Fun_People Archive
11 Jun
The Letterman 11

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 96 15:04:35 -0700
To: Fun_People
Subject: The Letterman 11

Forwarded-by: Keith Bostic <bostic@bsdi.com>
Forwarded-by: Don Fitzpatrick <shoptalk@tvspy.com>

Eleven lifeguards, one of whom was the top competitive lifeguard in the US,
were suspended from duty following appearances on the David Letterman Show
last month.  Their crime? Delivering lines for Letterman's Top Ten List
like, "Coast Guard regulations- Miss, I have to inspect you for sand mites."
The lifeguards have now been left with a record for allegedly "inexcusable"
behavior that "degraded and tarnished" their profession, according to the
Los Angeles County lifeguard service.  The outgoing chief of the county
lifeguard agency has even gone so far as to tell his employees that their
performances, for which they were paid about $168 after taxes, "set back
the reputation of lifeguards 50 years." (Does the word "Baywatch" sound
familiar?)  The 11 lifeguards (one was edited out of the final 10) have
labeled themselves "The Letterman 11," saying they are the ones whose
reputations have been stained.  "Anyone who stays up late at night to watch
Letterman realizes it's just a joke," said one reprimanded lifeguard.  "You
would think we could make fun of ourselves without worrying.  But I guess
some don't have enough confidence in themselves to poke a little fun."
(LA Times)

© 1996 Peter Langston