Subvert the Format
When Craig Ferguson debuts his new game show Celebrity Name Game on Monday, he says he wants to take the same approach he’s been using for years on The Late Late Show: Take the format and subvert it. Craig acknowledges to the New York Daily News he still has to run the game within the rules, but plans to have fun with every other aspect of the show he can.

Playing the Game
In an in-depth interview with the Delaware County Times, Craig talks about how Celebrity Name Game lends itself to fun, and gives people of all ages a chance to play. He also reveals who he’d want on his team if he were playing the game himself.

More Craig on TV
Craig continues to make the rounds this week, promoting the new game show. He’ll be on Larry King Now on Ora TV on Tuesday. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the link!

Film Business
In this two-part monologue from 2005, Craig talks about the film business.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

‘Name Game’ Buildup
The start of Celebrity Name Game is just a week away. The show debuts September 22nd in syndication on stations across the country. Check your local listings for the time and channel “in your region.” As the show gets ready to launch, stations have been running some of the promotional announcements we’ve showed here, as well as stories on their websites, like this one from Charlotte, North Carolina. We’ve heard the show will be running in the afternoon in many markets, in the early evening in some others and late evening on WGN-TV in Chicago, which is on many cable systems around the country, so you may have a chance to see each show twice a day.

Craig Makes the Rounds
Along with the written publicity, the satellite interviews with stations, the promotional videos and the online advertising, Craig Ferguson himself will be making the rounds on the talk show circuit this week to promote the new game show. He’ll be on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda on Wednesday during the 10am ET hour. He’ll be on Bravo’s Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm ET on Wednesday, and he’ll be on ABC’s The Chew on Friday, which airs at 11am or noon in many cities… check your local listings. We’ve also heard that he will be on Wendy Williams‘ syndicated talk show soon. TheFutonCritic.com says he’ll appear sometime in the next two weeks, but we have not yet heard a specific date or time. As soon as we do, we’ll pass it along. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb, @colleen_byrne and many other skellies for their tips!

Video of the Day
In this two-part monologue from 2005, Craig talks about programs on the radio.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

See Craig ‘In Your Region’
Craig Ferguson still has a bit more than three months of The Late Late Show ahead of him, and he’s been taping dozens of episodes of his new game show Celebrity Name Game, which starts September 22nd. But he’s also planning to keep appearing on the road with live stand up comedy. With this fall’s schedule staying very busy, so far we’re aware of just three shows on the calendar. Craig will be in Anaheim on October 25th, in Boston at the Comics Come Home event on November 8th and at the Chicago Theatre on November 16th. You can see details about all three appearances on our Live Comedy Tour page. Book early to avoid disappointment!

‘Hero of Color City’
Craig is also featured in an animated film hitting the big screen on October 3rd. As we’ve reported here, Craig plays the voice of Nat in The Hero of Color City. The film project began several years ago… Craig recorded his voice for the film back in 2010… and it is finally reaching theaters, as indiewire.com reports. If you have a chance to see it, please let us know what you think, and we’d be happy to share it with the rest of the robot skeleton army. Thanks to the RSA’S @bgrhubarb for the link!

Weather Forecast
In this two-part monologue from 2005, Craig talks about the weather.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Gaming the Game Show
Anticipation is building for the launch of Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Craig Ferguson. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Craig talks about how he appreciates the loose format of the show, and believes treating it like a comedy show in which a game is played could be a formula for success.

CNG Casting
Casting for two-person teams to play Celebrity Name Game continues, with dozens of episodes scheduled for taping in the coming months. The Desert Sun newspaper reports the show will be casting in Palm Springs on September 16, and explains that you can apply to be a player by emailing your information directly to the show.

‘Cleveland’ Blooper
The fourth season of Hot in Cleveland wrapped up earlier this week with Jane Leeves character facing a choice of three suitors, including Craig’s character of Simon. In case you missed it, the show provided an outtake from the show’s taping, which shows Craig at his naughty ad-libbing best:

Video courtesy: TVLand

Guests Lining Up
As Craig Ferguson moves into his final few months hosting The Late Late Show, some favorite guests are already lining up to get one more chance to be on the show. In the next week, watch for Kevin Bacon and a performance by The Bacon Brothers, Terry Bradshaw, Paul Reiser, Sharon Osbourne, Génesis Rodriguez and Morgan Freeman. Still to come this fall are Scott Bakula, Lauren Graham, Sir Ben Kingsley, Don Rickles, Patton Oswalt, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sean Hayes and many more. You can see the full listings on our Guests page.

Broadway Impact
When you say “yes” to something, it means having to say “no” to other things. Newly-named Late Late Show host James Corden is in that position, having said “yes” to hosting a late-night talk show. As a result, a planned Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has been put on hold. The Tony Award winner had tentatively been scheduled to play the key role of Pseudolus, made famous by Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers and Nathan Lane. As NewYorkTheaterGuide.com reports, Corden will be unable to appear, so the show has been indefinitely postponed by its producers.

Newest CNG Promo
As September 22nd get closer, more new promos are popping up on the television stations carrying the show. Here’s the latest, short but good:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

CNG Media Tour
When promoting a new movie or television show, one of the things celebrities often do is a media tour, in which they can be interviewed via satellite by local television stations. For Craig Ferguson, that meant spending several hours in the chair this week, talking to stations that will be running his new game show Celebrity Name Game, beginning September 22nd. The RSA’s @bgrhubarb has been stalking the tweet stream looking for examples of Craig’s local interviews and has found several, each one different from the next. Here are some good examples from San Diego, Denver and St. Louis. Check your local listings to see where the show will appear “in your region.”

‘Nowhere Girl’ in LA
The independent film Nowhere Girl starring Josh Robert Thompson is played on the big screen in Los Angeles this week as part of the United Film Festival. We’d enjoy hearing from someone in the Los Angeles area who had a chance to see it. The feature-length film features Josh in a dramatic role and is directed by Jed Rigney.

Monsters and Heroes
In this monologue from 2005, Craig talks about monsters and heroes in the movies.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Letter for JoJo
The RSA’s @iknowjojo has been fortunate to meet Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi and present him with a copy of her comic Craigy Who and Mr. Timey Pants. Now, in recognition of her efforts, she received a letter in the mail from Capaldi himself. He wrote to thank her for the comic and to praise her work. He even suggested she give a copy to Craig Ferguson, the other star of the comic. Congratulations, Jo!

HTTYD2 on DVD in November
The Dreamworks animated feature film How To Train Your Dragon 2 is coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 11th. The project has grossed more than 600 million dollars worldwide since its theatrical release and features Craig’s voice as Gobber the Belch.

Food, Glorious Food
In this monologue from 2005, Craig talks about food.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson