DVR Alert: Talk Show Listings Fri. Jan 23 - Essman, Tomei, Rivers & More

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Joan Rivers "made the rounds" in New York during the '50s, appearing in a few off-off Broadway plays (including one where she played a lesbian opposite an equally unknown Barbra Streisand), surviving sleazy agents, tawdry clubs, and hostile audiences. A 1965 booking on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" led to her hosting one of the first syndicated talk shows on daytime TV, "That Show with Joan Rivers" in 1968. In the '70s Joan wrote the TV-movie The Girl Most Likely To (starring Stockard Channing) and then wrote and directed her first feature film Rabbit Test, casting Billy Crystal in the lead. In 1983 Joan became the permanent guest host on "The Tonight Show." Later, she headlined in Las Vegas, sold out Carnegie Hall, produced a Grammy nominated comedy album, and wrote two best-selling books. In 1989 the Tribune Corporation launched Joan in her own syndicated daytime talk show. She won an Emmy and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1994 she wrote and starred on Broadway in Sally Marr and Her Escorts, for which she received a Best Actress Tony nomination. Since then, Joan has written three more best-selling books, maintains her own jewelry line on QVC, provided fashion commentaries for E! and The TV Guide Channel, and filmed a special for Bravo. Currently, she has two new books on sale (Men Are Stupid . . . And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery and Murder at the Academy Awards). She will be a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice 2 beginning March 1st. Later this year, she will also host the new reality TV series How'd You Get So Rich? on TV Land.

David Letterman: Dustin Hoffman and Todd Rundgren (Rerun from 12/22/08)

Jay Leno: Marisa Tomei, Dr. Grey Stafford and Ty Barnett

Conan O'Brien: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Cera and Nate Bargatze (Rerun from 9/30/08)

Last Call: Eddie Steeples and Josh Radin (Rerun from 12/9/08)

Jimmy Kimmel: Tim Roth and Joan Rivers

The View: Susie Essman

Regis and Kelly: Eric McCormack

Ellen DeGeneres: Kyra Sedgwick

Tavis Smiley: David Cay Johnston and Carlos Bernard

Chelsea Lately: Perez Hilton, Ashlan Gorse, Chris Franjola and Gary Valentine (Rerun from 1/13/09)

Bonnie Hunt: Brendan Fraser and Emily VanCamp

Mike and Juliet: Scott Baio, Eric Nies, Jeremy Jackson, Chris Atkins, Geraldo Rivera, Jeannine Pirro

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.