss Stone).
• Thursday, April 5: John Travolta (Wild Hogs), shark attack survivor Eric Nerhus, a performance by Broadway's Spring Awakening cast.
• Friday, April 6: Richard Gere promoting The Hoax, an odd and creepy food segment with Gene Rurka, the Explorers Club Chef. Music guest is Aqualung (CD is Memory Man).

Dang, I swear a few of these just showed a couple of weeks ago! Older stuff; I want old repeats if I get repeats! Do you hear me, Mr. Letterman?

Probably not. At least I know I'll get more rest this week by going to bed a bit earlier.

As Per the Letterman Mention

If you were watching David Letterman last night, you heard him mention that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey elephants walk through the city. Alas, last night was the night and I still felt sick, so I didn't go. I usually try to go as, unlike Letterman's reference, it's a big event.

After all, how often do elephants walk from the Queens-Midtown Tunnel up 34th Street in the middle of Manhattan? (Um, okay... twice a year -- coming and going.) The arrival of the elephants is a fantastic evening and last night's weather was perfect! I really wish I had felt better and had gone.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of folks line the route of the elephants as they parade through the city. Y'see, the circus train can't make it into town, so they march the elephants and horses (and tons of circus stuff) through the streets at an hour which doesn't interfere so much with traffic in the city. It usually goes down around midnight or so.

It's always a hoot to see confused motorists roll their windows down and ask, "What's going on?" When the crowd yells back, "The elephants are coming!" or just "ELEPHANTS!" -- well, those cars just tend to get the heck out of there thinking how crazy New York City is!

I know this isn't quite a television entry, but blame it on Letterman. He was wrong. It's perhaps a much cooler event than the circus itself -- watching the elephants take over the streets of Manhattan amidst the skyscrapers. Their exit at the end of the circus run follows the same path, but that one is met with little enthusiasm. It's the arrival that's the party!

I took the photo above the year before last and now haven't been for the past few years. Last year the knee and weather were bad, this year my tummy. Next year, I swear I'll be there again!

Take Pride in Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - March 26-30

Hopefully Dave has recovered from his stomach bug during the past few days. We're due for no March Madness schedule changes and all new shows this week.

Alas, within the show which had been scheduled for last Tuesday evening (which was impromptu-hosted by Adam Sandler), a tribute to Calvert DeForest (Larry "Bud" Melman) had been on the slate. Calvert was an active part of Dave's shows dating back to 1982. It still makes me smile to think of him, in a delivery only he could do, vouch for "Toast on a Stick." He passed away last Monday at the age of 85.

On the Late Show website, there's a brief statement from David Letterman: "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself - a genuine, modest and nice man," said Letterman. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him."

You know, that's what I always got from him, too. He seemed like a neat, nice, man off the street kind of guy. I would think that there will be some mention on Monday's show about his passing. Rest in peace, Mr. DeForest. You entertained many of us for decades.

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

• Monday, March 26: Will Ferrell promoting his latest movie Blades of Glory and musical guest Kings of Leon whose CD is Because of the Times. Oh, I'm so not a Will Ferrell fan, but I'll be watching.
• Tuesday, March 27: Patricia Arquette (Medium), Paul Mooney promoting his DVD Know Your History and singer Macy Gray (CD is Big). Um. Okay. As long as Know Your History isn't as foolish as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. [I love how FOX is touting the popularity of shows which follow or are the odd half-hour with American Idol.] Hmmm... in looking up the DVD to link, it has David Alan Grier (who I adore) and Sandra Bernhard (who is quite a character all on her own). It could be interesting. And, it should be nothing like 5th Grader.
• Wednesday, March 28: Al Franken and Isla Fisher whose CD is The Lookout. Al is usually interesting when he's on with Letterman. But the site is listing The Lookout as a CD when I believe it's a movie. Heck, I could be wrong. I guess we'll see who's right - Letterman's staff or me. I bet I'm right!
• Thursday, March 29: Rosario Dawson from the movie Grindhouse and musical guests Bloc Party (CD is A Weekend in the City.)
• Friday, March 30: Donald Trump and Jon Heder promoting Blades of Glory. Now, I like Jon Heder better than I do Will Ferrell and Trump will probably say something incredibly foolish.

Overall, I'm not really too impressed with this week's guests. However, due to Dave himself and other goings-on, I will always watch the show. Oh, they could lose "Will it Float" but that could be just me. Oh, and they could do a bit better with the content on the website. There are often errors, omissions, and such. Perhaps it's interns putting up the content, but I still love my Letterman!

Last Night's 'Late Show without David Letterman'

It seems that David Letterman has caught that norovirus or stomach flu I mentioned is going around my workplace a few days ago. For the first time ever, Letterman showed up to work but couldn't go on with the show. True, he was out for periods of time with heart surgery and shingles, but this was indeed a first.

Scheduled guest Adam Sandler agreed to host the show although he didn't seem all that comfortable with it at all. I'm not a huge Sandler fan, but he did do a few things right.

The first and best thing he did was to bring out his bulldog (of some sort), Matzoh Ball. He interviewed her and she was priceless. I could have spent an hour watching the dog's non-reactions. The other thing he did right was to bring his friend and co-star of his latest movie (Reign Over Me), Don Cheadle, to the show. I enjoyed their attempts and the show would have done well to stick with the dog and Cheadle.

Ah, but, no... Danica Patrick, the race-car driver who recently left Letterman's team was a scheduled guest. It went downhill and the subject somehow became diarrhea. Oh, so not a good topic! Adam's interviewing skills (or lack thereof) really showed. It makes you realize how good Dave actually is. When Adam was playing with the dog or having fun with his friend Don, he did well. He tried one interview and both the guest and the host fell on their faces.

I love the dog, though.

Since tonight's show was pre-taped, we'll have the Real Dave once again. Thursday and Friday night's shows are pre-empted for March Madness. Hopefully, on Monday, Dave will be feeling well. That norovirus is horrible... I'm still avoiding it and running away from those who have come down with it.

Pants Madness - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - March 19-23, 2007

Huh. Once again, I try to report on this week's guests and the show's website isn't updated as of yet. What's up with that? Oh, well... there are listings available for me to check on the guest list to report here in a timely manner, at least.

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

• Monday, March 19: Bernie Mac, American Idol judge Paula Abdul, and music guest Joss Stone. Now, of course I'll have to watch for Paula's state of mind. And what's she doing in NY when she has to be in CA for the live show on Tuesday? We'll have to see if she falls under the table during the show!
• Tuesday, March 20: Adam Sandler promoting his new movie, Reign Over Me, race-car driver Danica Patrick, music guest Lucinda Williams.
• Wednesday, March 21: Jack Black, journalist Lara Logan, and (get this) inventor of the beer-launching refrigerator, John W. Cornwell.
• Thursday, March 22 and Friday, March 23: No show listings at all due to March Madness basketball. There aren't even any repeats listed. So, I predict an earlier bedtime for me! New shows resume Monday and the ones listed for this week (above) are new, not repeats. I guess he just has a short week, eh?

But, if I can get this written every Sunday morning, I'm not sure why the paid person for the show's website can't get the information out there!

Daylight Savings Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Mar. 12-16

Did you "spring forward" an hour? If not, you're going to be an hour out of step with the rest of the world. Me? I've always thought I was more than an hour out of step, but yeah... I messed with my clocks.

After last week's repeats, can we expect a fresh Letterman week ahead of us? Well, at least the first part of the week is fresh. Here's the skinny on the guests we can expect to see:

• Monday, March 12: Chris Rock promoting his new movie I Think I Love My Wife, Sandra Oh from Grey's Anatomy, and Amy Winehouse whose new CD is Back to Black.
• Tuesday, March 13: Jeff Goldblum, Barbara McQueen, and music guest The Good, The Bad, and The Queen (they have a self-titled CD out).
• Wednesday, March 14: Richard Gere promoting The Hoax and music group Aqualung (CD is Memory Man).
• Thursday, March 15: Oh, no! Beware! Beware of the Ides of March! Hmmm... the show's website list the guests as TBA.
• Friday, March 16: Also TBA. I think what we should be aware of is March Madness

The AOL TV Listings are also showing no information for Thursday and Friday evenings, so those shows will be Mystery Pants, I guess. They should be repeats and probably on very late.

Oh, No! It's Previous Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Mar. 5-9, 2007

Last night was the lunar eclipse (which was way cool, I must say) and we're into the first week out of the February Sweeps period.

What does that mean? Well, in regard to my buddy Dave Letterman, it means a week of repeats. Here's the line-up for this week:

• Monday, Mar. 5: Jack Hanna (always worth the second watching), Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), music guest Patty Griffin.
• Tuesday, Mar. 6: Tina Fey (30 Rock), Teri and Bindi Irwin. This was a good one. If you've never seen little Bindi Irwin in action, she'll amaze you.
• Wednesday, Mar. 7: Dr. Phil and music guest Fall Out Boy. Again, Dr. Phil and Dave are always entertaining to watch as they mock-battle each other.
• Thursday, Mar. 8: Jim Carrey (The Number 23) and Daytona 500 Winner Kevin Harvick. Eh, an okay show. Carrey was quasi-entertaining.
• Friday, Mar. 9: Ricky Gervais (Extras), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and music guests The Shins. Another "eh" for me. I have no real desire to watch this one again, but if you didn't see it, it's okay.

Again, I'll make my usual fuss about Dave's reruns. They're much too recent. Some of these were just shown a few weeks back. Please, please, hear my plea, the CBS Powers That Be... go back more. Get some shows we didn't just see. It doesn't matter if they're dated. Dated is better than redundant, it surely is.

Look, It's Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Feb. 26 - Mar. 2, 2007

It's cold outside, but the Pants are always warm and fuzzy. I'm talking about those Worldwide Pants, of course.

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

• Monday, Feb. 26: Stupid Human Tricks (no, not me!), Jake Gyllenhaal promoting the movie Zodiac, musical guests Brand New whose new CD is The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me. That sounds a bit interesting. I'm not familiar with the group at all, but I know they're basically punk rock.
• Tuesday, Feb. 27: Evangeline Lilly (Kate from Lost), sportswriter Jeff MacGregor, and The Bubble Guy, Tom Noddy. Well, as long as there is no love triangle of Lost characters, I guess. Bubbles for all!
• Wednesday, Feb. 28: Senator John McCain
• Thursday, Mar. 1: Dennis Miller (Radio's The Dennis Miller Show), author Bob Woodruff (In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing), John Mayer (new CD is Continuum). As you recall, Bob Woodruff was the ABC news journalist seriously injured in Iraq. This should be an interesting show.
• Friday, Mar. 2: Charles Grodin (always a great guest!) and comedian Dan Naturman.

Interesting... usually the CBS Late Show website guest list is incomplete and I visit both the AOL TV listings and the site to gather the list. This time the TV listings don't include either Bob Woodruff or Charles Grodin. But they have Stupid Human Tricks listed for the John McCain night in addition to Monday night. Maybe it's Stupid Human Tricks Week?

Make Mine Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Feb. 19-23, 2007

Happy New Year! Yes, today is the start of the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year and it's the year of Worldwide Pants!

Um... okay, it's the Year of the Pig. Babies born during this year are said to be lucky, but it's not all that lucky for those of us who are already around. David Letterman, born in 1947, was born in the Year of the Pig as were Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was not born in the Year of the Pig (Ram here like Mark Twain and Michelangelo), but I'm lucky anyway... I have another week of fresh shows this week on The Late Show with David Letterman!

Here are the guests we can expect this week:

• Monday, Feb. 19: Jim Carrey promoting his latest movie (which sounds very creepy-interesting), The Number 23. The Daytona 500 winner will also be on the show.
• Tuesday, Feb. 20: Barbara Walters promoting her Oscars special and musical guest K-os whose latest CD is Hymns for Disco. Shark attack survivor Eric Nerhus is also on the plate. Maybe I should phrase that differently?
• Wednesday, Feb. 21: Stupid Human Tricks, John Travolta (Wild Hogs), and Broadway's Spring Awakening.
• Thursday, Feb. 22: Billy Bob Thornton (The Astronaut Farmer), Rashida Jones (The Office), and Barenaked Ladies finally admitting Barenaked Ladies Are Men.
• Friday, Feb. 23: Samuel L. Jackson (Black Snake Moan) and comedian Jim Gaffigan (My Boys).

Pants for Dummies - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Feb. 12-16, 2007

It was such a hit in the fall that he's doing it all over again. Yep, you got it! It's Ventriloquist Week once again on The Late Show with David Letterman. Yes, it's those lovable dummies and those who breathe life into them. Well, er... that sounds like an old episode of The Twilight Zone. Hey, maybe it is. You never know. I'd kind of like to see Tap Dancers Week, myself.

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

• Monday, Feb. 12: Ventriloquist Kevin Johnson with Clyde and Matilda, Drew Barrymore promoting the movie Music & Lyrics, Rickie Lee Jones whose latest CD is The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard. Ah, this show sounds like a winner. You can't go wrong with Clyde and Matilda! Plus, there's that whole history-thing going on between Drew and David.
• Tuesday, Feb. 13: Stand-Up Ventriloquist Dan Horn, football player Peyton Manning, and musical guest The Cat Empire.
• Wednesday, Feb. 14: Ventriloquist Otto Peterson with George, Martha Stewart, and Norah Jones (CD is Not Too Late). Another good line-up. I'm sure Dave is so happy that I approve, eh?
• Thursday, Feb. 15: Ventriloquist Jim Barber with Seville (is that like the Barbers of Seville?), Siena Miller promoting Factory Girl, and NAS whose CD is Hip Hop is Dead. Is it? Probably not.
• Friday, Feb. 16: Ventriloquist Brad Cummings and Tracy Morgan from 30 Rock. Comedian Jake Johannsen is also on the docket.

Okay, now that I have the listing finished, I have a gripe. While I really like the overhaul of the new Late Show website, it's missing Tuesday and some of the guests. What's up with that?

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, February 5, 2007

No, I didn't watch the Superbowl. My upstairs and downstairs neighbors both invited me to their Superbowl parties. Oh, not because I'm really popular, I don't think. I believe they invited me because they were planning on being noisy. I avoided the game itself, but through the miracle of that good ol' Internet, I've seen most of the commercials! For me, this one with Oprah and David Letterman is the best. It was a well-kept secret leading into the game when most of the other ads were already publicized. And, if you're a Dave fan, you know the history behind these two. To see the commercial and other Late Show with David Letterman video clips, check out the CBS website.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• Tonight's programming on all the major networks is all new, no repeats. Plan your TV watching accordingly. For me, it's How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Heroes and whatever I feel like at 10 PM. Tonight we should find out who Claire's father is. Uh-oh. (My bet is on Linderman although I shouldn't encourage wagering in this blog.)
• Remember the Kelly Pickler clone (Jamie Lynn Ward) on last week's American Idol with the sob story about her "Daddy shootin' her stepma, then himself..." -- well, it's just not so according to the stepmother. I'm getting tired of sob stories on the show and trumped-up ones irk me even more. UPDATE - the story linked above isn't the one I meant to link. Oops. This article has the skinny.
  
• Keeping with the American Idol theme, last season's Elliott Yamin not only recently went through a makeover, but his new single is due out on February 13th. I enjoyed his voice a lot, the sob story (though legit) not so much.
• Keep in mind that Lost returns this Wednesday evening at 10 PM ET/PT. At 9 PM there will be a one hour recap kind of show.
• I know you're not about to forget that Survivor 14: Fiji premieres this Thursday at 8 PM. I know that.
• Jericho returns February 21, but there will be a special recap kind of show on February 14th. How's that for a Valentine's Day date activity? "Oh, let's watch the world blow up!"
• Celebrity Spider has the goods on the models selected for the next America's Next Top Model.

Those Precious Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Feb. 5 - 9, 2007

It's hard to believe it's actually been 25 years of late night television with David Letterman. A few years more of Letterman on the whole if you include his original morning show and all of those appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, as well as his Mary Tyler Moore Show stint. Congratulations, Dave!

Guests we'll be seeing this week include:

• Monday, Feb. 5: Dr. Phil, always fun on the show - I love the way he and Letterman mix it up. Musical guest is Fall Out Boy, their CD is Infinity on High.
• Tuesday, Feb. 6: Harry Connick, Jr. will be promoting his new CD Oh, My Nola (a tribute to New Orleans) and American Idol judge Randy Jackson. Oh, now... that's worth staying up late to watch, right?
• Wednesday, Feb. 7: Chris Elliott, Kelly Ripa, and John Mellencamp (latest CD is Freedom's Road). I was disappointed in Chris the last time he was on the show. I usually find him funny, but found him basically juvenile. I hope he's back to being funny.
• Thursday, Feb. 8: Jack Hanna, Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), musical guest Patti Griffin (CD is Children Running Through). I cannot miss a Jack Hanna appearance on the show. Once again, this is a guest whose interaction with Dave is always entertaining and I'm just such a sucker for animal segments, too.
• Friday, Feb. 9: John Madden, Rachael Ray, musical guests The Fab Faux (a Beatles tribute band). Not quite a guest list I'd choose, but they didn't ask me. It'll still be good.

It's 10 PM. Do you know where your pants are?