November 8, 2007: Actor Robin Williams, left, marches in the picket line at the Time Warner Center in N.Y. during the fourth day of a strike by television and film writers.
Tina Fineberg – AP

January 2, 2008: Actor Robin Williams appears on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in New York during the first original show taping since the start of the Writers Guild of America strike.
John Paul Filo / CBS Broadcasting – Reuters

Comedian Jay Leno greets striking writers with encouragement and donuts outside the NBC Studios in Burbank, California. Members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike Nov. 5, seeking a larger share of DVD profits and revenue from new media distributions.
Los Angeles Times – Al Seib

I guess that photo was then, this is now:
 

all eyes are on the late-night talkers that have not hammered out an agreement with the WGA (as Worldwide Pants’ Letterman and Craig Ferguson did), and thus might have a harder time luring talent across a picket line. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Tonight Show with Jay Leno is expected to have former Arkansas governor and White House hopeful Mike Huckabee as its first guest.

I wonder who wrote these for last night’s opening monologue:

• “Tomorrow, of course, is the Iowa caucus. As you may know, caucus is a Greek word which means, ‘the only day anyone pays any attention to Iowa.’ “

• “Iowa is also known as the tall corn state. That’s why Dennis Kucinich had trouble being seen there.”

• “It’s freezing in Iowa. It’s like 20 degrees in Iowa. In fact, it is so cold Hillary Clinton can actually see Barack Obama’s breath breathing down her neck.”

• “Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, one of our guests tonight, has reached what they call ‘the top tier’ of GOP candidates. That means during the debates he no longer has to wear a nametag.”

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..

Well, the second joke was so-so.  

Actually, the real laugh was on Huckabee:

Huckabee had to cross a writer’s union picket line to get to the Tonight Show set. The Associated Press reports that earlier today, the candidate didn’t seem to be aware that only CBS-TV’s David Letterman and his production company had settled with the union

Seriously? I hate beating up on someone I may have to support in the general election, but what the devil is Huckabee’s appeal? I just don’t get it.

Well, at least Huckabee was able to find the studio….probably has to do with the fact that the Tonight Show isn’t taped in Pakistan.

Still, it might be a good move for the Huck:

Jay Leno’s show is not only an opportunity for Huckabee to go in front of a national audience; it will be a HUGE national audience because this is the first show back for Leno since the strike started.

Embarrassing to admit, but when Bill Clinton played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1992, I sat up and took notice. It put Clinton on the map for me, a college kid who was relatively uninterested in politics. Never underestimate the power of superficiality over substance; of exposure to charm and charisma to woo voters…..simply because you played the sax, and that made you officially “cool” in the eyes of a stupid college kid.

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