“As Live” Mostly Means What It Says
When a viewer asked LLS Producer Michael Naidus on Twitter Thursday whether there are un-cut versions of the Late Late Show, Naidus responded:

Not sure what you mean. Our shows generally air as taped, without any (or with very very few) edits.

Perhaps the viewer was wondering about Gerard Butler‘s (presumably) naughty joke that was edited out of last Friday’s show.  Or maybe they’re looking for a version of the show that includes Craig Ferguson‘s humorous cussing (without any added oo-la-la’s or tutsi-fruitsi’s).  But no such versions exist outside of the studio.  The show is recorded as if it were live and airs almost exactly as-is.  The small edits viewers routinely see are those to take out the naughty words uttered by Craig, Geoff Peterson or a guest, so the network doesn’t get in trouble with broadcast regulators.

Edits Help with Timing
There are also occasional small edits to make sure the show ends on time.  Have you ever seen a segment interrupted by a two-second video clip of the audience?  Sometimes its from a camera looking directly at the audience, and more often it’s from the rear of the studio looking across the heads of the audience to the stage.  Those video clips are used to cover an edit in the segment, to ensure it fits within the available time.  You might notice them during a monologue, a tweetmail segment or on rare occasion during a guest segment.

Timing the Show
Although the show is scheduled to be an hour long when it reaches your television at home, it actually has between twelve and fourteen minutes of commercial time each night, which means the producer needs to provide the network with a show that lasts exactly within the remaining 46-48 minute time frame.  Each day, the producer is given a time sheet with the planned commercial break times.  Some commercial spots are reserved for the network to run ads for big companies advertising across the whole country (including the famous “boner pill” ads) and some are for the local CBS stations (perhaps a local auto dealership or law firm in your area).  From those time sheets, the commercials are subtracted from the hour and the rest of the show must be “back-timed” to ensure it fits within the time remaining.  A typical show rundown might look like this:

0:00:00 12:37:00am  Cold Open (3:00 min)
0:03:00 12:40:00am  Show Open (Video/music, pictures of guests w/announcer) (0:40 sec)
0:03:40 12:40:40am  Break (2:30 min) (Mix of network and local commercials)
0:06:10 12:43:10am  Re-Open (music as Craig walks on stage) (0:20 sec)
0:06:30 12:43:30am  Monologue (10:00 min)
0:16:30 12:53:30am  Break (2:30) (Usually all network commercials)
0:19:00 12:56:00am  Tweetmail Segment (6:00)
0:25:00 1:02:00am Break (3:30) (Mix of network and local commercials)
0:28:30 1:05:30am Guest 1 (13:00)
0:41:30 1:18:30am Break (2:30) (Usually all local commercials)
0:44:00 1:21:00am Guest 2 (9:00)
0:53:30 1:30:30am Break (2:00) (All network commercials)
0:55:30 1:32:30am ID (:30 sec) – “If you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to attend…”
0:56:00 1:33:00am Break (2:00) (All local commercials)
0:58:00 1:35:00am What did we learn Segment (:50 sec)
0:58:50 1:35:50am Credits (:30 sec) (Music and credits as needed)
0:59:20 1:36:20am Logo (:05 sec) (Show ends with Worldwide pants logo)
0:59:25 1:36:25am Break (:30 sec) (Local commercial)
0:59:55 1:36:55am Station ID (Your local station’s call letters and logo)
1:00:00 1:37:00am End

Making it Fit
An assistant producer and the director are always keeping an eye on the clock.  If Craig talks longer than expected in the monologue, the tweetmail segment might be shortened.  If a guests talks too long, the next guest’s time may be shortened or the second guest might even be moved to another night… and the “What did we learn” segment might run longer that night.  If after the taping is completed and when it is double-checked, the time is off by a few seconds, one of those little edits is made to make sure the show fits.  Once the show is taped and edited, it is sent to New York.  In the past it was sent via satellite although today it is more likely to be FTP’d as a video file from a server in LA to a server in NY.  It is added to another server, with commercials added in place and will be played back to stations across the country at the appropriate time for your time zone.  Your local station knows approximately when its own local commercial breaks will pop up during the show.  The network runs public service announcements during those local breaks in case the local station doesn’t have any commercials to run or if something goes wrong while they are being played back.

Thank the Whole Team
It’s easy to see why along with a talented host, it takes a large group of creative and technical people to bring the Late Late Show to your home every night.  When you watch the show tonight, think about the writers, the segment producers, the talent bookers, the director, audio and video operators, sound technicians, camera operators, lighting designers, teleprompter operators, electricians, maintenance engineers, floor managers, set designers, prop masters, costumer, hair and makeup people, graphic artists, and of course the video editors who make it all possible.

Canned Ham?
Craig mused today on Twitter about his pose on the Does This Need To Be Said? poster:

http://twitpic.com/6sjh1p Was it wrong to sniff my finger during the photo shoot? #smelledlikeham.

Tonight’s Guests
Thursday on the Late Late Show, Craig tries an awkward pause with reality TV personality Carson Kressley and chats with actress Michelle Monaghan.  Kressley tweeted:

Thanks @CraigyFerg for having me on your show tonight. I always have a great time! #smellslikeham to me too!

Friday, Craig interviews actor Seth Rogen and actress Judy Greer.

Connecticut Tickets
Don’t forget!  Tickets go on sale Friday morning at 10:00am for Craig’s October 21st  live stand up comedy performance in Stamford, CT.  Book early to avoid disappointment!  Find the links and all the info on our Live Comedy Tour page.

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