WILLIAMS

Robin Williams will be David Letterman’s first guest upon the return of his Late Show on CBS tonight at 11:35 on Ch. 4, 12.

The appearance of a Hollywood A-lister may be Letterman’s way of distinguishing his show from those of his late-night rivals, who are without writers and may also have trouble booking major entertainers as guests.

NBC’s Tonight Show said Monday that Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee will appear on Jay Leno’s first show back tonight.

Letterman announced Friday that his production company, Worldwide Pants, had reached an agreement to have his show return with writers despite the continuing writers strike, which began Nov. 5. The deal also allows writers to return to Craig Ferguson’s late-night show, also owned by Worldwide Pants.

The late-night shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien are also returning tonight.

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Director Rob Reiner was asked what lines from his films get repeated back to him the most, and what his favorites might be.

“I went to a restaurant years ago with Nora Ephron and her husband, Nick Pillegi. In walks John Gotti with all these wise guys in the suits around him. I kind of looked over, he kind of recognized me, but it was John Gotti so, you know, you don’t want to pay too much attention.

“So when we were leaving the restaurant, I walk outside and there’s this big limousine parked there and a guy that looks like Luca Brasi from The Godfather, this plug of a man. He looks at me and he goes, ‘You killed my father, prepare to die.’ Then he says, ‘I love that movie, The Princess Bride. I love it!’ I almost went to the bathroom in my pants.

“But my favorite, of course, is when my mother says in When Harry Met Sally… ‘I’ll have what she’s having.’ That is one of the top 100 movie lines on the AFI list. You’ve got, ‘I coulda been a contender.’ ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.’ ‘This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.’ Brando, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart … and Estelle Reiner. So, that she’s in there with them, that gives me the biggest thrill.”