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NOVEMBER SWEEP: CBS’ ‘Late Show’ Tops ‘Tonight’ For 1st Time In 17 Years, ‘Late Late Show’ Posts First Victory Over ‘Late Night’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday December 2, 2011 @ 10:38am PSTTags: Craig Ferguson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Late Night TV, TV Ratings
Nellie Andreeva

NBC’s primetime woes are beginning to spill into late-night. Both The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon suffered double-digit year-to-year declines last month, giving CBS’ late-night lineup historic wins. Late Show With David Letterman (0.9/4 in 18-49, 3.41 million total viewers) posted its first November sweep victory over The Tonight Show (0.8/3, 3.60 million) among adults 18-49 in 17 years, since Late Show‘s second season in 1994. Late Show was even in 18-49 vs. last November (down 8% in total viewers), while Tonight Show was down 20% (4% in total viewers). The latter still prevailed in total viewers. CBS’ Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (0.6/3 in 18-49, 1.63 million) was the only late-night show on the broadcast networks to grow year-to-year in 18-49. It was up 20% (down 7% in total viewers) to post the franchise’s first ever demo November sweep victory over NBC’s Late Night (0.5/3, 1.73 million). The latter show, currently hosted by Jimmy Fallon, was down 17% year-to-year and flat in total viewers, a category it won. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (0.6/3, 1.97 million) tied Craig Ferguson and beat Fallon. It was even in 18-49 vs. last year and was the only broadcast late-night show to post growth in total viewers, up 7%.

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Herman Cain To Visit David Letterman

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday November 9, 2011 @ 9:33am PSTTags: David Letterman, Herman Cain
Nellie Andreeva

Embattled Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain will make his first appearance on CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman next Friday. Cain, a syndicated columnist, former radio talk show host and president and CEO of the Godfather’s Pizza chain, emerged as the unlikely frontrunner in the Republican presidential race. But over the past week, he has been hit with accusations of past sexual harassment. Cain will be able to commiserate with Letterman who 2 years ago admitted to having sexual relationships with female employes as a fallout of the foiled extortion attempt against him. Like all late-night comedians, Letterman has been closely following Cain’s campaign and recently parodied the candidate’s ad featuring his chief of staff, Mark Block, smoking a cigarette. (video below) Read More »

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David Letterman, Kathie Lee Gifford Among Guests During Regis’ Final Week On ‘Live!’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 8, 2011 @ 12:10pm PSTTags: David Letterman, Donald Trump, Jimmy Fallon, Josh Groban, Live with Regis and Kelly, Regis Philbin
Nellie Andreeva

With Regis Philbin set to depart Live! With Regis and Kelly on November 18, the show has booked “some of Philbin’s favorite guests and friends” for his final week. They include Philbin’s former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford (November 17), fellow … Read More »

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HAMMOND: Gil Cates, A Man For All Oscars

By PETE HAMMOND | Tuesday November 1, 2011 @ 1:56pm PDTTags: Academy Awards, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, DGA, Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg
Pete Hammond

R.I.P. Oscar Producer Gilbert Cates

Among his many accomplishments, Gil Cates obviously will be known as the person who produced more Oscar shows than any one in the history of the Academy. Talk to any producer who has done it just once or twice and you will get this astonished look when you tell them Gil Cates did it 14 times in the last two decades. And with his always calm and cool manner, he made it look so easy. Perhaps that is why every producer doing the show in Gil’s off years always sought out his advice — and he always happily gave it as he told me when I interviewed him exactly one year ago about his memories on being the man behind so many Oscarcasts. “I’ve had lunch with each producer and producing team going back to my off years,”  he told me. “The one thing I’ve told everybody is the Oscars is such a big show that no matter what you do there are gonna be people who like it and people who don’t. The most important thing is to do a show you like. There’s no way to get out totally alive. Do a show they find unique and fun and special. That’s a victory.”

Gil Cates had a lot of victories in his long career. As a former president of the DGA, its current secretary/treasurer and its chief negotiator for the last four contracts; as founder of the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television; founder and artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse; as director and producer of such multiple-Oscar-nominated films as Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and I Never Sang For My Father; as well as so many TV films that made a lasting mark on the medium. There’s so much more, but my own personal connection (aside from attending the great theater he oversaw at the Geffen) has always been with the Oscars, and on those occasions when I got to talk to him or interview him I was like a kid in a candy store listening to his stories (sorry, some I just can’t print — off the record). His last show aired in 2008, the year No Country For Old Men won Best Picture. But this was also the year of the writers strike that KO’d the Golden Globes and put a dark cloud over the Oscars until just 12 days before the show was to air, when it was settled. But Cates, with his usual calm of a master negotiator and problem solver, had a Plan A (with all the stars in a strike-free show) and a Plan B (with no stars but a heavy emphasis on history and clips) ready to go, essentially prepping two different shows simultaneously, depending on events out of his control. It’s a good thing he was in charge because a lesser or more inexperienced producer might have cracked under the pressure. Not Gil. In the end, he produced a classy, star-studded show as usual but was ready to deliver whatever cards were dealt. Read More »

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New ’2.5 Men’ Cast Presents Top 10 List

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday September 9, 2011 @ 6:59am PDTTags: Angus T. Jones, Ashton Kutcher, CBS, David Letterman, Jon Cryer, Late Night TV, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

As part of the promotional campaign for the relaunch of CBS’ Two and a Half Men, stars Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones presented the “Top Ten Reasons to Watch the New Season of Two And a Half Men” on the Late Show last night. Frankly, they … Read More »

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Ashton Kutcher: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Is “Going To Go Through The Roof”

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday August 24, 2011 @ 9:41pm PDTTags: Ashton Kutcher, David Letterman, Late Night With David Letterman, That '70s Show, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

With new Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher as a guest, CBS’ late-night host David Letterman predicted that the veteran sitcom is “going to go through the roof” with him. Kutcher agreed. “I think it’s going … Read More »

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Who Really Broke Into Dave’s NYC Theater? Letterman And Leno Broadcast Their Videos

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday July 13, 2011 @ 5:15am PDTTags: CBS, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman

After David Letterman’s Late Show venue in NYC was vandalized over the weekend by an out-of-work actor, Letterman made some guesses then came clean about who really broke into the Ed Sullivan Theater (watch until the end). Leno on The Tonight Show also presented his own version of what happened:

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VIDEO: Jon Cryer Talks Charlie Sheen, ‘Two And A Half Men’ On Letterman

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday June 9, 2011 @ 11:25am PDTTags: Charlie Sheen, David Letterman, Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

After his pretty funny “I am a troll” bit on Conan in March, Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer was back on the late-night circuit last night with a visit to David Letterman. In his first public comments on Charlie Sheen’s dismissal from the show, he said … Read More »

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Video: Letterman Sings For CBS Upfronts

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday May 19, 2011 @ 6:05am PDTTags: CBS, CBS Upfront Presentation, David Letterman, Leslie Moonves, Steve Martin

Did Dave and Steve Martin get to perform their big musical number? Here’s the video CBS honcho Les Moonves commissioned for the CBS upfronts:

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Katie Couric Does Bathroom Skit With Stephen Colbert & David Letterman

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 5, 2011 @ 10:53am PDTTags: David Letterman, Katie Couric, Stephen Colbert
Nellie Andreeva

In what could be her final days at CBS since the company recently pulled its daytime talk show offer, Katie Couric last night appeared alongside her CBS colleague David Letterman in an elaborate skit by Stephen Colbert, which involved The Colbert Report star walking onto the stage of The … Read More »

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Donald Trump Snubs Letterman, Congratulates Obama

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday May 2, 2011 @ 3:57pm PDTTags: Barack Obama, David Letterman, Donald Trump
Nellie Andreeva

They both took shots at The Donald over the past few days, but David Letterman and President Barack Obama were on the opposite sides of Donald Trump’s graces today.

Trump slammed Letterman for the comedian’s suggestion on his show last week … Read More »

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James Franco Discusses Oscar Hosting Turn With Letterman

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday March 31, 2011 @ 2:11pm PDTTags: Anne Hathaway, David Letterman, James Franco, Oscars
Nellie Andreeva

Two panned Oscar hosts, James Franco and David Letterman, commiserate about the experience on Letterman’s CBS show tomorrow night. After a long soul-searching, Franco says he has a theory why people thought he was under the influence onstage. “I love her, but (co-host) Anne Hathaway is so energetic, I think … Read More »

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Letterman To Katie Couric: You Can’t Leave

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday March 23, 2011 @ 8:35am PDTTags: CBS Evening News, David Letterman, Katie Couric, Katie Couric CBS News, Katie Couric Contract, Late Show with David Letterman Video, TV, Video
Nellie Andreeva

Katie Couric was on David Letterman last night amidst speculation that she is leaning towards leaving her CBS Evening News anchor job to do a daytime syndicated talk show when her contract is up in June. “I have no idea actually,” she said about her plans. “I’m figuring out … Read More »

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UPDATE: Letterman Show Gets Punked; So No Lindsay Lohan Appearance After All

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday February 16, 2011 @ 7:25am PSTTags: David Letterman, David Letterman Top Ten List, Late Night TV, Late Show with David Letterman, Lindsay Lohan, TV

WEDNESDAY AM UPDATE: Statement from Tom Keaney for David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Inc which produces the Late Show:

“Lindsay Lohan will not be delivering a Top Ten list on Thursday’s LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, as had been previously announced. We made a mistake. Someone purporting to be

… Read More »

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Behind-The-Scenes Video Of Letterman’s Top 10 List For 2011 Grammy Awards

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday February 13, 2011 @ 5:24pm PSTTags: David Letterman, David Letterman Top Ten List, David Letterman Video, Grammy, Grammy Awards, Late Show with David Letterman, Music

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Hot Clip: Howard Stern And Dave Letterman On Late Night Battle With Leno

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday February 4, 2011 @ 8:15am PSTTags: David Letterman, David Letterman Video, Jay Leno, Late Night TV, Late Show with David Letterman, TV, Video
Mike Fleming

There’s only so much that David Letterman can say about his late night rivalry with Jay Leno, so why not have Howard Stern fill in the blanks? Here’s a clip from Stern’s Late Show appearance:

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Sneak: Dave Phones Regis About Retiring

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday January 18, 2011 @ 3:45pm PSTTags: David Letterman, Late Night TV, Late Show with David Letterman Video, Regis Philbin, Regis Philbin Retirement, TV

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TCA: Conan No Longer Needs To Use Leno As His Whipping Post

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday January 12, 2011 @ 2:50pm PSTTags: Conan, Conan O'Brien, Conan Ratings, David Letterman, Late Night TV, TBS Conan, TCA, Television Critics Association, TV

From Ray Richmond, who is contributing to Deadline Hollywood’s TCA Coverage:
Speaking to the media en masse for the first time since landing last fall with his own late-night chatfest at TBS, Conan O’Brien expressed that he’s never been happier – … Read More »

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LATE NIGHT RATE RACE: Leno Takes Weekly Lead Over Letterman While Conan Stabilizes

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday November 11, 2010 @ 1:58pm PSTTags: ABC Nightline, Conan Ratings, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Late Night Rat Race, Late Night Ratings, Late Night TV, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Show with David Letterman Ratings, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Ratings, TV, TV Ratings
Nellie Andreeva

After David Letterman in the last week of October posted his first demo win over Leno since Leno’s return to The Tonight Show, Leno bounced back to reclaim the lead in both 18-49 and total viewers for the first week of November. This marks Leno’s first solo first-place finish at the top of the 18-49 rankings in 5 weeks, as Leno and Letterman were tied for 3 weeks before Letterman won outright the week before last. In 18-49, Leno averaged a 1.0 rating vs. a 0.9 for Letterman. The same week last year, Letterman and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien were tied at 0.9. (In 18-49 viewers, Leno’s average was 1.26 million vs. 1.21 million for Conan last fall; Letterman’s was 1.20 million vs. 1.22 million last year.) The two may switch places again this week as Letterman dominated Leno on Monday night. Among total viewers, Leno averaged 3.9 million for the week, up from 2.3 million for Conan last fall; Letterman drew 3.7 million vs. 3.9 million last year. As for the third airing of Conan’s new latenight show on TBS, his ratings drops were far more moderate than the 33-42% between the premiere and night 2. Last night, Conan drew 2.7 million viewers, down only 3% from the night before. His 18-49 audience was 1.9 million, down 13%. In 18-34,he averaged  1.15 million, down 19%. Here are the averages for the broadcast latenight shows during the week of Nov. 1-5: Read More »

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