Leno maintains lead over Letterman

NEW YORK - If David Letterman hoped a deal with striking writers would help him in his battle for late-night supremacy with Jay Leno, it hasn't happened yet. Leno's NBC "Tonight" show averaged 5.17 million viewers last week, despite its writers being on strike and big-name celebrities being encouraged not to cross the picket line.

Letterman, who made a separate deal to bring writers back to his CBS "Late Show," had 4.08 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Leno has a 27 percent advantage over Letterman, compared to 33 percent prior to the writers going on strike.

Leno's victory margin of nearly 1 million viewers comes despite Letterman actually winning last Monday, when Tom Hanks visited to watch Letterman shave the beard he grew during two months off the air.

Besides Hanks, Letterman had Mike Huckabee, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Tom Brokaw, Howard Stern and Tracy Morgan as guests last week. Leno had Pamela Anderson, Ron Paul, Christopher Titus, reptile expert Jules Sylvester and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel stop by.

Letterman is having another run of A-listers this week, including Katie Holmes, Denzel Washington, Don Rickles, Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone and Diane Keaton. National ratings for this week's shows were not immediately available.

CBS said one positive sign is that Letterman has beaten Leno in the New York market nine times in his first 11 shows back. In the 30 shows prior to the strike, Letterman won 12 times, Nielsen said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Writers Guild of America said Thursday the organization hasn't decided about whether to bring up Leno on disciplinary charges. The union contends that Leno is breaking their strike rules by writing his own nightly monologue. Leno said the union is wrong.

Craig Ferguson's "Late Late Show," which shares Letterman's production company and also has its writers back, inched closer to NBC rival Conan O'Brien. O'Brien's NBC show averaged 2.07 million viewers before the strike, and 1.99 million last week. Ferguson was at 1.75 million before the strike, and 1.84 million last week.

Letterman turns down N.S. hospitality

A fiddling demonstration from Premier Rodney MacDonald was not enough to lure David Letterman to Nova Scotia.

Nor were the dozens of top 10 reasons to visit the province delivered in response to a campaign by CBC Radio Halifax.

The invitations were sent after Letterman expressed a wish to see Nova Scotia during an appearance by Halifax actress Ellen Page on his late-night talk show.

A spokesman for Worldwide Pants, the production company behind the Late Show with David Letterman, turned down those invitations on Friday.

"We have seen it," Worldwide Pants spokesman Tom Keaney said, referring to MacDonald's video showing his top 10 reasons and demonstrating his fiddling prowess.

"We're honoured and flattered to be invited to Nova Scotia, but we have no travel plans for the show at this time."

Premier MacDonald's pitch included reasons such as "you can make a blueberry grunt" and "no matter where you are in Nova Scotia, you're within 30 minutes of the sea. Thirty-five if it's rush hour."

In his video submission, the premier plays a few bars on a fiddle as he gives his No. 1 reason why Letterman should come to the province.

'Top that, Mike Huckabee'

"Nova Scotia's political leader, yours truly, plays the fiddle," he said, before taking a playful jab at a Republican presidential candidate who plays bass guitar. "Top that, Mike Huckabee."

Information Morning had its own 10 reasons why he should visit, and encouraged listeners to send theirs so it could send them on to Letterman.

Several schools, an improv group and even a tourism management class at the Nova Scotia Community College got in on the campaign, which quickly turned into a contest.

Businesses joined in, too, with one lodge offering Letterman a free place to stay.

Page, who is winning acclaim for her role in Juno, wooed Letterman with her own tales of Nova Scotia during her appearance on his show.

She mentioned the 1917 Halifax Explosion and how her century-old home in Halifax used to be a whorehouse.

Letterman said he had never been to Nova Scotia but heard it was beautiful.

Letterman's spokesman did not rule out a personal visit by the funnyman.

"As far as Dave's private life goes, I cannot and do not comment," he said.

Information Morning show producer Susan Rogers said getting Letterman to Nova Scotia would be the "cherry on the sundae."

"But I think the coup is just the energy we've built around this," she said Friday.

Letterman poised to strike a blow

HOLLYWOOD -- It's the second day of the new year but, more to the point, it's the first day since the start of the writers strike that Jay Leno and David Letterman will have something new to talk about.

Tonight, both Leno and Letterman will be returning with fresh shows. But that's where the similarity ends.

While The Tonight Show host will be flying by the seat of his own pants since his writers will still be hoisting picket signs, the Late Show host will be back with his writing team intact.

During the final working hours of 2007, Dave's production company, WorldWide Pants, Auld-Lang-signed a separate contract with the Writers Guild of America, agreeing to the Guild's pay increase demands that have thus far been rejected by the producers alliance. Unfortunately for Jay, his show is owned by NBC, which means he didn't have the options of negotiating a similar deal with the WGA.

That means Letterman will be back with his Top 10 Lists, Viewer Mail and other popular segments, while Leno will have to rely solely on his wit.

But the ramifications go beyond how much Jaywalking Leno's viewers are able to tolerate in a given week. Because large numbers of big-name stars are refusing to cross those WGA picket lines in the name of solidarity (their Screen Actors Guild contract expires in June), that means Jay's guest list could be looking flimsy, while it will be business as usual for Dave.

Although he has traditionally outdrawn Letterman, Leno reruns since the strike started have seen an average 40% drop in viewers in the key 18-49 age demographic, compared to Letterman's 21% erosion.

So with a possible scenario that could see Dave partying with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts over on the East Coast as Jay chats up the oldest living cribbage player on the West Coast, the late-night landscape could undergo a significant shift.

Robin Williams to open Letterman's show

NEW YORK - Robin Williams will be David Letterman's first guest upon the return of his "Late Show" on CBS Wednesday, while NBC's writer-less "Tonight" show welcomes GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

The appearance of a Hollywood A-lister who can talk a mile a minute may be Letterman's way of quickly trying to draw a distinction between his show and his late-night rivals, who are working without striking writers and may also have trouble booking major entertainers.

The most closely watched late-night duel will be between NBC's Jay Leno and Letterman.

Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, reached an agreement Friday to have his show return with writers despite the ongoing writers strike, which began Nov. 5.

Leno, along with Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien, return Wednesday under an air of mystery. They won't have writers and are restricted under union strike rules from performing many familiar comic bits, including traditional monologues.

Meanwhile, Letterman's signature "top 10" list arrives intact.

Hollywood's major actors' union has put out signals encouraging its members to visit Letterman and fellow CBS host Craig Ferguson. Ferguson's show is also owned by Worldwide Pants and is covered by the same special deal with writers.

"Screen Actors Guild members will be happy to appear on the `Late Show' with David Letterman and the `Late Late Show' with Craig Ferguson with union writers at work and without having to cross picket lines," said Alan Rosenberg, Screen Actors Guild president.

The Los Angeles-based union represents nearly 120,000 actors.

Until the Huckabee announcement, neither Leno nor late-night shows hosted by Kimmel and O'Brien had said anything about who they will book.

There's no word on whether Huckabee will bring along his electric guitar. Leno's return after two months of strike-related reruns couldn't come at a better time for the politician, the night before the Iowa caucuses and six days before the New Hampshire primary.

Donald Trump, previously booked for Letterman on Wednesday, has been bumped to Friday.

Comedy Central's topical nightly comedies, "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and "The Colbert Report," are set to return on Jan. 7 without striking writers.

Letterman's show returning with writers

NEW YORK - "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" will be back with their writers airing joke-filled new hours starting Wednesday, the shows' production company, Worldwide Pants, announced Friday.

An interim agreement between the Letterman-owned company and the Writers Guild of America will allow the full writing staffs for both shows to return to work, even as the Hollywood writers strike continues to shutter much TV and movie production. Both of those CBS late-night shows have been airing reruns since the strike began eight weeks ago.

"I am grateful to the WGA for granting us this agreement," Letterman said. "This is not a solution to the strike, which unfortunately continues to disrupt the lives of thousands. But I hope it will be seen as a step in the right direction."

The deal, which restores the two shows to business as usual, gives them an enormous advantage over their competition.

NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as well as ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had already announced they would resume Wednesday without benefit of their writing teams. Similarly, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert" planned to return writer-less on Monday, Jan. 7.

Resisting such an arrangement, Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, had actively sought an interim deal. Talks between studios and networks and the guild broke down Dec. 7, but the guild has been pursuing agreements with several small independent producers that would allow at least some members to return to work.

"We are appreciative that the leaders of the guild dealt with us reasonably and in good faith," Burnett said.

Much speculation has been focused on how the other late-night shows will fill their time deprived of monologues, skits and other written material. All the hosts — with the exception of NBC's Carson Daly, who returned to the air Dec. 3 — are members of the guild, making those without an interim deal subject to union rules that would severely limit what they can do.

A related issue centers on whether their shows will face a problem booking A-list guests, who may not be willing to cross a picket line.

Central to the contract dispute has been compensation for work distributed via the Internet and other digital media. The guild also has called for unionization of writers working on reality shows and animation.

When writers went on strike in 1988, only two late-night shows were affected: Johnny Carson's "Tonight" show and Letterman's "Late Night," both on NBC. Carson made a deal with the guild shortly after returning to the air, but Letterman went weeks without his writers' services before the strike was settled.

No deal for Letterman and TV writers

NEW YORK - David Letterman doesn't even need writers to have fun with this one.

The late-night comic's representatives met with striking writers on Friday in an attempt to reach a deal that will allow the "Late Show" to return to the air with its writing staff.

All the Writers Guild of America would say about the meeting: "A lively exchange of information took place." It was reminiscent of diplomat-speak for argumentative talks between hostile countries: "A frank exchange of views."

Absent a deal, the CBS show's goal of returning to the air with live episodes on Jan. 2 is still up in the air.

Late-night rivals Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel are all coming back that night without writers if the strike, as expected, is not resolved. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert plan to bring their late-night shows back without writers on Jan. 7.

Letterman's hope to bring his writers back stemmed from the union's announcement last weekend that it was open to reaching contract agreements with separate production companies. Letterman's Worldwide Pants owns his show and CBS' talk show with Craig Ferguson.

Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, didn't say much more.

"We had a substantive discussion today with the WGA and look forward to continuing these talks next week," Burnett said.

Letterman may return as writers shift tactics

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Talk show host David Letterman has been pursuing a deal with Hollywood's striking writers that would allow his late-night television show to restart production, his company said on Saturday.

The company, WorldWide Pants, announced its intention one day after the Writers Guild of America, which represents film and TV writers, told its members it would negotiate separately with member companies of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to restart stalled contract talks.

Independent producer WorldWide Pants hopes to reach a deal as soon as next week, a spokesman said. He declined to say when production might restart or new shows return to airwaves.

"Since the beginning of the strike, we have expressed our willingness to sign an interim agreement with the Guild consistent with its positions in this dispute," WorldWide Pants chief executive Rob Burnett said in a statement.

For six weeks, WGA members who write many TV shows have been striking against the AMPTP, which represents film and TV studios. Talks have been stalled since last Friday, and a chief disagreement centers on fees writers want when their programs are put on the Internet.

The strike has ended production of many talk shows like the "Late Show with David Letterman," which airs on CBS, and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC.

Production on scripted prime time and daytime shows has ground to a near halt, and starting in January many of those programs will be forced into re-runs or taken off air in favor of reality TV shows that are not subject to a WGA agreement.

But if Worldwide Pants can reach an interim agreement with the WGA, new versions of "Late Show with David Letterman" could return in January, according to The New York Times.

Generally speaking in labor talks, an interim agreement provides that both sides will abide by terms of a contract to which the contract's negotiating parties eventually agree.

WGA SHIFTS TACTICS

Worldwide Pants released Burnett's statement in response to a letter sent on Friday by the WGA's negotiating committee to union members saying they would "reach out to major AMPTP companies and begin to negotiate with them individually" instead of dealing with the AMPTP only.

"We will make this demand on Monday, December 17th and hope that each company responds promptly," said the WGA's letter.

Saturday, the AMPTP issued in its own statement saying the WGA is "grasping for straws" and the union has "never had a coherent strategy for engaging in serious negotiations."

WorldWide Pants is an independent producer and can sign an interim deal outside the WGA and AMPTP talks. The company also produces "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," on CBS.

In a separate statement, a CBS spokesman said the network respected the intent of WorldWide Pants to serve its own interests and those of its employees.

"However, this development should not confuse the fact that CBS remains unified with the AMPTP, and committed to working with the member companies to reach a fair and reasonable agreement," said CBS spokesman Chris Ender.

Earlier this week, show business newspaper Daily Variety reported that NBC's "Tonight Show" and "Leno's program and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" also may be back on air by January. An NBC spokeswoman could not be reached on Saturday.

Jimmy Fallon: Got any plans in 2009?

Is the Conan O'Brien succession plan the worst-kept secret in town?

A knowledgeable source familiar with the negotiations recently told Entertainment Weekly what many in town already believe: that SNL vet Jimmy Fallon is the guy who'll replace Conan O'Brien when the latter takes over The Tonight Show in 2009.

Several publications like Broadcasting & Cable have already reported it as a strong possibility, though NBC won't confirm other than acknowledging that Fallon is at the top of its "short list" (the comedian already signed a development deal with the network earlier this year).

Alrighty then! If there are any unanswered questions left when it comes to late night, it involves Jay Leno and whether he'll take NBC up on its offer to stick around once O'Brien assumes his post. Speculation is rampant that Leno won't settle for the occasional primetime peacock special; maybe he'll bolt for another network like ABC and put Nightline out of business (or at least out of the 11:35 p.m. timeslot).

One thing's for sure: this inevitable game of musical chairs could turn out to be even juicier than the Leno-Letterman saga chronicled in Bill Carter's 1996 tome The Late Shift.

Stay tuned...

Letterman appears on Oprah's talk show

NEW YORK - David Letterman says the birth of his son, Harry, has made a "huge difference" in his life — but the 3-year-old doesn't always get daddy's sense of humor.

"Mommy has to tell him a lot that I'm just teasing," Letterman said Monday on the season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" — an appearance that generated interest because of the two stars' much-publicized rift.

It was also a rare appearance for Letterman, host of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," on someone else's show. Winfrey asked whether he's "interview-phobic."

"It's just that you know, when you have your own show, you have plenty of time to talk about whatever you want to talk about anyway," Letterman said.

Letterman, 60, said he struggles between using "patience or discipline" with Harry, his son with girlfriend Regina Lasko. Harry was placed on the "naughty chair" this weekend after misbehaving, he said.

"He's still there," Letterman joked.

He talked about his love for his home in Montana and how he was honored to have a communications building dedicated in his name at Indiana's Ball State University, his alma mater. He also showed family photos.

The show was taped at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan instead of the customary Harpo Studios in Chicago to mark the start of the show's 22nd season.

Winfrey, 53, said her relationship with Letterman had warmed. She showed footage of her office in which two photos of Winfrey and Letterman are among photos of Winfrey with John Travolta, Stevie Wonder, Nelson Mandela and her boyfriend, Stedman Graham.

In the midst of their rift, which lasted more than a decade, Letterman started keeping an "Oprah Log" as a gag on his show. He would record whether Winfrey had called that day to invite him to be her guest.

Winfrey said she believed Letterman's staff would contact her staff if he wanted to appear.

"I wanted to be asked, Oprah. Don't you understand that?" Letterman said, then opened the notebook to read: "`Day No. 20. 11/27/01. Oprah. Noprah.' It was humiliating."

Letterman frequently joked about Winfrey, and she rejected repeated offers to appear on his program. In 2003, she told Time magazine she wouldn't appear with him because she was "completely uncomfortable" as the target of Letterman's jokes.

Their reconciliation began in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on his CBS show. It was her first guest appearance with Letterman, though she twice appeared on his NBC show before he jumped networks in 1993.

Letterman to appear on `Oprah'

CHICAGO - Feud? What feud?

Talk-show host David Letterman will make his first appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" next month, another sign the talk-show powerhouses have buried the hatchet after a rift that lasted more than a decade.

Winfrey's production company says Letterman will appear on the show airing September 10.

Letterman frequently joked about Winfrey through the years. And in 2003, Winfrey said she wouldn't go on his show because she was uncomfortable as the target of his jokes.

Their reconciliation began in 2005 when Winfrey was a guest on Letterman's CBS "Late Show." They also appeared together in a Super Bowl commercial in February.

Letterman to appear on Regis' talk show

NEW YORK - David Letterman will be Regis Philbin's first guest when he returns Thursday to "Live With Regis and Kelly" after having triple heart bypass surgery six weeks ago.

Philbin was a guest host on CBS' "Late Show" after Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000. He also stepped in when Letterman was recovering from an eye infection in 2003.

"Very appropriate," said "Live" co-host Kelly Ripa, who made the announcement Monday on the syndicated talk show.

Philbin, 75, has been at home recuperating since his surgery last month.

He has been a frequent guest on Letterman's late-night show.

Letterman regular 'Bud' Melman dies

NEW YORK - Calvert DeForest, the white-haired, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows, has died after a long illness. The Brooklyn-born DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, Letterman's "Late Show" announced Wednesday.

He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

"Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself — a genuine, modest and nice man," Letterman said in a statement. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him."

The gnomish DeForest was working as a file clerk at a drug rehabilitation center when show producers, who had seen him in a New York University student's film, came calling.

He was the first face to greet viewers when Letterman's NBC show debuted on Feb. 1, 1982, offering a parody of the prologue to the Boris Karloff film "Frankenstein."

"It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life," he once said of his first Letterman appearance.

DeForest, given the nom de tube of Melman, became a program regular. The collaboration continued when the talk show host launched "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS in 1993, though DeForest had to use his real name because of a dispute with NBC over "intellectual property."

Cue cards were often DeForest's television kryptonite, and his character inevitably appeared in an ill-fitting black suit behind thick black-rimmed glasses.

DeForest often drew laughs by his bizarre juxtaposition as a "Late Show" correspondent at events such as the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway or the anniversary Woodstock concert that year.

His last appearance on "Late Show," celebrating his 81st birthday, came in 2002.

DeForest also appeared in an assortment of other television shows and films, including "Nothing Lasts Forever" with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.

At his request, there will be no funeral service for DeForest, who left no survivors.

David Letterman goes home sick

NEW YORK - David Letterman showed up for work, but had to go home sick Tuesday before taping the "Late Show."

A stomach bug was to blame, a network spokeswoman said.

Adam Sandler, one of the night's guests, was quickly enlisted to fill in as host.

The CBS late-night personality has had extended absences following heart surgery and a case of the shingles. But this was believed to be the first time Letterman showed up for work and couldn't go on.

He will have time to recover. Letterman had taped Wednesday's show in advance, and he's being pre-empted for NCAA basketball on Thursday and Friday.

Dave's 25 Years of Bringing the Funny

David Letterman is planning to ring in his 25th anniversary in late-night comedy Thursday night with an old favorite—and no, we don't mean Larry "Bud" Melman.

Bill Murray, Letterman's first visitor when he debuted as host of NBC's Late Night on Feb. 1, 1982, and again the inaugural guest on Letterman's CBS Late Show on Aug. 30, 1993, is slated to appear once again on a milestone episode.

Also on hand to help celebrate the occasion: NBA superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 59-year-old host, showing no ill effects from 2000 bypass surgery, signed a contract extension last month that will keep him on the air through 2010, a year longer than longtime adversary Jay Leno, who announced plans to pass the Tonight Show baton to Conan O'Brien in 2009.

That would put Letterman within spitting distance of the mark set by his mentor, Johnny Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years until his retirement in 1993. Letterman famously coveted Carson's desk, but when NBC went with Jay Leno, Letterman moved a few blocks from 30 Rockefeller to set up shop at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where he's been ever since.

Despite regularly ranking behind Leno in the ratings, Letterman's show has proven more critically adored, winning 14 Emmys in 89 nominations.

Safe to say it's produced a lot of Top Ten lists—3,325 to be precise, emanating from such far-flung Home Offices as Tahlequah, Okalahoma, and Wahoo, Nebraska.

Thursday's show will look back at a quarter-century of Stupid Pet Tricks (there have been 110 segments total), Stupid Human Tricks (73), gag suits (ranging from the Suit of Velcro to the Suit of Alka-Seltzer to the Suit of Suet) and too many Paul Shaffer gags to count.

But with 4,506 broadcasts, 14,772 guest appearances (led by Regis Philbin's 71) and 3,417 musical performances (topped by Warren Zevon's 26 visits, including a poignant interview shortly before the "Werewolves of London" rocker's death), Letterman and his team have plenty of material to choose from for the retrospective.

In keeping with the spirit, here are our nominations for the Top Ten Moments in Lettermania:

- Bill Murray doing jumping jacks while singing Olivia Newton-John's hit "Physical" on the premiere episode of Late Night
- Any visit by Andy Kaufman, particularly the 1982 segment in which the comic appears to fight with pro wrestler Jerry Lawler
- Sandra Bernhard's finger getting bitten by a chimp wearing the "Late Night Monkey Cam"
- Bruce Springsteen turning up as the surprise musical guest on his last NBC show
- Launching watermelons and household appliances off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater and watching the destruction
- His frequent haranguing of his employers, most notably poking fun at CBS honcho Les Moonves for meeting with Fidel Castro in 2001
- Two moments with Cher, one segment in which he arranged a memorable reunion with ex-hubby Sonny Bono and the two sang "I Got You Babe," and the other, a not so pleasant visit in which she calls Letterman an epithet on the air
- Drew Barrymore flashing her breasts at him on his birthday and/or Courtney Love flashing him in, what we think was a bid to upstage Barrymore
- The heartfelt and emotional Late Show just six days after 9/11, the first late-night comedy program to return following the attacks, which featured an uncharacteristically serious monologue
- Letterman interviewing Janet Jackson about her "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, beginning with the immortal query, "So how's Tito?"

Letterman staying put at CBS until 2010

NEW YORK - David Letterman isn't going anywhere. CBS Corp. announced Monday that the late-night funnyman has signed a contract to stay on the air until at least 2010. It was widely reported in September that Letterman had agreed to the deal.

The contract means Letterman plans to stay on the air longer than late-night rival Jay Leno. NBC has said that Leno will give way to Conan O'Brien on the "Tonight" show in 2009.

"I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," Letterman, 59, said. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute."

Letterman is expected to make somewhere north of $30 million a year. He's been competing with Leno since 1993, and the NBC comic has had the upper hand in the ratings for the past decade.

"His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the `Late Show' puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment," said CBS Corp. President Leslie Moonves, who's been a target of Letterman's on-air barbs. "We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS home."

Letterman's antics unpredictable

Have you seen Late Show With David Letterman lately? It's like Dave has taken a time machine back to the Twilight Zone. Some recent examples:

- Suddenly, in the middle of a show, Letterman is interrupted by a weatherman. "Hey everybody, is rain gonna put a damper on your morning commute? I'll have that and my five-day forecast coming up in the weather."

"Huh?" Letterman asks bandleader Paul Shaffer. "Who was that?"

Shaffer just shrugs.

- A camera shot suddenly droops to the floor. What gives, Letterman asks. "Oh, sorry," says cameraman Dave Dorsett. "It was so quiet in here I assumed the show was over."

- Letterman is interrupted with a knock. "Housekeeping!" says a hotel housekeeper pushing a cart. She gets half-way to Letterman's desk when the host asks if she could come back in an hour.

Bizarre interruptions have become the norm. A woman (costume designer Susan Hum) approaches the desk and offers "freshly baked turkey pot pie." It's cold, complains Letterman. "You make me want to puke!" she rants.

Another night, Letterman seems trapped in a satellite cross-feed between PBS commentator Charlie Rose and Bob Woodward. It is wacky, unpredictable, unsettling -- and fabulous. This was the Live and Dangerous Dave we all knew and loved 20 years ago. It is great to have him back.

"He has been on a little zany streak lately," agrees Letterman pal Regis Philbin, who spoke to The Toronto Sun on Monday. Philbin mentions that "World's Oldest Page" guy Johnny Dark who keeps interrupting the monologue.

"I kind of admire that about Dave," says Philbin of all the new risks. "It's still the most imaginative show on TV."

Even Letterman's hair has gone retro. Long the butt of his own jokes, he has raked what's left of his greying locks forward. At 59, he looks, well, 49.

What's behind the return to form? In September, Letterman signed a new contract with CBS extending his late night antics through 2010 -- a year after rival Jay Leno's planned Tonight Show exit.

That will also put Letterman's combined NBC/CBS late-night run right behind the 30-year reign of his idol, Johnny Carson.

The new energy has goosed the ratings. Letterman has seen double-digit year-to-year percent increases in total viewers and key demographics. The show now averages 4.02 million U.S. viewers a night.

After a winter and spring where Letterman often seemed listless, bored and out of gas (that free pass he gave Tom Cruise, for example), he's shaken himself out of it by shaking up his show. The approach is not entirely new; people were randomly dangling and shouting from the Ed Sullivan Theater balcony last season, for example. Contrived interruptions have always been part of the mix -- just not to this extent.

Now, besides the nightly Top 10 List, shots at George Bush (those lethal "Great Moments In Presidential Speeches"), Larry King ("Creepier In Slow Motion") and Kim Jong Il (cut to footage of fright-haired "Hello Dere" comic Marty Allen), there is an added nightly bonus of improv theatre.

Opening guests who are clearly not who they claim to be are given the same face time as Alec Baldwin, Robin Williams or Amanda Peet. A guy introduced as "the Turtle Whisperer" stuck little hats onto a box turtle before flipping out and fleeing the stage. Another phony guest, introduced as a former KGB instructor known as "The Dog Wizard," did lame tricks with a Lab. Letterman just played along.

NFL commentator John Madden is introduced, except it is clearly not John Madden, it is some guy (comedian Frank Caliendo) in a white wig pretending to be Madden. Letterman just lets him pretend, getting his Super Bowl picks.

Besides creating an unpredictable comedy environment -- one you want to check out every night in case you miss something -- Letterman is also shredding this whole obsession with celebrity. Celebrity is pointless, Letterman is saying. Be silly. Make everything up. Works for me.

Letterman signs on for four more years at CBS

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - From the home office at the Ed Sullivan Theater: David Letterman is staying at CBS for another four years.

Letterman, 59, is close to finalizing a contract extension with CBS that will keep him at the helm of "The Late Show With David Letterman" through the 2009-10 season, sources said. Negotiations on the pact have been underway on and off for months, but sources close to the network and the Letterman camp say the talks went smoothly and there was never any doubt that the Emmy-winning late-night host would extend his tenure at "Late Show," which originates from the famed Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City.

Indeed, sources say that relations between CBS, Letterman and his Worldwide Pants production company have never been better, particularly between Letterman and CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves. Moonves has become a semi-regular presence on "Late Show" through the "More With Les" segments, featuring Letterman conversing with Moonves by telephone.

The harmony between Letterman and CBS stands in stark contrast to the situation 4-1/2 years ago, when Letterman was being heavily courted by ABC and reportedly felt under-appreciated at CBS. At the time, Letterman wound up striking a two-year renewal deal that included a series of one-year options, while sources said this time around the deal is a four-year commitment.

Financial details of the new deal were unclear. Letterman already ranks high on the list of television's highest-paid personalities, with an annual salary of about $31.5 million under the 2002 contract agreement. Sources said the new deal keeps Letterman in roughly similar salary territory as the 2002 pact, but that could not be confirmed late Wednesday.

A CBS spokesman declined comment on the deal, as did Letterman's handlers.

Letterman funds Colbert, Sedaris film

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Need money? Plug Explod-O-Pop.

When secret investors pulled out from Strangers With Candy, a comedy starring Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, director Paul Dinello turned to late-show host David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Inc.

"We needed to get money in a week. We called Worldwide Pants and they said, 'We'll pay for the whole thing and you guys can do what you want,' " Dinello said at the CineVegas film festival last week. "The only thing we had to do was we had to put in Explod-O-Pop."

The plug for the microwavable popcorn that Letterman gives to guests and sells at the CBS online store was a nice gesture, not a condition for funding, Dinello said. Besides, Letterman adores Sedaris as a comedian, he said.

"He gives that money to charity," Dinello said. "I mean he didn't like say, 'Either you put this in or we're pulling our funding out.' "

Strangers With Candy is the $3-million US prequel to the Comedy Central cult hit show that ran from 1999 to 2001. It is about a 46-year-old ex-junkie, Jerri Blank, who leaves prison and re-enters high school to succeed and hopefully snap her father out of a coma.

The film is set for a limited distribution by Think Film Company Inc. at around 100 theatres in major U.S. cities starting June 28.

Did You Hear the One About 'Brokeback'?

NEW YORK - Some of the "Top Ten Signs You're a Gay Cowboy," courtesy of David Letterman:

_You enjoy ridin', ropin' and redecoratin'.

_Instead of a saloon, you prefer a salon.

_Native Americans refer to you as "Dances With Men."

Is the bottomless font of "Brokeback Mountain" humor — late-night monologues, fake Internet movie trailers, movie poster imitations — harmless and fun, or insulting?

Most gay groups find it fairly benign, and note that in any case, the movie's overwhelming publicity can only be a good thing.

"Some of the humor may be insensitive, but even that has spurred positive conversation," says Susanne Salkind of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay rights group.

But Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says he's sick of it: "It may be funny, but there is a real element of homophobia. It's making jabs about sex between gay men."

Jay Leno made at least 15 "Brokeback" jokes in January. Many were references to gay sex. One that wasn't: "The cold weather continues to spread across the United States. In fact, down south it was so cold people were shaking like Jerry Falwell watching "Brokeback Mountain."

The Internet is saturated with "Brokeback" imitations. One of the best is a fake movie trailer called "Brokeback to the Future," which uses deftly edited shots from Michael J. Fox's "Back to the Future" to make it look like Marty McFly and that wacky Dr. Emmett Brown are falling in love. There's also "Top Gun 2: Brokeback Squadron," with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer.

And then there are the poster imitations. Like "Kickback Mountain," with the faces of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Rep. Tom DeLay superimposed over those of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Andy Borowitz, author of The Borowitz Report.com, says people get insulted by everything — "so the safest bet is to make jokes about everything."

Besides, he says, "I run into so few gay cowboys in Manhattan. So I think if I'm at a cocktail party and I make a good 'Brokeback' joke, I'll be safe. I guess if I were on a ranch and there were a few strong, silent types, I'd be careful."

Of the movie's iconic line, "I wish I knew how to quit you," Borowitz says he's "hoping it'll become the new 'Show me the money.'"

Paul Rudnick, a playwright and comedy writer, sees the humor as coming from heterosexual men who are both fascinated and very uncomfortable with the content of the movie.

"They're not quite sure what to make of it," says Rudnick, who is gay. "They know their wives are going to fall in love with the movie, and with the men in it."

Rudnick hasn't written about "Brokeback" yet — but only because he'd have to find something really original.

"Just joking about a gay cowboy isn't enough anymore," Rudnick says. "If you're going to joke about it now, you really have to be up to the challenge."

___

On the Net:

"Brokeback to the Future" video: http://www.youtube.com

Letterman Not the Retiring Type

At 58, David Letterman may be approaching traditional retirement age, but a spokesman says the talk host wasn't looking ahead to his own shuffleboard court years on Monday's Late Show.

"Dave has no plans to retire," Steven Rubenstein of Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company said Tuesday.

The comment came in response to an inquiry about an exchange between Letterman and guest Albert Brooks, in which a deadpan Brooks wished his friend well on the occasion of his farewell week. Letterman corrected Brooks, remarking, more than once, that he had another (only?) "two or three years" to go on the show.

The statements were first red-flagged by blogger Bob Sassone on TVSquad.com, who wrote, "Maybe I'm reading a little too much into this, but the way it was presented, I don't think so."

But according to a TV industry source, Letterman is not only not not contemplating retirement, he's talking contract extension.

Letterman has been with CBS and Late Show since 1993, a year after he lost out on the Tonight Show gig at NBC to Jay Leno. In 2002, the irony-rich comic spurned ABC's advances, and reupped with CBS with what was reported to be a three-year deal, with an option for two additional years.

While Letterman's said to be the unretiring type, it's the indefatigable Leno who's down to only three years on the job. Per a 2004 announcement, Leno is due to hand the Tonight Show keys to Late Night's Conan O'Brien in 2009. Leno inherited the show from Johnny Carson in 1992.

In making his retirement plans public, Leno said he'd promised his wife he'd take her out to dinner before he turned 60. In 2009, he'll be 59.

Letterman turns 59 in April. Traditional retirement age is generally defined as 65, although one can start receiving full Social Security benefits at 62. Given the reported $14 million Letterman makes a year, it's unlikely his plans will be dictated by what a monthly government check may or may not bring.

If Letterman were to use the Carson model--and it's served him well so far--he would stay in the late-night game until age 66. That would give him a few years to try to do to O'Brien what he's only rarely been able to do to Leno since 1995, beat him in the ratings.

Given that O'Brien will be on the fast slide to 50 by the time he's scheduled to take over Tonight (he'll be 46), Letterman wouldn't even have to worry about making a kid cry.

Winfrey Spot Earns Letterman Big Audience

NEW YORK - David Letterman has learned the Power of Oprah: her "Late Show" appearance Thursday earned him his biggest audience in more than a decade.

An estimated 13.5 million people stayed up late to watch Winfrey's first visit to Letterman in 16 years, Nielsen Media Research said on Friday. Only three times has Letterman had a bigger audience on CBS — for his network premiere in 1993 and twice in 1994 in the midst of the Nancy Kerrigan- Tonya Harding ice skating melodrama.

Winfrey's appearance more than tripled Letterman's typical audience of 4.3 million viewers, Nielsen said.

Letterman escorted Winfrey to the nearby Broadway premiere of "The Color Purple" after their chat. Winfrey co-produced the musical, at least partly explaining the timing of her Letterman appearance.

During the interview, Winfrey said she thought Letterman's infamous 1995 joke on the Academy Awards ("Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah") was funny — although she did pointedly present him with a signed portrait of herself with Uma Thurman.

"I have never for a moment had a feud with you," she said.

The summit between the talk titans was set up by years of Letterman jokes about Winfrey, mixed in with years of her rejecting offers to appear on the show, and endless promotion promotion since her visit was announced.

The "Late Show" audience was larger than that of most prime-time programs and appeared to consist almost entirely of people who usually don't watch late-night TV. Incredibly, Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight" show was seen by 6.2 million people on Thursday — more than his season average of 5.8 million — evidence that Leno's usual fans didn't abandon him.

"Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson basked in Letterman's glow. His show, which directly follows Letterman, had its biggest audience ever early Friday, Nielsen said.

Oprah Agrees to Appear on the 'Late Show'

NEW YORK - Oprah, Dave. Dave, Oprah. The cold war between television titans Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman has thawed to the point where Winfrey has accepted Letterman's invitation to appear on the "Late Show" on Dec. 1.

Letterman made the announcement during a taping of his show on Monday. Winfrey's appearance will coincide with opening night of the Broadway musical "The Color Purple," which she is producing.

"What a big night that is going to be — not only for us, not only for Oprah, but for Broadway," Letterman said. "You have the big `Color Purple' Broadway opening, and then right across the street here in this theater, you have Oprah appearing here. I mean, that's what Broadway is all about — it's a street of dreams."

It's Winfrey's first visit to "Late Show," although she was twice Letterman's guest on his NBC show before the late-night comic moved to CBS in 1993.

The origin of their "feud" was murky, although Letterman has frequently joked about her through the years. Letterman's failed 1995 stint as Academy Awards host is best remembered for his awkward "Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah" introduction.

Winfrey told Time magazine in 2003 that she wouldn't go on Letterman's show because she's been "completely uncomfortable" as the target of his jokes.

"This just gives you an idea of what a big, big star this really is," Letterman said on Monday. "She's huge. Put bygones behind us, the water under the bridge, over the dam, wherever water goes — standing in your basement — she's going to be here on this show and it's going to be fantastic."

Back in 2003, Letterman joked about wanting Winfrey on his show to hold "the Super Bowl of love." Winfrey — who had sent an olive branch gift of books for Letterman's newborn son — called his bluff and invited him on her show. He declined.

"Here's what would happen: I would go on the `Oprah' show, and I would break down and sob like a little girl ... I don't want to have that happen," he said at the time. "I'd feel ridiculous. I'd never be able to live that down, that Oprah would make me sob."

Former Winfrey protege Dr. Phil has been a frequent Letterman guest, offering his own form of "tough love" in a needling relationship.

Oprah's appearance is a big boost for Letterman, who has been struggling in the ratings this season and falling further behind his nemesis, NBC's Jay Leno.

The timing isn't quite ideal, however: Winfrey will visit the day after the November ratings sweeps period ends.

Emmys Carson tribute: Where was Leno?

It was surprising enough to see David Letterman at the Emmys, making a rare awards show appearance a decade after his Uma-Oprah debacle at the Oscars. It was even more surprising to see Dave totally serious and stiff for the Johnny Carson tribute that had brought him to speak at the Shrine Auditorium.

But most surprising was the apparent acknowledgement by everyone (not just Jon Stewart), that it's Letterman, not Jay Leno, who's Carson's true heir. After all, Leno didn't speak at the tribute or appear in the clip montage, nor was his name mentioned. (When his name did come up, as a nominee for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, the hall was strangely silent.)

Asked by Entertainment Weekly about Leno's absence from the tribute, Emmy producer Ken Ehrlich declined to comment, but a Tonight Show publicist told the magazine that the talk-show host was never asked to appear in the segment in the first place.

You can read the full story in the Emmy wrap-up in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly that comes out Friday.

Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson

NEW YORK - David Letterman paid tribute to Johnny Carson on Monday by telling his jokes. On his first "Late Show" since Carson's death on Jan. 23, Letterman's opening monologue was comprised entirely of jokes that Carson had quietly sent to him over the past few months from retirement in California.

Letterman didn't tell the audience until after the monologue was over who wrote the jokes. His guest on Monday's show, former Carson producer Peter Lassally, had revealed a few days before Carson had died that the retired "Tonight" show host missed his nightly monologue and had written jokes for Letterman.

"I moved to Los Angeles from Indianapolis in 1975, and the reason I moved is because of Johnny Carson and the `Tonight' show," Letterman said. "And I'm not the only one. I would guess that maybe three generations of comedians moved to be where Johnny was because if you thought you were funny and you wanted to find out if you could hit major league pitching, you had to be on the `Tonight' show."

Letterman said his first "Tonight" appearance led to his first NBC show.

"Truthfully, no stretch of the imagination, I owe everything in my professional career, whatever success we've attained, to Johnny Carson, because he was nice enough to give me the opportunity, and throughout my career, was always very supportive."

The entire show was devoted to Carson, filled with reminiscences from Lassally and Letterman.

At the end, Carson's old bandleader Doc Severinsen and his band — including put-upon sax player Tommy Newsome — performed one of Carson's favorite songs, "Here's That Rainy Day."

When Carson retired in May 1992, it set up a battle between Letterman and Jay Leno over who would succeed him. NBC chose Leno — but the joke pipeline was an indication that Carson privately considered Letterman the better host.

Letterman's CBS show was in reruns last week, allowing Leno the jump on a late-night Carson tribute. Leno's highly rated show last week included former Carson sidekick Ed McMahon and comics Bob Newhart and Don Rickles.

Letterman said everybody who's doing a talk show, himself included, is secretly doing Carson's "Tonight" show.

"The reason we're all doing Johnny's `Tonight' is because you think, `Well, if I do Johnny's "Tonight" show, maybe I'll be a little like Johnny and people will like me more,'" he said. "But it sadly doesn't work that way. It's just, if you're not Johnny, you're wasting your time."

LETTERMAN SAYS HIS GOOD-BYE TONIGHT

David Letterman, who was on vacation when Johnny Carson passed away on January 23rd, returns tonight with a Carson-appreciation show and a long look at the impact the late "Tonight Show" host had on his career.

Letterman has lined up former "Tonight Show" bandleader Doc Severinsen, who will perform, and Carson's former executive producer, Peter Lassally.

Letterman credits Carson, a fellow Midwesterner, with giving him his big break.

Dave guest-hosted for Carson on the "Tonight Show" before NBC — with a push from Johnny — named Letterman the host of "Late Night," which followed the "Tonight Show" at 12:30 a.m.

Carson appeared twice on "Late Show" after Letterman moved to CBS — but never appeared with Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" after he retired in 1992.

Leno's tribute to Carson last Monday was a big ratings magnet, boosting the usual audience for the "Tonight Show" by more than 50 percent.

In fact, just about all the news and entertainment shows marking Johnny's passing — including Larry King's CNN talk show and a number of NBC specials — have been huge ratings getters.

Carson, 79, died from emphysema.

Johnny Carson Writes Jokes for Letterman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman has a secret joke writer -- and it's none other than the retired king of all late-night television, Johnny Carson.

CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally, a onetime producer for both men, said on Tuesday that the 79-year-old former host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" occasionally sends Letterman new jokes he has written and that Letterman sometimes incorporates them into his nightly "Late Show" monologue.

Lassally, appearing at CBS's annual winter showcase for television critics, said that while Carson has remained out of the public eye since retiring, he keeps up with late-night TV, as well as with political news and other current events that were once fodder for his own "Tonight Show" monologue.

"I think the thing he misses the most is the monologue," Lassally said of his former boss. "He reads the newspaper every day and might think up five good jokes that he wishes he had an outlet for. Once in a while he sends jokes to Letterman and Letterman will use his jokes in the ('Late Show') monologue and he gets a big kick out of that."

Carson retired in 1992 after nearly 30 years as host of "The Tonight Show" on NBC and was replaced by Jay Leno. But Carson has always felt privately that Letterman, not Leno, was his rightful successor, Lassally said.

Letterman, who long hosted NBC's "Late Night" show immediately following Carson's program, jumped to CBS in 1993 in the flagship 11:30 p.m. time slot opposite Leno, setting up one of the most storied rivalries on U.S. television.

While Letterman's New York-based CBS show initially drew bigger audiences than Leno, NBC's "Tonight Show" shot in Burbank, California, eventually settled in as No. 1 in viewership, although Letterman has enjoyed improved ratings this season.

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said "Late Show" ratings are up 7 percent over last year, marking Letterman's most competitive position against Leno since 1994 and narrowing his audience gap to just 1 million viewers fewer than "The Tonight Show" versus 2 million a year ago.

Carson, who has lived in relative seclusion in Malibu, California for the past decade, has battled emphysema in recent years, but is "still interested in literature and politics and all the worldly things that he was always interested in," Lassally said.

Letterman Tapes Christmas Eve Show in Iraq

David Letterman brought his late-night show to Marines serving in Iraq on Friday, loosening up the Camp Taqaddum crowd with the line, "Anybody here from out of town?"

Letterman brought along musical director Paul Shaffer, stage manager Biff Henderson, comedian Tom Dreesen and the band Off the Wall.

When hands flew in the air in response to requests for a volunteer to help deliver the opening monologue, he asked: "Isn't that how you got here?"

With the help of cue cards held by an Army soldier, Letterman ran off a series of crowd-pleasers:

"Iraqi elections are in January. Hurry up and pick somebody so we can get the hell out of here," he said.

And: "If I wanted to face insurgents I would've spent Christmas with my relatives."

Letterman has repeatedly featured Marines on "The Late Show."

"Paul and I were in Afghanistan three years ago, and last year we were in Baghdad," Letterman told the crowd. "We wouldn't want it any other way. We're sorry we keep having to come back. If you ever come to New York City, come see us and we'll treat you like big shots."

The Marines, most of who have been deployed since late summer, welcomed the visit.

"It was great, all of the Marines getting together having a good time," said Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Trignano, 32, a tech-controller with Communication Squadron 48. "It almost makes you forget where you are for a little while."

DAVE ON THE RISE

NEW YORK -- David Letterman is closing the gap with latenight rival Jay Leno, helped by a CBS primetime that dominated the November sweeps in key demos.

"Late Show With David Letterman" saw its best November sweep against NBC's "The Tonight Show" in total viewers since 1994 and since 2001 in the prized 18-49 demo.

With three days to go in the month of November, "Letterman" was up 9% in average total viewers (5 million), while "Leno" dropped off 6% (5.9 million).

"Letterman" was up 6% in adults 18-49 over the same frame last year and up an impressive 17% in 18-34.

"Leno" was down 13% in adults 18-49 and 11% in 18-34.

The "Letterman" show has improved its ratings for every night of the week and now occasionally beats "Leno" in total viewers on Monday nights, CBS said.

"David Letterman is benefiting from the fact that our promotional platform is stronger in the 10 to 11 o'clock hour," said David Poltrack, CBS exec veep of research.

CBS' primetime strength, driven by shows like "CSI: Miami" and "Without a Trace," are helping the Eye in latenight.

Also surging is the Eye's Sunday morning lineup: "Face the Nation" had its largest margin over ABC's "This Week" (338,000 more viewers) since the advent of People Meters in 1987.

ABC, like CBS up vs. last year in the November sweep, also boasts a revitalized primetime, but its hit shows are positioned in earlier timeslots that don't give much support to latenight programming.

"Desperate Housewives" airs on Sunday night, while "Lost" airs on Wednesdays but at 8.

Letterman Visits Philbin's Daytime Show

NEW YORK - David Letterman cracked a few jokes, showed some baby pictures and, yes, was a little cranky about going on television so early in the morning.

But, as Regis Philbin said, Letterman "did the right thing" and appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly" Monday, especially since Philbin has been one of the CBS late-night host's favorite foils for many years.

By a "Late Show" count, Philbin has appeared 83 times on Letterman's show since it moved to CBS in 1993. He was a guest host when Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000 and recovered from an eye infection last year.

Letterman, who's rarely seen on TV outside of his own show, had visited "Live" twice before, the most recent in February 1997.

At least he had the television smarts to show up during a ratings "sweeps" month.

"This is a live Mardi Gras every morning," Letterman told Philbin and co-host Kelly Ripa.

Letterman showed pictures of son Harry, joking that the 1-year-old was looking at "mom's beer can" in one. He and Philbin traded good-natured gibes about who was most negligent about inviting the other on social occasions.

After Letterman complained that Philbin hadn't invited him to dinner, the stage curtain opened to reveal a table for two, with breakfast steaks set out.

"I want nothing to do with this phony dinner!" Letterman said.

They made some small talk about Notre Dame football, and Philbin tossed in a political question: Why did John Kerry lose?

"Geez, I have no idea," Letterman said. "I know nothing about politics. If I knew anything, why would I be here?"

But the two have an odd chemistry, and the irony-drenched Letterman clearly respects the showbiz veteran Philbin, 73, who's in the Guinness Book of World Records for logging more than 15,000 hours in front of a television camera.

"He is so quick and inventive and imaginative," Philbin told The Associated Press later. "His show is one surprise after another and I admire that tremendously. What does he see in me? I don't know."

Philbin said "Live" had asked Letterman to appear so many times that the show had nearly stopped asking.

"I know how private he is and how much he didn't want to do this," he said. "It was awfully nice of him to come by."

As for a return engagement, don't hold you're breath. That's what Letterman indicated when Philbin asked when he's be back.

"None of us will live that long," he replied.

Letterman Narrows Late-Night Ratings Gap with Leno

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rival talk show hosts Jay Leno and David Letterman are fighting again, turning up the heat on the serious business of late-night comedy ratings.

Nearly a year after NBC chieftain Jeff Zucker proclaimed Leno was so far ahead in the ratings that "there is no more late-night war," CBS boasted on Thursday that Letterman was on the comeback trail, narrowing the gap against a fading Leno.

To be sure, NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" remains the No. 1 choice of viewers by every measure over the CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," a dynamic that has held sway since 1995. So precious to NBC is "The Tonight Show" franchise that the network last week gave the world five years' advance notice that Leno would be stepping down in 2009 to make way for Conan O'Brien.

But in a trend that began during the summer, Letterman has cut Leno's overall viewer advantage by more than half to less than 1 million viewers a night so far this season, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

For the first two weeks of the season, Letterman is averaging 4.64 million viewers nightly, up 10 percent from the same period a year ago. Leno, meanwhile, is off 6 percent in total audience to 5.59 million viewers. Last year, "Tonight" enjoyed a 2 million-viewer margin over "Late Show."

Moreover, "Late Show" is up 14 percent in the benchmark audience demographic of viewers aged 18-49 -- the group most prized by advertisers -- compared with the first two weeks of last season, while "Tonight" is down 13 percent.

"What was once an insurmountable lead is clearly shrinking," a CBS spokesman told Reuters, citing the network's early dominance in prime time as a key factor in driving up ratings for its late-night audience.

NBC executives, however, were quick to assert that two weeks does not a trend make.

They acknowledge that Letterman posted exceptionally strong numbers the first week of the season, with guest appearances by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and self-help guru Dr. Phil McGraw drawing hefty audiences. But they said Leno returned to a wider margin of victory last week.

NBC also said that year-to-year comparisons favor Letterman because he was still in a relative slump this time last year following an unplanned hiatus of several weeks in the spring of 2003 due to a bout with shingles.

CBS insists that Letterman has been steadily gaining ground since early summer.

From May 31 through Aug. 6, "Late Show" cut "Tonight" to its slimmest summertime lead since 2001 among young adults and since 1996 in overall viewership, according to Nielsen. At the same time, Leno experienced his lowest standings since Letterman premiered on CBS opposite his program in 1993.

Clinton Promotes Book on 'Late Show'

NEW YORK - Bill Clinton came to sell his book on "Late Show with David Letterman" Tuesday night but left a copy as a gift for Letterman's son.

Reading aloud the inscription in his hefty 957-page memoir, the former president wished Harry Letterman (born to Dave and his girlfriend, Regina Lasko, Nov. 3) a happy 9-month birthday.

"With luck," Clinton went on, "you will finish this by your 21st birthday. Meanwhile, carry it around and build more muscles than your dad has."

Looking natty in a blue suit and pink tie, Clinton shared the bill with only musical guest Natalie Merchant. During his extended interview, he quickly moved from promoting "My Life" (which since its June 22 release has sold more than 1.5 million copies) to politics and global affairs.

Still, he managed to do a little more selling, putting in a few good words for Sen. John Kerry, the newly anointed Democratic presidential candidate.

"Of all the people I dealt with in Congress," Clinton said in part, "he cared the most about trying to find programs that would keep young, inner-city minority kids out of trouble and out of jail and in school.

"There were no votes in this for John Kerry ... He just did it cause he thought it was right."

When asked whether the economy or the war in Iraq would be the deciding issue in the presidential election, Clinton replied, "I think the security question is a threshold question.

"I believe if the voters can get it fixed in their mind that they can trust Sen. Kerry to fight the war against terror and keep us safe at home, that it's more likely than not he will win, because after 9-11 the Bush administration went way to the right on domestic policy."

Mostly serious while interviewing Clinton, Letterman posed a mischievous question as their session neared an end.

"Tell me what you know about Sandy Berger sticking documents in his pants and walking out of the National Archives," Letterman asked.

Clinton chuckled, then praised his former national security adviser, who is facing allegations of mishandling highly classified terrorism documents.

"Anybody that ever saw Sandy Berger's office at the White House would not be surprised that he gets the papers mixed up or takes the wrong ones away," Clinton grinned. "He's got a well-organized mind and a disorganized desk."

Clinton last appeared on Letterman's CBS late-night show on Sept. 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. He is now mulling an offer from NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to be a guest host in the coming season, according to anonymous sources quoted by TV Guide Online. A decision is expected this week.

Hilton Finally Visits 'The Late Show'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - With the second season of "The Simple Life" about to kick off, Paris Hilton is at last getting around to chatting with David Letterman.

The hotel heiress and star of the FOX series is scheduled to visit Letterman's "Late Show" Monday (June 14).

"They have a lot in common," "Late Show" an executive producer notes of Hilton and Letterman. "She's the heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, and he's the heir to the Stadium Motor Lodge fortune."

Hilton was originally scheduled to appear on "The Late Show" in November, prior to "The Simple Life's" first-season premiere. However, that interview -- and most of her pre-show publicity -- fell victim to the minor scandal surrounding the now-infamous sex tape of her and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon.

At the time, Letterman joked on the air that her "crisis management" team was doing the wrong thing by keeping Hilton out of public view.

"All I want to say to Paris is you're being led down the wrong path," he said shortly after the interview was cancelled. "You come on this show, by god, we'll make you a hero."

With the sex-tape escapades pretty much faded from view, Hilton and her handlers have no problem now getting the socialite back in front of the cameras, where she spends much of her time anyway.