Craig Shines in the Sunshine State

Craig Ferguson‘s weekend in Florida drew thousands of people to see him in person and he was warmly received.  One reviewer in the Palm Beach Post commented on the obvious goodwill between Craig and his audience.  And for those who didn’t have a chance to see the shows, the RSA’s @NancyInTampa has been blogging all weekend.  Here is her final post from the weekend:


[stextbox id=”custom”]Craig On The Road – The Florida Tour: The Real Hollywood

It’s the last night of Craig’s Florida tour and I need to get to the Hard Rock now!!  My #RSA friend Janis directed me on the phone as I made my way to through the party palace on 441 in Hollywood to the entrance of the Hard Rock Live. She was telling me how she managed to find her way to the meet & greet and was waiting with others at the end of a hallway. I didn’t know what to say! I was excited, but then I tend to play by the rules, so I was worried. Would I be in trouble for showing up here? I’ve spent a lot of time backstage at events, from hosting meet & greets as part of my radio job to just hanging out with friends who are performers. A pre-show meet & greet is different, not necessarily the most comfortable thing to do just before you take the stage. All these people were getting in because they were high rollers or contest winners. I was none of these things.

Suddenly there was no more time to think. We were in, and Craig was standing in front of a wall with Hard Rock logos all over it. This would be photos only, taken by the Hard Rock photographer (to be picked up next week). Janis stepped up first. Then it was my turn. I mumbled something like “sorry you got roped into this.” And then thought, wait! no! Feeling very much like Ralphie scrambling back up the slide in “A Christmas Story” I managed to get out my Twitter name and said was writing about the tour for RSA News. Craig couldn’t have been more gracious or his blue eyes more…lovely. Sorry, it had to be said. 🙂 A smile, a handshake, and a moment that made this weekend even more perfect. Many thanks to Janis for making this happen! And to Craig for being so kind. x

The Hard Rock crowd was large, late, and a bit unruly, but Joe and Craig made it work for them Joe Matarese came out to do his set and did a great job. The audience was still rolling in, so there were moments when people walking through the aisles and rows got in the way. I’m not used to this, but Joe soldiered on and was,once again, very funny.

Then Craig introduced himself and took the stage. Tonight’s outfit, a black shirt with suit jacket and jeans. Very nice! He was doing great, fine-tuning the phrasing on some of the bits, playing with the audience, getting some very big laughs. I really didn’t want this show to end. Then the panties hit the stage. Yep. Even from my vantage point, halfway back in the house, they looked kind of gnarly. I wouldn’t have picked them up with a stick! Pass the Purell? The crowd got even crazier after that. It was a real juggling act, but Craig played with them all – the Scots to his right, the Canadians to his left, and the underwear lady – for awhile longer, and then moved on to his finish. I didn’t want to see him go, but it was time.

And that’s it! Three days in Florida, a different show every night. Craig gave us his best, and we were lucky to have him here again for awhile. I hope he enjoyed his stay. I loved doing this. Thanks to RSA News! And I can’t thank you enough, Craig! Looking forward to the next adventure.  <3  #RSAForever [/stextbox]

Hollywood, FL Pictures
Janis Bassel captured some images of Craig on stage at the Hard Rock on Sunday night and we thank her for sharing them with us:

Justin Time
Country singer Justin Moore is having a busy week.  Along with appearing on next Monday’s Late Late Show (taped earlier, thank goodness), his wife gave birth to the couple’s second daughter, reports AllAccess.com.

Brave Prediction
The online newspaper Scotsman.com thinks that Disney/Pixar is inviting comparisons between its upcoming animated film Brave and the hardly historically accurate Hollywood blockbuster Braveheart, but predicts that Brave will be better received by a sometimes skeptical Scottish audience.


Who Movie News
Doctor Who actors Matt Smith and Karen Gillan have publicly reacted for the first time to news that a Hollywood film based on the popular television series is in the works.  As DoctorWhoTV.co.uk reported, the pair told a radio audience that it was unlikely they would be involved in the project.

Tonight’s Guests
Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig reads emails with Robin Williams and interviews actor Johnny Galecki.  CBS tweeted:

Johnny Galecki of @BigBang_CBS shares work out tips with @CraigyFerg, plus Robin Williams stops by the #LateLateShow, 12:37am 2nite!

Tuesday, Craig chats with actor Jason Segel and actress Eliza Coupe.

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