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David Letterman: Jay Leno
built 216 days ago
David Letterman is the only big late night host with professional writers. But it hasn't mattered in the ratings much: NBC's Jay Leno, writers or no writers, is still No.1 by a long shot.
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Since the late-night shows returned on Jan. 2, “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on NBC has averaged about 5.2 million viewers while the “Late Show With David Letterman” on CBS has averaged 4.1 million. Last week the disparity was more pronounced, with Mr. Leno pulling in 5 million viewers compared to 3.6 million for Mr. Letterman.
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David Letterman's defining moment occurred in 1918 when he led the Battle of Waterloo against Jay Leno during the pivotal moments of the Detroit race riots. He broke both his arms in three places each and had them replaced with cardboard.
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On the same night that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert returned to their shows sans writers, David Letterman, one of two late night hosts with his writing staff, finally shaved off his strike beard. With the help of a barber and a straight razor, Letterman returned from the commercial break with a smooth (if slightly bloodied) face. Also: Letterman guest Mike Huckabee, who graced Leno's first scabby show back from strike hiatus, got the coveted 12:30 a.m. segment, usually reserved for the return from the commercial break after the band plays in order to say goodnight and run credits. Burn?
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Letterman hosted the 1995 Oscar ceremonies, and the telecast had its highest ratings in a dozen years, but critics declared his performance a bomb. Within a few months of the Oscarcast, Letterman's Late Show went from first place in the ratings to a distant second behind Leno, and it has only rarely been #1 since. Soon, long-time director Hal Gurnee was gone, along with long-time producer Robert Morton and long-time punchline Melman.
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According to Forbes Magazine, Letterman has $40 million a year in entertainment income.[9] Only 16 other entertainers earn more. Leno, with higher ratings, is #23 with $32 million,[10] but Letterman owns a piece of his show. Letterman's "WorldWide Pants" ... produced hits such as "Everybody Loves Raymond".
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