CNG Tapings
Craig Ferguson had a busy weekend, taping about about a dozen episodes of Celebrity Name Game in Los Angeles. Originally, we had heard they would tape the show at CBS’ Radford studios, but it is now being shot at the historic Sunset-Bronson Studios in Hollywood, just about a 15-minute drive from CBS Television City.

The studios, now on the National Register of Historic Places, were originally built in 1919 and were at one time the headquarters of Warner Brothers Pictures and were later owned by Paramount Television. The first feature-length talking movie The Jazz Singer was filmed there in 1927. Today the property is owned by a development company which also holds the nearby Sunset Gower Studios, former home of Columbia Pictures.

We’ve heard at least a couple of hobos were in the audience over the weekend, and we hope they share their stories. More tapings are ahead in August when The Late Late Show goes on its summer break.

HTTYD3 in 2016
The RSA’s @bgrhubarb is among those who are starting to see listings for How To Train Your Dragon 3 with a projected release date of June 17, 2016. The date is now posted on BoxOfficeMojo.com, ComingSoon.net and IMDB.com. Mark those calendars!

CNG Station Promos
With the start of Celebrity Name Game just a couple of months away, the show is starting to produce promos for television stations to build excitement:

Video courtesy: Celebrity Name Game

Elise Talks Science Show
With excitement building about Craig Ferguson’s new game show Celebrity Name Game, we don’t want to forget about his other big project this fall, executive producing the show I F-ing Love Science for the Science Channel. We’re still waiting to hear about a launch date and time. The show is based on the Facebook page and website of similar names, run by blogger Elise Andrew, who recently did an interview with Wired and says she really clicked with Craig when they met.

Puppet Plans
As Josh Robert Thompson has hinted, his new web series will be featuring some segments with puppets and marionettes. He recently tweeted that one is already in production:

Morgan Freeman marionette under construction for my new web series! Coming this Fall. Thanks @greatpuppetshow! pic.twitter.com/arejZ38sTc

Tabloid Scandals
In this two-part monologue from 2006, Craig talks about the tabloid scandals.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Late-Night Speculation
This week, CBS executives met with the press during the Television Critics Association conference to talk about the upcoming fall season and future plans for network shows. Among the topics brought up by reporters was the futures of The Late Late Show. When asked about who might replace Craig Ferguson and what the show might look like in 2015, CBS had no specific answers. But as reported by The Associated Press, BroadwayWorld.com, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.com, CBS leaders did say that they are considering a wide range of possibilities for the time slot, especially since Stephen Colbert is taking over The Late Show in 2015. They said they may try to reshape the format for a different style of comedy or even change it to a political talk show. A political talk show and the current format of The Late Late Show are very different of course. One has a bunch of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off, conversations between robots and puppets, and people rambling incoherently about nothing in particular to fill the space between the commercials. And the other…

Promoting Treats
As reported in MediaPost.com, Craig promoted the new S’mores Blizzard flavor from Dairy Queen on the show this week. He has done in-show promotions for auto and cell phone makers in the past, and the practice isn’t new. Johnny Carson used to hold up products when they became new sponsors of the show. We’re not sure if DQ knew he was going to feed it to Geoff and Sandra the Rhino, but they all seemed to enjoy it.

The Royals
In this two-part monologue from 2006, Craig gives thanks that America has no royal family.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Craig and Josh Panel
UPDATE: In addition to hosting a pair of panels at Comic-Con next week, Craig Ferguson and Josh Robert Thompson will be appearing on a panel of their own. While many of the Comic-Con events take place at the convention center, this panel will be at what’s being called “Nerd HQ” at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. For the past few years, a group called the Nerd Machine has hosted a free festival during the same week as Comic-Con. Last year, they drew more than 30,000 people and had panels, television guests, gaming demonstrations and more. Craig and Josh will be appearing at 1:30pm PT on Thursday, July 24th, just one day before Craig hosts the Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory panels at Comic-Con on Friday. All proceeds from NerdHQ events go to Operation Smile. Tickets go on sale Sunday at noon PT. You can find the link for tickets and other details on our Live Comedy Tour page.

CNG Gets Chicago Timeslot
The new game show Celebrity Name Game hosted by Craig debuts on September 22nd on television stations across the country. Because it is a syndicated show rather than one produced for a specific network, it will appear on many different affiliated and independent stations. You’ll have to check your local listings to find the time and channel “in your region.” One city that knows when it will get to see Craig is Chicago, where it was announced this week that the show will air weeknights at 10pm CT on WGN-TV, followed by a half-hour of Friends. As an independent station, WGN is also available on many cable systems across the country, so even if CNG isn’t available on a nearby local station, you might still get to see it and get a dose of Craigy goodness in the late evening.

Silence is Golden
Stuart Neville‘s new novel The Final Silence is out in the UK this week and will be coming to the U.S. in late October. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the heads up!

Who in Legos
A 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who done entirely in Legos could only be epic. Enjoy:

Video courtesy: bookshelfprodutions

Sketch of Craig
We always keep an eye out for artwork featuring Craig Ferguson. This time, the RSA’s TopsyKretts offers a sketch of our fearless leader. No matter your medium, we enjoy sharing your pieces with the rest of the RSA!

Mixed Nuts
The voice and puppeteer of The Late Late Show‘s robot skeleton sidekick Geoff Peterson, Josh Robert Thompson was recently interviewed on The Mixed Nut Show podcast, hosted by Piotr Michael. In it, he talks about his start in Cleveland, his impressions and much more.

Past Award Nomination
In this two-part monologue from 2006, Craig mentions his Emmy nomination and that he was up against the eventual winner that year, Barry Manilow.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Dreamy Photo
An integral part of Craig Ferguson‘s journey into show business was his work as a drummer in punk rock bands. He performed in a group called The Bastards from Hell which later became Dreamboys. The RSA’s @orkneyan tracked down a great photo of the band, featuring Craig on the far right, complete with a Caesar haircut, a leather blazer and khaki trousers. Looking good, lads!

Dragon Reviews
Reviews continue to come in for the DreamWorks animated feature film How To Train Your Dragon 2. Most have been positive, saying the film pulled off a rare feat as a sequel by being as good as (or better than) the original. The review in the Bristol Post is largely positive, although there some significant spoilers in the article. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the link!

Another Panel
Craig tweeted Tuesday that in addition to the Comic-Con Game of Thrones panel he’ll be moderating on Friday, he’ll also be hosting The Big Bang Theory panel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Now That’s Angry
In this two-part monologue from 2006, Craig ponders threats against the country from North Korea.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

CF at Comic Con
Craig Ferguson will be returning to Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, reports Deadline.com, this time to host a panel on Game of Thrones. Craig has been a panel host before, moderating a discussion about Doctor Who. Craig tweeted about it on Monday:

I shall be wearing chain mail underpants. #winteriscoming

One More Time
The master of the pop parody, “Weird Al” Yankovic is releasing his newest album with a string of video releases in the coming days, starting with a parody of “Happy” called “Tacky.” As Uproxx.com reports, the release may be Yankovic’s last studio album. However, he still may release new material in digital formats. We certainly hope so!

A New Set
In this two-part monologue from 2006, Craig talks about the show’s first new set since he took over.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson