Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller
File:DMiller.png Dennis Miller speaking at JavaOne, 2005.
Born	(1953-11-03) November 3, 1953 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Books, Radio
Nationality	American
Genres	Satire/Political satire/News satire, Observational comedy, Wit/Word play, Black comedy, Surreal humor
Subject(s)	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, libertarianism, American conservatism
Spouse	Ali Epsley (1988 - present) (2 children)
Notable works and roles	Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live Host of Dennis Miller Live Color commentator on Monday Night Football
Website	www.dennismillerradio.com

Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American Emmy Award-winning comedian, political commentator, television personality, and talk radio host. He rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s, and subsequently hosted a string of his own talk shows on HBO, CNBC and in syndication. He currently hosts a daily, three-hour, self-titled talk radio program, nationally syndicated by Westwood One.

In recent years, Miller has become known for his conservative opinions, emphasizing an aggressive stance on U.S. military action and campaigning for Republican presidential candidates (George W. Bush, Rudolph Guiliani). He is a regular political commentator on the Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor.

Early life

Miller was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he graduated from Keystone Oaks High School in 1971. His parents separated and Miller was raised by his mother, Norma, a dietitian. At Point Park University, he majored in journalism because he thought it would be easy: "I remember seeing All the President's Men and thinking Redford looked cool in his crinkled tie". He was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity. About his social status during this period, Miller writes: "When I went to college, I lived on campus, and the guys I hung out with made me do some things I'm not proud of, although they made the characters in Revenge of the Nerds look like the Rat Pack in 1962. I myself made that kid Booger look like Remington Steele" (I Rant, Therefore I Am).

Before his career in entertainment, Miller worked as a janitor and an ice cream scooper. He also worked in the deli at Giant Eagle. One co-worker recalls when the deli manager asked Miller to 'cover everything with Saran,' so Miller literally covered everything with Saran Wrap - including the time clock, counters, etc. In the 1970s, while working as a stand-up comedian in Pittsburgh's fledgling comedy club circuit, he submitted a winning joke for Playboy magazine's "joke of the year." The joke's topic was classified "group sex," and Mr. Miller's submission stated: "The difference between Group Therapy and Group Sex is that in Group Therapy everyone talks about their problem; with Group Sex, everyone sees your problem".

Television career

In the early 1980s, Miller hosted The Trolley Show, a Saturday-afternoon newsmagazine for teenagers, on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV. He also produced humorous essays for the syndicated PM Magazine television program. Miller then began performing standup in New York comedy clubs such as Catch A Rising Star and The Comic Strip, as well as in Los Angeles at The Comedy Store. He appeared on Star Search, where he lost out to fellow comedian Sinbad after the two tied with on judges' scores, but Sinbad won with a higher studio audience approval rating.

Saturday Night Live

File:SNLDennisMiller.gif

Miller on Weekend Update

Miller's big break came in 1985, when he was discovered by Lorne Michaels at the Comedy Store. He landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, where he succeeded Christopher Guest as the "Weekend Update" anchor. The spot was supposed to go to comic Jon Lovitz, but Lovitz was scheduled for other parts on the show and needed the Update segment to do costume changes; so Miller was drafted to read the news.

Miller began his fictional news reports with "Good evening, what can I tell you?" and closed with "That's the news, and I am outta here!". Fans of SNL became accustomed to his smirky delivery, high-pitched giggle, and poofy, frequently-primped hair—idiosyncrasies that would be spoofed by Dana Carvey, Tom Hanks, and (later) Jimmy Fallon, all of whom have impersonated Miller on the show. When Miller left SNL in 1991, the anchor's chair was turned over to Kevin Nealon. Miller's presence on SNL was still felt however, since before leaving, he discovered later SNL cast members who were in the same mold as himself, including, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, David Spade, and most notably, Adam Sandler.

In 1988, Miller released a standup comedy CD, The Off-White Album, based on an HBO special titled Mr. Miller Goes To Washington, which drew heavily from the observational and metaphor-driven style he was known for on Saturday Night Live, and showed glimpses of the politically-based humor that would influence his later work. A well-received HBO special, Dennis Miller: Black & White, aired shortly after the release of the CD.

Although Miller spent much of his time on SNL behind the Weekend Update desk, he was included in some sketches and did a few recurring characters and celebrity impersonations.

Recurring characters

• Koko, one of the pixies in the recurring sketch, Miss Connie's Fable Nook
• Steve, one of The Stand-Ups (others include Jon Lovitz as Bob, Damon Wayans as Keith, and Tom Hanks as Paul)

Celebrity impersonations

• Gary Hart
• George Harrison from The Beatles

The Dennis Miller Show

In 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched a late night TV talk show, The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show was among the first "alternative" talk shows, featuring cutting-edge bands and other groundbreaking guests not seen on other late-night programs of the time. For example, Toad the Wet Sprocket made their national television debut on the show, and Henry Rollins stopped by more than once to chat with Miller and perform spoken word.

The Dennis Miller Show had a limited audience due to Tribune's contracting it for time slots in the wee hours of the morning. Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, led the house band, and Nick Bakay was the announcer. The show was cancelled in 1992, the same year it premiered, due to poor ratings.

Dennis Miller Live

Main article: Dennis Miller Live

Beginning in 1994, Miller hosted Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show on HBO characterized by its simplicity. The show had a small set, no band, and not even much lighting. It consisted mainly of Miller speaking to the largely unseen studio audience on a darkened stage. There would be one guest per show, either live in the studio or occasionally on air via satellite, whom Miller would quiz on the topic of the day. The show also had a call-in segment. The number was originally given as 1-800-LACTOSE. Later, he only referred to it by its numeric equivalent (1-800-522-8673). With the show's time constraints, typically only two or three calls could be accommodated. Call-ins were phased out entirely in the last years of the show. Miller and his writing staff won five Emmy Awards while hosting the show, which aired 215 episodes during its nine-year run. The show was cancelled by HBO in 2002. The show's theme song was the iconic Tears for Fears hit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

Monday Night Football

In 2000, Miller beat out Rush Limbaugh and Tony Kornheiser (among others) for a job as color commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football. Many were initially skeptical about his qualifications, which was borne out by his lack of knowledge of the game. His commentary was sprinkled with esoteric references, which received mixed reviews. A common Miller-ism was after a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, he would say "Hail Mary is denied -- separation of church and state." After two seasons, Miller and former San Diego Chargers' quarterback Dan Fouts were replaced by the veteran football commentator John Madden. In a poll during the September, 6th 2006 ESPN's SportsCenter, Miller was ranked as the worst Monday Night Football commentator of all time.

CNBC show

Dennis Miller
Starring	Dennis Miller
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	220
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	CNBC
Release	January 26, 2004 – May 13, 2005

In 2003, Miller provided short-lived regular commentary for the FOX News show Hannity & Colmes before moving on to do a prime-time political show on CNBC in early 2004 called, simply, Dennis Miller. The hour-long show contained a daily news segment called "The Daily Rorschach", which was reminiscent of his "Weekend Update" segments. The show also featured a panel discussion dubbed "The Varsity", which offered a wide variety of political viewpoints on current topics. Frequent "Varsity" panelists included Gloria Allred, Willie Brown, David Horowitz, Mickey Kaus, Steven l. katz, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Harry Shearer. CNBC cancelled the show in May 2005 due to declining viewership.

Guest appearances and commercials

Miller has appeared as a guest or guest star on various shows, including Boston Public, The Daily Show, Hannity & Colmes, NewsRadio, The Norm Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, SportsCenter, and late-night talk shows such as Leno and Letterman.

Miller hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995 and 1996. He also was the host of HBO's 1996 series of election specials, Not Necessarily the Election.

He has appeared in various commercials, serving as a spokesman for M&M's candies, 10-10-220 long distance service, and the Internet service provider NetZero. About these activities he has remarked: “Everybody has to sell out at some point to make a living. I'm a family man. I sold out to make an M&M commercial. They offer incredible amounts of money, and I say, ‘What can I do to sell one more piece of candy for you? Do you want me to hug the M&M?’ ”

Return to Fox News

On September 21, 2006, Miller returned to Fox News, giving a two and a half minute commentary on illegal immigration during his "Real Free Speech" segment on Hannity & Colmes. Currently, he also appears on The O'Reilly Factor every Wednesday on "Miller Time".

Radio career

The Dennis Miller Show

In January 2007, Miller signed a deal with Westwood One to launch a three-hour talk radio program. The program debuted on March 26, 2007, and is now live from 10am to 1pm Eastern Time, with re-feeds from 1pm to 4pm Eastern Time and 4pm to 7pm Eastern Time. The show's website[1] provides a live stream of the broadcast. The site also makes archives of all shows available in MP3 format. The show airs on 114 stations, many of which (especially in the major markets) are owned by Salem Communications, airing on tape delay on most of those stations between 6-9 PM ET and 9 PM-12 AM ET. Salem stations also air a "best of" Miller show on Saturdays. His on-air sidekick is "Salman" (David S. Weiss), who also wrote for Dennis Miller Live.

Miller engages in serious discussions of America, its culture, current events, politics, and their place in the global context. The Show is infused with Miller's ironic and sarcastic humor which is often characterised by obscure pop culture references. For example, he opens each show with the line, "What's up, Hiroshi? Let's light this candle!" On the June 28, 2007, broadcast of his radio show, a caller asked about the line. Miller explained that "What's up, Hiroshi" came from a line in the movie Thank You for Smoking, while 'Let's light this candle' was inspired by a phrase common in the early days of the U.S. space program (Actually, a phrase from astronaut Alan Shepard, uttered by him while waiting inside his Mercury capsule for the command that would start the countdown and make him the first American in space. As quoted in the book, The Right Stuff). Miller's other opening phrases for each hour are "Come to me my baby, let me quell your pain" and "ABC- Always be closing if you want the knife set". At the beginning of the show, the Morse code for "SOS" is also heard.

Most shows feature three guests (one per hour), mostly from the world of politics and entertainment, as well as calls from listeners. Guests include fellow comedians and SNL alumni (such as Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz), pundits and authors such as Ann Coulter and Mark Steyn (while the show's guest list leans slightly right of center, there are several liberals who have appeared on the show, such as Dennis Kucinich and Alan Dershowitz), Presidential candidates, and some "regulars," Howard Fineman of Newsweek, and Representative David Dreier, a Republican congressman from California, among many others.

Other endeavors

Miller regularly performs stand-up at the MGM Grand Resort, one of the premier hotel casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

He has authored four books based on his standup comedy and television monologues: The Rants (1996), Ranting Again (1999), I Rant, Therefore I Am (2000), and The Rant Zone (2001).

Miller has appeared in several films, in both comedic and non-comedic roles. His movie credits include Madhouse, Disclosure, The Net, Never Talk to Strangers, Bordello of Blood and Murder at 1600. He plays the Howard Stern-like talk-radio host Zander Kelly in Joe Dirt (2001) and appears as himself in Thank You for Smoking (2006).

Miller is one of the hosts of a game show titled Grand Slam, which began airing on GSN in August 2007.

Comedic style

Miller is known for his laid-back style (for example, calling everyone "Babe") and acerbic, brooding sense of humor. His specialty is the "rant"—a stream-of-consciousness diatribe in which he rails against whatever happens to be bothering him at the moment. Such rants typically begin with "Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but..." and end with "...of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

Miller's monologues and standup routines often feature elaborate similes and metaphors involving allusions to obscure people, places, and things. Miller has alluded to his own reputation for obscurity by titling one of his television specials Citizen Arcane. On his passion for language he has remarked: "I've always loved the flirtatious tango of consonants and vowels, the sturdy dependability of nouns and capricious whimsy of verbs, the strutting pageantry of the adjective and the flitting evanescence of the adverb, all kept safe and orderly by those reliable little policemen, punctuation marks. Wow! Think I got my ass kicked in high school?"

While Miller's humor is often cerebral and abstract, it can at times be extremely pointed and blunt. In 2003 he remarked on the Tonight Show, "I would call the French scumbags, but that, of course, would be a disservice to bags filled with scum".

He is also number 21 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

Political views

In recent years, Miller has also become known for his right-leaning political views. Taking the stage after Miller had gone on a rant at a 2003 charity event, Sir Elton John remarked: “When people say, ‘Why do they hate us so much? Why do they hate us so much?’ Dennis Miller”. In a May 23, 2006, interview with "The Strip" podcast, Miller responded by calling John "a bit of a crank" and further commented, "Well, it's not as if Bernie Taupin said anything". He also visits wounded soldiers to show his support for their service. Some in the GOP have even called for him to run for U.S. Senator from California.

File:Tv nbc dennis miller logo.jpg

CNBC's Dennis Miller logo

Throughout the late '80s and early '90s, Miller was generally perceived as a cynic on the left, ever eager to bash conservative Republicans. This perception did not change much even when Miller told USA Today in 1995: "I might be profane and opinionated, but underneath all that are some pretty conservative feelings. On most issues, between Clinton and Newt [Gingrich], I'd choose Newt in a second, even though he is a bit too exclusionary". Miller also declared himself a "conservative libertarian" in a 1996 Playboy interview.

Miller's reputation changed significantly in the years following 9/11, when he became one of the Hollywood celebrities backing George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Miller has said that one of the defining moments, in addition to 9/11, for his move from the Democratic to the Republican Party was watching a 2004 primary debate between the nine Democrats then contending for their party's nomination. "I haven't seen a starting nine like that since the '62 Mets", he remarked.

Slate.com commentator Dennis Cass describes Miller as having changed from a "left-leaning, Dada-ist wisenheimer" to a "tell-it-like-it-is, right-wing blowhard". The perceived change did not surprise former Saturday Night Live colleague and Democratic party US Senate candidate Al Franken, however: “People have said to me, ‘What happened to Dennis?’ Nothing happened to Dennis. He’s the same Dennis. He’s always had a conservative streak on certain issues”.

While not at all shy about expressing his conservative opinions on topics such as taxes and foreign policy, Miller is quick to point out that he is still quite liberal on many social issues, including full support for a woman's right to an abortion and gay marriage. During a recent interview, Miller said "I'm basically a libertarian. I'm pro-gay marriage and pro-choice, but nobody wants to hear all that... . They determine who you are based on the war." He joked while on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he did not believe in global warming and that even if it was happening he would not mind it because he does not like to be cold.

In a radio interview with Penn Jillette on September 22, 2006, Miller explained his Libertarianism. Regarding Libertarianism, Miller said "...that's what I am, I'll be honest with you. I'm for gay marriage, I don't believe in abortion but I'm Pro-Choice 'cause it's none of my business. Pretty much anything goes with me if you're not infringing yourself on other people but, I'll tell ya, 9/11 changed me... . You gotta go around and explain it to people and they think you're a turncoat".

On February 21, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor, and again on May 25, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The Tonight Show, Miller stated that he is supporting Rudy Giuliani for president in 2008.

Personal life

Miller married Carolyn Espley, who is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and a former runway model, in 1988. Epsley is perhaps best known as the girl in Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" music video. The pair lives in Santa Barbara, California, with their two sons, Holden and Marlon. On his radio show, on July 16, 2007, Miller explained that his wife professionally went by the name "Ali Espley" to avoid confusion with another person with a similar name.

Miller is quite open about admitting that he has had several sessions of hair transplantation or hair plug procedures done.

Media

HBO specials

• Mr. Miller Goes to Washington (1988)
• The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special (1989) (host)
• Black and White (1990)
• Live from Washington, D.C.: They Shoot HBO Specials, Don't They? (1993)
• State of the Union Undressed (1995)
• Citizen Arcane (1996)
• The Millennium Special: 1,000 Years, 100 Laughs, 10 Really Good Ones (1999)
• The Raw Feed (2003)
• All In (2006)

Audio

• The Off-White Album (Warner Bros. Records, 1988)
• The Rants (Random House Audio, 1996)
• Ranting Again (Random House Audio, 1998)
• Rants Redux (Random House Audio, 1999)
• I Rant, Therefore I Am (Random House Audio, 2000)
• The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperAudio, 2001)
• Still Ranting After All These Years (HarperAudio, 2004)

Print

• The Rants (Doubleday, 1996) ISBN 0-385-47804-6
• Ranting Again (Doubleday, 1999) ISBN 0-385-48852-1
• I Rant, Therefore I Am (Doubleday, 2000) ISBN 0-385-49535-8
• The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperCollins, 2001) ISBN 0-06-621066-6

References

• Associated Press (26 January 2004). "Dennis Miller: '9-11 changed me'". CNN.com. Retrieved February 27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Cass, Dennis (6 February 2004). "Blinded by the Right: Dennis Miller's new talk show is all about his political conversion". Slate. Retrieved March 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Currie, Duncan (27 June 2003). "Dennis the Right-Wing Menace?". National Review Online. Retrieved February 27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Weinraub, Bernard (15 January 2004). "The Joke Is on Liberals, Says Dennis Miller, Host of His Own Show Again". NYTimes.com. Retrieved February 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Wood, Peter (2-3 February 2002). "Miller Time: A comic provides pungent satire aimed at our real weaknesses". National Review Online. Retrieved March 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Zaslow, Jeffrey (18-20 July 1997). "Dennis Miller. The cranky comedian "rants" for a living. But don't try it at home, he says". USAWeekend.com. Retrieved March 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)

External links

• Official website for Dennis Miller and his radio show
• Dennis Miller at the Internet Movie Database
• Dennis Miller FAQ version 3.9
• Annotated Dennis Miller Archive (Detailed explanations of some of Miller's Monday Night Football quips)
• Daily Ror-shocked: Is CNBC's Dennis Miller funny?