Day 23 in L.A. (This Audition is a Secret! Can You Guess Which One?)

I have some exciting news but you have to wait until the end to find out.  Read on please. 

After a pajama filled day yesterday I had to get out of the house today. I decided to use one of those free talk show tickets I received after attending The Tonight Show on day 17. This time I attended CBS's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. This was a completely different experience compared to NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Note, at The Tonight Show I was on a special guest list. That may have something to do with my experience entering this show. After waiting in line outside for a few minutes, everyone began to move forward. I had a standby ticket but there was no troubles getting inside. This experience almost felt like we were entering an airplane. We all had our bags checked and walked through a metal detector. I'm just glad we were allowed to keep our shoes on. Taking them off is such a hassle. 

Cell phones and cameras on the other hand, had to be checked in. Their system seemed well intact so I had no concerns. As soon as the show was over I received my belongings with no problems. After that process, we all waited again. This time we were joined by a few people who were either getting ready to attend or just finished attending "The Price is Right." I'm definitely going to have to give that show a try soon.

One of the first things that captured my attention is the staff and how they interacted with the attendees. I literally heard a few curse words from time to time. Then it dawned on me that they reflect the personality of the host. Craig Ferguson can be a very expressive sometimes if you know what I mean. It makes sense for some of his staff to be like him. 


The Late Late Show had one main hype man by the name of Chucky B (I think that's his name). This guy stood with the audience for over an hour shooting out jokes back to back. He was really good at it. He called himself a mediocre comic and called us show enhancers. This was actually a fairly small studio. He said, everyone always says "It looks bigger on television." In deed it does. I believe there were only 120 audience members in there.

This is a completely different set up compared to most conventional late night talk shows. This is probably one of the reasons why Craig Ferguson doesn't want to be labeled as a late night talk show host. They shot some of the show out of order. Country singer Tracy Adkins was the musical guest and his performance was recorded first. After the performance, the team began breaking down the stage and literally started rolling in the desk and couch. They used the same small space for everything.

While the team was preparing, Chucky B kept everyone extremely entertained. At one point they started pelting out mini chocolate candies. Due to the fact I was seriously hungry, I was tried my best to intercept some. I managed to get about 3. All of this helped towards hyping the crowd and getting them ready for the host. Energy is so important for these type of shows. So far I love the techniques the networks are using to get the audience fired up. 

I have to be honest, I've done a little research on Craig Ferguson in the past and watched some of his shows. His brand of comedy isn't exactly my favorite but after attending his show, I am very impressed with his talents. According to my studies, Craig started using que cards, but one day he got rid of them. This guy is a natural. I didn't see any type of visual guide. According to what he said, he doesn't even rehearse for the show. Craig believes you'll ruin everything if you rehearse. I do believe some of his team performs a run through without him.

Way before we started, his team kept saying, "Craig is unusually high on energy today," and he really was. I don't know how he is everyday, but even if he said a joke that wasn't funny to you, his energy will make you laugh. Once again Craig is a natural. Jay Leno's show is a lot more structured than Craig's. That doesn't mean that it's bad, but its just different. I would need more structure like Jay. Craig's improvisation is amazing. I don't know any other host like him. 

The show ran smoothly and had some very interesting moments. What I love mostly about his show is his use of puppets. That is completely genius. I love it. I love it. His co-host isn't even a real person. It's a robot skeleton that talks. There was a segment where he used a rabbit hand puppet in front of the scene. Once again no script and Craig killed it. (I've never seen a cute little rabbit with such a dirty mouth!) On television, they ended up cutting that scene. Its probably because the show ran to long. 

If any of you who are reading this, likes the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, I was in attendance on Tuesday Night October 12, 2010.

From a strategic stand point I had my filers with me and I saw one staff member I wanted to give one to. I saw him when I was leaving but I didn't give him anything. I had a chance to give out fliers to a few people outside of CBS, but I froze up. It's been a while since I passed out fliers to random people like that. I just have to break my ice again. As aggressive as I was passing out fliers in Tampa, I still had to break my ice whenever I received new fliers. I'll make sure I break it during the next round. 

I did manage to give one flier out to a young lady sitting next to me. She came with her ninety-something year old mom. She told me her mom loves Craig Ferguson and watches him every night. Apparently they both have been living in L.A. for years and it was their first time attending. As I was leaving, the young lady introduced me to her mom and she told her that I'm going to be a famous late night talk show host one day. I'm saying to myself, "wow;" either she was really nice, she really liked my flier or maybe there was a late night glow around me." Whatever the case, I was really inspired by her comment. 

Game Show Secret Part 1

Okay, I normally don't get excited but let's just say I am a tad bit excited for this moment. I have an audition with a popular game show on Thursday. Here is the story behind this. While I was still in Tampa, I noticed the post on Craig's List, "looking for contestants." I emailed them and told them my situation. I told them I'm in Tampa but I'll be in L.A. soon and if granted an opportunity, I won't let them down. They responded by saying they will keep me posted if they are any other castings. When I arrived in L.A., I emailed them but I received no response. 

Finally out of the blue I received an email from them for an upcoming audition. I replied saying, "I'll be there with bells on." This is kind of exciting. Now, there are no promises that I will get an/the opportunity, but I'm going to do my best on Thursday. I'm also going to have to apologize to you in advance, but from what I've recently learned I'm not supposed to talk much about my auditions. I have to be loyal to you by telling you a little about what I have coming up, but I won't tell you the name of the show until I know it's clear. 

Just know that it's a fun show and I could win a lot of money. Plus, the show is very national. In the mean while, I will keep you posted as vaguely as I can until I know things are clear. 

Next Related:The Game Secret Part 2 

As the quest continues...

Motown Maurice