Posted by Lex Friedman on Mar 3, 2009
“A smart man would leave now.” Great line to start off his first-ever monologue, after the cheerful, loud, greeting ovation.
Jimmy kicked off his first show with a great Conan bit, and really ran a very nice show straight through. He was clearly a little nervous, but the show was well-written, and Jimmy wore his nervousness charmingly.
The “snow day” joke was cute, although I’ll admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the Rush Limbaugh joke. I would have loved a few more jokes about his Day 1 jitters.
Definitely think it was the right move, though, to include monologue jokes on other topics. I loved the Microsoft/Apple store joke — that the difference between the two stores will be that, at the Microsoft store, the staff will freeze when you ask them a question. Great line.
“Slow Jammin’ the News” with the Roots behind him wasn’t just a funny conceit — the implementation was great. The camera switching focus between Jimmy and the band behind him was excellent. Just before the show started, I was thinking about how great Jimmy is at funny music, and was hoping it would have a place in his show. Well done!
Tonight, Jimmy’s hosting Tina Fey, his old co-anchor. I’ll post some monologue jokes for the day a bit later on.
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Tags: Apple, Jimmy Fallon, jokes, Microsoft, music, Rush Limbaugh, Slow Jammin' the News, The Roots, Tina Fey
Posted by Lex Friedman on Mar 2, 2009
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon officially debuts tonight. I’m sure Jimmy’s excited, and he’s not the only one. For me, this marks the real beginning of my interactive application to work for Jimmy and his show.
The intro show is an unusual challenge. You (obviously) want to be funny, and you’re setting a tone. Your first episode will be the one reviewers cite, and it’s how you introduce yourself to a new audience. I’m assuming Jimmy’s comedy voice on the show will end up involving a lot of self-deprecation, general niceness, and just a lot of silliness.
Some monologue suggestions for tonight, trying to play on those (which I perceive as Jimmy’s strengths):
- My debut tonight isn’t just a fulfillment of one of my lifelong dreams — it’s one of my mother’s as well. Ever since I was a kid, I can remember her saying: “Jimmy, I would one day love to be the meat in a Jay Leno/Carson Daly sandwich.
- Of course, soon that’ll be a Conan/Carson sandwich instead. Well, really, Leno will be on at 10, he’s the appetizer. Conan’s the main course, and I’m dessert. Which makes Carson Daly the post-meal purging, I guess.
- We had nearly a foot of snow fall in New York City since yesterday. I haven’t seen this much snow since… Ooh! You pick your favorite punchline.
- … since I was backstage at a Jonas Brothers concert
- … since the last time Joaquin Phoenix ran his hand through his hair
- … since the day I got offered this show, and checked the weather forcast in Hell!
I’m pumped to see what Jimmy and his writers come up with for tonight, and I look forward to watching the show’s early evolution. The first season of Conan looks positively ancient when you watch it today; will these first Fallon-hosted Late Nights one day seem like relics compared to where the show ends up?
The only way I could be more eager to see what develops on Late Night With Jimmy Falon would be if I, y’know, worked there. Jimmy: Call me!
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Tags: Carson Daly, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Joaquin Phoenix, jokes, Jonas Brothers
Posted by Lex Friedman on Feb 28, 2009
I graduated from college in 2002. I spent several months of my senior year sending daily postcards to Jay Leno. Each weekday, I’d write a postcard about the previous night’s monologue, highlighting my favorite jokes and also suggesting other topical jokes I would have made.
My goal, of course, was to convince Jay that my hilarity, dedication, and quickness would be good reason for him to hire me as his newest staff writer. After a few months, I got a phone call from someone on Jay’s staff. She kindly, patiently explained that a) Jay’s writing staff had been with him for approximately 300 years; b) there was never any turnover; and c) he wasn’t hiring. In other words: “Thanks, but shut the hell up.”
Fast forward seven years. Jay’s moving to 10pm, and he works in LA, while I’ve since moved to New Jersey. Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, is just starting his new Late Night, and of course broadcasts from New York City. Jimmy’s pretty plugged in — he Twitters, posts stuff from his show online, etc. So I can save money on postage for the postcards, and write my daily missives to Jimmy here instead.
What’s my goal? To gain Jimmy’s attention, for one. And then, even more importantly, to get a job working for him. It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to be funny for a living. And while I’ve come close from time to time, I’ve never had a full-time job doing comedy. I’m hoping to impress Jimmy enough that I can finally achieve my goal.
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Tags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, minutiae