CBS
What? David Letterman off the beaten path? Sure, he’s a mainstream entertainment kind of guy. Yes, folks have talked about his show for decades. But my criteria for being considered off the beaten path has more to do with what blogs review on a regular basis. I’m sure somewhere in the world someone probably reviews The Late Show with David Letterman nightly. But I don’t know where they are. So here he is for your latest Off the Beaten Path perusal.
The Dave we’re watching today is a more mellow Dave when compared to the zaniness of the old Late Night with David Letterman which ran after The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson back in the ’80s. To be honest, the old show, Dave in Adidas sneakers and all, got me hooked on the show. He was goofy, did crazy things like wear velcro suits while flinging himself against walls, was an instigator of nastiness with some of the guests and all.
He still throws various things off the top of the building just to watch them smash. The man is still a bit on the quirky side. But his way with the guests has really changed as he’s mellowed. No longer do guests publicly say they won’t go on the show because he’s mean to them or they’re afraid he’ll be mean. Heck, even when he was (fairly) recently rough on Paris Hilton about her jail stint, she has been on twice since. Hmm … maybe that’s three times. She’s not quite my favorite guest on the show. The way she walks as she model-slinks to the stage is good for a laugh, though.
My favorite returning guests usually are more along the lines of a Regis Philbin. I remember before Regis hit his own level of fame, he’d dress like a pea and throw things to the audience in the old show. Dave and Regis have a special rapport, one that has Dave picking on him mercilessly. But the love (well … er …) is there. Jack Hanna’s appearances and interaction with Dave are always a hit with me. But I’m also a sucker for Jack Hanna animal segments on any show.
Paul Shafer has been with Dave all these years morphing from The World’s Most Dangerous Band to the CBS Orchestra. Paul’s the perfect sidekick to Dave. He never flusters, never skips a beat. And, although I’m not a huge fan of his singing voice, the band itself rocks. As for the musical guests, Dave has continued a tradition to air new acts on the scene. A good thing indeed.
I’m obviously an admitted fan of the show, but I’m not claiming it’s perfect. If it were perfect, it probably wouldn’t be Dave. The skits with the Johnny Dark or Twain character could vanish tomorrow and I wouldn’t miss the guy. The only time I liked that actor was when he played the World’s Oldest CBS Intern. Dave can also stop pimping his book nightly. I know about it. Other segments such as Stupid Pet Tricks, The Top Ten, and the kids on Halloween more than make up for the few bits I don’t enjoy so much.
All in all, it’s a rare night that I actually miss the show. David Letterman has been a nightly routine of mine for more years than some of the readers here have been alive. I miss the Dave of the old days, but I’m not the same person I was back then either. I tried Leno a few times during Letterman repeat weeks and he can only get me to watch when he has The Blue Man Group on. Dave’s the man, albeit a bit off the beaten path in the review arena.
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Oct 31, 2008 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
I used to love it when Teri Garr was on his show in the older days. I always made sure to watch when she was on. She was on his show recently after not having been on in a long time but I missed it so I don’t know how it turned out. They used to go at each other pretty good back then.