Twas the Nerd Before Christmas
For an early Christmas gift, you won’t want to miss the @Nerdist Chris Hardwick‘s newest TV podcast on BBC America Saturday night. As the Wall Street Journal reports, he has a great lineup of geeky guests.
Kyra’s Mom is Hot for Craig
The Huffington Post reports that Krya Sedgwick‘s mother gets all giggly when Craig is on TV.
A New Brave Image
The website DailyBlam.com has a new image from the Disney/Pixar film Brave, showing the heroine, Princess Merida about to fire an arrow.
Yo, It’s Christmas, Dawg
Craig and RZA treat us to a little bit of Christmas cheer:
Video courtesy: Fayth160
Tonight’s Guests
Friday on the Late Late Show, it’s the Christmas Email Spectacular!
Putting on a Brave Face Scottish Television and BBC.com are reporting on growing aspirations that the new Disney/Pixar animated feature film Brave will spark interesting and eventually tourism to the country, through its portrayal of the land’s beauty. Among the Scottish voices behind the film is Craig Ferguson, in the role of Lord MacIntosh and Kelly MacDonald as the voice of Pixar’s first lead heroine, Princess Merida. Thanks to the RSA’s @MissGraoully for the links.
The Shrinking Jason Lee
The Huffington Post included a clip from Wednesday’s show where Craig asks Jason Lee about his recent weight loss and resulting political affiliation.
Traditional Christmas Monkey
What would Christmas be without a visit from the traditional Christmas monkey, dressed like an elevator operator?
Video courtesy: Fergufool
Tonight’s Guests Thursday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes actress Kyra Sedgwick and the music of Frankie Ballard. On Friday, watch for the Christmas Email Spectacular!
Canadian Special Canadians will get a special chance to see Craig Ferguson coming up on January 2nd at 9pm ET on CBC.  Back in the summer, Craig hosted two shows at Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival. Some of the best parts of that show have been compiled into a one-hour special, including portions of Craig’s opening monologue and his introductions of the other comedians on the bill. The Montreal Gazette says Craig could have done a whole show on his own.
Maybe Even Better Than $50 in Singles
The RSA’s Kevin spotted a new contest at Denny’s Restaurants, where knowing such trivia gems as “Iceland is in the North Atlantic” and “Its capitol city is ReykjavÃk” might come in handy. If you want to visit any strip clubs, you’re on your own.
Flirting with Geoff
The Huffington Post noticed Robin Wright flirting with Geoff Peterson on Tuesday’s show.
Geoff in History Geoff Peterson is of course a robot skeleton these days but he has apparently logged a lot of time as a skeleton in the past. The RSA’s Kim (better known around the volcano as “Hot Sauce“) sent us a link to some seriously weird black and white pictures, some of which feature skeletons that look oddly familiar.
Australian Late Late Show Parody
Two enterprising Australian women show us their version of the Late Late Show, complete with opening theme song, audience machine and puppets:
Video courtesy: angeliqueamelie
Tonight’s Guests
Wednesday on the Late Late Show, enjoy a fresh episode with actor Jason Lee, actress Felicity Jones and music by Black Dub. Thursday, Craig interviews actress Kyra Sedgwick and we’ll hear country singer Frankie Ballard.
File This Under ‘Wait, What?’ In what may be one of the strangest cases ever concocted to keep lawyers entertained, Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves are trying to stop Disney/Pixar from using the name Brave for its upcoming animated feature film. The Disney-focused website Stitch Kingdom is reporting that the baseball club is trying to block film’s use of the name saying customers might be confused. So far, we’re only confused that they would get worked up over it. Our guess is that the Braves better hope some sort of merchandising deal gets worked out, because they probably wouldn’t get far in court. Thanks to the RSA’s @Colleen_Byrne for spotting the story.
Ocean-Going Appliance
A Geoff Peterson look-alike was recently spotted on a cruise ship. It turns out that there’s a fun story behind it from the RSA’s Bo, who writes:
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OK, so here’s the deal with the Geoff cruise pics..
Earlier this year, I found the awesomeness that is the Craig Ferguson show because of his first Matt Smith interview (I’m a huge Doctor Who fan). So when Halloween rolled around and the question of what to wear came up and I saw a life-sized skeleton at Target.. the answer was clear: I must be Geoff for Halloween.
The only problem was that we were going on a cruise and would be out at sea on Halloween. I debated back and forth on it, and eventually decided to just bite the bullet and pay for an extra suitcase. I can only imagine what that looked like on the x-ray scanners at the airport..
I had hoped to make his mouth move, like a ventriloquist puppet, but time was limited and there were several issues in getting the eyes to light up before I finally found an easy solution.
So on the cruise, I dressed in head-to-toe black with a black face mask and Geoff hung from around my neck in front of me. I got a lot of people who recognized him and had a great time. We ran into a Craig fan who brought a rattlesnake mug on the ship and we even used it in one of the shots.
As for the pics, it was on the last few days of the cruise, as we were on our return trip from Mexico. There wasn’t much to do and we had two days to kill. So my wife and I and a friend of ours took Geoff to areas around the ship and got some candid action shots. It was a blast setting up the shots and we got more than a few odd looks from people.
At the comedy club, we got a great shot of Geoff at the mic between events. As we were getting the shot, a few people asked if we were with the show. A few more wanted their picture taken with faux-Geoff, including the gentleman with the rattlesnake mug.
As soon as I can figure out a stand for him, he will be going in my office as a permanent decoration. I was thinking that maybe getting Geoff about-the-town shots might be a fun future project if we get bored some weekend.
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Sounds like a fun idea to us! Geoff tributes are becoming a trend!
Regis with Craig
The Huffington Post picked up on AOL’s coverage of Regis Philbin visiting the Late Late Show, how he liked Craig’s idea to dress up his wife Joy in a Santa outfit and his compliment to Craig’s exchanges with Geoff Peterson.
Corresponding with Comedy
The next White House Correspondents Dinner in June 2012 will be hosted by comedian Louis C.K., according to reports on Politico.com and other outlets. Craig had the honor of hosting the annual gathering of political leaders, journalists, military brass and Hollywood celebrities back in 2008.
American Idle
Craig introduces us to snarky talent show judge Clive Buggerman:
Video courtesy: RoQu3tO
Tonight’s Guests Tuesday on the Late Late Show, Craig chats with actress Robin Wright and actor Parker Young. Wednesday, watch for actor Jason Lee, actress Felicity Jones and music by Black Dub. Thomas Lennon popped up in Monday’s show as the “Khloe Banderas” voice of Geoff Peterson. Some of this week’s shows were taped when Geoff’s usual voice Josh Robert Thompson was out of the country, so we may hear a mixture of Khloe and regular Geoff over the course of the week.
Louisiana, Y’all Craig Ferguson had a Christmas surprise Monday for the stockings of roboskellies in Louisiana, Arkansas and East Texas: He extended his tour of the midsection of America by adding a show at the historic Strand Theatre in Shreveport, LA on January 20th. Tickets are on sale now and you get all the details on our Live Comedy Tour page.
Craig’s ‘Salty’ Christmas Card
Hart Hanson, creator of the Fox series Bones and the new show The Finder tipped us off last week with a tweet and the trade publication Variety confirmed today that Craig’s Christmas card must be pretty special. Check out the article from Variety
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Posted: Mon., Dec. 19, 2011, 4:00am PT Biz keeps spirits bright Card-carrying comics send holiday greetings
By Cynthia Littleton
Twentieth TV toppers Dana Walden and Gary Newman hopped on “Sons of Anarchy†hogs for their annual comedic video ecard.
Twentieth TV toppers Dana Walden and Gary Newman hopped on “Sons of Anarchy†hogs for their annual comedic video ecard.
There’s no doubt the old-fashioned holiday card market continues to be on the skids, and even the ecard volume seems down a bit this year.
There’s no doubt the old-fashioned holiday card market continues to be on the skids, and even the ecard volume seems down a bit this year.
There seems to be a little more spirit in the showbiz’s holiday season celebrations this year, and that’s a good sign that bizzers are feeling optimistic about a prosperous year ahead.
Judging by an informal survey of Variety staffers, there’s been a noticeable increase over the past few years in the number of holiday parties, receptions and sundry get-togethers, whether large-scale company affairs or private gatherings by individuals eager to toast friends and colleagues at Soho House, MyHouse, Palihouse or even their own house.
While the face-time festivities are definitely on the rise, there’s no doubt the old-fashioned holiday card market continues to be on the skids, and even the ecard volume seems down a bit this year. But for the third year in a row, 20th Century Fox TV toppers Gary Newman and Dana Walden killed with their comedic video ecard, this time featuring the rambunctious talents of the “Sons of Anarchy” posse.
That traditionalist, Chuck Lorre made merry with his annual mailing, this time gently referencing the very public trauma he suffered in spring. Ever the naughty schoolboy, Craig Ferguson sent out a photo card with a salty holiday sentiment that is definitely not in the Hallmark canon.
Carolines on Broadway strung together a series of uplifting one-liners from comics on what the holidays should bring. Among them: “A new man for Demi Moore who doesn’t cheat or tweet,” “an Occupy Citifield movement to save the Mets” and “Comedy Central obtaining the rights to broadcast all future Republican debates.” Hear hear.
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Novelty Songs
The website 411mania.com put together a list of the top 32 novelty songs of all time. Making the list at number 3 is Bobby Picket‘s Halloween classic “Monster Mash” and they use Craig’s 2010 lip-synced version as an example of the song. It was a graveyard smash!
Your Anagrams
Our readers had fun coming up with anagrams of their Twitter user names and Craig’s name. For instance: [stextbox id=”custom”]
@LegacyRobin = Only be Craig
@GiltteryGirrll = Try Girl Get Rill
@GiltteryGirrll found a couple more using Craig’s name:
Craig Ferguson = A Cursing Gofer
Craig Ferguson = Caging Ferrous
@Susanh0127 had:
Craig Ferguson = Curse Grain Fog
Craig Ferguson = C Figures Groan
And @LoveAllThingsUK‘s name yielded a bunch, including Helluva Long Skit, Heat Loving Skull and Talking Love Lush.
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Got any more using your name or Craig’s? Let us know in the comments below.
Real-Time Censor
Craig and Dave Foley try to hold a conversation while the CBS censor monitors their every word:
Video courtesy: RoQu3tO
Tonight’s Guests Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig tries to contain Regis Philbin and listens to the music of Goo Goo Dolls. On Tuesday, Craig’s guests are actress Robin Wright and actor Parker Young.
Update: Craig adds one more show to his January tour: Shreveport, LA on January 20th. Check out the details on our Live Comedy Tour page.
Anagram Time!
There are lots of fun anagrams for Craig Ferguson:
• Surface Gringo
• Facing Grouser
• Scarfing Rogue
• Surfacing Ogre
• Sugaring Force
• A Rescuing Frog
• A Cursing Gofer
• Cafe Groin Rugs
• Grace For Using
• Car Goers Fungi
• Safer Corgi Gun
and of course the one that Craig himself says is his favorite:Â Cougar Fingers
Can you think of more? And do you have a fun anagram for your Twitter user name? Let us know in the comments below. (Ours spells out: Answers That’s pretty cool!)
The Late Late Show Set While stumbling around the archives, we found a story about the “new” set that was built for the show in 2006 after Craig had been on the show for a little more than year. We have certainly enjoyed the panoramic (and vaguely purple) view of Los Angeles behind Craig. But does anyone remember the airplane ever being used? Of course, the set was updated again a few years later.
Debut Novel
Also in early 2006, the literary community was buzzing about Craig’s debut novel Between the Bridge and the River. One of the first reports about the book was on mediabistro.com in their GalleyCat column. Of course the book went on to sell quite nicely and led to even more acclaim with his autobiography American On Purpose. Craig’s second novel, Sphinx of the Mississippi is expected to arrive sometime in 2012 or 2013.
The Skanky Demographic
Here’s a sketch from the Late Late Show featuring Craig visiting a CBS executive (Thomas Lennon):
Video courtesy: RoQu3tO
This Week’s Guests Even though Craig and company are on their holiday break until January 3, they were kind enough to set aside a full week of all-new episodes of the Late Late Show for your enjoyment. On Monday, Craig welcomes Regis Philbin and we’ll hear music by Goo Goo Dolls. Tuesday, watch for actress Robin Wright and actor Parker Young. Wednesday, actor Jason Lee, actress Felicity Jones and the twice-bumped band Black Dub will be on the show. Actress Kyra Sedgwick and country singer Frankie Ballard are Craig’s guests on Thursday. And on Friday, the schedule calls for a Christmas Email Spectacular. We can’t wait to see it!
Craig In Scotland Craig Ferguson is spending his holidays in Scotland. He arrived Sunday and tweeted a photo from the airport:
Don’t forget, due to the magic of television, we’ll see another round of all-new episodes of the Late Late Show next week, leading up to Christmas.
Lots of Craig Fergusons From our “There are lots of people around the world named Craig Ferguson” department, the RSA’s @Miss Graoully spotted one who appears to be a police chief in the city of Basingstoke, in England. There are many more, including a New Zealand rugby player, a bluegrass concert promoter and a hockey coach from the Chicago area. Have you seen others on the interwebs? Send us the link using our Contact Us page or tweet us @RSA_News.
Country Singer’s Debut
When country singer Frankie Ballard appears on the Late Late Show December 22nd, it will be his national television debut, as Michigan’s MLive.com explains.
Gingerbread In Space and Time
The RSA’s @HMSFox was checking out TheMarySue.com and spotted a gingerbread version of a TARDIS that looks like it would take you into another dimension.
A Hanukkah Miracle
With Craig back in Scotland, it seems only appropriate to have a Sean Connery holiday memory:
Video courtesy: CBS
Mid December Holidays [pullquote]“I have got two reasons for success and I’m standing on both of them.” – Betty Grable[/pullquote]Saturday, December 17th is Wright Brothers Day and marks the week of Saturnalia. It’s also the birthday of actor Bill Pullman (or was that Bill Paxton?). Sunday, December 18th is UN International Migrants Day. It is also the birthday of actor Brad Pitt (you too, ladies) and marks the anniversary of the birth of pinup girl Betty Grable, whose posters kept many a service member smiling during World War II.
