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Yep, that was
Jay and Dave together

Shocker: Rival comedians team up for a spot

By Diego Vasquez
Feb 8, 2010

The most shocking moment of last night's Super Bowl on CBS wasn't Tracy Porter's game-icing fourth-quarter interception or the New Orleans Saints' onside kick to start the second half.

No, it was seeing David Letterman and Jay Leno, who haven't had a civil moment since the first Bush administration, sharing a couch for a commercial promoting CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman."

And before you ask, yes, that really was Leno in the ad, and he really did film it along with Letterman and Oprah Winfrey (playing referee for the two rival comics).

It's a small miracle in these days of hyperactive media scrutiny that CBS was able to keep the filming and content of the ad under wraps.

It was a follow-up of sorts to a 2007 ad featuring Letterman and Winfrey, whom Letterman had been teasing for years for refusing to do his show.

In this year's version, the opening frame focused in on Letterman (an Indiana native wearing a Colts jersey), whining, "This is the worst Super Bowl party ever."

The shot widened to include Winfrey sitting to Letterman's right on the couch saying, "Now Dave, be nice."

Then the camera pulled back even more to include Leno, sitting next to Winfrey on the far end of the couch, saying, "He's just saying that cause I'm here."

A cranky-looking Letterman shot back in a sing-song voice, "He's just saying that cause I'm here."

It was a very savvy move by Leno, the butt of countless Letterman jokes during the late-night turmoil last month, to show he can be a good sport after taking the brunt of the bad PR following Conan O'Brien's exit from NBC's "Tonight Show." Leno will be returning to "Tonight" next month.

The spot was Letterman's idea, according to "Late Show" producer Rob Burnett. Leno flew out to New York a couple weeks ago to film it and even wore a disguise to throw off media watchers.

Though the two comedians have been trading barbs for years and are set to go head to head again in just a few weeks, Burnett told EW.com, "There was no frostiness. We were focused on trying to execute the joke. It would have been a more taxing event had it been us all going out to dinner. If anything was awkward, it was how it wasn’t awkward."

Diego Vasquez is a staff writer for Media Life.	© 2010 Media Life Magazine

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