'Late Late' comedian turns darts on himself

[BlackVelvet04]

It would have been so easy to open fire on Britney and her newly shaved scalp. But this past Monday night, during his monologue on The Late Late Show, host Craig Ferguson decided to get serious.

< snip >

Now a couple months ago, Kevin Costner got himself into some kind of bother, and I made fun of him in the monologue. And then, a couple of weeks later, I meet him at this event, and I could tell he was, he was angry at me. . . . He's a very polite man, and a gentleman, and I could see in his eyes he made a decision to not go after me, just to be polite and nice and stuff. And that kind of freaked me out. . . .

It was the look in his eye that bothered me. And I began to think, at what price am I doing this stuff? And I started to think about the effect it was having on real people, and it's been needling at me a little bit ever since.

< snip >

This is totally a mea culpa. This is just for me. I think my aim's been off a bit recently. I want to change it a bit. So tonight, no Britney Spears jokes. And here's why. Here's exactly why. Britney Spears -

Uproarious laughter. Ferguson stops, shakes his head.

No, no, it's the truth. Wait . . .

He tries to get them to stop.

The kind of weekend she had, she was checking in and out of rehab, she was shaving her head, getting tattoos. . . .

This Sunday I was 15 years sober.

Finally, the audience is silent.

So I looked at her weekend, and I looked at my own weekend, and I thought, you know, I'd rather have my weekend. But what she is going through reminds me of what I was doing . . . where I was 15 years ago, when I was living like that.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/23/Floridian/_Late_Late__comedian_.shtml

I, too, wonder at what cost we make fun of people all the time. I think it somehow demeans our humanity.

Good for Ferguson!

[helderheid]

1. I set up my tivo to record his show after I heard about this. Bless his heart.

[NMDemDist2]

49. me too n/t

[NYCGirl]

2. I am crazy about Craig Ferguson. NT

[LibDemAlways]

3. There's a fine line between poking gentle fun

at a public figure and kicking someone who's down and obviously struggling with personal demons. I'm glad Ferguson apparently understands the difference.

[Skittles]

103. yes - a few cracks can make me laugh

a non-stop pounding makes me uncomfortable, makes me want to intervene

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. He continues to impress me. He has such heart. And, very funny. He reminds me of a

Celtic friend of mine, whom I absolutely adore.

:kick: MKJ

[Dude_CalmDown]

95. I hope he never gets a heart when making fun of the asshat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irOFAjsnSg0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fprofile%2Emyspace%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ecfm%3Ffuseaction%3Duser%2Eviewprofile%26friendID%3D94808924

[whatelseisnew]

5. You Tube Links Here

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson - 19th February 07 1

http://youtube.com/watch?v=V2lWZFUc1y4

(Warning: Corporate News Link):

Eye To Eye With Craig Ferguson On Spears (CBS News)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=B9906RB9dbI

[mcscajun]

6. This impressed me...

"For me, comedy should have a certain amount of joy in it," he told viewers Monday. "It should be about attacking the powerful - the politicians, the Trumps, the blowhards - going after them. We shouldn't be attacking the vulnerable."

[shadowknows69]

7. Watch them fire him for this

Can't have people on TV that have consciences.

[WiseButAngrySara]

20. No, I think (and hope) it will improve his ratings. ....n/t

[BlackVelvet04]

24. I was impressed by that as well.

I'm going to make him a regular part of my t.v. viewing.

[Morgana LaFey]

41. You won't be sorry. I adore him.

I find his humor very fresh, unhackneyed, unpredictable and actually FUNNY, and I love his accent. I think he really IS a nice guy, too, and that shows through. There's just something decent about him, which is very appealing, even when he's being a little naughty in his humor.

I'd missed this oarticular show, and the one about his father -- he's on a little late for me, darnit.

[BlackVelvet04]

44. I don't even know when his show is on

or what channel. I'll have to look it up.

[Morgana LaFey]

48. He's on after Letterman

In fact, I think Letterman is his boss -- he said something about that one time.

Isn't Letterman CBS???

[BlackVelvet04]

51. I think so.....

thanks.

[otherlander]

85. Wow.

That took integrity. Rec'd. And... :applause:

[Scout1071]

8. Good for him.

I don't exactly care for all the Britney news, but he is right. Our media focus is so intense. I can imagine that it just destroys people.

[patricia92243]

9. I totally agree with him on this point, but the one time I saw part of his program, he was putting D

Democrats down. Therefore, I don't care for him.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

14. Maybe being fair, since he rips into Bush on a regular basis?

:shrug: MKJ

[patricia92243]

16. As I said, I only saw part of his show one time. I'll take your word for it that he is o.k. I don'

don't have local channels so can't watch him unless I were at somebody elses house.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

96. Oh, c'mon. Some Dems deserve to be put down!

All in all, Ferguson's a good guy. Not overly political even. He goes for the jokes. You can bet your ass when we win the WH in '08 he'll be making jokes about whoever is President. That's just his job.

I am incredibly touched by his honesty on this issue. He mentions his sobriety from time to time but he doesn't make a big deal of it. I think he's a very sincere funny (and adorable) guy. Just can't stay up late enough usually.

[patricia92243]

100. See #16

[timtom]

10. Excellent post!

Good on you, and good on Craig Ferguson.

That's the kind of compassion we need in America.

[BlackVelvet04]

11. Thanks....

I have never seen Ferguson but think I will make the effort now. I've been very disturbed by the media coverage of both Brittany and Anna Nicole. Seems to me a little bit of compassion is in order for people who are self destructing. I went into a downward spiral after back surgery and I think I would have been crushed had it been ridiculed and public knowledge.

Is it because these people are rich and famous that we think they are fair game? Would we make fun of the person if it were someone we loved?

I find Leno to be heartless when it comes to things like this.

PS Thanks for the recommends.

[zanne]

12. He made a fan of me.

I was watching his show that night. I was so impressed, he even started to look better to me.

[ms liberty]

13. Incredibly powerful truths here... K&R n/t

[Shallah Kali]

15. As Molly Ivins once said

Satire is traditionally not just funny when it's done right, but it's really a weapon. It can be extremely cutting. And it's traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. When you use satire against powerless people, it is not only cruel, it is profoundly vulgar.

[Forkboy]

77. She's very missed

This society has gotten incredibly mean-spirited towards people who are hurting.

[BlackVelvet04]

92. I thought of Molly Ivins' words as well.. n/t

[William Bloode]

17. My, how honorable of him.

Never had seen him outside of the Drew Carey show. I did see him on Bill Maher this weekend though. He was a delight! I loved his remark about he was not going to offend any side, since he was going for citizenship. He seems like a real nice guy.

[BlackVelvet04]

22. He WAS a delight.....

that's a good way of putting it. I'm even more delighted finding out he has a conscience.

[WiseButAngrySara]

18. Demeans our humanity! I too sometimes think it does.

Good post and thank you. And, "Good for Ferguson!"

:kick: and r!

[BlackVelvet04]

23. Thanks....

I think we can all benefit from being a little more compassionate. I know political message boards have contributed to me taking a nastier attitude and I'm striving to be a bit more kind and understanding.

[WiseButAngrySara]

26. It's tough not to be 'nasty' when you've been lied to for 6 long

years, and thousands have died and few have profitted (in a most unholy manner) from these lies. Speaking of honest and genuine comedy though, I never thought I would get 'news' from a comedy show like TDS or Colbert. Comedy sure has it's place, but as one poster pointed out, Fergeson said we should be going after the powerful, not the desperate.

[BlackVelvet04]

31. Yes, it is tough but I haven't liked how I interact

on another message board with conservatives......nasty would be putting it mildly. I had to take a break for a while.

[WiseButAngrySara]

36. Oh I can imagine! I don't frequent those, but just reading the

content on DU and listening to the obvious lack of content on M$M, makes me mad at the world! I have let strangers have it in the past year, and I usually don't talk politics, especially not in B*land.

[BlackVelvet04]

43. What makes it bad is I'm an admin on the board....

I don't do very well being unbiased when I have to read the same stupid talking points from every one of them.

[WiseButAngrySara]

55. That would be ulcer causing tough! (Unless you have

the tolerance and temperment of a saint!)

[BlackVelvet04]

58. Honestly we don't keep too many

conservatives because a liberal usually loses it with them and I won't ban the liberals. Neither does the other admin. We really are predominately liberal and don't encourage conservatives. We do warn them when they sign up that the board and the admins are biased and they stay at their own peril. If they wouldn't come in so arrogant and patronizing I could handle it.

[WiseButAngrySara]

60. Could you pm me info about this site? I think DU rules

prohibit posting such (or something!)

[BlackVelvet04]

65. Sure. n/t

[cooolandrew]

19. I like humour that focuses on the comeidan like mr bean no-ones hurt good clean fun.

except the likes of the GOP are fair game of course.

[Pawel K]

21. I have never seen his show as it comes on too late for me

but I think I'll be able to catch it Friday nights from now on.

I look at her and I feel not only bad for her but I feel terrible for those poor children. She needs help, all these stupid jokes just make it worse on her and her children.

[MilesColtrane]

25. Ferguson's a genuinely funny guy.

His monologues are never written down or scripted. He just goes out and talks to the audience.
You've also got to like a guy that sings his own theme music.

[renate]

93. unscripted... very impressive

Jay Leno never makes me laugh out loud, and that's with a team of scriptwriters.

Craig is really, really funny--maybe it's partly the spontaneity itself, but it's also just his phenomenal wit.

Also, he's adorable. :loveya:

[SnowGoose]

27. Craig blew me away with his show after his father's death.

I wish the whole thing was available, I could only find this one clip (which doesn't to it justice):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dGqkKphLg4A

I had watched a few times before that (but it comes on a bit too late for regular viewing) and was impressed by the fact that his monologues were actually funny without insulting the viewers' intelligence. But when I saw this show, I really became a fan.

Go Craig.

~Snowgoose

[BlackVelvet04]

32. Thanks for posting this. n/t

[Forkboy]

78. This should be part two of the clip posted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k3iGPLf9Bg

[WillyT]

28. Very Very Good, Thank You For Posting This - K & R !!!

Way to go Craig.

:kick:

[BlackVelvet04]

33. You're welcome....

there aren't many things I read that really make me take a look at my own behavior. This one did.

[SidDithers]

29. Here was Tuesday's discussion here...

for more comments:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=255953

I really think Ferguson did a wonderful thing with that monologue.

Sid

[WiseButAngrySara]

30. Oh thanks! I was looking for this! ....n/t

[BlackVelvet04]

34. Thanks for this....

I didn't know there had been another thread. I missed it somehow.

[roguevalley]

35. good for him. kicking suffering or dead people is the lowest of the

low, no matter how much they have or who they are. Go after powerful people. Bush is sick in the head but he has power. He can kill us all. Craig is and always was a cutie and a good guy. Good for him.

[BlackVelvet04]

42. He is indeed a cutie. n/t

[LynzM]

37. I thought this was awesome to watch

Thanks for the re-post. :)

[Frank Cannon]

38. This was one of the best monologues I've EVER seen on TV

It had everything: humor, pain, candor, and wisdom. I hadn't really paid too much attention to Ferguson before, but you better believe I will now.

[BlackVelvet04]

45. It's kind of sad that we so seldom

see this from t.v. celebrities. Maybe if more would be honest and open people wouldn't have so much disdain for them.

[Ellipsis]

66. It WAS awesome wasn't it? He's becoming the master of the monologue...

especially considering how long he riffs each night 5 days a week. He "had" the audience, it was a shiver down the back event... and while everybody was ripping on Simpson he took the moment to bring reality to the situation by sharing his crisis and stopped some of the piling on she'd been getting. It was very cool.

and I'd swear some of the writers from the show lurk here... given the timing and content of some comments.

[nashville_brook]

75. i wept... what a courageous gesture... and i bet the zeitgeist responds...

one person. one voice... can change the world when applied correctly.

[KT2000]

39. He is something special

on tv. This was amazing television, like the wake he had after his father died.
Honesty and humanity - rare for tv.

[BlackVelvet04]

46. I would love to see that show

but I have dial up so I can't watch it on the computer.

[Cha]

40. Craig is such a sweetie

Scotsman! He's just adorable.

And more than a little talented!

[lies and propaganda]

47. Hes great.. And having grown up in Louisiana when she was coming out

I have always been a fan of hers, though nowhere near a fan of her music.
So, i have felt sad for her many times recently, and teh same can be said about Anna Nicole.
Whether or not we enjoy their exploits, their still humans.

[BlackVelvet04]

53. Really..

she's a human being. I got pretty annoyed with Leno going on and on about the female astronaut. It was obvious she had a melt down and I thought it was cruel to just keep hammering at her.

[Skittles]

102. I was thinking about her teenage son too

this woman will need lots of help and such non-stop hellish publicity has to be harmful for everyone involved

[BlackVelvet04]

108. How hard must it be for a kid to hear

a parent talked about that way on national television? Not to mention how the other kids at school are going to treat them because of what the parent did. Like high school isn't hard enough.

[Connonym]

50. TV's Craig Ferguson! one of my favorite subjects

I think he'll get a Emmy nomination for the show with the Spears monologue. He did get nominated last year for the show he did eulogizing his father.

I watch the show almost every night and he my poke fun at Democrats but I don't at all get the impression he's conservative in any way. You should see some of the shit he says about W. Ever see the video of Rummy speaking, making origami, rolling a joint, etc? (watch it here http://youtube.com/watch?v=L4QFaNzoZbs, it's hilarious) He's constantly mocking W, insinuating that he's back on the sauce (watch it here http://youtube.com/watch?v=irOFAjsnSg0 ).

I admit, I'm gaga over him. He's got a very naughty sense of humor. He's not scripted so you never know what will come out of his mouth. He seems far more sincere than any other talk show host and actually asks thoughtful questions that aren't rude or intrusive. It's really a great show but I'm always worried that he's going to get cancelled because it seems he doesn't get very many big-name guests.

If you've never seen the show I encourage you to tune in, even if it's just for his monologues. You can also catch some of his stuff on the CBS web site and also YouTube natch. But remember, he's MY TV boyfriend so hands off!!

[BlackVelvet04]

52. Guess you wouldn't consider sharing?

;-)

I can't wait to see his show. I'll probably tivo it so if I fall asleep I can watch it the next day.

[anitar1]

79. Dang, you've claimed him already,Connonym. I've

had my eye on Craig ! He is different and actually seems to enjoy doing his show. Gets a twinkle in his eye and cracks some of his guests up. Wish it weren't so late when he comes on, but I watch him 2 or 3 times a week. I saw the show where he talked about Britney.I was touched. My sentiments exactly, and for Anna Nicole. I felt so sorry for this woman. Sad how people are abused. Especially when they are so vulnerable.But Craig seems to be a really nice and lovable person. Very funny guy.

[orpupilofnature57]

54. Self Effacing Media , Refreshing.

[earth mom]

56. I saw the show and I was impressed by Craig....but

while I think he's hysterically funny, it has been obvious to me that Craig doesn't get the top tier A list guests because he's been merciless about pretty much everyone in in Hollywood. I'm glad his conscience won out, plus it won't hurt to see some more famous guests on his show in the future. :bounce:

[orpupilofnature57]

57. Thats why the ' Evil Elf ' and MTP are so hot , Tim performs a function...

.... for G.E. and the rest of the 1%.

[WiseButAngrySara]

59. Here's the you tube link for Ferguson's Farewell to Rumsfeld,

and other clips on Rummie. So funny!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7sR0n_oYoHA

[Garbo 2004]

61. Link to full Feb 19 monologue at CBS' site and other Ferguson clips:

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/comedy/ The Feb 19th monologue is the first one.

[Ellipsis]

112. Thanks for the link... good to see it again

Kicking for the "human" side of life

[WinkyDink]

62. I catch his show hit or miss. I'm so glad that night I saw this.

[xchrom]

63. i'll exclude to a certain extent politicians -- because politicians can and do

hurt people and collect a paycheck doing it -- but celebrities are just people.

earning a paycheck entertaining us.

for better or worse -- they're just folks doing their jobs.

now for some of us -- there is pain associated with how much money they make and makes them fair game for any humiliation we can pile on them.

not to me -- no one alive today MADE the world as it is -- we live in it.

so celebrities make fat paychecks -- but they are just people.

[deutsey]

64. Good for him...

Satire that seeks to ridicule just to ridicule can be very harmful to those who spew it and laugh at it.

At the heart of true satire, imo, is a profound sense of shared humanity, not snickering, self-important irony.

[BlackVelvet04]

67. Very well said....

"At the heart of true satire, imo, is a profound sense of shared humanity, not snickering, self-important irony."

I think getting so immersed into politics has made me too hard and it's something I need to work on.

[Warren DeMontague]

68. Yeah, good for him. Every time I've seen him, he's come off as real arrogant

Interesting that Jon Stewart -affable, self-deprecating- was able to do so much more with the Daily Show than that guy ever was.

There's a lesson, there.

[Dastard Stepchild]

71. I think you might be thinking of Craig Kilbourn...

He WAS an ass.

Craig Ferguson is his Scottish replacement. :)

[Warren DeMontague]

73. Oh, yes.

Too many Craigs!

[Dastard Stepchild]

99. It is amazing what Stewart was able to do with the show...

I like the direction he took it and never looked back after he was handed control. :)

[omega minimo]

89. Oh yes, Kilborn was a prat

Craig Ferguson is quick-witted and spontaneous.

[fishnfla]

69. My bro and SIL met Costner once

He was in NO filming JFK. She asked for his autograph. He said I'll do you one better-forget signing anything, lets hang out, buy each other drinks, talk and have fun ,cuz once I start signiung stuff I cant do any of that...so they did, it was his reply to everyone that came up.

They all had a great time and now rather than saying " I got his autograph" They say I got to hang out with KC

[BlackVelvet04]

70. Sounds like fun.

Costner filmed part of Water World (I think that's the name) in a small town in AZ where I lived but I never ran into him.

[tavalon]

72. That was just fabulous

I mean it, fucking fabulous.

[nashville_brook]

74. have we ALL lost our SOULs? (Olbermann deserves some criticism, here)

I love Olbermann. But I can't watch his "Keeping Tabs" bit anymore, though.

Ferguson is right -- these people are in trouble and some are likely wishing they could "disappear." Can you imagine how horrible it would be to have your worst, most difficult and personal moments be the subject of TV news and late night monologues. Can you imagine being that vulnerable person, hitting "rock bottom" and having that experience be made into "entertainment" for the cackling masses?

We need to be ashamed for getting off on the pain of HUMAN BEINGS -- even CELEBRITIES. No one deserves to have their identity raped repeatedly for mass consumption. This is a weird kind of "snuff," where we get off on killing a person's soul... robbing them of their humanity.

What kind of people have we become, to we crave televised humiliation to be "entertained"?

What's next? "OW! MY BALLS" on the Violence Channel (per Mike Judge).

[BlackVelvet04]

81. No, I really can't imagine it but I think it has to be horrible.

"This is a weird kind of "snuff," where we get off on killing a person's soul... robbing them of their humanity. "

Nicely put. I hadn't thought of it as "snuff" before.

[Kajsa]

76. This is a great move for Ferguson!

I love this guy and shared the 'youtube' video link
on another forum, here.

Craig Ferguson should be a standard of media ethics that
the others follow.


:thumbsup:

[MODemocrat]

80. I think that making fun of others, shows one' s Weakness

When I was very young, It made me fee so bad after I'd made fun of someone; it was even hurtful to me. It showed my weakness and jealousy, and as of this day, I can't stand to hear anyone be made fun of. :cry:
Kudos to Ferguson. :thumbsup:

[BlackVelvet04]

82. I used to be so tender hearted

and somewhere along the way sort of hardened myself. Ferguson's words woke me up I think.

[MODemocrat]

88. BlackVelvet. I've softened up in my old age

That was just great what Ferguson said, and I certainly commend him for that. :thumbsup:\
It might wake others up as well..

[BlackVelvet04]

91. I think after going through a depression with surgery

I got so sick of crying and feeling bad that I decided to be harder. Not such a great idea. But since I'm not dead it's not too late to change that. :-)

My husband has softened up a lot as he has aged.....even though I've always loved him I like him better now than I did 25 years ago.

[KitchenWitch]

83. I have a lot of respect for him.

That took a lot of guts!

[BlackVelvet04]

84. I agree....

it must have taken a bit of courage to say "I've been wrong" on national television.

[BlackVelvet04]

86. This reminds me of something my mom told me about her father...

she said he never said anything bad about anyone and always found something good to say.

She remembered a particular time when this very unlikable person was being discussed and her father said "but he can whistle good." I thought that was really cute.

I wonder how different life would be if we all made an effort to not say anything nasty about other people? Even with politicians we could discuss their actions as being bad without commenting on their character. Nah, that will never happen.

[omega minimo]

87. Holy Fukkin Shite

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x258888

[BlackVelvet04]

90. Thanks for the link.

I'll check it out.

[The Count]

94. OK, but why is this the #1 story on DU? How relevant is this to what?

I don't give a rat's as for any of the people you mentioned in that story, good, bad or in the middle.

[ComerPerro]

98. well, its an appeal for humanism, I would think

[BlackVelvet04]

104. Maybe because a lot of people are sick of the nastiness

and snarkiness that's so prevalent in this country?

"I don't give a rat's as for any of the people you mentioned in that story, good, bad or in the middle."

That's your prerogative. I don't stay awake nights worrying or thinking about them but I do think the way they have been trashed by lots of people is really sad.

Thanks for playing! :-)

[dweller]

97. demeaning humanity ...

i believe it was Will Rogers who once said, "Everyone points at other people and laughs, but looks in the mirror, and never cracks a smile".

it's the man/woman in the mirror one needs to contemplate, my friends.

just sayin'
dp

(Craig Ferguson fan for the last year at least)... hey, i work the later hours!

[BlackVelvet04]

106. That's what I liked about what he said...

"it's the man/woman in the mirror one needs to contemplate, my friends. "

That's exactly what it made me do.

[dweller]

114. then remember

to look in the mirror, and smile.

you've got it!

peace
dp

[Skittles]

101. I appreciate this

I want people to stop laughing at the expense of another person's mental health - it used to be a few cracks, now it's non-stop beating up a person who desperately needs help. I remember David Letterman refusing to do jokes about the severely mentally ill woman who broke into his house - this lady later kneeled in front of an oncoming train to commit suicide. I thought it was very humane of him and I wish more people would do the same.

[BlackVelvet04]

105. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[EFerrari]

107. Good for Craig. K&R

[BlackVelvet04]

109. Thanks for the

K&R.

[EFerrari]

110. I have a bunch of program people in my family. It's always great

to see someone walking the walk. :)

[BlackVelvet04]

111. I have two in my family as well.....

and I'm proud to say that they walk the walk more often than not.

[Guaranteed]

113. This is the essence of character.

Good man.