By Tim Van Duyne
It’s been over 20 years since the host of The Tonight Show saw a change –– unless you count the time Jay Leno let Conan O’Brien host the show for six months before he took it back. Monday night that all changed –– at least for now.
Monday night was the first time Jimmy Fallon got his chance to host the prestigious talk show. He opened the show by joking, “I’m Jimmy Fallon and I’ll be your host . . . for now.” Making light of the brutal feud between Leno and Conan.
Before I go on with this article, i’ll preface the fact that I’m fully on Team Coco. I’m far from being the biggest fan of the butt chin.
When I first heard Jimmy Fallon would be taking over for Leno, I was a little surprised. I only watched a handful of Jimmy’s Late Night. And everytime I tuned in, Jimmy came off awkward in his interviews, and his bits, although funny, reminded me too much of his SNL days. This isn’t exactly a bad thing for late night, but it’s not quite what we are used to seeing on The Tonight Show.
On Monday night though, Jimmy came off confident and humble. You could definitely tell he was grateful to get the opportunity to host The Tonight Show.
The first night they pulled out all the stops. Will Smith was the guest star, and he and Jimmy did a hilarious “evolution of hip-hop dancing” skit. U2 was the musical guest, and they performed one of their latest-hit songs on top of the Rockefeller Center. Later in the show U2 performed an acoustic song on Fallon’s couch and the Roots joined in as well. And one of the more funny moments of the show is when a line of A-List celebs came out one after another handing Jimmy 100 dollar bills.
It’s been long over due for a change in The Tonight Show. Leno became very stale. He is an awkward interviewer, and I personally don’t think he’s funny.
After one show I’m optimistic that Jimmy Fallon will do a fine job with The Tonight Show. I think he will bring fresh jokes and new bits, which will attract a younger audience to the show.
Just a piece of advice for Jimmy, make sure your ratings are high, because if they’re not NBC and Leno will take the show back. Just ask Conan.
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