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Topic: Richard Simmons on David Letterman

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-01-2006 07:32 PM

quote: Rick Raskin
Watch the flames -- the fuel source is in the tray. That's SHOW BIZ.

OF COURSE it was rigged. But Simmons did not know about the flameup in advance, that is what made it funny.

Tim - you should watch Dave again now. He's a completely different guy than when he was on NBC. Watch him with a politician or a news person like Tom Brokaw, or with a sports figure. A serious interview is a whole nother animal compared with a comedy-centric spot like this Richard Simmons deal.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-02-2006 08:04 AM

Ehmmm... I might sometime. [Smile]

quote: Mike Heenan
I'm glad that Conan O Brien will be taking over for Leno.

Oh, this is news to me. When does he take it? I like Conan, too.

How long has Leno had that show now?

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Hillary Charles
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 748
From: York, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-02-2006 09:20 AM

Either it was earlier this year or late last year that Leno said he was leaving in five years, and Conan was quickly announced to replace him. I'm looking forward to the change, although I hope it doesn't do to Conan what it apprently did to Leno.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-02-2006 12:38 PM

2009 is when Conan takes over the Tonight Show. Leno has been the fulltime host (as opposed to guest host) since spring 1992.

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Rick Raskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1100
From: Manassas Virginia
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 12-02-2006 12:54 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
But Simmons did not know about the flameup in advance

Somehow I find that hard to believe. C'mon, these guys are in show business. It's all an act.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-02-2006 04:40 PM

Here's a quote from the "Wahoo Gazette," a daily wrapup of the show written by one of the staffers. The way this is written, I think Simmons did not know in advance (but Dave did).

quote:
And Richard has become an inventor. He's come up with his new food steamer. We have one behind the desk which Richard struggles to lift. He finally gets it on the desk but the tray it was on dangles from it. Uh oh. I know this isn't good. Richard doesn't understand why that tray is even attached to his steamer. It's awkward just hanging there and finally, with Dave's help, the tray is placed under the steamer. Richard explains how it works and presses the on button. Seconds later, it begins to smoke. Richard isn't at all pleased at the joke we pulled. But the joke isn't over. The steamer suddenly explodes into a ball of fire, chasing Richard out of his chair and over to Paul. Dave got a good laugh out of that. With that, we send Richard off with hopes of seeing him again soon.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-03-2006 02:52 PM

Some people like Letterman, some don't. I've been a fan of his since the 80s, but then again I do seem to "get the joke" whereas other friends of mine don't get his style of humor.

As far as Richard Simmons goes, I personally think some of his behavior is just who he is, but moreso I believe it is an act.

Speaking of Richard Simmons, nothing, absolutely nothing beats this 20 minutes of television. Be prepared to laugh yourself into pain.

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Jennifer Pan
THE JEN!

Posts: 1219
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-03-2006 03:17 PM

OMG! That was awesome! [thumbsup]

I love Whose line!

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 12-03-2006 08:47 PM

Letterman is pretty much an asshole toward most of his so called guests. I find him amusing some of the time but just annoying mostly. O'Brien, I think is the most nearly talent free late night host ever, just a talking face. If Letterman is still on when O'brien takes the Tonight Show, NBC will finally lose its hold on the #1 late night.

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-04-2006 01:17 AM

THat video is HALARIOUS!!

I was reading a little about Richard Simmons.

From what I read quite some time ago Letterman actually sprayed a fire extinguisher into Simmon's face, causing Simmons to have a major asthma attack.

If this is true than that Letterman is a real shit fer brains! How stupid can you get, doing something that is potentially fatal like that???

K

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Anslem Rayburn
Master Film Handler

Posts: 476
From: Yuma, AZ, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 12-04-2006 04:17 AM

quote: Bill Enos
Letterman is pretty much an asshole toward most of his so called guests. I find him amusing some of the time but just annoying mostly. O'Brien, I think is the most nearly talent free late night host ever, just a talking face. If Letterman is still on when O'brien takes the Tonight Show, NBC will finally lose its hold on the #1 late night.

Conan is the greatest thing to happen to late night television since Johnny Carson. He makes fun of everthing, then he makes fun of himself and his own show. His self-depricating sense of humor keeps him fresh, and David Letterman would be wise to retire before he has to go head-to-head against Conan. This guy is the man we will be laughing with/at for the next 20 years.

Letterman has never been very funny to me, he always comes across as an arrogant prick. He is always willing to laugh at others, but whenever someone laughs at him, it's a crime. Screw him.

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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 12-04-2006 04:35 AM

quote: Will Kutler
How stupid can you get, doing something that is potentially fatal like that???

Well, the same could be said if you sprayed silly string at someone and they had an allergic reaction to it. Something that is normally so safe, and kids play with all of the time, yet I garantee that someone out there is fatally allergic to something in it. The extinguisher was a CO2 if I remember correctly. Perfectly harmless unless you get close enough to get the frost, or empty the extinguisher into sealed box with you in it, depriving you of oxygen. Or in the unforeseen chance of being asthmatic. I say that was just an honest mistake. I do enjoy most of Letterman, especially the Top 10, and the mail bag. I think the haughtieness is just his stage personality, who knows though? As long as his victims are fine with him in the end, its good. I do know Oprah doesn't like him.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-2006 03:01 PM

You must not have watched Dave in a while. They haven't done the "mailbag" in months, and Oprah was on his show not too long ago and they got along famously. He even walked her down Broadway to the theater where her show was playing, holding hands all the way.

Letterman will go head-to-head against Conan for at least one season, because he just renewed his contract through 2010. Conan takes over the Tonight Show in 2009. Personally I think Letterman will stay on the air until at least 2011, because at that point he will have put in 30 years as a late night host. That's how long Carson had the Tonight Show and he's Dave's biggest idol. To say he matched (or beat) Carson's record for longevity would be the best thing in his legacy.

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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 12-05-2006 12:00 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
You must not have watched Dave in a while.

I haven't been able to. One of my favorite things to do, even as an adult, is to watch his show with my grandmother. She died just a week before Thanksgiving last year. But that's not why I can't watch it, just my schedule prevents me to and I'm too lazy to set the VCR.

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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-05-2006 01:13 PM

quote: Will Kutler
From what I read quite some time ago Letterman actually sprayed a fire extinguisher into Simmon's face, causing Simmons to have a major asthma attack.

What happened was this: Simmons was supposed to come out dressed as a turkey (it was a show just before Thanksgiving a few years back), and do some kind of shtick. When he did come out, he ran over to Dave and tried to hug him, but he grabbed him too hard and wound up wrenching Dave's neck. Letterman got pissed off and pulled the pin on the stage fire extinguisher, and chased Simmons around yelling “fuck you” (he never got him directly in his face). Finally, Simmons ran off backstage and had some kind of hissy-fit panic attack, or something. There was no asthma. Sue Humm, the show’s wardrobe woman, finally got him calmed down. He's been unwelcome over there ever since. I was surprised to hear he was on the show, I thought Dave was doing him a favor, letting him back on to plug whatever this thing was.

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