Elizabeth Banks is clearly a personal favorite of Craig Ferguson’s.  In her most recent appearance any doubt of that was quickly dismissed, as he continued to try and find a crack in the 16 plus year relationship she has with her husband and the fact that this is the second time she has been on the show in the past 45 days.  Granted, she is in not one, but three films currently in release, but this appearance other than a clip to remind us that she played Laura Bush in W, had little to do with her roles in that film or her other two (“Role Models” and “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”) films.
Looking strikingly beautiful in a short red dress, Banks started the edgy banter by proclaiming that she was admittedly wearing “come _____ me shoes.”  Even Ferguson seemed flustered and believe me, it takes quite a lot to do that.  She then spiced it up a notch by putting her legs up on the desk, being sure to cover up anything that might haunt her in the future, or at least on TMZ the following night.  Then it was a not so subtle segue into a four-minute “poop” story for which she takes credit as an aficionado.  In this case I will not do it justice, so I advise you to watch the interview with a bottle of Pepto close by.
It all just added up to a curious appearance that while packing a high degree of entertainment/shock value did little for why someone would come on a talk show in the first place.  That being said, if Banks’ mission was to convince prospective producers that she has no problem handling any level of gross material they could throw at her, I guess she was a success.  But for the casual insomniac, I doubt if she won over any new fans or sold any tickets.  Look, I’m not slamming her for bad taste, just that the whole appearance seemed like a waste of time.  Yes, she is clearly a go to guest for Ferguson, but she’s clearly just filling time here and that doesn’t serve anyone.

It’s an interesting phenomenon when a talk show guest is clearly not known by a good portion of the audience and the host of the show, in this case Craig Ferguson, is a fawning, doting obsessed fan, in this case Tim Gunn.  Such was the case when Gunn appeared on Ferguson’s post mid-night talkfest recently. Gunn, best known for his regular gig on Project Runway, and less known for his own show Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, seemed to be as enamored with Ferguson as Ferguson was with him. It was a mutual love affair that felt a little uncomfortable to the only passively interested viewer, such as myself.

It seems Ferguson has become so transfixed with Project Runway that he offered this warning to his audience: “If you haven’t seen Project Runway or know nothing about it, tonight’s the night for [you to watch] Conan.  Cuz I’m going to be talkin’ about it!” And he wasn’t kidding. The rest of the segment was devoted to discussing, in amazing detail, contestants, judges and even sewing techniques. You never saw two men more engaged and happy — at least on TV.  Gunn was so important to Ferguson that the host didn’t even try to make jokes. He just wanted to talk about the show…the true definition of the word FAN – ATIC!  As for Gunn’s demeanor, he was pleasant, respectful and entertaining. Nothing more. Nothing less. He did his job, and did it well.

I truly felt like I was overhearing two friends chatting over coffee or at the gym or, in this case, maybe a trendy West Hollywood Boutique. All in all it was entertaining to a point, but it’s obvious that this late, late night talk show chooses to offer some special exceptions when it comes to pleasing both host and audience.

John Krasinski is pretty nearly the ideal talk-show guest. Casual, quick, dry and funny as hell. Not only did he listen during his time on screen, but he obviously was watching show from the green room (the talk show guest’s “on deck circle”) even before he was on stage. This is a sure fire way to win the respect of the host and a golden opportunity to insert humor when the comic groundwork has already been laid for the audience.  It’s a nice trick that works nine times out of ten.  On his recent visit to Craig Ferguson’s Late, Late Show, Krasinski heard Ferguson talking about the trend of actors in commercials for the new fall TV season posing in over-the-shoulder model stances. Ferguson proceeded to do several versions for the audience… as did Krasinski when he came out, immediately endearing himself to Ferguson and the crowd.

As you know, we talk about knowing your host, your audience and your show before you make an appearance. That means doing your homework… and Krasinski did his, literally, and talked about it, too. In discussing Ferguson’s spot on the Emmys where he grabbed Brooke Shields’ ass, Krasinski said “ You got a little randy in your bit, didn’t you? That’s what they say in the UK, right? Randy? I did my homework for this show!” More brownie points.

Krasinski brought a little of everything to the show – from playing with the audience to talking directly to camera (to Eric Stoltz, actually) to impressions (Brando and a Muppet). And he made them all work beautifully. The only thing he didn’t do, which is a real Guest Whisperer no-no, is talk about his role in NBC’s The Office, which he was most likely there to promote. It’s a good thing Craig showed a clip at the top of the segment. This, of course, is partly the host’s fault, but you must remember why you’re there in the first place.  If a segment is going well by the hosts standards, then it is incumbent on the guest to subtly take charge and steer the conversation to the topic at hand.  This is primarily why I can’t give him a five out of five rating for this appearance.

I wish all guests were as clever, relaxed and entertaining as John Krasinski.  Next time we hope he can hit it out of the park.

I wonder if Kiefer Sutherland does some sort of Zen meditation before coming out for a talk-show appearance. It seemed that way on his recent visit to The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson to promote his new film, Mirrors. Sutherland is so unnervingly calm at times that it almost borders on boring. Any regular viewer of Ferguson’s high-energy antics would realize that this contradiction of styles could spell disaster for anyone’s appearance.

What happened was an interesting relationship with host Ferguson resulting in several mildly entertaining exchanges. When Sutherland mentioned he has shot the two-hour 24 prequel movie in Africa. Ferguson asked “Africa or South Africa?” Sutherland replied, “Is there a difference?” Ferguson jousted back with “[well,] one part is in the middle and one part is in the South…and then there’s that part around the top…what’s that called?…North Africa!” (So much for the awkward geography lesson.)

And later, in a discussion about hippos in Africa, Ferguson trapped him once more warning that hippos have very strong “unions” and Sutherland should be careful. Caught off guard again, Sutherland finally got the joke and then admitted to the audience that “My whole evening now is just about trying to derail him…and it’s impossible to do.”

Believe it or not, they did finally get to the movie…but only after Ferguson had said they were done with his patented bantering. I think even he realized he hadn’t done his job very well either and needed to talk a little (very little) about the film. Literally less than a minute.

So, to wrap up, Kiefer Sutherland’s appearance was nice. Nice is not great. Great is what you want. I’m not saying you need to jump up and down and be crazy, but you do want to have a certain level of energy and excitement that is going to play well with a high energy host.  Sutherland knows better, but sometimes he just doesn’t seem to care.
Good thing he has that hit TV show, at least for now!

Robert Downey, Jr. was a crack up from the moment he came out to greet Craig Ferguson. Playing to the audience, posing and eliciting massive amounts of cheer, Downey immediately established as strong rapport with everyone including the host. His casual, gum-chewing, jeans & jacket wearing persona is much more relaxed and much less cocky than previous talk show appearances and lends itself to accessibility, even while his intellect and quick wit kept Ferguson on his toes.
The discussion of his new film, Tropic Thunder, was interestingly handled in that it was talked about for several minutes without actually saying anything substantive other than Ferguson saying, about Downey’s character, “You can’t do that!”  Then there much discussion about Downey’s new mustache (is it more “Star 80 porn” or “Super Mario Bros?”) but he further showed his non-stop entertaining qualities by easily slipping in and out of accents, winning much praise from the lucky studio audience.

Guest and host were so in sync that Downey even commented on it “…we have a spark going between us.”  From “Googling” masquerading as “masturbation,” to thinly veiled allusions to Downey’s drug years, much ground was covered here – all of it with energy and style. I actually laughed out loud…twice! Not an easy feat at that ungodly hour.
You can’t buy good chemistry, but you can learn to play off the audience and your host by listening intently and drawing retorts from your arsenal well rehearsed anecdotes. For Downey, it just comes naturally. Probably just another reason why he’s such a good actor.

Every time I see that Will Ferrell is booked on a show, I make an attempt watch it.  Probably because I am a huge fan of his work in films like Anchorman and Blades of Glory, I just expect him to be a great guest.  But like the fans of the glory years of SNL who tunes in week after week only to be let down most of the time, I find myself in the same boat when I tune in for Ferrell.  I so want him to be great on talk shows, but he just isn’t.

Ferrell’s appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson for some kind of late-in-the-day promotion for Step Brothers is a case in point.  As usual, the segment kicked off with a clip from the movie, in contrast to most shows displaying a clip near the end of the interview.  After some amusing interplay over their respective wrist bracelets – Ferrell’s promoting global warming and Craig’s a gift from his son – the comedy advanced in fits and starts.  Ferrell kept trying to ride the Ferguson tidal wave, but his attempts to connect seemed off the mark and scattershot most of the time.  He summoned up his father in the audience.  He let Craig feel his butt.  But mostly, he somewhat timidly (for him) followed Craig’s lead, with both of them finally getting in harmony near the end with a wacky image of a Lord of the Dance extravaganza with Stairmasters on the stage in Las Vegas.

Was it entertaining?  Pretty much so.  But this gets only 3 Whispers because Ferrell came off as a hesitant second banana.  There seems to be only two ways to shine in the Ferguson maelstrom: aggressively take charge and compel Craig’s respect (see our Archives for Kathy Griffin’s star turn on his show) or lay back, feed Craig opportunities and watch for the perfect opening to get in your own comic shot (ditto the Archives for Thandie Newton on The Late Late Show.)  The only certain thing: your standard approach will fail, because this show never depends on old talk show traditions – it’s a pacesetter.

As for Ferrell himself, I’ll keep watching and praying.

Kathy Griffin is an acquired taste and whether you like that taste or not, you have to give her credit for originality. Griffin’s recent visit to Craig Ferguson’s show was interesting because for a good part of it, she was interviewing him. Things started out normally – Craig asking her about a risqué clip he had just shown from her series My Life on the D List and Griffin explaining her way out of it…but then she turned the tables and started grilling Ferguson about his political hosting duties at the recent White House Correspondents Dinner. He seemed to eat it up. A good move for a guest to know her host’s situation and use it to engage him in conversation about himself. They kept pace with each other in a witty political discussion even mentioning his rival, Jay Leno, who told Ferguson that when he hosted the Dinner, George Bush “grabbed his ass.”

The discussion stayed humorously political and then Craig regained his host position as Griffin continued her gay-themed existence. They finished the interview talking about her visit to Walter Reed Hospital and the fact that her comedy is problematic there, although she did say they “have the sickest senses of humor” and loved taking off their legs to drink beer out them.

Griffin and Ferguson played very well off each other, listening and reacting beautifully. She was bubbly, funny…and crass, but she wouldn’t be Kathy Griffin if she weren’t.

Thandie Newton is tiny. You may not think so, when she’s paired with vertically challenged leading men like Tom Cruise, but she is a mere slip of a thing, which became apparent when she walked onto the set of The Late Late Show. Yet diminutive as she is, she was almost big enough to stand up to the comic onslaught that is Craig Ferguson. You have to throw out some of the usual talk show rules when dealing with Craig, whose inventive mind and natural-amphetamine bloodstream keep quips flying at supersonic speeds. Perhaps that’s why the producers chose to show her clip from Run Fatboy Run before Thandie came out: any clip would have fallen flat had it been shown after the whirlwind Craig put Newton through.

Considering what she was up against, Thandie played this situation beautifully. Rather than coming on as a performer, she showed up as the witty and accommodating guest – sophisticated, but unafraid of dropping the occasional rude bomb about plastic surgery. Although she was hardly shy and certainly vocal, she wisely refused to play competitively with Craig. Instead she raised the game of reacting to an art form, amplifying the impact of her host’s humor and winning the admiration of the audience at the same time. She treated Craig like one would handle a rambunctious and outrageous friend, both calling him on his naughtiness and surrendering to the fun of it. When he launched a running gag on Tom Cruise’s height, she gently slapped him down while still going with the laughs. A splendid balancing act that demonstrated some of the ruling principles of guest-dom: research your host well, but remain flexible so you can steer with the prevailing winds. Remember that there is more than one way to make a good impression.

Wearing an extremely unflattering dress that looked more like a potato sack cinched and tied tightly under the bust line, Parker Posey appeared ill-at-ease with Craig Ferguson, often looking off to the side and down, away from the host. Even her body language was deadly as she sat turned so far towards Ferguson, that her profile was all that was visible to the audience and camera. That combined with the hair in her eyes, made it difficult for viewers to make any sort of a connection.

Booked to promote her series The Return of Jezebel James, (which was just pulled from the Fox Friday schedule) Posey hardly mentioned the show and instead discussed her allergies, moving, and went off on a tangent about breaking her finger on stage, and taking Vicodin while watching Six Feet Under, that featured her series co-star Lauren Ambrose. Quite a twisted mess, and not a particularly entertaining one.

Posey seemed to have trouble with Ferguson’s accent at times, and seemed to ignore him altogether in order to continue her point, when there was one. Whatever rapport existed in the past between the two of them, as she has been a frequent guest on The Late Late Show, was sadly missing this night.

Ray Romano is so Ray Romano. Self-deprecating, slightly uncomfortable and but always funny. When Craig said he looked good, Romano said that if looking good meant being unemployed and depressed, then that’s him.
He joked about doing non-gay Pilates with a male friend and knowing he needs to get back to work because he recently found himself crying while watching “Deal or No Deal.”

Ostensibly booked on the show to talk about the small release of his latest film “The Grand,” the conversation quickly migrated to a subject, and obvious better talk show fodder, the Internet. He talked about not liking the web much because he always finds something about himself he doesn’t like…such as “Ray Romano sucks.” His well-honed physical comedy timing was evident as he used his water glass to punctuate several humorous moments while talking about a visit to a website, the name of which he almost couldn’t say on air. After warning Craig and the audience that he was going to say a bad word, he said it, got embarrassed, covered his mouth and then drank some more water. He went on to explain that the site compares three celebrities and lets people decide if they want to #@$% them, marry them or kill them. It turns out that six out of ten people want to kill him. He deftly wrapped the bit up by finding the positive side of coming in second, as he saw it, saying “if you’re not going to #@$% me, then just kill me.”

Ray Romano was a good talk show guest. He kept Craig Ferguson on his toes and he kept the audience laughing throughout.