Yeah, Dave isn't that funny anymore.

but I grew up watching Dave in the mid and late 80's, I was going to high school and couldn't stay up that late so I would tape it and watch it when I got home.

Nobody was funnier than Dave back in the day. Not even Conan. Anyone who remembers classic Dave... with Chris Elliot, Larry Bud, the bookmobile lady, him dropping crap off a building or sticking things in the hydrolic press. or when he would take a megaphone and go to the nearest window at NBC and yell down the the people on the street "IM NOT WEARING PANTS!!", he was rude and outragous to his guests and you never knew what he was going to say. The Dave of old was the best late night host ever... the dave of today is just a shadow of his former self going through the motions. I agree, now, Conan is better.

did I see people say Carson is the best?? Carson Daly??? you're kidding right?? I mean really... no, really. seriously.

ohhhhhhhhhhhh you mean Johnny Carson... ok, nevermind... yikes!

Conan O'Brien
David Letterman
Jimmy Kimmel
Jay Leno
Craig Kilborn
Carson Daly

Although i still think Dave is still THE MAN, ImO, Conan is more than willing to go the extra mile and make a total ass of himself just to get a laugh - and for the most part succeeds. Chalk one up to youthful exuberance.
i'd rank Jon Stewart above 'em all, but since The Jon Stewart Show was inexplicably cancelled years ago & The Daily Show isn't technically a "late night" show, i couldn't include him on the list. If anyone could give Conan a challenge it would've been Stewart, ImO.

Headlines is stolen wholesale from Letterman's NBC show. Among other things, Leno has also copied Stupid Pet Tricks, Stupid Human Tricks, and even the dropping of things off a building and watching them get smashed (though his version was to fling them from a giant catapult presumably since his NBC studio buildings aren't that tall).

I'll give Leno credit for running the "let's laugh at dumb people" concept into the ground...

Dave used to really go all out for a laugh...I still remember him wearing the velcro suit when he mini-trampolined up against a wall and stuck to it and the suit covered in alka-seltzer tablets when he climbed into a tub of water and fizzed.

I like it that way. It's pretty hard to come up with a funny 10 minute monologe every night. By watching Johnny, Jay and Dave I would say it's impossible. Plus Conan was never a stand up comedian, which was painfully obvious the first season or two.

Conan's strengths are the comedy bits like the interviews with Clinton and Ahnold, desk driving, and oddball characters. To me that's what makes his show better than the rest.

Dave's been beating "Will it sink or will it float?" into the ground. I never understood why this bit was funny. Personally I miss the days of tossing crap off the roof. Pretty much anytime Dave leaves the studio for a bit it has been comic genius.

Don't forget climbing into a tub of milk in a suit covered in bags of Rice Krispies

Plus Dave has always been great with guests who cook or bring animals. He's either taking a swig from the bottle of cooking sherry, or getting attacked by a monkey in a dress.

I think Dave barely pays attention to whether it floats. He's too busy watching the "Will it Float" models and the grinder girl.

So am I for that matter.

The funniest thing I have seen him do in 10 years was on his primetime special a year or two ago. He worked the drive throuh at Taco Bell or some place like that. Hysterical.

I don't think anyone is all that funny right now, which is why I dont even watch these late night shows. (thank god for Nick@Night)
Now if J. Carson still had his show, then I would be watching late night. No one will ever be able to replace him. I was just recently watching some of his DVD's and just about every skit or interview had me laughing.

That would be my cue to repost this! Sorry for the length, but at least it's fairly organized.

ripped from ***********

DAVE AT TACO BELL
June 17, 1996
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTERMAN: You know what? I guess this is no secret that I do this every summer, and I don't know why. Well, I do
know why, because it's fun, because it keeps me in touch with the people. Every summer I take a part-time job. You know what I do, right, Paul?
SHAFFER: I do, yes.
LETTERMAN: And it began this weekend, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, I work part-time at a Taco Bell
out in New Jersey. It's true. What I do is I work right in there in the kitchen, and I have the head-set on, and I take the drive-through orders, you know, when people drive through in their car, and they talk into like an external speaker, and then I'm in the restaurant itself, the building there at Casa Del Taco, and I take their orders, and then I begin the process of making the food and getting it to them. So I am the representative of Taco Bell. I am the first voice the people hear when they drive through to order through the external speaker. You know what I'm talking about?
SHAFFER: Of course I do.
LETTERMAN: All right. Here we go. Here's me at my part-time job, Taco Bell in New Jersey.
(Letterman is wearing a wrinkled Taco Bell shirt hanging out of his pants like every teenager you've ever seen working fast food.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTERMAN: Hi. Welcome to Taco Bell. What do you want?
CUSTOMER: Hi. Can I have a kid's meal with a soft taco?
LETTERMAN: Are you Mexican?
CUSTOMER: No, I'm not.
LETTERMAN: If you're Mexican, the meal's half off.
**********
LETTERMAN: Hi. Welcome to Taco Bell.
CUSTOMER: Two soft taco supremes.
LETTERMAN: You know, we had some trouble. The kid that was supposed to come in and turn stuff on this morning didn't come in. All we got today is like a -- I can get you a grilled cheese sandwich. I can put taco sauce on it. All right?
CUSTOMER: Okay.
***********
LETTERMAN: What do you want to eat today?
CUSTOMER: Three light chicken soft tacos.
LETTERMAN: How about a burrito?
CUSTOMER: No, thanks.
LETTERMAN: How about a big burrito?
CUSTOMER: No, thanks.
LETTERMAN: How about the biggest damn burrito you ever laid eyes on in your life?
CUSTOMER: You know, this --
LETTERMAN: How about a burrito so damn big we've got to strap it to the roof of your car? How about that, sir? Would you like that?
**********
LETTERMAN: Welcome to Taco Bell.
CUSTOMER: Thank you.
LETTERMAN: Do you have any hair nets?
CUSTOMER: No.
LETTERMAN: Because we think that we're gonna get like a surprise visit later on from the Board of Health.
CUSTOMER: Oh, wonderful.
*********
LETTERMAN: Hi. Welcome to Taco Bell. How are you doing?
CUSTOMER: How are you doing?
LETTERMAN: Do you mind if I call you Pedro?
CUSTOMER: Yeah, whatever.
LETTERMAN: Hey, Pedro, what's up? What's on your mind? What's happening, my man? What's going down, Pedro? What are we having for lunch today, Pedro?
CUSTOMER: Hold on.
LETTERMAN: What? Hold on for what? What are you doing?
CUSTOMER: I'm looking at the menu.
LETTERMAN: You're looking at the menu. There's nine things on the menu. Come on, Einstein. Pick something.
*********
LETTERMAN: What can I do for you, Kenny?
CUSTOMER: Nacho supreme.
LETTERMAN: Okay, it will be about 90 minutes. We have to special order that.
CUSTOMER: The nacho supreme?
LETTERMAN: The nacho supreme is about an hour and a half. We actually need a day's notice on that one. (Customer drives out.)
*********
LETTERMAN: I'll tell you what, Pedro. It's your lucky day. How'd you like to come into the restaurant and meet the people who are preparing your lunch? (The scene shifts to Pedro meeting Taco Bell employees.)
LETTERMAN: That's Kim. This is Pedro. He's a big boy, isn't he? And your name? Julietta. You're making his lunch?
*********
LETTERMAN: There are no customers right now, so with this lull here, we'll use the p.a. system to drum up some business, okay? (The scene shifts to outside the Taco Bell where the p.a. system is blaring and people are staring.)
LETTERMAN: Come on in. We got free tacos. We got burritos and free tacos. Here's Eric the manager.
MANAGER: Free tacos. Come and get 'em.
*********
LETTERMAN: How about a beverage?
CUSTOMER: No.
LETTERMAN: How would you like to come in here and stick your head under the Pepsi machine?
CUSTOMER: No, that will be fine.
**********
LETTERMAN: Hi. What's your name?
CUSTOMER: Jennifer.
LETTERMAN: Jennifer, what can I do for you?
CUSTOMER: I need four soft taco supremes and a bean and cheese burrito.
LETTERMAN: Jennifer, I've customized a taco for you.
CUSTOMER: Oh, you have?
LETTERMAN: Yes, I have. I think you'll be very impressed when you see it. (The customer drives up and Letterman hands the customer a taco decorated with "JEN" in nacho cheese sauce.)
LETTERMAN: Here you go. Enjoy that.
CUSTOMER: Thank you.
LETTERMAN: Thank you very much.
*********
LETTERMAN: Hello.
CUSTOMER: Can I have a choco-taco.
LETTERMAN: Hey, how'd you like to come in and stick your head under the Pepsi machine?
CUSTOMER: All right.
(The scene shifts to inside the Taco Bell.)
LETTERMAN: Just get in there. Make it easy on yourself. Yeah, I'm holding his glasses. Don't play around. Just get in there and get your beverage and get the hell out. (The customer sticks his head under the Pepsi machine and gets Pepsi in his eyes and all over him.)
LETTERMAN: There we go, yeah.

*******
LETTERMAN: Welcome to Taco Bell. How was your weekend?
CUSTOMER: Good. How was yours?
LETTERMAN: It was okay. I had the family come over for a visit, and between you and me, I didn't really get my ass out of the hammock all weekend.
**********
LETTERMAN: Hello. Is somebody out there?
CUSTOMER: Yeah. I want one three-cheese melt with no beef. Do you make it with chicken or no?
LETTERMAN: Actually, today we're making 'em with goat.
*********
(A customer drives up in a really noisy car.)
CUSTOMER: Let me have two soft taco supremes.
LETTERMAN: Yeah.
CUSTOMER: Two soft taco supremes.
LETTERMAN: Right.
CUSTOMER: You got that?
LETTERMAN: Let me interrupt here, sir. I'll tell you what. When you're done eating your lunch, do me a favor. You gotta swear you'll do this, all right?
CUSTOMER: What?
LETTERMAN: Take your car to Tune-up Masters.
CUSTOMER: Oh, I'm gonna get that fixed.
**********
LETTERMAN: Honk the horn, ma'am.
CUSTOMER: Why?
LETTERMAN: We're testing the equipment. It has something to do with the microwave oven.
(The customer honks the horn.)
**********
LETTERMAN: I'm going to have to ask you to speak up. I can hardly hear you.
(The customer cups his hands and slowly and loudly yells each word into the p.a. system.)
CUSTOMER: I want two taco supreme soft and one original.
LETTERMAN: The taco supremes, we only have them in the hard.
CUSTOMER: All right. I'll take two hard ones and also a 99-cent three-cheese melt.
*********
CUSTOMER: Four taco supremes and one nacho supreme.
LETTERMAN: Can you order a little more food?
CUSTOMER: What?
LETTERMAN: I am one taco supreme away from being employee of the month.
CUSTOMER: No, that's not what I want.
*********
LETTERMAN: Now, when I call out a beverage, you say "roger."
CUSTOMER: Okay.
LETTERMAN: Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: Roger.
LETTERMAN: Diet Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: Roger.
LETTERMAN: Slice.
CUSTOMER: Roger.
LETTERMAN: Mountain Dew.
CUSTOMER: Okay.
LETTERMAN: Slice.
CUSTOMER: Roger.
(Scene shifts to lady honking her horn.)
********
CUSTOMER: I'm not gonna pay for eight and two tacos.
LETTERMAN: Yeah, but I'm gonna put you down for eight. You understand what I'm saying? So the paperwork will look like you ordered eight.
CUSTOMER: All right, no problem.
LETTERMAN: And I'm gonna have to charge you for the whole thing, but then if you give me your address, I can reimburse you.
CUSTOMER: No thanks, buddy. I ain't doing that.
LETTERMAN: I'll just send you like a check in a month.
CUSTOMER: Dude, man, I don't have any more money. What do you want me to do?
LETTERMAN: Listen to me. I'm gonna give you the money back, all right?
CUSTOMER: Look, forget it, then. (Expletive deleted)
LETTERMAN: You come in, you take the order, and when you come to the window, like you don't know me, okay? (The customer drives up to the window.)
LETTERMAN: How are you doing?
CUSTOMER: Oh, jeez.
LETTERMAN: We don't know each other, right? We don't know each other. We'll take care of your order.
*********
CUSTOMER: One small Pepsi.
LETTERMAN: All right. Slow down, ma'am. I am very, very tired. I'm just getting over the worst case of stomach flu I've ever had in my life.
CUSTOMER: You sound familiar.
LETTERMAN: I'm the manager Kenny.
CUSTOMER: No, you're not.
LETTERMAN: Yes, I am.
CUSTOMER: No, you're not.
LETTERMAN: Yes, I am. Get your food and be on your way.
CUSTOMER: Are you Howard Stern?
LETTERMAN: That's right. I am Howard Stern. Excellent guess.
CUSTOMER: Oh, it is so nice to meet you.
********.
LETTERMAN: Hi. Welcome to Taco Bell. What do you want, tacos?
CUSTOMER: No. I would actually like a light chicken burrito, nachos with a side order of guacamole and a three-cheese melt and a medium soda.
LETTERMAN: That's an awful lot of food. How many people are eating out there?
CUSTOMER: There's just two of us, and it's not a lot of food.
LETTERMAN: It seems like an awful lot of food to me, and I get the feeling you're gonna eat it by yourself.
CUSTOMER: No.
LETTERMAN: How much do you weigh?
CUSTOMER: Does it matter?
LETTERMAN: With that kind of food, yeah, when we're dealing with this kind of quantity, we need to know the weight of the customer.
CUSTOMER: Give me a break.
**********
LETTERMAN: Hi. Welcome to Taco Bell. What do you want?
CUSTOMER: Is there a manager back there?
LETTERMAN: This is the manager. My name is Dave. I'm the manager. What can I do for 'ya?
CUSTOMER: I'm just listening to you talk to the people, and you are being a little rude.
LETTERMAN: What did you say?
CUSTOMER: You're being a little rude to some of these customers.
LETTERMAN: Well, you know, my parents are both rude, and I guess I get it from them.
CUSTOMER: Are you the manager of this store?
LETTERMAN: (dumb guy voice) Ma'am, you're talking to Dave, manager of the Taco Bell. What would you like to eat today, ma'am?
CUSTOMER: I'd like two three-cheese melts.
LETTERMAN: Okay, okay. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm not exactly a computer. Slow down. Let's try it again. Take it from the beginning. What is it you would like for lunch?
CUSTOMER: Two three-cheese melts.
LETTERMAN: Two...three...cheese...melts.
**********
LETTERMAN: What's going on?
CUSTOMER: Give me three Pepsis, and what else do you want?
LETTERMAN: I tell 'ya what. I'm so tired, you guys come in and fix your own lunch, okay?
(Two customers come into the Taco Bell.)
LETTERMAN: There it is. That's the stuff there. Just make your own lunch.
CUSTOMER: We love you.
(The customers make their own lunch.)
LETTERMAN: That looks good.
**********
CUSTOMER: I want a medium diet Coke.
LETTERMAN: (dumb guy voice) Medium relative to what?
CUSTOMER: Halfway between the small and the large.
LETTERMAN: Okay, check, you got it. We can do that. Right. I got that. We can make that happen.
**********
LETTERMAN: Welcome to Taco Bell. How are you?
CUSTOMER: How are you?
LETTERMAN: I'm okay. I had kind of a bad weekend.
CUSTOMER: Oh, okay.
LETTERMAN: I was mowing my lawn. I got a riding mower a couple of weeks ago, and the damn thing rolled over my foot and I lost three toes.
CUSTOMER: I'm sorry to hear that.
LETTERMAN: I'm okay now. I'm full of morphine.
CUSTOMER: Oh, thank God. Thank God.
LETTERMAN: Have you ever had morphine?
CUSTOMER: Yes, I have.
LETTERMAN: It really makes you feel very, very good about everything.
CUSTOMER: I know. Yes, yes, it does.
********
LETTERMAN: Hi. How are you 'ya?
CUSTOMER: Two light soft tacos and a diet soda.
LETTERMAN: What kind of soda do you want?
CUSTOMER: A diet soda, diet Pepsi.
LETTERMAN: Diet what?
CUSTOMER: Pepsi.
LETTERMAN: We don't have diet Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: How about a Dr. Pepper?
LETTERMAN: A diet Dr. Pepper?
CUSTOMER: Sure.
LETTERMAN: We don't have diet Dr. Pepper.
CUSTOMER: Okay. I'll just have any kind of soda.
LETTERMAN: Well, I have to know what kind you want, ma'am, so I can tell you we're out of it.
*********
LETTERMAN: Hello.
CUSTOMER: Hi.
LETTERMAN: Who is this?
CUSTOMER: Allen.
LETTERMAN: Allen, listen, I've got another call. Can you call me back in a minute?
*********
LETTERMAN: Do you want a Pepsi?
CUSTOMER: Yes, a diet Pepsi.
LETTERMAN: All right. We're out of diet Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: Okay.
LETTERMAN: We have Slice, Mandarin Orange.
CUSTOMER: Is it diet?
LETTERMAN: No, it's not diet.
CUSTOMER: What else do you have diet?
LETTERMAN: We have diet Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: I'll have that.
LETTERMAN: We're out of diet Pepsi.
CUSTOMER: Okay.
**********
LETTERMAN: Go ahead and order.
CUSTOMER: Can I get the three beef cheese melt deal thing.
LETTERMAN: Yeah, we'll get you one of those. Can you do me a favor? It's my lunch break and I haven't had a chance to get anything to eat. Can I ask you to get me a little something to eat?
CUSTOMER: No.
LETTERMAN: Here's how this will work. You order for me a burrito supreme, okay?
CUSTOMER: For you?
LETTERMAN: Yes. We're not allowed to order our own food. Okay, what would you like, ma'am?
CUSTOMER: I told you. The three cheese beef melt.
LETTERMAN: Anything else?
CUSTOMER: And your stupid thing, whatever you want, but I'm not paying for it.
LETTERMAN: No, no, you're not paying for it. No, no, you misunderstood. I'll pay for it, but you have to order it. All right. It's a burrito supreme with no meat, Okay? Try it again. What else, ma'am?
CUSTOMER: Burrito supreme with no meat.
LETTERMAN: All right, fine. Thank you very much.
CUSTOMER: What's the total?
LETTERMAN: That's twenty-six eighty.
CUSTOMER: How much is the real total?
LETTERMAN: The real total is twenty-six eighty. The burrito supreme is a little pricy. It's one of our most expensive items.
CUSTOMER: I want a three cheese beef melt. Quit ****ing with me.
LETTERMAN: Let me see if I can repeat that order. You ordered something, a couple of tacos or something, a chicken something and a burrito supreme with no meat; is that correct? (The customer drives out and another customer drives up.)
NEXT CUSTOMER: She's gone already, chief.
*******
LETTERMAN: She's gone already, chief. She's gone already. One of them guys. One of those guys, rolls in, takes a look at the situation and sums it up for ya. She's gone already, chief. You won't find ticks on that boy. You won't find deadly ticks crawling around that guy. No, sir.

I remember all of that. Dave had the freshest materials, ideas, and guests. Dr. Ruth, Judy Tenuda, and a couple of gay gals including Sandra Bernhardt have alot to thank Dave for. But alas, that was when he was on NBC. It took a turn when he was brought on CBS. The only really funny thing I can recall on that show was when Madonna was cursing for the entire time she was on the show.

jezz, MJKTool, you're so stuck in the 80's!

I think he just ran out of ideas. But he's a legend so he can coast on that for the rest of his life.

What's with you and the late-night talk show thread resurrections today?

I've always found Dave funnier than anybody in the late night circuit. Even when I was still back home.

Not stuck in the 80's, just stuck on good comedy thats all.

You gotta be kidding me. Conan is the current king of late-night as far as I'm concerned. His hosting job at the Emmy's was the best goddamn broadcast they ever had in their entire history. As for Dave, sure he's coasting these days but he was the best back in the day. In fact, his Oscar stint was hilarious and one of the funniest ever. I remember the sketch where he's riding around taxi cabs in NYC, in one part he's in the backseat and it's packed almost to the ceiling with popcorn while he's munching away. Youll never see anything like that in those stupid oscar telecasts ever again.

I don't think Dave's as funny as he used to be, but for some reason I still watch. I used to love when he would sit in a car and tell Rupert G things to say to annoy people on the street. One time he was a waiter at this outdoor cafe, and I just remember the look of utter disgust on the people's faces when he would say these really random things that Dave be saying in his ear. I actually heard they stopped doing those skits because people were really getting offended and pissed off at Rupert.

Conan's probably my favorite, but sometimes his self-deprecating schtick gets old. I've been watching ever since it began, and if I had a dollar for every reference he made about being a pasty-faced dork with funny hair, I'd be vewy vewy rich. But, I definitely think he's the best interviewer. He can usually make even the most uptight people laugh and relax a little. I miss some of the old bits though, like the staring contests with Andy. The "Waste a minute with Frankenstein" would be ok if it was a funny waste of time, but it's usually not. "If They Mated" and "Celebrity Confessions" are funny, though. And I still love the Triumph bits, but there hasn't been one in a while (or has there?).

Yeah, David Letterman's show has gone the path of the X-Files. In the beginning it was amazing, fresh, like nothing else. Then it became just OK, still good but not what it used to be. Now is like seasons 8 and 9 just plain sucks.

These days are like I remember from the mid-80s (yes I'm that old). We would suffer through Carson waiting around anxiously for Late Night with you know who every night. Now people do the same watching Letterman/Leno waiting around for Conan.

I'm still a devoted Letterman fan (and have been since his NBC days), but some of his stuff no longer works. The majority of the "Top Ten List" jokes aren't funny anymore. Even when they bring in special guests or certain people as part of the list's theme, it's really bland. They need new writers for this, or perhaps, more time! And his current favorite joke, playing the sound bite of Renée Zellweger saying "If you need help, here I am" is very, very grating. I still like "The Late Show Quiz" and Biff Henderson's adventures, however. Those are some of the show's funniest moments. Some of Letterman's NY-style brand of humor might not come across as funny everywhere else, but I still like it.

I feel that Conan is funnier than all the late show hosts combined. I really didn't watch much of him at first (he was, after all, taking over Letterman's show at NBC). But he's come through on his own over the years.

I've seen Conan a few times and whenever I do I always end up asking myself, what's so funny about the guy? Take last night's telecast for example. There was a "If they made it" gag where they combined the pics of celebrity couples to see what their babies would look like. Are you kidding me? How is something that's been done on the internet countless times funny?

Letterman is god. It is well known that comics consider Letterman the tonight show. Dave was getting bitter and depressed for a couple of years before his heart surgury. After that he has become more upbeat and truly looks like he is really loving his job. Its amazing you don't even get the impression that Paul gets on his nerves. He does seem a little out of touch with the youth crowd but the guy is over 50. Conan is a younger version of Letterman, they share amazing quick wit, flirting, and interesting interviews.
Leno-yuck yuck humor that is unimaginative. I'd love for him to retire and give it to Conan.
Conan-Great Show
Kilborne-Has his moments, but really doesn't compare to Conan or Letterman.

PS-They shouldn't even give Leno a chair, just a pair of knee pads for his guests.

Agreed. Conan basically took Dave's Late Night show and improved upon it. He's still very funny.

I think Dave is hilarious, much more so than Leno. Is he as funny as he used to be? No. But he consistantly puts out an excellent show, night after night, when Leno is basically spewing lame jokes and sucking up to celebrities. I always see news articles about happenings on Dave's show because he's willing to take the risk for the sake of humor or just for the principle. I rarely see articles about Leno. Case in point: http://dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread....ight=letterman

Improved upon the show that gave the world the monkey cam or did one episode where the picture rotated around 360 degrees during the hour broadcast and where Letterman openly mocked his bosses at GE and actually showed up to their building with a fruit basket and was pretty much thrown out? There is so much more.

I still love Letterman because he's still funny, but I'm also aging with him. I don't even know how you can compare him to Conan or Stewart, who both list Letterman as their biggest influences in comedy or right up there. They don't say that about Leno.

I think Conan just updated the show with a style more fitting a dfferent time, with a different generation of people looking for things in their late night entertainment. Conan can be bold at 12:30 (11:30 where I live), because the safe (and by that I mean bland and boring) late night show on nbc has already aired.

I don't really like Conan that much, but I don't think so many people can be wrong about someone being funny, original and doing the edgier comedy. I think you still see the roots of that in Letterman, but he's doing the show in the earlier slot and he's 57 or something now.

I wish he'd be a little bit more original (stump the band is the ONLY thing on Letterman that I will not watch and he keeps doing it) and even with his choice of guests he's too much like Jay. He used to "find" great new musicians and keep having them back, REM made their first appearance there and PJ and Foo Fighters both have very close relationships with the show, but they don't seem to do that as much now. He worries more about matching guests with Jay, when it's impossible to do from NY when Jay can send a limo out and get some of the biggest celebs out there because they live nearby and know they can sleep walk or be drunk through the entire snoozefest.

Letterman will be remembered right up there with Carson for his influence on the format. I don't know if anyone can say that about Conan, at least not for another 10 years or so.

You can't honestly say that Dave doesn't deserve kneepads as well. He used to tell it like it was. If he hated a guests movie he would tell 'em and ask em what the hell they were thinking. Now there is 0 edge with all the kneepad action he gives.

Who on late night, really, grills their guests the way Letterman would in the 80's? Conan, from what I've seen, is very cordial with his guests and even Stewart, when he somewhat mocks a conservative from Fox, doesn't really ask the really tough questions. I saw Rebacca Romijn-Stamos on about 4 talk shows this week and the only one where her divorce came up was on Howard Stern's E Show.

Leno doesn't just NOT ask tough questions, he ask nothing of interest and is completely unengaged from having any idea of what might provoke interesting conversation. I don't see that from anyone else. Kimmel not included, because I don't bother watching that show unless he's got one of my very favroite celebs on, but he rarely gets them, so it's hardly ever.


But back to the kneepad thing, it's always going to be the case with the earlier late night show, that the hosts are going to be more tame and civil. They NEED to keep booking these people. In the 80's Letterman wouldn't care about making fun of Tom Cruise even if he wouldn't come on and he, pretty much didn't. So Letterman would call Sandra Benhard or one of his regulars and it never mattered. Now Letterman is 57 and needs those stars to show up. It's hard enough to compete with Leno in Hollywood and CBS with its lousy affiliates, let alone if he starts in on the "A" list celebrities that show up. But I still think he is more likely to ask something or try and ask something that surprises the guest or gets interesting info out of them more than any of the other hosts. Generally, from what I've read, Conan has the funnier show. I don't think he's a better interviewer than Letterman. I don't think anyone is, but Stewart would be number 2 for me and the guy I wish Letterman had gotten for the Late, Late Show.