From Russia With Love
Craig Ferguson was up early on Friday morning, walking around the streets of St. Petersburg in Russia.  It appears he is taking a brief vacation there before heading to France for a week of shows.  Craig tweeted:

http://yfrog.com/h8q2ersj I love morning jetlag walks in a new city. St Petersburg 745am local time.

Later, he tweeted a picture of one of the city’s architectural treasures and top tourist attractions:

http://yfrog.com/kelzhj Needs more cowbell. #unsoviet.

The church is known as the Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood, or sometimes the Church of the Resurrection and although it is not an active place of worship, it has been restored to its 1907 glory and is considered one of the world’s finest repositories of mosaic interior design.

One lucky fan, the RSA’s @rumonica got her picture taken with Craig today in St. Petersburg.  In the meantime, LLS Producer Michael Naidus is on his way to Paris to prepare for the week:

Next stop, Paris!

 

Craig at the Moulin Rouge?
The website Hollywood.com has a single-sentence story saying Craig will be doing his shows next week at the famous Moulin Rouge club in Paris.  It’s not clear what the source of the story is, or whether one or more shows might be taped there.  We’ll keep an eye on it for you.

Supreme Singing and The Voice of Freeman
Blackvoices.com enjoyed Morgan Freeman and Craig’s attempt to channel The Supremes on Thursday’s show.  And the Huffington Post talked about Freeman’s evaluation of Geoff’s (Josh’s) impression of him.

Non-Official Facebook and Twitter Pages
We’ve been given another reminder about Facebook and Twitter pages that claim to be “official”, this time directly from Josh Robert Thompson, the voice of Geoff Peterson who tweeted:

“Late Late Show” fans: Please note that I am NOT affiliated with ANY of the “Geoff Peterson” Facebook pages. Please RT. #RSA

[stextbox id=”custom” bgcolor=DBF7D8]LLS Social Media
It’s worth noting again that the Late Late Show has an official Facebook page, which is the only one we’re aware of that is authorized by the show.  Any other Facebook site claiming to Craig, Geoff, the show or a puppet is not real and may be attempting to profit by pretending to be affiliated with the show.  On Twitter, @CraigyFerg tweets his own stuff and the show has authorized three other accounts: @LLS_Episodes, which tweets links to videos and show info (and is linked directly on the LLS website), @LateLateShowCBS which tweets about the show from time to time and @GeoffTheRobot, which tweets as Geoff (operated by Josh and/or the show’s writers).  If you see anyone else tweeting as Craig, Geoff, Josh, the show, a puppet or any other character from the show, you can be sure that it is not real and that anyone claiming to be authorized by the show isn’t.

We are a fan-created website and have said so from the beginning. We are not affiliated with the show and make that clear in our Terms of Service at the bottom of every page on our site.  We have a Facebook page and a Twitter account which we use to pass along Craig and LLS-related news, promote the website and only speak in our own voice.  We have never claimed to be “official”, speak as a character or speak on behalf of the show except when we quote them directly in a news story.  Fan pages are fun and we encourage fans to enjoy the show and create tributes but we believe strongly that any fan page should clearly identify itself as a fan page, not call itself “official” and not pretend to be anyone or anything else.  It’s a matter of integrity and online safety.
[/stextbox]

Andrea Moves On
Late Late Show assistant producer Andrea Wayland is leaving the show. She tweeted:

Followers: I’m leaving The Late Late Show July 1st for new adventures! Posts from now on have NOTHING 2 do w/ LLS or others there. Thx!

Congratulations, Andrea and thank you for all of your help.  You will be missed!

Tonight’s Guests
Friday on the Late Late Show, Craig talks with actor Kevin Bacon and talk show host Wendy Williams.  CBS tweeted:

Kevin Bacon competes for a golden mouth organ – will his musical skills help him?! Plus @WendyWilliams 2nite on #LateLateShow w/ @CraigFergy

Hiatus
The Late Late Show will be on hiatus for two weeks, with the re-run fairy in full flight until new episodes return to CBS on June 27th.  The complete guest schedule for the next two weeks is posted on our Guests page, along with several guests who have have been booked for future shows once tapings resume in Los Angeles.

Your Help from France
We will be counting on our European roboskellies to help us find news and information about Craig’s trip next week.  We’re looking for any media coverage, stories, photos, links and more that we can share with the rest of the robot skeleton army.  No video will be accepted from the tapings of the shows but the rest is welcome.  Please send us details using our Contact Us form or tweet us at @RSA_News to help keep the RSA up to date while our fearless leader is “in your region”.  Merci beaucoup!

Seeing Craig in France
Craig Ferguson fans living in or traveling in Europe will have a chance to see tapings of the Late Late Show in France… but they’ll have to be quick on their feet.  As Craig said on the show Wednesday night, rather than using a television studio or a theater, they will be taping episodes of the show “on the street”, which means there will be no pre-set audience and no tickets.  Instead, Craig will be tweeting locations where he will be recording and fans will be welcome to watch, on a first-come, first-serve basis limited only by the space available.  No locations have been announced yet, so it may be a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  Because the shows won’t be broadcast until August, our best guess is that the shows will have a shorter monologues and fewer tweetmails but more comedy sketches and some sightseeing along the way.  As we learn more about what locations, sketches and guests are in the works, we will pass them along here.  Thanks to the RSA’s @doxieone1 for the latest Craig in France poster.

International Man of Mystery
Meanwhile, bypassing France altogether on Thursday, Craig tweeted:

http://yfrog.com/gzgknjcjj @ Munich Airport in Germany enroute to St Petersburg in Russia. #internationalmanofmystery

It is a mystery… we’re not sure how Russia and Germany got involved in the show but we’ll pass along details as they become available.

Remember, we are counting on our European skellies to send us details… stories, pictures or just about anything else you can find about Craig or the Late Late Show while the gang is in your region.  No video will be accepted from the tapings of the shows but otherwise, please help us keep the rest of the RSA informed over the next week!

Neil Gaiman Appearance
Author Neil Gaiman blogs about his upcoming appearance on the Late Late Show.

Tonight’s Guests
Thursday on the Late Late Show, the real Morgan Freeman is on hand… we wonder if Geoff will want to interview Morgan instead of Craig.  Also on Thursday is TV personality Carson Kressley, who tweeted:

Watch me tonight on The Late Late Show with that devilishly handsome Scot @CraigyFerg. I always have the BEST time on his show.

And CBS added:

Morgan Freeman judges @GeoffTheRobot’s impersonation of him, + @CarsonLKressley & @CraigyFerg talk fashion on #LateLateShow 12:37am 2nite!

On Friday, Craig chats with actor Kevin Bacon and talk show host Wendy Williams.

New names added to the future guests list in Los Angeles later in June include Mary Louise Parker, Henry Winkler, Cedric The Entertainer, Moon Bloodgood and Tatum O’Neal. We have not yet heard of any guests for the shows in France except actor Jean Reno, whom Craig mentioned on the show. We’ll add any new names we hear about to our Guests page.

Rebecca is Ready
Craig’s assistant, Rebecca Tucker is ready to travel to France for next week’s tapings of the show:

Ready for france! http://twitpic.com/58vrq1

More Paris Trip Press
More media outlets are catching up to Craig’s news that the Late Late Show will be taping in Paris next week, including 4press.biz, Examiner.com, BusinessWeek.com, Philly.com, UPI.com, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and CBS.com… a day later than ABC and other networks.  Whoops.

A New Poster
Roboskellies with an artistic flair are having fun with the idea of Craig taking the show to France, including Deborah who posted this on our Facebook page.

 

 

Voice of Daleks Dies but Show Live On
Ray Skelton, the voice of the Daleks on Doctor Who for many years has died, according to Doctor Who Magazine.  But in happier news, the magazine has confirmed that after the current series wraps up this fall, the BBC has committed to another 14-episode season starring the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith.

High Praise
Voice actor Josh Robert Thompson is not only the voice of Geoff Petersen but has many voices in his repertoire including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert DeNiro and of course Morgan Freeman.  On Tuesday, he was given a great compliment by Freeman himself… who will be appearing on Thursday’s Late Late Show:

“I have never heard anyone do my voice like that before. Extraordinary.” -Morgan Freeman said this to me JUST NOW!

Congratulations, Josh. You’ve worked hard to perfect that impression and deserve that recognition!

Tonight’s Guests
Wednesday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes actress Heather Graham and actor Chris Gorham. Thanks to the RSA’s @awkWRDpaws for noticing that Chris tweeted:

Hey, look, it’s @CraigyFerg on my @CraigyFerg dressing room tv! http://lockerz.com/s/108939573

On Thursday, the real Morgan Freeman returns to the show, along with TV personality Carson Kressley.

Added to the future guest list are the rest of next week’s encore broadcasts as well as three guests for future tapings in late June: Dennis Miller, Melissa Joan Hart and Neil Gaiman.  We’ve also added French actor Jean Reno… Craig mentioned on Tuesday’s show that Reno would be a guest during the week of shows in France.  Check out our Guests page for the latest guest updates.

France – Ooh la la!
In case you missed the big announcement on Monday’s night’s show, here are the details:

Craig Ferguson and company are taking the show on the road, taping a week of shows in Paris June 13th through the 17th. Kristen Bell will be coming along… as well as Geoff Petersen and CBS says there will be plenty of celebrity guests to be announced later.  On Tuesday’s show, Craig mentioned that French actor Jean Reno would be among his guests during the week.  The shows will air on CBS August 1st-5th, under the appropriate title “Le Late Show Avec Craig Ferguson”.

The RSA’s @laulln found a French blog that says Craig will appear on Jacques “Arthur” Essbag‘s late night talk show.  If it is to be believed, Craig would record an appearance on Ce soir avec Arthur while in Paris… and that appearance might not see air until September.  That appearance has not been confirmed… nor has another appearance by Arthur on Craig’s show but we’ll be watching for more news.  Check out Monday’s post to see the translation of that French blog and more background on Arthur’s history with Craig.

Lots of Media Attention
As you might expect, the media went crazy with the news that the Late Late Show will be going overseas for a week.  Articles popped up in many places, including PerezHilton.com, DigitalSpy.com, UPI, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Zap2It.com, Examiner.com, Forbes.com, Newsday, ABC News, TVLine.com,  TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly and too many others to list.

French Posters
The RSA’s @HoboRobot has already come up with a poster to promote the show and posted it on TwitPic.  Craig doing the can-can?  We can only hope.  And @DoxieOne1 has a nice looking poster featuring Geoff and Josh Robert Thompson, who tweets that he, too will be in France to provide Geoff’s voice live.

Yes, I will be pushing @GeofftheRobot‘s buttons (among other things) in Paris. #RSA #inyourpants #leballs

CBS Goes All Out
Late Late Show Producer Michael Naidus is already planning for the big trip:

Now taking suggestions on restaurants in Paris where a guy can get a meal for his seven-dollars-a-day per diem….

Backstage Video
Adam Goldberg posted some backstage video from today’s taping of the Late Late Show on his Facebook page.  Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for spotting the link.

Tonight’s Guests
On Tuesday’s Late Late Show, Craig chats with TV host Howie Mandel, explorer Wendy Booker (who will return the world’s most-traveled kangaroo bits), plus music by The Goldberg Sisters.  Wednesday, Craig’s guests are actress Heather Graham and actor Chris Gorham.

Monday Night Announcement
Just before taping began this afternoon in Los Angeles for Monday night’s Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson tweeted:

Time to shake this shit up a little. Big announcement on the show tonight.

CBS added:

2Nite @CraigyFerg announces big #LateLateShow news! Plus @IAmDonCheadle talks Weinergate & @BrooklynDDecker discusses her sweaty dog-12:37am

Craig’s assistant Rebecca Tucker tweeted:

I love big announcements!

One of the last times Craig made a big announcement, it was about getting married:
Video courtesy: TheRealHappyEmo

Another time was when his son Liam was born.  But this time, it’s something very different!

Craig Is Going To France!
Craig and company are taking the show on the road! They will be taping a week of shows in Paris.  Kristen Bell will be coming along… as well as Geoff Petersen. The shows will be recorded during the week of June 13th-17th and will air on CBS August 1st-5th. Le Late Show Avec Craig Ferguson… we’ll be watching!

The RSA’s @laulln spotted a French blog that claims Craig Ferguson will be making an appearance on Jacques “Arthur” Essbag‘s late night talk show. Reading the clunky Google translation of the original blog, it appears that Craig will record an appearance on Ce soir avec Arthur on June 13th. However, Arthur’s show is apparently also on hiatus and the show featuring Craig may not air until September. That appearance has not been confirmed… and there’s no word on whether Arthur will pop up again on Craig’s show but we’ll be watching for more news.

You may remember last November when Craig got word about the French talk show host’s show opening video and puppet-laden dance segments, which looked awfully familiar. Arthur called his versions of Craig’s show a “tribute” rather than plagiarism. Craig decided to let it slide and invited his French counterpart to make a guest appearance on the Late Late Show. Arthur invited Craig to return the favor in France someday, and a possible appearance has been rumored since January. We’ll keep you posted.

Honoring Veterans
Rebecca also tweeted today about a show she enjoyed:

“Surviving D Day” on @discovery is a must see. side effects include randomly hugging all the old men i see today who might be WWII vets

Karaoke Outing
Craig Ferguson sings his own theme song but Jimmy Fallon sings karaoke, according to TMZ.

Tonight’s Guests
Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig interviews actor Don Cheadle and actress Brooklyn Decker.  Tuesday, Craig welcomes TV host Howie Mandel, explorer Wendy Booker (and Craig’s kangaroo bits), plus music by The Goldberg Sisters.

Update: Craig is promising a big announcement on tonight’s show, Monday, June 6th. We’ll include it here as soon as it is announced. Stay tuned!

New Poster Art
Josh Robert Thompson is enjoying the efforts of @doxieone1 to come up with promotional posters for Geoff Petersen‘s wild ideas.

Check out this awesome poster! RT @doxieone1 Tour poster for Craig Ferguson and Geoff http://tinyurl.com/3ddmfjp #RSA #balls

Check out @doxieone1’s Flickr page of Craig and Geoff-related posters.

Craig in the Clouds
At the end of a detailed article anticipating Apple’s announcement this week of its vision to apply cloud computing to streaming media, TechCrunch writer Steve Gillmor talks about why Craig Ferguson rocks.

Craig’s First Sidekick
The video is a little out of sync but it’s worth it.  Before Geoff Petersen and even before Craig’s invisible in-studio pal Davis, our fearless leader had another sidekick.  The video is a little out of sync but it’s worth it:

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

This Week’s Guests
All-new episodes are on the way this week for the Late Late Show, beginning Monday with actor Don Cheadle and actress Brooklyn Decker.  Tuesday, Craig welcomes TV host Howie Mandel, explorer Wendy Booker (and the world’s most-traveled kangaroo bits just back from the North Pole), plus music by The Goldberg Sisters.  Wednesday, Craig’s guests are actress Heather Graham and actor Chris Gorham.  The real Morgan Freeman will be in the studio on Thursday to have fun with Craig and Geoff, along with TV personality Carson Kressley.  And on Friday, Craig chats with actor Kevin Bacon and talk show host Wendy Williams.  Enjoy the all-new Craig this week, fans.  The re-run fairy will be fluttering in for a two-week stay starting next week.

Donut Day
Craig’s assistant Rebecca Tucker enjoyed donuts in the office on Friday:

Thank you @toppot donuts for sending our staff into a donut frenzy! http://twitpic.com/56o0ut

Poke This
Josh Robert Thompson is having fun with Facebook:

Greatest error message on Facebook: “Sorry, that person cannot be poked.” I beg to differ.

A New RSA Word?
The RSA’s @pibbles8 wonders:

Would an Hov Hobo be considered a Hovo??

Daily Ass-er-mation?
We checked out the RSA’s @SexyCraigFerg‘s tumblr and got a chuckle from the animation of Craig. “I’m awesome, I’m sexy, I’ve got a great ass.” It appears the animation was first posted by gingerrlocks.tumblr.com. Thanks to both of them!

 

 

More Becks
The media are still aflutter over David Beckham‘s appearance on the Late Late Show, with JustJared.com talking about the baby Becks and Posh are expecting soon and of course more talk about tattoos from LarryBrownSports.com, inewsone.com and holymoly.com.  Now that’s a great name for a site.

More on Hattie Hayridge
As we reported in our last post, actress and comedienne Hattie Hayridge worked with Craig on the British science fiction show Red Dwarf and then showed up in the Late Late Show audience in Los Angeles, which led to an appearance on the show.  If you want to learn more about Hattie, check out this interview with Robert Llewellyn.  And if you enjoy Robert’s Car Pool interview style, a quick check of YouTube yields many more interviews with some great actors and comedians from the UK.  Thanks to the RSA’s @Kelly_RSA for finding the video.

Video courtesy: carpooluk

Late Spring Holidays
Saturday, June 4th is National Trails Day and Do-Dah Parade Day.  Sunday, June 5th is UN World Environment Day and National Cancer Survivors Day.  The American Cancer Society has events in your area… please check them out and lend your support!