There was a time, about two years ago to the day, when the only apologies being sheepishly delivered on Late Show with David Letterman were from twitchy ex-sitcom stars caught saying some incredibly racist and hateful things on blurry cellphone video. No, Michael Richards' career hadn't exactly been catching fire in the post Seinfeld years, but his Laugh Factory meltdown proved to be just the thing to push him to the next level of Disgraced TV Sidekick Infamy.
But all hope is not lost. Speaking to Showbiz411.com -- you just can't keep a good Roger Friedman down! -- his former showrunner Larry David cheerfully reports that Richards is "is like a new man. He really went through something [with that incident]. He used to be very angry and bitter. He's completely different now. You can see it, and he can feel it. I'm very happy for him."
He had the opportunity to observe the non N-word-detonating Richards in his most comfortable habitat: working among the old Seinfeld gang, who had reunited for an arc on Curb Your Enthusiasm's seventh season.
Showbiz411.com reports:
The most I could glean from David and [co-E.P. and co-star Jeff] Garlin -- and this is just adding a lot of supposition -- is that somehow the gang decides to do a reunion show or revive the "Seinfeld" series in some fashion. We can only imagine for now that it doesn't work out, and fails spectacularly.
"I told Larry, I said, I can't believe we haven't done this before. It's a natural," Garlin told me the other night.
It is a natural, and we can't wait to see if the gang can recapture some of the magic while basking once again in that Larry David comedy glow -- even if we'll probably clench up a bit every time Kramer invokes one of his trademarked "Yo digity dogs!"
ยท Kramer vs. Kramer: Michael Richards Is a Changed Man [Showbiz411.com]