Palin May Give Letterman an Accidental Boost

(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.” Unlike his erstwhile and future rival, Jay Leno, Letterman does not disguise his disaffection to satisfy affiliates. At 62, he is “the last American codger.” More»

Sarah Palin gets mocked, multiple times, by Late Show host

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno wasn't the only one with Sarah Palin this week on late night. The former Alaska guv made her way into David Letterman 's interview last night with Mitt Romney ("Be careful what you say about her," cautioned the former presidential candidate. "She has a rifle.") More importantly, Letterman debuted a new segment Monday—“Is It a Satellite Delay?”—using clips of Sarah Palin’s awkward pauses during live satellite interviews to great effect. Watch both clips in the gallery. More»

Jimmy Fallon tops Craig Ferguson in ratings race

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno owned the 11:35 time slot last night, smashing both David Letterman and ABC’s combination of Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel as curious viewers tuned in to see Leno take back the Tonight Show gig. Leno scored a 5.7 rating, compared to 3.0 for Letterman, 3.4 for Nightline, and 1.8 for Kimmel, Entertainment Weekly reports. More»

David Letterman still wins, but he's in a class of his own

(NEWSER) - Despite all the publicity heaped upon them in recent weeks, there are more late night hosts than just Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. After years of following the major late night shows, Michael Giltz decided the time has come to declare a new king. His final verdict? Craig Ferguson, but only if you take David Letterman out of the running. Check out his thoughts, from the Huffington Post :

• David Letterman: “He's already ascended to the pantheon, alongside Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dick Cavett, and just a few others. His legacy is assured, so he doesn't get ranked alongside the others.”
• Craig Ferguson: “He's been charming the pants off us for some 1000 shows now and doing it effortlessly,” and last night’s show—during which he eschewed the audience and simply talked to Stephen Fry for an hour—“was an arresting, wonderful hour akin to the glory days of Dick Cavett.”

But then-'Tonight Show' host didn't have time

(NEWSER) - Last night’s Leno/Letterman/Oprah Super Bowl ad could have been even more epic; Dave originally wanted Conan in it, too. Late Show executive producer Rob Burnett called Conan’s producer to ask if the red-coiffed one would do the spot, but O’Brien was hard at work finishing his Tonight Show run at the time. “It wasn't as if they even said no,” Burnett tells The Wrap . “I just think they weren't in a position to consider it all.” More»