newsmakers

newsmakers

Craig Ferguson announces late-night retirement

LOS ANGELES

A few weeks after David Letterman announced he’d be retiring from the CBS late-night television lineup, Craig Ferguson did the same Monday.

Ferguson, host of “The Late Late Show” since 2005, told his studio audience during Monday’s taping that he will step down at the end of the year. Ferguson’s show airs after Letterman’s, at 12:35 a.m. weekdays.

The move was no surprise after CBS announced that Stephen Colbert will replace Letterman sometime next year. There was a time that Ferguson, whose show won a Peabody Award in 2009, was considered a strong contender for that job.

But “The Late Late Show” has faded in the ratings, particularly with the arrival of Seth Meyers in February as competition in the same time slot.

“CBS and I are not getting divorced, we are ‘consciously uncoupling,’” Ferguson said. “But we will still spend holidays together and share custody of the fake horse and robot skeleton, both of whom we love very much.”

CBS Entertainment Chairwoman NIna Tassler said Ferguson “infused the broadcast with tremendous energy, unique comedy, insightful interviews and some of the most heartfelt monologues seen on television.”

The Scottish-born Ferguson became a U.S. citizen during his tenure on the show.

He already has a new job lined up, as host of “Celebrity Name Game,” a syndicated game show set to debut later this year.

Fox to broadcast live version of musical ‘Grease’ next year

NEW YORK

Fox apparently isn’t going to let NBC dominate the world of live TV musicals.

Fox jumped into the theater game Monday by announcing it will broadcast a three-hour live version of the musical “Grease” that will feature “a young ensemble cast” that has yet to be named.

NBC got a ratings boost last December with its live broadcast of “The Sound of Music” starring Carrie Underwood.

It says it’s working on a live production of “Peter Pan” for next December.

“Grease” features such songs as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “We Go Together” and “You’re the One That I Want.” It was made into a 1978 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ finally going digital

NEW YORK

Scout, Boo Radley and Atticus Finch finally are reaching the pixeled screen.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” will be made available as an e-book and digital audiobook in July, filling one of the biggest gaps in the electronic library. Author Harper Lee said in a rare public statement issued Monday through HarperCollins Publishers that though she still favored “dusty” books, she had signed on for making “Mockingbird” available to a “new generation.”

Lee, who turned 88 Monday, published her novel in 1960. Harper Collins says it has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and still sells more than 1 million a year.

Associated Press