Post by merg on Dec 8, 2004 0:06:23 GMT -5
yes the former boos of Drew Carey in The Drew Carey Show has been named the replacement of Craig Kilborn for the late late show
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Until this fall, Craig Ferguson had spent a career as a performer and the subject of interviews. Now he's won the seat behind the desk at "The Late Late Show" on CBS.
No one's more surprised than Ferguson, who was one of four finalists for the job vacated in August by Craig Kilborn, who said he wanted to focus on writing and producing different television projects.
"Two-and-a-half months ago, I would never have thought in my life about hosting a talk show," said Ferguson, who is best known for playing Nigel Wick on ABC's "The Drew Carey Show" and also is an accomplished writer-director.
But Ferguson's two stints as guest host at "The Late Late Show" -- two days in October and then a week in November -- impressed executives from CBS and the show's producer, David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Inc. He got the job. And it's a good thing too, Ferguson said Tuesday. From the first day of guest hosting, he was hooked.
"It's funny that the hardest part of the last two months was not doing the show, it was not doing the show," he said. Ferguson won't have to worry about that much. His first regular show will be Jan. 3. He said the structure of "Late Late" will remain the same for now and gradually change.
"I want to make the show my own," he said.
While he's not sure whether his exposure on "Drew Carey" will help in the ratings, Ferguson said he got something out of the experience that will aid his job as a talk-show host: He's used to cameras and feels natural around them.
"It's a huge gift to be acclimatized to the camera," he said.
"Craig can take a wide fan base and appeal to a lot of different groups of people," said Todd Allan Yasui, the show's execytive producer. Yasui said all four finalists -- rounded out by Damien Fahey, D.L. Hughley and Michael Ian Black-- did well and it was a hard decision. But Ferguson did excellent interviews and great comedy, Yasui said.
"People will get a real sense that this is something fresh and different," Yasui said.
Ferguson wrote and starred in "Saving Grace" and "The Big Tease" and made his debut as a director with last year's award-winning film "I'll Be There." He said that he's giving his full attention into "Late Late Show" and putting everything else on hold.
"This is it for me right now; I don't want to look at anything else right now," Ferguson said. "This is an enormous undertaking. It's five hours of television a week."
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Until this fall, Craig Ferguson had spent a career as a performer and the subject of interviews. Now he's won the seat behind the desk at "The Late Late Show" on CBS.
No one's more surprised than Ferguson, who was one of four finalists for the job vacated in August by Craig Kilborn, who said he wanted to focus on writing and producing different television projects.
"Two-and-a-half months ago, I would never have thought in my life about hosting a talk show," said Ferguson, who is best known for playing Nigel Wick on ABC's "The Drew Carey Show" and also is an accomplished writer-director.
But Ferguson's two stints as guest host at "The Late Late Show" -- two days in October and then a week in November -- impressed executives from CBS and the show's producer, David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Inc. He got the job. And it's a good thing too, Ferguson said Tuesday. From the first day of guest hosting, he was hooked.
"It's funny that the hardest part of the last two months was not doing the show, it was not doing the show," he said. Ferguson won't have to worry about that much. His first regular show will be Jan. 3. He said the structure of "Late Late" will remain the same for now and gradually change.
"I want to make the show my own," he said.
While he's not sure whether his exposure on "Drew Carey" will help in the ratings, Ferguson said he got something out of the experience that will aid his job as a talk-show host: He's used to cameras and feels natural around them.
"It's a huge gift to be acclimatized to the camera," he said.
"Craig can take a wide fan base and appeal to a lot of different groups of people," said Todd Allan Yasui, the show's execytive producer. Yasui said all four finalists -- rounded out by Damien Fahey, D.L. Hughley and Michael Ian Black-- did well and it was a hard decision. But Ferguson did excellent interviews and great comedy, Yasui said.
"People will get a real sense that this is something fresh and different," Yasui said.
Ferguson wrote and starred in "Saving Grace" and "The Big Tease" and made his debut as a director with last year's award-winning film "I'll Be There." He said that he's giving his full attention into "Late Late Show" and putting everything else on hold.
"This is it for me right now; I don't want to look at anything else right now," Ferguson said. "This is an enormous undertaking. It's five hours of television a week."