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Letterman Trumps Leno
1-Jan-2008
Written by: Susie Kopecky
David Letterman is trumping Jay Leno is star wattage this week, as the two late night hosts return to television.
David Letterman is starting off the new year by trumping Jay Leno... in more ways than one. Both Letterman and Jay Leno will be returning to late night television with new episodes this Wednesday, while the Hollywood writers strike rages on. According to Hollywood Today, Letterman's deal with the Writers Guild of America has allowed him to secure appearances by some top-notch celebrities upon his return to the late-night sphere. Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, recently secured a deal with the WGA, allowing its striking writers to return to Letterman's show. "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno has not been as fortunate in deal-making yet, and Leno will be forced to improvise more in his return. Letterman initially secures Donald Trump's appearance on his first night back, January 2nd, and now it has been announced that Letterman will be hosting mega-star comic Robin Williams instead. Trump will still be a guest on the CBS show, but his appearance will be bumped to Friday.
Scoring Robin Williams, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, is a major boon for the late night show host. Williams' appearance may also signal to other A-list celebrities that appearing on Letterman's show during the strikes is quite acceptable. It might be harder for Leno to secure as many A-listers, as SAG members may feel pressured to support their fellow guild members, in the writer's wing. Leno has announced that his first show back, on Wednesday, will feature Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. This new arrangement may also be a windfall for fellow CBS-host Craig Ferguson, whose show will benefit from Letterman's arrangements. Worldwide Pants' deal with the WGA included the same privileges for Ferguson's show and its writers.
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