Dave's new heart: Another view

by Mark Evanier

Bill Zehme is a fine, ingenuous writer, as proven by — among other things — recent books on Frank Sinatra and Andy Kaufman. And I am not about to argue that his piece on David Letterman in the current issue of Esquire is not of the same marksmanship, as he has chatted up both men in the past and has surely observed what he says he's observed. Still, I believe it was Mark Twain who said that differences of opinion make, if not horse races, then at least a typical "Crossfire." The Letterman described by Zehme — and the Leno, inevitably, as well — are not quite the men I, or some others, have observed.

Which is not to say Zehme is wrong ... though I do wonder about a few of his statements. He claims, f'rinstance, that even in the ratings doldrums, Letterman "never lost wholesale prized possession of viewers aged eighteen to thirty-four." One wonders how he figures this, given Leno's long, barely-interrupted winning streak in all categories. For the week of March 24, sayeth the Nielsens, Jay averaged a 2.1 in adults 18-34, topping the average of Dave's three non-rerun broadcasts by 75%. And this at a time when CBS, like Zehme, is ballyhooing Dave's comeback. It was worse pre-surgery.

What really fascinates me, though, are the portraits, particularly of Letterman as a man unconcerned with the competition. "Like all true artists," Zehme writes, "he competes only with himself and his own legacy." This portrayal stands in contrast to what many around Dave have said, and even to a line in Bill Carter's book, The Late Shift, explaining why Dave, at a time when he was still in the ratings lead, cut his vacation short so he would keep ahead of Jay: "Letterman was in this competition to win, always to win."

It even stands in contrast to many elements of Zehme's own article, including its claim — probably quite true — that Dave's on-air crankiness was a symptom of his slide to second and eventually third place. A man competing only with himself and his own legacy would not turn ornery at the numbers; would barely even look at them, let alone (to borrow Zehme's apt metaphor) allow them to crush his heart.

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Sulu later (if ever), say some fans

by John Zipperer

Will the Paramount powers-that-be feel intimidated by the fans set to demonstrate in front of their studio this Saturday? Will they bend to their wishes and create a new "Star Trek" series centering around Captain Sulu, a character first introduced by George Takei more than 30 years ago in the original "Trek"? Last week we heard from the dedicated fans who are set to brave rain or sleet or even--well, probably just rain--to make their wishes heard. This week, SF Loft readers weigh in on the other side of the debate. 

David Thiel suggests that Takei, who portrayed the ever-steady Sulu in the original series and the films, was being disingenuous when he said his reason for not appearing at the demonstrations was to avoid making it look like an actor trying to get a job. "While George Takei has been stumping for his own starship command (and series) for many years--I recall him doing so at a 1986 convention appearance--I was previously unaware that a significant number of fans believed it to be anything more than a bush-league actor attempting to prop up his sagging career."

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Pick To Click: What's Up with the Weather

This year, following the campaign season's hottest issue may involve watching the Weather Channel instead of CNN. "Frontline" (9 p.m. Tuesday, PBS; check local listings) explains why tonight with a timely program on global warming — and before you respond with "hoo boy," it's more interesting than you might think. The program opens with a key disclaimer: Scientists who think the Earth is heating up have only 100 years of climate data to lean on, which is like the blink of an eye given our planet's history. But obviously more humans are roaming the planet than ever. They're sucking precious carbon dioxide out of plants like never before and fueling the greenhouse effect. Want to see an extreme case of greenhouse? "Frontline" says turn your telescope to Mars. Yet despite wide consensus on this point, Vice President Gore couldn't get Congress to pass a treaty committing the U.S. to cut greenhouse emissions. "Frontline" chronicles that bizarre political defeat and considers what Gore will do about it — if anything — if he's elected environmentalist-in-chief.

Previously on TV Barn, 2000:
17 April: Sitcoms bomb
14 April: Ellen's new show
13 April: Reader mail
12 April: "Freaks and Geeks"
11 April: "Star Trek" protests
10 April: Zehme on Letterman
7 April: CBS's loaded sked; "Phantom Menace" on video
6 April: ReplayTV and TiVo
5 April: "Wonderland" protests; Fox hits new low
4 April: "Falcone" v. "Sopranos"; new sci-fi stars
3 April: iCraveTV; BET v. Univision
31 March: Video kiosks; Tavis Smiley; Peabody Awards; quit griping about Oscar

Coming up next ... subject to last-minute changes:
Wednesday: TBA
Thursday: Reader mail

On this date... in 1992, "Who, What, Where, When, and Why" get kids interested in cultural affairs? The best reason is that Linda Ellerbee is willing to treat them with as much respect, wit and intelligence as she does with their parents. And Nickelodeon's willing to let her Lucky Duck Productions talk up to kids on the new "Nick News." -- Tom Heald

Copyright © 1999-2001 Aaron Barnhart | Back to TV Barn home