LETTERMAN'S RUNNING GAG ABOUT CRASHING
OPRAH/OBAMA DINNER ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD:
HASN'T DAVE HEARD
TEDDY KENNEDY DIED?
I'm a huge fan of David Letterman's and think he's the best of the
current breed of talk show hosts, even though his monologues often hit
and miss. Indeed I sometimes wonder if Dave realizes he's not doing a
nightclub act in front of a different audience (nationwide that is)
when he often repeats a joke almost word for word three or four days in
a row.
But his panel patter -- mostly extemporaneous -- is unmatched by his Late Night Show peers such as The Tonight Show's
Conan O'Brien, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, CBS' Craig Ferguson and NBC's Jimmy
Fallon. His sharp wit and well-informed grilling of his guests show
that he is well read, very much in the know and incredibly up on
current events.
So, how is it that, after having started a humorous rant early in
the week relating to his comic obsession with Oprah Winfrey and her
industry power, and wondering aloud why he wasn't invited to dinner
with the president this coming weekend as she was -- since he was going
to be on Martha's Vineyard at the same time -- Letterman continued the
joke nightly -- as is his habit -- even after he must have known Teddy
Kennedy had died on Cape Cod.
Obviously he hadn't on Tuesday, as his show is taped in the
afternoon, but by Wednesday and Thursday he was surely aware. Yet, it
seems that he and the other Late Show writers were determined
to hang onto what they deemed to be a very amusing running gag, even
though it was clear Obama was going to be delivering a eulogy at
Kennedy's funeral on Saturday.
Even if Obama was going to keep his date with Oprah while preparing
his remarks for the sad occasion, it seemed unseemly and inappropriate
for Letterman to keep harping on this presumed "slight" by the
president, as if Obama had nothing else on his mind.
Apart from the fact that I'm one of the many millions around the
world who mourn Kennedy's death and am confident that Letterman,
knowing his politics veer left, probably shares my profound feelings,
this not-so-funny running bit seemed tasteless and particularly out of
touch.
At first I thought, well, maybe Dave taped these shows, which is
uncharacteristic, because when he goes on vacation they repeat episodes
that are at least a few weeks old. But giving him the benefit of the
doubt, I thought, well, maybe they did so a few days ahead to let him
get out of town and to the Cape a few days early.
But his monologues included material that was very up-to-date,
including John McCain's ejection of a woman from his town hall, which
just happened Wednesday, not to mention Dave's reference to the
nomination of Ben Bernanke for a second term as Chairman of the Federal
Reserve Bank.
So, it's clear this continuing "comic" faux pas about the
Obama/Oprah dinner was done with knowledge of Senator Kennedy's loss.
To that, I can only suggest Dave Letterman and his writing staff might
show a little more consideration and sensitivity rather than being so
in love with their material that they won't chuck it no matter how
indifferent and oblivious to national and world events it makes them
appear.
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