Late Show - Top 10 Things Compilation

Skip to 3:42 for Barry White.
Skip to for 22:05 for John Malkovich.

Tonight Show - Unsexy Words

It's pretty safe to assume my "audience" is predominantly male. That's true enough. But even so, this one goes out to all the ladies...



This bit might remind you of the classic Top Ten list: "Top Ten Words That Sound Romantic When Spoken By Barry White".

Late Night, Late Show - Hurricane Sandy

Both the "Late Show" with David Letterman and "Late Night" with Jimmy Fallon broadcast out of New York and both decided to go through with shows on the day of Hurricane Sandy. Both were taped WITHOUT a live studio audience and both make for interesting viewing.

Watch the Full Episode of the Late Show here.
Watch the Full Episode of Late Night here.

The Jimmy Fallon show was interesting because it's such a novelty to see the show with no audience. It's odd to hear certain cues and events happen and followed by only silence. What is old is new again. Here, Jimmy Fallon starts out with one audience member, the Mets Bucket Hat Guy, and is left with no one.



Letterman's a completely different story. The funny thing about not having the audience is how good he is at handling it. It's like a classic broadcast from the days of radio with him hosting. I'll tell you exactly what it's like - it's like, for one show, it went back twenty years to the "Late Night" days. And that's the best thing to happen in a long time. Here's the low-tech Top Ten List:



I honestly think in each case that not having an audience improves the show. Seriously.

Eminem Is Serious Business

With Eminem and Jay-Z on the show, Dave is a little scared.

He's had Jay-Z on the show before so he's okay with that, but Eminem has never been on the show before and Dave confides to the audience that he senses Eminem wants to punch him. He doesn't know why exactly... but he does get that vibe.

When Eminem comes on to present a Top Ten List, it's quite a funny list, but the audience senses the (possible) tension. And Eminem's body language does nothing to disprove Dave's theory.

You can see the look Dave gives after "Thanks for having me" as if to say, "See, I'm in dangerrr."

Lost - Top Ten List

Lost creators/writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse present a Top Ten List of Lost Series Finale "spoilers" on the Late Show. The Series Finale airs Sunday.

Special bonus: file under the banner "Dave Explains Things", Dave explains what the "Lost" series is all about.

#5 is one of the funniest Top Ten entries ever.

JAZZERCISE...

Last night the Late Show had Snoop Dogg on to do a Top Ten list ("Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By Snoop Dogg").

Typical "Top Ten" list. Not really anything to write home about. I'm still embedding it here because the first minute of the clip shows Dave in the midst of tweeting. But it reminded me of possibly the best "Top Ten" list of all-time.... "Top Ten Things That Sound Romantic When Spoken By Barry White".

Observe:

One of the best Top Ten concepts ever. It doesn't matter how many times I see the clip, I ALWAYS laugh at #10 and #9. Classic, classic, classic.

Tom Hanks Reaction Shots

First there was "Vlade Divac Reaction Shots" which, by all accounts, vastly enhanced the NBA on NBC broadcasts. Then there was "Abe Lincoln Money Shots" which was totally unrelated. Now, there's "Tom Hanks Reaction Shots" provided as a special bonus feature to the night's Top Ten List.

Let's watch...

[Broken Video Link Removed]

Top Ten

A somewhat historic Top Ten List the other night. The Late Show aired the first ever Top Ten List with no category. Quoth Dave, "This will make no sense, this will get no laughs."

Top Ten

10. Replace beef with Canada geese -- it's a Sullen-burger

9. "Words George W. Bush Can't Pronounce" for a hundred, Alex

8. Claimed she could see Russian dressing from her house

7. Vibrating underpants

6. Don't look now but Kate Hudson's dating the Balloon Boy's crazy dad

5. Screw Thomas Edison -- this blanket has sleeves!

4. Idiots who answer the phone, "Yello?"

3. You're not Mrs. Paul and that's no fish stick

2. Is there anything in the health care plan to help Sammy Sosa's face?

1. So desperate to get out of town you'll fly Northwest

History, and yet maybe something not so new. A few years ago they collected random Top Ten entries from random lists that weren't good enough to air and assembled them in one list as "Top Ten Leftovers" or something. I suspect this is the same thing.