Fresh, New Craig
Craig Ferguson is back at CBS Television City in Los Angeles for some all-new episodes of the Late Late Show.  February is one of the television ratings “sweeps” periods, so that means new shows, great guests and plenty of laughs.  Did we mention that Daniel Radcliffe is on the show this week?  How about William Shater?  And then there’s that Beatles guy.  He’ll be talking with Craig and performing on Tuesday.  Oh yes, it’s Ringo Starr!  It’s a great week for America, everybody.

More from Omaha and Oklahoma
The RSA”s @JessNormal was at Craig’s shows in Omaha, NE on Wednesday and Thackerville, OK on Saturday. She sent us a story about her experiences. There are a few mild spoilers, so skip right on by if you’d rather not hear about what happens in Craig’s live show. Otherwise, just click on the arrow to read more:

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Nebraska to Oklahoma (Some mild spoilers)”]
I was very fortunate to be able to attend two of Craig’s stand up shows this past week. The first show was in Omaha, NE (or “O-Ma-Ha” as Craig kept saying in a very low voice) and the second in Thackerville, OK.

I was thrilled that Craig had come to O-Ma-Ha (again)! Craig did a hilarious announcement over the speakers and then introduced Ted Alexandro. Ted’s set was very funny. This is the first time I had seen Ted perform and I hope it won’t be the last. Then Craig came bounding onto the stage (standing ovation from us). Much of the Omaha crowd seemed a little slow to warm up, but Craig seemed to love the challenge and improvised as needed – to some hilarious results! The give and take with the audience continued through his set and by the end, everyone was laughing with him!

On to Thackerville. There was a good showing of RSA at the Thackerville show; many in rows AA and BB (just behind the high rollers’ seats, whom we contemplated invading for a short time, until they happily filled). It was great to see everyone! Craig introduced Ted from backstage, along with a story, and out Ted came. The middle of Ted’s set was different than in Omaha, which was really fun! It is neat to watch the difference in stage presence between Ted and Craig. Ted is mostly calm and quiet, while Craig is, of course, very animated and loves to move and pace. Ted seems to be a perfect opener for Craig. Ted was through and then Craig came running out and we were instantly on our feet. He waved everyone back to their chairs after a good solid minute or two of applause, then started in on the mostly European collection of “facades” on the front of the casino, before settling into his set. He moved some bits around, and there were some subtle changes too. A man in the audience whistled randomly and Craig decided that he would master the art of ‘penis whistling’, which continued throughout the rest of the show! Craig did a couple of nice callbacks to some of Ted’s material too, which really tied their performances together nicely – and the crowd noticed! Randomly throughout the show, Craig raced across the stage, dodging imaginary (or were they?) scope-equipped snipers, depending on who he may have ‘offended’.

We had so much fun laughing along with Craig! Another truly fantastic show![/stextbox]

Along with her story, @jessnormal was able to get some great pictures of Craig on stage at the WinStar:

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All photos by: @jessnormal
Hover your mouse over any photo to pause the slideshow.
Click on any picture to see it full size. For more of her photos, check out her gallery.

The RSA’s @VictoriaMIbanez also took some pictures of Craig on Saturday night. Here are some of the best:

Gateway Great

Meanwhile, the RSA’s @purrlady77 was in the front row for Craig’s show in St. Louis on Tuesday.  Here is her story:

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”More from St. Louis (Some mild spoilers)”]
I had front row seats to Craig’s show in St. Louis. He was hysterical. The Pageant was very cold that night, kind of like the CBS studio. Craig commented that he found the Southern accents from his previous tour stops impenetrable. He also let the audience know there would be plenty of cursing tonight with no “tutsi-fruitsi”.

He talked about what it’s like to have a baby living in his house and how’s it all about screaming and poo. You can’t reason with a baby; they just cry over the top of you. He said it’s like living with Glenn Beck. Craig gave a female audience member some grief when she had to leave several times to use the restroom. He told the audience, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if all of us could go hide somewhere while she’s in there”.

He also gave me some grief for taking so many photos of him. He said he’d been a welder and I should take as many as I liked. I guess my camera flash got to him.

Editors note: @purrlady makes an important point: Cameras are usually allowed at most of Craig’s shows unless the theater where he is performing bans them for all of their shows. However, the general rule is that cameras are allowed without flash. Flashes can get distracting for any performer, so we strongly recommend making sure your flash is turned off. The stage lighting is usually sufficient to get a good picture, as we’ve seen from many of the photos submitted this week. We wouldn’t want to take advantage of Craig’s good nature. 🙂 [/stextbox]

Keeping Entertained
When Late Late Show producer Michael Naidus has a long flight from the east coast back to LA, does he use that time to think deep, producer-y thoughts? Apparently so:

Cross country flight? 6 hours // Angry birds. 5 hours.

Downton Abbey Addition
Joining the cast of the popular British ITV show Downton Abbey for its third season will be actress Shirley MacLaine, as the Washington Post reports.

White Hot
Who won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Comedy Series?  None other than Betty White!  She has won the award two years in a row for her work on the show Hot in Cleveland.  The Los Angeles Times reported on her win and she gave a gracious acceptance speech.

Video courtesy: TheSAGAwards

Tonight’s Guests
Monday on the Late Late Show, Craig is back in LA with actor Don Cheadle and actress Andrea Riseborough. Tuesday, sit back and enjoy a conversation with Ringo Starr, plus a performance!

Guest Update

The Late Late Show guest list has been updated through February 10th. You can see the latest update on our Guests page any time.

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