Posted on 06/15/2014 3:15:43 PM PDT by PoloSec
Dave Berg, who was a segment producer for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in his new book, Behind the Curtain: An Insider’s View of Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, writes about Jesse Jackson"
I never would have guessed that this prominent civil rights activist and one-time presidential candidate would be a nervous Nellie. One time he was shaking so hard backstage, he had to hold onto me for support.
Each guest received $500 to appear, but unless they were a Top-10 A-list actor, they barely budged the ratings. But when Sarah Palin agreed to go on after her 2008 defeat for vice president, the show coughed up $35,000 to fly her family and friends on a private jet from Anchorage, Alaska.
Eddie Murphy handed over an entire page of necessities for the 45 minutes he spent in his dressing room prior to his appearance.
It included:
4 Snapple Fruit Punch, 4 Snapple Orangeade, 4 Snapple Grapeade, 4 Dr. Browne’s Cream Soda, 4 Dr. Browne’s Root Beer, Coke in glass bottles, bananas, cherries, Evian bottled water, Juicy Fruit Gum, Snickers, Milky Ways, peppermints, York Peppermint Patties, writing pads/pencils/pens, regular-sized towels, washcloths/small.
President Bill Clinton was Berg’s white whale. After many rebuffs, the show sent him a $12,000 custom-made tandem bicycle as a get-well gift after his triple-bypass surgery.
It was returned, because Hillary, then a New York senator, could not legally accept gifts worth more than $50. (The two-seater bike was conceivably for her, too).
When the show commissioned another pricey bike with only one seat, Clinton accepted, but still never appeared on the show. Aides told Berg that Clinton “simply didn’t like Jay’s never-ending Monica Lewinsky jokes.”
Why is it that I can’t buy Jess “I Love The Limelight” being nervous about being nervous on tv?
Drugs make you paranoid.
And .. heaven knows .. this kid had more than his share.
Why would Bill Clinton want Berg’s white whale?He already married one.
I remember reading that Mr. Calmness himself, Perry Como, would be so overcome by stage nervousness prior to the beginning of his Saturday night television show that he would become physically ill (i.e., throw up), but just as the show went on air he collected himself and no one would think he wasn’t at ease.
I’d like to see the list of “perks” that Sarah requested.
the show coughed up $35,000 to fly her family and friends on a private jet from Anchorage, Alaska.
I loved Perry Como.
I had a contemporary friend ask me how we know all of these songs, since we were pretty young at the time. Andy Williams, Dean Martin, etc.
Of course I also watched Hullabaloo and Where The Action Is other contemporary music shows.
Because that was the rage on tv. I will never watch and hope we never see The Lady GaGa show.
Although, LGG has a decent voice, her schitck is just weird.
I’d be embarrassed too, if my shtick were infantile doggerel.
Was probably OK after a mainline shot of Geritol (or whatever) to get rid of the shakes .... got him back to his normal confident numbed look and incomprehensible mumblings.
I, too, loved to watch The Perry Como Show every Saturday night.
It was always a bittersweet thing, though, since when he signed off I knew it was time to go to bed since I would be up at 4:00 the next morning to deliver the Sunday newspapers (on bicycle).
“the show coughed up $35,000 to fly her family and friends . . ..”
By “perks” I refer to the list of snacks and goodies and junk that Murphy demanded/requested. Basic transportation services provided to facilitate the presence of the guest, a person of political prominence but very little material wealth, hardly seems a “perk.”
many years ago I was watching crap on t.v. and jesse was on being interviewed.
All of a sudden one of the very large lamps that illuminate the stage blew up making a n extremely loud bang.
Senore’ Jackson hit the floor and nearly dove under his chair. Looked around and was nearly scared white.
Boy has some fears and rightly so.
Murphy is part of the gimme society.
Nice way of saying the Reverend was drunk.
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