The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

I have to agree, Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show is the best talk show on TV, no contest. He makes me laugh out loud, even at that time of night. Johnny Carson made me laugh like that occasionally, but not regularly, as Craig does.

I first caught his show because Gerard Butler was to be a guest, as I would listen to Gerry read the telephone directory. That interview was the most fun interview of all time, anywhere, with those two guys together, my sides hurt from laughter.

I enjoy watching Craig with his other guests, too, but mostly because of Craig, himself, and his monologue is the best part of the show. It would be nice if he was on earlier so more people would catch his show, perhaps, but I will be there with bells on, no matter what time it is.

Thank you, Scotland - Again!

Upon a chance, I was awake at 1 in the morning, flipping through the channels. Let's see. Keeping Up With the Kardashians. No. Kitchen Nightmares. No. Jersey Shore. Hell no. Upon a chance, I flipped to CBS, and I saw Craig Ferguson for the first time. Within 30 seconds, I loved the man! Craig is easily the funniest late-night talk show host. Not because he has headlines, not because he has a top 10 list. Not because he has enough money to pay for an audience that will laugh at anything he says. He is the best because he is funny! There are certain kinds of funny. Self-deprecating, deadpan, satirical. Craig can be all of these, but instead, he is spontaneous. To add to that, he is genuine. Unlike many talk-show hosts, who should consider themselves lucky that they have a job at all, Craig knows that he is lucky he has a job, and this adds to his appeal. He is sincere and empathetic, as evinced when he refused to make fun of Britney Spears b/c he once had a drug addiction. Only Craig would do that, and only Craig could do that well. Craig's guests are also better by far. The show actually allows guests to open up and say what they want for eight minutes, no cue cards involved. Jay Leno: "So I hear you're from the United States?" David Letterman: "So I hear you're from the United States?" Craig Ferguson: "Have you ever explored bisexuality?" Only Craig could ask these questions so well, and only in that environment could guests answer honestly. I also applaud Craig for treating all guests equally. Unlike some talk-show hosts, who would offer special treatment to a Will Ferrell or a Julia Roberts, Craig accepts guests who in their field might be underrated or underutilized. No band either. No Kevin Eubanks or Paul "Parrot" Shaffer or Andy Richter. It's all Craig, and I love him for it. I will admit that Geoff can get a little repetitive, and double entendre's on the show are becoming kind of clichéd. In conclusion, I'll give the show a 9 out of 10. In truth, it should be a 10 out of 10, but nobody's perfect, and Craig plays that to perfection.

He's my new favorite late-night TV talk-show host. (Jay Leno is second now.) He comes across as natural, relaxed and a down-to-earth person, which is refreshing. Actually, I have a bit of a crush on him. Just discovered him not that long ago, and really look forward to seeing him and his show. Love his Scottish accent and his sense of humor. Unfortunately, I got real tired of Conan quite some time ago. He doesn't do much for me, but I find Mr. Ferguson very entertaining and quite adorable. Love his little Scottish or English sayings, like when he calls us "cheeky little monkeys" with an impish look on his face. He's so normal and sane, and THAT is refreshing, also; not defensive or egotistical like some other hosts seems to be. He seems like a very likable and decent guy (somewhat like Leno). I find him to be more entertaining than Craig Kilborn was, although I liked Kilborn, too, especially his interest in jazz, which is also an interest of mine. I like Ferguson's humility. I forgot to mention his gorgeous blue eyes...sigh. Oh, and I really like his theme song, very catchy, and a cheerful, upbeat tune....I just love Craig Ferguson--he's a doll!

I find it frustrating and quite sad that CBS had the chance to follow on from Craig with another unique, intelligent and unpredictable host yet, instead, chose to follow the growing trend of dumbed down TV for the attention deficit, celebrity obsessed, "don't ask me to think" audience.

We have more than enough of this formulaic dross already. Frenzied audience, whooping and hollering with evangelical hysteria for no apparent reason. Check. Embarrassingly unfunny opening monologue. Check. Pointless house band. Check. Pre-recorded sketches with celebrities doing "hilarious" stuff to show us they are oh so self-effacing and down to earth (pre-approved by their publicists and lawyers of course). Check. The host fawning over the guests du jour with sycophantic waffle "I just loved your new movie/book/album", "You are a legend/my hero/EVERYBODY loves you" and my personal favourite "Just listen to them.." (wide camera shot of brain dead audience on their feet clapping,chanting, whooping, …) Check.

This latest offering is just more of the same; produced, packaged and tied in a neat little bow. Late night Fallon, Kimmel, Leno, Letterman and yes, I'm looking at you too, Ellen. There is enough day time and evening dumbed downed fluff to fill a pillow the size of the Atlantic. Could late night TV not at least try to be a haven for some sort of integrity? What are the advertisers afraid of? Do they think their particular brand of insomniac medicine dulls the senses that much? Corden, at least, takes proctology to new heights; with each and every star utterance he either guffaws like a demented banshee or gazes open mouthed like a teenager in love.

It is as pointless to compare this to Craig Ferguson's show as it is to compare "Twelve Angry Men" to "Fifty Shades of Grey". I am, however, reminded of one scene from the former LLS. The opening sequence, Craig and Secretariat, their faces mere inches from the camera, both just staring wide eyed. Seconds pass. Nothing happens. Finally Craig says "We're seeing who blinks first". Pointless, infantile, laugh out loud genius. Groucho Marx would have loved it. It will be interesting to see which, if any, of the networks blinks first.

Craig Ferguson is one of the brightest and funniest comic wits Great Britain has produced in the last ten years. Still, Ferguson's selection as host of the Late Late Show came as a big surprise. Known to American audiences mostly from his appearances on "The Drew Carey Show," Ferguson seemed like too much of an unknown quantity to host a nightly network talk show. Judging from his first shows as host, however--especially his smashing official debut--casting Ferguson may have been a stroke of genius. The irreverent Scot--a cult figure from his work on "Red Dwarf" and "Freakazoid"-- is lively, likable, sharp and captivating, gently mocking competitors like Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel and poking merciless fun at the dull conventions of late-night. Fans who may have worried that Ferguson's UK comic sensibilities would be blunted or watered down by US network standards should rest easy--at least in early episodes, he's at his best, and is a significant improvement from Craig Kilborn's snarky Hef's-grotto fratboy sensibilities. O'Brien and especially Kimmel should keep a close eye on Ferguson--this show is off to a bold start, and savvy viewers will find Craig Ferguson hard to resist.