late night host

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Ex-Staffer: Letterman Environment 'Demeaning'

But not just because of sexual politics: It's time to hire female writers

(Newser) - Nell Scovell walked away from her dream job on Late Night with David Letterman thanks to the "hostile work environment" created by high-level male staffers having sex with their female employees. She writes about her experience in Vanity Fair—not to name names, but to point out the underlying...

Debate Rages Over Leno Move

Is talk show helping NBC, or destroying it?

(Newser) - Jay Leno’s primetime takeover has sparked furious debate in the TV business, as its ripple effects begin to be felt. Shows that thrived at 10pm, like Law & Order SVU, are dying in other slots; at least one, Southland, has been canceled outright. Anonymously, producers are calling the move...

Jay Leno Kills Southland
 Jay Leno Kills Southland 
10PM FALLOUT

Jay Leno Kills Southland

Cop drama left homeless without 10pm time slot

(Newser) - NBC’s cop drama Southland was critically acclaimed and had great ratings, but the network has stopped production on the series and canned the episodes it already completed. The explanation: The show is too dark and gritty for 9pm. Why not just air it in its original time slot,...

Leno's Ratings Tumble

 Leno's 
 Ratings 
 Tumble 

Leno's Ratings Tumble

Real prime-time shows beat talk show every night

(Newser) - Here’s one headline Jay Leno won’t want to read. Ever since the fall TV season began in earnest Sept. 21, the former king of late night has been getting his keister kicked in primetime. He’s finished in last place every single night, with his numbers falling steadily...

Letterman Apologizes to Wife on Air


 Letterman 
 Apologizes 
 to Wife on Air 
late night hot seat

Letterman Apologizes to Wife on Air

Late Night pauses for another round of confession

(Newser) - David Letterman will use his opening monologue tonight to publicly apologize to his wife and his current and former colleagues, according to numerous audience members. "Wow, that weekend went fast," he joked before turning serious during this afternoon's taping, his first public appearance at the Ed Sullivan Theater...

Not Guilty Plea in Letterman Shakedown Scheme

Fellow CBS employee makes bond after bail set at $200K

(Newser) - A 48 Hours producer pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree grand larceny today after allegedly trying to extort $2 million from David Letterman. The Late Night host was the target of an attempt to "destroy the reputation of Mr. Letterman and to submit him and his family to humiliation...

Letterman Paid for Assistant's Degree: Rumor

Host said to keep three to five young women on staff at all times

(Newser) - David Letterman can be a great boss for certain special employees. In the case of Stephanie Birkitt, who once dated alleged blackmailer Robert Halderman, Letterman paid her way through college, Gawker reports, citing “the scuttlebutt on the set.” Birkitt was Letterman’s top assistant—the host employed at...

Extortionist Dated Letterman Staffer Who Had Affair

'48 Hours' producer slept around, former father-in-law says

(Newser) - When David Letterman shocked last night's audience with his tale of blackmail—or as the New York Post calls it, sextortion—he left out the names of everyone else involved, but details are beginning to emerge. The man arrested in the case was Robert Joel Halderman, 57, an Emmy-winning producer...

Letterman Reveals Extortion Attempt Over Office Sex

After grand jury testimony, late-night host says con man wanted $2M

(Newser) - In a highly unusual moment during the taping of last night’s Late Show, David Letterman confessed to his studio audience that he had had sexual flings with female staffers on the show, and that they had become the basis for a $2 million extortion attempt by a CBS news...

Thank (or Blame) Bush for Dave's Left Turn

 Thank (or Blame) 
 Bush for Dave's 
 Left Turn 
political comedy

Thank (or Blame) Bush for Dave's Left Turn

Letterman veers from apolitical-leaning-right to full-on liberal

(Newser) - The most telling thing David Letterman has said in a while may have been a brief comment he made last Monday, as he wrapped up an hour with President Obama: "I can't tell you how satisfying it is to watch you work," the famously crotchety Late Night ...

Conan Out of Hospital, Returns to Show Monday

(Newser) - Conan O'Brien is home from the hospital after whacking his head during a Tonight Show stunt. "Conan is resting comfortably," said an NBC statement. "He is expected to return to work on Monday." Guest Teri Hatcher spilled details on the accident, which reportedly happened while the...

Obama on Letterman: Funniest Moments

The president sums up his thoughts on health care, and more from the interview

(Newser) - Yes, there was that whole potato thing. But President Obama’s stint on Letterman included more funny moments, and Time runs down the top 10:
  • During Dave’s Top 10 list, the No. 2 reason why Obama agreed to appear on the show: “Said yes without thinking, like Bush
...

'I Was Black Before the Election'
 'I Was Black Before the Election' 
'late show' sneak peek

'I Was Black Before the Election'

Obama and Letterman tackle the tough topics, including potatoes

(Newser) - President Obama's media blitz continues tonight on The Late Show With David Letterman, where he'll remind the host, "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election." Snippets CBS released after this afternoon's taping reveal lighthearted moments and more serious stretches, as well...

Leno Ratings Doomed...as Is the Future of Network TV

Ratings may stink, but bottom line will be strong for NBC

(Newser) - No one expects the Jay Leno Show to maintain the pumped-up ratings it got this week—not even NBC. But the low-key talk show might represent the future of network TV anyway, simply because it’s so darn cheap, writes Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age. With viewers breaking from broad...

Jay Leno Show : More of the Same
 Jay Leno Show
 More of the Same 
TV PREVIEW

Jay Leno Show: More of the Same

Primetime debut likely won't stray far from late night formula

(Newser) - Two writers for Comedy.com who infiltrated a test taping of the new Jay Leno Show found it “muddled and confusing,” and they say Leno continues to “be a big ladle serving us more imitation comedy gruel.” Some insights:
  • The studio: "Basically the old Tonight
...

Letterman, Not Leno, 'Gets' Real America

(Newser) - David Letterman is handily beating his new late-night rival, Conan O’Brien, in the ratings—just not in some of the key, younger demographics. And that’s due to his singular, quirky charms, writes Peter W. Kaplan in New York, calling Letterman the “last grown-up on network television.”...

Conan vs. Dave? Nightline's Beating Them Both

ABC launches ad campaign to tout its victory

(Newser) - ABC is trying to remind America that it has a show on at 11:35, too. The network is launching a campaign touting Nightline's ratings, which, since Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show takeover, have averaged 3.459 million viewers a night. That puts it on top of both David...

Don't Count Conan Out . . . Yet

 Don't Count 
 Conan Out 
 . . . Yet  
OPINION

Don't Count Conan Out . . . Yet

(Newser) - Conan O'Brien's well-documented struggles to find his way as the host of the Tonight Show may be cause for alarm, but it's hardly time to punch the panic button, writes Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales. O'Brien "is to be congratulated for the way the show has been going,...

Seinfeld Up First for Leno
 Seinfeld Up 
 First for Leno 

Seinfeld Up First for Leno

(Newser) - Jerry Seinfeld will be the lone guest on Jay Leno’s maiden primetime outing, the LA Times reports. That’s fitting, considering Leno has said he consulted Seinfeld when contemplating NBC’s offer for the 10pm show.

Letterman Beats Conan Again
 Letterman Beats 
 Conan Again 

Letterman Beats Conan Again

(Newser) - Dave beat Conan in the ratings again this week, garnering 3.38 million viewers to the Tonight Show’s 2.63 million, the New York Daily News reports. That makes four straight weeks Letterman’s come out on top, his longest streak since 1995. But NBC is quick to point...

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