Macdonald Now Expects To Swill At The No-Host Bar
Flash: Norm Macdonald will no longer anchor “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.”
This news, of course, may not matter much to you. But it certainly does to David Letterman.
As it turns out, the acerbic Macdonald, who has been an “SNL” cast member since 1993, was removed by NBC. And Letterman, who left that network in a huff to take his current position at CBS, made it clear whom he thought was to blame: NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer.
During the taping for his show on Wednesday, Letterman called the NBC executive “Don ‘Happy Hour’ Ohlmeyer,” ‘Mr. Big Shot Cologne” and “Cufflinks Don Ohlmeyer.”
Macdonald, who is still working for the program, called Ohlmeyer “a good man” and said he was “philosophical about these things.”
Loose talk
Rocker Ted Nugent when asked why he would need a semiautomatic weapon: “Since when is America based on need? Why do I need a Corvette with a special engine with 500 horsepower?”
If you think that’s old, we just disagree
Dave Matthews turns 31 today.
What’s all this about changing toasts? Oh, never mind
Speaking of “Saturday Night Live” (see main item to left), the new host of “Weekend Update” will be cast member Colin Quinn. Past hosts have included Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Bill Murray and Dennis Miller.
Will Jerry still be funny? Give him some credit
Jerry Seinfeld, soon to be out of work as a sitcom star, is broadening his role as a pitchman. Already featured in various American Express commercials, the comic is set to do an Amex television ad with an animated Superman. The plot involves Lois Lane forgetting her purse, Superman not being able to help because he “can’t carry money” in his suit and Seinfeld saving the day with his credit card.
He’ll probably serenade us all with accordion music
Tired of earning awards, perennial Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer has agreed to honor other performing artists. Grammer, star of “Frasier,” will act as host of the 40th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 25.
Here’s our obligatory daily Princess Diana item
Though dead, Princess Diana remains vital. “The Diana story is going to have life way beyond the interest in her death,” said Russ Ptacek, publisher of Video Information Show Report. “Coverage of Diana is just going to become bigger than Elvis, bigger than Marilyn Monroe.”
Meanwhile, Regis wisely kept his mouth shut
Kathie Lee Gifford is criticizing the media for not reporting that the late Michael Kennedy’s affair with his children’s ex-babysitter occurred when she was 16, the legal age of consent in Massachusetts. “Now, that does not mean that what he did was right,” Gifford said. But, she added, Kennedy’s actions were not criminal, and “his children deserve to know that.” Gifford, by the way, is stepmother to Kennedy’s estranged wife.
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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Dan Webster