Woody After Hours

My Second Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson Experience

Hey, remember Labor Day 2013 when my wife and I went to a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson? Well, we decided to celebrate our first anniversary of that occasion by returning to Los Angeles and seeing the show again:

We went through the same procedure as the year before: we stood out in the boiling sun for an hour and a half, we had our phones taken away when we went through security and we were given candy as we entered the studio.

Last year we had perfectly acceptable seats at the end of the third row in the center section. This time our seats were even better: middle of the second row in the center section. We had a great view of Craig during his monologue and when he was at the desk, we were a lot closer to Geoff and we were able to see Secretariat this time:

Here’s a profile view, in case you’re interested:

The biggest bummer for us, other than waiting outside in the heat, was that Chunky B was no longer the warm-up comedian. I already knew he wouldn’t be there, but I was optimistic that the new guy would make up for the loss of someone who my wife I thought was hilarious. He didn’t. I don’t remember the guy’s name, but I do remember that, while he made me chuckle a few times, he didn’t come close to making me laugh out loud the way Chunky B did.

Eventually the show started with the monologue. It, along with the cold open and comedy segment bit “tweetmail,” were all very entertaining. I’ll never look at a cupcake or a nickel the same way again.

Ray Liotta was the first couch guest. He’s in the new film The Identical. The interview was ok. I remember thinking Ray was pretty lame when I saw him live. His attitude and clothing screamed that he just wasn’t interested in being there. After watching the episode today I’ve softened my stance a little bit. He didn’t do a horrible job, but I would have appreciated it if he had put forth more effort. I mean, if you’re going to agree to come on the show, then you might as well try to have fun.

Annaleigh Ashford was the second couch guest. She’s on the show Masters of Sex. Annaleigh was delightful. Unlike Ray, she was there to have a good time. Craig picked up on it right away, and the two of them had a blast together. Heck, I could feel her energy and excitement all the way in the audience. LLS should have given her both guest slots.

The closing segment was decent enough too.

Overall, despite the sun and a mediocre first guest, it was a really enjoyable show to see live.

Here’s the episode if you want to watch it:

– Ben

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Want to read about my other late-night audience member experiences? Well, if you ever change your mind, here they are:

My Late Show With David Letterman Experience

My Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Experience

My Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Experience

My Two Conan Experiences

My Tonight Show With Jay Leno Experience

My Late Night With Seth Meyers Experience

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