UPDATE:  The TVsCraigFerguson YouTube account has been hacked, apparently by the same people that attacked the Sesame Street account.  The RSA’s General @Malinky2Stoatir is urging all robot skeletons to check out the new account:  TVsCraigFerguson2. Mal says complaints have been filed with YouTube but there is no word yet on when or if the old account can be restored.  The old account is still there but is being controlled by the hackers… they have turned off comments.  It’s not clear if other videos are being posted.  For now, please go to TVsCraigFerguson2 to see your daily dose of Craig.

Don’t Mention The War
Craig Ferguson was stalking the tweety on Sunday and spotted a tweet from his showbiz pal, British actor, writer and comedian Charlie Higson.  Charlie was gently poking fun at the popular Edwardian drama Downton Abbey, now in its second season on Britain’s ITV network.  The show featured a World War One battle scene which, according to Charlie, left something to be desired:

Watching WW1 on #Downtonabbey Trench warfare doesn’t look as bad as everyone makes out. There were only 6 Germans apparently.

Craig responded, chiding his friend for telling secrets about the show:

@monstroso Enough with the spoilers Charlie. #Downtonabbey 2nd season is not showing in US yet. Now I know there’s a war & 6 Germans. #arse.

Charlie jokingly replied that he wouldn’t spoil other parts of the show:

@CraigyFerg I better keep schtum about the aliens in top hats then #downtonabbey

“Keep schtum” is Yiddish for “keep quiet”.  Craig added:

http://twitpic.com/71gte4 According to @monstroso these guys are coming to #Downtonabbey but will be wearing top hats. #cantwait #poshaliens

Downton Abbey is seen in the United States on PBS, but airs a few months after its premiere on ITV in the UK.  For British viewers, the second season debuted in September.  Americans will have to wait until January of 2012. The first season‘s DVD set is said to already be among the best selling television dramas of all time, so to all of our Anglophiles readers, enjoy your next obsession!

Pennsylvania Needs You
As the website PhillyBurbs.com reports, tickets are still available for Craig’s live stand up performance in the Philadelphia suburb of Holland on Saturday night.  Along with Pennsylvania, Craig is performing live shows in Connecticut and New Jersey this week.  Tickets are still available for all shows.  The links are all on our Live Comedy Tour page.  And as we reported in our most recent post, tickets for Craig’s Hollywood, Florida show will go on sale October 26th.  We’ll post that ticket link as soon as it becomes available.

Special On Sale Tuesday!
Craig’s stand up comedy special Does This Need To Be Said? goes on sale on DVD Tuesday across the US and Canada.  The show will also be running on Comedy Central over the next several months in its edited form.  The DVD will run the full 65 minutes, filled with cussing goodness.

A Scottish Tune
As another portion of Craig’s appearance on Ce Soir Avec Arthur reaches the internet, Craig favors us with a Scottish song:

Thanks again to one of our Euroskelly friends for finding the link.

This Week’s Guests

Get ready for another week of all-new episodes of the Late Late Show, beginning Monday as Craig talks with actor Matt Smith and film director Joel Schumacher.  Tuesday, actress Carey Mulligan returns to the show, along with comedienne Paula Poundstone.  On Wednesday, watch for actress Carla Gugino, actor Jake Johnson and comedian Joe Matarese who has opened Craig’s live shows and will do so again soon!  Actor Tom Lennon and actress Sarah Paulson are in the studio on Thursday.  And on Friday, Craig’s guests are actor Jeffrey Tambor and supermodel Iman.

Stand Up Special
Craig Ferguson‘s new stand up comedy special Does This Need To Be Said? premiered Saturday night to a whole new audience.  Of course, some of the robot skeleton hobos who are regular readers of rsanews.com actually got to see the special being made in Nashville almost a year ago.  And many more had a chance to see the special for the first time last February on the premium cable channel EPIX or on EpixHD.com.  But now the floodgates are open as millions more will have a chance to see Craig’s latest special on basic cable with its debut on Comedy Central.

The special will appear several times on Comedy Central in the coming months.  In the meantime, you won’t see it on EPIX or EpixHD.com but it will be back next summer there.  And it’s not available for streaming on Netflix for a while because the DVD goes on sale Tuesday across the US and Canada.  The Comedy Central version will be edited a bit shorter to fit into its one-hour time slot but the DVD will contain the full 65-minute show and all of the cussing you could ever want.

Tickets On Sale Soon for Miami
Craig’s last scheduled tour stop for the year is in Hollywood, Florida just north of Miami at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena.  Tickets for the event go on sale Wednesday, October 26th for the November 20th event, according to the LLS website.  The Hard Rock has not yet posted a ticket link on its website but we’ll add the link to our Live Comedy Tour page as soon as it is available.  Book early to avoid disappointment!  Thanks to the RSA’s @NancyInTampa for spotting the updated post!

Press for the Special
Craig’s special was recommended as one of the weekend’s best bets by tv.com and GateHouse News Service.

Kudos for Betty
Time Magazine picked Betty White’s presidential announcement as one of it’s best television moments of the week.

Craig Dancing with a Panda
More clips of Craig’s appearance on Ce Soir Avec Arthur are finding their way onto the internet, including Craig dancing to a little “Cotton Eyed Joe” with a Panda:

Video courtesy: CraigBlackOps

Thanks to one of our Euroskelly connections for spotting the link.

Mid October Holidays
Saturday, October 15th is National Grouch Day but it is also Sweetest Day and White Cane Safety Day.  Sunday, October 16th is UN World Food Day and Dictionary Day.  We think Craig’s stand up special is phantasmagorical, so that will give you something to look up!

 

Comedy Specials Ahead
To get yourself in the mood for Craig Ferguson‘s new comedy special, you might want to DVR his previous one.  Wee Bit O’ Revolution will be on Comedy Central early early on Friday morning at 2:30am ET/PT.  Then, get ready to see the new special Does This Need To Be Said? which appears on Comedy Central at 10pm ET/PT on Saturday night.  Check your local listings for the time “in your region”.  Craig was making the rounds, letting people know about Saturday night’s special, including the syndicated show Extra on Thursday:

http://twitpic.com/6ztqc2 Plugging my Comedy Central special (Sat 10pm) at the Grove in LALA. That @mariolopezextra has dreamy eyelashes.

Lopez added:

Hanging with @CraigyFerg today! Always fun to catch up with my favorite scott… http://yfrog.com/khaj9syj

Does This Need To Be Said? was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in November of 2010.  It is available on Netflix and after a break will be back on EpixHD next summer.  And the Region 1 (US and Canada) DVD hits store shelves on Tuesday.  We have not heard when or if a Region 2 (Europe) or Region 4 (Latin America/Australia) version will be offered but we’ll keep our eyes open.  For what it’s worth, Craig’s previous special was only made available in Region 1.

Part of Craig’s Interview
The French website zap-tele.com included a portion of Craig’s guest appearance Monday on Ce Soir Avec Arthur as part of its coverage of the week’s best television moments.  This clip includes Arthur interviewing Craig about what sort of swearing can be done on American television:

Video courtesy: zap-tele.com

We’re still looking for the full interview. If you find it, please let us know!

A Piece of Cake

The websites TheAudioPerv.com, PrefixMag.com and theNJundergroud.com reports on Cake’s appearance on the Late Late Show Wednesday night.




Show Preview
Craig’s show will be edited on Comedy Central, taking what was a 65 minute show down to about 48 minutes to allow for commercial breaks. In case you just can’t wait, here is another look at the behind-the-scenes preview produced by EpixHD.com for last February’s premiere, with plenty of spoilers if you haven’t seen the special yet.

Video courtesy: EpixHD

Tonight’s Guests
Thursday on the Late Late Show, watch for actress Kathy Bates and actor Anthony Head.  Then on Friday, watch closely… will you be able to tell which one is Craig and which one is singer Liza Minnelli?  Also on the show to keep things sorted out will be actor Adam Pally.

Craig and Arthur Play A Game
During one segment of Ce Soir Avec Arthur on France’s Comedie+ channel Monday night, Craig Ferguson got to play a game called, “Pornography Actor, Politician or Performer?”  Host Jacques “Arthur” Essebag showed pictures of people and Craig had to guess which of the three categories the person matched.  No French language skills are needed to enjoy this one:

Video courtesy: Ce Soir Avec Arthur

While we were able to find several segments of the show that involved Craig, we still have not been able to find his interview segment.  Please send us  a link if you find it, using our Contact Us page.

Why Betty?
Why Betty White for President?  CafeMom.com gives us nine reasons.

Craig Tweets Lions
Before the NFL season, Craig made some jokes about the Detroit Lions, who have been known to have some rough seasons in their history. This year has been different, however and Craig acknowledged it:

Hey Detroit Lions. Stop making me look like a douche who knows nothing about football. I can do that on my own. #seriouslywaytogo #5-0

Flying Wild Alaska
The Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska returns for a second season on October 28th.  The Alaska Dispatch reports on the show and popularity of Ariel Tweto, who will be back on the Late Late Show soon.

 

Norton Digs Craig
British talk show host Graham Norton explains to whatsontv.co.uk why he thinks Craig Ferguson is one of the best talk show hosts.

Tonight’s Guests
Wednesday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes actor Jim Parsons and we hear music by Cake(the Sacramento-based alternative rock band, not the food).  Craig tweeted:

Eek! @GeoffTheRobot & Jim Parsons get mad at each other on the show tonight. 2 CBS stars squabbling like this is undignified. #buthilarious

On Thursday, Craig chats with actress Kathy Bates and actor Anthony Head.

Guest Update

A bunch of new guests have been added to the Late Late Show list as we get closer to the end of October.  Actress Carey Mulligan was added to next week’s lineup and the following week features a number of guests who were bumped from previous shows including Bryan Cranston, Amos Lee, Jonah Hill and country singer Chris Young, plus we’ll enjoy a visit from Mr. Warmth, Don Rickles. Among the guests scheduled for tapings but not yet confirmed are Zooey Deschanel, Dennis Miller, Bitsie Tulloch, Ted Danson, Alan Alda and Ariel Tweto.  For the complete list, visit our Guests page any time.

Craig Has Fun with Arthur
Craig Ferguson‘s appearance on Jacques “Arthur” Essebag‘s talk show Monday night on France’s Comedie+ channel included a dance number, a Craig monologue and more.   No doubt the dance number was a “tribute” to Craig’s famous lip-synced musical segments.  Several clips have appeared online, although so far we cannot find Craig’s interview segment anywhere. Even if you don’t speak French, you can see that Craig is having fun!

Video courtesy: Ce Soir Avec Arthur

Here is the monologue:

Video courtesy: Ce Soir Avec Arthur

Here, guest Eddie Izzard attempts to teach Craig how to swear in French:

A segment with a funny musical guest:

Video courtesy: Ce Soir Avec Arthur

And finally, a dance contest that must be seen to be appreciated:

Video courtesy: Ce Soir Avec Arthur

If you have found the interview segment or if you’ve seen the whole show and notice that we’ve missed any other segments that involved Craig, please let us know.

Betty the Politician
Betty White‘s announcement to join the 2012 presidential race was covered by HuffingtonPost.com.



The Mind of Steven Wright
Comedian Steven Wright mentions why he likes appearing on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in an article on Synthesis.net.

Tonight’s Guests
Tuesday on the Late Late Show, comedian Steven Wright enjoys another off-the-cuff discussion and Craig chats with actress Monica Potter.  On Wednesday, we’ll see actor Jim Parsons and hear music from Cake.

Craig Appears on Arthur
Craig Ferguson appeared on Jacques “Arthur” Essebag‘s comedy/variety talk show Ce Soir Avec Arthuron France’s Comedie+ channel on Monday evening.  From what we have been able to piece together from the various promos that have appeared in recent weeks, Craig did a cold open similar to the one Arthur did in the states… appearing to start the show, only to have Arthur appear and ask him why he was interloping.  There is a splashy musical dance number, Arthur interviews Craig and both men interact with the other guests throughout the show.  Arthur’s show watches YouTube carefully and they have been quick to delete any postings of their video but we are hoping that an enterprising Euroskelly will find a way to make it available, with (dare we ask) some sort of translation to help non-Francophones understand what’s being said.  We’re told the show will re-run on Thursday night for anyone who missed it.  Arthur tweeted his thanks in a very classy way after the show (translation):

Outstanding show with the one and only, often imitated but never equaled: Craig Ferguson.

Craig Specials Both Friday and Saturday
Meanwhile, Craig will be appearing on Comedy Central both Friday and Saturday this week. First on Friday at 2:30am ET/PT (sounds like it’s time for the DVR) will be an encore presentation of his first comedy special Wee Bit O’ Revolution and on Saturday at 10pm ET/PT will be the debut of his new special Does This Need To Be Said?  Check local listings for the time “in your region”.

Rosie O’Donnell Starts New Show
Actress/Comedienne and TV host Rosie O’Donnell launched her new talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network today, which features what she says is a monologue modeled after Craig’s.  “Every night his monologue is sort of a stream of consciousness about his own truth and his own reality and a little bit of current events and politics woven in but always with a truth and his own voice,” she told TV Guide.  Craig was among the many wishing her well:

Good luck to the adorable @Rosie on her new tv show today. Excellent choice of equally adorable @rustyrockets as 1st guest. #nice

@RustyRockets is of course, madcap actor Russell Brand.

Josh Encourages Teen Reading
Josh Robert Thompson has recorded a series of audio public service announcements for the American Library Association’s young adult services arm, encouraging teens to read.  You can find the clips about three quarters of the way down the YALSA web page.

Craig and Geoff in Music Video
If you watch country singer Toby Keith‘s new video for his song “Red Solo Cup”, at about :45 seconds in you’ll see Craig and Geoff Peterson on a television screen, singing along.  TasteOfCountry.com has more on the video and the many stars who make cameo appearances.  Our apologies for the embedded commercial.

Video courtesy: TobyKeithVEVO

Tonight’s Guests
Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes back the unstoppable Betty White for a comedy sketch and interviews actress Claire Danes.  CBS tweeted:

Claire Danes visits @CraigyFerg, plus Betty White makes a surprising political announcement on #LateLateShow 2nite 12:37am ET/PT

Craig added his own tweet:

I suppose this isn’t news to anyone but Claire Danes, who is on the show tonight, is very attractive. #soisbettywhite(attractive&ontheshow)

Tuesday, it’s the return of comedian Steven Wright and Craig chats with actress Monica Potter.