‘Late, Late’ host Ferguson tries LV

Thursday, March 23, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Tropicana's Tiffany Theatre

Tickets: $49

Information: 739-2222

It's a long way from Glasgow, Scotland, to Las Vegas.

It took comedian Craig Ferguson 44 years to make the journey - at least professionally.

"I've been to Vegas many times, but this will be the first time I have performed there," said the host of CBS' "The Late, Late Show."

Ferguson's Vegas debut will be Friday night at the Tropicana's Tiffany Theatre.

It may be his first engagement here, but it probably won't be his last.

Like fellow talk-show host Jay Leno, who frequently performs at the Mirage, Ferguson could become a fixture locally.

Or maybe not.

He likes the idea of doing stand-up, but he can only travel so far and so often.

"I'm limited to what I can do because of my commitment to the show," Ferguson said.

Vegas would be an ideal place for him to keep his stand-up skills honed while continuing to build his CBS audience.

Ferguson - a comedian, writer, actor and director - wasn't born to host a talk show.

"I just drifted into it," he said. "A bunch of guys tried out - I had no idea I would ever want to do it. It's not an obvious leap."

He became the show's permanent host on Jan. 4, 2005, replacing Craig Kilborn.

"The first couple of months were difficult," Ferguson said. "But I've been doing it for over a year.

"The learning curve the first couple of months was very dramatic."

He says one of the reasons he seems to have found success on late-night TV is his honesty.

"I've always been very honest with the audience," Ferguson said. "I let them know I have no idea what I'm doing. They're not watching something that has been rehearsed five times."

Ferguson's approach is different. For one thing he quickly scrapped scripted monologues and began improvising, sort of what he does in his stand-up.

"I don't have any idea what I'm going to talk about," he said. "I have some bullet points - like talking about school, coming to America, getting your couch delivered - but I work off of ideas rather than fixed routines."

The improvisation of the monologue inspired him to get back into comedy clubs, which he has been doing on a limited basis. His last engagement was in San Jose two weeks ago.

Although Ferguson is making a name for himself with the late-night talk show (produced by David Letterman), his claim to fame in this country is "The Drew Carey Show."

Ferguson played Nigel Wick, Drew Carey's peculiar boss, from 1996 to 2003.

His career started in the United Kingdom as a drummer in a punk-rock band, a bartender, an actor and, eventually, star of his own BBC television show, "The Ferguson Theory."

Ferguson moved to the United States in 1995 to star with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy "Maybe This Time." From there he went to "The Drew Carey Show."

In addition to television acting and performing stand-up, Ferguson has written feature films ("The Big Tease," "Saving Grace"); directed films ("I'll Be There"); and acted in films ("Lenny the Wonder Dog," "Chain of Fools").

And he is a novelist.His first book, "The Bridge and The River," will be released April 10. He describes it as "a wild ride; an odd book - a romance but very dark and twisted."

Of all of his talents, he prefers novelist and stand-up comedian.

"Both are the purest way to express yourself, without involving a bunch of people," he said. "Writing a book or doing stand-up, you do your own thing - it's a one-man-band, as opposed to movies, in which you have to deal with producers, financiers and many others; the same with television."

But he still enjoys all of it.

"It keeps life interesting," he said.