Craig Ferguson to Host Final "Late Late Show" Friday Night - East Idaho News
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Craig Ferguson to Host Final “Late Late Show” Friday Night

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042814 CRAIGFERGUSON?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418994989766Monty Brinton/CBS(LOS ANGELES) — Craig Ferguson is saying his final farewell to CBS’ The Late Late Show Friday night, after 10 years at the helm.

The 52-year-old Scotsman took over hosting duties from Craig Kilborn in January 2005 and immediately shook up the traditional late-show format. For one thing, his producers never predetermined the topics he would talk about with guests, making for looser, more off-the-cuff interviews.

“All I was trying to do with any guest, particularly guests who are very inside the Hollywood machine, was to humanize them…make them loosen up a little bit, to relax, and to have a good time,” Ferguson said in an interview with People. “It’s about no-harm TV.”

He was also known for being the only late-night host with a robot skeleton — named Geoff Peterson — as a sidekick, and a pantomime horse named Secretariat.

Ferguson’s proudest moments on the show include when he refused to gossip about Britney Spears’ breakdown, when he had Desmond Tutu on the program, and when he won a Peabody Award in 2010. “Also, reintroducing pantomime horses to American television was a big moment for me,” he added.

So why leave now? It was just the right time, he said. “It began to feel repetitive,” he told People. “I will have done more than 2,000 shows by the time I’m done. That’s a lot of shows. It’s time for a change. I don’t know what’s next, really, and that feels better. That kind of uncertainty feels quite refreshing after 10 years.”

Ferguson’s last episode will air at 12:35 a.m. ET, with Jay Leno as the final guest, a man who knows a thing or two about retiring from late-night TV. Just don’t expect Ferguson to get teary-eyed.

“James Joyce said that sentimentality is unearned emotion, and the media is awash with it,” Ferguson said. “I’m a man who tells jokes. I will continue to do so. I’m very grateful to the people that watch the show, don’t get me wrong, and they’ll continue to watch it. But you know, it’s okay. We’re not breaking up. This is not me dumping you. We’re just changing our paths.”

British comedian James Corden will succeed him as host beginning March 23, 2015.

Ferguson will continue to host the syndicated game show Celebrity Name Game.


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