If you stopped watching "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" after the first few episodes, I can't say I blame you - the former SNL member's hosting debut as Conan O'Brien's replacement was a study of the painfully awkward. But you may want to give the show another shot. In the two weeks since its debut, Fallon has made leaps and bounds of improvement, axing what didn't work (Lick It For Ten), digging into the meat of what his audience cares about and relates to. Namely, pop culture and current digital technologies.
Jimmy's a quick study, and both he and producers have found redemption by listening to their audience. It's an unprecedented contrast from anything we've ever seen on network television - shown through the rapid evolution of his bits, jokes and overall execution. The Roots may be the coolest house band in the history of television, but Fallon's open-minded versatility is the show's saving grace. He keeps it current, and speaks to viewers from a familiar perspective - one that's not yet filtered through the "host" schtick.
The connection comes before the joke, and so far it hasn't been artificial. In the eyes of today's youth that makes him accessible, and puts him at a huge advantage over the likes of Letterman, whose snarky Grandpa persona never quite seemed to care about his guests (or audience, really), or Conan, who never stopped making fun of everything - himself included, or Leno, who caters almost solely to the dinosaurs. The mere fact that there have been repeated mentions of Fallon's profuse sweating while interviewing first-ever guest Robert DeNiro speaks volumes for the guy's genuine ability to make fun of himself.
Fallon's guest interaction has been getting better as well, as evidenced by former SNL castmate Tracey Morgan's recent appearance. The notorious overtalker has scaled back his guest interruptions, and while wearing a "Shammy" for a ridiculous but entertaining bit that found everybody in the audience (and onstage) wearing blanket-shawls, Morgan dropped instant quotables like "I feel like the black Obi-Wan Kenobi," and on rumors that the two had a falling out, he said "We're not 50 Cent and Kanye West... If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have thrown up in your lap in that limousine."
Only Tracy Morgan. He absolutely killed it the following night as host of "Saturday Night Live," by the way. Dig it up if you missed it.
Another crucial key to Fallon's success is that he's embracing digital technology in a way that his new peers have never even attempted, partially due to the pre-internet age gap they reach across to their audiences. It's a stroke of sheer genius that he's added a computer to his hosting desk - a Mac, no less. This immediately gives him the kind of tech-savvy cred that the likes of Letterman has never seen.
Last week, Fallon upped the ante by holding a mini-reenactment of a "Diggnation" episode, with nerd gurus Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose. It was a high-watermark for the web celebs, who are notoriously famous on the internet but have yet to make a blip on the radars of mainstream TV audiences. Their appearance was the fulfillment of a promise Fallon made while appearing as a guest on "Diggnation." They just didn't expect the invitation to happen during the show's crucial first few weeks. "We sort of assumed it was going to be months before we got onto the show," Albrecht said.
Speaking of tech, viewers also got a good look at the new Palm Pre (check out our review here: Palm Pre), thanks to guest Josh Topolsky from Engadget. For millions, it was a first look at the product that's being billed as the best possible contender for the Apple iPhone's cell-market domination.
"Late Night" producer Gavin Purcell has said that viewers can expect to see more product placement than they're used to with gadgets, games and Web services set feature prominently in future episodes. It's worth noting that Purcell previously produced "Attack of the Show" on the G4 network.
Fallon also utilized Twitter to solicit interview questions for Cameron Diaz from fans. The micro-blogging service has become a major promotional tool for "Late Night." Fallon's a regular poster (@jimmyfallon), as is Purcell (@gavinpurcell - a great guy, I'm a follower @JohnnyFirecloud). Even better - ?uestlove, drummer for house band the Roots and de facto frontman of the group, tweets during tapings of the show (@qoolquest).
I think I've finally pinpointed the difference between Jimmy and all the other hosts you've ever seen in a late night position. We watched him come up on SNL, from the smartass kid who could never get through a skit without laughing, to a genuinely funny guy (who still could never get through a skit without laughing). We've got a personal stake of interest in the guy who made us laugh as The Leatherman and Nick Burns, the annoying computer repair guy. We grew up with him while he grew up as an entertainer - therefore, whether we want him to succeed or not, he's on our radars. We can't help but have a heightened curiosity.
Other noteworthy bits:
Animal handler Jarod Miller's appearance (the same night as Morgan's) was a ridiculous, dangerous mess - Fallon was nearly either poisoned, bitten or eaten by just about every animal Jarod brought onstage - but something tells me he'll be back on. It was great television.
Another bit, the"Twitter experiment," as they're calling it, features an audience member's account on the show, with a request that all viewers "follow" him. The idea seems to be to find out just how popular they can make the person through the magical powers of television. In the first hour after Fallon took to the show asking his fans to follow amateur cartoonist Bryan Brinkman, his Twitter account amassed more than 7,800 new followers. That's more than a hundred a minute.
Shared Experiences: the Warheads edition was brilliant, capturing shots of audience members wincing in a fierce display of sour-candy solidarity. Expect more Shared Experiences bits.
Tune in tonight (Monday) to see Public Enemy performing "Bring The Noise" with The Roots. History's being made, folks. Don't miss it.
