What Can He Tell You? Ever-opinionated Miller brings pointed act to MGM Grand

Friday, June 3, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

"When people talk about the deficit do we owe somebody that money?" said Miller, who will be at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre June 9-13, July 14-18 and Oct. 20-24.

"OK, here's the solution we're not going to pay you. There you go, deficit problem solved."

And when a left hook comes his way out of nowhere, Miller rolls with the punch he's not a whiner.

His CNBC interview talk show, "Dennis Miller" a combination of interviews and opinions mixed with humor was suddenly canceled last month.

The 51-year-old Miller didn't try to dress it up, or put a positive spin on the show's demise. He didn't moan or complain.

"I got whacked," he said.

Miller said CNBC executives came to him and asked him when he would like to end the 15-month-old show.

"When do you want to finish it, June?'" he said he was asked. "I said, How about now?'"

He ducked one of their punches.

"They wanted to put a spin on it, like I decided to end it but it was nothing more than a whacking," Miller said. "I didn't have the ratings."

It was Miller's second series to be canceled he hosted the half-hour talk show "Dennis Miller Live" on HBO from 1994-2002.

Perhaps Miller can be so glib about the loss of his CNBC show because he's got plenty of other bouts excuse me, gigs waiting in the wings.

"I'm lucky to have a job," Miller said. "I could be out there selling double-paned windows on the phone. When your fall-back is a stand-up gig at the MGM, with your name on the marquee, that's not bad."

And he has an HBO special coming up in November.

"I kind of like the idea of being a funny comedian again, rather than commenting on all the election stuff, talking about issues," Miller said.

But the Pennsylvania native is not known for avoiding issues. For example, he didn't shy away from his right-of-center brand of humor in 2003 at Andre Agassi's annual "Grand Slam for Children" at the MGM Grand.

One of several performers on the show, Miller threw a flurry of political punches during his routine, which was followed by Elton John who then threw a few verbal punches of his own at Miller.

Miller says he used to be more of a liberal.

"But 9/11 changed me," he said. "I agreed with Bush on Iraq, but in general I'm a libertarian on most things I don't want to go over a detailed list of my political views."

He also agrees with Bush on revamping the Social Security system.

"Social Security is (expletive deleted) up," Miller said. "I'm always willing to support the guy with a plan and his is the only plan I hear."

He says the country has become politically divided since 9/11.

"It's the Hatfields and McCoys, my friend," he said.

Miller can be contemptuous of Congress. He says it's filled with people "who were the ones in the classroom who reminded the teacher at the end of the day that they hadn't been given any homework."

"They were not good in sports and couldn't master an instrument politics is their last chance to get (expletive deleted)."

Miller, blessed with an innate sense of humor, started out studying journalism at Pittsburgh's Point Park College. But instead of becoming a reporter he followed his natural instincts and became a stand-up comic in an era when some of the legends were beginning to make their mark.

"It was a golden era everybody thinks their time was the greatest time but I came along with Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Belzer ... that was a strong era," he said. "It's not like that anymore. Today, stand-up comedy is just a way station on the way to a sitcom."

In 1980 his reputation as a brilliant comic led to a writing job for PM Magazine in Pittsburgh and to a hosting job on a teen-oriented show, "Punchline."

He rose to national prominence as the "Weekend Update" anchor on "Saturday Night Live" from 1985 to 1991.

He also gained national exposure when he joined Al Michaels and Dan Fouts as co-host of "Monday Night Football" on ABC. He was with the show from 2000 to 2002. To many it seemed like an odd fit a political satirist commenting on football.

"I had a blast," Miller said. "I did it for two years. Dan Fouts and I were going to come back for a third year and then I saw where John Madden left Fox, and I knew what was going to happen. He would only have left to do Monday Night Football.' And sure enough, he did.

"But I was happy to get in for two years it's the most prominent sports broadcast in the country."

Miller says that in anything he does, it usually turns out 50 percent of the fans love him and 50 percent hate him.

"When I started on 'Monday Night Football' 45 percent liked it and 55 percent hated it," he said. "But by the end of the year, 50 percent liked it."

But Miller is happy with putting football, political commentary and hosting interview shows behind him.

"At some point you have to get back to your prime directive," he said.

Which is humor.

"My favorite line about Vegas was by Jay Leno," Miller quipped. "He said, 'Vegas is the only place where you can see a woman breast-feeding her kid at a slot machine.'

"I love Vegas -- it went Walton Mountain for a while, now it's back to being Sin City."