Craig Ferguson is not just a consummate entertainment professional. He's a five armed plate spinner, a punchline deliverer with a Jack Dempsey right cross, a Horatio Alger of guffaws. He puts his whole being into every late night show and comedy performance he does that he could even make an audience laugh if they were in total darkness.
Sound like a bigger tall tale than Pecos Bill taking Amelia Earhart to the homecoming prom? Here's the proof. His Late Late Show suffered a power outage towards the end of Tuesday night's episode and he still stepped in front of the camera with only a flashlight to serve as his comedy spotlight. This convinces me that if a bull suddenly got loose in the studio, Ferguson could use the moment to make the audience laugh until they are gasping for life while teaching the bull English just so he could beat an apology out of it. Chuck Norris never made me laugh, intentionally.
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Craig Ferguson's show goes dark ... literally
Carrie Fisher spent last Christmas with Michael Jackson
Ever notice how goofy celebrities seem to gravitate towards each other? Ok, me either, but maybe that's because most celebrities are goofy in one way or another. Got a note from CBS tonight with a fun little advance tidbit from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Carrie Fisher tells a story about her brush with Michael Jackson, who was laid to rest today.
"They came to me to go on a travel junket for talking about Michael (Jackson), because I was with him on his last Christmas," the actress tells Ferguson. "It was fantastic. He had a big tree, and I did the Princess Leia monologue for his children. Yeah, I got paid. No, no, I got paid nothing. But I got a lot of it, and also he got me a cell phone."
Continue reading Carrie Fisher spent last Christmas with Michael Jackson
Craig Ferguson is "mystified" by NBC's Leno move - TCA Report
Just got back from a teeny tiny conference room off the main ballroom here at the Langham. CBS decided that they'd have an "informal press conference" with Craig Ferguson in this itty bitty space, even though a fair number of the critics wanted to hear the funny and thoughtful late night host speak. The SRO crowd wasn't disappointed.The most newsworthy bit that came out of the proceedings? The fact that the Late Late Show host is "mystified" at the fact that NBC is putting Leno at 10:00. Asked if a show like his could play at that hour, he said, "I don't think people are ready for cussing puppets at 10:00."
More funny quotes from Ferguson's press conference are after the jump.
Continue reading Craig Ferguson is "mystified" by NBC's Leno move - TCA Report
Craig Ferguson finally getting a little HD respect from CBS
When the late night musical chairs began, I dipped my toes into their waters for the first time in many, many years. The only three shows remaining on my DVR are The Tonight Show, Late Night and The Late Late Show, and only Craig Ferguson is a must watch from beginning to end (I've actually cut Tonight twice and put it back since Conan took over).The real hook for me is Ferguson's monologue. While everyone's doing, "Hey let's look at the news. Setup. Punchline. Setup. Punchline. Setup. Punch me in the face I can't take it anymore!," Ferguson is doing a short stand-up routine every night. It's smart, it's clever, and it all flows so much more nicely.
I've also enjoyed his constant rants about how terrible his show is, what a horrible host he is, and how incredibly cheap CBS is when it comes to anything to do with The Late Late Show. But now, long after all of his competitors got the upgrade, we're finally getting Craig Ferguson in HD starting August 31, 2009. So he'll have one less thing to bitch about, at least.
Continue reading Craig Ferguson finally getting a little HD respect from CBS
Don Rickles on the D-List, The Tonight Show, and more
It's always great to see Don Rickles on TV. He's rarely out of form, and he has a knack for sailing some great zingers past the censors. Which means his appearance on last night's My Life on the D-List was a perfect opportunity, a place where he could be a bit more loose. We got a taste of that from him, walking around Kathy Griffin's house, but we also got a glimpse of the guy I have heard about from comedians who've met Rickles - the old softie who is ever willing to talk shop with other comics. It was a great moment when Griffin and Rickles talked about how both of their mothers would try to tell them not to pick on people so much, with Griffin's mom providing a bit of the dialogue. Meeting Rickles was on Griffin's mother's "bucket list."
I thought I'd use the occasion to take a look around YouTube to find some of Rickles' best TV appearances. He seems to have been everywhere, from The View to cable.
Continue reading Don Rickles on the D-List, The Tonight Show, and more
Conan's Tonight Show ratings slip beneath Letterman's
The ratings for The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien have been slipping since he took over, which is to be expected. Possibly less expected is that while he's been dipping, Late Show With David Letterman has seen a slow increase. So much so that last night, David Letterman beat Conan O'Brien in the ratings. That should certainly help Letterman's negotiations for that contract extension to 2012. The real question is how will this ratings battle settle down?Certainly there's no reason for the Tonight Show camp to panic yet. Letterman stomped Leno for awhile early in Leno's run, when Letterman first jumped to CBS. But Leno is a very different comedian and host than O'Brien. Perhaps too different? The concern isn't so much that O'Brien's numbers are dipping, because the curiosity factor was going to inflate his initial numbers anyway, it's that Letterman's are on the rise. That could be defectors from the Leno era making a move. But should O'Brien even want to bring them back, or should his battle be for new viewers that maybe weren't watching Letterman or Leno.
Continue reading Conan's Tonight Show ratings slip beneath Letterman's
Craig Ferguson officially has the most badass mug in the history of late night
There are a lot of great traditions in the world of late night. Every host has to endure the wrath of Mother Nature's cruel comedy by letting an animal crap in their lap. Every host has to invite a nutball celebrity who is guaranteed to shoot up or snort something in the green room five seconds before their interview. But one lesser known, some would say downright boring, tradition has gone by the wayside. Maybe that's because the choices are usually something boring. There was Johnny Carson's face mug, Conan O'Brien's Eisenhower mug and some boring old mug that's so dull, they couldn't even sell it in the gift shop to tourists who would buy a bag of puke if it had the Last Call with Carson Daly logo on it.
All of that changed when CBS' Craig Ferguson revived this grand tradition by jamming a cardiac needle of adrenaline into its heart with his mug.
Continue reading Craig Ferguson officially has the most badass mug in the history of late night
More sad news on Ed McMahon
We reported Ed McMahon's "very serious" medical condition a few weeks ago, and it tugged at the strings of our very weak and sodium clogged hearts. He's a TV legend, so much so that even people who didn't grow up watching The Tonight Show at least know of him and his work. It's been even harder to duplicate. Hank Kingsley was right. Sidekickology is a "dying art."
But a few little factoids popped up around the Internet surrounding McMahon's hospitalization, and it made the news even more tragic and depressing.
Continue reading More sad news on Ed McMahon
Conan writer Brian Kiley defects to Letterman (for one night)
Appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman is a big deal for most comics. For Brian Kiley, who appears on the show tonight, it's a little strange. Kiley is a writer for Conan O'Brien (both for Late Night and the new Tonight Show), and starting June 1, his boss will be Letterman's direct competitor. Kiley has done the Letterman three times before, he notes as an emergency replacement for another act that dropped out. And while he says he would never have gone on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, since that show is in the same time slot as Late Night, O'Brien and Letterman have always had a cordial relationship, and no one ever said anything before. That might change now.
"I kind of viewed it as, well, maybe this is my last time on Dave because the Conan people might not be into it," says Kiley. "So I don't know."
Continue reading Conan writer Brian Kiley defects to Letterman (for one night)
Ferguson declares war on Fallon ... with Paris Hilton?!?
The late night war is officially back on, folks, and it's about to get nasty because Paris Hilton has become CBS' weapon of choice.
Craig Ferguson and his Late Late Show crew plan to turn the tables on Jimmy Fallon's first foray into his late night territory by launching a cluster of MOABs at NBC that are packed to the brim with Paris.
And no, we don't mean Ferguson literally plans to launch Paris into the Late Night offices where she will unleash her demon whore spawn and turn Fallon's staff into a grisly smorgasbord of bloody flesh and gnarled bones. Let's be realistic. Paris would just hire someone to do that for her.
Continue reading Ferguson declares war on Fallon ... with Paris Hilton?!?
Top TV Stories of 2008: The writers' strike and its aftermath
2008 was a strange one for television. Not because of the intense political and economic coverage, or the 27000 hours of Olympic telecasts, or the fact that Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul held back from killing each other for yet another season. No, the reason for the strangeness was that, at the beginning of the year, the schedule was a bit disjointed. This was thanks to the lengthy writers' strike.
Lasting from early November 2007 until February and costing up to two billion dollars, the WGA strike did something that previous labor disputes had not done to TV in the past: it changed the face of television. These were not cosmetic changes that reverted back to normal once the strike ended. These were changes that altered television as we now it and set the stage for its very uncertain future.
Continue reading Top TV Stories of 2008: The writers' strike and its aftermath
Jay Leno, who loves ya baby?
Jay Leno's move into primetime surprised just about everyone with a television and a central nervous system. NBC's Tonight Show chair might have been the throne of late night royalty, but it's not an aristocracy. That assumption caused the infamous late night fiasco when Johnny Carson retired and pushed David Letterman to CBS. It's that same assumption that has everyone's jaws dropping out of their ligaments.
But just like the Super Bowl, little league baseball, or a hottest-wet-buns-in-jeans contest -- there must be winners and losers. Here are the people who should and shouldn't be loving Leno right now.
Continue reading Jay Leno, who loves ya baby?
Ferguson's ratings beat Conan's
Craig Ferguson is beating Conan O'Brien in the late, late night wars. His show scored an average of 1.9 million viewers compared to 1.85 million for Conan for the week. Ferguson's numbers increased from 1.75 million from the same time last year (the article doesn't mention Conan's ratings from last year). Now, what does this mean?Is Ferguson actually becoming more popular than O'Brien? If this is the case, then we've discovered the natural heir to the Letterman time slot. NBC must be shaking in its boots to have Conan take over Jay Leno's time in 2009.
On the other hand, it could be a fluke. People's tastes could simply be temporarily swinging towards Ferguson. However, a 8.5% increase in average viewership over a year is nothing to sneeze at.
Or possibly that Conan isn't bringing his "A" material to the game? He may just be saving it for when he starts in the 11:30 slot. How could CBS be winning the ratings game when the opposition has Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on its side?
Undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love
I was reading AOL TV's "TV's 50 Hottest Hunks - Ever," and I was struck by two thoughts: "Ugh, can people really use the term, 'hunk' without shuddering?" and, "David Boreanaz? Seriously?" I get it. Television is populated with pretty people and there are just some guys who are objectively hot (hellooooo, Jon Hamm). Generally speaking though, I'm not drawn to the Luke Perrys and Mario Lopezes of the world. I like quirky guys, and so while most of the dudes on this list aren't going to make it into the People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, they keep me tuning in every week (heh, that sounded totally dirty).
Follow me after the jump for the undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love.
Continue reading Undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love
A talk show for Piers Morgan ... perhaps
It would seem that sooner or later everyone in show business will get a shot at a talk show. After all, if Rachael Ray can win an Emmy as a talk show host, and a one-time respected anchorman like Maury Povich can have 20 years of syndicated talk success, why not give every Tom, Dick, and Megan Mullally a chance.NBC reportedly thinks Piers Morgan could be the next big thing in talk. The bitter Brit, a personality as caustic as Simon Cowell, was the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice and is the nastiest judge on America's Got Talent. Morgan has a two-year deal with ITV and is on the verge of inking a similar contract with NBC. The idea is that he could be the next David Frost.
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Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
