I couldn’t agree more with David Letterman. As my non-Jewish friends get ready to celebrate Christmas, I present for your viewing and listening enjoyment Darlene Love singing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on last night’s Late Show. This is my all-time favorite Christmas song, and once again (and after a one-year absence) Darlene just blows it out of the water.
Merry Christmas, everybody!
And now, a message or two from Sarah Palin … courtesy of The Late Show with David Letterman. Jeez, I wonder which candidate he’s going to vote for next month.
I love David Letterman. Check out this clip from last night’s show. McCain was supposed to be Dave’s guest, but he bailed at the last minute, leaving Dave scrambling and not the least bit happy.
“Hey John, I’ve got a question: Do you need a ride to the airport?” Wow … Dave’s true colors really came out during the show, and he replaced McCain with my boy, Keith Olbermann. Continue reading
If you ask me, the really sad thing about the fact that the writers’ strike is likely to last “well into next year” is that we’re being denied some great Christmas episodes of TV. This is the time of year when the writers seem to pull out all the stops and do their best work. Case in point: The Office, which would likely not be as popular as it is were it not for that utterly classic Christmas episode in 2005 (you know, the one with the secret Santa game). Last year’s holiday episode, with the dueling parties, was one of the better ones of the year as well. And of course, last year’s Christmas episode of Studio 60 was, I think, one of the finest episodes of any show all season. Most criminal of all is the fact that if the strike doesn’t end soon, then it’s unlikely Darlene Love will be making her annual appearance on Late Show with David Letterman to sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Oh, I’m sure Dave will show a rerun of an earlier appearance, but there’s something nice about holiday traditions and things you can look forward to. At least 30 Rock has what looks like a good holiday episode scheduled for Thursday. Still, I’m resigned to the fact that there’ll be a void in my holiday season this year, and I just wanted to say I think it sucks.
File this post under: Patting myself on the back; Ego stroking
Watching the Golden Globes Monday night, I was struck by how cool it is to know that I interviewed Jennifer Hudson before she became, well, Jennifer Hudson, Golden Globe winner, big huge star, and likely Oscar winner. So allow me to re-post a link to my story from the December issue of Continental magazine, and to send some public props out to Todd, who helped me set up the interview back in, like, September. And if you still haven’t seen Dreamgirls, well, what are you waiting for? I’ve seen it twice and I’d gladly see it again. And again.
Maybe my review isn’t enough and you need some further proof of how good the movie — and Jennifer herself — is. So here’s a link to Jen’s recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, where she performed “I’m Changing,” or you can just watch it below. I’m so impressed that I got to chat with Jennifer on the way up. It’s so cool. And I can’t wait to say that I interviewed an Oscar winner. That’s much cooler than being able to say I interviewed a Tony winner.
Anyway, enjoy this clip of Jennifer Hudson on Letterman and go see the movie.
There are so many great holiday traditions on television, and for me, there is none more exciting than the night when Darlene Love visits David Letterman to sing my all-time favorite Christmas song, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” She’s been doing this for years on the last show before the holiday, and I have to say, the season isn’t complete until she’s been on. Paul Shaffer always does big, Phil Spector-esque musical direction and Darlene just always sings the hell out of the song, with a thrilling finale that includes plenty of snow. It’s the same thing every year, but it’s simple, classic, and wicked exciting. I love that her performance last year is online (as is the one from 2004 and one from 1995). In fact, I could probably watch the clips and listen to the MP3 all day long. (No joke or exaggeration.) I can’t wait to see her do it again tonight. If you want to see real holiday magic, be sure and tune in.
Martin's Musings 