David Letterman is the only big late night host with professional writers. But it hasn't mattered in the ratings much: NBC's Jay Leno, writers or no writers, is still No.1 by a long shot.
Can Howard Stern help? Letterman has booked Stern, one of his biggest ratings draws for Thursday night's show. Stern and Letterman have a long relationship, and Stern appeared on Letterman the night he left CBS Radio for his mega-deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. Thursday will be his 18th appearance on the "The Late Show."
Now he returns to help breathe some life in Letterman's show, which returned to season-high numbers last week, thanks to plenty of viewer curiosity, but still hasn't made ratings inroads against Leno. In his first five days back, Leno trounced Letterman — like he always did before the writers strike began.
According to preliminary numbers, Letterman won Monday night — when he shaved his strike beard and had Tom Hanks as a guest. But even Hanks suggested Letterman wasn't doing enough with his writers: "I thought shaving your strike beard is what you do when you don't have writers."
Who started paying their employees first?
Letterman or Leno? hmmmmm?
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We need the writers. I can't imagine Deal or No Deal every damn night.
Here is a point that needs to be made. For all the talent that the writers possess, why has it been so tough for them to put their cause into writing?
Dave is back on the air , with his writers, because his company signed a deal with the writers union agreeing to everything they asked for.
Jay, by contrast, is back on the air scabbing. He is writing for himself and paying other scab writers $25. a pop to fax in jokes (and he only pays for the ones he uses). This soulless, integrity challenged, closet hiding, ratings whore has thrown the union, a union he's belonged to for decades, under the bus in favor of his own pitiful self interest.
There are 1000's out of work because of this strike. Not just writers. He could have used his show as an immeasurably powerful forum in support of his union's cause. But in his lack of testicular fortitude, Jay chose Jay above all else.
While there is a ratings gap that divides these two men, it is dwarfed by the canyon that separates them in the measure of dignity and personal integrity.
I hope Howard flames Leno during his Late Show appearance. Because Dave, forever true to himself, never will.
Jay's nice and cuddly and safe, and will bend over backwards before he steps on anyone's toes, whether they deserve it or not. It's been said before and I'll say it again. Dave is indeed, a Class Act.