The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show intertitle, used since the show began broadcasting in high definition.
Format	Talk show Variety show
Created by	David Letterman
Written by	Jonathan Morano Ted Mulkerin Lynn Ferguson David Harte Philip McGrade Joe O'Brien John Reynolds Ben Stout Tom Straw Joe Strazzulo Craig Ferguson
Directed by	Brian McAloon
Presented by	Craig Ferguson
Narrated by	Shadoe Stevens
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	1000 (as of December 16, 2009)
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Letterman Peter Lassally
Producer(s)	Michael Naidus
Location(s)	CBS Television City Studio 58 Los Angeles, California
Running time	62 min. (with commercials)
Production company(s)	Worldwide Pants Incorporated
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	480i SDTV (2005–2009) 1080i HDTV (2009–present)
Original run	January 3, 2005 – present
Chronology
Related shows	The Late Late Show
External links
Official website

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The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson is the third regular host of the CBS Late Late Show franchise. The show follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup.

The program is the only one of the major U.S. broadcast network late-night programs that does not have its own house band, an omission that has existed since CBS launched the show in 1995 with Tom Snyder as host. Ferguson frequently makes mention of the fact that he has no band as one of his faux complaints about how poorly CBS treats him.

Contents 1 Show format 2 Ratings 3 Production milestones 4 Show elements 4.1 Theme song 4.2 Musical performances 4.3 Cold open 4.4 Impersonations and characters 4.5 Bob Barker 4.6 Celebrities Read Excerpts from Craig's Book 5 Notable Episodes 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Show format

The show starts with a cold open consisting of a short monologue, acting with one of his hand puppets, or interacting with a random person selected from the audience, lasting only a few minutes; this is followed by a commercial break, and the opening credits. "TV's Craig Ferguson" introduces himself, slapping the side of the studio camera shortly followed by one of his catch phrases "Welcome to Los Angeles, California, welcome to The Late Late Show, I am your host, TV's Craig Ferguson" and "It's a great day for America, everybody!" and a "cheeky, stream-of-consciousness monologue."^[1] After another commercial break, Ferguson is typically seated behind his desk, where he may read and respond to viewer e-mail. Other segments include comedy sketches, which feature Ferguson in costume or performing in collaboration with any of a number of semi-regular guests including Dave Foley, Betty White, Tim Gunn, Daniel McVicar, Tim Meadows, James Adomian, Henry Winkler, Jamie Denbo or Ewan McGregor.^[2] Generally one or two celebrities are interviewed; Ferguson starts each by dramatically ripping up note cards written for the interview, "signalling to the audience, and to the guest, that this conversation need not be rigidly managed."^[3]

Sometimes a stand-up comedian and/or a musical guest perform, the latter of which is typically pre-taped.^[1]

Ferguson has used many running gags that span multiple shows and have colorful animated graphics. These have included themed weeks such as "Crab Week", "Magic Week" and "Shark Week" (though Craig admits^[4] that the show's budget makes most of the themes limited mostly to graphics), a sound effects machine installed at his desk (which has been removed), "Dear Aquaman" (in which Craig dresses as the superhero and gives advice), and "Election Fever" during the run-up to the 2008 Presidential election. Another running gag is the "photo of Paul McCartney". When McCartney is mentioned in the monologue, Ferguson will call for a photo of McCartney, which is actually a photo of actress Angela Lansbury and vice versa. The show often uses variations of this gag featuring other pairs of look-alike celebrities.^[5] Craig has also made various references to bearing a resemblance to Liza Minelli, for which he "apologized."^[6] Occasionally during the monologue, Craig Ferguson will claim that the audience has "made him angry" and he will shake his fist at the audience while wacky music plays.

Should Craig say a word or phrase the show censors must bleep, a French flag appears over his mouth with "Ooh la la!" spoken instead of the offending word. His guests' mouths are simply pixelizated.

The show ends with "What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?", a segment that starts with an animation of a kitten and Ferguson "removes his tie, puts his feet on his desk, and summarizes the preceding hour of TV."^[7]

Ratings

In 2006, clips of The Late Late Show began appearing on the video sharing website YouTube. Subsequently, Ferguson's ratings "grew seven percent (or by 100,000 viewers)."^[8]

During the week ending March 31, 2006, The Late Late Show attracted an average of 1.9 million total viewers,^[9] a number that increased to 2.0 million a year later.^[10]

During the week ending April 4, 2008, The Late Late Show attracted an average of 1.88 million total viewers; that week, for the first time since Ferguson began hosting, the show's "five-night week of original head-to-head broadcasts", which was later discovered to actually be four nights due to a difference in title,^[11] drew a larger audience than Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[12] Reuters noted that "Ferguson's bigger accomplishment seems to be that he has merely lost fewer viewers this season, with his total audience slipping 12 percent from a year ago, compared with a 24 percent drop for O'Brien"; the year-to-year decline in viewership was attributed^[who?] to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[12]

The Late Late Show encountered new competition on March 2, 2009, the first night of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. During Fallon's first week, the new show averaged 2.4 million viewers, a half million more viewers than Ferguson.^[13] Fallon maintained his lead over Ferguson during the show's second week, but by March 16, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson had attracted a larger audience.^[14] As of July 30, 2009, Ferguson leads Late Night in total viewers by a 25 percent margin.^[15] On September 22nd, 2009, the night Ferguson followed the Letterman interview of President Obama, his audience reached 3.24 million, the show's biggest ever; Ferguson attracted two million viewers more than Jimmy Fallon and almost a million more than Conan O'Brien attracted an hour earlier.^[16] By the end of 2009, Craig Ferguson topped Jimmy Fallon in the ratings with Ferguson getting a 1.8 rating/6 share and Fallon receiving a 1.6 rating/6 share.^[17]

Production milestones

Ferguson's first show as host was on January 3, 2005. For about the first two months, Ferguson continued his predecessor's monologue format, reading five to 10 jokes from cue cards.^[1] He would ad-lib between the jokes, and soon noticed that the "stuff in-between" got the most reaction from his audience; after that realization, he decided he and his writers would stop writing jokes.^[1]

By May 2006, Studio 58, the CBS Television City venue from which the show is taped, had been updated with a digital broadcast Solid State Logic mixing console, needed for 5.1 Channel Surround.^[18]

A new set debuted on the July 24, 2006 episode^{[citation needed]}, after the previous one had been destroyed by Bob Barker and others from The Price Is Right. It included a miniature CBS dirigible that floated along over the backdrop depicting Los Angeles. In the week starting with March 17, 2008, The Late Late Show debuted a new set featuring a desk/interview area on a raised platform. The backdrop was also changed to a detailed representation of Los Angeles.

When the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike began, the show went into reruns. It resumed production on January 2, 2008 after Worldwide Pants and the WGA came to an agreement.^[19][20]

In 2008, Worldwide Pants Incorporated signed a product placement deal with Ford to promote the Ford Flex during The Late Late Show. Eight episodes ("with one repeat") of the show included custom-written skits in which Ferguson played the leader of a Scottish rap band called the Highlanderz (consisting of Angus "Big Ginger" Ferguson, Philip "The Howler" McGrade, and Shannon "Bubbles" McGee),^[21] riding in a Flex as they traveled from Los Angeles International Airport to the CBS Studio. The skits were shown on successive Thursdays starting on September 4.^[22]

On August 31, 2009, the show began broadcasting in high definition, featuring a refitted studio and production facilities, along with a new show logo, eighteen new lights (an unimpressed Ferguson was originally told the number was only two), an opening title sequence that "features Ferguson in iconic Los Angeles locations", and a new arrangement of the show's theme song.^[23] In preparation for this refit, Ferguson taped two weeks of episodes over a month in advance. New shows that aired in the first half of August, as his set was being updated, had actually been taped in late June and early July, something Ferguson playfully hinted at each night. The remainder of August 2009 was filled out with repeats.

Ferguson's contract as host is for six years, until the end of 2010; as of August 2007 he was telling television critics he might not be interested in a contract renewal^[1], though by February 2008, he was publicly professing his loyalty to [David] Letterman, saying "I will sit behind Dave as long as he sits there."^[24]

Show elements

Theme song

When he was hired as the full-time replacement for Craig Kilborn, Ferguson co-wrote and recorded a new theme song.

Beginning July 7, 2006, the show's theme featured only the ending of the original song, though by January 2, 2008^{[citation needed]} the full theme had returned, mostly intact. The full theme was re-recorded (with an additional line) for the show's move to HD and was first heard on August 31, 2009.

Musical performances

The Late Late Show began taping musical performances separately from the rest of the show. For example, the band No Age was videotaped on October 2, 2008 for an appearance scheduled to air October 27.^[25] That performance was also the subject of an equal-time rule controversy in which Randy Randall was not allowed to wear a pro-Barack Obama T-shirt. Randall, not wanting to cancel the appearance, chose instead to turn the T-shirt inside out and write "Free Health Care" on the shirt with a Sharpie marker.^[25]

Cold open

“	Most nights, he introduces himself as "TV's Craig Ferguson," and pronounces it a "great day for America." After that, no one knows what might come next, not even the host himself.	”
—TV Critic Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times[1]

Craig starts with a "cold open," which is a two minute segment before the first commercials, theme song, and actual show. Originally it was for a miniature monologue and to talk about the guests on the show. Over time, this segment has expanded to include miniature skits and musical sessions, often involving puppets, and occasional interaction with members of the studio audience. On August 10, 2009, the Craig Ferguson puppet debuted. A large felt head with eyes and facial features like Ferguson, but unlike Ferguson (according to Ferguson), the puppet has perfect teeth.

Impersonations and characters

“	I think my show is probably closer to Pee-wee's Playhouse than anything else I’ve seen, and that is an aspiration.	”
—Craig Ferguson (August 2009)[26]

Impersonations and skit characters frequently done by Ferguson on the show include Prince Charles (usually hosting "The Rather Late Programme"), Sean Connery, Queen Elizabeth II, Andy Rooney, Aquaman, Michael Caine ["in Space", "in Spain," and now presenting "Michael Caine's Animal Kingdom"], and Bono. He claims that he developed his imitation of Caine after an eight hour long plane ride, in which he sat behind Caine who "gabbed" with his wife the entire trip.^{[citation needed]}

Less frequent Ferguson impersonations include Dr. Phil, Simon Cowell, Kim Jong Il, ESPN UK commentator Dirk Weems, Mick Jagger, Regis Philbin, Angela Lansbury (as "Jessica Fletcher" on Murder She Wrote), Jay Leno, Larry King ["of the Jungle"], Bill Clinton, and J. K. Rowling.

Occasionally one of Ferguson's crew members (usually writer John T. Reynolds) will dress up as and impersonate him, particularly while he is portraying someone else in a skit.^[27]

Bob Barker

A running gag during the summer of 2006 involved Ferguson going out of his way to pick on CBS game show host Bob Barker who, Ferguson eventually concluded, was a vampire.^[28]

The climax was reached on July 15, 2006, when Bob, flanked by the rest of The Price Is Right's staff, including announcer Rich Fields and some of Barker's Beauties, staged a "surprise" visit. This was the last show before a long-planned replacement of the set. Although Barker did not injure Ferguson, he did do some serious damage to his desk with a single blow.^[29] The desk was later totally destroyed by the models, and Ferguson returned, after the commercial break, with a card table covered by a checkered picnic cloth. The episode ended with Ferguson helping the episode's musical guests, Family Force 5, completely trash the set.

Barker appeared on The Late Late Show a few months later, after announcing his retirement and presented a portrait of himself as a vampire to Ferguson as a gift. Ferguson re-aired the interview segment as a tribute on June 15, 2007, the same day that Barker's last episode of The Price Is Right aired.

Barker returned to the show on April 22, 2009 to promote his book Priceless Memories.

Celebrities Read Excerpts from Craig's Book

Starting in summer 2009, a recurring sketch appeared, usually after the second commercial break, consisting of various celebrities reading supposed excerpts from Craig's book American on Purpose.^[30] Most of the excerpts deal with Craig's sex life, bedwetting, or addictions. The celebrities have included Dame Edna Everage, Betty White, Danny De Vito, Neil Patrick Harris, Marg Helgenberger, Drew Carey, Reba McEntire and Gerard Butler. At the end, the announcer says, "American on Purpose is available at all finer bookstores. If you experience an erection lasting more than four hours, please call a doctor or Craig Ferguson."^[31]

Notable Episodes

• On January 30, 2006, Ferguson eulogized his father, who had died the day before.^[32] He was nominated for his first Emmy Award for the episode.
• On February 19, 2007, Ferguson announced he would do "no Britney Spears jokes", saying "comedy should have a certain amount of joy in it" and that it shouldn't include "attacking the vulnerable." He referenced his 15 years of sobriety and the struggle he had with addiction, almost ending in suicide.^[33]
• On September 10, 2008, he described his excitement about voting in his first U.S. Presidential election and ranted against American voter fatigue, stating, "If you don't vote, you're a moron!"^[34]
• On December 8, 2008, Ferguson remembered his mother who died December 1, while his show was on break. He told stories about his mother and how he felt after he had returned back from his mother's funeral in Scotland. During the monologue, as he recounted his father's death nearly three years previously and spoke of his parents being back together in death, he became emotional to the verge of tears and cut to commercial.^[35] Prior to the break, Ferguson mentioned that his mother wanted the hymn called "Jesus Loves Me" sung at her funeral because that was the only hymn to which everyone knew the words. After the break, he showed a clip from a 2005 interview with his mother and a second clip with his mother and RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.^[36] Finally, he played his mother's favorite song to end the show, which was "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M.^[37]
• On March 4, 2009, he dedicated the entire show to his guest, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The cold open and monologue featured a brief history of South Africa and apartheid. The show was during a week of change in late night, with the premiere of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a show competing with The Late Late Show, occurring two days earlier. The interview received critical praise from NPR's TV critic, David Bianculli, who called the episode's monologue "nothing less than an entertaining, understandable, shockingly thorough history of South African politics and colonization" and its interview "inspirational ... almost beyond measure."^[3]
• On April 28, 2009, after the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Federal Communications Commission rules imposing fines for indecent language,^[38] Ferguson said in his monologue that he "agree[d] with the Supreme Court ruling today," but then commented in the monologue and throughout the show about swearing on TV, CBS pixelizating his mouth and hands, permissible and impermissible language describing sex, and whether he would be personally responsible for the FCC fines.^[39]
• From 2006-present, he has remembered the 9/11 anniversary, stating: "It will never again be a great day for America." In 2009, he said: "Even people that do not like the United States of America will see this show...So if you are watching, first of all, [bleep]!"^[40]
• On October 5, 2009, he addressed Letterman's extortion scandal in the cold open and made a few jokes about how it was difficult for him to make fun of his own boss, even though "my job is to take the number one news story of the day and have a little fun with it." He called Letterman "the king of late night," and claimed that he likes dangerous celebrities. He also expressed humorous concern over getting fired were he to say the wrong thing. He commented, "I don't think I kept a secret from you that I've had a few incidents in my past. But I made the smart move. I wrote them down in a book."^[41]
• On October 27th, 2009 during an interview with Alicia Silverstone, CBS lost power due to abnormally high gusts of wind in the area,^[42] with Ferguson joking that "We've gone to radio, everybody!" before going to a commercial break. The power "returned" before the interview with Salman Rushdie (the interview was pretaped), only to "go out" again during the "What did we learn on the show tonight, Craig?" segment.^[43] The next night, he commented in the cold opening that Wolf Blitzer reported on CNN that the lights went out on the show, "but how can that be news?"^[44]
• December 15th, 2009 was the 1000th episode of Craig's tenure as host,^[45] and to mark the occasion, the entire show was done with puppets; "Wavy the Crocodile" "filled in" as host, delivering a brief monologue and interviewing the celebrity guests, the shark puppet was used for the "Dear Aquaman" skits, and "Connery the Bull" appeared in the "A Sean Connery Holiday Memory" skit. The only time Craig himself appeared on camera (aside from the opening title sequence) was during the closing segment where he was on stage in his Prince Charles costume, along with many of his puppets, while Wavy "performed" James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend".

See also

• Late Show with David Letterman
• List of late night network TV programs

References

External links

• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at the Internet Movie Database
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at TV.com
• SSL's C100, an August 2006 description of The Late Late Show's Studio 58 production facilities, from broadcastengineering.com

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