Craig Ferguson on Being Sober, Killer Ducks

Jimmy Fallon tops Craig Ferguson in ratings race

(NEWSER) - Jay Leno owned the 11:35 time slot last night, smashing both David Letterman and ABC’s combination of Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel as curious viewers tuned in to see Leno take back the Tonight Show gig. Leno scored a 5.7 rating, compared to 3.0 for Letterman, 3.4 for Nightline, and 1.8 for Kimmel, Entertainment Weekly reports. More»

David Letterman still wins, but he's in a class of his own

(NEWSER) - Despite all the publicity heaped upon them in recent weeks, there are more late night hosts than just Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. After years of following the major late night shows, Michael Giltz decided the time has come to declare a new king. His final verdict? Craig Ferguson, but only if you take David Letterman out of the running. Check out his thoughts, from the Huffington Post :

• David Letterman: “He's already ascended to the pantheon, alongside Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dick Cavett, and just a few others. His legacy is assured, so he doesn't get ranked alongside the others.”
• Craig Ferguson: “He's been charming the pants off us for some 1000 shows now and doing it effortlessly,” and last night’s show—during which he eschewed the audience and simply talked to Stephen Fry for an hour—“was an arresting, wonderful hour akin to the glory days of Dick Cavett.”

Plus: Late Show host did not violate company guidelines with affairs

(NEWSER) - Nope, the David Letterman extortion story didn’t lose momentum over the weekend. From fans to fellow talk show hosts, everyone’s still talking:

• “If we are now holding late-night talk-show hosts to the same moral accountability as we hold politicians or clergymen, I'm out,” said Letterman follow-up—and underling—Craig Ferguson on last night’s Late Late Show, calling his boss “the king of late-night television.”

Late Night averages 2.4 million viewers

(NEWSER) - Take that, critics. Jimmy Fallon came out on top in his first week on the air, Access Hollywood reports. NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon averaged 2.4 million viewers during the first week of March; CBS rival Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson averaged 1.9 million. On opening night, March 2, Fallon even beat Jimmy Kimmel Live for the half-hour they overlap. Fallon took over Conan O'Brien's old slot. More»

Late-night hosts can shape opinion for networks and their viewers

(NEWSER) - John McCain is playing with fire if he thinks he can stand up David Letterman and get away with it. "The middle-of-the-road personalities who've dominated network television since its inception do retain one singular power," Gawker Media head honcho Nick Denton, writing for his flagship blog, warns the wayward candidate. "When they finally get off the fence, the mass of similar-minded voters take notice." More»