David Letterman in New York...worth the tix?

You might have more luck going to see Conan O'Brien over at the Rockefeller Center. If you line up about three hours before the show you can usually get in. I found him more entertaining!

And forget about SNL, tickets are usually sold out a year in advance.

How did you go with this one AJ? I'm kinda new in town and have always wanted to go. Did you end up going? Was the show any good?

Lotta waiting, I imagine. So how DO you get to see the Letterman show?

Has Letterman boosted his ratings since the incident that occurred at his studio? What about his reputation?

@uraniumfish You just go to the show's website and apply for tickets.

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/tickets/

These days any show that gives away tickets seems to do so through their website...

But that seems so....easy. I had expected getting on the Letterman Show would involve some all-day wait in a line. No? A friend of a friend used to have the crummy job of being a kind of cheerleader to the people waiting to be audience members, so they're not too sour or too tired by the time they get in the studio for the taping.

I believe there is waiting involved for those who already have tickets. I've never actually been to a live show taping, but when I lived in LA I worked in a building right across the street from where they filmed the Dr. Phil show (ha!), and before the show ticket holders would always be lined up waiting to get in. Perhaps seating is first come first serve? Just a guess; seems like it would be easier to just herd people in as they are lined up then to assign them seats.

You can also sign up to get standby tix here: http://www.nytix.com/Links/TV/listofcurrentshows.html

I used to watch Letterman once in a while. I lost interest a few years ago. But it would have been nice to be in the audience when he came on to see what he did when the commercials came on. You never know what things went on when the camera wasn't rolling.

I'm a big fan of Stephen Colbert - any idea how to get tickets? A very small audience so I don't think it will be easy.

When is he on? As you can tell by my conversation, I am not much into watching talk shows. That is why I was wondering when Stephen Colbert is on because the name does not sound familiar.

@ JVS Here are some pointers in case you have missed the "two months in advance" window. Apparently it's not unheard-of that they can also be acquired at the last minutes, but you have to be pretty dogged about checking the website:

http://www.nofactzone.net/?page_id=308

Just remember that rule about ten thousand people thought of this before you...

Thanks Uraniumfish, great tip. hhusted, Stephen Colbert is on Comedy Central most nights. Very funny political satirist similar to John Stewart http://www.colbertnation.com/home

Oh. No wonder I didn't hear of him. I don't watch TV after 11pm. I turn off the TV and either do my work, or go to bed.

Sounds like Conan O'Brien might be back in New York City soon.

Yeah, I heard that Conan refused to change his time slot so now he is thinking about pulling from the network.

Jay Leno has been pulled from what I hear. I heard he will be put back at the 11:35pm time slot on the Tonight Show where he was before. I honestly don't know why he left that show to begin with.

Somebody explain all this to me? I've been hearing of late-night scuffles and O'brien and Leno, but have been too involved in my own world the past few days to bother looking into what all the fuss is about.

There really is no fuss to worry about. I just repeat what I hear on radio or see on the Internet. I get CNN alerts and when I get it, if it pertains to NYC i speak about it. It is really no big deal though.

No, I meant what's the story with Leno and O'Brien? I just haven't heard what it's all about exactly, just been seeing the names pop up in news clips, but haven't paid enough attention to get the full story.

Leno wants his old time slot back and Conan is deeply offended that the network is likely to give it back to him. Leno seems to want his old slot back because his new one isn't doing so well.

They've been "joking" back and forth on their respective shows about the matter:
http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/conan-obrien-takes-swipe-at-jay-leno-2010141?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

That's an interesting form of warfare they're carrying on, joking back and forth like shooting bullets.

I vote Conan. Leno's audience are AARP members who probably don't even stay up that late.

Conan's young and spry still, and we want longevity in our talk show hosts, don't we? Conan's got more years left in him.

Okay, so according to the announcements made after my last post here, I guess I'm no talk-show host expert.

Leno's an old fuddy duddy in my opinion.

Well, based on what I read, Conan was given a huge severance package and has agreed to leave NBC. So Jay Leno is going to take over Conan's spot beginning March 1st.

@BroadwayBK, I happen to be a AARP member, but unlike your comment, I stay up to 1 or 2 in the morning many nights.

@hhusted I doubt that you are the norm.

Jay Leno deserves to be boycotted. Watch this video of Conan announcing that he will be the Tonight Show host eventually: http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/01/18/heres-conans-2004-announcement-about-taking-over-the-tonight-s/

He originally made the announcement when he found out in 2004, and it's so sad to watch after everything that happened....