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Craig Ferguson, Late Late Show host - Thoughts?

post #1 of 118
4/17/05 at 11:23am
Thread Starter 
I finally caught a couple of this guy's gigs, and while I still dearly miss Snyder, this guy is definitely an improvement over the bland schmuck Kilborn. Any other opinions?
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post #2 of 118
4/17/05 at 12:40pm
I think he's a hilarious guy with great delivery and the grand misfortune of going up against Conan O'Brien.
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post #3 of 118
4/17/05 at 1:02pm
When they were trying out all kinds of hosts to replace Kilborn, I thought David Duchovny was hysterical and had the best rapport with the crowd.
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post #4 of 118
4/17/05 at 1:30pm
it's a shame that Conan moving to the 1135 timeslot is so far down the line. i really hope Ferguson does not lose his job before then. how he is going right now, he will be a great host, since he is already showing a lot of potential. i think all the right elements are there, now it is just time to fine tune everything and prepare to take over the 1235 slot, once King Conan gets his bump.
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post #5 of 118
4/17/05 at 1:35pm
I final saw his show a few weeks ago and it was pretty good. Why the hell does it have to be up against Conan though.
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post #6 of 118
4/17/05 at 3:40pm
I'm impressed so far. He's surprisingly good on politics-- did you catch when Juliette Binoche was on and they spent the whole time talking about colonialism? Riveting.

Personal opinion: my favorite of the test hosts was Sara Rue. She was a total hoot-- shades of "Just Say" Julie Brown.

Dumb question: is that Ferguson singing the theme song?
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post #7 of 118
4/17/05 at 3:54pm
it is indeed Ferguson on the theme song
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post #8 of 118
4/17/05 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NadaTodd
it is indeed Ferguson on the theme song
I love that song.
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post #9 of 118
4/17/05 at 5:25pm
I was actually rooting for michael ian black to get the gig, but I am definitely impressed with Mr. Ferguson's ability.

He has this uncanny comfortability behind the talk show desk, which was something Conan did not have in his first few years doing late night.

But still, Conan has becom an institution and probably neck and neck with letterman as far as leading the way in late primetime entertainment.
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post #10 of 118
4/17/05 at 5:45pm

The interviews are interesting

I read an article about him that said he was very involved in booking the show. He apparently goes out of his way to book guests that he finds interesting. The screenwriter from Million Dollar Baby and Maureen Dowd come to mind. As far as I've seen, most of the interviews seem to go really well. That's HUGE for a late night talk show. If the interview segments fall flat, there is really very little reason to watch the show. Take Leno for example. 95% of the guests are there because its a pre-determined stop on some corporate scheduled publicity tour. So when Leno is interviewing someone from the cast of Sin City, it's pretty much because that film is the big new release. Leno himself couldn't care less about the film. Meanwhile, Ferguson's interviewing cast members as someone who is looking forward to seeing the film. I guess I'm saying that the interviews don't seem like filler to take up space between bits.

For what it's worth, I really love Conan but have found myself watching Ferguson instead.
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post #11 of 118
4/17/05 at 6:25pm
I haven't watched the late late show regularly since Snyder left..

Which brings me to this horrible news he just announced he has leukemia http://www.colortini.com/index2.html
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post #12 of 118
4/17/05 at 7:22pm
Thread Starter 
Oh shit, that's awful. Past a certain age there are fewer options for treatment, IIRC.
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post #13 of 118
4/17/05 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hifidog
I read an article about him that said he was very involved in booking the show. He apparently goes out of his way to book guests that he finds interesting. The screenwriter from Million Dollar Baby and Maureen Dowd come to mind. As far as I've seen, most of the interviews seem to go really well. That's HUGE for a late night talk show. If the interview segments fall flat, there is really very little reason to watch the show. Take Leno for example. 95% of the guests are there because its a pre-determined stop on some corporate scheduled publicity tour. So when Leno is interviewing someone from the cast of Sin City, it's pretty much because that film is the big new release. Leno himself couldn't care less about the film. Meanwhile, Ferguson's interviewing cast members as someone who is looking forward to seeing the film. I guess I'm saying that the interviews don't seem like filler to take up space between bits.

For what it's worth, I really love Conan but have found myself watching Ferguson instead.
Yeah, he had the Edgar-award winning mystery writer Lawrence Block on a couple of weeks ago (repeat this Tuesday). Block himself seemed surprised, but very happy, to be invited. Block is well known in the mystery world but by no means a Clancy or a Grisham or a King (and has much more merit as a writer or a guest) and kudos to Ferguson for inviting him.
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post #14 of 118
4/17/05 at 11:26pm
I wonder if I should watch Ferguson just because I can see Conan the next day on MSNBC. He sounds fun
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post #15 of 118
4/19/05 at 6:04pm
From what I have seen so far, I certainly don't miss Kilborn.

Plus, you can't beat Ferguson's Scottish lilt.
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post #16 of 118
4/19/05 at 7:00pm
I haven't been crazy about the two or three episodes I've seen. I don't think Ferguson is that good. I miss Kilborn, and was sorry to see him go.
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post #17 of 118
4/20/05 at 5:50am
I find him much more interesting as a person than Conan. Conan's show still has better writing, but the writing really only gets to shine during the sketches. Conan's own schtick does start to get old after a while, where some of the jokes are said just as a matter of routine... 'it's 1am, no one's watching', 'i'm pale', "crack research team, but not a research team on crack", etc. If Smigel stopped working for Late Night, I'd probably shift tracks to CBS for the entire evening.
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post #18 of 118
8/14/05 at 3:22am
Thread Starter 
I just saw Tom Snyder has taken down his website, where he would occasionally post monologues. Hopefully his treatments are going well, although it is always a very difficult time.
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post #19 of 118
8/15/05 at 12:25am
Ferguson's charming Scottish lilt is seducing my wife.
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post #20 of 118
2/20/07 at 8:23am
Had to resurrect this thread on the occasion of Ferguson's 'fifteen years sober' monologue on the Feb 19 episode. Eloquent, heartfelt, and funny besides.

The Virginia Madsen interview was great too...
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post #21 of 118
2/20/07 at 11:52am
Sadly, the times that I've viewed Ferguson's show, he always seemed hungover. Now I feel bad.

I prefer to watch Conan, but Conan's entire interview style of drawing attention to himself has really gotten old.
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post #22 of 118
2/20/07 at 6:32pm
What pisses me off about Conan is how blatantly he checks off the topics on his cards, breaking any natural flow of conversation. "Here's something. You wrote a book..."

Meanwhile, here's the CBS link to Ferguson's monologue. Long, but worth it.
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post #23 of 118
2/20/07 at 7:38pm
Thread Starter 
Conan's a great writer, not such a good interviewer. The guy's been on 12 years and he really hasn't improved much at all.
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post #24 of 118
2/21/07 at 1:33am
I've been watching Craig more often than Conan (whenever I'm even up that late) because his style is more natural and true, and more along the lines of what I want to see that time of night. While I really like Conan, I think the show's become too big and flashy to sell itself as the self-deprecating underdog.

I felt like I was watching something very honest and special when I caught Craig's monologue last night, and I'm glad to see that it may have impacted some people. It certainly made me think.
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post #25 of 118
2/21/07 at 1:38am
The frigging video won't load on the CBS page. If anyone knows of another spot, please holler.
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post #26 of 118
2/21/07 at 1:48am
This guy continues to suck it, Leno with an accent. Kilborne was on a roll when he quit. I miss Tom Snyder.
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post #27 of 118
2/21/07 at 1:51am
It's "Kilborn," and dear God, I think you have worse taste than I do, and that's really saying something.

Also, I cannot find the sobriety/Spears monologue from last night -- it sounds like it was pretty awesome. You would think that CBS would slap that sucker up on the YouTube already.

Edit: I was wrong. They did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bbaRyDLMvA
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post #28 of 118
2/21/07 at 2:59am
That's fucking amzing. I have a new respect for Craig Ferguson.
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post #29 of 118
2/21/07 at 3:44am
I don't get a chance to watch the show all the much, but I am definitely a fan. I first really took notice when he did another serious monologue from awhile back when his father passed away. I had always found him likeable before that, but afterwards I looked at him in a new light. It's not very often that you see a talk show host really just speak honestly about his background and his feelings at all, let alone for the near entirety of their own program. Afterwards he just felt that much more human and down-to-earth, which I definitely enjoy.
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post #30 of 118
8/7/07 at 4:57am
Went to a taping today, and it was surreal to find myself being brainwashed into a cheering loudlaughing audience member by the warm-up guy, who was a self-admitted hack. It's even weirder, watching it right now, and being able to hear my dad's distinctive laugh during certain jokes.

The interviews aren't great and the skits aren't good, but Craig Ferguson undoubtedly has the best opening monolouge in late night
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post #31 of 118
8/7/07 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll
The interviews aren't great and the skits aren't good, but Craig Ferguson undoubtedly has the best opening monolouge in late night
I think his interviews are pretty decent - definitely better than Leno's (what isn't?), and while I used to really dig Conan's, it's gotten a little stale lately. Especially if it's a hot chick. I'd be interested in seeing Ferguson interviewing some more high profile guests, I think he'd do pretty well.

Agreed about the monologue, it's great.

Anyone know the reason this doesn't come on immediately after Letterman? At least around here it doesn't...
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post #32 of 118
8/7/07 at 7:08am
He's at his best with authors who interest him, and Europeans. Maybe it's an easy gimmick but his discussions of applying for American citizenship always fascinate me.

And if I could make a girl laugh as hard as he did with Julie Delpy... man.

(edit) Over here, Letterman goes straight to Late Late without even a station ID.
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post #33 of 118
8/7/07 at 10:38am
I'm 5 minutes into the monologue while youtube painfully delivers content to Switzerland, but it's pretty painful how everyone keeps laughing at just the names of Britney and Anna Nicole while he tries to apologize for not seeing them as human beings enough.
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post #34 of 118
8/21/07 at 1:51pm
Craig Ferguson is great.

Recently he had Ben Stein on the show. Stein was shilling some book, about the 'True Stars', being soldiers in Iraq. He goes on and on about how much he supports the troops, and how everyone else should too, so Ferguson asks him to come do a USO show coming up in Kuwait.

Stein says 'sure, if my schedule isn't full.' Ferguson continues to needle him about it, and then Stein pulls this bizarre story out of his ass: something like, 'I was at the grocery store, and I bumped into the chairman of the USO, and he said he was gonna bring me out, and I never heard from him again!'

I wish I had a link, it was pretty astounding. That's why I like the CBS talk show guys: they'll go after someone if they think they're bullshitting. Conan would never consider that an option.
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post #35 of 118
3/5/09 at 6:20am
Bumping this thread again because I'm moved to note that while Jimmy Fallon was giggling through a sketch with Cameron Diaz, Mr. Ferguson was discussing the nature of evil and the power of forgiveness with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Heady stuff, this high road.
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post #36 of 118
3/5/09 at 7:09am

Fallon is a tool

Conan leaving "Late Night" will be great for the Late Show. Fallon is awful.
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post #37 of 118
6/1/09 at 8:21pm
Just a heads up, Guillermo del Toro is gonna be on the Late Late Show tonight.
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post #38 of 118
6/1/09 at 8:57pm
Thanks, Bub!
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post #39 of 118
6/1/09 at 9:24pm
For those who missed it, this was fun.

I just started watching him off and on for the past couple of weeks, and I regret not tuning in earlier.
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post #40 of 118
2/15/10 at 11:43pm
He's amazing.
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post #41 of 118
2/16/10 at 3:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nekkerbee View Post
For those who missed it, this was fun.
Between that and this, I'm regretting not getting into his show before now.
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post #42 of 118
2/16/10 at 3:21am
Last Thursday I was trying to get to a taping but hit every conceivable traffic obstacle on the way only to arrive to discover that the crowd had reached capacity just minutes before. The people from the show were very sympathetic though, and gave me a card with a number to call for VIP seating for any upcoming taping I wanted. I'm not sure how many other shows do that, but it was pretty classy of them.

Also, there was a really good article about Craig in the LA Times the other day. Good stuff:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...0,334675.story
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post #43 of 118
2/16/10 at 3:25am
I like the fact that, having completely fucked up his life and pulled himself back together, he seems to have a real "the hell with it" attitude: he can run hot and cold, but when he really gets going, he's got some of the same reckless vibe that Robin Williams had in his great days.

By the way, he was once the drummer for a Scottish rock band whose front man was Peter ("In The Loop") Capaldi.
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post #44 of 118
2/16/10 at 3:42am
Wow. I knew he was in a band, but I didn't know it was with Capaldi. That's awesome.
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post #45 of 118
2/16/10 at 2:14pm
I've always hated Craig Ferguson, mostly because I'm a huge Jerry Sadowitz fan (ferguson launched his career by stealing and sanitizing Sadowitz's material - in the same way Dennis Leary ripped off Bill Hicks), and the films/ tv shows I've seen Ferguson in were utterly diabolical. But I can't help but like his show, especially when he does his hot lead-in to a cold open and then does musical numbers.
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post #46 of 118
2/16/10 at 2:40pm
Yeah, since we Yanks never saw Sadowitz OR Bing Hitler (and very few of us saw either of Fergiuson's films), for many of us, Ferguson pretty much exists solely in his current role, and regardless of what he did in the past, he's certainly found his niche here.
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post #47 of 118
2/24/10 at 6:44am
Terrific "experiment" tonight-- no gimmicks, no audience, just a guest and two chairs. Of course it helps that the guest was Stephen Fry.

Sincere nod to Tom Snyder at the start, and some perceptive thoughts about the state of late-night. I hope he does more of this.
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post #48 of 118
2/24/10 at 6:47am
I thought it was a great episode tonight, and an absolutely riveting conversation. Stephen Fry was Stephen Fry of course, so automatic greatness there, but I am continually impressed with the depth of conversation Ferguson is capable of in these interviews, which to me surpass any other late night tv host.
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post #49 of 118
3/4/10 at 6:31am
It's too bad Michael Sheen is a successful and respected actor, because he'd make an awesome full-time sidekick. Amy Ryan looked like she never knew what hit her.
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post #50 of 118
3/4/10 at 8:17am
Wavey is just amazing. Really, funny stuff, especially the interview with Lauren Graham.
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