David Letterman

"The Color Purple" broadway opening night held at the the Broadway Theatre in New York. (Bauer Griffin) more pics » In this month's issue of Vanity Fair , Nell Scovell , a former writer for Late Night with David Letterman opens up about her experiences as one of the few female writers in the history of the show. In a short essay , Scovell says that a widespread attitude of male chavaunism created a "hostile work enviroment" that eventually led to Scovell walking away from her dream job after only a few months in New York. Did Dave hit on me? No. Did he ... Read Full Story

A TV producer accused of trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million said he needed money to visit his son and would mask the transaction as a business deal, prosecutors said Tuesday. Robert J. "Joe" Halderman also told the comedian's lawyer he would keep copies of his information on Letterman's personal life for "protection" and acknowledged misgivings about the scheme, Manhattan prosecutors said in court papers. "The issue is your client does not want this information public," Halderman told Letterman's attorney in a secretly taped conversation, according to prosecutors. "I have said, for a price, I will sign a confidentiality agreement and I ... Read Full Story

"The Color Purple" broadway opening night held at the the Broadway Theatre in New York. (Bauer Griffin) more pics » Judging by ratings, David Letterman should admit an affair every week, and apologize to his wife every day. Joking all the while, the talk show host spent Monday evening apologizing to his wife, Regina Lasko , for his indiscretions with coworkers on The Late Show With David Letterman , and saw big, big ratings in the process. David Letterman outside The Late Show With David Letterman . (Getty Images) In a night mixed equally with with jokes and what seemed to be sincere regret, ... Read Full Story

David Letterman 's alleged extortionist worried that someone might kill him in retaliation for peddling his screenplay about the sexual escapades of the late night host ... at least that's the story of Robert Halderman . In conversations secretly-taped by law enforcement, the CBS " 48 Hours " producer said, "Should I be fired mysteriously... if my house burns down ... any number of things .... I have no idea who or what he is or is capable of, someone might decide the only way to be sure I never talk to anybody is for somebody to kill me." Halderman's lawyer, Gerald Shargel , ... Read Full Story

  In an industry where privacy is hard to come by, celebrities prefer to keep their dirty laundry behind closed doors. But a recent string of extortion plots against Hollywood players has them coming out swinging – no matter the risks of humiliation or hardship. Larry Stein, an attorney who represented actor Rob Lowe and his wife in an alleged extortion plot by their former nannies, says, in fact, more celebrities are willing to face down their blackmailers. "Celebrities have to let people know that they're not going to be extorted, or that they're not going to be threatened," Stein says. "It's important to ... Read Full Story

rollingstone.com — The FBI’s dossier on Michael Jackson — over 300 pages of files ranging from an alleged extortion plot against the King of Pop to documents concerning the FBI’s involvement in Jackson’s child molestation trial — were released today as part of the Freedom of Information Act, the New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog reports. Read Full Story

"Extra" has the dish on the "48 Hours" producer who allegedly tried to extort $2 million from David Letterman. Robert "Joe" Halderman was a respected producer... his colleagues pooled their resources to post his $200,000 bail. All About Robert 'Joe' Halderman Award Winner Robert “Joe” Halderman’s journalistic career has spanned three decades. An online biography claims Halderman’s work has been acknowledged with seven Emmy awards and a prestigious Columbia DuPont Award. Big Leagues In the 1980s, he worked on “ CBS Morning Show” with anchors Diane Sawyer and Bill Kurtis. About the Plot A report says the alleged extortion plot was Halderman's plan to ... Read Full Story