Admittedly, I haven't been watching Jimmy Fallon's new late night talk show. I found this video segment from the show online and couldn't resist sharing. Fallon seems to be giving out a hipster geek vibe with his character of TuSpock (a combination of Tupac Shakur and Mr. Spock from Star Trek). That sort of humor is usually reserved for Mr. Fallon's alma mater of Saturday Night Live.
The make-up was excellent. Fallon even has the same look and body type as the original Spock (and wouldn't that have been a surprise piece of casting for the recent movie). The appearance of the rapper Tariq from the group The Roots as Captain Kirk was a nice touch.
Hopefully this sort of intelligent, subversive humor will be the rule for Fallon and not the exception. If he keeps up with sketches like this one, I may have to catch his show sometime (at least on Hulu).
TheRoots-related stories
Jimmy Fallon takes on Vulcan gangsta rap
So how was Fallon's first week?
So it's been a week since our boy took to the airwaves and he has survived. He went a whole week without being canceled. Way to go, Jimmy! You've cost half of our commenters their share of the dough in their "When will Jimmy Fallon go down in flames?" pools. Now where will they find the money to stock up on Cheetos and duct tape for their slowly dying bean bag chairs? So how did Jimmy do? The answer, as I've learned in my brief stint here at TV Squad Land, is totally subjective. Some people are going to like Jimmy and some won't and each will find their own reason to support their feelings.
So instead of giving a definitive "yes" or "no," here's a list of five good things and five bad things from the first block of shows.
Continue reading So how was Fallon's first week?
The Roots are ready to rock, rap, jazz and even disco the set of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
The Roots are taking their new gig as the official house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon very seriously, even if their initial chances of scoring such a gig seemed like nothing more than a joke by a couple of the show's overworked staffers.
"We were the musical supervisors for [Chappelle's Show] season two and three ... and Dave's partner Neal Brennan was brought over as a consultant, and he sort of jokingly recommended The Roots as a house band," said Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson in a conference call last Tuesday with Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter. "I guess the joke was sort of like, you know, I dare you to ask them, even though they're too busy to take it."
Jimmy Fallon's first taste of Late Night tastes like feet - VIDEO
A lot of comedy geeks called "shenanigans" on NBC when they announced Jimmy Fallon would get Conan O'Brien's Late Night slot when he moves to Los Angeles next year. I wasn't a big fan of the Fallon when he was on SNL and his movie career lacked a certain something (like entertainment value), but late night comedy is a different monster. Even O'Brien had problems establishing himself and I was willing to give Fallon the benefit of the doubt. Then NBC announced that Jay Leno would get his own primetime spot when he leaves The Tonight Show, an announcement that couldn't have shocked me more if NBC delivered it with a 20-watt tazer.
Then I watched the first episode of Jimmy Fallon's web premiere and I understood why.
Continue reading Jimmy Fallon's first taste of Late Night tastes like feet - VIDEO
The Roots will be Jimmy Fallon's band. Wait, what? - VIDEO
The first wave of shock hit when it was announced that Conan O'Brien would be switching coasts to take Jay Leno's seat. I didn't mind that so much, as I've never been a fan of Leno and am rather glad to see him go. The second bit of news about Jimmy Fallon taking O'Brien's spot consisted of more mixed feelings. I was a big fan of Fallon back in the day, but I was, like, a teenager then.
Times have changed, I've grown up, Fallon's made a lot of crappy movies, and guys playing with their hair when they're nervous isn't so endearing anymore. That last one was a lie, but regardless, I'm unsure of how to feel about Fallon's new job. Now here comes the news that The Roots will be Fallon's band on the show. Now, I must borrow from ?uestlove's name for my "What??!"
Continue reading The Roots will be Jimmy Fallon's band. Wait, what? - VIDEO
The Colbert Report in Philadelphia: Annie's adventure - VIDEOS
Back on the night that Stephen Colbert announced that he'd be hitting Philadelphia, taking the show on the road for the first time, I had decided to go to bed early and just catch the rerun in the morning. My friend called me just as I began to doze off and immediately told me that she had gotten tickets for us to see Colbert in Philadelphia. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about, so when I hung up, I just shrugged it off as a late-night half-dream. The next morning, I watched the episode and it finally made sense: We were about to go on another Colbert Report adventure.
Gallery: The Colbert Report in Philadelphia
Continue reading The Colbert Report in Philadelphia: Annie's adventure - VIDEOS
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
