While the recent late night battles took place, Jimmy Fallon remained loyal to NBC and to his friendships with both of the men involved in said battles: Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. Fallon is an upstanding guy and he will be celebrating Late Night’s one year anniversary on Monday March 1.
I’ve been a fan of Fallon’s since his popular Saturday Night Live days. He always reminded me of the young, drunk college buddy, reminiscent of the Adam Sandler days of SNL. His success on SNL lead him to what he hoped to be a promising movie career. That didn’t work out so well for him – anyone remember Taxi?
Lorne Michaels, executive producer of both SNL and Late Night, saw something in Fallon and it could easily be said that Michaels has been Fallon’s guardian angel.
I remember Fallon’s first show and it was kind of painful. He was so nervous, rightfully so, with his first guest being none other than Robert De Niro. He was visibly sweating in the opening monologue and he was kind of spastic while interviewing De Niro. His first audience participation game was the fan favorite, “Lick It For 10.” That was enough to guess what kind of show he wanted to make.
I’m not the biggest fan of “Lick It…” but he has definitely made Late Night his own now. His house band is The Roots. The Roots! They bring such an added comedic presence to the show. Fallon has nailed his parody programming such as, “The Real Housewives of Late Night,” “Late,” and “6-Bee.” I’ll admit my favorite bit he does is, “Friday Night Thank You Notes.” It’s funny and the jokes are usually spot on.
He has so much fun with his guests; my favorite being when he plays charades with them. He commonly refers to his guests as “buddy,” and I just find that so endearing. He laughs at himself all the time and it reminds me of all those times he’d lose it during a sketch on SNL.
I DVR Fallon every night and I’ve been going through some withdrawals since he’s been on hiatus during the Olympics. I was lucky enough to get a sample of his ‘Thank You Notes’ during the late night coverage this past Friday. Fallon made an appearance and it was a nice surprise. I look forward to new episodes beginning Monday March 1.
Fallon may not be the best comedian or the perfect late night host, but his humor and desire to have a good time, make him a must watch. I’ve said this to people before, but if I’m ever having a down day, all I have to do is watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and I can guarantee I won’t feel so bad anymore.
