October 29, 2006 5:34 AM

Man, I would have paid to see this

O’Reilly, Letterman Rekindle Feud

LETTERMAN’S O’REILLY SMACKDOWN UPDATED…

Bill O’Reilly clashed with David Letterman during his appearance on The Late Show Friday night. Letterman took O’Reilly to task for his over-simplified views and “bonehead” remarks. Letterman questioned the legitimacy of O’Reilly’s network, Fox News, asking “You guys over there at Fox, and guys like Rush Limbaugh, you guys know it’s all just a goof, right? You’re just horsing around. Am I right about that? You’re doing it because you know it’ll be entertaining.”…Letterman also told O’Reilly, “You’re putting words in my mouth, just the way you put artificial facts in your head.” O’Reilly tried to reduce the Iraq war in the interview, saying “Do you want the United States to win in Iraq? It’s an easy question,” to which Letterman replied, “It’s not easy for me because I’m thoughtful.”

During our first night in New York, She Who Endures My Myriad Eccentricities and I were walking through Times Square, which was a block from our hotel. If you’ve ever been to Times Square, you know that you’ll get accosted by people pushing everything from Scientology to comedy clubs to Jesus. Being the cynical sort that I am, I will generally ignore people like this and keep on walking. As I discovered, this isn’t always the best policy.

As we were walking around, trying to get our bearings and take in the almost-overwhelming energy of Times Square, someone walked up to us and muttered something about “wanna see Letterman?” Earlier that afternoon, we’d gone to the Museum of Modern Art, and as we walked past the Ed Sullivan Theater, which is located at W. 53rd and Broadway. Both of us had lamented the fact that we hadn’t thought to try and get tickets.

As I kept on walking, She Who Endures My Myriad Eccentricities stopped to talk to the guy (I HATE it when she does that, but she’ll talk to anybody about anything). As it turns out, not only was he a legitimate employee of Worldwide Pants, he was legitimately offering us tickets to the next night’s taping of The Late Show with David Letterman. Suddenly, our trip to New York became a whole lot more exciting.

No, we didn’t get to see Letterman smack down Bill O’Reilly, but we still had a great time. It was fascinating to be a part of the process, to see how the show is put together. The first thing I noticed is how beautifully done the entire set is. You really don’t get a sense of that when you watch The Late Show, but the set really is a work of art.

Another thing that you might not notice from the comfort of your living room is that the Ed Sullivan Theater is kept at about 55 degrees so Letterman is comfortable under the klieg lights. Yes, it was COLD in theater, but the taping lasted just a bit over an hour, and somehow no one thought to complain about the icebox-like conditions.

Letterman said that like many Americans, he was so angered in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that he wanted to strike out, and didn’t oppose the Iraq War at its beginning. As time has gone on, he said he has realized that was wrong.

Asked by O’Reilly whether he wanted the Americans to win the war, Letterman said he wanted a solution that would result in the least loss of American lives.

As part of their confrontation, O’Reilly said Letterman was guilty of oversimplifying a complicated situation.

”You’re putting words in my mouth,” he told Letterman at one point.

”You’re putting artificial facts in your head,” Letterman responded.

O’Reilly didn’t get angry with Letterman during his appearance, although at one point he told an apparent heckler in the audience to ”knock it off.” He told the audience that he and Letterman were really friends. ”This whole thing is a big act,” he said.

Letterman never agreed with him.

Yeah, Letterman knows what a fool and a blowhard O’Reilly is. He also knows that O’Reilly can’t stand it when someone actually stands up to him or exposes him for the mean-spirited fool and blowhard he truly is. When it comes to Bill O’Reilly, the emperor really ISN’T wearing any clothes. It’s just too bad that he still has a gig that pays him handsomely for being a loudmouth and an ignoramus.

”I have no idea what I’m talking about,” Letterman said. ”But I don’t think you do, either.”

Too true. Then again, facts and not knowing what he’s talking about have never been things that trouble O’Reilly. I’ve always marvelled at how he’s been able to make upwards of $10 million a year for being a rude, ignorant blowhard. When you’re the Fox News Channel, stupid sells, and aggressive and mean-spirited stupidity sells BIG. No one is better at riding that wave than Bill O’Reilly.

Man, I wish we could have been at the taping of that show….

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on October 29, 2006 5:34 AM.

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