David Letterman’s Best Guests

Attention Hog.

 
(*This “article” is also available on BCLocalNews.com)

There really is no better interviewer in the country than David Letterman – the comedian who does the job of a journalist because his job permits him to be funny, snarky and – most of all – lure the truth out of his guests like Columbo does to criminals.

You see, most broadcasters have to be careful with the questions they ask. Rather, they have to be careful with their responses to the responses they get. For example, Brian Williams cannot laugh out loud about an answer he gets from Barack Obama or John Boehner. Letterman, however, can ask Williams a question about either and then respond in one of three ways: 1) Laugh Out Loud; 2) Ask Another Question; or, 3) Make Fun Of Them.

Letterman’s ability to get both the personality and the information out of seasoned broadcasters has made not only the best segments of his shows over the years, but they’ve made my personal list for “YouTube’s Top Highlights” (I would have said “YouTube Hall of Fame,” but Grantland already nabbed that one).

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He’s still the king of this game. Williams’ appearances on Letterman are both informative and entertaining, allowing the king of nightly news to cover topics and summarize the biggest headlines in the world with a candid and sweeping nature that he cannot get out in the limited time given to him on the half-an-hour segment of MSNBC Nightly News.

January 3, 2011 – “You’ll be on with Paula Abdul. (Shrug)”

  
July 26, 2011 – The Regis Philbin Impression

May 3, 2011 – The Death of Osama Bin Laden

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Katie has made a fortune out of her charm and her sweetness – her ability to bring the best of her subjects. She has, however, made her career out of being unflinchingly pushy, extremely professional and smarter than the person across from her. She asks questions that sound like they come from a kindergarten student’s mouth but she gets the responses that everyone in America – and the world – sees.

November 21, 2008 – On Her Interview With Sarah Palin

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Forget those charges. Sportcaster Albert still has the best voice and catchphrases (“YES!” “JORDAN!” “SENSATIONAL MOVE!”) in the business, and he must be one of Dave’s favourite guests. It’s appearances and segments like these that have catapulted Letterman above everyone else on late night TV. It’s why everyone else juggles spots and stations and he just keeps on trucking. Albert, too.

December 21, 2010 – Bloopers and New York City (Part I and Part II)