New Shows Ahead
This week’s episodes of the Late Late Show will be all new, even though Craig Ferguson and the LLS crew are on a late summer break. Several episodes were taped in advance to give us some fresh shows while the Olympics are going on and the new studio is being completed. More new episodes are expected next week as well, before two weeks of rebroadcasts of some favorite shows later in the month.
Craig and the Doctor
The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine has a feature article on the appeal of Doctor Who, which includes comments from Craig about why he talks about the beloved British science fiction series on his show. Thanks to the RSA’s @Joannapowers2 for capturing the article!
Studio 58 Story
If you’ve ever seen the Late Late Show in person in Studio 58 at CBS Television City, we want to hear your story. You can send it using our Contact Us form or just send us a link to your blog or website. The RSA’s Jeanne tells us her story:
[stextbox id=”custom”]My first time @ a taping was on my Birthday back in October 2008, I think– it was a wonderful Birthday for me as I use a wheelchair so family has to take me places & my Birthday wish was to see Craig & the LLS.
My w/chair had to be parked next to the spot the producer sits at & he chatted with me during a break.I told him my Birthday wish was to be there & he passed that info on to Craig, who then sent me out a tee shirt with show Logo on it & they had the audience sing Happy Birthday to me after the taping was over.Craig also signed my copy of his first book I had taken along hoping for his autograph.
A special memory for an ‘old woman’ who thinks Craig is amazing.Best gifts I got were all Craig related.[/stextbox]
Wavy in Hollywood
Wavy comes to Hollywood, sells some Spam and meets a girl.
Video courtesy: caseymnj
This Week’s Guests
Adam Savage
It’s another week of all-new episodes of the Late Late Show, beginning Monday with actress Emma Roberts and comedienne Paula Poundstone. On Tuesday, Craig has a lively chat with actress Rosie Perez. On Wednesday, Craig’s guests are actress Selma Blair and Mythbuster Adam Savage. Actress Rashida Jones and actress Julie Delpy will be features on Thursday. And on Friday, Craig talks with actor Edward Norton and actress Malin Ã…kerman.
All Fall Tour Dates On Sale
It’s still summertime but as autumn winds begin to blow later this year, Craig Ferguson will hit the road for a series of stand up comedy performances, first in Las Vegas in September, then in the northeast in October and wrapping up in the Midwest in November. Tickets for all of Craig’s upcoming live shows including the Venetian, Radio City Music Hall and the historic Chicago Theatre are now on sale. You can check out our Live Comedy Tour page, which has links to tickets for all of the shows, and even an easy-to-use map with ticket links. Book early to avoid disappointment!
Studio 58 Memories Although tapings at CBS Television City have wrapped up for the late summer break to give crews the chance to make final preparations to launch the show from the newly remodeled Studio 56, there will still be four weeks of shows from Studio 58, where Craig has hosted the Late Late Show for more than seven and a half years. If you have been in the audience at any time since Craig started hosting in 2005, we want to hear from you. What are your memories of seeing the show in person in “the basement” (actually on the building’s top floor)? Please let us know by sending us your stories using our Contact Us form or by sending us a link to your blog or website. We’d be happy to share your experiences with the rest of the robot skeleton army.
Nerdist Fun
During a Doctor Who marathon on BBC America Saturday night, the channel also played episodes of the @Nerdist Chris Hardwick‘s interview show, including last year’s episode with Craig. If you haven’t seen it, it is available on iTunes.
Las Vegas Tickets Early
Some eagle-eyed robot skeletons noticed that the Venetian posted links on Friday to tickets for Craig Ferguson‘s live stand up comedy shows in Las Vegas on September 13th, 14th and 15th on their website. Tickets officially go on sale July 30th on Ticketmaster. However, if you go to the Venetian’s website through our link, you can buy your tickets now! We have a link to the Venetian on our Live Comedy Tour page. When the ticket links first appeared on the Venetian site on Friday, specific dates had not been attached, but they are now and everything is up and running. Book early to avoid disappointment!
Who’s on the Cover?
The newest issue of Entertainment Weekly features a cover story about the growing appeal of Doctor Who in the U.S. The cover is highlighted on the website doctorwhonews.net. Thanks to the RSA’s @CozyHobo for the link!
Olympic Questions
After watching the Olympic opening ceremonies, we have only three questions: First, who else wanted to see the queen’s landing from her helicopter jump?
Second, what is the queen thinking?
And third, do we have a picture of Paul McCartney?
George le Escargot
Craig introduces us to George the snail who is European, and therefore knows the ways of love.
Video courtesy: caseymnj
Tonight’s Guests
Friday on the Late Late Show, the lone guest on the CBS official schedule is actor Vince Vaughn. Depending on which schedule is correct, singer Joss Stone may also be appearing on Friday’s show.
Guest Update
Chris Elwood
Some guests have been added to the test shows being taped in the new Studio 56 on August 22nd and 23rd, including singer Ben Dukes, actor Jonathan Kite, writer/producer Damian Beurer, actor Chris Elwood and comedian Brian Scolaro. You can see the latest listings on our Guests page.
Las Vegas Tickets Going On Sale Tickets for Craig Ferguson’s three stand up comedy performances at the Venetian in Las Vegas officially go on sale July 30th on Ticketmaster. However, if you go to the Venetian’s website, they have set up the links early and some roboskellies have verified that the links work and you can buy your tickets now! We have posted a link to tickets on our Live Comedy Tour page.
Craig Takes Twitter Break
Craig tweeted on Thursday that he plans to take a break from Twitter for a while:
I’m taking a tweety break for a few weeks. You kids behave yourselves & no wild parties while I’m away. And don’t stay up too late.
Fans Talk About Studio 58 Now that Craig Ferguson and the Late Late Show have wrapped up tapings in Studio 58 at CBS Television City, fans of the show have been talking about their experiences. Longtime fan and frequent LLS audience member @sarieswick wrote a blog post about her experience:
[stextbox id=”custom”]Tonight’s taping of The Late Late Show was really enjoyable but of course it would be.
The show will air on Thursday and the guests are Ariel Tweeto and Emile Hersche.
I won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoil you but here are some keywords;
psychology, bears, tattoos, sex, and exercise. 🙂
They actually had some technical difficulties so we were waiting downstairs for an extra 30 minutes. To pass the time Chris and Ryan of 1iota had a contest. They had two groups of people come up to answer Craig questions. The prize? Harry Potter Scene It. xD They asked the questions but people in the audience could raise their hand and be called upon if they knew it. I had my hand waving like a fool for a lot of it. They called on me twice for two questions;
What was Craig punk nickname? Adam Eternal
What is the name of one of the bands Craig was in? Exposure
😀
Chunky remembered me and do did Dukes and Chris. So did Jeff actually.
The taping itself went on like normal. I thought Chris Hardwick was the guest, it said so on the ticket…but he’s on Friday night’s show. Ah well.
I saw Josh before the show. I was waiting upstairs to go into the studio and he walked by with food. I said hi and he said hi. Hi again, Josh! 😀
ALSO!?
I got myself a ticket for the second test taping for the new studio! I wanted to go to the first but I’m going to be in Oregon to see Weird Al. It’s August 23rd and Chris from 1iota is going to be hosting it. It’s just a test taping, to make sure everyting works. I requested a ticket and got in; priority. 🙂
The first taping with Craig is August 27th, or that’s what they told me. I’m going to be in town that day so i’m going to try and get myself a ticket for that too.
Yay Craig![/stextbox]
The RSA’s @AlisonMaryLewis writes:
[stextbox id=”custom”]My daughter and I were at the 3:00 taping today, Wed, 7/25. Although it wasn’t the “last” show in there, it was for us. We love the intimacy of studio 58 and the energy in there today was electrical! Craig seemed very light hearted and Geoff was “spot on” with the Scottish Guilt comment. We look forward to experiencing the new studio, but hope that feeling of intimacy will be maintained. Craig certainly deserves a lot more room![/stextbox]
The RSA’s @monroemk told us:
[stextbox id=”custom”]I was in the Studio for the final show. I have spent 5 yrs there as a “Show Enhancer” & have some great memories. The mood was more relaxed as usual but still got the “work” done. This show will air August 8th & be prepared for a cool ending…I will not give it away. Had some time to chat with Craig & he was so nice. He knows how long I have been coming to the show & was sweet enough to take time for me. He did joke & say, “If ya see anything you want on the way out, just grab it.” Ha Ha I was so glad to be there today, everyone who works there are always great. Thanks Craig for a fun 5 years for me. Look forward to the new “Home”[/stextbox]
And the RSA’s @mark_ca said:
[stextbox id=”custom”]Don’t want to spoil too much about the final show in Studio 58, but it was fantastic! We were told it will air on August 8th.[/stextbox]
Josh Backstage Josh Robert Thompson, the voice of Geoff Peterson, tweeted a couple of pictures from his vantage point backstage at Studio 58.
Craig the Ventriloquist
Craig makes an attempt at being a ventriloquist with Bob the communist dragon.
Video courtesy: caseymnj
Tonight’s Guests Thursday on the Late Late Show, Craig chats with actor Emile Hirsch and reality TV personality Ariel Tweto. Friday, the official CBS schedule lists the lone guest as actor Vince Vaughn. Earlier versions of the schedule included singer Joss Stone who is still listed on the show’s website, so if you’re a fan, you may want to set your DVR just in case.
Guest Update
It looks like one of the first guests in the new studio will be one of Craig’s favorites, actress Kristen Bell. She is scheduled for a taping on August 27th, which is now expected to be the debut date for Studio 56. Also added to the schedule for August 28th is Larry King. You can see the latest listings on our Guests page.
Final Day in Studio 58 Wednesday marked the final day of taping in Studio 58 at CBS Television City for Craig Ferguson and the Late Late Show. The show has been taped in that studio since it began in 1995 with host Tom Snyder. We will continue to see episodes from the old studio over the next few weeks as construction of the show’s new home is completed across the hall in the larger Studio 56.
If you were in the studio on the final day of taping, we want to hear your story! Please send us some details about your experience using our Contact Us form and we will share them with the rest of the robot skeleton army.
As we have reported here, we are expecting at least two weeks of “new” episodes which have been pre-recorded and saved up for the extended August break, followed by two weeks of encore presentations of some of the best recent shows. Part of the reason for recording so many extra shows in advance is to cut down on the number of re-runs required to fill the time transitioning between studios but another, more competitive reason is because Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will be off the air for two weeks because of the Olympics, giving the Late Late Show a chance to reach a new audience.
First Day in Studio 56
Although CBS has not given the official word, it appears that August 27th will be the on-air debut of shows from the newly-remodeled Studio 56. They may be waiting to be sure that everything is ready to go, in case they need to add an extra week of re-runs go get everything done. Two tapings have already been scheduled on August 22nd and 23rd to test out the new studio and put a couple of segments in storage. Singer Ben Dukes and actor Chris Elwood have been scheduled for those tapings and tickets are already on sale.
Fun with Robocop Craig tweeted today about his How To Train Your Dragon co-star Jay Baruchel, who is expected to join the cast of a remake of Robocop, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Craig tweeted:
Geoff Peterson , my skeleton robot pal, would be great as the love interest/creepy villain in the new Robocop movie. #robotneedsabettergig
Imagineers Get More Gigs
The website glasswerk.co.uk say Glasgow-based band The Imagineers will be Scotland’s best-kept secret no more, with new gigs announced in Edinburgh and London. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the link!
Up Close and Personal
Craig is told by the network that sometimes he stands too close to the camera. So naturally…
Video courtesy: caseymnj
Tonight’s Guests Wednesday on the Late Late Show, Craig talks with actor Matthew McConaughey and perhaps another guest, however we have not heard back from CBS on who it might be. On Thursday, Craig welcomes actor Emile Hirsch and reality TV personality Ariel Tweto.
Craig Live Craig Ferguson will be performing live at the Venetian in Las Vegas, September 13th, 14th and 15th. So far, the casino resort has not put any tickets for the show on sale, but we’re keeping our eyes open for any developments. As soon as an on-sale date has been announced, we’ll pass it on. In the meantime, you can see Craig live and in person at shows around the eastern US this fall. Tickets for those shows are on sale now, just by clicking the links on our Live Comedy Tour page.
Python Olympics
With the Olympics opening in London on Friday, the Wall Street Journal considered how the Games might be if they had a Monty Python theme. Surely there would be a “silly walks” event.
Minnie Driver Actress Minnie Driver, who has been playing a recurring character on producer Lisa Kudrow‘s show Web Therapy, is on the LLS Tuesday night. She tweeted:
Hey Americanites, I’m on @craigyferg tonight. He is a v. old friend so will probably just be talking about my Mum and traffic.
Colin Mochrie
Also appearing on Tuesday’s show is Scottish-born Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie, best known to American audiences from the improvisational show Whose Line Is It Anyway? hosted by Drew Carey and featuring regular performers Ryan Styles, Wayne Brady, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, Chip Estin and many more. Mochrie has been tweeting over the past few days:
LA [Monday] for Adam Carolla Podcast and then Craig Ferguson on Tuesday. Listen, watch and learn why I never get asked to do talk shows // On @CraigyFerg [tonight]. Well, on his show. Since the restraining order, can’t lay on him anymore, // Trust us With Your Life ABC 9-10?…check. Craig Ferguson show CBS? …check. Black and red squares?…checkerboard
We think Colin and Craig will make an entertaining pair on the show.
The Best of Colin
Among our favorite roles for Colin on Whose Line is when he plays the role of a newscaster and comes up with fantastic puns for the top story. Here are two of his best:
Video courtesy: RoQu3tO
Tonight’s Guests Tuesday on the Late Late Show, watch for actress Minnie Driver and comedian Colin Mochrie. On Wednesday, Craig’s guest is actor Matthew McConaughey with another guest likely to be added at the last minute. We’ll update the listings here as soon as we get the word.
Craig Tweets on Critics
With the Television Critics Association meeting in Los Angeles this week, Craig Ferguson couldn’t resist a tweet about them:
All the television critics in LA for a big convention except Tom Shales of the Washington Post. #creepyshutin#tca
However, he was corrected soon afterward and replied:
Hank Stuever
“@hankstuever: I’m here & I’m the WaPo’s TV critic since ’09 ” Oops. My apologies Hank. #you‘recreepytoothough #tca
Tom Shales
Hank Stuever has indeed been the Post’s day-to-day TV critic in recent years, after Tom Shales was promoted to a position as a “style” columnist, covering not only the big events of television but the nation’s culture in general.  The Pulitzer Prize-winning Shales has a reputation for being irritable, irascible and downright cranky, once calling the field of late night shows the “cereal aisle” of television, “overpopulated” with too many similar choices. For example, he has said he thinks Craig would be the wrong choice to replace David Letterman when Letterman retires:
“Ferguson certainly has a constituency but I don’t think it’s broad enough – OR YOUNG ENOUGH – to keep a network happy at 11:35 p.m., When you consider that even Leno attracts too old audience, Ferguson would be a self-defeating choice.”
However, he has been generally positive about Craig in the past eight years, saying things like:
“Ferguson comes closest of the late-night troops to doing a talk show of the loftiest sort: a genuine televised conversation, not just a string of pat questions, wisecracks by the host and canned comments that guests have already supplied to producers during pre-interviews.”
We’re keeping an eye on the TCA events and will post updates if anything exciting happens.
Comedian Needs Help
Craig also retweeted a request for help for comedian Caleb Medley, who was badly wounded in the Colorado shootings and whose wife just gave birth to a son.
Please help comedian Caleb Medley, seriously injured in Aurora massacre. His wife gave birth today. http://calebmedley.com/help
More Praise for Friday
Denver’s Westword Magazine complimented Craig’s decision to edit the show on Friday, contrasting it to the reactions of Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon.
Keeping It In the Family
On the anniversary of September 11th a few years ago, Craig decided not to have the usual guests and comedy bits but chose instead to invite his sister, writer and comedienne Lynn Ferguson as a guest. The brother-sister duo kept things funny in this two-part interview:
Video courtesy: rock3rgyrl
Tonight’s Guests
Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes actor George Hamilton and actress Julie Gonzalo. Earlier on Monday, Craig tweeted:
George Hamilton on the show tonight. Always a tricky one for the lighting guy. He’s the same color as my desk. #tan
On Tuesday, Craig’s guests are actress Minnie Driver and comedian Colin Mochrie.
Guest Update
Craig and Malin
More guests have been added to the confirmed schedule through August 3rd, including Selma Blair, Adam Savage, Rashida Jones, Julie Delpy, Edward Norton and Malin Ã…kerman. Originally scheduled to appear this Wednesday, comedian Brian Scolaro‘s stand-up set was used to help fill time in last Friday’s show when the monologue was dropped due to events in Colorado. We are being told that a new guest will be added to Wednesday’s show along with the already scheduled Matthew McConaughey and we will update the listings as soon as that guest is confirmed. In another change, actress Joanne Froggatt and singer Joss Stone had been scheduled to appear this Friday along with actor Vince Vaughn but the most current schedule shows Vaughn as the lone guest. Froggatt and Stone will be re-scheduled for a future date. As always, you can see the latest listings on our Guests page.
[stextbox id=”custom”]My first time @ a taping was on my Birthday back in October 2008, I think– it was a wonderful Birthday for me as I use a wheelchair so family has to take me places & my Birthday wish was to see Craig & the LLS.
