Another Late Night Without Conan O’Brien

I just found out The Roots were the official house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I thought it was a one time thing, turns out I was wrong. So now I have little to no choice but to check the show out whenever possible. Luckily the first episode wasn’t half-bad. It had its awkward moments, but those can all be attributed to Robert DeNiro and opening night jitters. But Tina Fey is not Robert DeNiro. She’s not a character actress and she’s actually interesting. To boot, Fey and Fallon had excellent chemistry in their Weekend Update days, arguably the only reason Fallon got this gig, so tonight is a real test for Fallon. If he fucks this up, his show is probably a bust.

reunited and it feels so good

Read a full recap and review of Fallon’s second show after the jump…

It’s good to see that Fallon and Fey still have undeniable chemistry, but their interview was initially kind of uncomfortable. They started off with a little too much chemistry, gabbing and giggling uncontrollably around some confusing story about a banquet. But whatever, it was two friends who hadn’t seen each other for a while jibber-jabbing uncontrollably. Once they shook their sillies out it calmed down into a great, natural interview. They didn’t worry about promoting 30 Rock, probably because at this point it’s not even necessary anymore. Instead, they shot the shit, poked fun at past haircuts and basically displayed the kind of camaraderie I expected. Not the prototypical late night interview, but it worked.

The Internet Video of the Day followed next, and holy shit that TV is massive. The German Soccer Fashion Show video itself was funny enough but Jimmy Fallon wouldn’t shut the fuck up; hearing him narrate over the video ruined it’s effectiveness and having some idiot dance around the set as if he were a part of the skit is something that probably sounded funnier on paper. I don’t imagine this being a very successful bit.

First thing I thought when I saw Jon Bon Jovi was “wow, he looks old”. His teeth are still frighteningly white, but at least he’s ditched the perma-press perm he rocked throughout Bon Jovi’s comeback. But then JBJ brought out a mug with Lorne Michael’s face on it and got Tina Fey to awkwardly dance to ‘Brick House’, so him looking like a befuddled geezer wasn’t as big of a deal in the end. They did an awkward karaoke bit with an alleged Bon Jovi super-fan who wasn’t close to singing on key, but The Roots proved yet again that they can play pretty much anything they want, on cue, and make it look easy. Jon Bon joined in on the fun and he was about as off key as the super-fan, but I guess it’s the thought that counts.

Up next was an over-long skit about a chair that wasn’t good enough for the Late Night studio. Another skit, another dud. It was essentially a time killer, and in that right it succeeded, but Fallon’s got a lot of work to do with his bits.

I’d never heard of Santigold before tonight, but judging her lamé-clad back-up singers and her DJ’s airbrushed moustache it’s probably because I’m not one to indulge in hipster-douchebaggotry. That being said, her performance was solid-if-robotic and I can’t help but praise the hammer-dancing executed by the back-up singers. I don’t know who Spank Rock is, either, but he brought little to the performance.
The show ended with Fallon high fiving the audience. He high-fived one broad and I swore I saw her lick her hand as he walked away. I’ve be told that isn’t the case and I severely hope I’m wrong. If not…fucking gross.
Two episodes in and Fallon has impressed me. His skits suck, but his show has fairly solid pacing and a strong energy. As of yet he hasn’t totally fucked it up. He’s still no Conan, but he’s far from Carson Daly. I’m sure he’ll take that as a hearty consolation.