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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Show #2876
By Michael Z. McIntee Change Text Color:
Black | White


Randy Jackson; Saffron Burrows; Todd Pendleton; and Ray Davies.
PLUS: The Beef Recall; The Faulty U.S. Spy Satellite; Dave’s Fill-In; a Top Ten List; and Let’s Talk About The Candidates.

“ . . . and now, blushing bride . . . . . . . David Letterman!”

ACT 1:
This massive beef recall is disturbing. The effects of the tainted beef are turning up everywhere. Dave found something very odd at the grocery store this morning that dramatizes this very point. Dave holds up a can of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli. The Chef on the label is slumped over, apparently unconscious.

Dave throws the blue card through the window. We hear the window crash, followed by the opening of “The Crusher” by the Cramps: “Roooaaaarrrrrrrrr! Do the Hammerlock A-do the Hammerlock A-do the Hammerlock you turkey necks, rawrr Do the Hammerlock.”

Have you heard about the U.S. spy satellite that is falling back to earth? Well, the U.S. military will shoot it down on Thursday to prevent it from falling into the hands of our adversaries. The military has created a simulation to help explain just what will happen on Thursday. We see the U.S. spy satellite. We see the earth. We see a missile fired from the earth. We see it fly through the air towards the satellite. We see it miss the satellite and fly by. We then see it hit the moon. The moon explodes. That’s too bad. There goes surfing season, I guess.

But not to worry; the government has this satellite thing well in hand. They have a plan to take care of the problem. We take a look this announcement.
Announce: “A malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite will soon fall to earth. In order to prevent possible damage or injury on the ground, the federal government will safely shoot it down.” See photo of Cheney in a hunting gear aiming his rifle high into the sky. “Dick Cheney --- Locked & Loaded.” Static.
Cut to LATE SHOW writer Bill Scheft in his office.
BILL: “Hi, I’m Late Show writer Bill Scheft. I’m sorry about the extremely old, tired Dick Cheney reference. My judgment was impaired because I ate some bad beef.” Bill holds up a half-eaten sandwich.
Bill: “Recalled beef --- the hot new comedy reference! Watch for it!”
Alan announce: “This message has been brought to you by the League of Women Voters.”

The big International news today is the announcement of Fidel Castro stepping down after nearly 50 years as President of Cuba His brother Raul is expected to fill the position. Dave says that he too has a plan for someone to fill in if he falls ill. He’s here every night. Dave asks is his brother Raul will show his face and take a bow or give a wave. We see a shot of Raul Letterman open the door of his dressing room and wave. Raul is the spitting image of Dave, except he has a dark Cuban mustache.
Dave says of Raul: “Nice guy, but just as dumb as they come.”

After nearly 50 years in power, Fidel Castro has announced that he will be retiring, so tonight, we took a look back at some of the highlights of his career.
-- shot of Castro: “February 1959 – seizes control of Cuba.”
-- Shot of Castro: “April 1961 – repels Bay of Pigs invasion.”
-- Shot of Castro: “July 2006 – Temporarily transfers power to brother Raul.”
-- Shot of Dave in beard at the desk back in January: “January 2008 – Guest hosts CBS’s Late Show.”

ACT 2:
Hey, Sid McGinnis shaved his beard . . . sort of. He shaved down from a full beard to a Hulihee.

TOP TEN: Reasons Fidel Castro is Retiring
After nearly 50 years as President of Cuba, 81-year-old Fidel Castro is resigning. His brother Raul is expected to succeed him. 10. Accepted the role of Dr. Ramon Vazquez on “General Hospital.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE CANDIDATES
We do this public service segment as informational entertainment to keep the public in the know in this 2006-2008 Presidential Campaign. Dave directs Biff to find an audience member to participate. Biff finds a Kathy Uhl of Maywood, New Jersey. She’s a student at Rowan University and studying broadcast journalism. Now we know that John McCain just about has the Republican nomination tied up but the Democratic nomination is still as close as can be. But the big international political news is the resignation of Cuban president Fidel Castro. How this will effect our own Presidential election is anybody’s guess. Suddenly, a guy a few rows behind Ms. Uhl stands and cries out, “Wait! Hold it! What did you say about Fidel?”
Dave repeats: “Fidel Castro is retiring. He announced it today.”
Guy: “No! It can’t be true! No! No! He was my favorite Commie!” Obviously distraught, the guy pushes Biff away so the camera can get a better shot of him. A CBS Page rushes in from behind and grabs hold of him. Two CBS Pages approach from the front. The guy elevates his feet and kicks the approaching Pages in the face. He then elbows the guy behind him in the jaw. All three fall to the ground. The guy continues up the aisle, moaning and groaning and over-acting. One of the Pages gets up and tries to stop him again. The guy turns and delivers a right hook to the jaw. He then grabs the Page and throws him through the door. The guy exits out that door and ends up someplace on Broadway. Security is no where to be seen. I’m sure when the report is made out by security, it won’t state such.

The guy was very upset about learning of Fidel’s resignation during “Let’s Talk About The Candidates.” I guess he didn’t see the first half of the show.

ACT 3: RANDY JACKSON: Unbelievably, American Idol is now in its 7th season. My favorite season is still the first one when Richard Hatch won. This season’s “Idol” is down to 24 finalists; 12 guys/12 gals. Now the viewing audience starts voting. This Thursday, 2 from each will be eliminated.
Many past winners have gone on to great success, but some have not. And some also-rans have made it to the top while others have languished. “American Idol” is like a rocket taking the contestants to great heights, but once there, “they still need great dope songs.” Dave asks for clarification: “Dope songs?” C’mon, dude, dope songs. Good songs. Groovy songs. Dig? Everything seems to be going great for Randy Jackson these days, but like anyone in the entertainment business, the beginnings were very rough; not at all glamorous. Randy says he worked in some very tough joints playing bass guitar when he was just a kid. Dave asks if the money was good and were there times he wasn’t paid. Randy says, “I got stiffed as a kid.” Dave follows, “ . . but did you get paid?” WEEEOOO! From those early gigs, Randy became a member of the Rock group, Journey. Dave shows a photo of the group and of a younger Randy. Ah, yes, the ‘80s. The clothes, the music, the styles . . . . yeeech. “American Idol” – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on FOX. And you can see Randy’s new show on MTV, “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” – Thursdays at 10:00 PM.

ACT 4: TODD PENDLETON: He calls himself the Millionaire Matchmaker. What does that mean? TODD: “I run a very exclusive dating service which helps single millionaires find the love of their life. It takes a delicate balance of science and instinct to do what I do. And I think I do it well.”
DAVE: “How did you know you had this ability?”
TODD: “I guess I have always felt I was born with a gift, and it’s quite fulfilling to be able to use it to help people.”
DAVE: “How long have you been doing this?”
TODD: “About a week.”
DAVE: “I would have guessed longer.”
TODD: “Thank you.”
DAVE: “How many clients do you have?”
TODD: “I got a couple of leads. If you know anyone, send them my way.”
DAVE: “Have there been any success stories?”
TODD: “Yes. I’m happy to say we had a millionaire a few days ago who was looking for love and we found the right woman for him. He’s very happy.”
DAVE: “That’s great.”
TODD: “His wife isn’t too happy about it, though, but that’s their problem.”
DAVE: I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but before calling yourself the ‘Millionaire Matchmaker,’ should you have a little more experience? It doesn’t quite make sense, does it?”
TODD: (begins to break down; slightly weeping)
DAVE: “Is everything OK?”
TODD: (crying) “I don’t know what I’m doing. I have been a failure at everything. I’ve tried selling romantic candles door to door. I sold exotic animals out of my yard. How knew that was illegal? I’m an idiot, an idiot who just embarrassed himself in front of, like, 100,000 viewers. Thanks, though, I had a nice time.”
Todd runs off in a weep.

That’s too bad.

ACT 5: Announce: “Wednesday on the Late Show, join Dave as he welcomes the hilarious Amy Sedaris, National Grocery Bagging Champion Erika Jensen, and music from Foo Fighters. And don’t forget, Steve Martin is our guest on Thursday’s show. Call the cops, it’s gonna be nuts! We’ll be right0 back.”

ACT 6: SAFFRON BURROWS: It’s her first time here in 9 years. Last time she was promoting Deep Blue Sea, the summer of 99’s big action shark movie with Samuel L. Jackson. Oh, boy. When I heard it was 9 years since she was last here, my mind quickly figured something like 1994. Not till I sat to type did I realize 1999 was 9 years ago. That’s just not right.
Saffron flew in from L.A. yesterday and the ride was a bit bumpy. She was traveling alone but quickly grabbed hold of the gentleman next to her. She said to him, “I’m sorry, but I have to grab your hand.” And she held it the rest of the flight. He was very sweet. He asked her a lot of questions to keep her mind occupied and to distract her from the turbulence. They talked about New York, restaurants, real estate, and his business in banking. Saffron is interested in buying an apartment here in New York so the guy gave her his card. At the end of the flight, she was so thankful she gave him a hug. And then he said, “Before you go, I want you to meet my son and ex-wife.” They were sitting across the aisle. Saffron can only imagine what they thought of her, and him.
Randy Jackson was just on; does Saffron have a musical background? When she was 11 years old, she and her friends formed a rap group called the “Stokey Posse.” Saffron went by the name “Street Cat.” Her best friend went by the name “Street Dog.” They went for the tough, cool look, but they were terrible rappers. (But aren’t they all?) Her new film, “The Bank Job” is based on a true story about a bank robbery in 1971 London that was actually orchestrated and covered up by the British Government. The small-time crooks contracted to pull the heist were the most innocent of the bunch.
The Bank Job – it opens March 7th.
And Saffron can also now be seen on ABC’s Boston Legal.

ACT 7
Before introducing Ray Davies, Dave says of Saffron Burrows: “If I didn’t have a show, there’s not a chance in hell I could ever get that close to her.”

RAY DAVIES: From his new album, “Working Man’s Café,” the legendary Ray Davies performed “In A Moment.”

And that was our show for Tuesday, February 19, 2008.




Sunday night, half awake, half asleep, I watched the Family Guy. Hoo-boy . . . funny! Very funny. Not only did I smile a few times, I actually laughed out loud.

From Wikipedia: Family Guy is an Emmy-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. It was created by Seth MacFarlane for Fox Broadcasting Company in 1999. The show uses frequent "cutaway gags", jokes in the form of tangential vignettes that do not advance the story.

Oh, the cutaway gags. They go on much too long . . . . and that’s what makes it so good. The joke is made . . . and then it goes on just a bit too long . . . and then it goes on a lot longer. You laugh, then you stop, then you laugh again harder. Very funny.
More from the Wiki: Family Guy was cancelled once in 2000, and again in 2002, but strong DVD sales and the large viewership of reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim convinced Fox to resume the show in 2005. It is the first canceled show to be resurrected based on DVD sales.

I’ve seen Family Guy a few times here and there, but now I’m looking for it.

After 50 years, Fidel Castro is stepping down as the leader of Cuba. Taking his place: his brother Raul. I’m always suspicious when a family member takes over to lead a nation. I wonder if they are getting the best eligible candidate, or if it is a corrupt system. George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton had no comment.

“The Crusher” --- the hammerlock song:
From Mark Walters of Dallas, Texas:
“Hey Mike, Wanted to let you know that the song ‘The Crusher’ that is played when the cards go through the window is actually not The Cramps. The version played on the show is the original version of ‘The Crusher’ by The Novas. The Cramps did a cover of the song that was a little faster. The version by The Novas which Dave used can be heard here - http://tinyurl.com/3927br - the longer drawn out ‘RAID!’ at the beginning is the giveaway, as the version by The Cramps is much quicker at the start.
Thank you, Mark Walters, for sharing your knowledge. So, Wahoo readers, if you’re going to the record store looking for “The Crusher” by the Cramps, you probably really want “The Crusher” by the Novas.
Eclipse pitch I’m pitching an idea for Wednesday night’s show. While I was talking to Harold the other night I realized he hasn’t made it on the show recently, so I wrote something for him. If you see it tonight, you’ll know it came from me. My idea:

Extra: Harold Checks On The Lunar Eclipse
DAVE: “A lunar eclipse is to take place tonight across the country. It should be happening here in New York right about now. Harold, would you take a look to see how the lunar eclipse is going?”
(HAROLD BY THE CUE CARD ALLEY DOORS. OPENS THE DOOR. VT – CHROMA - A GIANT TOAD IS REVEALED.)
HAROLD: “Oh, my God! Giant Devil Toad! Run for your lives!”
(HAROLD RUNS AWAY)
DAVE: “That’s too bad. I really wanted to see the eclipse.”

Wow! United States Senator Hillary Clinton from New York was seen in New York today!

CAMEO MENTION OF A WAHOO READER
From Cincinnati, Ohio, it’s Kent Stickney
This concludes another installment of CAMEO MENTION OF A WAHOO READER

Michael Z. McIntee
mikemack@aol.com
ACT 1
• Show Open
• Dave's Monologue
 Watch now
• Beef Recall
• Military Missle Blows up the Moon
• Satellite Shot Down by Cheney
• Castro Retiring / Dave's Brother, Raul
• 50 Years of Castro Highlights
ACT 2
• Top Ten Reasons Fidel Castro Is Retiring
 Read now

• Let's Talk About The Candidates
 Watch now
ACT 3
• Randy Jackson
ACT 4
• Matchmaker, Todd Pendleton
ACT 5
• Audience Shot
ACT 6
• Saffron Burrows
ACT 7
• Ray Davies performs "In A Moment"
• Show Close

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