FINDING FERGUSON

One good thing that's come out of the writers' strike - at least, personally - is that I've finally discovered Craig Ferguson as Talk Show Host.

Always ready for what might become tele-history, I watched the returns of 'The Late Show' and 'The Late, Late Show' on January 2nd. (In other words, only the shows with writers.) And I think Ferguson ran away with the possibilities in his first hour back. Screw having guests - his monologue and sketches and bits were infectiously silly... and made a fan out of me.

I don't stick around for the guest chats - never did very often with Letterman either, though. But there's nothing quite like watching a grown man having so much fun on camera acting like a little boy. It's that same kind of pleased-with-himself giddiness - as if he got away with something naughty - that made me a life-long fan of Red Skelton.

So all apologies to Cousin Conan (Oh yeah, we're all related!), but Craig's got my eyeballs in that timeslot now.

BCnU!
Toby OB