Tony Bennett. Coldplay. David Duchovny. Michael J. Fox. Billy Joel. Van Morrison. Bill Murray. Billy Preston. Bonnie Raitt. Shanice.
What distinction unites these entertainers? This is not an exhaustive list, by far. Once you figure it out, feel free to add your own contributions.
As always, just a guess. All sang songs about “moments”.
This one is going to drive me crazy. I don’t feel too bad when I miss obscure historical stuff, but this is entertainment, dammit!
Are they all vegetarians?
Better guess: all have appeared or been featurdon American Idol
RTod’s second guess is aimed at the right target. Not a hit, but aimed in the right direction.
Scrubs?
All have, at one time or another, been romantically linked to Simon Cowell?
SNL?
Tuesday hint: SNL is part of the right answer for one of the ten named entertainers.
Crap. I was going to guess Sesame Street, but clearly that is ruled out now.
I’m guessing that the person for whom SNL is part of the right answer is Bill Murray, though.
That would be an incorrect guess.
Now that’s a surprise.
I’m thinking that it’s something they do that isn’t their usual gig, so Bill Murray not being SNL fits. Bonnie Raitt has been the musical guest on SNL, but so has Billy Preston, thus that’s no help.
People whose pictures were torn up on SNL?
Like the Dalai Lama?
Btw, there’s an interesting interview with the DL in Rolling Stone. He’s officially retiring.
Wait… You can retire from being DL?
Is the world big enough for a Dalai Lama emeritus?
I thought the whole point was that each is the reincarnation of his predecessor, which I always thought had a nice flowing symmetry to it. It hadn’t occurred to me the job was more similar to being a Supreme Court Justice, or Robin.
You can, but unless you’ve reached a full state of enlightenment you only get a half-pension.
I wonder how that is measured.
Is there a form?
There’s a Platonic form for it, yes. But only the enlightened can read it.
Testing: is the
deletefunction operational?Is the Tonight Show part of the right answer for one?
Is it that they have all sung on the tonight show? (I remember seeing David Duchoveny sing Its All Been Done with BNL.)
Singing isn’t necessarily what I’m thinking of here but it could be in the range of the category. Talking counts too.
Yes. The Tonight Show is part of the correct answertoo. That’s a pretty substantial step towards the solution from where I’m sitting.
They’ve been bumped off of a show because the show ran out of time?
(Because someone else may or may not have ripped up a picture of someone?)
The all were were guests under both Carson and Leno (and Conan)?
Surely Coldplay came after Carson retired…
I think Shanice probably did too.
That doesn’t address the SNL part of the equation, though. What I had in mind with my question was that Shanice was the first musical guest to perform on the Tonight Show after Leno officially took over, which I thought was a nice bit of trivia in its own right.
Also, Billy Preston was the first musical guest on SNL.
So I’m going to guess that the answer is something to do with first guest acts on late-night television programs. But that seems overbroad, so I’m guessing Burt is looking for something slightly more specific.
Let me narrow it down a bit further: guest acts on debuts of NBC late-night television programs.
Bill Murray was a guest on Letterman’s first show in the way way back.
Tony Bennett was a guest on Carson’s first Tonight Show. I think you’re on to something here.
Van the Man was an act on Jimmy Fallons first show.
My only hangup right now is that I can’t confirm the rest of the names on the list, and none of the first guests from either of Conan’s first shows is listed, which I would think would be obvious inclusions on the list.
And Duchovny was on Craig Ferguson’s first show, so that definitely knocks out the NBC angle.
So maybe my first guess was right – just guests on late night TV show debuts.
Now I’m on a roll. Coldplay was on Kimmel’s first show, and Billy Joel was on Letterman’s first show at CBS. So that just leaves Michael J. Fox and Bonnie Raitt, neither of whom I can figure out.
Boy, think of all the damn talk shows over the years: Chevy Chase, Magic Johnson, Ellen, Oprah, Arsenio… I can’t even think how you would round up all the shows in order to research it.
I think you can just declare yourself the winner at this point. I am certainly declaring you the winner.
Journey was on the first Fridays. Leslie Nielsen, Brooke Shields, and Luther Vandross on the first Arsenio. Tyra Banks, Cher, Mel Gibson, and the Governator on the first Magic Hour.
God, I love the internet.
“God, I love the internet.”
But isn’t there something to be said about being able to forget things ever happened at all? (I’m thinking about The Pat Sajak Show or Magic Hour as examples.)
Mark Thompson nailed it: guests on the debut episodes of late night shows (which each successive host counted as a new show, so Carson and Leno are treated as different shows). Not limited to NBC.
Some of these listings are devlishly difficult to track down; there aren’t a lot of tribute sites out there with guest listings of everyone who appeared on (for instance) the Pat Sajak Show. My answer key is at home where I’m not, and I don’t remember off the top of my head whose shows Fox and Raitt were on. I’ll fill in the blank later when I have a chance.
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Van Morrison
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Coldplay
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: David Duchovny
Late Night With David Letterman: Bill Murray
Late Show with David Letterman: Billy Joel
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: Tony Bennett
Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Shanice
Dennis Miller Show: Bonnie Raitt
Late Show with Jon Stewart: Michael J. Fox
Saturday Night Live: Billy Preston
This was fun, but some of us have way too much time on our hands!