I wasn’t wild about going to see Bill Cosby. Let me be clear: I’m a big fan. He’s contributed as much to television as anyone and his comedy albums helped keep me sane in my youth when the rest of my parents’ record collection consisted primarily of Hindi songs and John Denver. But I figured, at the age of 71, the Coz would simply coast on “greatest hits” and give a show strictly for long-time fans who would be thrilled just to see him stumble out on stage.

Boy, was I wrong. Cosby’s matinee performance on Saturday was not only one of the best comedy shows I’ve ever seen. It was one of the best theatrical productions I’ve ever seen. Period. A show billed as 90 minutes stretched to nearly two-and-a-half hours -without a break. (The 8 p.m. show lasted two hours and was radically different from the matinee; my colleague Rohan Preston will have a review on that performance in Tuesday’s paper and at startribune.com) Based on his account, sounds like they were radically different (except that both ended with his classic riff on going to the dentist).

The bulk of the early show was about his long-time marriage to Camille and it had an arc and depth that made the case that Cosby is STILL the best stand-up in the business. Coz gets more out of long silent pauses and facial expressions than anyone since the heyday of silent film. This was primarily fresh, inventive material - and hilarious. Based on what I’ve read online, these concerts were extra special. (He’s been clocking in at 85 or 90 minutes in other cities). Don’t know what inspired him to give an extra effort in the Twin Cities; whatever the reason, those of us who went were darn lucky.

Ed McMahon was not the biggest star I’ve ever covered. But he was certainly one of the nicest. McMahon, who died shortly after midnight at the age of 86, was one of the most accessible, and disarming guys I’ve interviewed over the years. You sometimes got the impression that Ed was kind of  joke amongst some in the industry (Jeffrey Tambor’s buffoonish character on “The Larry Sanders Show” is clearly a rough “homage” to Ed). But to those of us in the press, he couldn’t have been kinder or more open-hearted.

I found a copy of my first encounter with him, back in 1994, and thought I would reprint it here. If you enjoy it even a tenth as much as I did spending time with him, then it’ll be worth your time. Peace, Ed.

 7/19/94, Star Tribune

  “Win a trip! Win a trip to Disney World! All right, friends.
Someone is going to win a trip for five days to Disney World! What
do you think about that, folks?”

     Stand back. Ed McMahon is in the bullpen.

      After three decades of warming up the most famous couch in
history for King Carson and then turning “Star Search” into the
world’s best-known TV karaoke machine, McMahon should be doing two
nights a week in Vegas. A little song, a little dinner, then back to
the suite to count the money.

    Instead, the 71-year-old star is on the road this summer,
kicking off a 35-city tour in the Twin Cities on Monday to push
“Star Search,” now in its 12th year. And hey, since we’re here, why
not pitch about a half-dozen sponsors, plug the muscular dystrophy
telethon and raise some money for charity. Heck, give Ed half a
chance and he’ll probably move some Ginzu knives in the lobby.
“Hurry up! Two minutes!”

     McMahon, dressed in a Blockbuster T-shirt, black slacks and
black loafers without socks, was working Blockbuster Video in
Richfield, swarmed by about 60 people who had to be recruited
quickly from nearby stores because the video center was empty when
he arrived. To pick the winning entry form from a spinning basket,
McMahon handpicked 2-year-old Conrad Nichols from the crowd.

     “I lost the other guy I work with,” he said in his rich
baritone voice as his wife, Pam, lifted the boy onto a table. “I’m
working with Conrad. Let’s hear it for Conrad!”

     Conrad picked a winner, who wasn’t in the store, so McMahon
called him and left a message on the answering machine.

      “He’ll probably think he won the 10 million dollars,” he
said.

     He then told Conrad he would buy him any video in the store and
slipped a clerk a $100 bill (the store returned the money).

     “You’ll like that one,” he said, handing “101 Dalmatians” to
the boy, who barely said a word. “When you start dancing, come on
`Star Search.’ ”

      As McMahon walked out the door and into the bus, the boy
suddenly seemed overcome with joy about his new buddy and screamed
through the glass door.

     “Bye, Ehhhhhhdd!”

    Not much has changed since the teenage McMahon set up shop on
Atlantic City’s boardwalk, hawking vegetable slicers and pulling in
$500 a week, a fortune for anyone in those days, let alone a kid.

     But he gave up the lucrative life to break into the great
unknown called television. “There were only 2 million sets in the
whole country. Only the very, very well-off owned a television,” he
said, as he washed down a turkey sandwich with a glass of milk on
his luxury bus, equipped with queen-size bed, couch, black-leather
office chairs, microwave, three phones and a hot tub. “Across the
street from me there lived a band leader who would take his wife out
to dinner on Sunday nights. I volunteered to be a baby sitter so I
could watch `Break the Bank’ with Bert Parks, Dave Garroway and then
Ed Sullivan’s `Toast of the Town.’ And I had a TV show then. I
hosted a three-hour variety show for $75 a week in Philadelphia and
couldn’t even afford my own set.”

     He met Johnny Carson, did a game show and then they started
their run on a little project called “The Tonight Show” that ran,
oh, 30 years, and sort of changed the way that television worked.

     “We really liked each other, had fun together, and you get a
second sense of what the person wants,” he said. “One night, Johnny
was telling a joke and said, `It was so cold . . . ‘ He had a look
in his eyes. He wanted more amplification. I ad-libbed, `How . . .
cold . . . was . . . it?’ You can’t just say, `How cold was it?’ You
have to make something out of it.”  Along the way he coined other
household phrases: “You may have already won 10 million dollars.”
“Heeeeeere’s Johnny.” “Hey-ohhhhhhhh.”

     With the end of he and Carson’s run on “The Tonight Show” two
years ago, McMahon has changed some of his ways. Shortly after the
final program, he checked into a longevity center, completely
changing his diet and health regimen. On Monday, he was up at 3 a.m.
in the hotel room, hitting the treadmill.

     “I stopped drinking coffee. I used to drink 14 cups a day,” he
said, sipping on a wine glass filled with Evian water at Planet
Hollywood in the morning, watching part of the “Star Search”
auditions. “Toughest thing I ever did in my life. I was always
looking for that perfect cup.”
After several quick auditions, McMahon stepped up on the stage to
donate his “Tonight Show” coffee mug to Planet Hollywood. “Took a
lot of ribbing for what was in this cup,” he said, “but for 30
years, it was only filled with iced tea.”

     Then he left the mall and continued a whirlwind trip of
plugging products as the next contestant took the microphone.

       “I think it’s only appropriate that I dedicate this to Ed,”
said the woman, as she launched into a glass-shattering version of
“I Will Always Love You.”

A major upheaval in Boston is good news for a local journalist. Andrew Putz, a Stillwater native who has served as Minnesota Monthly editor for the past two years, will become editor of Boston Magazine starting next month. The magazine just fired their top editorial gun and a few other folks. My interview with Andrew will be available at startribune.com later today.

It appears KSTP has been named a Historic Site in Journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists. I’ll admit, I’m not really sure what this means, other than that there will be some sort of celebration Friday night in St. Paul. Maybe employees can now get half off at Dennys? Whatever it is, KSTP is in good company. Past recepients include the Hartford Courant, the country’s oldest running paper and Elizabeth Timothy, the first female publisher.

The Letterman/Palin debate rages on. Palin may have accepted David Letterman’s apology, but an outrageous, emotional rally outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre Tuesday night proves that there are plenty of folks that are still ticked off. Is it more because they adore Palin or is it because they think Letterman is part of the liberally biased media and think this is a perfect opportunity to strike? Probably a bit of both.

Let me be clear on where I stand. I can understand why people think Letterman’s jokes about Palin’s daughter having sex with Eliot Spitzer and A-Rod were out of line. Letterman’s acknowledged it. But I truly believe Letterman was referring to the 18-year-old daughter, not the 14-year-old. You may say that’s an easy excuse, but I’ve been watching Dave for more than 20 years and jokes about a 14-year-old is just not his style. If you can find one other example of such lewd behavior, lemme know. I think the track record is important and his is clean in this area.

Does that excuse a joke directed at an 18-year-old? Not entirely -but I’m not nearly as offended. I understand if some of you are - but I hope that you’re equally offended by jokes about Monica Lewinsky, who wasn’t much older that Bristol when she became a national punchline. Sarah Palin is obliviously taking political advantage of this scenario (if she was really worried about her daughter’s well being, she would have let sleeping dogs lie; instead, by publicly scolding Letterman, she’s made the story even more prominent). That, of course, is her right. And as a mother, you may argue that it’s her duty.

BUt let’s not pretend this is not a political issue. You may not find Letterman’s jokes on the subject funny (I didn’t). You may not find him funny, either. But to call him a rapist is way out of line.

EW, apparently suffering from a slow week, spent last week’s issue listing the top 20 reality shows of all  time. I may quibble with their picks (”Jackass???) but it’s a good jumping off point for us to make our own picks. Here’s there list (comments that follow are mine). Feel free to weigh in

1. Survivor. How to argue with that one, although CBS has run way too many seasons (19 in 9 years). Less an event now, then a tired sitcom

2. The Amazing Race. Has won every Emmy since the reality category was founded, and with good reason.

3. The Osbournes. This entry, more than anyone, shot a reality show like a sitcom. That’s NOT a compliment.

4. Project Runway. Who would have thought that fashion designers would be so interesting?

5. The Real World. Early season were some of the best, but an emphasis on hot, horny teenagers in hot tubs have overtaken the study of young people facing challenges.

6. American Idol. Never heard of it.

7. Jackass. Ugh.

8. Top Chef. Yum, although I prefer the comic adventures of Gordon Ramsay’s shows.

9. Project Greenlight. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s venture is a must for all film fans.

10. America’s Next Top Model. Popular because of Tyra, insufferable because of Tyra.

11. The Bachelor. I don’t know about you, but this show makes me feel more pity than pathos.

12. Bands on the Run. Couldn’t VH1 do more for bands by actually playing their videos?

13. The Real Housewives…Really?
14. The Hills. Have never made it through an entire episode. Sue me.

15.  BIg Brother. Big embarassment.

16. BLind Date. Yeah, I’ll admit. I love it.

17. Deadliest Catch. Good call.

18. The Apprentice. Trump is probably swarming that this isn’t higher on the list. So am I.

19. Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I can’t tell you how much this infuriates me. Oh wait, I can. Look for my column on Sunday.

20. Flavor of Love. If you want proof that people will do - and fall for anything - to be on TV, this is it.

SO where’s Candid Camera? Where’s alll those home makeover shows? Where’s Frontier House? PBS seems to have been totally ignored…