Late Show With David Letterman Television Program

On June 1, the premiere of "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" began with a filmed piece that found the tall, skinny host, dressed in suit and tie, jogging across America to get to his new studio in Universal City. But O'Brien might need to pick up the pace. After a strong start in the ratings, "Tonight" is already slipping behind CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," the rival program that O'Brien's predecessor Jay Leno defeated handily for years.

After breezing through a battery of TV interviews Sunday with hardly a revealing moment, President Obama finally let out some fresh information Monday night on the "Late Show with David Letterman." He let slip a few personal details about his daughters, an off-limits topic elsewhere. He disclosed the name of a movie he saw recently with his wife. And he managed to talk a little about healthcare and Afghanistan too. The information wasn't exactly breaking news, but the president has been busy hammering home an old message about the overhaul of the healthcare system.

Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Monday to deliver the "Top Ten Reasons Hillary Clinton Loves America," which included the ability to order her trademark pantsuits around the clock: 10. "We have more Dakotas than every other country combined." 9. "Canadian bacon: soggy and chewy; American bacon: crisp and delicious!" 8. "Thanks to the Internet, I can order new pantsuits 24/7. There's your pantsuit joke, Dave.

John McCain tried to make amends with David Letterman on Thursday, telling the late-night comedian that he "screwed up" when he stood him up last month to focus on the economic crisis. McCain's appearance on "Late Show With David Letterman" -- his 13th time on the CBS program -- came after Letterman mocked him for three weeks and suggested his decision to suspend his campaign because of the Wall Street meltdown was merely a political maneuver.

David Letterman showed up for work, but he went home sick before taping the "Late Show." A stomach bug was to blame, a network spokeswoman said. Adam Sandler, one of Tuesday night's guests, was quickly enlisted to fill in as host.

In the final count, the first week of the writers strike helped ABC's "Nightline" gain viewers but not enough to pull past its late-night competition. The live newsmagazine averaged 3.8 million viewers last week, a large boost over the average 3.5 million the program drew this season before the strike began, according to Nielsen Media Research. But even in repeats, NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" had more eyeballs -- 3.87 million viewers and 3.

It's four more years for David Letterman. The wry host of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" has re-upped with the network through the fall of 2010, CBS officials announced Monday. Letterman was on vacation and unavailable for comment but said in a statement that he is "thrilled to be continuing on at CBS." "At my age, you really don't want to have to learn a new commute," he quipped.

CBS is finishing up a deal to renew "The Late Show With David Letterman" for two more seasons at a reduced rate. The network and Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, are putting the finishing touches on a contract extension to run the series in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 television seasons, according to a person close to the situation. The current deal was set to expire next spring.

David Letterman took the highly unusual step Monday night of offering another on-air apology to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, apparently in hopes of quieting a surging storm of outrage over a monologue joke last week about one of the former vice presidential candidate's teenage daughters.

Thursday was comedy night in the 2008 presidential race. John McCain made a much-delayed appearance on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," then moved on to the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, where he shared a dais and alternated monologues with opponent Barack Obama. Sen. Joe Biden was a guest on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Sarah Palin was nowhere to be seen, but she was certainly talked about and is scheduled to appear -- as Tina Fey, perhaps? -- on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.