The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Late Late Show is an American
late-night television talk and variety show on CBS
hosted by Craig Ferguson
since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman
and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated. It originates from CBS Television City
(in a studio immediately above the Bob Barker Studio) and is shot in High Definition
, as of August 31, 2009. The program dates to 1995, and has had three permanent hosts. The Late Late Show is considered a member of The Big Five and ranks fourth in cumulative average viewers over time and fourth in number of episodes over time.
The show differs from most of the other extant late-night talk show
s in that it has never used a house band
nor an in-studio announcer.
Occasionally, the show is split into 15- and 45-minute segments when CBS airs a daily late night highlight show for either The Masters, other PGA Tour
events with rights owned by CBS, or tennis
' U.S. Open
. The show then has a monologue to start, followed by sports highlights, and then the guest segments. Since mid-2007, however, the highlights show has aired first, followed by the full hour of The Late Late Show.
hosted the program from its inception in January 1995 until March 1999. The choice of Snyder as host was apparently made by David Letterman
, whose contract with CBS gave him the power to produce the show in the timeslot immediately after his own program; previously the slot had been taken up by repeats of Crimetime After Primetime
.
Letterman and Snyder had a long history together: a 1978 Tomorrow episode hosted by Snyder was almost exclusively devoted to a long interview with up-and-coming new comedy talents Letterman, Billy Crystal
and Merrill Markoe
. And in 1982, when Tomorrow was canceled by NBC, Letterman took over Snyder's timeslot with his own NBC show Late Night with David Letterman
.
Snyder's show featured a mix of celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers, but was otherwise quite unlike the program hosted by Letterman. Snyder was a former newsman, not a comedian, and his show featured an intimate interview
format with no studio audience present, similar to his old Tomorrow show of the 1970s, or to the then-current Charlie Rose show and Later
, which had abandoned the format the previous year. Though the show lacked a studio audience, Snyder still frequently gave extended conversational monologues, many of which contained jokes that prompted audible laughter from the off-camera production staff. Throughout most of the show's run, it was also simulcast
over some CBS Radio
stations, and Snyder accepted calls from viewers/listeners somewhat in the manner of Larry King
.
Occasionally, the show featured guest host such as Jon Stewart
or Janeane Garofalo
during weeks when Snyder was off.
Jazz musician David Sanborn
composed the theme music and several other songs featured on the show. Sanborn had previously been a guest saxophonist in The World's Most Dangerous Band
during Late Night with David Letterman
. Unlike other late-night shows, The Late Late Show did not have a house band (a tradition that carried on to its successors) or any announcer, except for the last episode, when Snyder allowed one of his staff members to announce an introduction.
Snyder was originally scheduled to broadcast his last Late Late Show on March 19, 1999. However, his replacement Craig Kilborn
was still working out the kinks in the new show's format, so the 62-year-old Snyder amiably agreed to "help out the new guy" by filling in for another week.
took over in March 1999, having left The Daily Show
to become the new Late Late Show host.
When Kilborn was on the show, it began with a haunting full moon
wavering behind gray stratus cloud
s on the screen to the tuning of an orchestra, while the announcer—the recorded, modulated voice of Kilborn himself—blurted out, "From the gorgeous, gorgeous Hollywood Hills
in sunny California
, it's your Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Tonight [...]", and then the guests were announced with the show's theme song composed by Neil Finn
. Then Kilborn was presented, "Ladies and gentlemen, *pause* Mister Craig Kilborn", with the 1970s disco
band Wild Cherry
song "Play That Funky Music
".
After Kilborn's stand-up
monologue
, he walked to his "Bavarian oak desk" while Finn's theme song continued playing with the chorus "The Late Late Show is starting. The Late Late Show is starting now." The "Desk Chat" was said to be Craig's favorite part of the show.
During later seasons, the opening consisted of shots of various Los Angeles hotspots accompanied by a new theme song performed and written by Chris Isaak
. For this new theme song, Kilborn would be played to the desk with a chorus of "The Late Late Show is starting".
Segments included:
Kilborn left the program on August 27, 2004, following negotiations which ended unexpectedly when he opted not to renew his contract. On a June 2010 interview, promoting his new show The Kilborn File, Kilborn stated that he left late night television due to him thinking that the late night timeslot was "crowded" and that he wanted to be part of "the first comedy show at dinner time".
Craig Kilborn has promised his fans that when the Minnesota Timberwolves
, his favorite NBA team, win the NBA championship, he will return for one guest host episode.
, D. L. Hughley
, Damien Fahey
, and Michael Ian Black
. It was announced on December 7, 2004 that Ferguson, a Scottish
comedian best known from his role as Mr. Wick on The Drew Carey Show
, was to become Kilborn's permanent replacement. David Letterman
made the selection based on the recommendation of Peter Lassally
.
for one such show in which he eulogized his father. Ferguson's tenure included the show's first high definition
broadcast, on August 31, 2009.
In 2010, an episode in which Ferguson interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded with the Peabody Award
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
late-night television talk and variety show on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
hosted by Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS...
since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated. It originates from CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
(in a studio immediately above the Bob Barker Studio) and is shot in High Definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
, as of August 31, 2009. The program dates to 1995, and has had three permanent hosts. The Late Late Show is considered a member of The Big Five and ranks fourth in cumulative average viewers over time and fourth in number of episodes over time.
The show differs from most of the other extant late-night talk show
Late-night talk show
In American television, the late-night talk show is a specific kind of comedy-oriented talk and variety show that airs late at night. Characteristics of the genre include topical monologues in which the host makes fun of the day's news, comedy sketches, celebrity interviews, and musical performances...
s in that it has never used a house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
nor an in-studio announcer.
Occasionally, the show is split into 15- and 45-minute segments when CBS airs a daily late night highlight show for either The Masters, other PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
events with rights owned by CBS, or tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
' U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
. The show then has a monologue to start, followed by sports highlights, and then the guest segments. Since mid-2007, however, the highlights show has aired first, followed by the full hour of The Late Late Show.
Hosts
| Host | | From | | To | | Number of Shows |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Age | Date | Age | ||
| Tom Snyder Tom Snyder Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s... |
January 9, 1995 | 58 | March 26, 1999 | 62 | 777 |
| Craig Kilborn Craig Kilborn Craig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television... |
March 29, 1999 | 36 | August 27, 2004 | 42 | 1190 |
| Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS... |
January 3, 2005 | 42 | Present | 49 | 1314 |
Tom Snyder (1995–1999)
Tom SnyderTom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
hosted the program from its inception in January 1995 until March 1999. The choice of Snyder as host was apparently made by David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, whose contract with CBS gave him the power to produce the show in the timeslot immediately after his own program; previously the slot had been taken up by repeats of Crimetime After Primetime
Crimetime After Primetime
Crimetime After Primetime is the umbrella title for a group of late-night crime-investigation shows that debuted at various times on CBS during 1991 and 1992, running through late summer of 1993. The series was dropped when CBS began broadcasting Late Show with David Letterman...
.
Letterman and Snyder had a long history together: a 1978 Tomorrow episode hosted by Snyder was almost exclusively devoted to a long interview with up-and-coming new comedy talents Letterman, Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
and Merrill Markoe
Merrill Markoe
Merrill Markoe is an author, an Emmy Award-winning television writer and a sometime standup comedienne.-Career:Markoe attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a B.A. in Art in 1970 and an M.A. in 1972...
. And in 1982, when Tomorrow was canceled by NBC, Letterman took over Snyder's timeslot with his own NBC show Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
.
Snyder's show featured a mix of celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers, but was otherwise quite unlike the program hosted by Letterman. Snyder was a former newsman, not a comedian, and his show featured an intimate interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
format with no studio audience present, similar to his old Tomorrow show of the 1970s, or to the then-current Charlie Rose show and Later
Later (talk show)
Later was a nightly half hour-long talk show that ran on NBC from 1988 until 2001. Later typically aired for half an hour at 1:30 a.m. following Late Night with David Letterman from 1988 to 1993, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien from 1993 to 2001...
, which had abandoned the format the previous year. Though the show lacked a studio audience, Snyder still frequently gave extended conversational monologues, many of which contained jokes that prompted audible laughter from the off-camera production staff. Throughout most of the show's run, it was also simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
over some CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
stations, and Snyder accepted calls from viewers/listeners somewhat in the manner of Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
.
Occasionally, the show featured guest host such as Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
or Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
during weeks when Snyder was off.
Jazz musician David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
composed the theme music and several other songs featured on the show. Sanborn had previously been a guest saxophonist in The World's Most Dangerous Band
CBS Orchestra
The CBS Orchestra is the house band, led by Paul Shaffer, that plays for David Letterman's CBS late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman...
during Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
. Unlike other late-night shows, The Late Late Show did not have a house band (a tradition that carried on to its successors) or any announcer, except for the last episode, when Snyder allowed one of his staff members to announce an introduction.
Snyder was originally scheduled to broadcast his last Late Late Show on March 19, 1999. However, his replacement Craig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
was still working out the kinks in the new show's format, so the 62-year-old Snyder amiably agreed to "help out the new guy" by filling in for another week.
Craig Kilborn (1999–2004)
When Snyder announced he was leaving, the show was reformatted to resemble Letterman and other major late-night talk programs. Craig KilbornCraig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
took over in March 1999, having left The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
to become the new Late Late Show host.
When Kilborn was on the show, it began with a haunting full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
wavering behind gray stratus cloud
Stratus cloud
A stratus cloud is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective clouds that are as tall or taller than wide . More specifically, the term stratus is used to describe flat, hazy, featureless clouds of low altitude varying in color...
s on the screen to the tuning of an orchestra, while the announcer—the recorded, modulated voice of Kilborn himself—blurted out, "From the gorgeous, gorgeous Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
in sunny California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, it's your Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Tonight [...]", and then the guests were announced with the show's theme song composed by Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
. Then Kilborn was presented, "Ladies and gentlemen, *pause* Mister Craig Kilborn", with the 1970s disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
band Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry (band)
Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band best known for their funk song "Play That Funky Music".-History:Rob Parissi was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of...
song "Play That Funky Music
Play That Funky Music
"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn...
".
After Kilborn's stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
, he walked to his "Bavarian oak desk" while Finn's theme song continued playing with the chorus "The Late Late Show is starting. The Late Late Show is starting now." The "Desk Chat" was said to be Craig's favorite part of the show.
During later seasons, the opening consisted of shots of various Los Angeles hotspots accompanied by a new theme song performed and written by Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Early life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
. For this new theme song, Kilborn would be played to the desk with a chorus of "The Late Late Show is starting".
Segments included:
- In the News: A news segment, whose theme song was Survivor'sSurvivor (band)Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
"Eye of the TigerEye of the Tiger"Eye of the Tiger" is a single by American rock band Survivor, from their third album Eye of the Tiger. It was released as a single on May 29, 1982, the same year as the album. It was written at the request of actor Sylvester Stallone, who was unable to get permission for Queen's "Another One Bites...
", where Kilborn would provide a humorous overview of the day's events. It was briefly called "The World of Whimsy" following the September 11th attacks. The segment also included characters such as the hoary and cherubic "Ewok Guy" or the rappingRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
"PG&E" Lady. - What Up?: A Friday segment where Kilborn and three other panelists discussed and joked about the news.
- To Blank with Love: Kilborn dedicated verses to different people and things
- Five Questions: Kilborn asked a geography question, a Match GameMatch GameMatch Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
-style "blank" question where the guest had to fill a blank with a word related to the guest, a "Now think of other one" question in which the guest had to guess what Kilborn had in mind. This segment was a holdover from Kilborn's previous job as the host of The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
. - Tuesdays with Buddy: Featuring Buddy HackettBuddy HackettBuddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103...
- Yambo: An elimination game between two guests. Kilborn would slowly walk in a circle around the two celebrity guess and randomly yell questions at them. A correct answer within three seconds earned them a point; three points won a game. Failure to answer or a wrong answer earned a strike; three strikesThree strikesThree strikes or 3 Strikes may refer to:* 3 Strikes, a pricing game from the American TV show The Price Is Right* 3 Strikes , a 2000 comedy film...
resulted in the opponent winning. - The Weather with Petra Nemcova: Craig and Goldy would sometimes do a weather report with model Petra NěmcováPetra NemcováPetra Němcová is a Czech model, television host, author, and philanthropist. She is the founder and chair of the Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was killed in the...
. The theme song was: "Petra, Petra tell us the weather, Tell us the weather to make us feel better. Petra, Petra, tell us whether we need to bring a jacket, or not."
Kilborn left the program on August 27, 2004, following negotiations which ended unexpectedly when he opted not to renew his contract. On a June 2010 interview, promoting his new show The Kilborn File, Kilborn stated that he left late night television due to him thinking that the late night timeslot was "crowded" and that he wanted to be part of "the first comedy show at dinner time".
Craig Kilborn has promised his fans that when the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
, his favorite NBA team, win the NBA championship, he will return for one guest host episode.
Transition
Subsequent new shows featured guest hosts, culminating in week-long showcases for four finalists: Craig FergusonCraig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS...
, D. L. Hughley
D. L. Hughley
Darryl Lynn "D. L." Hughley is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D. L...
, Damien Fahey
Damien Fahey
Damien Richard Fahey is an MTV VJ, television host, and drummer.-Early life and family background:Fahey grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and moved to the town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts during the summer of 1992...
, and Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...
. It was announced on December 7, 2004 that Ferguson, a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
comedian best known from his role as Mr. Wick on The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
, was to become Kilborn's permanent replacement. David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
made the selection based on the recommendation of Peter Lassally
Peter Lassally
Peter Lassally is a former Carson Productions executive who served as the executive producer of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman, and the Late Show with David Letterman...
.
Craig Ferguson (2005–present)
Changes to the show during Craig Ferguson's tenure as host have included a more improvisational opening monologue and the addition of short comedic sketches starring Ferguson and other semi-regular guests. Upon occasion, Ferguson has delivered monologues more serious in tone; he was nominated for an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for one such show in which he eulogized his father. Ferguson's tenure included the show's first high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
broadcast, on August 31, 2009.
In 2010, an episode in which Ferguson interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded with the Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
.
External links
- The Late Late Show
- On Being a Candidate to Take Over a Late-Night Network Talk Show, a McSweeney'sMcSweeney'sMcSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
article by Michael Ian BlackMichael Ian BlackMichael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...