Dave is well known for grudges, just ask Susie Biggers. Higgins was good in the role, a good sport about Kath & Kim and plays off Cheryl Hines admirably in The Ugly Truth.
This is a deceptive article. He did not say Letterman has refused to speak to him. He was asked if he'd talked to Letterman at all or had any contact with him and he said no. There was no suggestion he's been trying to get in touch with Letterman himself and getting rebuffed. He did not say Letterman hates him. Letterman invited him on the show and he got bumped, but he doesn't imply it was malicious.
The TV movie was a long time ago and Letterman, most of the public, and even Higgins have moved on.
As I recall, Letterman was mostly mad about the awful red wig Higgins wore for the part.
But I don't think Letterman hasn't had him on the show because there's a conflict between them -- as we know, Dave finds his own discomfort to be comic gold. What he hates is talking about himself, especially when it involves personal business that he can't control, so I'm guessing that's what he's been avoiding all these years.
I remember how obvious the bump was. Tom Cruise was on the show that night and stayed on for through 2 commercial breaks. I am a fan of Dave's but never understood why he is so bitter to Higgins who did a great job.
C'mon Dave, bury the hachet! Now that Conan is your competition, you officially win for life! Can you still hold a grudge against this super-talented actor while you're sitting at your desk, bouncing your kid on your knee?
Besides, Higgins also voiced Mentok the Mindtaker in Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and you don't see the real Mentok going all apeshit over it! Well, do ya?
Comedic pipsqueak. Craig Ferguson should invite him on his show and make him put his head between his legs like Letterman did to a geriatric Raquel Welch. Worldwide Pants? More like Worldwide Colostomy Bag.
So stupid.. $200m later, what the hell does Dave give a shit about any of this now? Shouldn't he be more mad at the writers of that movie than simply "the messenger"?
@lobstr: In the world of entertainment, there's no such thing as being sated. You know the sad—but true—cliche that says that folks in entertainment are trying to fill a void in their lives? Well, being in the spotlight is like grabbing a drink each time you have a problem. You think you solved something, but at the end of the day the problem is still there and you're an alcoholic.
That's why I think Johnny Carson was the last great guy in late night comedy. He—and many of his peers—seemed like they could get over the petty differences to get on with their lives.
@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Well, people aren’t perfect, but I think that level of contention makes sense since Joan Rivers was closer to the same level as Carson than John Michael Higgins is to Letterman.
Joan Rivers didn’t have a career stigma-laden cloud hovering her because of that. For Letterman to still behave this way towards John Michael Higgins is petty and borderline malicious since it harms his career.
@SpyMagician: You had me there until you say someome like JOhnny Carson could "get on with their lives".. It was no secret him and Ed McMahon had some sort of bad vibe between them, surfacing shortly after he left the Tonight Show.. along with all of the other tales of celebs saying how they were always on thin ice worrying about pissing off JC, as he had a lengthy blacklist. :[]
He was the Greek chorus on the Tonight Show, and the deep haw-haw provoked laughter throughout America. It's a technique well known to Hamlet, who cautioned the players against "inciting some barreness" in the audience by onstage laughing like Will Kemp and his contemporary George Burns were famous for. But it works. I have seen very lame pedestrian patter win guffaws just because Burns was bent double in hysterics on the stage and everybody wanted to be part of the in crowd so they laughed too.
How come Publishers Clearing House isn't part of his resume?
@SidAndFinancy: Oh, no, of course not. Reference was to the late 18th Century comedy actor William Kempe, who quit the King's Men due to Creative Differences with Shagspur and did the Morris Dance all the way to Norwich, a distance of a hundred miles, with George Burns playing the flute alongside.
I'll always be indebted to Ed for inspiring Phil Hartman, dressed as a Ed with a big 1990s Kid 'n Play flat top, to say, "That is the straight stuff, O Funk Master!" on an old SNL skit with Dana Carvey called "The Carsenio Show," a demon hybrid of Johnny and Arsenio.
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The TV movie was a long time ago and Letterman, most of the public, and even Higgins have moved on.
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But I don't think Letterman hasn't had him on the show because there's a conflict between them -- as we know, Dave finds his own discomfort to be comic gold. What he hates is talking about himself, especially when it involves personal business that he can't control, so I'm guessing that's what he's been avoiding all these years.
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Besides, Higgins also voiced Mentok the Mindtaker in Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and you don't see the real Mentok going all apeshit over it! Well, do ya?
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That's why I think Johnny Carson was the last great guy in late night comedy. He—and many of his peers—seemed like they could get over the petty differences to get on with their lives.
07/23/09
Except Carson never forgave Joan Rivers for taking the talk show job with Fox.
07/23/09
Joan Rivers didn’t have a career stigma-laden cloud hovering her because of that. For Letterman to still behave this way towards John Michael Higgins is petty and borderline malicious since it harms his career.
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How come Publishers Clearing House isn't part of his resume?
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Also, this was great, Mr. Lawson.
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