Craig Ferguson

File:Craig ferguson.jpg

Craig Ferguson, host of CBS' The Late Late Show

Craig Ferguson (born May 17, 1962) is a Scottish comedian, composer, actor, and novelist who has done work both in front of and behind the camera (writer and director.) He is the current host of The Late Late Show, broadcast on CBS.

Personal

Ferguson was born in Glasgow, and raised in nearby Cumbernauld. He lived in London for eight years, where he was a drummer for punk rock bands. He returned to Scotland, where he was a bartender and bouncer. He also lived in New York City, where his uncle, James, lived.

Ferguson has two sisters (one older and one younger) and one older brother. His sister Lynn is a successful comedian/presenter/actress who has done programs about Millport and presented The Fringe Show with Rich Hall. His brother Scott worked for STV and is married to actress Terri Lalley (Restless Natives/Take the High Road).

He has been married and divorced twice. He has a son, Milo (born 2001) from his second marriage, and shares custody with his ex-wife, who lives nearby in Los Angeles, California.

Career

Early career

Ferguson became a highly regarded comic in the UK, appearing in the alternative comedy circuit under the stage-name Bing Hitler ("Bing for familiarity and Hitler for shock"). After enjoying success at the Edinburgh Festival, Ferguson moved to Los Angeles California in 1994. Ferguson's first U.S. role was as baker Logan McDonough on the short-lived 1995 ABC comedy Maybe This Time, which starred Betty White and Marie Osmond and was also the first screen credits of a then-unknown Dane Cook.

He played Nigel Wick, Drew Carey's boss on The Drew Carey Show, from 1996 to 2003. Of his over-the-top English accent on the series, Ferguson noted that plenty of English actors had used bad Scottish accents in the past, so it was time for a Scottish actor to use a bad English accent. Ferguson has complimented Canadian actor Mike Myers for having a great Scottish accent.

Late Late Show

In December 2004, it was announced that Ferguson would be the successor to Craig Kilborn on CBS's The Late Late Show. Ferguson's first show aired on January 4, 2005, with reasonably successful results since then. Initially, Ferguson opened each show with a scripted monologue and prepared jokes, as done on most late night talk shows.

However, as the show progressed, Ferguson (who introduces himself as "TV's Craig Ferguson") began improvising, to the point of using only an outline one year later. Unlike other late night talk show hosts, Ferguson picks one topic in the news for his 10 to 15 minute opening monologue. Rather than talk briefly about several news topics, his routine of providing information, comments, and humor about one topic is reminiscent of a stand-up comedian, peppered with many double entendres (such as him repeatedly stating that he sometimes sits at home "Googling himself"). This change was noticed by critics and lauded as innovative and daring. Also, unlike his peers in other talk shows, he has several buttons at his desk that play different sound effects (e.g., whip cracking, thunder, and animal noises). This was also the case when Kilborn was the host of the show and is owed to the Late Late Show's relatively low budget.

The opening song for The Late Late Show was written, and is sung by, Craig Ferguson. Unlike other late night talk shows that have their own band, Ferguson starts his show by singing his own lyrics. During the 2005 Christmas season, he sang duos with various musical guests, including Regis Philbin and Dwight Yoakam. Wearing a red sweater and smoking a pipe, he sang similar to Bing Crosby.

Ferguson's monologues often include self-deprecating remarks about his past experience with alcoholism, smoking, and his two divorces, in a light-hearted manner. Some material he has for his monologues also involves poking fun at CBS and his late night time slot. He also calls his audience, in studio and at home, various odd nicknames such as his "frisky little badgers" or Ferguson's favorite "cheeky wee monkeys" (accompanied by a whip-crack from his sound machine). Once it's over, and the show starts to get going, Ferguson would go about doing odd-job tasks at his desk, such has checking his voice mail or writing a letter. He would also read veiwer e-mail on the air, usually answering them out-loud with his usual dry, facetious humour.

The Late Late Show often includes a skit in which he impersonates various personalities. Ferguson performs several different voices, while wearing amusing wigs, characterizing people such as Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Larry King, Mick Jagger, Dr. Phil, and Prince Charles. (though as of late, some of his "Michael Caine in Space" skits involved guest stars playing Caine, such as Laurence Fishburne and Chris Isaak.

On January 30, 2006, he dedicated an entire episode as an "eulogy" to his father, Robert Ferguson, who died in Scotland the day before, and just days after Ferguson left his side to return to America. He discussed his childhood memories and the issue of death with his two guests (who are personal friends): Dr. Drew Pinsky, a psychological expert; and American actress Amy Yasbeck, whose husband, actor John Ritter, died suddenly at age 54. The show ended with the music of Scottish traditional band Wicked Tinkers. On the following night's show, Ferguson indicated that he appreciated all the sympathetic and supportive mail; however, his grief would now be private, shared only with his family. Ferguson's fondest memory of his father is how he enjoyed the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons, and how it seemed to be the only thing that would make his dad laugh out loud.

Other

Ferguson is the writer/co-writer and actor of movies including The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I’ll Be There, which he also directed.

Ferguson hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards which aired on CBS on January 10, 2006. TV Guide Magazine printed a "Cheers" (Cheers and Jeers section) for his filming The Late Late Show that same evening.

Craig Ferguson's novel Between the Bridge and the River was released on April 10, 2006 to excellent reviews. Ferguson appeared at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, as well as other author literary events.

Trivia

• In response to viewer email asking if he had ever had surgery, he indicated that he had a chalazion surgically removed from his eyelid.
• Ferguson is also an avid Texas Longhorns fan, as he was rooting for them in the 2006 Rose Bowl, and usually makes references to the Longhorns when during his E-Mail segment of his show if one of his viewers E-mailed from Texas.
• Ferguson often rants about his self-proclaimed famousness for predicting the winners of such big sporting games as the Rose Bowl, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, etc. just by looking at the team's logos. He's not been wrong yet.
• Ferguson received his first Emmy nomination in 2006 for the eulogy to his father (aired January 30th 2006).

"Controversy"

Controversy arose when Ferguson frequently complained that there is no restroom in the Starbucks Coffee restaurant on Melrose Avenue near the CBS studio where they tape the show. During one of his monologues, he said, "How can you sell a diuretic beverage and not have a bathroom?" In another monologue, Ferguson indicated that the Melrose Starbucks closed the bathroom because hookers were using it. He then added contemplatively, "'Would you rather have them pee on the tables?'"

CBS studio endured a certain degree of controversy when Ferguson decided to stop wearing a tie on his show. Eventually, critics indicated that his somewhat casual attire (he still wears a suit) "fit" his rather laid-back personality.

In his monologues, Ferguson frequently makes controversial remarks. For example, he indicates that he makes things up. He frequently makes jokes about Bob Barker, who works next door at the CBS Studio for the Price is Right game show, to which he usually quips later on "Bob Barker's gonna kick my ass one of these days!" Barker came onto the show on Friday, 14 July 2006. Barker said he was told that Ferguson had said "wonderful things about him". The segment led to Barker telling Craig Ferguson the price of his chintzy desk (no more than nine dollars) and Bob Barker eventually chopped it apart with his bare hand rather easily. Barker's beauties used hammers to finish demolishing the desk, and the band appearing at the end of the show used their guitars and hands to demolish the rest of the set. A new set featuring arches and colourful lighting premiered on Monday, 24 July 2006.

In spite of the controversial nature of his words, they tend to be delivered in a seemingly light-hearted, off-handed manner to be accompanied with a wink and a smile (sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically).

One fan e-mailed Craig and complained that, after heeding his advice to "rub himself with cocoa butter", he broke out in a horrible rash and asked what to do to get it cleared. This was accompanied by Craig giving the camera an incredulous look and explaining that he wasn't serious when saying it, just as "when I call you a frisky little badger, I know you're not a badger! If you were a badger typing up an e-mail, you'd be right here on this show!"

Bibliography

• Between the Bridge and the River, Craig Ferguson's debut novel ISBN 0811853756

External links

• Craig Ferguson at IMDb
• Template:Voice actor
• Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! the NPR News quiz, not my job guest.
• Craig Ferguson Canadian Interview
• Late Late Show website
• Late Late Show Monologues
• Late Late Show Guest Interviews