Tag: Letterman
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Joke About Squirrels and the Coronavirus
The joke: In New York City, there’s a new field hospital for coronavirus patients in Central Park. It has the squirrels so concerned that they’re rubbing Purell on their nuts. How I wrote it: This news item caught my eye because it had to do with Central Park. More on that later. To write the…
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Joke About an Unsafe Toy
The joke: Today a watchdog group released its 2019 list of the toys deemed most unsafe for children. At the top of the list: Tickle Me Epstein. How I wrote it: This news item grabbed my interest because it reminded me of the prop pieces we used to do on Dave Letterman’s late-night shows. Writers…
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How to Create a New Comedy/Talk Show
You have a host. Your assignment is to build a new comedy/talk show around him or her. How do you even begin to do that? Recently The New York Times went behind the scenes to give a glimpse into how James Corden and his staff are creating their version of Late Late Show, premiering on…
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How to Write a Desk Piece
That’s an example of a joke in a Desk Piece, a type of short-form comedy that’s popular on many comedy/talk shows. A Desk Piece is a segment of fully-scripted comedy that the host performs by himself while sitting at his desk. Here’s how I wrote that joke. The process was very similar to that of…