Late-Night Wars
If the folks over at TMZ are to be believed, the producers at The Tonight Show are trying to play hardball with late-night talk show guests, telling them if they appear on any shows on the other big networks, they won’t be invited to NBC. We have a hard time believing it, in part because Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson have both made it clear in the past that they don’t take part in any late-night wars. We’re also skeptical because if most celebrities and their publicists had to choose between appearing on one show and a dozen of their choice, they’ll take the dozen shows every time, no matter how good The Tonight Show‘s ratings are (and they’re already leveling off). If there are any restrictions, they won’t last long.

Hitting the Links
After decades of rebelling against his Scottish heritage when it came to the sport of golf, Craig finally decided to take up the game last year at age 50. While he admits to being a sub-par player, he describes the enjoyment of spending time on the links as “fabulous.” The Professional Golfers Association took note of Craig’s new hobby and wrote about it, including a conversation he had with actress Grace Park.

Talking About Sex
In this monologue from 2005, Craig talks about the ever-popular topic of sex.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Beware of a Craig Imposter
Craig Ferguson tweeted on Monday afternoon that someone is impersonating him on Twitter, apparently trying to use his name to stir up conversation about Scotland’s independence vote. As fans know, Craig’s verified Twitter name is @CraigyFerg.

There is an idiot on the tweety called @craigferguson_ who is not me but is pretending to be me and to that idiot I say… aim higher.

Craig also took the opportunity to promote comedian Ted Alexandro‘s new album:

My friend @tedalexandro has a new comedy album out. Available on itunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ted-alexandro/id25094857

And he promoted his upcoming show in Concord, New Hampshire, which we posted on our Live Comedy Tour page a few weeks ago when it was first announced.

Added a show at the last minute in Concord NH on 24 March. Come to me New Englanders. Let me warm you. http://www.ccanh.com/event/craig-ferguson

Likeable Hosts
One of the characteristics of a television celebrity is how likeable they are, and although it’s subjective, researchers still try to quantify likeability using audience surveys. In a recent study posted on TheWrap.com, the likeability of late-night hosts was compared. Craig Ferguson ranks right in the middle of the survey, even though he is less known than many of his counterparts, perhaps because his show is on later at night than most. We’d like to think that as more people get to know him, they’ll like him as much as we do, because Craig’s fans are a very loyal, tight-knit group.

Loyal Doctor
Speaking of loyal, if you haven’t seen it, we urge you take a moment to see how actor Peter Capaldi recently comforted a young Doctor Who fan, who was concerned about Matt Smith leaving the show’s lead role and Capaldi stepping in. His explanation and willingness to spend some time with her was sweet and heartfelt.

Phones and Spies
In this monologue from 2006, Craig gets paranoid about phones and spies.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Late-Night Online Wars
Craig Ferguson has never put much stock in the so-called “late night wars,” but the media really like to talk about them. One of the latest stories focuses on Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live host Jimmy Kimmel, and their success online using social media to connect with their audiences. The Jimmys outshine even Conan O’Brien‘s aggressive online effort. Craig is further down the list according to the internet analysis firm Kontera, so it looks like the robot skeleton army needs to do more to hold up its end of the bargain. Keep tweeting!

Mythbusters Enjoy Fans
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of the Mythbusters recently sat down with Access Hollywood to talk about their show and their fans. Among the fans they mention right away is Craig, who has been vocal in his support of the show.

Join the Caravan
In this monologue from 2006, Craig wonders about RVs.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Craig to Produce Science Show for Discovery Networks Science Channel
Breaking news out of the South By Southwest Festival in Texas on Saturday night: Craig’s production company, Green Mountain West, will be launching a new show called I F-ing Love Science, based on the famous Facebook page with a similar name developed by @Elise_Andrew. According to TheWrap.com and Entertainment Weekly, Craig made the announcement via a videotaped message, in which he also said he will narrate the show. It will be executive produced by Craig and the president of his production company, Rebecca Tucker, along with Karga7 Pictures and the Science Channel. The show slated to debut in the fourth quarter of 2014 on the Science Channel. We’ll keep you informed about the schedule when it is announced. Congratulations to Craig, Rebecca and Elise, and thanks to the RSA’s always alert @Colleen_Byrne for the heads up!

Different After Dark
Back in February, we reported that Craig Ferguson‘s production company would be helping to produce a show for the Discovery Channel called Discovery After Dark, in which the audience for the reality show Naked and Afraid can participate via social media in a post-show discussion. The show is modeled after the successful Shark After Dark, which accompanied the network’s “Shark Week” broadcasts in August. Now comes word from Deadline.com that the show has been renamed Naked After Dark, and will have a new host, Josh Wolf, who previously hosted Shark After Dark. It will also feature Late Late Show writer Bob Oschack as Bob The Blur — he was Bob The Shark in Shark After Dark. The show will debut after Naked and Afraid on March 16. And if you understood all of that without reading it twice, you’re smarter than us.

The Cat’s Unitard
The RSA’s @HoboRobot has a talent for finding weird and fun things, and this time she’s wondering if the “What did we learn on the show tonight, Craig” cat is going into business with wrestling gear retailer BlueChipWrestling.com to produce a wrestling outfit with a cat face on the back:

So, the Blue Chip Wrestling community and @LateLateShowCBS kitten started a business? …. the hell? pic.twitter.com/XUrqGMAa82

The Winter Olympics
In this monologue from 2006, Craig talks about the Winter Olympics.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Comic Kickstarted
It’s been a successful week for fans of the web comic Craigy Who and Mr. Timey Pants. The RSA’s @IKnowJoJo has received more than triple the donations she expected to produce her web comic in printed form. She kept adding stretch goals and adding new incentives, like stickers, postcards and now T-shirts, and fans of the comic stepped up to the plate. Originally intended to be an edition of 100 copies, it has now been expanded to a limited edition of 250 copies, which Jo says will be the final total. Each copy will contain all ten episodes of the web comic (eight have already been posted online with two more to come), and be hand-numbered. Congratulations to Jo for a successful project. Copies will be printed for distribution in late May.

Late-Night Review
Among the many reviews of Jimmy Fallon‘s early days on The Tonight Show and Seth Meyers‘ new gig on NBC’s Late Night, several have mentioned Craig favorably for his deconstruction of the talk show format and his interviewing skills. In the student newspaper at Florida State University, they praise Craig for pushing the boundaries of the genre. Thanks to the RSA’s @bgrhubarb for the link.

The Devil
In this monologue from 2006, Craig ponders the devil.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

Craig’s Letter From America
He is an actor, a comedian, a producer, a director, a businessman, a television host and more, but at his core, Craig Ferguson is a writer. Whether in a novel, his autobiography, screenplays or other projects, Craig writes with a unique style. This week, he wrote a piece for the UK’s New Statesman magazine, which has been posted on their website. In it, he talks about his transition from living in Scotland to living in Los Angeles, and as you read it, you can hear his voice. It’s not the first time Craig has penned a magazine-style essay. He wrote a piece for Parade Magazine back in 2010.

Connolly in LA
Legendary Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is performing in Los Angeles this weekend, doing two stand up shows at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre. We can’t say for sure, but we wouldn’t be surprised is one of Billy’s biggest fans, Craig Ferguson, is in the audience on Friday or Saturday. Billy, who is 71 years old, lives in Malta and doesn’t appear often in the United States. He recently had surgery for prostate cancer and has been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, but is continuing to perform and will soon present a new documentary on the UK’s ITV.

Friends and Dating
In this monologue from 2006, Craig talks about friends and dating.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson

City Selfie
While in New York over the weekend, Craig Ferguson stopped by one of his old apartment buildings in Manhattan to take a quick picture.

Selfie in geezer hat outside my old NYC apartment. pic.twitter.com/oDJbJcChwp

He also spent a little time surfing the internet and tweeted a link to an interesting video about nature’s unexpected connections:

You’ve probably all seen this but I found it fascinating. http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/how-wolves-change-rivers/ …

Craigy Caricature
An artist who posts her work at smellslikemegan.com does some great caricatures, including a fun watercolor from a while ago of Craig. We enjoy seeing all kinds of Craig-related art and would enjoy posting yours!

Preemptive Strike
In this monologue from 2005, Craig talks about a transit strike going on at the time.

Video courtesy: FrankGerbertson