In the jungle of falsetto, the choice to sing in the key of D may have been slightly misguided (it is a tough place for male chest voice/head voice break), but this performance of “Lions Sleeps Tonight” was far from it. The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon – where doo-wop duets happen…
There are many ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
For my Dad, Danny Ainge, and Rob Lowe, it is a birthday celebration.
For NBA teams with a red and black color schemes, it is an excuse to wear green.
For others, St. Patrick’s Day is a reason for parades and excessive (and frankly, unnecessary) inebriation.
After last night, I am not sure I could think of two better individuals to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with than Jimmy Fallon and a green icon in his own right, Kermit the Frog.
Their interview is one thing…
…But this performance of “Bein’ Green” is something else entirely. Classic Fallon. Classic Kermit. Classic.
The wait is finally over: the new season of Funny or Die’s Billy on the Street debuts tonight at 11 on Fuse (a music video television network whose lack of cultural ubiquity is a bit of its own running gag). If you have spent any amount of time on Culture Challenged, you will be aware of my unabashed adoration for Billy Eichner’s comedic genius. His brand of irreverent, pop cultured guerrilla comedy forces laughter out of me in a way that countless other admitted funny things have tried and failed.
As someone who has been a loyal follower of Mr. Eichner from close to the beginning of his time on TV, yesterday’s bookended appearances on first The Today Show with Hoda and Kathie Lee (perfection) in the morning and then on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in late night were an unexpected treat. Coupled with appearances as recurring character, Craig the yeller, on Parks and Recreation over the last several months, today Billy is on the tipping point of the career Leap. Buy some stock, jump on the bandwagon, quickly name three white people, and come experience a comedic genius.
Billy on The Today Show:
Billy on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon
In what is fast becoming a Jimmy Fallon late at night show tradition (the first iteration featured Stephen Merchant and Joseph Gordon Levitt on Late Night), Paul Rudd and Jimmy Fallon went head to head in a lip syncing battle this week. For so long battling a tarnished legacy from Milli Vanilii fraud, Beyoncé vocal performance conservatism, and whatever this Ashlee Simpson SNL stint was (whatever happened to Ashlee Simpson, anyway?), lip synching is making a comeback. Like Full House and Saved By the Bell nostalgia, kid instrument song performances, and Justin Timberlake collaborative magic, Jimmy Fallon is at the forefront of this movement. Jimmy’s performance was impressive, but Paul Rudd literally dropped the mic. Enjoy!
The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon began in the same way Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ended. Yes, it is a new studio, a new set, and a more realistic live viewing time slot. Yes, The Tonight Show is a more prestigious and honored cultural institution than Late Night (with all due respect to Conan and Letterman before him), a legacy that Johnny Carson built in his thirty years as host. This is absolutely a big deal, but as Jimmy Fallon’s first pre-monologue graciously gave reverence to his Mom and Dad sitting in the audience, to the Roots and their adaptive musical brilliance, to “announcer” Steve Higgins and his great friendship, to the lineage of hosts that came before him, to his wife Nancy and his baby daughter, Winnie Rose, and to both his loyal viewing audience and to those that may find their way to him now that he is on at an earlier time, it was Jimmy’s emotional generosity that once again set the tone.
From his beautiful Muppets performance of “The Weight” to end Late Night to this gracious and personal opening act, Jimmy Fallon’s greatness stems from his unabashed willingness to open his heart to his audience. In his first Tonight Show couch interview with Will Smith, Jimmy was his usual, self-effacing self. Discussing the incredible line of friends (more on this in a bit) who lost a faux $100 bet that Jimmy would never host The Tonight Show, Will Smith, perhaps the last real movie star still standing, turned to a humbled Fallon and said, “People are coming because of your heart.” Amen, Fresh Prince.
Some highlights from night one of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon:
• An incredible array of friends came to wish Jimmy well (and pay up for doubting the possibility of his new hosting duties). Robert De Niro. Tina Fey. Joe Namath. Rudy Giuliani. Mariah Carey. Tracey Morgan. Joan Rivers. Kim Kardashian. Seth Rogen. Lindsay Lohan. Sarah Jessica Parker. Mike Tyson. Lady Gaga. Stephen Colbert. Could there possibly ever be a more diversified group of honored guests?
• Jimmy Fallon and Will Smith presented “The Evolution of Hip Hop Dancing.” The degree of sweating says everything.
• If you are going to begin your time on The Tonight Show with a big musical guest, book U2. The high point comes at 9:16 when the Edge begins an acoustic performance of the wrong song.
Tonight’s show features Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig, and Lady Gaga, so there’s pretty much every reason to watch. I am rooting for Jimmy Fallon.
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