Late Night host David Letterman will be retiring next year. The Scene Staff weighed in with our picks for who should take the open spot on CBS.
By Allie Tollaksen
Although other women have been suggested to fill Letterman’s shoes, including Chelsea Handler and Ellen DeGeneres, the actress I’d most want to see on the “Late Show” is Aubrey Plaza. If you haven’t seen any of her interviews, you have to check out some clips immediately. She is so unbelievably awkward yet hilarious; every single one of her interviews begs to be watched over and over again. If she were on the other side of the desk, I have a feeling the awkward silences would bring out some priceless moments from celebrity guests.
More realistically, however, would be Neil Patrick Harris. The lovable actor has just enough charm and quick wit to take Letterman’s spot, and he probably has a little more free time now that “How I Met Your Mother” has ended its run.
By Erin McAuliffe
Disclaimer: This opinion may be partly influenced by the grudge I hold against Summer (Zooey Deschanel) for breaking Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s) heart into 500 pieces.
Zooey Deschanel has repeatedly proved herself to be the most awkward celebrity talk show guest and would be an accordingly awful host. Don’t get me wrong, I was a New Girl fan and I even went through a stage after watching “500 Days of Summer” where I wore light blue everyday and only listened to The Smiths (in an attempt to lure in JGL). However, her “adorkable” brand could only take her so far before the conversations about nail art, pajamas and dog pictures would become trite. How would Leonardo DiCaprio respond to a question about his stance on scrunchies?
By Jimmy Kemper
America’s favorite jerk is one of the best contenders for Letterman’s spot right now. As the voice of a generation, Kanye has the star power to exponentially increase the Late Show’s viewership. No one else could put more heart, more effort or more vulgarity into the Late Show than Kanye. Furthermore, the man has some of the best people skills in the entertainment industry, as seen by his heartwarming incidents with Taylor Swift, Jimmy Kimmel and George Bush. His interviews would be stellar, as he would most likely respond to the featured guest’s every comment with his trademark “Huh?” Maybe Kim Kardashian could help with the more intellectually challenging interviews. The biggest problem CBS has with Kanye taking over the show, however, is his proposal to turn the classic “Tonight’s Top 10” segment into a “Top 10 Things About Me Today” piece.
By Kevin Noonan
With rumors swirling that Stephen Colbert is CBS’s top choice to replace David Letterman as host of the Late Show, it’s hard to argue against him as a perfect replacement. Colbert would have to ditch his long-standing conservative blowhard character and play himself, but I think he’s funny enough and smart enough to use that as an opportunity to grow his comedy.
Outside of Colbert, I’d love to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler get a shot to take over the show together. It’s not a traditional format, but maybe it’s time to tweak the traditional format and try something new. Poehler is still busy with “Parks and Rec” for now, and Fey seems to be juggling a million projects at once, but after watching them on SNL and then hosting the Golden Globes, they could be a legendary team of late night hosts.
By Miko Malabute
Is there any way we can get Bill Simmons as a guest host for David Letterman? The guy clearly knows his sports and pop culture, and if you follow Grantland at all you’d know just how much fun it can be listening to him bring out the light-hearted conversationalists in each and every one of the guests he brings onto his set. But definitely not as a permanent host. He’d probably try to theorize new ways to reinvent the show so much that it turns unrecognizable. Yeah, either him or Zac Efron. Because – you know what – I have a soft spot for the guy.
By Caelin Miltko
As someone who doesn’t watch a lot of talk shows, I thought I’d investigate the news surrounding David Letterman’s choice to retire from the Late Show. In an article in the LA Times, the writers discussed the viewership of the Late Show being primarily older viewers because most teenagers and 20-somethings would rather watch their favorite YouTube stars. As such, in order to increase the younger viewership of the Late Show, I propose CBS replaces Letterman with a YouTube star such as Grace Helbig or Tyler Oakley. While questionable as to whether these Internet celebrities would be willing to switch mediums to television, I think their addition to the late night show circuit would add a good level of diversity. As anyone who watches their channels knows, these YouTube stars would probably have some interesting questions for our favorite celebrities.
