By Drew Grant 10/30/12 3:34pm

hurricane sandy

Letterman and Fallon: Braving the storm (NBC, CBS)

David Letterman And Jimmy Fallon: When a Lack of an Audience is a Good Thing (Video)

While Anderson Cooper was learning about his afternoon talk show being cancelled–no, not just for Hurricane Sandy, but forever–two late night hosts made the brave decision to continue their shows at NBC and CBS as if a giant storm wasn’t ranging outside.

The only problem? Neither Jimmy Fallon nor David Letterman had a live audience–a first, in both their histories–to laugh at their jokes. But what could have turned into that creepy David Lynch episode of Louie was actually an amazing bit of performance art as the two jokesters performed to the dead silence of a mostly-empty room. *Yanks collar* “Tough crowd!” Read More

By Daniel D'Addario 2/01/12 11:44am

television

Elder statesman David Letterman (Getty Images)

Thirty Years of David Letterman

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of David Letterman’s first foray into wee-hours broadcasting–NBC’s Late Night With David Letterman premiered on this date in 1982. What a thirty years it’s been–marked by guest misbehavior (Madonna, Drew–we’re looking at you), tricks both pet and human, and ever-pricklier interviews with starlets who keep failing to learn from history Read More

By Drew Grant 1/16/12 12:19pm

Comedy

Eddie Brill (third from right) and some of the men of comedy (Getty Images)

David Letterman’s Booker In Hot Water After New York Times Controversy

It’s 2012, and the specter of Christopher Hitchens‘ Vanity Fair essay about women in comedy is still haunting the Internet. Its latest incarnation is in the form of The New York Times‘ comedy critic Jason Zinoman‘s profile of Eddie Brill, the longtime comedy booker for The Late Show with David Letterman.

In the article, Mr. Zinoman touched on several unsavory facts of the late night industry and of Mr. Brill himself, including a quote from the booker that’s been highly circulated as further proof that men in comedy are misogynistic. “There are a lot less female comics who are authentic,” said Mr. Brill. “I see a lot of female comics who to please an audience will act like men.”

Cue the the three-ring circus. Read More