Seasons & episodes

Marc Odgers returns to the Late Show to leap over five interns; a security guard (Mike McIntee) tasers a runaway audience member; Connie Britton plugs "Friday Night Lights"; 50 Cent performed "A-Yo Technology."

Richard Simmons and Casey Affleck are the scheduled guests.

Dave (amongst others) discusses a fire in the theater basement that occured earlier that day; staff writer Bill Scheft comments on the possible writers' strike; Jimmie "JJ" Walker explains the differences between the BET and TV Land Awards; LeAnn Rimes performed "Nothin' Better To Do."

Tonights guests include Steve Carell, Chris Russo and Band of Horses perform “Is There A Ghost.”

Mac n' cheese is the latest food item that Sue Hum offers Dave (and promptly rejects); the lovely Amanda Peet plugs Martian Child, but a clip of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians airs instead; Patrick Warburton discusses living in Oregon; comedian Jeff Caldwell riffs on HMOs and birth control.

Two marathon runners interrupt the monologue (one week early, it shall be noted); to honor the possible WGA strike, Bill Scheft chooses not to reveal the punchline to a Dick Cheney joke; Jerry Seinfeld plugs Bee Movie and gets caught in the crosshairs on "Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview"; Joe Torre dodges questions about his next managerial gig.

An excerpt is revealed from President Gerald Ford's posthumous memoirs; Alan Kalter hosts "This Is Your Lunch," looking back at Dave's last meal (lasagna); guitarist Slash plugs his autobiography; in her network TV debut, Nicole Atkins performed "The Way It Is."

The 26th annual "New Halloween Costumes" segment includes a Hillary Clinton pantsuit, an overstuffed glove compartment, and Spongebob's less-than-beloved cousin "BrillopadTed SquarePants". Also, in the event of a strike, Dave reads off two weeks' worth of potential punchlines, while Penn & Teller turn quarters in a waterbowl into goldfish.

With a writers' strike now looking very likely, "Mrs. Letterman" (Jude Brennan) nags Dave into doing some housework; Stupid Pet Tricks include a pit bull terrier that plays the drums and a cockatoo that likes the Backstreet Boys; Bill Scheft interrupts "Alan Kalter's Foreign Affairs Minute" to remind the audience that the WGA needs the public's support; Ryan Adams & The Cardinals performed "Everybody Knows."

Etch-a-sketch artist George Vlosich becomes the latest person to do a portrait of Biff Henderson; Bill Murray discusses his ongoing legal troubles in Sweden and plays On-Star operator on Dave's desk phone; comeback kid Jay-Z performs "Roc Boys."

Dave returns from an eight-week hiatus with a full beard and his writing staff intact; an audience Q&A bit is interrupted by Bill Scheft; ten striking writers present the Top Ten; Robin Williams discusses his recent USO trip to Iraq; after a 16-year layover, "Hal Gurnee's Network Time Killer" returns to the Late Show; associate producer Nancy Agostini appears on "Know Your Staff"; Lupe Fiasco performs "Superstar."

Dave's beard gets a key to the city, courtesy of Mayor Bloomberg; a wayward WGA picketer wanders around in the backdrop; Hal Gurnee's latest Network Time Killer is a "balloon drummer"; Ellen Page plugs Juno; Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, and Chris Fitzgerald perform a song from the musical "Young Frankenstein."

Dave admits that he's getting tired of the beard, then confesses to feeling sick over his new "feud" with Rosie O'Donnell; Dave and Donald Trump talk football; talent coordinator Sarah Billington appears on "Know Your Staff"; Shooter Jennings performs "This Ol' Wheel."

Tom Hanks and Mike Huckabee are the scheduled guests.

Lucy Liu and MGMT are the scheduled guests. Plus, Bill Medley (of Righteous Brothers fame) sits in with the band!

Morgan Freeman and Chuck Prophet are the scheduled guests.

Howard Stern and Ayo are the scheduled guests.

Tracy Morgan, Kat Von D, and Dropkick Murphys are the scheduled guests.

Katie Holmes, Frank Caliendo, and Maroon 5 are the scheduled guests.

An audience member claims to know Dave's ex-wife, who apparently now lives in Florida; the show is again interrupted by radio transmissions from Lt. Len Easton of the California Highway Patrol; Mike McIntee and Harold Larkin play "Can Two Guys and Their Dead Friend In An Office Chair Hail a Cab?"; Don Rickles plugs his DVD Mr. Warmth and throws a few zingers at Dave and fellow guest Denzel Washington.

Throughout the night, Tony and Dave play the Spanish-language version of "Wheel of Fortune"; Michael Douglas talks skiing and plugs King of California; an old AC/DC song is butchered on "Gary-oke with Gary Mintz"; Wyclef Jean performed "Sweetest Girl."

Sylvester Stallone, the Teutul Family, and The Mars Volta are the scheduled guests.

Dave begs Gaines to stop feeding in phone calls from the California Highway Patrol, which interrupts the show three times. Also, in her first Letterman appearance in two decades, Diane Keaton kisses Dave and admits to being astounded by her costars in the movie Mad Money.

The Bruce Willis Secret Word of the Night is "Muffin"; during an audience Q&A segment, one man flips out over Chris Dodd's decision to drop out of the presidential race; Sarah Michelle Gellar shows photos from a recent vacation; Dan Patrick plugs his new column in Sports Illustrated; Ringo Starr (featuring Dave Stewart) performs "Liverpool 8."