Fallon Hits His Stride

This is a TV review I wrote for my journalism class. Enjoy!

In the midst of the biggest controversy in the world of late night television in nearly two decades, many jokes were made and many fingers were pointed. As Jay Leno left The Tonght Show, the Conan O’Brien took over, then Leno’s new prime time show bombed, then O’Brien was asked to delay the start of The Tonight Show until after midnight, then O’Brien quit, then Leno returned to his original time slot, then O’Brien left NBC and the network suffered bad public relations, talk show hosts from every other channel were providing some commentary of their own. Throughout all this changing of the networks and personalities of late night, one new guy has quietly gained confidence and respect within the community. And now, he is being rewarded for his recent success by getting the opportunity to host the biggest annual event in celebration of television.

Jimmy Fallon’s talk show career began last year when Conan O’Brien left his Late Night show to head west and take the reins at Tonight. Since then, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has become a very entertaining hour of TV. The charming, humorous former Saturday Night Live cast member has a great ability to connect with the guests he interviews and the audience members that participate in his games and sketches. Late Night’s new in-house band, The Roots, are an exciting and energetic hip-hop act that is refreshing and completely different from any other late night TV band out there. Fallon keeps the show loose by playing games with contestants like “Battle of the Instant Bands”, where two teams of musicians who have never met have ten minutes back stage to create a band name, an album cover and then perform their new hit song. He also keeps things loose with his celebrity guests by playing games with them. On several occasions, he has challenged guests to a game of beer pong and he has played against people like Kelly Ripa, Sigourney Weaver, and Betty White.

Another quality of Fallon’s that is valuable as an entertainer is his extensive knowledge of TV shows, movies, and music. Whether he is imitating Kate Gosselin’s “Paparazzi” dance from Dancing with the Stars or filming a parody of Glee with rival glee clubs formed by the casts of the different shows at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, or giving a fascinating interview with iconic Pink Floyd singer, bass player, and songwriter Roger Waters, his perceptive view of pop-culture and the entertainment makes the show as interesting as it is hilarious.

After Conan O’Brien left Tonight, Fallon made it very clear that he understands his place in the late night hierarchy. He did not want to take sides in the Jay-Conan controversy or the Jay-Dave (Letterman) rivalry because all of them are comedians that he looks up to. He also said that O’Brien and Letterman, the two previous Late Night hosts, made him realize that hosting that show “is a one-way ticket to not hosting The Tonight Show.” Even if he never gets the 11:30 time slot, he is developing quite a legacy for himself as it is. He is already recognized as one of the great performers to come out of SNL in recent years and it was recently announced that he will be hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards this fall. In 2010, the biggest celebration of TV will be hosted by America’s newest talk show star.