The Tonight Show

Pretty sure Bill Carter's book noted that Jay never took the show to New York because he didn't want to be in the shadow of Dave. Conan's new show came to New York, but not the Tonight show.

 

Having U2 playing on the roof of 30 Rock was pretty cool. Nice touch having the Rutgers drumline there.

 

It was a pretty perfect mix of people, some were just there as celebrities, but a lot of them had a history with Fallon, not all of them positive.

 

I kind of wish he had JT as his first guest, but it's hard to argue with Will Smith and U2.

 

I thought the show was flat but then again I don't watch the Tonight Show or Conan and rarely watch Letterman.

The only thing I found remotely funny was the $100 skit but even that was tame as I was expecting a big payoff with the last person out with the C-note being Howard Stern, Letterman or Conan. It would have been a killer skit if Jay Leno came out and handed Fallon the $100.

 

Who has a negative history with Fallon?

 

He had a bit of a one-sided feud with Tracy Morgan years back, but they've since buried the hatchett. Morgan was one of the guys who shredded Fallon for always laughing at his own jokes on SNL.

People forget that when Fallon got the 12:30 slot several years ago people were definitely predicting him to fail and that Lorne was taking a complete leap of faith by signing him to a long holding deal to eventually replace Conan.

 

I'm guessing the only reason JT wasn't on the show was because they just did SNL together, which felt like a "let's promote Fallon for The Tonight Show!" thing to begin with.

I wasn't ever a fan of Fallon on SNL, but I think he's done a great job as the host at 12:30. I think he'll do an OK job of holding on to Leno's audience, although it wouldn't surprise me if he eventually drops to third for a while. It does make me wonder how long CBS is going to stick with Letterman - I agree with others who have said that he seems checked out. He can still bring the 95 MPH heat from time to time, but it seems like it happens even less than it did in previous years (9/11, when Leno ousted Conan, etc.).

I really like Ferguson, but his show is just downright bizarre at times, and if Conan didn't really work at 11:30 I'm not sure how Ferguson will. Maybe if he had complete freedom and a big budget, but it's tough to see that happening. In late night, it seems like you can get one or the other.

 

Joan Rivers had a long-standing feud against the show itself. She guest hosted for nearly 20 years, but then when she got her own show Carson banned her. Leno never had her on either.

 

Last time she appeared before last night was 1984, I believe it was.

 

Leno handing the last $100 would have been epic because it would have marked the first time he'd ever made me laugh.

 

Maybe a wheelbarrow of hundreds.