Tomorrow night will mark David Letterman's 30th year anniversary in late night television, though not always with the same network. He started out as the host of NBC's Late Night With David Letterman on February 1st, 1982, and left a little over a decade when he made his shift over to CBS in 1993. According to the Late Show's executive producer Rob Burnett, the milestone may be mentioned on tomorrow night's show, "but I don’t see an extravaganza coming to fruition. Dave has never been super comfortable drawing a lot of attention to himself." Howard Stern is a guest on the show tomorrow night, who Burnett refers to as "a kindred spirit with Dave." more ›

Take that Leno! David Letterman is reportedly close to a deal with CBS that would keep the 64-year-old as the Late Show host until 2014—which would make him the longest-running late-night star in TV history. Less certain is the fate of Craig Ferguson, whose hilarious and incredibly low-budget Late Late Show airs after Letterman. Wonder if the arrival of Steak 'N Shake in the Ed Sullivan theater will help seal the deal for the Indiana native? more ›

Has Al Qaeda targeted Late Show host David Letterman? According to an analyst from SITE, a private company that tracks extremist websites, it seems that way: they tell EW that a member of an Al Qaeda message board has posted an assassination threat against the comedian. Is it because his "intoxicating" sexuality is threatening them? more ›

Aspiring actor, midtown bartender and Ed Sullivan Theater-crasher Jimmy Whittemore says he regrets getting tanked and bashing the glass doors of Letterman's Late Show home. "I'm ashamed. I'm still bothered," Whittemore tells the Daily News, "I just want to apologize to the theater people." After hitting the town and the bottle for a night of karaoke, he claims he had no idea what had happened until he was arrested. "I just wanted to go out and do karaoke…Next thing I remember is laying down on the floor, surrounded by cops." As if you needed another reason: karaoke is evil. more ›

Chilean miner Edison Pena was elated to arrive in NYC yesterday, weeks removed from his harrowing two-month ordeal stuck underground. Pena, who was nicknamed "The Runner" by his fellow miners, was invited to come to town as an honorary participant in the ING NYC Marathon this Sunday, but last night he appeared on "The Late Show with Dave Letterman," speaking through an interpreter. Pena, who one commenter pointed out does share a slight resemblance to Governor Paterson, does a lot of funny pantomiming during the interview, and even sings a bit of the classic "Suspicious Minds," by his favorite musician Elvis Presley. You can see the video below. more ›

Last night Joaquin Phoenix was face-to-face with David Letterman again after not appearing on the show since this happened last year. He was clean-shaven and apologizing (sort of) for the last time he was a Late Show guest. They both claimed Letterman himself was not in on the hoax, and the actor told the host, "You've interviewed many, many people and I assumed that you would know the difference between a character and a real person, so—but I apologize. I hope I didn't offend you in any way." more ›

Robert "Joe" Halderman pleaded guilty yesterday for his attempt to extort $2 million from David Letterman by way of revealing Letterman's many affairs. The former CBS News producer admitted his scheme to sell a movie treatment to the talk show host "was just a thinly-veiled threat to ruin Mr. Letterman if he did not pay me a lot of money." more ›

Another day, another bunch of stories about talk show host David Letterman's extortion scandal. In one corner, we have the Post's revelation that Letterman brought his assistant/lover on a trip with his girlfriend (later wife) and son; in the other, the Daily News says the alleged extortionist thought Letterman enticed his female staffers with "perks." more ›

In his first live show since telling America that he was being extorted for $2 million—over details about his sexual relationship with staffers—David Letterman was greeted by an enthusiastic audience and said, "Did your, did your weekend just fly by?... I'll be honest with you, right now I'd give anything to be hiking in the Appalachian Mountains." His monologue (video below) was jokey, noting how he was very close to being impeached, raking his hate mail over the weekend and how usually he's shaken down for money by relatives, but at the desk he later apologized to his wife and his staff. more ›

The lawyer for the man accused of trying to shake down David Letterman for $2 million—in order not to divulge Letterman's history of relationships with female staffers—hit the morning talk shows to slam the Late Show host: "He’s a master at manipulating audiences, that’s what he does for a living... The public should not rush to judgment. The public should not simply take the word of David Letterman.” more ›

Below is video of David Letterman explaining to his talk audience—and the rest of America—about how he was extorted for $2 million or else his sexual relationships with female Late Show staffers would be revealed. About 7 minutes 25 seconds in, Letterman explains what the "creepy stuff" in the blackmail package was: "The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who work for me on this show." more ›

Actor and possible future rap superstar Joaquin Phoenix took a seat across from David Letterman last night (to "promote" Two Lovers), finally pushing Farrah Fawcett out of the top slot for all time most incoherent interview subject (Farrah video!). Incase you missed it, here's the five minutes of teeth pulling: more ›

Before getting back to his grueling practice schedule* today, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes stopped in to the Late Show last night. David Letterman and Tynes chat about his family and when he learned to kick (as a senior in high school). Tynes, the 29-year-old father of twins, who missed two 4th quarter field goals in the NFC Championship before kicking the game winner in overtime, was not able to escape ribbing from Letterman, "Everybody I know had the same reaction after the second missed kick in the 4th quarter, 'Please don't send him in again! For the love of God! If there's an ounce of mercy in your soul! Don't send him in!!'" more ›

This week's story about a 500-pound retired NYPD cop trying to get more dough (the green money kind) inspired The Late Show with David Letterman's Thursday night top ten list. more ›

The most famous undeclared presidential candidate, our very own Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has weighed in about the Iowa caucus results. Okay, so Mayor Bloomberg claims he's not running for president, but when you swipe at the actual candidates, have a staff that's investigating the possibility of running a campaign, and have a billion dollars to spare... more ›

Last week everyone from writers on the picket line to bored couch potatoes were abuzz with news that the late night heavyweights would be returning with all new shows. Last night was the big night (Letterman, O'Brien, Kimmel, Ferguson and Leno all returned), and both Conan O'Brien and David Letterman took the stage showing solidarity with strike beards intact. Letterman threatened to shave his later on Conan's show, saying that he'd probably be helping his New York late night pal out since he's returned sans writers. more ›

As we previously mentioned, the late night heavyweights have been angling to make a return in early '08. Letterman has been leading the pack by working on a deal with the WGA through his own production company, WorldWide Pants Inc. Yesterday they reached an agreement which will allow his show to return to the air next week, writing staff and all. more ›

Sick of watching reruns? Nervous you'll only get 8 episodes of Lost next season? Well, The NY Times reports on the first break in the writers' strike.

David Letterman is pursuing a deal with the Writers Guild of America that would allow his late-night show on CBS to return to the air in early January with the usual complement of material from his writers, even if the strike is still continuing. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a woman fell from a building at 35th St. and 5th Ave. in Manhattan, a body part was found on 20th Rd. and 18th St. in Queens, and a pedestrian was fatally struck at 50th St. and 6th Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Architects may lose the 408 foot spire that tops off the Freedom Tower because giant antennas may be technologically obsolete. An alliance of broadcasters are considering moving to a different technology and therefore not pay rent to a downtown mega-building.
• The FBI warned Al Sharpton that an inmate at an upstate prison may attempt to harm him via the mail. The inmate has sent several letters already containing a harmless powder, but the Feds want people at his office to err on the side of caution when handling packages and letters.
• The Landmarks Preservation Commission determined that the renovated Guggenheim Museum would remain grey, rather than reverting to the original color of the building selected by Frank Lloyd Wright.
• When striking writers from The Late Show with David Letterman aren't picketing they keep busy blogging.
• The painting that was rescued from the trash by a vigilant dumpster diver with an eye for art was sold at auction for more than $1 million.
• The new biodegradable to-go boxes used by NYU's dining services break down when exposed to heat and moisture. Unfortunately, that means food served hot and moist causes the boxes to leak almost immediately.
• Queens civic leaders want to preserve the Sunnyside Arch. The city's Municipal Arts Commission says that the arch should be redesigned and made more kitschy.

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a baby was struck on 120th St. in Queens, an auto extrication on Wilson Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on Sherman Ave. in Manhattan. Forgetting the name of the 13-year-old boy injured in a game of Quiet last week, his middle school principal just referred to him as "spleen boy" during a faculty meeting. A former concierge at a Central Park South residential building is suing building owner... more ›

We've been talking about the Cat Show at Madison Square Garden this weekend a lot, but don't worry, pals of pups - today is the My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair. more ›

As mentioned last week, Oprah is gearing up for her New York invasion in September..the first in ten years! Some new info has come out about what she has planned for her big shows -- though there are no shocking details. more ›

Yesterday tickets went on sale for the two Oprah Winfrey show tapings next month (September 10th and 11th) at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The internet went into overload immediately, shutting down the ticket websites. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a hostage situation on East 124th St. in Manhattan, a carjacking on Undercliff Ave. in the Bronx, and a home invasion robbery on East 18th St. in Brooklyn.
• For a few thousand dollars a month, one can join the LL Yacht Club at Chelsea Piers and East Hampton and enjoy access to their selection of luxury yachts to head to and from the Hamptons.
• Ball State University in Indiana will be naming its new communications building after alumnus David Letterman. The Late Show host's mother Dorothy expressed pride in her son, saying "He's a very special young man."
• Five months after the City Council symbolically banned the "n-word" in New York, complete with a burial service for the slur, Brooklyn Councilwoman Darlene Mealy is introducing similar legislation to ban the words "b--ch" and "ho" from the city.
• A collection of perspective-based artwork that only takes shape from a single vantage point.
• A Florida woman adopted 11 children in New York between 1993 and 1996, then kept them as underfed, uncared for, and abused prisoners in her Port St. Lucie, FL home, as she collected as much as $180,000 a year from the state for their care.
• Plans are underway for the construction of a 19-story luxury hotel in Harlem that will be on 5th Ave. between 125th St. and 126th. St.
• The judge in the divorce case of former NJ governor and current gay-American Jim McGreevey and his estranged wife Dina lectured the pair that they did not have the financial means to undergo a protracted and contentious divorce case.

We never realized exactly what a force Manu Chao was live until experiencing him ourselves at Sasquatch several weeks ago. The man has the power to move people. To incite hysteria and completely dominate his entire audience. It is something any music fan should experience at least once in their life, because there is really nobody else like him performing today. Earlier this week, He did two nights at the Prospect Park Bandshell to a crowd that more resembled a soccer stadium than a rock concert. There was chanting and singing and air horns and flags, but none of that could beat back the rain, which poured down in buckets towards the end of the second night, drenching the fans and creating a lovely mess. Few would argue that after a hot night of dancing, there could have been no perfect release. Check out some more incredible pics (like the one to the left) over at Brooklyn Vegan. more ›

Last night, Rudy Giuliani appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. It took about 2 minutes for Rudy to invoke September 11. Until someone uploads the whole segment on YouTube, we've only got Giuliani's thoughts on Iraq, which prompted applause from the audience. And made us wonder how many Late Show attendees are out of towners. Anyway, it was a very welcoming stage for Giuliani (as it is with many candidates on the campaign trail), as Letterman basically let Giuliani give a stump speech. Here's the AP's transcript of Giuliani's thoughts on rising gas prices:

The situation in the Middle East has something to do with it, the fact that we don't have enough refineries has something to do with it," said Guiliani. "There's sort of a bottleneck that occurs – even if we find more oil, it's going to be tough to get it to where it needs to go because we haven't built a refinery in 20, 25 years, 30 years." more ›

Senator Barack Obama made the most of his NYC visit. He had three fund-raisers all over Manhattan, plus his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman brought up Obama's biggest rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, and asked if he'd join her on a presidential ticket, to which Obama said, "Which order are we talking about?" more ›

Craig Ferguson, host of CBS's The Late Late Show, is coming to Comix to perform stand up and, while he's in town, will make a Letterman appearance and will promote the paperback edition of his book, Between the Bridge and the River. Gothamist sat down to discuss his Scottish upbringing, his take on comedy, and why bullies seem to ruin everything. more ›

Yesterday, Arizona Senator John McCain announced he was running for president in 2008. It was shocking only because we thought that was a given all this time. McCain revealed the news on the Late Show with David Letterman, and said he'd give a formal speech in April to explain that. Any opportunity to stump, we suppose! more ›