Late-night hosts struggle for something - anything - to joke about

They say the age of irony is over. Well, chew on this: Bill Maher landed the biggest fiasco in his career because he went back to doing his job like a good American. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, other late-night hosts suddenly stopped riffing on the news of the day. Not Maher. The host of ABC's "Politically Incorrect" kept the story on the front burner - and got scorched. During a discussion on his Sept. 17 show, Maher used the word "cowardly" to describe previous U.S. military strikes against Serbia. After several stations dropped his show, Maher apologized for his comments (which, by the way, other critics on both the left and right had made in the past word for word). Not since Mort Sahl called the Kennedy assassination a "conspiracy" has a comedian sparked this kind of firestorm around his political views. But at least Maher was being politically incorrect, as advertised. Flip around the dial during late nights and you'll see his counterparts - men who mined a famous double-murder case and an impeachment for laughs - grasping to say anything funny since the Sept. 11 terrorist bombings that left more than 6,000 dead or missing. David Letterman has been pulling 10-year-old comedy routines out of dry storage. Craig Kilborn scrapped his "In the News" segment for something called "World of Whimsy." And saddest of all, the staff of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," whose tart-tongued political commentary won a Peabody Award and other accolades in recent months, have turned to mocking Fox TV shows and Michael Jordan's unretirement. Topical humor is supposed to be the sustenance of late-night comedy. But these hosts have lost their appetite for it. For Letterman and Stewart, who are based in New York, and who both made emotional returns to television after the tragedy, the feeling of revulsion seems especially raw. So instead, their late-night shows are turning into group therapy, as news anchors and public officials take the places on the guest couch usually reserved for supermodels. Hillary Rodham Clinton was Letterman's guest Thursday night, and every time she said "the president" - not her husband but the current White House occupant - the crowd applauded noisily. Therapy, however, comes in many forms, and not all of them are so politically correct. This came to mind while reading the new issue of The Onion (www.theonion.com), the wonderfully vicious newspaper parody published out of New York. After a two-week hiatus, The Onion writers have returned with an astonishing issue that summons up all of our pent-up rage at the people who concocted this evil deed and exacts the kind of revenge that only our humorists can get away with. "Hijackers Surprised to Find Selves in Hell," reads the headline of one story, which then goes on in detail (nauseating detail, in fact) to describe the eternal torments being inflicted on the terrorists. Another story, "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule," purports to be an interview with the Almighty. The headline is the only thing remotely funny about it, yet in its fury the article neatly summarizes the moral bewilderment of anyone who has wondered how people could murder thousands in the name of religion. (Jerry Falwell gets his comeuppance, too, but in language I can't repeat; The Onion, unlike The Star, is not a family newspaper.) Other pieces poke fun at some of the absurdities already emerging out of the aftermath of the attacks: "President Urges Calm, Restraint Among Nation's Ballad Singers" is a gentle jab at the solemnity of the recent celebrity telethon. "Not Knowing What Else to Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake" is even gentler but makes its point. Another headline reads, "Irony, Cynicism May Be Permanently Obsolete." But The Onion's heartfelt rant proves the opposite. Meanwhile, Jay Leno has begun cracking jokes about the Taliban. Did you hear that the Taliban are scared and going into hiding? Yeah, now they know how the women of Afghanistan feel. Leno's audience laughed at that - a guiltless, cathartic laugh America needs more of. - You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Jon Stewart of 'The Daily Show' @ART:Photo (color)