Three, three, three plugs in one. That’s what actor Jeremy Piven offered on a recent edition of Dave Letterman’s show. Dressed in a pin-stripped suit with a too-tight jacket, too-long tie and sporting a five-o’clock shadow, Piven carries a humbleness that belies a layer of cockiness. When asked about winning three Emmys in a row, Piven said “I need more, Dave,” but you got the sneaking suspicion that he really meant it.
I think he was there to promote his new film Rocknrolla, but he also discussed his current Broadway stint in Speed the Plow and, of course, we couldn’t forget his TV show Entourage. Wow!
Piven was enjoyable, although sometimes it felt like he wasn’t completely listening to Dave. At one point, Dave asked an admittedly confusing question and Piven answered with a semi non sequitur that was just about what he wanted to say seeming as if he was getting coaching from a certain VP candidate instead of his publicist? Dave wrapped the exchange up saying “It’s interesting because I’m not sure I understood my question and clearly you didn’t understand my question…” “I didn’t either,” Piven replied and quickly and cleverly added, “I felt like Sarah Palin. I was confused and I played through.” To which Dave said “nice job.” And it was a nice job. Not stellar, but nice.
If you didn’t know Mark Wahlberg and saw him for the first time on Jay Leno’s show, you would think he was a nice, respectable young actor. You would have no idea of his history. A history even he joked about. Wahlberg spent much of the interview talking about his childhood, being the youngest of nine kids. He also joked with Jay about having just had his third child, his upcoming wedding and trying to sell his house…to Jay, “come on, Jay, help out a fellow Bostonian!” (He did his homework! Good move.)
Walberg’s low-key persona is quite the opposite of that previously mentioned wild history that inspired the series Entourage, which he produces. It’s a history which is best described in his own words – when Jay asked about how he would deal with his kids finding out about it – he said “I’m trying to figure out how I can destroy evidence or come up with…I have a few years to figure out a good excuse, but I [will] have a lot of explaining to do. Between my music career, the underwear stuff and Boogie Nights, I don’t know how I’m gonna explain that!”
Wahlberg did talk about his new film Max Payne and did a good job explaining its origins as a video game. Once again, playing against character, he said he chose the role because after playing a science teacher and an accountant in his last films, he felt the need to “bust some heads.”
From rapper to sex symbol to edgy actor to smooth talk show guest, the adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover” really applies here. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Harry Connick, Jr was so tough on Conan O’Brien; it makes you wonder if they are actually good friends or Connick just has a wicked sense of humor? I must say I liked seeing Connick cut the usually egocentric O’Brien off and make him squirm. It was one-upsmanship at its finest. Connick was discussing his kids, finally having to come to grips with the fact that he’s a man and realizing that he needed to give up dressing as a woman for many years on Halloween. Conan said “it took them that long to figure it out?” Connick, slowing and deliberately putting his hand on Conan’s knee and caressing it, said “Didn’t take you that long!” A flustered Conan, after a very pregnant pause and several facial contortions, said “that’s not really my leg,” thinking he had ended it. In perfect stride, Connick topped him with “that’s not really my hand.” By this point, both host and audience were in hysterics.
There to promote his Lifetime film Living Proof, Connick showed a serious side when talking about the importance of this true story and although there was no clip to watch (hello Lifetime?), he made the film seem very compelling.
Connick does have a biting essence and dry delivery, which made for a very enjoyable appearance. His different approach of teasing and harassing the host was such a welcome change of pace that I wish more guests had the confidence to be bold and take control or make a statement and ultimately an appearance worth watching. Bravo.
These types of reviews are classically tough for The Guest Whisperer. I struggle with the ability to separate the person from the performance. Whatever I think of Sarah Silverman’s well-cultivated brand, this site is dedicated to their talk show performances and that is what we choose to review.
Today Sarah Silverman is in a class by herself – no one can touch her blend of part cute, part smart, part over the top comedy, and firecracker delivery. For some the over the top part can be hard to take, but she is unquestionably a breakthrough personality. Sarah Silverman brought it all to Dave Letterman’s show booked to promote the debut of the third season of The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central.
Upon arriving at the guest chair, Silverman stuck a Late Show T-shirt between and around her legs saying that her skirt was too short to sit in the chair. Perhaps she should have thought about that before she came out. If she did it strictly for the “bit,” it set the tone for a successful in-character performance. Which is the only sticking point I have with the Silverman shtick. You never really get a fix on the REAL Sarah Silverman; there is never a crack in the armor except for purely comic setup and release. This can get a little tedious for the casual watcher, but she is in no way obligated to do more than entertain on a show like Letterman where sitting down is really a “stand-up.”
Silverman managed to avoid answering repeated and relentless questioning from Dave about the current state of her relationship with Jimmy Kimmel, even when Dave expressed his desire for them to be “happy together.” She can bob and weave with the best of them. She did have a good rapport with Dave, even offering him suggestions on how to handle the upcoming appearance of (finally) John McCain. They did talk briefly about the return of her series. Though, she didn’t talk about her website and pro Obama movement, thegreatschlep.com., which in these final weeks of the campaign, I would have thought was one of the reasons for her visit. I guess her appearance was political enough and in the end her job was done.
Much less smug and much more humble than he used to be, Russell Crowe seems to have calmed down a bit these days. At least that’s the impression we got on his recent visit to Dave Letterman’s show. Crowe was down-to-earth while discussing his weight gain (“I was a big boy”) for his new film Body of Lies, his long-time relationship with Leo DiCaprio (their first film was 1993’s The Quick and the Dead) and his family, even quoting his young son in a discussion about cow poo versus horse poo. Just like a regular, doting dad!
Crowe came prepared with good stories from the set, from several sets actually and included the audience while he told them. He had fun with Dave and a prop he brought to illustrate a long-played practical joke on Leo (a small atomizer to simulate a sneeze) and even had Dave asking to have it done to him. “Oh yeah” was his response to the “mist.” And in a perfect example of knowing your host, he related his own experiences owning a rugby team to Dave’s owning a racing team – they both sign a lot of checks and get ignored.
My only criticism, and it’s a small one, is the extensive set-up he felt he needed to explain the clip. It wasn’t really necessary and I started to not only get confused, but also lose interest. Otherwise he was low-key, funny and entertaining.
It seems family life has tamed the wild beast…at least on talk shows.
It’s fun to see Jon Stewart matched or even bested. And he didn’t even know it himself for a few seconds. The guest was Tim Robbins, a smart, political and extremely quick witted actor/activist. But let me begin at the beginning. The interview started with some brief, humorous chat about Tim being the first person to sit in the chair since Clint Eastwood. Then Stewart asked Robbins how he is and Robbins replied, “I’m doing great other than, you know, the fact that the world is collapsing” referring to the financial world. They furthered the conversation discussing the “talking dog” movie being the top-grossing film of the weekend (“a sign of the apocalypse”) and that, because they have kids, they’ve had to sacrifice and suffer through years of “shitty movies”… “That’s why I did City of Ember, because it’s a really good film, the kind of film an adult can take a child to and actually enjoy the film.” Even Stewart knows brilliance when he sees it, responding “That was maybe the finest segway I’ve ever heard in my life!” They continued to talk about Robbins’ film and its indomitable spirit. An intelligent, well done promotion.
There’s a part of Robbins that still looks and seems18 years old. His spirit is certainly young and his presence is casual and strong. All that plus his awareness of current events and ability to discuss them intelligently lead to a most enjoyable appearance. Kudos to a job well done.
I really wanted to like Molly Shannon on Jay Leno’s show, but she made it so difficult because, frankly, I was so exhausted after watching her. When she walked out, she brought chips and salsa to a couple at a mock Mexican restaurant table set up on stage – a bit Jay and Co. were doing. She was a good sport to participate and seemed genuinely excited to be there, waving at the crowd and grinning that huge grin. The trouble began when she sat down. From continually fixing and touching her hair, to either genuinely or playfully losing concentration, to telling uncomfortably awkward stories about her family and upbringing — Shannon was all over the place. She sensed it herself I think, when she started to drink from Jay’s cup – he stopped her – and she tried to cover, joking with “I’m a real classy guest.”
They did talk about her new show Kath and Kim and showed a clip, but by that time I was so beaten up by all of the frenetic energy, that I could hardly concentrate. Now, I’m pretty sure on some level this is all about nerves, but it just shouldn’t happen. Shannon needs someone to sit her down in a quiet place and teach her to channel her energy and focus on her direction and intent.
I think we’ve discovered why she is so talented and adept with characters. Now if she could only “play” a calm, centered talk show guest, she’d have it made. Perhaps she could add that to her repertoire.
Kate Walsh is bright, bubbly and beautiful. We know the beauty part because David Letterman commented on it and her dress – a very tight, revealing little black number.
The bright you can sense from the way she speaks and carries herself – very poised - and the bubbly became evident during her many meandering stories…too bubbly and too meandering. Just a bit. She laughed a lot while telling those stories, which can be cute if done sparingly, but beware, too much can diminish your overall appearance.
Walsh did have some nice, clever moments, which made up for the giddiness – one political and one provocative. When discussing the fact that she was raised in Arizona, she added “I can see Mexico,” (a smart, current reference). And when Dave showed a few pictures of her, she commented about one in which she was wearing a very tight red-carpet dress, “it took a village to get me into that dress,” which set Dave up perfectly to respond “where do I sign up for that!” Always a good move to flirt with and make the host shine. They did briefly discuss her show Private Practice, but she also managed to plug a book she’s a part of (another sexy photo), Hollywood Pinups.
All in all, Walsh was entertaining and a good guest. I think if she reigns it is just a smidge, she could be a great one.
Bill Maher is clever intelligent and insightful. He can also be smug, condescending and obnoxious. His appearance on The Daily Show was humorous and thought provoking, but he often came so close to crossing the line of decorum that the audience may have miss his message. Not that he appears to care, but if people don’t watch or stay tuned in, you can’t educate them or even get them to consider your platform. It’s ironic that as the election nears, Maher is riding the crest of his popularity among liberal audiences which would make him a perfect fit for The Daily Show’s studio audience, but at times as much as the crowed WANTED to be with him, the often rough time he game Stewart resulted in a palpable confusion in the audience.
Promoting his film Religilous, simply put, Maher even gave his host, a tough time. On several occasions, Stewart asked serious questions about religion and Maher shot him down, once just say NO! Not necessarily the wisest move as a talk show guest, even if it’s supposed to be funny. There may be a bit of a battle going on here as Maher and Stewart jockey for the position as leader of the satirical political comedy kingdom. This could account for a slight unease displayed by Maher.
The other problem I had with Maher was that his spiel wasn’t new. He had set bits that he’s used on other shows verbatim. Again, a man this smart should be able to mix it up and offer a unique visit to every show. You need to make sure you do that. He of all people, being a talk show host himself should know better.
There’s a certain degree of fun critiquing an interview that you know is going to be tongue-in-cheek from the word go. We know that because when Jackson Browne sat down with Stephen Colbert, the irreverent interviewer started by saying “I’m a long-time, huge fan, which makes it even harder for me to do what I have to do right now, which is to tear you a new one.”
The rest of the interview was quick-witted and funny, mostly on Colbert’s part. But Browne did his best to straddle the fine line between seriousness and satire. On the show, because he is suing John McCain for using his song “Running On Empty” without his permission, Browne managed to discuss the real details of the case while still joking with Colbert, who kept lobbing mock insults and wild accusations. At one point, while talking about the Iraq war, and who the real enemy is, Browne seemed to lose his concentration, staring blankly into thin air. But, he was merely recalling the lyrics to one of his new songs, which he proceeded to speak to Colbert. Colbert quickly came back with “Oh, just because it rhymes doesn’t make it true, Jackson. I don’t have a rhyming dictionary back here!” After a short, wry, stare-down, Colbert asked if Browne would come back and rhyme with his guitar. And he did. And all was well.
