TV Hot Spot: News

Letterman, Leno Start Booking Guests!

Post by: Sal


Source: Zap2It

With their returns to the air only a couple days away, the network late-night shows are starting to book guests.

Five network late-night shows -- ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," CBS' "Late Show" and "Late Late Show" and NBC's "Tonight Show" and "Late Night" -- are scheduled to return to the airwaves Wednesday for the first time since the writers' strike began in early November. Only a couple, though, have confirmed guests for their first night back.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" will welcome former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Jan. 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The appearance will give Huckabee a national audience the night before the Iowa caucuses, where he's among the front-runners in the Republican field.

David Letterman, meanwhile, will have Robin Williams and country artist Shooter Jennings on his first "Late Show" since the strike. He'll also have his writers: Production company Worldwide Pants, which owns both "The Late Show" and "The Late Late Show," made its own deal with the Writers Guild of America last week to allow scribes for the two shows to go back to work.

Leno, Kimmel and "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien don't have that luxury, as their shows are owned primarily by the media companies that air them.

"Late Night," "The Late Late Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" haven't announced guests for their first shows back. Neither have "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," which are slated to return to Comedy Central on Monday, Jan. 7.



Take Care,

Sal