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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - General Discussion


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Last night was kinda interesting with Norm MacDonald.   I've never seen someone take such a swipe at Johnny on The Tonight Show.

 

"I'm told he was funny.  I have to take it on faith because he was just an old man when I knew him."

 

 

Ouch.

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Norm is the greatest talk show guest. Everything from his own interviews and takes on things, to when he's sitting on the couch while the second guest tries in vain to hock whatever thing their there to promote while Norm undercuts them. Definitely the top performance since his Conan appearance where Courtney Thorne-Smith had the unfortunate task of following him.

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Norm is someone some people just don't get (while others just love the hell out of him). He's kind of a dividing line, IMO, between "Comedians" and "Comedians' Comedian".  

 

I haven't seen his appearance on Last Comic Standing yet, but I bet that's going to push the divide too between the people who love him and the people who don't get him at all.

 

I do wonder what Norm thinks of Jimmy Fallon. Even Norm will stay mum on his true opinion in the short term (but might blurt it out years later on another talk show or on a podcast).  Then again, Jimmy's weakness is as a host and interviewer.  Maybe the fact that Jimmy's BETTER at the comedy aspects makes him sympathetic to Norm, even though the things that Jimmy is terrible at he's TRULY terrible at.

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(edited)

If he truly didn't like Jimmy, I'm guessing he wouldn't come on.   I have no idea if they are friends, but Norm had fun with him.  I think he at least has some respect for Jimmy as a comedian.

 

But man, again I'm both giddy and amazed that he had a go at Johnny while on the frigging Tonight Show.   

Edited by vb68
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While I am no longer a fan of Tom Cruise, the lip-sync battle was hysterical. He *will do anything to promote a movie. But he didn’t half-ass it. He went all in and i laughed out loud. The camera back and forth during Dashboards was really funny. And the tease at Jimmy with Old Time Rock and Roll.

Also, if I was the girl they sang to at the end, I would have wet my pants.

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Religious issues aside, I don't mind Tom Cruise.  He's one of the few high ranking A list stars that will go all out for anything he's selling to the masses and will be a good sport (more to the point he'll do it in front of a live audience as opposed to Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio.) 

 

I just feel bad for the guy next to the girl they serenaded.  I bet he was thinking "So Tom Cruise kissed her hand and I'm taking her to the Olive Garden later."

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(edited)

Agree re: Tom Cruise.  Say what you want about the guy, but he has more charm and charisma than twenty people combined. 

 

He was on The Nerdist podcast last summer promoting the Edge of Tomorrow movie, and could not have been nicer to Chris Hardwicke. And I know Hardwicke couldn't believe he was sitting there interviewing Tom Cruise. 

 

Bryan Cranston also said that when he made Rock of Ages with Cruise,  that Tom was the hardest working person on the set, that he'd actually help move stuff, help others with their lines, etc.   He would do a scene and then go watch the playback and ask for notes, he was the first on the set and the last to leave, and was always just beyond nice to everyone. 

Edited by teddysmom
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Agree re: Tom Cruise.  Say what you want about the guy, but he has more charm and charisma than twenty people combined. 

 

He was on The Nerdist podcast last summer promoting the Edge of Tomorrow movie, and could not have been nicer to Chris Hardwicke. And I know Hardwicke couldn't believe he was sitting there interviewing Tom Cruise. 

 

Bryan Cranston also said that when he made Rock of Ages with Cruise,  that Tom was the hardest working person on the set, that he'd actually help move stuff, help others with their lines, etc.   He would do a scene and then go watch the playback and ask for notes, he was the first on the set and the last to leave, and was always just beyond nice to everyone. 

Which is why I always loved him!! I don't care necessarily about his Scientology - that's his choice. But when he went after Brooke Shields and basically said everyone on anti-depressants were lazy, that's when I checked out. "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance." gah.

 

anyway, back to the show. There's some conversation over on the Dream LSB guests forum discussing who could compete with TC on that show.

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Cruise is a "nice guy" within a specific context. It's not that it's an act, but it is targeted. He's a focused, intense, but supremely selfish man, who enjoys being publicly known as "the good guy", but looks the other way when it comes to a thousand other examples of people throwing their weight around (and he's far from immune to doing so himself too--read up a bit on how he turned their kids away from having any real relationship with Nicole Kidman). He's a hard worker too, it's true. But this is all part of his Scientology matra--not a legitimate product though, so much as a persona he adapts to try and live up to being a figurehead of an "ideal" Scientologist. One might almost feel sorry for him having to live up to that, if he wasn't also turning a blind eye to so many other things they do wrong.

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But when he went after Brooke Shields and basically said everyone on anti-depressants were lazy, that's when I checked out.

 

Yes I remember that now, not his finest hour.  Didn't that happen around the same time as the couch jumping on Oprah and the Matt Lauer interview blow up.  I think he'd gotten back in the throes of Scientology again after almost leaving it while married to Kidman.  

 

I guess one could say he works and acts very hard to come across this way.  It's a shame he's still involved with Scientology, seeing as how they've hurt a lot of people.  He has to know about that stuff. 

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God damn you, Jimmy Fallon, for making me like Tom Cruise even the tiniest bit.  Even if I could possibly look past all the Scientology bs (which I can't), I'll never, EVER forgive him for playing Jack Reacher.

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God damn you, Jimmy Fallon, for making me like Tom Cruise even the tiniest bit.  Even if I could possibly look past all the Scientology bs (which I can't), I'll never, EVER forgive him for playing Jack Reacher.

He's a charming man. He wouldn't be the success he was if he wasn't.

Charm... the APPEARANCE of niceness is... I won't say "easy", because it's not. But "surface" might suffice.

In other news, Bill Cosby was on the surface a very nice, charming man too. True, part of his act (and real personality) was coming off as a curmudgeon, but even that was charming to most people, and there was never a lack of people who didn't also describe Cosby as gracious and kind. At least until he tried to slip you (if you were a young woman) a Quaalude pill, or play hardball when you later complained.

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In other news, Bill Cosby was on the surface a very nice, charming man too. True, part of his act (and real personality) was coming off as a curmudgeon, but even that was charming to most people, and there was never a lack of people who didn't also describe Cosby as gracious and kind. At least until he tried to slip you (if you were a young woman) a Quaalude pill, or play hardball when you later complained.

Cosby's lip-synching Friday night...

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Cosby's lip-synching Friday night...

Jokes aside, somehow The Tonight Show never got around to taking down Jimmy's extensive library (built just in a few years) of him joshing around/kibbutzing with Cosby.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhh6dHHKdfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2gHwCOL4YA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VrvPZwqUwU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZnTI06HeM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13bpexikSTk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hATtNSAgYHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGAIhv6GMBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNXqB0K58QQ

 

And that's just from late 2013 and 2014 appearances.

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(edited)

I just started watching last nights show and have a question.  Was that Simon Pegg playing Ron Weasley?  That was a fairly funny bit. 

 

ETA:  He just said Simon Pegg is on tonight's show, so I guess it was.

Edited by muffkins
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After seeing the latest "Box of Lies" game with Heidi Klum, I am convinced that Jimmy knows what is in all of the boxes ahead of time.  With barely a glance, he knew the exact name of that cinnamon liqueur and knew that the lips were WAX lips, although Heidi called them a plastic mouth.  I'm just suspicious because he is so competitive.

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I admit I love Jimmy. However, I also admit to a bit of fatigue from the "bits and gambits." But (I am a full week behind) the phone booth segment with Kevin Spacey had me howling (maybe I was overtired). When they flashed to the jockey smushed way down at the bottom, I laughed until I cried. Then I rewound and laughed as hard again. It was so ridiculous. 

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I watched the rerun of Streisand's appearance last night.  Good God that was uncomfortable.  The woman hasn't done a talk show in 50 years and Fallon couldn't STFU and let her answer a question. (if in fact there had been one asked)  Sad thing was, she genuinely seemed to welcome engaging in a conversion but couldn't.  After a few minutes of Jimmy's unfettered firehose of platitudes it looked like she went to a place somewhere (oh look, I made a Streisand song reference) between resignation and being creeped out by the Fallon tongue bath.

 

I understand how NBC and Fallon would want to run the program again, after all it's Streisand, which means big numbers and some measure of prestige, but that videotape needs to be burned and buried. 

Edited by kib
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Why not bring out the big guns to try and steal some of the thunder of Colbert's premiere week?   That just seems smart to me.   Jimmy's not just going to lay down.

 

 

Ellen's performance of "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was one of the best things I've seen in awhile.   I thought it was hysterical.

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I want Justin and Jimmy to bromance battle Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan.  I don't care how it happens, I just want that to happen.  

 

Also, I HAAAATE that Justin looks like that when he's simply looking for coffee.  Jessica Biel is a lucky woman.  

 

That Lip Sync Battle was outstanding.  

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I thought sucking up to Chris Christie was gross, but doing it to the vile, hateful, racist, sexist pig of a person that is Donald Trump? That truly makes me ill.

Edited by Ruby25
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I thought sucking up to Chris Christie was gross, but doing it to the vile, hateful, racist, sexist pig of a person that is Donald Trump?

 

That may be because of this twitter message from Trump:

 

 

Just purchased NBC’s half of The Miss Universe Organization and settled all lawsuits against them. Now own 100% -- stay tuned!

8:31 AM - 11 Sep 2015

 

 

They say there are no coincidences in Hollywood or politics.

 

Personally, from what I saw of the reflection bit, I thought it was funny - Trump isn't afraid to make fun of himself and takes a joke pretty well. 

 

As a rule, I'm against politicians/presidential candidates appearing on TV talk shows like this.  I think it panders to the lowest common denominator and makes the office appear that much cheaper.  Correct me if I'm wrong but Bill Clinton (and his sax) was the beginning of this trend.

Edited by magicdog
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That may be because of this twitter message from Trump:

 

 

 

 

They say there are no coincidences in Hollywood or politics.

 

Personally, from what I saw of the reflection bit, I thought it was funny - Trump isn't afraid to make fun of himself and takes a joke pretty well. 

 

As a rule, I'm against politicians/presidential candidates appearing on TV talk shows like this.  I think it panders to the lowest common denominator and makes the office appear that much cheaper.  Correct me if I'm wrong but Bill Clinton (and his sax) was the beginning of this trend.

John Kennedy on Jack Parr's "Tonight Show" in 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIkZK-Z21Pw

 

Nixon also made an appearance with Parr in 1963

 

Sprio Agnew was on Dick Cavett and Carson.  Cavett was responsible for the famous 'anagram' joke.

Edited by kib
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As a rule, I'm against politicians/presidential candidates appearing on TV talk shows like this.  I think it panders to the lowest common denominator and makes the office appear that much cheaper.  Correct me if I'm wrong but Bill Clinton (and his sax) was the beginning of this trend.

 

I think going on these talk shows opens politicians up to a different audience. President Obama, for instance, was criticized for going on talk shows as a sitting president. But do you want to restrict the presidency to talking to TV news people on Sunday morning, when mostly elderly people are watching. Like it or not, different audiences watch late-night TV, and their conversations (like Kimmel with Obama and Letterman with Obama) can get very substantive and even challenging. These late-night hosts can cut through the BS in a way that traditional news folks can't.

 

Decades ago, people were restricted to three networks for their TV media consumption. Now, we have hundreds of networks, cable and broadcast, plus YouTube. (I don't mind when Obama talks to stars of YouTube). As I said, the president shouldn't be restricted to a certain group.

To bring this back on topic, I wonder why Obama hasn't visited Fallon since he took over The Tonight Show. (He did visit Fallon once on Late Night, but he made him move his whole show to an auditoriaum in North Carolina.)

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John Kennedy on Jack Parr's "Tonight Show" in 1960

 

 

After having watched the clip - My opinion doesn't change much.  Kennedy was obviously looking to get on TV so America can see him  and potentially get to know him (given what communications were at that time).  However, he was still quite serious;  he remained dignified and talked about how serious the role of President was.  He wasn't participating in a sketch or being jokey (except perhaps for the Indian bit, but I take that as a joke he would have said in any casual conversation). 

 

I haven't seen the clips with Nixon and Agnew but I'm guessing they didn't participate in sketches either. 

 

 

These late-night hosts can cut through the BS in a way that traditional news folks can't.

 

I have yet to see this.  Not that I think traditional news reporters are much better.  However, I don't go to late night talk shows for info about politicians and/or news.  I thank the internet for the increased outlets. 

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There's a documentary with actual footage of the twin towers wire walk, called "Man on Wire"-- it's awesome. Netflix has it. I like JGL, but I can't imagine the Hollywood version of this story will be as good as the real thing-- the actual footage is sickeningly awesome, and I don't think any added fictional drama could enhance the experience of watching it.

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I wonder whatever happened to Jeff Musial.

 

I always did have the feeling that Jimmy wasn't fond of the snakes and bigger (i.e. more dangerous) animals.

 

I loved Musial pestering him so much.

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Oh man, the poor wife who texted during the few seconds that Jimmy was showing her husband's phone on camera on Friday. Saying she bailed on something and calling it "hell on wheels" probably wasn't meant for the whole world to see -- oops!

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Leno looks different. Did he age? (He's been on TV a lot since the Tonight Show, most notably as  Craig Ferguson's final guest, but he didn't look this different.)

 

Anyways, I've read some of the interviews Leno did this week promoting his new show. He really loves Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers (Meyers honored him when he received an award in D.C. and Fallon has always been nice to him. I think the secret is to kiss his ass and don't make him a stranger. That's what Conan should've done.)

 

Edited by nowandlater
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I have this on my DVR and watch occasionally.  Does anyone know the name of the guy who does TV program reviews?  He is hysterical.  I have only seen his review of the "lumber jack show" which was really about golf.  I have googled everything I can think of to find his name and, no luck.  

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I have this on my DVR and watch occasionally. Does anyone know the name of the guy who does TV program reviews? He is hysterical. I have only seen his review of the "lumber jack show" which was really about golf. I have googled everything I can think of to find his name and, no luck.

I think you might be thinking of Fred Armisen on Late Night with Seth Meyers?
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Can't wait to hear the  NBCTV watered- down explanation for the NEW hand injury.    People are getting worried about JF.  Forgive me if this belongs in Pros and Cons.

Edited by Babalooie
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An animal guy was on tonight, but it wasn't Jeff Musial. He he ever been given a Tonight Show spot?

He's been on Tonight Show three times. The latest appearance was in January this year.

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