A New Era in Late Night

Last night marked Jimmy Fallon's debut taking over for Coney-boy, and if this was a sign of the future, it is indeed a dark and horrifying (and, perhaps more accurately, awkward and unfunny).

A caveat: I never saw the early years of Conan's show, which may not have been amazing. I really don't know. That being said, last night's show was absolutely cringe-worthy. I tuned in a bit late and caught Fallon, who looked like a deer in headlights (seriously, I don't know if he opens his eyes really wide when he's nervous or if someone told him to do that, but it was borderline eerie), bringing out audience members for a rousing game of "Lick it for Ten" (pretty much self-explanatory and about as unfunny as you would imagine). At one point, it was so awkward that I literally groaned out loud. The first guest was DeNiro, who, after they began to speak, I'm convinced was a shitty choice, as DeNiro didn't seem like a particularly talkative dude who could really take over the interview in case Fallon faltered (which, duh, he did). Fallon was hardly amusing, and the only laugh I got was when DeNiro impersonated Fallon, which basically sounded like a retarded girl imitating Jimmy Fallon.

I didn't watch the musical guests (I heard "Justin Ti..." and quickly switched to a little Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (WOOO)), but I held out little hope of improvement on that night. It really surprised me how nervous Fallon was, considering he is an SNL vet. I think in the end, the show made me appreciate how hard it is to be a good host. Conan had his go-to jokes (audience reactions, hating on himself, hating on the show) that were always good for a laugh, and the guests he had were always interesting in large part because Conan made them feel comfortable, and thus allowed them to express themselves easily.

I wouldn't give up hope on JF yet, but I really hope he improves soon, just for his own sake.