In his old days at NBC, David Letterman was known for his comic creativity - dubing his NBC Late Night show into a foreign language or turning the camera upside down.

Conan O'Brien, his successor, carries on the tradition with another Late Night (12:35 a.m., Channels 5, 22) first: a one-hour show broadcast in clay animation. Think of this as Late Night meets MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch.

"This may be the best show we've ever done - in clay," O'Brien said in a NBC statement.

Viewers will see the clay version of a show broadcast last October.

Everything will be animated - the opening, monologue, comedy bits (an "In the Year 2000" sketch with Mr. T), guests and "bumpers" leading in and out of commercials.

Guests on the show are comedian Richard Lewis, singer David Bowie and Johnny Knoxville.

Enquirering Mind: This Enquirering Mind wants to know: Are Cincinnati Reds fans hearing an audition by two of the best candidates to replace Joe Nuxhall, who plans to work a limited schedule next year before retiring?

TV analyst Chris Welsh did a couple of innings Tuesday when Marty Brennaman returned home from St. Louis because of the death of his mother. Channel 19's Dan Hoard will be in the booth the rest of this week.

Both men have proven in spring training that they would do a great job.

I give the inside track to Welsh, because he's a former player - and that's the perspective needed for the person paired with Brennaman, the Hall of Fame announcer.

Fries honored: TV producer Chuck Fries, who started his career working for fellow Cincinnati native Fredrick W. Ziv on The Cisco Kid and Highway Patrol, was presented the 16th annual Ziv Award Wednesday by the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's Electronic Media Division.

The 1946 Elder High School graduate, and former Columbia Pictures vice president, has produced dozens of movies, including Farrah Fawcett's Peabody Award-winning Small Sacrifices; Bitter Harvest; Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story; For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story; The Martian Chronicles and Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean.

The Westwood native went to Hollywood in 1952 rather than join his family's Second Street fruit and vegetable business.

"This is very special," Fries says. "Fifty years ago, it was a fork in the road, and I took it - from a kid in the produce business to movie maven."

Fries, who retired from producing in 1997, is chairman of the Los Angeles-based Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors.

Ziv, a TV syndication pioneer, sold his studio in 1959. He was an UC professor from 1968 until his death in 2001.

TV today: CBS' Without a Trace drama ends its first season today (10 p.m., Channels 12, 7) ranking No. 16.

Take a Sports Fans Road Trip to Maryland with Cal Ripken and Dallas with Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett (10 p.m., Travel Channel).

Talk shows: Today's guests from TV Data:

Regis and Kelly (9 a.m., Channel 9): Ryan Seacrest.

Wayne Brady (10 a.m., Channel 9): Lance Bass, India.Arie.

The View (11 a.m., Channel 9): Renee Zellweger, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston.

Caroline Rhea (3 p.m., Channel 19): Bette Midler, Andy Dick.

Oprah Winfrey (4 p.m., Channel 9): Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston.

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com.