Hospital CCU Named in Ferguson’s Honor
Update: Craig Ferguson has been a long-time supporter of good causes that benefit children, such as his involvement with the Lollipop Theater Network, which provides screenings of first-run movies for hospitalized children, and performing at fundraisers for groups like the Boys and Girls Club. Now, the generosity of Craig and his wife will provide help for hospitalized children in his native Scotland, with a donation to the ARCHIE Foundation, official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital. Hospital officials say they were asked to put the donation to use for children most in need of care, and in gratitude, the hospital is renaming its high dependency unit the Ferguson Critical Care Unit in the family’s honor. Craig told the Evening Express, “It is a practical way for us to show our love, gratitude and appreciation for the people of Scotland.”

Home For The Holidays
‘Twas not long before Christmas and all through the volcano, not a creature was stirring except Geoff who said, “Bueno.” That’s a stretch for a rhyme, but it’s in the spirit of the holiday season. Craig has wrapped up his touring schedule for the year, logging thousands of miles on the tour bus and performing live on stage 92 times, nearly double the number of shows he’s done in a calendar year since he starting venturing back out on the road in 2006. With eight shows already booked for 2016 and more to come, it’ll continue to be a great day for America (and/or Canada) on stages across the continent. Keep an eye on our Live Comedy Tour page, where we’ll update the listings as soon as we hear about new dates.

Craig in the News
Writing for inc.com, Insight’s Justin Bariso talks about the value of emotional intelligence, and frames his discussion using three questions familiar to Craig’s fans: “Does this need to be said?” “Does this need to be said by me?” And, “Does this need to be said by me right now?” All excellent questions. Also this week, Canada’s National Post talks about 2015 and the new wave of late-night talk show hosts. They say some nice things about Craig. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the heads up.

Letterman Reflects
David Letterman has granted few interviews since departing The Late Show, but he recently spoke at length with Montana’s Whitefish Review. He talks about life after show business and his appreciation for the silence Montana offers. Thanks to the RSA’s @colleen_byrne for spotting it.

Christmas Memories
Back in 2005, near the end of Craig’s first year as host of The Late Late Show, he sat down with Pepe the King Prawn, to share a song. Enjoy:

Video courtesy: Fergufool

Holiday Break

We will be taking a short break for the holidays, and we’ll return with our usual weekly post on January 6th. Craig will be recording some new episodes of Celebrity Name Game (we’ve heard a third season of the popular game show has already been green-lighted) and Join Or Die after the first of the year and he’ll be back on the road with his New Deal Tour in March. As always, we’ll keep you up to date on all things Craig-related. It’s a joy to follow Craig’s adventures and we couldn’t do it without you. Thanks to all of you for your loyal readership, and to Craig for his royal leadership. Now that’s a rhyme that works. We’ll see you in 2016!

Tour Break
Craig Ferguson‘s New Deal Tour has wound down for the year and will be on a break until later this winter, with several appearances scheduled on the west coast. You can see the complete list on our Live Comedy Tour page. In the meantime, Craig will take some time off for the holidays and we anticipate after the first of the year he’ll be doing some publicity for his new show, Join Or Die, which is slated to debut on the History Channel in February. He also has more episodes of Celebrity Name Game to tape for the spring, so it will be a busy few months ahead.

Opening Act
Comedian Mark Forward opened for Craig during much of this year’s fall tour, but was booked to do his own solo gigs in December, so Dave Stone opened during Craig’s run through the Southeast this month. And for the west coast shows last week, Hampton Yount took the stage each night to get things started. If that name sounds familiar, it should. He’s been on Last Comic Standing, Adam’s House Party, Conan and more. And he’s been tapped to be the new voice of Crow T. Robot in the reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000, paired with Baron Vaughn as Tom Servo. He’s a busy guy. If you’re a fan of MST3K, take note they’ve just raised a gajillion dollars on Kickstarter to produce the new show.

Scottish Sounds
Craig was recently tweeted by the band Dead Man Fall, whose anthem Bang Your Drum became the soundtrack to Craig’s final episode of the Late Late Show. The band has a new single called Calexico, and they invited Craig to see them perform it:

NEW VIDEO!!!!! Here’s our new video for CALEXICO. Please Retweet & come along to see us @OranMorGlasgow Dec 23rd

Craig agreed:

Trippy dancing skeletons! Yup. I’m in. See you on the 23rd.

Where Are They Now?
Many Late Late Show fans will remember Bridger Winegar, the red-haired production assistant who made many on-camera appearances during the show. He’s been working as a writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the RSA’s Max spotted him last week, interviewing people on the street about Donald Trump.

Video courtesy: Jimmy Kimmel Live

Grammy Nomination
Craig Ferguson has been nominated for a Grammy Award for the audio version of his stand up comedy special Just Being Honest. This marks Craig’s third Grammy nomination; the first was in 2011 for the spoken-word album of his autobiography, American on Purpose and the second was in 2014 for the comedy album version of his stand up special I’m Here to Help. This time, Craig’s fellow nominees include Lisa Lampanelli, Wyatt Cenac, Jay Mohr and Louis C.K. Congratulations, Craig!

Seattle Stop
Craig continues to add new stops to his New Deal Tour. Newest on the list is Seattle, Washington on March 19th. You can see the full list of stand up shows on our Live Comedy Tour page. Thanks as always to the RSA’s @whyterose713 for spotting it first! The Orlando Sentinel reviewed the show, which you can enjoy if you don’t mind several spoilers.

Enjoying the Tour
The RSA’s @mojobas told us about the experience of seeing Craig in Floria:

I was fortunate to see Craig Ferguson Thursday evening in Miami Beach at the Filmore Theatre. Had great seats and even got to say hello to RSA friend @NancyinTampa. But I almost didn’t get there due to monsoon weather in South Florida that night. Craig was well aware of the weather, waited a bit to begin show and once started joked comparing our current weather to a “warm Scotland” Craig was hysterical with new material I was just hearing. Once home I tweeted about the show: “@CraigyFerg, Googling Prescott, AZ now ?#?Hassayampa? The odyssey getting 2 U 2night was so worth it! Big Fun, Best vibes ?#?SouthFloridaRocks?!” And minutes later I was surprised and totally fan girled out when @CraigyFerg “liked” my tweet! A very surprise perfect ending to a wild weather laugh filled night. Thanks Craig Ferguson, you always keep me coming back for more!

Thank you for sending us your story! Have you seen Craig live on tour? We’d be happy to share your story with the rest of the robot skeleton army. Just use our Contact Us form, or tweet us a link to your post.

Are You Psychic?
Some contestants on Celebrity Name Game have a hard time coming up with the right answer, even when they’ve been given great clues. And then there’s contestants like this guy, who gets the right answers without even needing clues:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

Taking Care of Business
Craig Ferguson is on the road in Florida this week, with the New Deal Tour. with stops ahead in Orlando, Miami, Clearwater and Immokalee before heading back to the west coast the following week. After a short break for Thanksgiving, Craig performed in Birmingham, Atlanta and Memphis. He really enjoyed his Sunday afternoon in Memphis, with a visit to Graceland, home of the late great Elvis Presley. Craig tweeted a sly Spinal Tap reference:

Right now I’m in the jungle room at Graceland. #toomuchfuckingperspective

Which drew an immediate, funny reply from one of the writers and stars of the film, Michael McKean:

@CraigyFerg You owe us $4.78

Craig also sent a tweet to Russel Brand:

Hey @rustyrockets there are fuzzy walls in Graceland. #flashback

And finished with a tweet in front of Elvis’ jet, the Lisa Marie (shown above).

Fascinating day with a plethora of retail opportunities. I got this commemorative Convair880. Thanks @VisitGraceland

Pictures from the Tour
We saw a few great pictures of Craig on tour, including one from @carlaruth30308 and one from @KatelynGee. Have you seen Craig on tour this fall? Please send us your photos and your stories, and we’ll share them with the rest of the robot skeleton army. Just use our Contact Us form, or tweet us a link to your own site. Thanks to several skellies, including @Coleen_Byrne for spotting the photos as the fly by on the Tweety.

Give a Hobo a Helping Hand
One of the robot skeleton army’s longtime soldiers is @dorindaletitbe, a huge Craig fan and one of our followers from the early days. Her son is in need of a medical device to help with physical therapy, and Medicare won’t pay for it. If you’re so inclined, she has set up a page on GoFundMe.com to raise money. She says when he recently tested out the device, it worked very well. It’s a good cause on this #GivingTuesday.

Wrong Show
It’s happened more than once: Contestants on Celebrity Name Game forget which show they’re on, and give their answers in the form of a question, much to the consternation of the host:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

Gearing Up For ‘Join Or Die’
Craig Ferguson spent part of a short break from the New Deal Tour in Los Angeles, recording more episodes of his new show for the History Channel, Join Or Die, which is scheduled to begin airing in February. In all, 22 episodes are being recorded. They show has been sending some backstage photos to build excitement, including a list of social media channels.

Tour Resumes Friday
The New Deal Tour resumes this weekend with stops in Birmingham, Atlanta and Memphis before a string of six shows in Florida. Comedian Dave Stone will open for Craig on this leg of the tour. The show then rolls on to California and Arizona before taking an extended break for the holidays. Several stand up shows originally scheduled in December have been moved to March. Be sure to check out our listings on the Live Comedy Tour page.

When Craig was in Canada earlier this month, fan Brad Mazur from Winnipeg captured some great photos of Craig on stage. Are you seeing Craig in person soon? Please send us your still photos and stories. We’d be happy to share them with the rest of Craig’s robot skeleton army. Just use our Contact Us form, or tweet us a link to where you have your story posted.

Still haven’t seen Craig’s stand up from the last tour? The RSA’s @bgrhubarb spotted that the show, Just Being Honest, will be available on Hulu starting in December.

Josh’s Show Premiere
Josh Robert Thompson‘s self-titled variety show enjoyed a premiere at a theater in Los Angeles over the weekend. Josh spoke after the screening, which he captured on Periscope.

Behind The Scenes
Ever wonder what it’s like between takes when Craig records promos for Celebrity Name Game? Wonder no longer:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

UPDATE: Craig Ferguson‘s stand up comedy shows previously scheduled between December 13-20 have been rescheduled to March. If you have already purchased tickets, please check the venue’s website for more information. Most will be honoring the existing tickets and at least one (Turlock, CA) will be re-issuing tickets with the new date printed on them. Please see our Live Comedy Tour page for the new dates and times, and be sure to check with the venue’s box office if you have any questions.

Tour Takes A Break
Craig’s New Deal Tour is on a short break. After traversing the chilly plains of Canada and the upper Midwest while wearing a fantastic hat and having fun at a museum, Craig is back in Los Angeles this week to tape more episodes of his upcoming History Channel show Join Or Die. When the show was first announced back in the summer, the History Channel had planned for 16 half-hour episodes, but now it appears a full season of 22 episodes are being produced. The show is scheduled to debut sometime after the first of the year, probably in February. We’ll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, Craig still has 80 episodes of Celebrity Name Game to tape for season 2. We’ll watch for taping dates and pass along details when we get an update.

After the Thanksgiving break, Craig heads for warmer climes with stops in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, followed by six shows in Florida. You can see all of the details on our Live Comedy Tour page.

What’s Up, Doc?
Craig recently tweeted a photo from 1981 with his longtime friend Peter Capaldi, which drew the attention of TheInterrobang.com. And as we reported last time, Capaldi is planning to direct a film about the punk band he and Craig were part of in the 1980s, the Dreamboys.

Craig on Stage
The Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan captured a great photo of Craig on stage on Saturday night. Have you been to one of Craig’s stand up shows? We’d welcome your still photos (no flash, please, and no video) and a story about your experience. Just use our Contact Us page to send it along, or tweet us a link to your blog, and we’d be happy to share it with the rest of the robot skeleton army.

That’s a Record
There are good Celebrity Name Game players, and there are great Celebrity Name Game players. Take a look at what Alex Borstein can do:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

Midwest Moments
Craig Ferguson‘s New Deal Tour rolls through the upper Midwest this week, with shows in North Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan before taken a short break to tape a few more episodes of Join Or Die in Los Angeles and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. Tickets are still available for shows on the stand up tour. You can find all the details on our Live Comedy Tour page. If you’re going to be in Los Angeles on November 18th and 19th, you can get tickets to a taping of Join Or Die from our friends at 1Iota. Craig fan @jarretaubry5150 was at Craig’s show in Winnipeg and got a great photo of our fearless leader on stage.

Dreamboys Film
Fans of Doctor Who may have been disappointed to hear there will be fewer episodes of the show in the next series, to allow the cast and crew to pursue other projects. But fans of Craig Ferguson will appreciate one of the reasons: The Daily Mirror reports star Peter Capaldi is planning to direct a movie about the Dreamboys, the punk band he and Craig were part of in the 1980s. We can’t wait to see it. Thanks to @Ezzie_m for the heads up!

Feel the Twitter Power

One of Josh Robert Thompson‘s many alter egos is his off-the-wall preacher character, the Apostle BG. Now, the Apostle BG has his own Twitter account: @RevApostleBG. Meanwhile, the director of Josh’s feature film Nowhere Girl, Jed Rigney, was recent interviewed on the Behind the Lens Radio Show. He talked about the talents of the cast and crew, including what Josh brought to the role as the film’s leading man.

 

On Vocals
New York Magazine’s Vulture website is taking note of James Corden‘s singing talents on The Late Late Show.

Cracking Up
Is there anything better than Craig cracking up in the middle of a show? We didn’t think so.

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game