Upfront, I will say that I enjoyed him more in the past, especially when he was on at 12:30 ... he mellowed some, but after twenty years, he still is quite good. Dave may not have been able to fulfill his dream and take over from Johnny on CBS, but in a sense, he has ... he is the comfortable veteran, someone you feel good ending your night watching (unless you are into news ... then, you check out Ted Koppel). And, he still shows his edge at times, especially sometimes when he has those little monologues such as when he decided to try to get a parkway named after him (lol).
The CBS Mailbag feature is still funny, he interacts with the audience pretty good (I don't care for those segments, but I got to admit he connects with them), and the announcer is hiliarious. Other amusing, though getting a bit old things ... the "will it float" and "is this anything" segments -- that grinder girl is amusing. Stephany ... "did you see or touch any monkeys" ... is great too, her sarcastic voice at times reminds one of a young female Dave. The crew also has some good bits. The deli bits are getting tired though and go too long. Paul? People seem to love to dis him, but one gets the idea that he is a perfect fit for Dave, and finding a new guy would be damn hard.
It might be a generational thing (it's also regional ... Jay has higher rating, and is more popular in the heartland), but I don't understand why people are saying Conan is better than Dave. Now, Conan has some better comic bits and is decent overall, but he's really no match to Dave. Dave might seem bored during some interviews (but when he isn't, he really connects ... e.g. Drew Barrymore, Lisa Presley, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, and others), but he surely is a better interviewer than Conan -- even after Conan has had years of on the job training. Also, Conan does not have good monologues ... many are actually pretty lame, and he even jokes about the lack of reaction (doesn't make it any less lame). Finally, his bits often go too long. So, really, Dave might be older and at times seems a bit tired, but he still beats Conan imho. Jay? Smarmy in my opinion ... and I used to like the guy.
It is amusing to note that David Letterman has many credits, especially before his talk show stint. I wonder if someone did a collection to highlight that fact. Oh well ... I check when the guests are good, but even when they are not, he has a good 1/2 hr more often than not.
-j
