TVSquad

We've all heard about the Northwest Airlines pilots that flew their plane full of passengers 150 miles past their destination. First they said they were arguing and not sleeping, then yesterday it came out that they were on their laptops. Probably on Facebook.

Last night, David Letterman had a list of the top ten excuses the pilots made.

[Watch clips and episodes of The Late Show at SlashControl.]

Let's face it, the Top Ten list on The Late Show with David Letterman can be hit or miss some nights (and just miss other nights). But they can still make lists where every entry is pretty damn funny. That happened last night, as Letterman presented the "Top Ten Signs Your Toddler Watches Too Much Television." Hey, it's TV-related so it's a perfect list for us.

[Watch episodes and clips of The Late Show and other shows at SlashControl.]

This was the "surprise" appearance that wasn't a surprise at all, since everyone talked about it all day yesterday. And I'm not even sure why Britney Spears being on a talk show is such a big pop culture event, but it gave us the chance to see her in a bikini giving the Top Ten List.

It was...awkward, probably because she's not only in a bikini but also it was via satellite and taped.

David Letterman doesn't usually have monotone robots on his show, except for the nights that he has a politician on, but last night Optimus Prime showed up to give the Top Ten list, "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By A Giant Robot." My favorite is number seven, because it's just so bizarre. I don't quite understand number one.

So there was still a "Fire David Letterman" rally last night outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. There were between 50 and 100 people there, some supporting Dave and some...well, not supporting him. Gawker and The Village Voice were there and documented what went down.

Dave didn't duck the protesters either. Here's his Top Ten list from last night. (And after the jump, a bonus: Lyle the intern!).

Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Tony Awards this Sunday on CBS, and he stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman last night to deliver the Top Ten List, "Ten Signs You've Hired A Bad Tonys Host." My favorites are number five and number one.

Actually, he was talking about Conan! Well, a little bit. He mentioned Conan and The Tonight Show in his monologue while Conan was starting his stint over on NBC. He talks about other things in the monologue too. I love how he calls Britain's Got Talent (where Susan Boyle performed) Who Loves Talent? Some exec get on that show right away!

(Dave also mentioned Conan in the Top Ten List.)

Wow, I feel really old.

David Letterman celebrates 25 years in the talk show seat (it's actually more, if you count his short-lived morning show that no one seemed to love but me) on February 1, and Bill Murray will come back to the show to help him celebrate the milestone. Murray was Letterman's first guest on the old NBC show in 1982 and his first guest on the CBS show in 1993.

The other guest on the February 1 show will be LeBron James. I'm not sure how that ties into the special day, but there you go. I'd rather see a regular, like Amy Sedaris, Steve Martin, Charles Grodin, Regis Philbin, or Tom Hanks. Hopefully they'll be some clips.

[via TV Tattle]

Hey, Letterman fans: have you been watching the show the past few weeks? Have you noticed the changes on the show? I think Dave has a new energy that we haven't seen in a while.

I mean, the show is always good, in my opinion, even in the times that the critics have said "Dave's not as good as he used to be." But something is different the past few weeks. Dave has gotten a little crazy again. He's doing surreal segments, like having staff member Sue come out in the middle of his talking to the audience with a bowl of trail mix and asking him if he wants any (and when he says "no," swearing at him and walking offstage). He's doing really irreverent stuff too, like having fake "experts" come on to be interviewed and having something crazy happen in the middle of the interview. There have been odd "breaking news" stories that lead nowhere, and he even had a running gag last week that showed a clip of The Tonight Show's Kevin Eubanks laughing at jokes (I'd love to know how they got permission to do that, if they did). And last night's episode! Dave not only had an opening little sketch (with ex head writer Gerard Mulligan), but he had a cigar in his mouth! (Not sure if it was lit, but it looked like it might have been).

So, Dave is always good, but lately he's been really good.