TVSquad.com was jealous that Neil Patrick Harris got to see a preview of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway.

Craig‘s opening act, comedian and writer Randy Kagan is gearing up for this month.  He tweeted Friday:  Denver folks get a sneak peek of 2011 tour. CF & I will have all new, extra crispy, cling free jokes. 3/16-3/20!

The @Nerdist Chris Hardwick will be at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo March 19th.

Friday fact:  If Craig Ferguson’s 551,000+ followers were gathered in one place, they would form the 32nd largest city in America, with a population greater than that of Oakland, Miami or Atlanta.  Now that’s a lot of robot skeletons!

French talk show host Jaques “Arthur” Essbag showed a brief behind-the-scenes video clip from his trip to the Late Late Show:

Video courtesy: u27v

Enjoy the clip while you can because Arthur is usually quick to request any video involving him on YouTube be taken down.

Friday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes comedienne Kathy Griffin and explorer/author Wendy Booker. LLS Producer Michael Naidus tweeted:   What do you do when diagnosed with MS? If you’re Wendy Booker, you run marathons and climb mountains. This remarkable woman’s on LLS tonight

 

The RSA’s @KarlynMyJournal found a great picture, which Craig retweeted:  CBS CARES /\ http://yfrog.com/gyew23j

TVSquad.com like Hugh Laurie’s harmonica skills and the UK-based MonstersAndCritics.com talked about Hugh’s suggestion that his Scottish ancestry may have something to do with being miserable.

More media are using Craig’s decision to hold off mocking Charlie Sheen to underline their points, including Fox 34 in Lubbock, TX, CafeMom.com, US Magazine, Perez Hilton and Entertainment Weekly.

Trace Adkins‘ upcoming visit to the Late Late Show may include some promotion of his new movie, The Lincoln Lawyer.

After being in pre-sale mode for a while, general ticket sales are now underway for Craig’s stand up comedy performances in Austin, Texas on April 30th.  There are two shows to choose from and you can see details on our Live Comedy Tour page.

Thursday on the Late Late Show, Craig chats with actor Neil Patrick Harris, and we’ll hear a musical performance by Tomorrows Bad Seeds.  Then on Friday, comedienne Kathy Griffin steps in for Tim Meadows and Craig interviews explorer/author Wendy Booker.

As we reported Tuesday afternoon, Craig‘s stand up comedy special Does This Need To Be Said will be available on Netflix Instant Watch beginning Friday, May 20th.  That’s 90 days after it premiered on the EPIX premium cable channel.  In the meantime, you can see it on EpixHD.com by becoming a subscriber or by using their 14-day free trial offer for Craig Ferguson fans.  Details are on our Stand Up Special page.

Craig is tweeting about the sign on his door at CBS:  http://yfrog.com/gzzq1ynmj sign outside my office. I think CBS may be dropping hints. He also wished his late-night counterpart Jimmy Fallon a happy anniversary:  Happy anniversary @jimmyfallon. I enjoy being against you. #homoeroticdoubleentendreftw Fallon is celebrating is celebrating his second year hosting Late Night on NBC with an ice cream named for the show, as ABC reports.

Craig’s assistant Rebecca Tucker has a prediction about Craig’s new stand up act, due to debut in Denver later this month:  craigs working on new standup act. we are debating the correct pronunciation of the word ‘clitoris’. i dont think its gonna be a clean show.

More media reports are talking about Craig’s decision to lay off the Charlie Sheen jokes, including Canada’s Globe and Mail, OregonLive.com, Milwaukee’s local news radio station, and USC’s student online newspaper.  Also getting some press is Craig’s conversation with Isaac Mizrahi, from OnTopMag.com and AfterElton.com.

HeyUGuys.co.uk has the latest run of Winnie the Pooh promotional posters.  We like the last one in the list.

In an article about the acting prospects for actress Cheryl Cole, the BBC mentions how Craig has succeed in America, regardless of his accent.

Pre-sale ends and general tickets go on sale Wednesday for Craig’s April 29th live stand up show in Austin, Texas.  Details are on our Live Comedy Tour page.

Wednesday on the Late Late Show, TV’s cranky but lovable House MD, actor Hugh Laurie returns, along with reality TV personality from Flying Wild Alaska Ariel Tweto, whose last minute appearance, perhaps sparked by a tweet Craig made last week, is getting noticed.  And Craig added Wednesday evening:  @ArielTweto you were terrific on the show. Safe trip home. Big ups to my homies in Unakleet. #manyalaskansareactuallycool On Thursday, Craig welcomes back actor Neil Patrick Harris, and we hear a performance by musical guest Tomorrows Bad Seeds.

 

Guest updates:  Comedienne Kathy Griffin is in for Tim Meadows on Friday and comedian Phil Hanley has moved into next Friday’s show instead of actor Gary Oldman.  Comedian Lewis Black, the band Stackridge, entrepreneur Martha Stewart, actor Seth Rogen and actress Brie Larson have been added to the following week’s schedule.  Further update:  Then on March 17-18 very, very late after NCAA men’s basketball, CBS will have two encore episodes on standby, from January 7th and 12th, featuring actress Mila Kunis, comedian Geechy Guy, actor David Duchovny and super nanny Jo Frost.  See the complete list on our Guests page.

Comedy Special Update: Craig Ferguson’s stand up comedy special will be available on Netflix beginning May 20th. Details on our Stand Up Special page.

Once again, Craig Ferguson‘s stand on not doing jokes about an actor clearly in distress is making news.  National Public Radio blogged about Craig’s Monday monologue and as Fancast.com pointed out, Craig was the only late night host to step away from the Charlie Sheen jokes for now.

Coming up March 28-31, you can bid to win autographed copies of Craig’s books, Between the Bridge and the River and American On Purpose.  The winning bid will become a donation to the Red Cross… a portion will go to the Nashville Chapter which is conducting the auction and the rest will go to the national organization.  Bookmark the link to the page if you are thinking about making bid.  We’ll repost the link closer to the opening date.  Thanks to the RSA’s @Colleen_Byrne for letting us know about the auction.

Thanks also to the RSA’s @BeeEssBee, who spotted that someone must have noticed Craig’s monologue about the King of Saudi Arabia… because there is now a version on YouTube with Arabic subtitles.

Anglotopia.com enjoyed Chris Hardwick and Bridger Winegar’s trip to the Los Angeles Doctor Who convention.  And in case you wanted to see it from the other side, one conference attendee got some video.

FilmShaft.com has an article about the upcoming Winnie the Pooh film, opening in the US on July 15th.  It appears our British friends will have the chance to see it first… the film will open in the UK on April 15th.

Josh Robert Thompson sent a tweet of advice:  Again I say: if ur following @fakearnold and think it’s me, think again! #notmytweets

With the one and only Hugh Laurie returning to the Late Late Show on Wednesday, we thought it only appropriate to show his first visit with Craig.  This interview is from November 10th, 2004 when Craig was auditioning to become the permanent host of the LLS.  Thanks to the RSA’s @PandoricaLime for the link.

Video courtesy: karamell09

Tuesday on the Late Late Show, Craig welcomes actress Carla Gugino and actor Tom Lennon.  LLS Producer Michael Naidus sent a pair of  tweets about Tuesday’s show.   The first gives us a hint of tonight’s opening segment.  Dear Lord, I think the rabbit’s been hanging out with the robot. And the other was in response to Tom Lennon who tweeted:  Just shot @CraigyFerg‘s show for tonight!!! Michael responded:  @thomaslennon Shot? Yes. Killed? Yes (or no) depending on what you mean by “killed” On Wednesday, actor Hugh Laurie returns to chat with Craig, his old show business pal.

GUEST UPDATE:  Also on Wednesday, Craig will interview reality TV personality Ariel Tweto from Flying Wild Alaska.  And on Friday, Kathy Griffin will appear in place of actor Tim Meadows.  We’ll let you know when he is rescheduled.

Note:  Our site redesign updates are now (mostly) complete.  And if you haven’t seen your daily email from us lately, there’s a reason.  We messed up.  Details in The HOV.

Late Late Show production assistant Bridger Winegar tweeted:  On tonight’s @CraigyFerg, @nerdist and I travel through time, space and hotel convention rooms. He’s talking about the Los Angeles Doctor Who convention known as”Gallifrey One” last weekend, when he and Chris Hardwick brought along a camera crew to record their experiences for DW fan Craig Ferguson.  You’ll see the results of their visit on Monday’s show.  Hardwick tweeted:  Had a BLAST doing @CraigyFerg‘s show w/ @isaccmizrahi & @pattonoswalt (who crushed). Craig added:   Oscar worthy awkward pause from @pattonoswalt tonight. Truly a golden moment. The website nerdreactor.com talks about Hardwick being at the show.

Mediabistro.com talks about Wolf Blizter’s appearance on the Late Late Show.

There are two passings we wanted to mention:  The RSA’s @KarlynMyJournal drew our attention to the last known US veteran of World War One, Frank Buckles, who died Sunday at the age of 110. Only two known remaining surviving participants of that war are a man in Australia and a woman in England.  The other obituary making news today is that of a Hollywood icon of the second world war era, actress Jane Russell.  The buxom brunette starred in many films and was a popular pin-up throughout the war years.  She was 89.

Monday on the Late Late Show, we’ll see the DW convention segment with the @Nerdist Chris Hardwick.  Then Craig talks with fashion Designer Isaac Mizrahi and actor Patton Oswalt.  Mizrahi tweeted on Monday afternoon:  Just came off the air with @craigyferg. He is SO SEXY! The cutest nipples in the business! And Oswalt tweeted:  Holy shit. Just did the loosest, most fun panel on @CraigyFerg‘s show. Like hanging out with a bud. Please watch. He added:  Yeah, @CraigyFerg is an old-school talk-show host…a funny, smart guy who can riff on anything. Never hurried or stymied. On Tuesday, Craig welcomes actress Carla Gugino and actor Tom Lennon.

Oscar night is one of Hollywood’s biggest events.  If you’re involved in the industry, it’s a chance to show millions of people around the world some of the year’s best work and have it recognized.  If you like fashion, it’s one of the best red carpet events of the season where actors and actresses wear their finest outfits and smile for the cameras.  And if you actually live in Hollywood, it’s a big traffic-snarling nightmare.  But no matter what you think of the spectacle, it’s always big news.  How To Train Your Dragon was  up for two Academy Awards®; one for Best Animated Feature Film, which went to Toy Story 3; the other for Best Original Score, which went to Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross for The Social Network.

During the Oscars, the RSA’s @bgrhubarb mused:  RT if u think it’ll be a stone cold day in hell b4 @CraigyFerg hosts this or any other awards show anytime soon & are grateful for that fact Apparently, we know for sure one person is grateful for that fact… because Craig himself re-tweeted her post!  Now that’s what we call instant feedback, straight from the top.

Australia’s Courier Mail caught actress Teresa Palmer‘s visit to the Late Late Show and her confession that she used to be a graffiti-spraying rebel in her youth.  Their embedded video clip is blocked in the us but thanks to the RSA’s dependable @malinky2stoatir, you can see the interview here.  It also includes the reason why “Mars” sounds funny with a Scottish accent.

Thanks to the RSA’s @SariesWick, you can hear Craig on a radio game show.

It’s an exciting week for the Late Late Show, starting on Monday with the @Nerdist Chris Hardwick, who will bring us along on his visit to last weekend’s Doctor Who convention in Los Angeles, plus Craig talks with fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and actor Patton Oswalt.  On Tuesday, actress Carla Gugino and actor Tom Lennon visit the show.  Then on Wednesday, House fans are buzzing about the LLS return of actor Hugh Laurie.  Another fan favorite, actor Neil Patrick Harris will be on the show Thursday, along with music by the band Tomorrows Bad Seeds.  Finally on Friday, Craig chats with actor Tim Meadows and explorer/author Wendy Booker.

Sunday is Academy Awards® Day and Hollywood is buzzing with anticipation.  We’ll be watching for the film How To Train Your Dragon, which is nominated for two awards including Best Animated Feature Film up against Toy Story 3 and the French hand-drawn film The Illusionist as well as for Best Original Score up against Inception, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours and The Social Network.

As we updated late Friday night, House MD star Hugh Laurie will be returning to the Late Late Show on Wednesday, March 2nd.   Academy Award nominated actress Catherine Deneuve has been added to the guest list on March 8th.  And as we reported, the @Nerdist Chris Hardwick will have his Doctor Who convention segment on Monday, February 28th.  Complete listings are on our guests page.

The Orlando Sentinel picked up on Phil Keoghan‘s appeal on Friday’s Late Late Show, urging tourists to continue to visit New Zealand.

Craig is enjoying some offerings on the Discovery Channel but can’t resist saying nice things about CBS, too:  I’m hooked on Flying Wild Alaska. It’s like you know me @Discovery channel. Also CBS is awesome. #imawhore

Randy Kagan is testing the limits of America’s health care system:  How was I supposed know not to pull my pants down for a flu shot in Walgreens?

Saturday, February 26th is International Sword Swallowers Day and Open That Bottle Night.  We’re assuming the sword swallowers aren’t opening too many bottles… everything would leak out!  It’s also the anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park.  Sunday, February 27th is Independence Day in the Dominican Republic and the birthday of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: