Rumer Willis was scheduled to go on David Letterman to promote her new horror film Sorority Row last night. She showed up and posed outside the CBS studios in a cute little while cap sleeve v-neck dress with cut out detail around the shoulders. I like Rumer despite some of the kind of clueless things she’s said lately and was hoping to see her interview last night. Rumer’s appearance was pushed back to tonight though, because comic Howie Mandel went on for so long about his OCD and anxiety that there just wasn’t time for her. There were a couple of segments featuring dogs diving into a pool set up outside the studio too.

Mandel was visibly nervous but was still incredibly funny and candid when he talked about his lifelong battle with obsessive compulsive disorder. The 53 year-old Canadian comic and “Deal or No Deal” host has a new book coming out this November called Here’s The Deal, Don’t Touch Me, some advance details of which we covered a couple of months ago. His interview ran for eight minutes and was a kind of funny but bittersweet glimpse into what he goes through every day dealing with severe anxiety and OCD.

Howie: I don’t know if people know that I have OCD and I’m a germaphobe and this whole swine flu thing – I don’t shake hands, I haven’t shaken a hand in like five years. I do this – [shows hand extended in a fist to give fist bump]

Dave: How is it so much different?
If we had done that, then I would have to wash my hands before having potato chips

I’ve been in therapy for a long time. I’ve had it as long as I can remember. I have a younger brother, and we used to fight, and the way he would win is to hold up the lid to the laundry hamper… I’m getting help.

Dave: I do know a little bit about [this] and people say if it kind of starts to interfere with your life, then maybe it’s time to seek medication.
And what makes you believe I’m not on that?..

So you are medicated?
If people are just tuning in now, that doesn’t sound so good… You’re gonna get Tom Cruise all pissed off at me.

So you have taken some medication? And you find that not satisfactory.
I’m still doing this [shows fist bump]

I’ll be honest with you, I’m a mess, but I’m ok. I’m functioning.

Remember the movie The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio? Remember at the end, Howard Hughes in the room naked, just urinating into a bottle? I’m this far [shows index finger and thumb about an inch apart] away from that.

Does it stay about the same or has it gotten worse. [since the 70s]
It ebbs and flows.

What causes it to get worse?
Interviews.

[Transcribed from Howie Mandel’s appearance on the Late Show, aired 8/31/09]

After Howie’s interview they had another one of those dog diving segments and during a commercial break they showed footage of Mandel in his dressing room eating potato chips, his fingers extended so he was touching the chips as little as possible. It was a kind of sad look into his world and you can tell that although he puts a lot of humor into everything he’s dead serious about having his life ruled by OCD and not being far from a break down.

At the end of the show, before the scheduled band went on, Dave announced that Rumor would have to stop by the next night. “Rumer Willis, who is a lovely woman and a fine actress in her own right and one of the daughters of our friend Bruce Willis was to be on the program, but we’ve run out of time.”

When Paul Shaffer asked how that happened, Dave answered “Someone was talking too much about a disorder he’s having trouble with in life. So she was nice enough to find room in her busy schedule to be on the show tomorrow.” Nice Dave, way to blame the guest for going over. It’s not like that’s the first time you’ve had to deal with that in the 16 years your show has been on the air. Do you think Dave would have rearranged the show if the next guest was a bigger name than Rumer? Surely they could have cut that second dog diving segment.

Howie Mandel is shown on 8/5/09. Rumer Willis is shown on 8/31/09 outside The Late Show and outside her hotel in NY. Credit: WENN.com