LIZA ~ POWERHOUSE TURN on THE LATE LATE SHOW!

Liza Minnelli on 'Ferguson': Still got it
by Alynda Wheat
Categories: Late Night
Oh, he’s a gentleman, that Craig Ferguson. After repeatedly claiming to look like the legendary Liza Minnelli, the late night host had her on the show Friday. First order of business: acknowledging the obvious. “I am a hideous, misshapen individual, that in no way even implies the shivering, god-like beauty of Miss Minnelli,” he admitted. (Okay, points of fact, Craig doesn’t even approach hideous or misshapen, but if you’d been on my picnic blanket sitting next to Miss Liza at a concert in Central Park some years back, you’d definitely have shivered.)

Let’s do some acknowledging of our own: Miss Lady is divine! As she says, “I am 63 and cookin’!” No kidding. In her uniform black sparkly pantsuit she seemed radiant, healthy, and ready to get back at it, as she performs at the Hollywood Bowl in a few weeks. (Nah, I’m not going. Have you seen the traffic on Bowl nights? It’s enough to make you stabby.) But what’s really fantastic is that she’s such an old-school broad. Nothing could have delighted her more than a charmer like Craig claiming to look like her. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do a puppet of her.
Craig also welcomed “Lady Professor” Kara Cooney, an Egyptologist who’s got a show coming on Discovery Channel called Out of Egypt. Interviewed her once—nice, fun, all the stuff you want in a history host. But truly, Miss Liza was the star of the evening—this time, anyway. Craig managed also to sneak in tweaks on Barbara Walters and Barbra Streisand, so this could be the beginning of Divas on Parade. Puppets for everyone!