Staying Up Late with Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson is an unusual guy, from first impressions. He is the host of The Late Late Show and has made a name for himself in the tough world of talk shows.

He was born May 17, 1962, in Glasgow, Scotland. He as two sisters, an older and younger one, and one older brother. Ferguson lived in London for eight years and got his start as a drummer for the punk band Bastards From Hell. He returned to Scotland and worked as a bouncer and bar tender and also lived in New York City, working construction and also working as a bouncer in the famous Coyote Ugly bar.

His first foray into television was Ferguson was his own BBC television show,"The Ferguson Theory," which didn't last long. From there, Craig starred with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy "Maybe This Time." At the end of that show's run, Ferguson got his most memorable role to that date as Drew's boss on "The Drew Carey Show" from 1996 to 2003.

Ferguson took over as host of The Late Late Show on January 3, 2005, from Craig Kilborn. At first, Ferguson started each show with a scripted monologue and pre written jokes. But after about a year, he changed this format completely to one where he picks one specific news topic and forms his jokes and monologue around that for ten to fifteen minutes.

It became a hit feature of the show and demonstrates Craig's versatility and wit. He is quick to poke fun at himself and also uses the sound effects buttons at his desk for humor. The cracking whip, mooing cow, and scream are staples in his jokes.

He isn't afraid to make fun of himself and often jokes about his problems with alcoholism, divorce, smoking, CBS, and his show. It's all in good humor. He does this while sitting at his desk, checking voice mail, writing a letter, or reading viewer e-mail on the air. He likes to call his audience "cheeky wee monkeys," much to the laughter of everyone there.

Ferguson also like to impersonate celebrities such as former President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and Sean Connery, all while in costume with a wig. Craig also seemed convinced that Bob Barker was a vampire, and the game show host made a surprise visit to the show in July 2006.

Craig wrote and sings the opening song to the Late Late show, which is a first for any talk show host. The is no house band, but for the 2005 Christmas season, he sang duos with Regis Philbin and Dwight Yoakam while wearing matching red sweaters.

On January 30, 2006, he dedicated an entire episode as an eulogy to his father, Robert Ferguson. Robert died in Scotland the day before, after a visit from Craig.

Ferguson is the writer and or co-writer and actor of movies including The Big Tease, Saving Grace, and I'll Be There, which he also directed. He also co-wrote and co-produced The Big Tease in 2000 and had a role in Chain of Fools. Craig hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards on CBS on January 10, 2006, and still managed to do a live show of his own later that same night.

His novel, Between the Bridge and the River, was released on April 10, 2006 and is dedicated to his son Milo. Milo was born in 2001 from Craig's second wife, with whom he shares custody.

If you get a chance, check out the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson. Even if the hilarious jokes and impersonations done in a Scottish accent don't make you laugh, the guests are top notch and the musical guests even better.