As I begin this post, I'm watching the second-to-last episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. But it's difficult to write while trying to absorb every last bit of one of my favorite TV shows ever. Now it's two days later. I saw the final episode. And while it's just a TV show, it's one I will miss.
I don't think that Craig's style of hosting was for everyone. At first glance, it may have looked like your typical late-night talk-show. But believe me when I say it wasn't. What made it different? Well, just off the top of my head (and in no particular order)...
There were times the monologue was performed by...puppets. Just...hand puppets (controlled, of course, by Craig). Sid the rabbit would talk about whatever seemed to be on his mind. And he worked a little blue, as they used to say. Perhaps seeing Craig crouched on the floor holding up a puppet wasn't as much fun for the studio audience, but it sure worked for me.
Speaking of sassy language, Craig didn't always self-censor for network television. He's a far cry from "foul-mouthed" in my opinion, but every now and again he would use some words not suitable for all viewers. Rather than the typical bleep and blurred mouth, the show started dubbing in foreign words with a graphic for the flag of that country. I think the first was "ooh la la," but you might also have heard "tutti frutti" or "crikey." Who else does that?!
Craig liked to poke fun at his set and his network. His backdrop was simple; he had no sidekick and no band. Personally, I didn't miss them. But at some point, and I forget the details, he convinced Grant Imahara from "Mythbusters" to build him a robot for a sidekick. Fans supported the idea like crazy on Twitter and other social media outlets. Grant could not ignore them, and Geoff Peterson was born (though perhaps "born" is not the best word to use when referring to a robot skeleton). He started out simply enough, propped behind his podium with a handful of prerecorded phrases. But it gave Craig someone with whom he could interact like the other hosts did. Eventually, Geoff was voiced by Josh Robert Thompson, who is also a whiz at impersonations. I wasn't crazy about the show's new element at first, but he grew on me. Craig seemed to enjoy performing with him, so if he's happy, I'm happy.
And Craig was happy. He often had to take a moment to recover during his monologue because he, "made myself laugh!" And those monologues with beautiful to behold. He may have had a few notes somewhere, but they were basically unscripted. You could see that he followed whatever direction his mind led him. It felt very natural, and funnier than simply reading a stack of ready-made jokes. His interviews followed the same non-structured structure. Craig was comfortable and confident enough to, as guest Jim Parsons said, simply allow things to happen.
I didn't stay up late every night to watch, so I missed several high-quality episodes. Though the show was taped in advance (which he'd also poke fun at), I know that he replaced the taped opening with something serious when national events warranted it, as he did after the tragedies in Boston and in Aurora, Colorado. He spoke to and for regular Americans and did his best to acknowledge what many real people were feeling at that moment in time.
While many of the guests were the usual actors promoting their current project, it felt like many who visited were there because Craig wanted them to be. There were scientists and authors, and Craig showed genuine interest and carried on intelligent conversations with them. And how many other hosts would spend an entire show talking with Archbishop Desmond Tutu? As I recall, that episode won a Peabody Award. Pretty cool, huh?
As if all those qualities weren't enough, Craig had a TARDIS on his desk. 'Nuff said. (If that means nothing to you, move along...there's nothing for you to see here.)
I've talked before about how I am drawn to watching a series finale, regardless of how attached I've been to the show itself. But rarely has a finale inspired me to seek out videos of some fond memories of that show. Below are two of my favorites from early in my Ferguson habit. The first is from 2010. Craig had a habit of slapping the side of the camera when he opened the show. Apparently, he didn't know his own strength. The second is what may have been my introduction to the show (2009). I remember seeing someone share the video, and I was hooked as soon as I watched. Craig and friends are lip-syncing. No explanation, no special occasion. Just a man having fun, and he happens to be doing it in front of an audience. As he was fond of saying, this show was not like any other talk show.
He opened every episode by saying, "It's a great day for America." With Craig Ferguson on television, it was a great day...at least for the next hour. Thank you for sharing it with us, Craig.
I don't think that Craig's style of hosting was for everyone. At first glance, it may have looked like your typical late-night talk-show. But believe me when I say it wasn't. What made it different? Well, just off the top of my head (and in no particular order)...
There were times the monologue was performed by...puppets. Just...hand puppets (controlled, of course, by Craig). Sid the rabbit would talk about whatever seemed to be on his mind. And he worked a little blue, as they used to say. Perhaps seeing Craig crouched on the floor holding up a puppet wasn't as much fun for the studio audience, but it sure worked for me.
Speaking of sassy language, Craig didn't always self-censor for network television. He's a far cry from "foul-mouthed" in my opinion, but every now and again he would use some words not suitable for all viewers. Rather than the typical bleep and blurred mouth, the show started dubbing in foreign words with a graphic for the flag of that country. I think the first was "ooh la la," but you might also have heard "tutti frutti" or "crikey." Who else does that?!
Craig liked to poke fun at his set and his network. His backdrop was simple; he had no sidekick and no band. Personally, I didn't miss them. But at some point, and I forget the details, he convinced Grant Imahara from "Mythbusters" to build him a robot for a sidekick. Fans supported the idea like crazy on Twitter and other social media outlets. Grant could not ignore them, and Geoff Peterson was born (though perhaps "born" is not the best word to use when referring to a robot skeleton). He started out simply enough, propped behind his podium with a handful of prerecorded phrases. But it gave Craig someone with whom he could interact like the other hosts did. Eventually, Geoff was voiced by Josh Robert Thompson, who is also a whiz at impersonations. I wasn't crazy about the show's new element at first, but he grew on me. Craig seemed to enjoy performing with him, so if he's happy, I'm happy.
And Craig was happy. He often had to take a moment to recover during his monologue because he, "made myself laugh!" And those monologues with beautiful to behold. He may have had a few notes somewhere, but they were basically unscripted. You could see that he followed whatever direction his mind led him. It felt very natural, and funnier than simply reading a stack of ready-made jokes. His interviews followed the same non-structured structure. Craig was comfortable and confident enough to, as guest Jim Parsons said, simply allow things to happen.
I didn't stay up late every night to watch, so I missed several high-quality episodes. Though the show was taped in advance (which he'd also poke fun at), I know that he replaced the taped opening with something serious when national events warranted it, as he did after the tragedies in Boston and in Aurora, Colorado. He spoke to and for regular Americans and did his best to acknowledge what many real people were feeling at that moment in time.
While many of the guests were the usual actors promoting their current project, it felt like many who visited were there because Craig wanted them to be. There were scientists and authors, and Craig showed genuine interest and carried on intelligent conversations with them. And how many other hosts would spend an entire show talking with Archbishop Desmond Tutu? As I recall, that episode won a Peabody Award. Pretty cool, huh?
As if all those qualities weren't enough, Craig had a TARDIS on his desk. 'Nuff said. (If that means nothing to you, move along...there's nothing for you to see here.)
I've talked before about how I am drawn to watching a series finale, regardless of how attached I've been to the show itself. But rarely has a finale inspired me to seek out videos of some fond memories of that show. Below are two of my favorites from early in my Ferguson habit. The first is from 2010. Craig had a habit of slapping the side of the camera when he opened the show. Apparently, he didn't know his own strength. The second is what may have been my introduction to the show (2009). I remember seeing someone share the video, and I was hooked as soon as I watched. Craig and friends are lip-syncing. No explanation, no special occasion. Just a man having fun, and he happens to be doing it in front of an audience. As he was fond of saying, this show was not like any other talk show.
He opened every episode by saying, "It's a great day for America." With Craig Ferguson on television, it was a great day...at least for the next hour. Thank you for sharing it with us, Craig.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's hard to stay up
It's been a long, long day
And you got the sandman at your door
But hang on, leave the TV on
And let's do it anyway
It's okay, you can always sleep through work tomorrow, okay?
Hey, hey, tomorrow's just your future yesterday.
It's hard to stay up
It's been a long, long day
And you got the sandman at your door
But hang on, leave the TV on
And let's do it anyway
It's okay, you can always sleep through work tomorrow, okay?
Hey, hey, tomorrow's just your future yesterday.
(The show's theme song, which I will likely still sing at bedtime for awhile.)
