Craig Ferguson on Britney Spears - Really good, really powerful monologue
 

This is not a bunch of jokes about Spears doing odd things over the weekend. Very powerful, very moving monologue from Ferguson on his own history of addiction, etc.

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/comedy/# (click on the Feb 19th monologue - if someone can figure out the direct link, more power to you)

I happen to think Craig is the best late night host on TV (with the exception of his scripted bits), and this is part of the reason.

EDIT: The audience clearly didn't know quite how to react at first. You can hear it in their chuckles at moments Craig didn't mean to be funny.

and if everyone could listen to him...

thanks for sharing that video!

oh and it took me 1min to find the link.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW

I really enjoyed that, and sent it on to a couple of friends (which I don't normally do). Thanks! Very interesting, and thought-provoking. Weird... I don't use those terms for comedy schticks.

Your link-fu is stronger than mine...

Or perhaps it is your HTML-fu....

That is very cool, if only more people spoke out about their experiences like he did, we might actually have people thinking twice before doing drugs and drinking or getting the help they need. But he is right, it is very embarassing to admit any addiction and easy to just stay hidden and closed about it.

I have a feeling that man last night helped 100's of people.

I would watch it, if I didn't have to install RealPlayer

ditto

http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=realalt

Download. Install. Win!

BTW that video was incredible. It takes a lot of balls to do that on TV. I've never seen his show before but now I want to watch it. I agree 110% with his comments about making fun of celebrities...I hate when late night hosts do it and he's the first I've ever seen to acknowledge it, much less admit to it being wrong.

dammit Lasereth, beat me to it

Here's the latest version of Real Alternative, if you don't want the older one that Lasereth posted

http://www.free-codecs.com/Real_Alte...e_download.htm


Good video

Conan O'Brian has just been replaced as my favored late night host. That was really quite something. It reminded me of Jon Stewart's speech given shortly after 9/11, which was heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. I wonder how many people Craig helped with that brief window into his recovery.

Kudos to Craig Fergi.

After watching the entire video, man there are some serious idiots in the audience. Stop laughing at stuff that isn't funny. "Anna Nicole Smith is really dead" HAHAHAHAHAHA. What?? "I was thinking about commiting suicide" HAHAHAHAHAHA. Fucking idiots. Don't laugh unless something is funny! They are laughing just because. Laugh at the right parts, people!

How very powerful. I've not been keen about his show, but the man has all of my respect. Well worth the download.

Anyone have a link to a different source? For some reason I can't connect to this one.

Thanks for linking that. How great would it be if entertainers and producers with clout such as Letterman, Leno would take the same tack and give her some space. Larry King is a Whore with this sort of thing. Grow some balls and explore the broader issues surrounding stories like this.

Well, while we're on the Craig kick, here is the monologue that really established him as "something different" (to borrow his phrase). He gave this just after his father passed away.

Warning: this brings me to tears, and I am not one to cry easily.

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelat...20060130.shtml

Yep, there I go again....

9/11/02 and my tears are not over either. His father sounds so much like mine.

But we smile and say goodnight to each other as I pull back the covers before bed. That overcomes the tears.

Let's not be hasty. Why should Leno and Letterman (et al) explore the broader issues? That's not what they do. That's why we have 20/20 and 60 minutes. Late night talk show hosts are entertainers...first and foremost. I tune in to laugh, not to think.
That said...bravo to Craig Ferguson for taking the high road with this. He's a class act, and he showed a lot of stones with this one. I've always prefered him to Conan (a little sophmoric for my tastes, but he does have a kickass band). He might've been a little clearer on his intent though. He clearly caught the audience off guard.

I've always like him, and to be this open just makes me like him all that much more. I'm sure he helped at least a few people because of this.

I agree. My latter comment was directed more at the infotainment shows like Larry King or The View, Entertainment Tonight, Today Show etc... The "Bottom" may be unreachable, but damn, this coverage has been a low point.

From my limited exposure to Craig Ferguson, I'm inclined to call him the least funny late night host by far. Yes, even less funny than David "Will it Float?" Letterman. Maybe I just saw three terrible episodes, I don't know.

That said, this was a great monologue. It's refreshing to see this kind of response to celebrity addictions.

his comedic style is very different than the others, but I really like it.

I wasn't going to watch it since it was real media, but then I installed that real alternative coded and it was fine.

Yeah that's a pretty strong statement there. I usually don't watch Ferguson because I don't find him funny, but it's great when people acknowledge their problems so others out there know that it's possible treat their disease.

Ferguson is an acquired taste, he's got that British Isle dry wit and self deprecating humor.

I loved him in The Drew Carey Show and it is great to see he has moved forward.

Small correction - Letterman has been known to explore the broader issues. After 9/11 he did one HELL of a job interviewing people about the causes leading up to the attacks. Some of his stuff should have been on 20/20 and 60 minutes. He doesn't do it often, but when he does, he's VERY good at it.

Except for that one time when O'Reilly was on Letterman and Letterman made an idiot out of himself trying to argue with someone who does it professionally.

Sadly I missed that one. Not that I'm disagreeing with you, but Letterman must have been off his game. BillO is so un-burdened with facts that I think my dog could out debate him ;)

We must've been watching different episodes, Lasereth. On the one that I saw, Letterman filleted and gutted O'Reilly, then threw the remains out for the cats to fight over. O'Reilly never stood a chance. It was almost...sad, in a way.

Yeah... I cried too. One of the best moments in late night television history. And no one saw it.

Most people tend to think that when they watch it. But if you actually disect the argument, Letterman resorts to name-calling and flat out making up lies to try to look good to the audience. In the beginning, the audience is laughing and clapping when Letterman tries to "own" O'Reilly, but by the end the audience begins to applaude the points that O'Reilly is making. Do I agree with everything O'Reilly said? Hell no, but I know that he is definitely a better debater than Letterman is, especially when it comes to politics and war subjects. Letterman was out of his league and couldn't even keep up. The absolute worst part of the whole episode was when he said something like "I'd say about 60% of what you say is crap." Uhhh...that was professional. <B>People who don't have a solid argument and don't know how to respond to being argued circles around tend to personalize insults</B>, and that's exactly what Letterman did. Like I said before, most watchers simply see Letterman standing up to the big bad O'Reilly and insulting him and therefore "winning" even though he didn't make a bit of damn sense. I was cringing for Letterman towards the end when all he could do was resort to 6th grade tactics to try and debate with O'Reilly.