The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson has won the George Foster Peabody Award, the oldest international award for electronic media, for its episode An Evening with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

In the news release announcing the winners, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication had high praise for the show, saying: “…received a Peabody Award, as did the Desmond Tutu installment of CBS’s consistently surprising “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” a talk show without borders.” In the detailed list of winners, the judges also said, “As this fascinating, often funny interview attests, the Scottish-born Ferguson has made late-night television safe again for ideas.”

Thanks to RSA member @SunnyAnnie84 for this transcript of the announcement: “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson – an evening with Desmond Tutu aired on CBS receives a Peabody award. Ferguson’s quirky, off-beat style refreshes a staple television form, as his interview with Archbishop Tutu makes abundantly clear. But in Father Tutu Ferguson meets his match.”

Adam Savage of Mythbusters said: Congratulations @craigyferg on your Peabody Award! Well DONE sir!

Producer Michael Naidus tweeted: Someone apparently has noticed our show. This is scary and lovely all at once. Remember … you guys were here first.

And Craig tweeted: Holy crackers. A Peabody. Congrats to Lisa Ammerman the segment producer who made the Father Tutu visit happen. I am genuinely shocked.

For those who missed it, here is the interview portion of the show and Craig’s thoughts immediately afterward from March 4, 2009 in four parts, thanks to the RSA’s own Malinky2Stoatir:

Congratulations to Craig, Michael Naidus, Brian McAloon, Lisa Ammerman, Erin Willetts, Cathy Hoeven, Andrea Wayland, David Podemski, Ian P. Kornbluth, Megan O’Toole, Joe Strazzullo, Philip McGrade, Ted Mulkerin, Jonathan Morano, Joe O’Brien, Ben Stout, Tom Straw, David Harte, John T. Reynolds, Bob Oschack, Lynn Ferguson, Peter Lasally, David Letterman/Worldwide Pants, CBS and everyone who works so hard to produce, direct, write and make the Late Late Show possible. This is a high honor and it is richly deserved by all.

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We got our best look yet at Geoff Petersen, the robot skeleton sidekick in the opening of last night’s show:

Video courtesy: Malinky2Stoatir

Geoff Petersen debuts on the Late Late Show on April 5th, accompanied by Grant Imahara.

For those who are fans of the Drew Carey show, you might want to tune in for tomorrow’s episode of The Price is Right: CBSTweet The Price is Right celebrates April Fools w Drew Carey & guest Kathy Kinney 4/1 when “Mimi” takes over the show! #TPIR

Tonight’s guests on the Late Late Show are comic Wanda Sykes and actress Anna Torv.

So much going on tonight we needed an update: Watch the Late Late Show tonight for a video update on Geoff Petersen. Mythbusters tweeted the news, which was re-tweeted by Grant Imahara: Stay up for LLS/@craigyferg tonight to get a vid update from @grantimahara on Geoff Peterson (aka robot sidekick)!

Grant added this: Wiring up the control box now to give @CraigyFerg the ability to activate robot skeleton Geoff from his desktop.

Grant also said that Discovery Channel has ordered some Robot Skeleton Army shirts from RSA member Colleen_Byrne: @colleen_byrne Hey Colleen, Discovery has ordered some shirts… If I don’t wear one on the show, I will at least Twitpic it backstage!! That’s just plain awesome.

Meanwhile, Craig has responded to Stan Lee (see story below) by putting the ball back in Stan’s court. Could a war between the POW Brigade and the Robot Skeleton Army be close at hand? Here’s what Craig said: Great Stan. Yield I beseech thee or hear the dreaded plinky ribcage xylophone calling roboskeletons to war.

Grant continued the discussion: @CraigyFerg I think we should cut a deal with @SmilinStanLee. If he supplies the Vibranium, well… let’s just say it could get interestng. @CraigyFerg Besides, we can all gang up on @JoelMcHale and his Boob-Bot 4000.

This could get very interesting. For the background on the Stan Lee/POW! Brigade story, read on:

Comic book legend Stan Lee was tweeting about Craig and the Robot Skeleton Army last night. Stan calls his 54,000 Twitter followers as the “POW! Brigade” and himself the “Generalissimo”. Apparently he has become concerned that Craig has a rival army of followers: But there is another matter that soon may call for action! I have learned that another titan of tweets dares to form his own militia! While we’ve created a POW! Brigade to serve and save mankind, another is recklessly forming a robot skeleton army! O, the senses reel! Most ironic of all, thine own beloved Generalissimo hath been a guest on one of that CraigyFerg’s earliest TV shows! Did Craigy, through some sinister sorcery known only to himself. pluck my Nation-Building agenda from my brilliant but unsuspecting mind? I shall now attend a strategy meeting with my Chiefs of Staff. The moment we have trained for all these months may be at hand. Excelsior!

Reading this, Craig responded: Oh Great Stan. You have my love & respect but do not cross the Robot Skeleton Army or we will destroy you and TP your house

Grant Imahara chimed in: I think @smilinstanlee is onto our master plan!

And Craig tweeted back: Lee is cunning but he has become complacent . He lives in a priviledged world of comfort & free wi-fi. I do not fear him.

One RSA member @NakitaOakley sent this: @CraigyFerg @grantimahara don’t b so sure of urselves.Many of ur robot skeleton army r Brigadiers. B careful what u say about @smilinstanlee

To which Craig responded (with tongue in cheek): Leave the volcano. You are no longer one of us. Also leave your ID and lunch vouchers.

After some careful thought, Craig’s last tweet of the night sounded a note of reconciliation: I will engage @smilinstanlee in double plus secret peace talks tomorrow. Perhaps an alliance can be forged. Gnite Skell – u – trons.

Tonight, Stan indicated he is in favor of peace but called on those who follow both groups to declare their loyalty and implored Craig to disarm the RSA: Though the threat level is orange, my Brigadiers, I shall do all in my power to avert armed conflict with the Robot Skeleton army! Alas, I am impaled on the horns of a dilemma! Imagine my shock upon learning that many of you are minions of the Robot Skeletons! One after another has claimed fidelity to the Robot Skeletons! What evil influence does this CraigyFerg hold over my once-loyal Brigadiers? Tis no time for panic. Cold reason must ever triumph over acts of desperation. I shall not yet unleash the horrendous hounds of war! This is a time to stand up and be counted. Yea, this is the moment to prove thy fidelity to thy Generalissimo and thy comrades in arms! I can say no more. Those of divided loyalty must make their choice. Be they Robot Skeletons or Brave Brigadiers? Our cause is just, our troops at the ready. So stand you down, CraigyFerg! Disarm your Skeletons! Let peace prevail! Excelsior!

Update (as noted above): Craig responded on Tuesday night with an equally intimidating demand: Great Stan. Yield I beseech thee or hear the dreaded plinky ribcage xylophone calling roboskeletons to war.

So… will it be war between the POW! Brigade and the Robot Skeleton Army? Be ready, skeletons.

Washington DC area-based comedians/musicians/podcasters/Mythbusters fans Paul and Storm have offered to write a theme song for Craig’s robot skeleton sidekick if their Twitter following grows: [P to S] If we hit 20k followers by Fri., we’ll write the official theme song for @CraigyFerg‘s skeleton robot sidekick, Geoff Petersen. They seem like just the guys to do it. For more on them, check out their website.

But Craig declined the offer this afternoon: @paulandstorm Robot Skeleton already has a song. It will debut the same night. Apr 5. However I admire your Machiavellian pluck

Let’s hope it’s not “library music”.

Tonight, Craig’s guests on the Late Late Show are actor Greg Kinnear, actress Amanda Righetti, and musical guest VV Brown.

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It’s a been a big couple of weeks of interviews for Craig Ferguson, in the Southeast during his most recent standup comedy tour and across the country talking about his movie, How To Train Your Dragon, which finished the weekend number one at the box office. He goes into more detail about his life as a late night host, in an interview with TheWrap.com.

A few people have been asking Grant Imahara if we could see some updated photos of Geoff Petersen, the robot skeleton sidekick. But his reply shows that we’ll have to wait for the official debut on the Late Late Show: Sorry #RSA peeps, but we are on media blackout. No pics of the robot until unveiling on April 5 on LateLate Show with @Craigyferg!!

Craig’s sister Lynn continues to tweet about the fight to save Cumbernauld House, a historic mansion in the area where she and Craig grew up. She re-tweeted a message today, reminding people of the facebook page for the house: RT @Stephen_OConnor: @lynnfergy hi Lynn, can you tweet the link for the facebook page? it’s www.facebook.com/cumbernauldhouse thanks x

Craig himself tweeted this afternoon, talking about the show: @joelmchale on the show tonight. I am as excited as a midget on crack.

Joel’s comment: Going to be a guest on @CraigyFerg tonight. I’m as excited as little school girl!

Along with McHale,host of E!’s “The Soup”, actor Ben McKenzie will also be on tonight’s all new Late Late Show.

It was a dark and stormy night, deep inside the M5 laboratory, when mad scientist Grant Imahara tweeted the fateful words: Thus ends a verrry long day in the shop. Last weekend before I deliver the robot skeleton… Finally. It. Speaks.

Then today, Grant added: Robot skeleton mechanical assembly finally complete. It’s all software from here! Believe it or not, that’s the easy part…

And the Robot Skeleton Army turned a watchful eye to San Francisco, knowing that in a mere week, sidekick Geoff Petersen will arrive at the Late Late Show. (Cue dramatic music) Dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

Craig was online today, learning the ups and downs of retweeting. He sent this in the afternoon: RT @BuzzMohawk: @CraigyFerg CBS cares, but basketball sucks. Then followed it later with a clarification: Eek. RT’d anti basketball tweet by accident. I actually rather enjoy it. Esp march madness which means a few extra days off.

Late Saturday, Craig re-tweeted a quote from Dirk Weems, the ESPN-UK football analyst character from many sketches: Back in the Chokey. Began hearing by telling judge you can’t spell “manslaughter” without “laughter.” Things got pretty Tazer-y after that.

Could Craig be behind the Dirk Weems tweets himself, cleverly throwing us off the track by re-tweeting himself as CraigyFerg? Or could @DirkWeems be someone else entirely? The plot thickens. (More dramatic music) Dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuuuuhn! Dramatic days in the hollowed out volcano, to be sure.

Craig also talked about his movie, How To Train Your Dragon, which has already grossed more than 43 million dollars in its first three days: Dragon movie made a gazillion dollars. I get a whopping 0% of the grosses. Don’t care. I love that film. It looks like a lot of people did.

Craig is taking a well-deserved weekend off, after a busy month touring and promoting his movie, which made more than 13 million dollars on its first day. He tweeted last night:

Apparently I have a larger part than people expected. (Do your own joke please. I’m taking the weekend off) C xxx

Meanwhile, Grant Imahara remains at work, preparing Geoff Petersen for his April 5th unveiling on the Late Late Show. While pondering how he got to this place in his life, Grant said: I am now measuring a plastic and aluminum skeleton for clothing. #strangecareer A strange career indeed, Grant.

We forgot to post a Friday fact yesterday, so since it’s Saturday, let’s call it a Ferguson Fact: Since he joined Twitter February 8th, @CraigyFerg on gains on average more than 137 new followers EVERY HOUR. Go #RSA !

New episodes return on Monday with The Soup‘s Joel McHale and actor Ben McKenzie.

Craig’s new film, How To Train Your Dragon, opens in theaters across the country today. There are 3D and IMAX-3D versions of the movie based on the popular children’s book by Cressida Cowell, who has a husband named Simon but not the one from American Idol.

The RSA’s own LipSyncingScot and friends have posted a new trailer promoting the #lollipoptheater Tweet-a-thon on April 5th and reminding members to check out kindmovement.com where registering for Lollipop Theater could help raise $25,000 for the cause.

Thanks to RSA member DJPheonyx for this tip: Craig is on Entertainment Weekly‘s list of potential hosts for Saturday Night Live. Because of the CBS/NBC network rivalry, it may not happen but it sure would be fun. On the other hand, perhaps Craig might want to exact some revenge after the “lazy bones” incident… or perhaps that was a clever ploy to entice him onto the show. The plot thickens.

Randy Kagan tweeted a shot of himself backstage and gives us a look inside last week’s tour bus: Me backstage at a CF show. And inside our magic bus. http://yfrog.com/5o809wqj http://yfrog.com/eb7oxj

Due to NCAA basketball, tonight’s episode of the Late Late Show may be pre-empted in some markets. For those who can see it “in your region”, tonight’s rebroadcast of the February 17th show features a cameo from Jerry Springer and a conversation with actress Helena Bonham Carter.

It’s been a marathon for Craig over the last few weeks with his regular job on television, a standup comedy tour and lots of publicity for his new film How To Train Your Dragon. While he probably still has some last-minute promotional work to do for the movie in the next few days, let’s hope he takes a little time to relax before new episodes of the Late Late Show resume next week.

In an interview with the McClatchy newspaper chain, Craig says he enjoys being a voice actor in animated films and television. “It allows you to do stuff,” he says. “You’re not constricted by your body. You can be an amputee Viking without having to do all sorts of awful things to your body.”

In today’s Winnipeg Free Press, Craig talks about the validity of Scottish Vikings along with fellow Scot Gerard Butler. He also jokes about Johnny Depp and Scottish accents.

Does Craig have some favorite films? He does and he tells Rotten Tomatoes about five he enjoys. He also talks more in depth about himself and the work he’s doing.

And Craig lends some “ooh-la-la’s” to the Wall Street Journal.

The Late Late Show will be pre-empted in some east coast markets and moved later at night in others because of NCAA basketball. If you’re on the West Coast or stay up very late in the East and Midwest, you may see a re-broadcast of the episode from February 11th with guests Kunal Nayyar and Don Rickles.