John Key doing the Top Ten on Letterman
John Key doing the Top Ten. They chatted for quite a bit about New Zealand first so the segment is almost five minutes long.
The ten are:
10 The Auckland Airport now has a cinnabon
9 We have the loosest slot machines in the Pacific Rim
8 Only a convenient 20-hour flight away
7 It’s like England without the attitude
6 Down there Leno’s on at 9 o’clock
5 Get the whanau together, stay in a bach, crack open the chilly bin and slap on your jandals
4 Visit in the next 30 days, I’ll pick you up at the Airport
3 70% of our energy is generated through renewable hydropower – look they don’t all have to be jokes
2 We drive on the left side of the road, like the British and Lindsay Lohan
1 Unlike most of the world, we still like Americans
No 2 and No 1 were my favourites.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
“we like Americans”
Cue howls of outrage from Phool, Keith Locke and Helen Clark supporters.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Good job john, with the amount of people this video will reach, and highlighting the top 5 destination in the world, certainly wont hurt tourism!
September 25th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Impressive they resisted the urge to put in the sheep jokes.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
What the hell was with that accent?
September 25th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Yeah I thought a sheep joke was compulsory!
September 25th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Am I the only person in this country that doesn’t give a crap that John Key was on Letterman? In fact, I find it a little pathetic, but perhaps that’s just my disdain for all types of celebret worship which has become ubiquitous.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Letterman is American, Rakaia.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
I was dubious about him doing this but I think the result was excellent. Promoted us humorously, and he came across as his usual ordinary self, just how we like to think we are seen from the outside, down to earth and friendly. Just have to get a few more people her to actually be like that.
And I’m pleased he avoided the sheep. Jeez.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
@Col.M – LOL, I’ll set ‘em up…
September 25th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Tch. Could have offered him a seat.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Spot the four words that most yanks will have absolutely no understanding of.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Good job John
September 25th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
@Kris – *facepalm*
September 25th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
No harm done, he did an okay job. History now but can anyone imagine Helen Clark doing that sort of thing. I don’t doubt a lot more Americans will now know NZ is kind of near Tasmania & Australia.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
The Herald’s take on it?
Guess we must have been watching different shows.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
He looked and sounded a dick. He didn’t come across as the leader of a country, a statesman or a person of any authority. Letterman mocked him, and John-boy grinned.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Headline writer must be a Leno fan.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I think what you’re mostly forgetting is that the Letterman Top Ten lists consistently suck. That’s not John Key’s fault.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
My top one would have been the abscence of poisonous snakes, scorpions, bull-ants, blue ringed octupii, spiders and man-eating sharks, crocs and sting rays.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Hehe. Not as good as I was hoping it would be but still not bad.
My favourite line was “yes we get mail, by pigeon’”.
They messed up the national anthem at the start though. Was that a stylisation or a mess-up? They seemed to do a bit better for the outro.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Cringe , no gravitas whatsoever – what’s with the amiable country boy in the big city Shtick anyway.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I WANT CINNABON DAMMIT.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
WHat is a Cinnabon? Pretty sure there are stingrays. I saw a Stingray “fly” past when I was trying to do an out of hours tidal crossing.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
“Spot the four words that most yanks will have absolutely no understanding of.” What’s your point Kris? Did you miss John’s perhaps?
September 25th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
my expectations weren’t high..
(and i will still contend that many of the one-liners generated here were funnier..ansd would have been funny to an american audience..)
but in the sense of doing his job as minister of tourism..
he acquitted himself well..
and americans do ‘love’ new zealanders..(bless them..!..eh..?..)
and that herald take on it is a load of crap..
they played ‘hail to the chief!’ on his entrance and exit..
and letterman was most respectful..
and left his desk to go and shake keys’ hand at the end of it..
that herald take is a mile off course..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 25th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Off the top of my head.
10. We taught Russell Crowe how to drink.
9. We’re so hardcore we don’t wear armour while playing football.
8. We spell “armour” correctly.
7. If you’re a New Zealander, your Prime Minister meeting Barack Obama gives you an orgasm.
6. Visit the scene of Jeff Goldblum’s tragic death.
5. Enunciating vowels is tiring. So we don’t do it.
4. The time zone difference means Armageddon will get us first.
3. We have replaced TV commercials with new material from Rhys Darby.
2. In New Zealand, you may never ever have to hear people bickering about the Constitution.
1. Kicks Old Zealand’s ass.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Stop it phool, a lot of people may agree with you.
Can’t you be your normal lunatic self?
September 25th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
bchapman and DPF, you need to think “outside the box”. “Slot Machines” is an euphemism.
And ryan, rofl. A bit concerned about yor number 2 though. There’s pretty constant bickering about a constitution (at least within the pages of the khiwiblog when reddy’s around).
September 25th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I think Key did ok, but don’t you think it was just a little bit demeaning?
September 25th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
In other news – he also rang the bell to mark the closing of the New York stock exchange.
Ele Ludemann
September 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I think Key did ok, but don’t you think it was just a little bit demeaning?
Maybe… but as a 5 minute ad for NZ watched by over 4 million Americans it was probably worth it.
If NZ was of any political interest to the rest of the world our PM could be on something a little more serious. Luckily though, nothing happens here, so we’re stuck pandering to the lowest common denominator – tourists.
September 25th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I think he did bloody brilliant. Good on you John!
September 25th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
FOR SALE: The dignity of the office of Prime Minister of New Zealand. Red nose, green wig, big shoes and baggy pants included. Contact John 0800 GOOBER
September 25th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
So our Tourism Minister scores a 5 min slot on a programme viewed by 4 million Americans and many more throughout the world. Lettermann says that New Zealand is a Wonderland
How many viewers resolve to never visit NZ after his performance. I’d guess ZERO.
How many viewers resolve to visit NZ I’d guess many thousands. ( say it was just one in a thousand or 0.001% ) that’s 400,000 people ie a multimillion dollar boost for NZ tourism for years on end from just 5 minutes.
Stop the whinging and cringing. This is a Wonderland!
September 25th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@big bruv-
You mean supporters of the same Helen Clarke who was trying to gain a free trade deal with the U.S.A? The same one who had relationships between New Zealand and U.S.A warm under her administration? Is that the one which you mean?
September 25th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Might not be a holiday but for a working trip, seems like hes having a good time, I would imagine ringing the bell at the NY Stock Exchange would be a bit of a thrill for someone who’s previous life has been in the markets – Even a video of it there for all time – http://bit.ly/gI5pS
Good on him , I agree with the above, he did nothing to hurt the countries reputation in any of this – its all upside and thats gotta be a big part of the leaders job – maximise the upside for NZ at every occasion.
September 25th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Holy fuck, I agree with phil.
that herald take is a mile off course..
What do you expect from the paper that still has Russia being but amenable to Iran sanctions but nothing on China still being intransigent? It’s always been five miles behind the curve.
September 25th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I thought he did well. He came across as friendly, down-to-earth, a little nervous, and able to have a laugh at himself. Those are all good things. The audience seemed to appreciate it. You could tell by the louder laughs on some jokes than others that it was real laughter from the audience. Letterman did his usual shtick, but seemed to be positive overall. Paul (musician/band leader) seemed very pro-NZ.
For those saying its demeaning for a leader of our country to go on a show like Letterman, well Obama, Clinton and other US presidents have appeared on that same show (including recently). Many high-profile politicians appear on such shows, and the best received are the ones that have a laugh at themselves and show themselves as real people too.
As another poster said, no one watching that (apart from it seems some Kiwis who want to bash everything Key does, or just have cultural cringe about our country) is going to think less of NZ, and many many many people will be more aware of NZ, and think positively of it. Americans already really like NZ (I have spent decent chunks of the past 3 years over there), and this will just increase that, not diminish it.
September 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Absolutely. Maybe they can give him a pantsing next time.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Buggeration, Letterman really is a smug tosser.
GET ON WITH IT
September 25th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
They get extra credit from me for not mentioning any of:
-Lord of the Rings
-Sheep
-Damn ran out of things Americans know about NZ
Only slight negative (from a tourism point of view) was they kept making jokes about the travel distance (including after this clip, when Craig Ferguson comes on). I guess it could have been defused by pointing out its about the same travel time as to much of Europe/Asia, but its not that significant. I certainly don’t see how the whole thing can be considered “taking the proverbial out of New Zealand” as the Herald suggests.
Of course the real number one reason why fast food addicted Americans should go to NZ is that our Burger King gives unlimited soft drink refills, while the American ones don’t (unless they just decided to rip me off when I was over there).
September 25th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
well done, john came across as a good bloke.
“do ya get mail down there?”
“i try”
September 25th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
He did very well.
If you don’t agree, just imagine how his predecessor’s comic timing would have gone down.
He fits with the likeable image of Jemaine and Bret and Rhys and Peter Jackson in a way that Helen certainly wouldn’t.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
He fits with the likeable image of Jemaine and Bret and Rhys and Peter Jackson in a way that Helen certainly wouldn’t.
Clark wouldn’t have subjected herself to it. Key sounded like he was fresh from opening NewZealandTown. Hus thuhk Nuw Zuhluhnd uhcshunt made him sound like he couldn’t get his tongue out of his teeth. Clark’s isn’t a great voice, but she speaks clearly.
Clark acquitted herself very well in the international media. Such that people are very surprised when I tell them NZ voted her out.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
“Clark acquitted herself very well in the international media. Such that people are very surprised when I tell them NZ voted her out.”
Pretty switched on, politcally savvy people then georgie these buddies of yours that they need a prat like you to tell them that we voted her out a year ago.
Cutting edge of politics are you then pal?
September 25th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
It’s regrettable our PM doesn’t get serious coverage like Rudd would in the US but then we did say no in 84.
What a shame. What did that achieve again? Oh that’s right, a nice warm feeling in some of our bellies.
Well worth it.
Seriously, he did well, he’s going to be very very good in his second term, once he gets the hang of it.
And George, if you put Hulun and John side-by-side in a police comedy line-up, guess who the witness would pick…
September 25th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Go John Key what an opportunity and well taken. I don’t care how many words of our kiwiana the average American viewer/potential visitor did not understand but if they care enough to look it up they will be a good tourist some day. What is the problem with acknowledging our remoteness, it is one of our destination strengths and is constantly remarked on as such. Those who take the urine for his accent, get over it, most of us accept it as a mark of the man we like and elected to lead us. Just what was the value of that moment, about a thousand times the value of the charade of the UN with the assorted despots, dopeys and other clowns parading as world leaders that no one would be watching.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Who was that blinking and looking like a cleaning lady who’d walked through the wrong door whilst looking for the mop cupboard at the signing of the FTA with Taiwan then?
September 25th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Hulun Clork is about as respected as a turd in a milk bottle.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
“georgedarroch” I think you’ll find the voice coaching lessons Hulun had didn’t do that much for her image. She wouldn’t go on TV in the US on purpose, you can’t airbrush anything on live TV.
Perhaps some vaseline on the camera?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
So, TV3 is milking the fact the “facts” werent factual…. does anybody actually care? I was of the impression that everyone realised these were jokes…. But they still use this as their headlining story, as if he lied. It’s a little pathetic.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Haha TV3 Having a howl about top ten reasons not being factual, what a pack of poisoned corner shop dwarfs.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
“..Hulun Clork is about as respected as a turd in a milk bottle..”
yeah..that’s why shes’ number three an the u.n..
and you hurf..?
what have you done..?
oh little shit lump in a cancer container..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 25th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Money and connections in the International Socialist Movement can get you anywhere, phool.
TV3 Having a howl about top ten reasons not being factual,
TV3 being shit? Say it ain’t so!
September 25th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
philu…. I think you’ll find……that…by Hulun being in the UN, speaks more for the UN being as shit as it is.
…don’t you think?
The UN still allows Mugabe and Gaddafi to attend their regular talkfests….. Huluns in her element… yes?
September 25th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
still with the heine-emissions..eh heine..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 25th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
She probably climaxed through Obummer’s anti-nuke junk.
Among other things.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Yes, tv3 were pathetic. The smug, arrogant prat who wrote the cut from the John Key story to the next one must be feeling very pleased with themselves. “And while John Key was doing the jokes on Letterman, over at the UN President Obama was dealing with the real issues.” What an arse.
Shit the morons just said John Key is the most self effacing PM the country has had since Helen Clark!!!!!!!! These people are tragic. Never to be watched again.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Turd in a milk bottle? Slightly more respectable than the person whose job it is to place said turd in the milk bottle – and there are probably people at TV3 and The Herald who fit that job description.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I haven’t watched that piece of shit TV3 News since I saw Shrillary Borey smirk when she reported that Melissa Lee was likely to lose the Mt Albert By-election.
The lot of them can suck my fat, juicy knob.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
He did a great job.
Humble, humorous, open-minded, right wing.
Great. And he did a great thing for New Zealand. Letterman can be an overly egotistical prick. Just watch an early David Byrne interview. But he can make and break many things, careers, maybe even countries. Obama goes on Letterman. Has Gordon Brown been on there or Rudd? I really am not sure, maybe someone can tell me?
Anyone who says otherwise is a f ing idiot.
As I have said before, it is a big big world out there people.
New Zealanders who are ready to accept that get my thumbs up every time.
The rest of you, f off out of New Zealand and emigrate to Uranus.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Mike S you are the first one that should go.
Fking Maori right?
September 25th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Or worse a staunch labour supporter?
September 25th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
philu… still can’t pronounce my name right I see…..
What type of lead paint did you get fed as a child?
…..Or did you forsake school for a life of morris dancing and glue sniffing?
….
September 25th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Kaya and Colonel Masters you are fucking right.
What is it about journalists in New Zealand?
They never reflect the majority common sense opinion of the people.
Which is odd isn’t it? Seeing as NZ is such a small country.
Why is that? They just want to stirr up more attention?
It is fucked up.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
I don’t like his government’s apparent ambition to be slightly more efficient socialists, but John Key’s sunny image certainly works for us on the world stage.
His job on Letterman was to show that Kiwis are nice, friendly folk with cute accents who’ll make your stay in our scenic wonderland even more enjoyable.
And he did that well.
The idea that a leader has to be dignified (ie stuffy) is old hat. Kings and queens maybe, but not PMs.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:21 am
The way i look at it Robert Black is they broadcast to a core support base and mold a story to fit in with the views of their support base, so basically it is a form of propaganda that somehow gets called news. How you or the majority of New Zealand perceive something is irrelevant, the point is to project their political or world view onto an audience rather than presenting the audience with information in a neutral format allowing them to make up their own mind.
September 26th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Probably the most intelligent thing I have heard for at least a year here:
“The way i look at it Robert Black is they broadcast to a core support base and mold a story to fit in with the views of their support base, so basically it is a form of propaganda that somehow gets called news. How you or the majority of New Zealand perceive something is irrelevant, the point is to project their political or world view onto an audience rather than presenting the audience with information in a neutral format allowing them to make up their own mind.”
Thanks Banana Llama.
So maybe you can answer my next question:
WHY DO NEW ZEALANDERS ALLOW IT!!!?
September 26th, 2009 at 2:37 am
This is about creating a headline to suck in viewers.
Now I would imagine most regular visitors to Kiwiblog are up to date on current events and would have known about Key’s scheduled appearance on Letterman some time ago.
TV3′s lead story was along the lines of “John Key on Letterman’s Top 10 Reasons to Visit New Zealand, but was it factual?”. This was their lead for their news bulletin – essentially it’s trying to draw viewers in with scandal that isn’t present. The old adage goes that bad news sells newspapers, good news doesn’t.
But it shows them (and the majority of mainstream NZ media) as the muppets they are. Letterman is not CNN – it’s a tired late-night show that takes the piss. It’s not like John Key stood up at the UN and said “We have cinnabon at Auckland Airport”.
No. He said it on Letterman, yet some elements of the NZ media go to town on it, harking back to Labour’s ‘dishonest John’ campaign of last year’s election.
It’s disgraceful, sensationalist journalism. And another reason why polytechnics should not be teaching it.
September 26th, 2009 at 2:53 am
I agree, I have been totally disgusted by mainstream New Zealand “journalism” for a long time.
But hang on what does that mean?
Mainstream?
Journalism?
The journalism of whom?
Who is TV1? TV3? Who is the New Zealand Herald?
Where are they from?
Money?
Of course it is money.
So why do people give them even any tiny bit of credence?
Why do we respect people like Mark Sainsbury?
No, let me rephrase that, why do people respect people like Sainsbury. To me he is a bumbling idiot. Lately I have noted he is incapable of cross-examination, he just direct examines people he or TV1 support. A classic example is the recent interview of David Bain’s uncle. Because TV1 has taken the stance that David Bain is guilty this retard direct examined his uncle. Setting up his questions.
Why? Why? Why!!!!!?
Fuck that!!
I have to say at least Paul Henry adds at least some objectivity in his journalism.
But why does he? And why are not all journalist in NZ like that?
Is he too good? Too egotistical? Or he can just be bothered?
In my opinion fire all the journalists, fire TV 1, 2, 3 and 4 and start again.
The whole thing is fucked up and no one questions who is presenting stuff as important as news and their motives in such a tiny country.
Fucked up.
September 26th, 2009 at 2:57 am
You OK Robert?
September 26th, 2009 at 3:19 am
Yeah I just hate how a group of people called “journalists” can control a small population’s minds such as New Zealand.
I live in China but visit back often.
China has the “evil controlld media” yeah right.
It sickens me to even watch TV1 news when I come home.
Who decides it?
That is a good start.
What motivates the decisions behind the news?
Has anyone even questioned that before in New Zealand?
No, it just comes out of that box and hey they are the ones who do it.
Scary, OK for a farming nation maybe but doesn’t New Zealand want to get away from that image?
September 26th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Then you get half the news readers on Breakfast and realize they don’t have superior mental qualities.
Allie, what the fuck is that latest one, I don’t know I just call her the Seagull, you can see they are a bit stupid yet they present the news. Simon, Peter, Neil. Sainsbury.
Like where is the quality if they read the news?
Where is the depth?
Aren’t they the so called senior journalists?
I give up.
Anyway my 2 cents worth.
Adios.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I tend to disagree to a point – Peter Williams on Breakfast strikes me as having quite a superior intellect. Paul Henry borders on genius/insane. Having said that, I do take your point on the intellect of the rest of the crowd. But they’re not paid for brainpower.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:55 am
And as an aside, 61038 views of John Key’s Top 10 on YouTube so far.
September 26th, 2009 at 4:40 am
Agree with you all the way, Robert Black. But most kiwis I know aren’t like the good (and bad) citizens of the blogosphere. Most kiwis I know want to be fed their news by the likes of Sainsbury and the slightly-less-able “journalists”, because they’re too busy trying to keep their job and feed their family to go out into the interweb and forage for their own supply of information and current events. So, they get their “news”, and their opinions, from Sainsbury, Campbell and others who aren’t “journalists” but mere repeaters of what the editors and subbies have told them to say. And then there is my own special hate, the “live cross muppet” whose job it is to attend at the latest car crash / fire / cat-stuck-up-a-tree and put the most inbred bogan they can find on the screen for an “interview”.
Why do you think the MSM hates bloggers? Because they represent one of the last bastions of true “journalism”. When was the last time you read a great piece of investigative journalism anywhere but the interweb? Fact is, if a story take longer than half an hour to prepare (these days, normally involving plagiarising something already circulating the interweb), and takes more than 2 minutes to present, then it simply doesn’t rate air-play.
September 26th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Why people accept it is varied but mainly most are to busy working to pay for their own handouts, kind of ironic and rather destructive.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:37 am
John did a good job – wonder how many google, Bach, chilly bin etc? I am sure tv1 or tv3 will find those stats out for us all soon.
Funny how we get such a good oportunity only to be knocked by the kiwi knockers -One and Three and the Herald.
Hate to think what the standard of NZ journalism will be in 10 or 20 years. We are breading a culture of laziness and no care no responsibility and those wee pups we are teaching now will be the next breed. -They wont have had a smack or know about what is self responsibility and ‘p’ will be their breakfast tonic and their salads will be made from weed.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:34 am
What puzzled me is that Letterman’s audience is listed as only 4 million or so.
He is so well known and famous I would have thought it would be more than that.
A few years ago Rush Limbaugh put my essay “That Kyoto is a Fraud” on his web page, read out a few extracts and told his audience to go and read it.
I was advised that meant that a Minimum of 13.5 million heard the message.
And yet far more New Zealanders have heard of Letterman than have heard of Limbaugh.
A puzzlement.
September 26th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I think Key did quite well, given the circumstances…. but it’s pretty sad to see the Prime Minister of a soverign nation reduced to the level of a performing seal jumping through hoops for this Letterman character and smiling good naturedly as he and his country were laughed at. Letterman didn’t even pretend to have any interest. He was reading from note cards and at one stage he asked his fucking BAND LEADER “why is he here?”!!!
I realise of course that we are quite insignificant players on the world stage, but really, who does this arrogant self-important cunt Letterman think he is? OK, he might have a huge American audience… but if this is the level of their comprehension and engagement with the world, then this says volumes about their culture. If there was one glaring example of why many people in the world hate and despise the USA, then this has to take the cake.
Actually, at one point I began to have sympathy with Al Qaeda. The moment passed pretty quickly, but it was there just for a second or two.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
wow..!..mann..
that rightwing sense of humour byepass thing is firmly entrenched/strong in you..eh..?
(betcha you’re a barrel of laughs at the beach..eh..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 26th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Speaking of the beach phool I spotted a bong crab waving a tree hugger flag the other day.
September 26th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
(aww..!..is anyone else having a nostalgia rush..?)
why..!..we haven’thad gibberings of the likes of that..oh..!..
..since the last time d4j was here…eh..?
‘bong-crab’..(and the classic) ‘tree hugger’..
oohhh..!..it brings it all back..
eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
September 26th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
John Key didn’t manage to fit in the words “Podunk New Zealand” once. A missed opportunity me thinks.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Totally unprofessional, making an idiot out of himself, this is the new form of politician, the celebrity, making a total flop out of himself, nice work. How embarrassing, it isn’t entertaining, just shameful. With Obama taking the ranks with the talk show circuit, we have entered a new way of ‘moving up in the world’ on the cheap, thank goodness, it is nice to know we are being looked after, by some smart guys, who truly take their jobs very seriously.
September 28th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I watched Letterman and was proud to be a New Zealander. Absolutely brilliant seeing our Prime Minister being his natural self-effacing self on the World stage (yes Letterman is that big in the States).
He came across as he always does. Natural, honest, and a sense of humour. He also has a brain and all these reasons are why I voted for him. He has substance behind the style but man oh man … the style is perfectly kiwi!
And what are these people talking about when they say Letterman was disrespectful? He gave NZ a LOT of airtime (much more than a normal top ten guest) and spoke very highly about NZ. If you watch the Letterman show a lot (as I do) then it was clear that Dave likes NZ and made this known. You can’t buy that kind of endorsement.