America has been good to The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson, so good that he took a cram course in our history and became a U.S. citizen, as the genial comic relates in American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot (Harper, $25.99). Of course theres a long tradition of Scots immigration in this county, though usually it was to dig coal, not work on a Drew Carey sitcom (Fergusons big break in the 90s). Along the way, hes written screenplays and a well-received novel (Between the Bridge and the River). But its his second career as a charming TV host thats made him a happy resident of Los Angeles and newly minted American. Tonight, hell talk about the bad old days of booze and drugs and comedy back in England and why he jumped the puddle to a strange new continent. BRIAN MILLER
Fri., Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m., 2009
