Episode 47

FORTY-SEVEN!

MONOLOGUE: Jimmy mainly covered the Donald Sterling situation, the NBA owner who was banned for life for making inappropriate comments. The joke that caught my eye was the Chariots of Fire remake featuring the rapper Nelly. “Ben Hur, done that”… With the lead horse having a bandaid under his left eye. YESSSS!!!! Tariq gives us some more cookie tips! This was a classic segment on the Late Night Shows called “Shout Outs” where each member of the Roots including Jimmy, and some ‘audience members’ would give a shout out to something.  Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-1lm3vxQV0

The Panda in China is no longer sad?! HASHTAG WORKED! Tarik Tackles Danish Cuisine, Depressed Panda Cheers Up -- Monologue

PROS AND CONS: The Kentucky Derby!? Already! Crazy how fast this year’s been. Pros and Cons: Going to The Kentucky Derby

GUESTS: Diane Keaton and a hat don’t really seem to mix. She might as well put on the Pharrell hat, the two are similar. I can’t believe she’s never been on the show with Jimmy. This whole nose thing with Diane Keaton is a bit strange. She seems very…happy…in the interview. So it’s almost perfect that they play bear pong/red wine with ice pong. And if we didn’t think Keaton was….happy…in the interview, we got a real good glimpse of her…happiness… in the beer pong game, which ultimately turned into a throwing of ping pong balls at each other. Beer Pong with Diane Keaton (Melissa’s Note: lol what are you implying with all the …happy… talk??? lol)

I have never heard of Dane Dehaan before tonight. When Jimmy rattled off the roles he played in movies, I had a picture of what he looked like. I mean, the Spider-Man villain had to have a look right? Then he comes out and he looks like a college kid majoring in electrical engineering… No offense to electrical engineers… or Dane Dehaan. This guy is awesome! A great guest. Also, he looks like Leo Decaprio from his Titanic days. Dane DeHaan Had a Burger So Good He Cried (Melissa’s Note: YES, Clint! He does look like Leo in his younger days! I have such a crush on him now, but MARRIED?!?! Noooooooo and I hadn't heard of him either).

MUSICAL GUEST: David Bryne… Was, different, than most musical guests.

Episode 46

FORTY-SIX!

Hot crowd in NYC on a Monday night! And what a guest list to kick off the week!! Emma Stone, Robinson Cano and Keith Urban! 

MONOLOGUE: Tonight’s monologue began with the weekend’s news and sounding off on them. Of course Russia was mentioned and funny list of Banned Swear Words in Russia, but like a typical Monday monologue, a little weak, and more of a power-thru type seven minutes.  

What a good week of shows The Tonight Show has planned. A lot of good guests! Should be fun! Something tells me Steve Higgins would do this job for free. He has so much fun out there with Jimmy. 

Jimmy did a similar remote like this Robinson Cano bit, but with Matt Harvey. What a great remote and some of these reactions were great. 100% hatred turns to 100% respect. Awesome. Robinson Cano Surprises Yankees Fans While They're Booing Him

GUESTS: Emma Stone is adorable and was terrific in the The Amazing Spider-Man. I’m rather shocked Jimmy Fallon doesn’t know what Pinterest is. He knows all things social!  I would love to talk TV shows with Jimmy.*  What great insight into the making of this second movie. The director was so mad New Yorkers didn’t care about them blowing up cars, so they hired people just to react. I feel like Jimmy’s line about Emma and Andrew Garfield having no chemistry went over people’s heads. Did that crowd not know they are dating in real life?! Emma Stone Sources Inspiration Online

*You gotta risk it to get the biscuit.

LIP SYNC BATTLE:  These are so great and the second time this game has been played with a celeb since Jimmy’s takeover of the Tonight Show. The first was Show seven, (week two) with Paul Rudd. This much can be said… Stonebone game her A-Game in this battle. Lip Sync Battle with Emma Stone

ROBBIE CANO… Doncha know! That line was made famous by Legendary Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling. Being a big sports fan as I am, it’s great to see Jimmy interview sports stars. Primarily, because it kinda brings some of these stars back down to earth a bit, and shows their more human side.  Robinson Cano Has Comfort Food in Seattle

MUSICAL GUEST: Huh… I just thought Keith Urban was a judge on American Idol… All jokes aside, the Aussie can sing. And let’s also mention the new musical guest set the Tonight Show has put together for the last week. Pretty heavy duty, retro theater looking! Love it! 

Episodes 43, 44 & 45

FORTY THREE! FORTY FOUR! FORTY FIVE!

Yep, this is a deluxe edition of the Tonight Show Blog. Let’s start with some of the highlights for Wednesday’s Show (#43)

- “Speaking of botox, here’s some news coming out of The View…”

-  Oh my… The Panda jokes… Between the jokes, music, and a dancing panda, it all works extremely well. Then the panda dances too much and gets exhausted… Just hilarious. Seeing the panda exhausted with a water bottle was easily the best part.

-  Mark from the Roots is terrific.

-  Don’t let the door knob hit ya!

-  The Tonight Show turned into an episode of Ellen as Jimmy danced out to break Suggestion Box: Roots' Earth Day Celebrations, Mad Men Face Flop

- Cameron Diaz is the first repeat guest on the Tonight Show, which is pretty impressive considering there’s only been 43 shows. 

- Roller Golf is a tremendous idea! I’d be totally down for this. 1! 2! 3! FORE! Roller Golf with Cameron Diaz

-  THE PANDA RETURNS ON THE COURSE

-  Jim Gaffigan is great! I saw his show once and even though 99.8% of his jokes are food related, he’s still one of the funniest guys I’ve seen or heard. 

-  Gaffigan was on fire tonight! If this is anything like his new special, we are in for a treat. It’s why I love when famous stand up comedians are on these talk show, because it’s basically a 6 minute set from their show.

FORTY-FOUR!

-  Tariq joins the monologue for a bit that’s been on the show before. Always solid. Obama Plays Soccer vs. Robot, Net Neutrality Debate -- Monologue

- Fallon Pando returns for night 2 of cheerfulness Hooters Loyalty Program, Fallon Panda Returns -- Monologue

-  Pretty cool that such an A-List rocker, Steven Tyler sat in with the Roots, even better, he recorded a random studio audience member’s voicemail.Steven Tyler Records a Personal Voicemail Greeting

-  Hastags makes its weekly appearance on the show (change the theme back…) and it was a good one! #WeddingFail. People have had some funny experiences. I do wish the segment was longer, like it was back on the Late Night show.Tonight Show Hashtags: #WeddingFail

-  This Dr. Phil show parody is a pretty good idea. Usually I’m not a fan of this Obama/Putin bit that Jimmy does, but for some reason it worked today. Anytime, someone makes fun of those Maury, Jerry Springer shows, is classic. Putin & Obama Go On "Dr. Phil" Show

-  Remember when Dr. Phil was only on TV once a week on Oprah…now he’s done 2000 of his own shows. 

-  Here’s a Highlight from James Van Der Beek’s interview http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/4836 … 

FORTY-FIVE

- I think over the course of 45 shows, Jimmy has ripped himself for being alone in high school, more than any other running gags. 

- The Panda finally has a name, “Hashtag”. This little panda bit is getting big at an accelerated rate. Fallon Panda Gets Her Name

-  Another round of Thank You Notes that we can all super relate to. Good stuff. Thank You Notes: NBA Playoffs, Aloe

-  Unsexy Words Spoken in an Unsexy Way by Jamie Foxx was beyond amazing. Foxx is hilarious behind the piano, as evident in this ESPY Moment(s) Can I Be Your Tennis Ball? Parts I & II - Jamie Foxx Serenades Serena Williams (2003 & 2004 ESPYs) But back to tonight…the guy can really play the piano and sing! Jamie Foxx Sings Unsexy Words Sexily

-  Here’s a quick synopsis of the Jamie Foxx interview… He loves Jimmy Fallon and his show. He loves the comedy, he loves the Roots, and he loves Jimmy’s chemistry with Justin Timberlake, and I totally agree when Foxx says Jimmy and Justin should do a movie together. That would be a quality movie going experience.

-  One could argue Alan Cumming is a repeat guest as well, even if the first time it was to be a musical guest. This is the first time he’s done an interview segment. 

-  Music tonight was rock solid. Kendrick Lamar and Alicia Keys with a song from the new Spider-Man 2 movie: Amazing how, from a song, you can gage the mode of what the movie might be. 

Episode 42

FORTY-TWO

First of all, a happy Earth Day to all of you. So… I guess… Do what people do on Earth Day…

MONOLOGUE: Earth Day, of course, leads us into the first couple minutes of Jimmy’s monologue where most of the jokes included Apple recycling their products. FACT. Yet still awesome. You think I’m wrong? Raise your hand if you have a Zune… We continue to the Facebook Daily Newspaper, all those headlines are true. Powdered alcohol to mix drinks with?! Forget getting all your news from Facebook… I get my news from one James Fallon. 

We haven’t seen Tonight Show Superlatives since the NFL Playoffs, but now with NHL Playoffs in full swing, (and boy have the games been great), we see the return of Superlatives. This bit must only be a sport playoffs thing.  Tonight Show Superlatives: 2014 NHL Playoffs

PROS AND CONS returns in Jimmy’s Return with the pros and cons of Earph Day.* In honor of Earph Day, I will not be recycling any blogs. This segment is one where Jimmy’s real talent shines through. His improv skills are amazing. Pros and Cons: Celebrating Earth Day

*Yes that spelling is correct.

GUESTS: When David Duchovny walked out I was really hoping for some Red Hot Chili Peppers as his walk out song, (think about it), but alas the Roots did not.  I think Duchovny was serious when he told Jimmy he’ll be a last second replacement guest any time. That’s pretty cool. This interview is subtly great. Robert Duchunnnnny, with like 4 or 5 N’s has been pretty solid.

Air Hockey Beer Pong was a complete fail for Jimmy… And it was awesome.  Beer Hockey with David Duchovny

John Stewart’s own John Oliver is up next and I’m a fan of his. He did a great job on the Daily Show and if he didn’t leave Comedy Central for his HBO show, he had to have been a front runner for the Late Show host position, ultimately taken by Stephen Colbert.* The last time Oliver was on with Jimmy, he did a great bit where he went to the wrong Late Night studio. If you have HBO, I would put Last Week Tonight on the DVR after Veep.

*I swear, I’m going to work on the Daily Show… Cause those people go places. (Melissa’s Note: TAKE ME WITH YOU, MY FAVORITE COUSIN! WE WILL OWN NYC!!!)

MUSICAL GUEST: This is the second time Jimmy’s announced the musical guest sitting on the stairs with the crowd. I love this. It shows how relaxed he can be and his one-ness with the people. Jimmy’s been hyping Rita Ora on Twitter all day and I’d say she lived up to a majority of the hype, but I couldn’t get over the fact Rita Ora looked like Rhianna. Dumped with paint while singing?… That’s new.

Quick programming note: I will be heading to Memphis for work till Sunday. My access to this fine program and many others will be slim to zero, so you “avid” readers must wait until next week to get caught up on links and thoughts! 

Episode 41

FORTY-ONE!

Guess who’s back? Back again…Jimmy’s back! Tell a Friend! I don’t know about you, but I took the entire week off from watching Jimmy Fallon, so it seems like an eternity since I’ve seen the show! So let’s get to it, HEY, HEY HEY HEY!

MONOLOGUE: Started off with the Boston Marathon and jokes about the winner’s name sounding like a sneeze, and Bostonians calling him “Sully.” And like most of Jimmy’s jokes in the monologue, the repetition of jokes continue throughout the monologue, moving on to Easter jokes and it corresponding with 4/20. Either way, like Jimmy said, it was a big day for guys that wear sandals. What if the Pope did use a super soaker… Hmmm.  We’re seeing some refreshed writers in this monologue. They had a week off, a chance to recharge the batteries, and we’re seeing it full on; a good mixture of video elements (Johnny Depp Robot) and a Grand Slam… at Denny’s.  

I can’t wait to see the host of the 4th hour of the Today Show, Brian Williams!

The return of Bri-Willy rapping! Love these and they might be the best edited minute 15 on television. “Gin and Juice.” Brian Williams Raps "Gin and Juice"

(Melissa’s Note: I love the Brian Williams rap so much!!!)

Jimmy’s first show back after a week off keeps coming with the hits! Freestylin’ With the Roots! If I’m not mistaken this is the first time this segment has been on the Tonight Show. It’s truly amazing what the Roots are able to do. The tradition of him crossing over the crowd lives on! Freestylin' with The Roots

GUESTS: A part of me is sad it took 41 shows for Brian Williams to be on the show, but, by golly, it’s good to see him back with Jimmy! It never ceases to amaze me how great and funny this guy really is… As well as being the most trusted guy I want to read the news. He can see the joy and the fun Jimmy is having with Brian Williams as Williams is talking about all these hip-hop collaborations. Seven times the show has made Williams rapping and only now has Williams been able to say his peace! BRIAN WILLIAMS IS OWNING Jimmy Fallon in this interview and it is beyond a delight. BEYOND! I can’t believe that whole interview was Brian Williams ripping Jimmy Fallon for the rapping videos and nicknames. Just tremendous. Brian Williams Addresses His Rapping -- Part 1, Brian Williams Addresses His Rapping -- Part 2

Christina Hendricks from Mad Men is on, and she, like January Jones, looks exactly like she would fit the time era for that show. A part of me likes that any guest on Mad Men doesn’t show a clip or really talk about the show. 

Ilan Hall from Top Chef and his show Knife Fight was last up - Love cooking segments with Jimmy and Quest, especially when they make sausage with Quest receiving it from Jimmy… wait what?!

That was a near perfect show to come back to from a week off. Execution was excellent. It was loose and quirky. And most importantly, it was entertaining, and put a smile on your face before you go to bed. Great way to end the day. 

Episode 40

FORTY!

So clearly, NBC made it mandatory that Jimmy do 40 shows straight before he gets a week off.  A well earned week off too as he and the writers have worked their fanny off to establish a solid base for the show. 

MONOLOGUE:  It seemed like a short monologue, but not surprising due to the amount of show tonight!. Few notables. Glad to see Arthur get another segment on the show with people dancing on the street talking about women’s rights. Questions and Danswers: Equal Pay for Women I don’t laugh out loud often on these late night talk shows, but that dog coming back to get his cd joke got me. 

Really surprised KISS let Mark, the bass player from the Roots, play their guitar. Usually musicians are really particular about their stuff.

THANK YOU NOTES: Is this Friday staple one of the best talk show segments on Late Night TV? Rosie Perez impression?? Well okay!  “All by Myself” into some hot sax! And they pass it around this time!!! Hot Sax is a beautiful thing that’s carried over from the last 2 months of Late Night.  Another laugh out loud moment with the LBJ Thank you Note. Was not expecting that punch line and accent with the guitar strum… All that followed by some extremely hilarious sexual innuendoes. Jimmy putting Higgins in timeout is definitely the first time it’s happened on the show. Tremendous improv here tonight.  Thank You Notes: Easter Bunny Costumes, LBJ, K…

GUESTS: NICK CAGE!  Andy Sandberg has forever ruined this actor for me. That said, Simon Helberg from the Big Bang Theory actually has one of the greatest Nicolas Cage impressions I’ve seen. The second segment with Cage was far better than the first. We got a story of Cage handling a venomous snake, Jimmy doing an impression of having a conversation with a whale and told a story of seeing a lizard on a wall of his hotel that would eat the roaches. Nicolas Cage Is Always Looking for His Next Adv…  Nicolas Cage Has a Rough History with Animals

Emily VanCamp is an actress I’m not familiar with, but Jimmy does a great job of making us feel like we do, and totally takes over the interview. Which, in this case I’m okay with. He tells a great story of his mom having bad knees, (trust me, I’m not that heartless). VanCamp matches Jimmy’s story with one of her own and her family’s cell phone plan. Big thing I took from this interview, I’m going to be calling Captain America, Cap’n’America, like Cap’n Crunch. 

MUSICAL GUEST: KISS! I’m really trying to figure out where this was filmed. I don’t recognize the set. It’s definitely not in Jimmy’s Tonight Show Studio, nor is it in SNL’s 8H studio. My goodness what a staging. By far, the biggest production staging wise, and camera wise, the way it was shot had a lot of energy, which was directed in such a way, you could feel the adrenaline in the studio (I tweeted to @FallonTonight if it was the old 6A studio across the hall, and the show Favorited it, so that may have been the location). It definitely had one of those “Outdoor Concert Series” vibes to it, and it worked. I wouldn’t be surprised if big list music acts follow suite and play in this space.

Episode 39

THIRTY-NINE!

MONOLOGUE: Can’t wait to see Jimmy take over the Colbert Report next year! Like Jimmy said, with Stephen Colbert taking over David Letterman’s Late Show next year, it’s not going to be a late night war; it’ll be a dance off!  I loved the fan, after Jimmy said Brazil isn’t ready for the World Cup, gasping so loud, he along with all of us heard it, and then made fun of her during the joke and after.  Colbert to Follow Letterman, Giant Drug S…

My goodness the chemistry between Higgins and Jimmy tonight is off the charts good. I mean OFF. THE CHARTS. GOOD. Jimmy’s improv skills, mixed with Higgins’ sound effects are out of this world funny. This is in the top 5 monologue’s Jimmy’s done in his thirty-nine shows to date. HOT SAX!* Higgins retires, but Colbert wouldn’t hire him so he’s back! Tax Deadline Approaching, Prince George Has a Play…

*It’s a Hot Sax Line!

Good to see Philip Bailey sitting in with the Roots tonight. I’ve had the great joy of seeing him from somewhat close range a couple of times and you can feel the greatness of that man and the music he’s created. 

HASHTAGS: Still hate the new hashtag theme. It’s the one thing this show has changed and done I don’t agree with at all. Tonight’s hashtags made me feel better about my family, although, I do want to steal the teaching a little cousin or something to say “nailed it” after every eye exam question. Hashtags: #MyWeirdFamily

GUESTS:  Is it just me or does Kevin Costner look a little bit like Bill Engvall here tonight? I also feel like Costner hasn’t been on TV in a long time, especially the talk show circuit. I also feel like Costner does a lot of sports movies, which I like about him. If Costner makes “Stadium of Dreams” I’d pay to see that, but what didn’t have to pay to see, was Costner rejecting Jimmy to be in a movie.  Kevin Costner Isn't Much of a City Slicker

Danica McKeller…Hello WINNIE. The interview started out hilarious with Jimmy trying to take any spotlight away from Costner and show how hot stuff he is. We move on to Danica teaching us all Palindrome’s and they are all awesome.  Danica McKellar Quizzes Jimmy on Palindromes

MUSICAL: Alan Cumming, oh sir, I did not like you in Spy Kids, but you are quite talented regardless of what you tried to do with those spy kids. Something tells me, this quite snippet of Cabaret is a start, or at least should be a start, of Broadway casts coming on the Tonight Show and performing a number from the show. That would be a HUGE get for Jimmy to have Broadway come to him and it’s great for Broadway to showcase the many talents that may not be seen by everybody. I liked it and want to see more of it!

Episode 38

THIRTY-EIGHT!

MONOLOGUE: “Hey, Jimmy Fallon, hit me Up!” LADY HUSKY! LADY HUSKY! What a start to the monologue. It really set the tone for the rest of the show, without question. The goofiness was in full force. “They knew when the strippers were going to make it rain because they could feel it in their joints”. ZING! good one, Jimmy!  The best part of the retirement home being sued had to have been the lawyers, otherwise known as the game of Clue characters. Chick-fil-a or Dude-Fil-A?! Jimmy! You are firing on all cylinders tonight!

GOOD ADVICE/BAD ADVICE is a pretty good idea brought to life tonight. Thirty-eight shows in and we have another new segment. Just add it to the list of everything this show’s writers and Jimmy have come up with. The premise is, they have a saying, such as “Make it rain.” Good advice is if you’re standing in a club. The bad advice is if you’re standing at a urinal. Silly stuff like that. This bit is very similar to Pros and Cons but it seems they are able to get away with edgier jokes… And it works! I like it. Good Advice, Bad Advice: Fight Fire with Fire

Jimmy’s at it again with the 4x3 filtered musical numbers! This time with Stevie Nicks. These bits are always good to see. Everyone loves musical numbers! Jimmy Fallon & Stevie Nicks Recreate "Stop Dra…

GUESTS: Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck was on the show promoting her new movie Draft Day. She’s one of those actresses that really seems to lay low and is a mom first* while daddy makes the Oscar winning movies. Not a bad gig. WHOA! Jennifer Garner just told the world Ben Affleck leave son Friday to go start filming the new Batman movie… That’s rather exciting! 

*Garner said she’s going to her daughter signing the Preamble to the Constitution at school.

Up next was Nirvana themselves… Itselves? Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic told some great stories of the band, including the moment they all realized the band worked. It’s really fun to hear stories from the road from people in a band that’s as big as Nirvana was and is. We also learned Jimmy was in a band that played once a year, on New Years Eve. They were called the ‘Born Losers.’ During the Olympics they were called the “Born Lugers.” Anywho, back to the real musicians. Big congrats on their Hall of Fame induction.  PT 1: Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic Tell Old Nirvan…  PT 2: Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic Tell Old Nirvan…

MUSICAL GUEST: In continuing on with what is now known as “Play with the Roots Week” on Jimmy Fallon, Stevie Nicks and the Roots played a subdued song. Gotta say, she can still bring it!

Episode 37

THIRTY-SEVEN!

MONOLOGUE: Solid set; it always seems those Monday shows are a little rough, the writers, maybe a weekend hangover, or having to do 36 straight shows without a break, but Tuesday was back and good. Started with the hot news with the NCAA Championship, or as a Fox News anchor calls it, the N-Double A-C-P Championship. UConn Wins National Title, Possible Rob Ford Realit… I would’ve procrastinated writing this post, but according to the monologue you wouldn’t see it for another generation. Ultra Wealthy Protest Signs, Maryland Softens Pot La…

PROS AND CONS was yet again solid with the Pros and Cons of watching Game of Thrones. This segment, along with Hashtags, is the best thing Jimmy does because it gets Higgins and Jimmy rolling, just talking with each other about pretty much nothing. Talk about a bunny trail we all love to go on. It’s just fantastic… With a couple topical zingers in there too. TALKIN’ TO YOU FRANCO! Pros and Cons: Watching Game of Thrones

Broadway Versions of Hip-Hop Songs!!! Jimmy at the piano, fake playing, and a singer next to him is always hilarious! “ on the 2…1, 2, 3, 2”  The games Jimmy plays with celebrities are great, but these scripted bits are just as great if not better. The digital originals like “Downton 6B” or “Game of Desks” just bring Jimmy and his crew to a whole new level of greatness.  Jimmy Fallon & Anne Hathaway Sing Broadway…

Speaking of games, a quick aside, when will the audience member games return?! I’ve had a craving for Karate Piñata, Wheel of Carpet Samples, Models and Buckets!!

GUESTS: Anne Hathaway on the show, and I must admit, I like long haired Hathaway versus short haired Hathaway. There’s something off about hearing Hathaway half-singing rap music. I did like the story of her being on the phone with her mom after her Hawaii swimming incident and saying Entertainment Tonight isn’t the news and that she shouldn’t worry about her daughter because she’s TALKING TO HER ON THE PHONE! Anne Hathaway Is Sure She Didn't Drown

Marlon Wayans has a ton of energy. He is definitely a Wayans brother but I must say, my favorite is still Damon. His work on New Girl, Happy Endings and The Other Guys was just great. But my fear is, and I think it’s true, not just for Damon but for Marlon as well, is that they are pigeonholed into certain roles and certain movies. But they execute it to perfection.

MUSICAL GUEST: Yusuf joined once again by the Roots and Captain Kirk on backup vocals! This has got to be a blast for the Roots to play with some really stellar artists and play their songs. Tonight was solid. 

Episode 36

THIRTY-SIX!

Saw this from the Tonight Show twitter feed today: A cool backstage interview with the Roots on how they all got their nicknames. A fun, tight bunch of guys here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj6A0V5OIMY

MONOLOGUE: Several Game of Thrones jokes to start the show, to be expected. Love when Jimmy and Higgins go into their deep ‘fancy’ voices, always funny.  A nice Captain America having more money than America joke in there as well. Can’t have a monologue without a Rob Ford picture!  Another Roots interrupting the monologue; Kamal, this time talks about losing weight. Good Stuff there as well. Kamal’s Chunky Trunks! “You gotta get these trunks, punks!” Game of Thrones Premieres, Obama-Ortiz …

Do Not Play List is always a fun segment on the show. Awesome that people have found these and sent them in. How did some of these songs get approved by the record producer? So…BAD… Do Not Play: Orion, Edgar Winter, Latimore

GUESTS: Colin Firth walks out and he just looks like an Academy Award winner. He has that air about him. One thing you see with all these guests that you don’t see on a lot of other shows is how much fun they seem to be having during the interview. There are more smiles on Fallon then any other talk shows combined. “We played a bit of dialogue.” That’s got to be a sentence only British actors would say. Basically, what Colin Firth is saying is “We talked.”

Chloe Grace… Don’t know if I’ve ever heard of her. So after a quick IMDB search she’s been in some great films. Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2, Movie 43, Big Momma’s House 2, and was in the TV series Dirty Sexy Money. While all that is true, she’s really known for roles in 500 Days of Summer and Hugo. Here’s the scary part. She was born in 1997, and has accomplished way more then me. HAPPY MONDAY ALL!

MUSICAL GUEST: Is it a rule of thumb now that the Roots play behind all hip/hop artists? I would be lying, if I didn’t just watch Mark play the standup bass the whole time. 

Episode 35

THIRTY-FIVE

MONOLOGUE: Nice tribute to David Letterman slash rival slash competition at the top of the monologue. It was a nice subtle way for Jimmy to acknowledge the greatness that Letterman has done. 

I think what makes a good monologue is a variety of video elements or graphics that break up the monotony of Jimmy just telling us jokes. Tonight’s used that. Between the LBJ sound bite about his pants and the FedEx truck driver losing his truck, tonight’s monologue was solid. 

Another, more somber tribute to Letterman, once Jimmy takes to the desk. This was a good touch; shows a personal side that people love to see. Top 10 list was nice, complete with the same graphics and colors as well as the pencils on the desk.  All around a really nice gesture from Jimmy that I don’t think Jay would’ve done. Jimmy Fallon's Top 10 List: Why Letterman's Retiring

Did I not mention earlier this week about once seeing a picture on twitter of Jimmy and Mario Batali playing golf? Now we see this is a regular occurrence. Nice sand save there Jimmy! Jimmy's Chip-in from the Bunker

Thank You Notes: Solid as ever Thank You Notes: Michael Strahan, Cribs, Incense

GUESTS: I didn’t have very high hopes for Bill O’Riley, mainly because I don’t watch his show and he gets ripped a lot on the late night shows, but tonight he was quite entertaining. He had some great stories and was really nice.

Anthony Mackie could be Will Smith in both look and voice. It’s crazy. WOO! (Will Smith voice…) This interview is amazing. Best one he’s had on the show! I love that they kept he and Jimmy’s mic up during the preview clip, “FAST FORWARD THRU THIS PART.” Just hilarious. Anthony Mackie Is Flying on Screen I love the “nickname” bit they seamlessly went into. Well done.  Anthony Mackie Gives James Poyser a Nickname This Anthony Mackie interview may be up there in the most fun I’ve seen on the show in 35 episodes.

I never heard of Sky Ferreira until tonight. Lasers just make things cool. I went to see Coldplay in the summer of 2012, and it was amazing. I recently saw Swtchfoot and they brought in lasers for their show. It just adds a production element that’s beautiful to look at. Give a TON of credit to the Tonight Show Director for beautifully shooting this musical performance. He captured the look and feel to this performance. Dare I say best musical performance in 35 shows?! 

Seven weeks into the show now, soon to be eight as Jimmy has yet to take a break. Let’s keep it going! Let the fun never cease!

Episode 34

THIRTY-FOUR!

MONOLOGUE: First off, it must be said Jimmy always has great suits. Moving on. Mark front the Roots is hilarious, and you know he loves the attention. Rob Ford back in the news?! My goodness Jimmy just loves what that man does; he should put all his jokes on a DEE VEE DEE!! Tariq returns to interrupt Jimmy’s monologue. This is one of my favorite bits on the show. I love seeing the Roots get involved. “Hey, did you watch Letterman last night?!” “Ye, Old Microphone.” Weather Talk with Tarik, Marijuana Pizza in Canad…

HASHTAGS: Still hate the new theme. This is the second time we’ve seen a “worst car” hashtag. All these car stories make me feel blessed to always have a working car. ‘’ Hashtags: #MyWorstCar

GUESTS: Why is Harry not wearing his glasses? I gotta give it to Daniel Ratcliffe, he loves the Food Network! I too love Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. 

I’m actually pretty surprised ‘Sticky Balls’ made the Tonight Show rotation. Jimmy’s said in interviews a lot of the “goofy” games and bits from Late Night wouldn’t make the cut to the Tonight Show. I thought this game would be in that category.* I’m glad I was proven wrong. Sticky Balls with Daniel Radcliffe

*Count my balls

How entertaining is Cedric? Must say, he always looks like a stud. Wait, Who Want’s to Be A Millionaire is still on the air?! Nothing beats the old Regis days on the show whenthe game was simpler. Let’s take some time to look back at how I started this paragraph…. Yes, he certainly is. 

38 hours, 52 minutes is way too long to hold a finger on a 4x4. Jimmy’s ‘fake annoyance’ when guests and crowd people sometimes is so funny.  For not being a celebrity guest, this 4x4 winner is extremely calm on the show. He’s fantastic.  Jimmy Buys His Truck

MUSIC: I should start keeping track as to how many musical guests, the Roots play for. Of the 34 shows, the Roots, I would suspect have played for at least 10 singers. 

Episode 33

Thirty-Three!

MONOLOGUE: “You like House of Cards?! We’ll give you a deck of cards!” Quick, name all 8 Ivy League schools? Yep… I am a fan of Hank the Dog, mascot for the Milwaukee Brewers, but do we need to know he’s getting neutered? Obamacare Is Here to Stay, $425M Powerball Winner … , New Vegas Ferris Wheel, Brewers Adopt New Mas…

Another Vladimir Putin phone call sketch with special guest Tina Fey! Wait, what? That’s actually Sarah Palin? Oh… My bad. Should’ve known by the terrible acting… Wait? Is that a rip on Tina Fey or Sarah Palin, doncha know.  Putin & Sarah Palin Phone Call on "Tonight Show"

(Melissa’s Note: I do a pretty good Sarah Palin impression actually… )

GUESTS: Denis Leary has a Bon Jovi hair cut going on. Great story by Bon Jovi… Errr, Leary about meeting Jimmy’s dad at a benefit and Jimmy’s dad telling him how crazy Jimmy was as a kid singing like Morrison. Now Jimmy’s famous doing that same impression. This is the most Jimmy has let a guest talk un-interrupted. Either Jimmy really wants to know what Leary has to say, or isn’t as giddy as he is with other guests. It’s so true what Leary is saying about needing to get into an animated franchise. Ice Age, Toy Story, Shrek, Rio, all of these animated movies get a sequel if not more. We’ll see Frozen 2 in 3 years. 

CAT DEELY has got to be the first one to ever tickle the stage manager as he opens the curtain for a guest! This interview has so many edit points in it… Actually this whole show has been edited a ton! Must’ve gone over on time.*

*It’s what happens when you work in TV. You see this stuff. (Melissa’s Note: That’s my awesome cousin! Who knew we would both end up producing…)

Odd Placement for Fingers on a 4x4 tonight. Usually it’s right after the monologue, but tonight it’s at the end of the show. Was this another edit move? It’s almost like it was an afterthought and the audience was in on some inside joke before they taped the segment. I don’t understand this show at all tonight. It’s very strange. Jimmy Declares a Winner of Fingers on a 4x4

Nickel Creek was pretty good. I feel like this genre of music is really strong right now. 

Episode 32

THIRTY-TWO

MONOLOGUE: The Drew Carey, Dancing with the Stars, Price is Right joke, pretty much wrote itself. Any use of the losing horn is a success in my book. I don’t watch the news, so I get a lot of my news from these monologues. Having said that, it’s good to know now that Billy Dee Williams had to leave Dancing with the Stars because of back problems. Speaker Boehner mowing the yard?!! YES PLEASE! That grass was green! I love green grass too. And if that video wasn’t great enough, they put Yakety Sax under it!? Yes Please.

BILLY DEE WILLIAMS!!! What a sport to come on the show and dance with Chewy! That was fun! Billy Dee Williams' Final Dance

When Jimmy said Pitbull gave him a gift basket before the show, I thought he was going to say it was going to have Bud Light and Pepsi and not cookies and ‘leche.’

I love how competitive Jimmy is with games on this show, and this Fingers on a 4x4 is no different! I wonder if these people have actually slept at all or if they even can. What a unique game. Of course Jimmy would bring Mario Batali in with food. I think those guys are really good friends. I once saw Jimmy tweet a picture of the two of them on a golf course. You better tweet them so they can get more break time! Haha! Are we twelve? I love it! Fingers on a 4x4: Day Two Live Check-in

Samuel L. Jackson. Boy Meets World. Spoken Word. That’s all. Samuel L. Jackson Performs Slam Poem Abo…

(Melissa Note: Yes, loved this. Samuel L. is the shiznit!)

GUESTS: Sam Jackson just said “Someone’s gotta be out doing movies to make money.” I’m pretty sure if you go to Jackson’s IMDB page, he’s in some of history’s top movies. The dude is set. Samuel L. Jackson Is Not Laurence Fishburne

Jimmy: (to Jackson) “Would you ever do anything like that? (Fingers on a 4x4) Jackson: “I make phone calls and people give me cars” 

Minni Driver… Why do I always forget you aren’t from this country. Jimmy told Minnie (ha) that her show About a Boy is a hit, and on behalf of NBC he thanked her for the success. He said the same thing to James Spader when the Blacklist took off. 

Musical Guest: Sometimes I wonder what Pitbull would look like if he had hair. His songs always have a hook that gets you locked in when you don’t want too. This song has that hook. Not sure what if it’s the lip-syncing girl;s bridge part or the classic Pitbull beats. 

(Melissa’s Note: Clint, I had no idea you were so knowledgeable about music… It runs in our family, though, I should have known…)

Episode 31

THIRTY-ONE!

Jimmy Fallon has got a serious streak of consecutive shows going right now. Thirty-one since taking over the Tonight Show and he’s yet to have a night off. Watch out San Antonio Spurs!!! Jimmy’s coming for you!

The show tweeted this out today. It’s a time-lapse video of them building the new studio and transforming the old 6A into the new 6A: Tonight Show Studio Built in 60 Seconds

MONOLOGUE: I really like the twitter banter they create from one actual tweet. The UCONN Huskies vs President Obama was pretty good. Decent set of jokes, but lets get to this Fingers on a 4x4!! Obama-UConn Twitter Exchange, Facebook New…

FINGERS ON A 4x4: The introductions of the contestants for this thing are hilarious! The whole pose for a screenshot is great. There’s a solid group of Car Consultants… Dunno who my favorite is here. A live stream of this contest?!?! YOU BET! Ha, product placement… Of course a Ford commercial. I clicked on the live stream right after Jimmy mentioned it… It went from roughly 300 viewers to over 4,300 in 30 seconds. 

GUESTS: Chris Evans will forever be linked to Captain America, and he must’ve known that when he agreed to the role. Self-admittedly, I haven’t seen any other Marvel movie except Ironman and the Avengers, but this one looks good. 

The last time I saw brothers on the stage playing a game, it was Seth Myers and his brother. Same game and it’s awesome. It’s a chance to see these people are just people like us! The only difference between the Myers brothers and these brother’s Evans, is that Seth and his brother actually answered each one correctly without them knowing. Here’s Brother’s Myers http://www.hulu.com/watch/97298 Here’s the Evans brothers:Sibling-wed Game with Scott and Chris Evans, P…, Sibling-wed Game with Scott and Chris Evans, P…

Up Next was Rick Jay. I wish there were more magicians on this kind of show. Everyone loves magic. Interesting 5-cents story though. What a great card trick… I watched it twice and couldn’t figure it out, but he knew exactly what card was where… That was fantastic.