Paint CHiPs
Viva Le Me
Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Location Location
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Weird News: David Letterman vs GW Bush
Has anybody been following this? It's a truly bizarre side-effect of this political season.
Here's an explanation of what's going on, in a nutshell:
Dave was doing a bit early this week centered around a pep rally that Bush had held in Florida. During Bush's speech at the rally, there was a kid behind him on stage in his chair, fidgeting, yawning, looking bored as heck as only a 13 year old can, and it was a really funny clip giving the impression that Bush's speech was boring the holy heck out of this kid (which it obviously was). I haven't seen the clip, but apparantly it was a riot, and the gag went over really well. I've looked EVERYWHERE for the clip, with no luck. If anybody else wants to find it, please post it.
So anyway, the clip was over, show ended, etc.
The next day, CNN picked up the story. They reported it as "White House Claims Letterman Fabricated Bored Kid Clip" or something like that. The CNN bit aired a few times, implying that the kid was inserted into the picture by the Letterman Show, that they were two separate clips spliced together for comedy effect. They said they informed of this by the White House.
Letterman, in reply, got midevil on their asses.
Here is a quick and dirty version from the Late Night website:
MONDAY: we showed a clip of a speech given by the President from March 20 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. We titled the piece, "George W. Bush Invigorates America's Youth." Directly behind the President stood a boy of 14 or so bored to tears. While the President spoke, the lad yawned, stretched, yawned some more, checked his watch, took a knee, yawned, and fell asleep standing up. It was a very humorous actual clip we uncovered.
We see the now famous clip of the speech with the boy standing behind the President.
TUESDAY: CNN played the clip the day Tuesday morning, stating that the White House had called and said the Late Show did some editing to the piece and what was shown never actually happened.
We see the clip of CNN anchorperson Daryn Kagen making the above claim from Tuesday morning.
Two hours later, CNN showed the clip again and this anchor person said that the boy was at the speech, but was not standing behind the President as we had seen. We are shown that clip of CNN anchorperson Kyra Phillips adjusting the CNN claim from earlier that morning.
Dave informs America that neither statement from CNN is true. The boy was at the rally and the boy was standing behind the President. Something strange is going on, and Dave smells a cover up.
(note, from paint, here is a partial transcript: "an out-and-out, 100% absolute lie. the kid absolutely was there and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape...
"so when you cast your vote in november," he urged, "just remember that the white house was trying to make me look like a dope.")
While talking about this very incident, CNN sent a message to the Late Show and claimed the White House never called CNN. CNN admitted they had made a mistake.
WEDNESDAY: But why would CNN say the White House HAD called if the White House never did? Hmmm. Dave reveals that our source, a very good source, confirms the White House DID call the CNN.
THURSDAY: CNN admits their mistake and apologizes to Dave. We see a clip of the CNN apology delivered by CNN anchorperson Daryn Kagen. Although the apology seemed diverting and evasive at times, Dave is elated that for the first time in his 25 years on the air, somebody apologized to him.
And to top it all off, the young boy from Orlando Tyler Crotty has agreed to be on our show Friday night.
It tones it down a bit, but on Late Night all this week, Letterman has been FURIOUS about it, and POSITIVE that the White House muscled CNN. It's gotten to the point where the entire Late Night show seems to be centered around it.
Last night's Top Ten list. "Top Ten Questions the 9-11 Commission Should Ask Conoleezza Rice":
10. "Did Bush ever hurt himself trying to pronounce your name?"
9. "At cabinet meetings, who besides you and Cheney wear lipstick?"
8. "Do you know Leeza Gibbons?"
7. "Do you own a condo?"
6. "Did you ever try the 'Condoleezza Rice' at Chi-Chi's?"
5. "As a souvenir, did you keep any of Saddam's beard lice?"
4. "Hey, where'd you get that cool Halliburton sweatshirt?"
3. "Who told CNN that Letterman faked the footage of the bored kid next to Bush?"
2. "About those Iraqi weapons of mass destruction -- did you check Baghdad Mini-Storage?"
1. "What kind of job will you and Bush be looking for in January 2005?
The kid is a guest on Letterman tonight, but the Washington Post has been reporting that the White House now controls all media access to him and has been in careful contact with the father about how to prep him for the interview, and has (the White House, that is) been releasing statements about the kid, such as "He's a young person who strongly supports the president and is excited about getting a chance to talk about it," - White House assistant press secretary Reed Dickens.
"This whole thing just smells. Doesn't it smell a little bit?" Letterman asked his audience last night.
"I mean, it just seems all just a little too tidy, just a little too neat. And now, the guy, the kid in Florida -- and his old man -- was really upset in the beginning. . . . Well, now everybody down there loves it. Everybody couldn't be happier; everybody thought it was hilarious. So you see, it's just a little too tidy. Stuff like this never ends happily, certainly not happily for me. I was waiting for the lawsuit, I was waiting to be arrested, I was waiting to be beaten to a pulp, and now, oh . . . we couldn't be happier."
Letterman, btw, holds grudges. And he's pissed off. The whole week he's been in the same position as Howard Stern, just spending his whole show lambasting the White House. Only, Letterman, on CBS, is popular with the middle America crowd.
Anyway, it's just a really strange story. I have no idea what the show is going to be like tonight. I can't imagine a pissed off Letterman on an anti-Bush kick interviewing a White House controlled 13-year-old boy. I'll be watching Late Night tonight though, for the first time in forever.
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04-02-2004 11:40 PM
