Aaron Barnhart's TVBARN.COM

Hey, don't forget Rick Ludwin (below). (NBC photos)

There's something about Gary

Reader Paul Tate writes, "I've never laughed so hard as I did Friday night when the 'Late Show' treated us to that strange sponsorship by NBC Studios executive Gary Considine. I don't know whether it was the odd background music, or Considine's plasticine mug, or the fact that it stayed on the screen way beyond comfortable, but whatever the case it had me rolling. Now, Aaron, you have to tell me — who is Gary Considine, and how does he relate to Dave and the Show?"

You're not the only one asking that question. Here is the word from no less an authority than Michael McIntee, author of the "Late Show's" daily behind-the-scenes recap, The Wahoo Gazette:

"Who is Gary Considine? I have no idea. Every staff member I talked to has no idea either. I don't know why Gary Considine was used but I have a feeling there are 6 people laughing their asses off somewhere. We do that a lot here at The Late Show. Often times we'll do a joke aimed at a very select few, so be patient, your turn is coming."

Oh, poo. Surely Worldwide Pants staff can do better than that. Haven't they read Bill Carter's book "The Late Shift," or at least caught the HBO adaptation of it on cable? Carter addresses a similar matter on page 58. The year is 1991, and two NBC executives have just cajoled David Letterman, against his wishes, into allowing reruns of "Late Night" to air on the A&E network. Now it's time for Mr. Passive Aggressive to seek revenge on his turf:

Carter writes: It was then that John Agoglia's picture (he was, at the time, executive VP of NBC) started turning up on "Late Night" as "GE Employee of the Week." Later Warren Littlefield (then No. 2 in NBC Entertainment behind Don Ohlmeyer) was similarly honored — and mocked. Even some of Dave's defenders inside NBC believed Letterman was pushing the hostility too far. "The guy is so funny and great and always had the rhetoric, but that was really, really mean," one NBC executive with ties to Letterman said. "That wasn't funny to me. That was offensive. These are behind-the-scenes people. It was sort of unfair for Dave to trot them out like that."

See, this is the difference between television and radio. In radio, it's a longstanding tradition to mock your station execs on the air. Radio personalities Howard Stern in New York and Steve Dahl in Chicago considered everyone fair game, including their bosses, starting in the early 1980s. In fact, some of their best programs involved confrontations with their employers, Dahl and Stern using their power as listener magnets to bully and threaten the class of people that had bullied and threatened them during the years they were climbing the ladder.

But in television, where everybody is supposed to make nice with everybody, a little on-screen mockery becomes "mean" and "offensive." The same complaints arose a few years later when Letterman's writers brought on their favorite bald-headed maniac, Leonard Tepper, and had him play Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales. My thought, then as now — what's the big deal? Shales has been treated a lot worse in print, and wouldn't you think those NBC compensation packages would be cushy enough to absorb a few blows from a late-night comedian?

Anyway, to solve the mystery of Gary Considine: As longtime TV Barn readers know, Considine is the head of NBC Studios, the network's in-house production unit, which produces (among other things) NBC late night. He is also married to comedian Rita Sever, who (as numerous readers have noted) is especially active in NBC late night, having served many times as host of "Friday Night" and "Later." I have no idea why Considine's being featured now. But something tells me a photo of NBC late-night executive Rick Ludwin is next.

("Late Show" is dark this week.)

Picks to click ... for the week of March 13 are here.

The daily digest ... for March 11, 2000: Confirming the item that ran in TV Barn on Friday, Variety reports today that "The Martin Short Show" is toast — as is "Roseanne," which has been toast in dozens of markets for most of this season ... Speaking of Dandy Don Ohlmeyer, the man who fired Norm Macdonald from his "Weekend Update" duties on "Saturday Night Live" — and is now running "Monday Night Football" at ABC — may or may not have behind last week's decision to drop Boomer Esiason from the "MNF" crew. But it's hard to believe that the decision happened independent of Ohlmeyer, whose hiring was also announced last week. That, one presumes, leaves the door open for ABC to hire a real "personality," somebody who will bring a semblance of orneriness and didja-hear-what-Howard-said back into the "MNF" booth. And while there will never be another Howard, there are only two national talents on the next rung down: Fox's Matt Millen and the guy ABC let go last year, Dan Dierdorf, who made a remarkable comeback as part of the No. 2 team on CBS. I can't imagine Dierdorf would rule out a reunion with Al Michaels — provided, that is, he hasn't formed the same opinion of Michaels that Cosell and Esiason did ...

The most popular story on the prime-time TV newsmagazines in February was the Fox broadcast "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" and its fallout. Which is pretty incredible, says research firm NewsTV of Lawrence, Kan., compiler of the monthly reports, because that show didn't air until the month was half over ... Speaking of which, kudos to the shameless Jay Thomas for showing up in a hilarious "Marry" spoof on "Late Show with David Letterman" Tuesday night. Thomas married off comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, who were guest host Janeane Garofalo's guests ... Kansas City's market-leading ABC affiliate KMBC-TV is getting a helicopter. That and other revelations from my look at the February ratings in this article from Friday's Kansas City Star.

Coming up next ... subject to last-minute changes:
Tuesday: Zippy's Sci-Fi Loft returns!
Wednesday:: Guest hosts
Thursday: Reader mail
Friday: ReplayTV and TiVo — why they're so great

Previously on TV Barn:
10 March: WWF bolts USA deal
9 March: He felt the need for "Greed"
8 March: The candidates and late-night
7 March: The $218,000 answer
3 March: "Contact"
2 March: Bush whacked
1 March: Reader mail
29 Feb: Kathie Lee quits

On this date... March 13: in 1979, having sold their business, America's favorite wacky neighbors are muumuu-ving on up to the East side to deeeeeluxe condo in Cheviot Hills. And now "The Ropers" are the sex-crazed nuisances to their frustrated realtor Jeffrey P. Brooks III (Jeffrey Tambor). "The Ropers" debuts at midseason, just like the show from which it is spun off, "Three's Company." -- Tom Heald