The Late Shift Page #7

THE AIR THIS TIME, YOU POMPOUS ASS.

THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON

WHO CAN TAKE ME OFF THE AIR. BOB WRIGHT.

I'LL GIVE YOU HIS NUMBER,

CALL HIM.

I DON'T NEED TO CALL

BOB F***ING WRIGHT.

I'LL SEND MY AUDIENCE HOME

AND THEN YOU CAN CALL HIM

AND EXPLAIN WHY:

THE TONIGHT SHOW WASN'T ON THE F***ING AIR.

BECAUSE THE NEWS A**HOLE

COULDN'T GET A HORSESHI SPEECH OFF ON TIME!

SEND THEM HOME.

GET THEM THE F*** OUT OF HERE.

HELEN, IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?

CA-CAN YOU DO THIS?

HEY, WHO THE F*** MADE YOU

THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER?

YOU DO THE F***ING JOKES.

I RUN THE F***ING SHOW.

I'VE MADE THE DECISION.

THEY F***ED US, SO NOW THEY DON'T GET A SHOW.

GET THESE F***ING PEOPLE

OUT OF HERE NOW.

THERE IS NO SHOW

FOR THEM TO SEE!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

WE HAVE, WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL,

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

RIGHT NOW.

HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING

THE CONVENTION COVERAGE?

I COULD'VE BEEN A DOCTOR.

WELL, IT'S NOT TOO LATE.

WE'RE RUNNING

A LITTLE LATE.

BUT I THINK:

WE'RE GONNA BE ALL RIGHT.

THE SHOW SHOULD START,

I THINK, AROUND 11:00...

THAT'S GREAT, WARREN,

BUT I WANTED TO...

WOULD YOU HOLD:

THAT THOUGHT?

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CALL.

WHAT... WHAT...

WHAT... WHAT THE HELL?

THAT SHIP HAS SAILED.

THERE'S... THERE'S NOBODY HERE.

JESUS CHRIST.

WHAT, SHE SEN THE AUDIENCE HOME?

WE DON'T HAVE

A TONIGHT SHOW?

YOU KNOW,

I'VE ALREADY SOLD THIS THING TO ADVERTISERS. CHRIST!

SHE KILLED:

A SCHEDULED SHOW!

OUR LEVEL OF TOLERANCE

WITH HELEN KUSHNICK IS COMPLETELY USED UP.

SO IS OURS.

THAT WOMAN CANCELED

THE TONIGHT SHOW

WITH NO AUTHORIZATION

WHATSOEVER.

WE HAD LESS THAN

HALF AN HOUR TO GET THAT REPEA OR WE WOULD HAVE

GONE DARK.

SHE IS COMPLETELY

OUT OF CONTROL.

THAT'S BECOME APPAREN TO EVERYBODY NOW, BOB.

THE PROBLEM IS,

WHAT WE DO ABOUT IT?

IF WE MAKE:

A MOVE ON HELEN NOW, JAY COULD BE INJURED.

MAYBE IRREPARABLY.

THE GUY SEEMS TO BE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON HER.

THAT'S HIS PROBLEM, NOT OURS.

IT'S OURS IF JAY

WALKS OFF THE SHOW.

AND THE RATINGS:

HAVE BEEN SOLID.

I HATE TO TAMPER

WITH THE SHOW. MAYBE...

MAYBE WE SHOULD JUS LIMP ALONG FOR A WHILE.

YEAH, AND WAIT FOR HER

TO SELF-DESTRUCT.

SHE WILL, SOON,

THE WAY SHE'S GOING.

THEN IT WON'T BE

AN ISSUE WITH JAY.

AND WE WON' HAVE TO PAY HER OFF.

I THINK IT'S MORE APPAREN THAN EVER BEFORE

THAT WE SHOULD:

KEEP OUR OPTIONS OPEN WITH LETTERMAN.

IF YOU TWO WANT TO LIMP ALONG

WITH THIS SITUATION FOR NOW,

THAT'S YOUR CALL.

BUT AT SOME POINT,

AND IT'S GETTING TO BE SOON,

IT'S GOING TO BE MY CALL.

( door closing )

I'd just like to say

thank you to all of you

for this wonderful tribute.

It has been one of the most

memorable nights of my life.

Thank you.

Thank you, Rupert.

Thank you, everyone.

Your generosity

has been greatly...

EXCUSE ME. GOOD NIGHT.

( people chattering )

MAYBE IT'S TIME

FOR US TO TALK, BOB.

YOU HEARD ABOUT KUSHNICK?

WELL, I WON'T GET IN

THE MIDDLE OF WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO ABOUT KUSHNICK

BUT, UH, IF YOU THINK

IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS

ABOUT DOING:

SOMETHING WITH DAVE,

I HAVE A FEW SUGGESTIONS.

I'D LIKE TO HEAR THEM.

WELL, I THINK

IT'S IMPORTANT...

HI, HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

NICE TO SEE YOU.

HI.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTAN FOR N.B.C.,

IF YOU'RE REALLY SERIOUS

ABOUT KEEPING DAVE,

TO START CREATING

SOME GOODWILL.

THERE'S ENOUGH ANIMOSITY

IN THIS RELATIONSHIP TO START A SMALL WAR.

TO MY MIND,

IT'S ALL BEEN STUPID AND UNWARRANTED.

THANK YOU.

I'M ALL FOR GOODWILL.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?

BOB, WE'RE PREVENTED

FROM PURSUING OFFERS FOR DAVID.

BECAUSE WE'RE REQUIRED

BY N.B.C.

TO NEGOTIATE WITH THEM FIRST.

BUT THAT CLAUSE:

ONLY SERVES TO ENSURE

THAT DAVID WILL NOT LISTEN

TO ANY INITIAL OFFERS YOU MIGHT MAKE,

GENEROUS AS THEY MAY BE

BECAUSE NATURALLY

HE'S GOING TO WANT TO TEST THE WATERS ELSEWHERE.

SO WE CAN ALL PLAY THIS GAME

OR WE COULD JUS LOOSEN UP THE CHAINS A LITTLE BIT.

HOW?

YOU CAN ALLOW US TO SOLICI OTHER OFFERS OPENLY.

AFTER ALL, YOU STILL RETAIN

THE MATCHING RIGHTS.

SEEMS LIKE WE'RE CONCEDING

AN AWFUL LOT FOR THE SAKE OF GOODWILL.

MAYBE,

MAYBE YOU COULD OFFER

SOMETHING IN RETURN.

OUR SALES DEPARTMENT TELLS ME

THAT WE'VE SOLD

THE LETTERMAN SHOW TILL THE END OF JUNE.

BUT, AS YOU KNOW,

DAVID'S CONTRACT IS UP APRIL 2.

SO, IF WE DON'T RE-SIGN HIM,

WE'LL HAVE TO

RETURN THAT MONEY.

UNLESS...

( both chuckling )

UNLESS WE GIVE YOU

A 3-MONTH EXTENSION.

OK, ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S THE DEAL.

WE GIVE YOU 3 MONTHS,

AND YOU FREE US UP TO NEGOTIATE.

DO YOU,

DO YOU THINK:

DAVID WOULD SEE THAT AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL?

I BELIEVE I CAN:

ASSURE YOU THAT HE WOULD.

( laughing )

GOOD.

HELLO, HOWARD.

MIKE.

LISTEN, WE'RE READY

TO TALK SERIOUSLY NOW.

( woman )

Robert Morton on 3.

MORTY, HOW ARE THINGS

IN NEW YORK?

( Morty )

New York is great.

It's great to

talk to you, too.

I'M SURE YOU'RE QUITE BUSY

WITH THE SHOW.

YEAH, I'M DAMN BUSY.

SO WHAT'S UP?

UH, YOU'VE PROBABLY BEEN

TOO BUSY TO REALIZE

YOU'VE DOUBLE-BOOKED

ONE OF OUR GUESTS.

APPARENTLY, YOU'VE GO ROGER DALTREY IN THE SAME WEEK WE'VE GOT HIM.

Now I'm sure this is just

an oversight by your staff,

BUT I THOUGH I'LL JUST LET YOU, UH, KNOW THE WAY WE WORK THINGS.

WE ALWAYS HAD:

THIS "GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT" WITH JOHNNY...

MORTY, HAVEN'T YOU NOTICED

I'M NO GENTLEMAN?

WELL, HELEN, IT'S JUST THA THE RECORD COMPANY

IS TELLING US YOU'RE TRYING

TO FORCE DALTREY

INTO CANCELING:

HIS APPEARANCE WITH US.

I MEAN,

HE'S OUR GUEST, HELEN.

HE IS?

WELL, LET ME HELP YOU

OUT HERE, MORTY.

YOU HAVE NO POWER WITH N.B.C.

TO BACK YOU UP ON GUESTS.

YOU REALLY THINK N.B.C.'S

GONNA BACK YOUR SHOW OVER MINE?

Your guy was the loser,

remember?

THAT'S A CHEAP SHOT, HELEN.

( chuckling )

YOU CAN EXPECT MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM.

YOU HAVE NO F***ING CLUE

WHAT'S GOING ON

AT THE NETWORK.

YOU'RE HELPLESS.

YOU REALLY OUGHT TO HAVE ME

DO YOUR NEXT CONTRACT FOR YOU.

YOU'RE MAKING BUPKIS

NEXT TO ME.

YOU KNOW,

I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS.

I REALLY DID.

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.

I WILL FIGHT YOU ON DALTREY

AND EVERY GUEST YOU TRY TO STEAL.

OOH, GOOD LUCK,

MIGHTY MOUSE.

( sighing )

( woman )

It's Kushnick on one.

HELEN.

KENNY, I'LL GET RIGH TO THE POINT.

WE SEE TRAVIS' BILLBOARDS

ALL OVER TOWN, WE WANT TO BOOK HIM.

GEE, THAT'S GREAT, HELEN.

THAT'S REALLY NICE.

WHEN DO YOU WANT TO...

WE WANT HIM THIS WEEK,

WHEN HE'S HERE FOR THE CONCERT.

( Ken )

Oh, gee, I'm sorry.

HE'S ON ARSENIO ON WEDNESDAY.

YEAH, I KNOW.

MY BOOKERS TOLD ME.

SO, CANCEL IT.

ARSENIO'S OVER WITH,

HE'S IN THE TOILET.

HIS ADVERTISERS:

ARE DESERTING HIM.

BY THE END OF THE YEAR,

THERE WON'T EVEN BE AN ARSENIO.

HE'S ON THE AIR NOW,

AND WE'RE COMMITTED THERE.

I GUESS:

YOU'RE NOT HEARING ME.

LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU.

IF YOU WANT TRAVIS ON

THIS SHOW EVER AGAIN,

YOU BETTER BREAK

THAT DATE WITH ARSENIO.

HELEN,

I THINK YOU NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT ME.

I MEAN, I DON'T RESPOND

WELL TO THREATS.

Look, maybe I can offer

you something else.

We got a movie of the week

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