CRAIG FERGUSON LEAVING THE LATE LATE SHOW

Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson announced yesterday that he will be leaving "The Late Late Show" in December after a decade according to Michael Ausiello of TV Line (read the article here).  On Monday Mr. Ferguson issued this statement, “CBS and I are not getting divorced, we are ‘consciously uncoupling.’ But we will still spend holidays together and share custody of the fake horse and robot skeleton, both of whom we love very much.”

This announcement comes three weeks after David Letterman announced his retirement from late-night. TV Line also reports that Ferguson had made plans to leave when his contract expires at the end of this year. As a result of Dave's announcement, CBS asked Ferguson to leave in December instead of Summer as he originally planned.

As a longtime viewer of "The Late Late Show" I will miss Craig Ferguson's unique brand of humor and wit. Not many people can use puppets, a robot skeleton, and a fake horse to provide such great entertainment value.  Ferguson was always able to have a great and entertaining interview with anyone but I especially loved his interviews with Kristen Bell, Kat Dennings, and Mila Kunis.

Now the question remains, Who will replace Craig Ferguson? I vote for Chelsea Handler or Kathy Griffin. Both ladies are funny and the 12:35 AM slot will allow them the freedom to do what they want without any interference from network censors.

Thank you Mr. Ferguson, you are a one in a million performer.

THE PROFESSOR

JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE TO COME AFTER SUPERMAN VS. BATMAN

The Justice League

Bleeding Cool is reporting (read the article here) via an article from The Wall Street Journal that the next movie after the Batman Vs. Superman movie will be Justice League. Greg Silverman, President of Worldwide Production for Warner Bros. confirmed the news in an interview. The film will be directed by Zack Snyder stars like Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and Henry Cavill (Superman) will star. No release date has been announced yet.

This isn't surprising as many pundits speculated that there would be a Justice League movie after the Superman Vs. Batman film.

THE PROFESSOR

NETFLIX IS BECOMING A CABLE CHANNEL

Netflix will be featured as a cable channel starting next week according to The Washington Post (read the article here). According to the article, Netflix has made a deal with RCN, Grande Communications, and Atlantic Broadband to have subscribers view its content such as "House of Cards," and "Orange Is The New Black" on regular cable stations.

In order for the 500 thousand subscribers to get Netflix as a channel they will need a Tivo converter box provided by the cable company.

This new development could lead to a change in television and Internet streaming in the future. Who knows? but it is definitely an exciting news item that shows that media is evolving and changing everyday.

THE PROFESSOR

CYBORG CAST IN BATMAN/SUPERMAN MOVIE

DC COMICS' CYBORG

According to Bleeding Cool(read the article here) "Variety" reports that Warner Bros. has cast Ray Fisher as Cyborg for the "Batman/Superman" movie.


Ray Fisher

Fisher is a well known theater actor who recently received acclaim for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in the Broadway play, "Fetch Clay, Make Man". It is unclear if we will see Cyborg's origin story in the movie as a freak accident turns high school smartjock Victor Stone into a Cyborg.

With this report, there will be four superheroes in this Batman/Superman movie including Wonder Woman and now Victor Stone/Cyborg. It seems that Warner Bros. is trying to add as many characters as possible to make this movie as attractive as possible to movie audiences. The "Batman/Superman" movie is reported to set up a future Justice League movie.

Since Marvel has decided to open "Captain America 3" on the same weekend as "Batman/Superman" there will truly be a clash of the titans feeling when both movies open in May 2016.  

THE PROFESSOR
 
 

STEPHEN COLBERT TO TAKE OVER "THE LATE SHOW" ON CBS

CBS announced yesterday that Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman when he retires in 2015. Bill Carter of The New York Times (read the article here) reports that Colbert told CBS Chairman Les Moonves that he had major interest in being the new host of "The Late Show" but he also wanted Mr. Letterman's blessing before accepting the position.

Mr. Moonves called Mr. Letterman personally and told him that CBS was thinking about asking Mr. Colbert to be his successor. Mr. Moonves said that Mr. Letterman had no issue with the decision and was very happy that they were considering Mr. Colbert.

After Mr. Colbert was declared as Mr. Letterman's successor, Mr. Letterman released a statement saying, “Stephen has always been a real friend to me. I’m very excited for him, and I’m flattered that CBS chose him. I also happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses.”

Mr. Colbert came to prominence as host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central playing a comedic conservative character on his show. Mr. Colbert said that he will not play a character when he takes over "The Late Show" in 2015.

Mr. Colbert will exit his Comedy Central show at the end of this year. The final airdate for David Letterman as host of "The Late Show" is still being worked out.

This is a huge coup for CBS as they will have a host that can appeal to younger and older viewers. Mr. Colbert has great comedic skills and in this age of Internet and YouTube, his bits on "The Late Show" will be talked about for years to come.

It seems like Late-Night just got a little more competitive.

THE PROFESSOR

RIP THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR

The Ultimate Warrior has died according to USA TODAY (read the article here). He was 54 years old. Through the 80's and early 90's, The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most well-known superstars in WWE history. He had memorable feuds with Ravishing Rick Rude, Hulk Hogan, and Macho Man Randy Savage.

Warrior held the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE World title defeating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6. He left the company at different times and in 1993 he changed his name to Warrior(he was born Jim Hellwig).



A recent picture of The Ultimate Warrior

Just this past Sunday, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE HALL OF FAME 2014 Class. Thank you Ultimate Warrior for the memories. Rest In Peace.

THE PROFESSOR

UNDERTAKER: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

THE UNDERTAKER

At WrestleMania 30, this past Sunday, The Undertaker lost to Brock Lesnar ending the streak of wins that he had obtained over the last two decades. His WrestleMania record stands now at 21-1. Many are speculating that the 49-year old legend may have ended his career at WrestleMania 30. Personally, I hope that this is not the case and we get to see The Undertaker one more time just to say thank you for all of the memories he has given us over the last 23 years.

The Undertaker will go down as an icon of pro wrestling much like his predecessor, Andre the Giant. Both men had the respect of the locker room and were main event attractions throughout their careers. Many will ask why this is such a big deal because wrestling is fake but it's like watching someone you grew up with move away. You wish them the best but you're still going to miss him.



THE UNDERTAKER AND THE LATE PAUL BEARER

I was 8 years old when the Deadman debuted and was managed first by Brother Love and then by Paul Bearer. Like so many other children in the audience I was frightened by the way he looked and acted. But as I grew up I came to appreciate not only the character of the Undertaker, but the man behind him, Mark Callaway. The Undertaker had many feuds with Kamala, Jake the Snake, Kane, Mankind, Triple H and Shawn Michaels that defined his legacy.

Undertaker was the Iron Man of WWE. No matter who came and who left, The Undertaker was always there. For the past 23 years, he's like a friend that I've known and now he's leaving, but I can't complain. He's given me many memories and all I can say is Thank you Mark Callaway. I hope you enjoy your life after wrestling.

 THE PROFESSOR

DAVID LETTERMAN TO RETIRE FROM LATE-NIGHT TV IN 2015

David Letterman will retire in 2015 after 21 years on CBS' "The Late Show" and 12 years on NBC's "Late Night." According to an article in the NY TIMES (read it  here), Mr. Letterman has not set a date for his retirement. He is currently working that out with CBS.

Mr. Letterman is the longest running host in late-night history. He has spent 33 years on the air in late-night for both NBC and CBS. Johnny Carson, (Letterman's mentor) was on the air for 30 years.

It will be interesting to see who CBS chooses to replace Letterman. NBC has Jimmy Fallon and ABC has Jimmy Kimmel. Some news sites say it could be possible that Jay Leno could replace Letterman but  I think CBS should go with some new blood.

Since Mr. Letterman won't be leaving until 2015 we will still have time to enjoy his wit and brilliance for another year.

Thank you Mr. Letterman for all you have done. You are truly a pioneer.

THE PROFESSOR