The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - General Discussion

[vb68]

So that story that JJ Abrams told last night about visiting the tv set from hell in the late 70s?   I'm guessing Eight is Enough.  The little kid on the skateboard sounds exactly like Adam Rich.  And the older kid who was drunk could easily be Willie Aames.  Betty Buckley wasn't really the Mom, but it could still fit.  She didn't come back for the two TV reunions, so I could reasonably believe she didn't like Dick Van Patten.

 

Just my guess. I just remember Adam Rich back in the day doing interviews on kids shows trying to show off his skateboarding skills.

[betsyboo]

So that story that JJ Abrams told last night about visiting the tv set from hell in the late 70s?   I'm guessing Eight is Enough.  The little kid on the skateboard sounds exactly like Adam Rich.  And the older kid who was drunk could easily be Willie Aames.  Betty Buckley wasn't really the Mom, but it could still fit.  She didn't come back for the two TV reunions, so I could reasonably believe she didn't like Dick Van Patten.

 

Just my guess. I just remember Adam Rich back in the day doing interviews on kids shows trying to show off his skateboarding skills.

OMG I'm so glad I wasn't the only one fascinated by the possibilities. I *may have just lost 30 minutes to IMDB trying to figure it out. (And naturally looked up JJs birthday and added 13 years.....) While your guess was my first also (with the Partridge Family a close second until I remembered there wasn't a father), Betty Buckley did not do any TV movies with JJ's father. (That was the story, right? An actress in one of his dad's TV movies was also on a family TV show...?)

 

I spent a LOT of time trying to match up. His dad worked with a lot of name actresses, but none of them fit the "family show" criteria. It's like a Star Wars blind item! :-)

 

I then pondered The Waltons, but I refuse to believe Michael Learned was stoned. OR that she didn't get along with Ralph Waite. Same goes for Sada Thompson and Family.

[vb68]

OK that Star Wars video was flatout AWESOME!!    I loved when Carrie Fisher came onscreen.

 

I'm sure it will get posted here tomorrow.

[sum]

OK that Star Wars video was flatout AWESOME!!    I loved when Carrie Fisher came onscreen.

 

I'm sure it will get posted here tomorrow.

Jimmy and his crew sure know how to put a smile on people's faces. I couldn't care less about the movie, yet I almost feel the excitement. The Starwars themed closing credits was a nice touch too!

[Babalooie]

Does Jimmy love Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, or what?  That was infectious in a good way.  Fun that The Roots combined with them to form a Big Band.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Babalooie

[canter]

Audience member Nik's friend looked pissed last night when the camera panned back to them while Jimmy and NiCk were making mild fun of Nik.

And Elle King must have been wearing a very structured corset under her slinky dress -- it gave an odd effect, and an unfortunate bulge in her crotch area.

[Babalooie]

Wow!  Last night of LA shows had horrible audio.  Did the Grammy audio techs work this show?

[zxy556575]

I liked all the drop-ins during Hollywood week. It was nice to see Jay Leno but I wondered if he brought his own jokes when he tagged in or if those were from Jimmy's monologue.

 

Jimmy started off pretty even with Kareem on pop a shot but he later got so far behind I thought he might be doing it on purpose. (Also, whenever I see or hear Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's name, my mind changes it to Lew Alcindor. Same with Muhammad Ali -- it's just hard to erase the names I grew up knowing them as.)

[vb68]

I also thought he threw Box of Lies with Vince Vaughn.  It just seemed like it.

Edited February 20, 2016 by vb68

[mtlchick]

Kevin Spacey's impression of Christopher Walken will never fail in making me cry from laughing.  

[zxy556575]

Kevin Spacey's impression of Christopher Walken will never fail in making me cry from laughing.  

 

Add in the kid judge not getting it and thinking Kevin was just weird had me laughing pretty hard myself.

[betsyboo]

Monday's show (March 14, 2016) featured Eugene Levy (and Catherine O Hara) playing pictionary with JF and a very high Shailene Woodley. The JF/EL "cat ... tongue" made me laugh until I cried! (OK, I may have been punchy and overtired, but it still made me absolutely bust out with loud guffaws. Mostly due to EL's face.)

[zxy556575]

Monday's show (March 14, 2016) featured Eugene Levy (and Catherine O Hara) playing pictionary with JF and a very high Shailene Woodley. The JF/EL "cat ... tongue" made me laugh until I cried! (OK, I may have been punchy and overtired, but it still made me absolutely bust out with loud guffaws. Mostly due to EL's face.)

 

Shailene was high? I wondered.

 

I shouldn't have looked at the answers on the screen beforehand, because ... maybe cat got your tongue wouldn't have sprung to my mind either? As a common phrase?

 

Nope, still ridiculous. Sorry Eugene, but take some ginkgo biloba or something.

[Babalooie]

Questlove was out one day this week, sadly, because his father passed away.  Rest in Peace.

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20160318_Lee_Andrews__79__pioneering_Philadelp,hia_musician.html

Edited March 19, 2016 by Babalooie

[vb68]

I was interested to hear Rita Wilson sing, but sweet Jeebus did the music drown her out.  I really couldn't hear anything she was saying.  I'm not even entirely sure the mic was turned all the way on.  Surely that was rehearsed?  

Edited March 22, 2016 by vb68

[Babalooie]

Rita Wilson didn't sound that great to me, either.

I was, however, impressed with Don Cheadle.

[zxy556575]

A couple of the Roots looked very surprised/delighted when Melissa was doing her lip sync to Colors of the Wind, but hadn't there been a rehearsal? I want to know how many people and wind machines were behind the scenes tossing out stuffed animals and bagfuls of streamers, confetti, plastic wrap, etc. Totally worth the clean-up costs, IMO as a viewer!

[sum]

A couple of the Roots looked very surprised/delighted when Melissa was doing her lip sync to Colors of the Wind, but hadn't there been a rehearsal? I want to know how many people and wind machines were behind the scenes tossing out stuffed animals and bagfuls of streamers, confetti, plastic wrap, etc. Totally worth the clean-up costs, IMO as a viewer!

As far as I know, only the production staffs are around during lip sync battle rehearsals. No reason for the Roots to be in the studio for that bit anyway. As Jiimmy says right before a battle, each participant has no idea what songs the other(s) are going to do. 

[callmebetty]

Last night's show just was the epitome of why Jimmy is the Worst interviewer. He had Jonathan Groff on and he spent the majority gushing on how great he was in Hamilton, not letting him get a word in. Then when he does speak it's to do some silly thing that is really just all about Jimmy. Ughh.

[vb68]

I was afraid he was never going to let Jonathan speak.  And then he hugged Jonathan like nobody's business.  I honestly thought for a second that Jimmy might start kissing him. 

[tom87]

I was afraid he was never going to let Jonathan speak.  And then he hugged Jonathan like nobody's business.  I honestly thought for a second that Jimmy might start kissing him. 

 

 

Last night's show just was the epitome of why Jimmy is the Worst interviewer. He had Jonathan Groff on and he spent the majority gushing on how great he was in Hamilton, not letting him get a word in. Then when he does speak it's to do some silly thing that is really just all about Jimmy. Ughh.

It was like Jonathan was on to promote Jimmy being on the mix tape.   Disappointing.

Edited April 9, 2016 by tom87

[Babalooie]

Not sure where to put this, but when the show returns, look for a tweaked face.  It was very noticeable on the Prince Tribute SNL special that he hosted.

[Twilight Man]

So, he spent the whole week obsessing over the Styx song "Too Much Time On My Hands".

I thought that the natural conclusion would be to have Dennis De Young & Tommy Shaw pop in for a surprise appearance,

but it turns out it was all for Jimmy and Paul Rudd to pretend to be the band members in a silly recreation of the video.

[possibilities]

Fay Wray. I couldn't believe they were refusing to name-check Fay Wray.

[Babalooie]

Just stopping by this dead/dying thread to say, "Hi".  Looks like new shows next with Mel B., Daniel Radcliffe, and Freddie Prinze, Jr.  Not too exciting.

[zxy556575]

Wow, what a great show with Obama! Totally because of the latter.

[shok]

He is so cool. Boy the country is going to miss him, in more ways than one (or a hundred and one).

[mtlchick]

I giggled snorted at the "How do you like me now?" during Thank You Notes.

 

Was there a reason Madonna was on other than "Are you bored and want to sing for a few?"  (That said, I loved this version of Borderline.) 

[amaranta]

Obama has one of the best deadpans / straight deliveries I've ever seen.  The reaction to now needing his birth certificate to prove he's only 54 was amazing.

[Princess Sparkle]

Jimmy will be hosting the 2017 Golden Globes.  

[mtlchick]

Dolly Parton is someone I can listen to all damn day.  

[vb68]

A couple of  thoughts on last week...

The Hungry Humans game with the Girls Gymnastics Team was pretty creative and everyone seemed to have a blast playing it.

Dolly was great as usual, and Barbra Streisand was utterly charming. She also seemed charmed by Jimmy.  I liked when she burst out laughing when he called  Siri stupid.   The sketch with her and "Trump" was also pretty funny.

Beer pong with roombas! 

[zxy556575]

Okay. I record all the late night talk shows and Tonight is probably the one I end up watching the least -- usually only guests I'm interested in and some of the comedy bits. I like Jimmy fine but am not a super fan or anything, is what I'm saying.

However.

I feel like I have to defend his interview with Trump. This is not a news show, or pundits discussing current events, or political satire. It's not Jimmy's job to hold Trump's damned feet to the fire. He goes easy on all guests, including politicians and including Hillary. That to me is fair and respectful.

Would I personally rather that Trump had not been invited? Sure. But since he was, I'm glad Jimmy was polite and friendly.

[ruby24]

3 hours ago, lordonia said:

Okay. I record all the late night talk shows and Tonight is probably the one I end up watching the least -- usually only guests I'm interested in and some of the comedy bits. I like Jimmy fine but am not a super fan or anything, is what I'm saying.

However.

I feel like I have to defend his interview with Trump. This is not a news show, or pundits discussing current events, or political satire. It's not Jimmy's job to hold Trump's damned feet to the fire. He goes easy on all guests, including politicians and including Hillary. That to me is fair and respectful.

Would I personally rather that Trump had not been invited? Sure. But since he was, I'm glad Jimmy was polite and friendly.

But the entire premise of this takes does take a position, which is that Trump is the same as all other politicians, including Hillary and including all other Republicans. That's the position Jimmy took by having him on and treating him the way he did.

And that's was so offensive about it. This is about basic decency and humanity at this point, which goes beyond politics, and apparently Jimmy doesn't see that, which tells us something about him.

Jimmy is a terrible interviewer on his best day, so I didn't expect him to hold anyone's feet to the fire. But if he was forced to have him on by the execs (and as the host, I'm sure he could have put up a fight, but there's no way he did that), the least he can do is not humanize him or rub his damn hair. Or tell him his campaign is "amazing." I mean, that was pitiful. He could have been polite, curt, and brief, but he seemed to bask in it instead, and that was just...horrific. 

[Babalooie]

Hey Jimmy,

 I keep seeing you messing with your nose all the time on your show.  Are your "allergies" bothering you?

Signed,

Mom

[Bronzedog]

Every time I watch this show I wonder if Jimmy ever says anything funny.  And, Jimmy?  Stop singing the songs of your guests and then talking over them in interviews.  I'm out.  This show stinks.

[MerBearHou]

Jimmy Fallon used to be my #1 late night show, but no more.  I am so bored with the all-Trump, all-the-time jokes.  So repetitive, not funny, not creative, stuck-in-a-rut, speaking to just one audience.  Plus add that fact that Jimmy spends most of his interviews talking rather than letting his guests talk -- I'm done, unless there is a stellar guest on that I simply can't miss.  I've moved over to Jimmy Kimmel who is a very generous host and lets his guests do most of the talking -- Jimmy K is the set-up guy and lets his guests shine.  He's very, very witty himself but doesn't have to constantly prove it like Jimmy F tries to.  Jimmy F is like the little kid who has GOT to be the center of attention.  It's a shame -- like I said, JF used to be my absolute favorite.

[opus]

The all Trump, all the time jokes is basically every late night show now. But I agree he's a horrible interviewer.

Edited February 23, 2017 by opus

[MerBearHou]

Oh no, Jimmy's show is being encouraged to become MORE Trump-focused and political to combat Stephen Colbert's recent rating success.  UGH.  I tune into these late night shows to escape all of that.  A little is fine and would be nonsense to avoid altogether, but MORE political?  Please no.

[kib]

On 3/8/2017 at 10:31 AM, MerBearHou said:

Oh no, Jimmy's show is being encouraged to become MORE Trump-focused and political to combat Stephen Colbert's recent rating success.  UGH.  I tune into these late night shows to escape all of that.  A little is fine and would be nonsense to avoid altogether, but MORE political?  Please no.

This might be what you're referring to:

People At NBC Reportedly Worried Jimmy Fallon ‘Too Weak On Trump’

A couple things: Remember, Fallon got the gig by circuitous circumstances.  Had Leno followed the unwritten protocol with his retirement and had Conan not flamed-out under those events, Jimmy would probably be doing lightweight Rom-Com movies not unlike Fever Pitch until his dying days and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I've not witnessed that Fallon has any interest or capacity whatsoever in doing any more than being America's tail-wagging puppy.  That's fine, it worked for Leno.  Pick up a sizable paycheck each week, don't piss anyone off and nobody gets hurt.  Again, that's fine.  I think what suits at NBC might want from Fallon is very different from what they are able to get from Fallon.  At the end of the day the only thing that counts is how many eyeballs are tuned in. It doesn't get anymore egalitarian than that...

Edited March 9, 2017 by kib

[zxy556575]

Yes to everything, @kib

Network suits aren't exactly known for staying cool and taking the long view. Letterman used to have mini surges and overtake Leno for a bit before settling back to #2. It's not unheard of.

If anything, my guess would be that the uptick for Colbert is primarily due to new viewers who don't typically watch talk shows (or previous Colbert Report fans coming back), rather than people switching from Fallon to Colbert.

And honestly, who in this damned day and age doesn't just watch both if they want to? Only counting viewer asses in seats watching live is phenomenally backwards and skewed. TVbyTheNumbers includes DVR ratings for prime time cable and broadcast shows but not late night.

Don't get me started on network exec's fanatical focus on the 18-49 demo to the exclusion of anything else, either.

[kib]

Of mild interest:

Jimmy Fallon's Longtime 'Tonight Show' Head Writer A.D. Miles Exits

I really don't think there are any tea leafs to be read into this other than maybe the cat just wanted to move along.  OTOH, Head Writer gigs for a network television show aren't dispensed out of a vending machine for anyone with change in their pockets and a 'Knock-knock' joke jotted down in their Moleskine journal...

[Babalooie]

10 hours ago, kib said:

I really don't think there are any tea leafs

I came here to share this article, too.  I think you're right.  I believe they are parting on good terms.  He's been working there for eight years, now.

[zxy556575]

You're both probably right but the timing is a little suspicious, coming so close after Fallon started sinking a bit in the ratings. In any event, I hope whoever they hire gooses the show with a new perspective (and better monologue jokes).

[Bronzedog]

Maybe the next writer will write something that's actually, umm, I don't know, funny.  Because I don't think I've ever heard Jimmy Fallon say a single funny thing.

[Babalooie]

4:20 episode - It was rather hypocritical to call Palin, Nugent, and Kid Rock  the Redneck Holy Trinity and liken it to the Beverly Hillbillies, and then call out a country singer, Brad Paisley,  to help him sing weed songs. 

[zxy556575]

My guess is that Jimmy and his writers are being pushed to be edgier/more political because of his recent ratings dip in favor of Colbert. Biting satire really isn't Jimmy's wheelhouse (or that of The Tonight Show) and I'd rather everyone just stop.

[Babalooie]

9 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

Biting satire really isn't Jimmy's wheelhouse

Exactly.  I watch Fallon and Corden for the musical entertainment.  Everyone isn't into politics.  I love Jon Batiste on  Colbert, but I had to stop watching because the political satire was too biting for my taste.  I feel that Corden is in the same boat as Jimmy and is trying to keep up with Colbert's political schtick, but at least he's entertaining.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Babalooie

[cpcathy]

I don't think Jimmy needs to touch politics at all. His show last night with John Oliver and Patton Oswalt was hilarious. Great guests, and it seemed Jimmy is toning down his hyperactivity.

[Medicine Crow]

21 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

I don't think Jimmy needs to touch politics at all. His show last night with John Oliver and Patton Oswalt was hilarious. Great guests, and it seemed Jimmy is toning down his hyperactivity.

Thank Gawd!!  I can't watch him when he's so hyper-silly.  I'm not sure if I recorded last night's show, but should have because of John Oliver.  Fingers crossed.  Thanks for the heads-up.