While Dave is billboarding the show, he notices a lovely wintery snow falling behind him. He turns around to enjoy the delight.. Ooops. The stagehand in the rafters in charge of dispensing the snow slips and falls smashing to the ground. Darn the luck. Dave picks up the stagehand and drags him offstage. It was nice while it lasted.

It's now time for Great Moments in Presidential Speeches. We see FDR. We see JFK. We see George W. Bush eloquently saying, "You you you you you you you . . ."

LATE SHOW FUN FACTS
-Elephants are the only animals that can't jump
-More people in China speak English than in the United States
-Lima beans contain cyanide

When we do Late Show Fun Facts, the first 3 are real. I am always amused when the audience laughs at these.

-In the 1800s, Atlases did not include maps of Florida because it was 'too suggestive'
-Porcupines are neither pine nor pork
-Before John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, he signed a bill in favor of alternative side of the street parking
-Horoscopes accurately predict future events 85% of the time
-"Planet of the Apes" was loosely based on a true story
-The highest ratings in television history were for the Home Shopping Network the night they sold Spock's ears
-Matzo ball soup is called "Jewish Penicillin"; Gefilte fish is known as "Jewish Erythromycin"
-The earliest English Muffins contained nooks but no crannies
-In the 40s, Pontiac produced a car called the Pantywaist
-No one has a birthday on March 16th
-Yo mama's so ugly, when I took her to the zoo, they said 'Thanks for bringing her back."
-Fidel Castro is the only dictator to host "Saturday Night Live"
-After declaring bankruptcy in 1990, Donald Trump spent three years living in his car
-Due to a clerical error, from 1931 to 1932 Delaware had a dog for Governor.
-During a recent trip to the DMV, Martha Stewart received a license plate she made in prison
-As great as Michael Jordan was, he was never good enough to play for the Harlem Globetrotters
-Pat Sajak can't read
-Until the late 1700s, the earth actually was flat
-David Hasselhoff pays women $30 to call him "The Hoff"
-Mickey Rooney once Googled himself to find out if he was still alive
-In addition to Post Offices and Immigration Offices, you can renew your passports at IHOPS.
-No one named Tony has ever won a Tony Award
-Harpo Marx's production company was called "Oprah Productions" -Larry King slept his way to the top

CLINT EASTWOOD: This is the first time Clint has been on the Late Show or Late Night with Dave. Clint did sit in the host chair here in New York while Dave and the show were in San Francisco back in '96. We showed Clint doing some odd things at the desk. Clint tells a story of meeting Dave at a comedy club with Dave telling a joke about a "bucket of beaks". The audience laughs, and Clint says the joke still works. Dave smiles proudly.
How did Clint get into the movie business? He says he grew up going to the movies with his family but never really had a strong desire to become a part of it. An army buddy (David Jannsen, who went on to become "The Fugitive") talked him into working at Universal. He got a few bit parts but nothing really materialized. He went into the swimming pool business (digging) until he got some work on TV's "Rawhide." This led to a steady gig, which is what every actor wants. And that was the start. To Dave, and to millions, Clint will always be Dirty Harry. Does Clint ever get tired of people asking him to do something from the Dirty Harry films? Clint asks, "Like 'Make my day'?" Clint says it becomes a bit tedious but it's part of the deal you sign up for when you make movies. And there are the studios that want him to make another Dirty Harry film. Clint laughs at the suggestion and wonders what he would do? Chase someone down with his walker? Clint doesn't see himself doing any more Dirty Harry films.
Clint directed "Letters from Iwo Jima" which will be in theaters December 20th. He became interested in the subject after directing the film, "Flags of Our Fathers". The film covers the battle at Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldier. Clint learned that when it comes to war, no matter what side you are on, we all have the same emotions and the desire to be someplace else. He became fascinated by the story of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective. They went into it knowing they were virtually assured of death. Dave comments on the "look" of the film. Clint says he wanted to "desaturate" the film of color, giving it a drab, almost monochromatic feel. War is not a colorful experience. One veteran who saw the film believed Clint was using stock footage of the battle in the film. He told the vet that he hadn't used any newsreel footage and every scene was shot by themselves with actors. Clint says it was a great compliment that it was thought the film was from the actual battle. "Letters From Iwo Jima" - it's on my list. I hope to see it between Christmas and New Years.
Clint Eastwood - now there's a guy I would like to be when I grow up.

ACT 5: It's time for the answer to the Late Show Trivia Question . . . . Tonight's answer is Tyne Daly! See you next time, losers!"

MATTHEW FOX - You may know him from "Lost" - Matthew now stars in the new film, "We Are Marshall", a true story about the 1970 air crash tragedy carrying Marshall University's football team, coaches, and fans. Did Matthew play any football growing up? Matthew played college ball at Columbia University here in New York. My ears perked. He played in the late 1980s on the team that lost a then-record 44 consecutive games. He suffered through half those losses. When they eventually won a game against Princeton, the fans tore down the goalposts. My ears perked because I used to go to the Columbia games at that time on 218th Street at Wien Stadium at Baker Field. I used to walk from 186th Street. I remember watching Marcellus Wiley play for the Lion in the mid 90s, now a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars. A lot of the filming of "We Are Marshall" was done in Huntington, West Virginia, home of Marshall University. The plane that day was carrying the football team, the coaches, and many fans. Everyone in town had family or knew someone who was on the plane. The film depicts the town's struggle to cope with tragedy. Matthew Fox plays Assistant Coach Red Dawson who didn't board the plane and has to deal with survivor's guilt while reluctantly helping the new coach (Matthew McConaughey) build a football team from scratch and heal the town. I have a vague memory of this event back in 1970. This is another film I hope to catch during the break.
Matthew Fox also stars in the hit TV show, "Lost." It's taped in Hawaii. Now there's a producing team that used their head!

And that was our show for Friday,December 15, 2006. Wahoo EXTRA!

Whoa whoa whoa! What's this I hear? There's been no Tony Mendez Show for weeks now? Is that true? You mean I've been carrying this website all this time? Mendez . . . what a slacker! It must be nice to take a month off whenever you feel like it.

Hey, do me a favor. I'm a big fan of a new ice tea, New Leaf Blue Tea. A beverage magazine/website is running a survey to select this year's best new beverage. Click on the thing below and vote New Leaf Blue Tea. There's about 9 categories. New Leaf Blue Tea can be found in the Best New RTD Tea category, I think category #4. You can just vote "other" for the other categories. Thanks, and get going!

http://host.ultimatesurvey.com/Bevnet/
Surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?s=4B71766E43984516A27A0B8E18CE5EF2

And for more information on New Leaf tea, check out their website at www.drinknewleaf.com

I'm hearing whispers that the diamond traders are worried about how the public will react to the film "Blood Diamond" when they discover what a dirty and violent business the diamond industry is. And all I can say is "I hope so." Think about it. The human race has miraculously evolved from creepy crawlers and yet we are still enthralled by shiny rocks to slip on our finger or put around our neck.. We will pay thousands and thousands of dollars, even millions, for a tiny shiny rock. Think of how that money could be put to better use by feeding the hungry or starting a college fund for your children. And if the diamond merchants aren't ashamed of what they charge for a shiny rock, then why do they display their diamonds under glass with the price tags turned upside down? If they were proud of their price, they would have a big sign with the cost. Diamonds . . . I still don't get it. Go fake for goodness sake.

Darlene Love - next Friday. Mark your calendars.

I'm back on the New York Giants bandwagon, but I don't feel good about this weekend. The Giants are a 5-point favorite against the Philadelphia Eagles, but I think the Eagles will be out for revenge. Early in the season, the Giants beat the Eagles when the Eagles clearly should have won, blowing a big lead late in the game. Following that game, the Eagles ran in to a lot of hardluck and found a way to lose a whole bunch of times. I suspect Philadelphia to blame the Giants for all their problems this season.
This has been another installment of "Expert NFL Analysis, From Someone Who Has Seen Two-And-A-Half Games This Year."

Hey, it's the first day of Hanukkah! See how well you do on this Hanukkah quiz.

1. How many candles are used during the celebration of Hanukkah?
A. Eight
B. Sixteen
C. Thirty-Six
D. Forty-four

2. What is Hanukkah also called?
A. Feast of Foods
B. Festival of Lights
C. Drindl Days
D. Fiesta De Sol

3. Who did Judah the Maccabee finally drive from the temples?
A. The Romans
B. The Greeks
C. The Arabs
D. The French

4. What sort of animal did the invaders want to sacrifice that drove Judah's father to murder?
A. A ram
B. A calf
C. A pig
D. A dove

5. Whose empire was divided giving Israel to the invaders?
A. Alexander the Great
B. Julius Caesar
C. Attile the Hun
D. Xena, the Warrior Princess

6. What is the minimum length of time the candles should burn each night?
A. Six hours
B. 45 minutes
C. 30 minutes
D. Until they are burned out

7. Where is the first candle placed on the menorah?
A. The furthermost right
B. The furthermost left
C. In the center
D. It doesn't matter

8. What is the miracle of the menorah?
A. That the invaders actually left one in the temple
B. That it burned for eight days on one day's amount of oil
C. That Judah and his followers found the menorah still burning in the temple
D. That it turned from brass to gold when lit.

Answers:
1.D - forty-four
2.B - Festival of Lights
3.B - The Greeks
4.C - a pig
5.A - Alexander the Great
6.C - 30 minutes
7.A - The furthermost right
8.B - That it burned for eight days on one day's amount of oil

How did you do?
If you answered all eight questions correctly: Genius
If you answered 6-7 questions correctly: Above average
If you answered 4-5 questions correctly: Average
If you answered 2-3 questions correctly: Try again.
If you answered 0-1 questions correctly: Back to the Torah