Jimmy Fallon makes his debut as `Late Night` host

New York, March 03: As Jimmy Fallon prepared to debut as host of NBC`s "Late Night," he found his predecessor, Conan O`Brien, in his dressing room, still packing up."I`m about to start my first show," Fallon told him eagerly.

"Oh, is that tonight?" O`Brien replied. "I was gonna TiVo it, or something." A new era began Monday in the time slot commonly known as "12:30" (more accurately, 12:37 a.m. EST) as Fallon arrived with a new-era version of "Late Night," flush with his wired-up personality, a classy, comfy set and a super-cool house band, the Roots. After the O`Brien bit, Fallon stepped on stage with a brisk, if forgettable, monologue, followed by a cleverer "Slow Jam" presentation of the news (bluesy and romantic, as accompanied by the Roots). After that came a comic tribute to the show`s designated target demographic: Blonde Mothers. A possibly recurring game-show spoof, "Lick It For Ten," invited three "contestants" from the audience to lick something — a lawn mower, a photocopier and a bowl of goldfish — for a $10-dollar prize. And all that was before the first guest, Robert De Niro, who was game to play off of his reputation as a difficult interview. "I wrote some questions with one-word answers," said Fallon helpfully. Consulting his list, he asked De Niro, "How are you?" "I`m OK." "Are you happy to be here?" "I don`t know yet," De Niro replied. Fallon did his De Niro impression and got De Niro to do a Jimmy Fallon impression. Then they appeared in a sketch together. Justin Timberlake came on next and plugged a new reality series with a film clip that seemed like yet another spoof, but is actually for real. Finishing up was Van Morrison, who performed a song amid a huge band of his own. And that`s how the hour went. Whew! No one could say the pace ever dragged or the energy lagged. It certainly didn`t with its hyper host. Fallon, a former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" with several films to his credit, has tapped a longtime "SNL" hand, Michael Shoemaker, as his producer. Co-producer is Gavin Purcell, who ran "Attack of the Show," the daily Net-centric news hour on cable`s G4 channel. Lorne Michaels (who used to be Fallon`s boss on "SNL") continues as "Late Night" executive producer. So it would seem he has all the pieces in place, as he faces competition that includes Craig Ferguson on CBS` "The Late Late Show." His major challenge in his new talk-show gig is to chill a little. Or even a lot. "I know I`m gonna get reviewed off the first show, as opposed to the first couple of months," Fallon predicted in a recent interview. "`He`s no Conan,` or `He`s no Letterman` — I just want that to be said, and put out there. Then viewers can relax and watch and enjoy." Fallon`s arrival sets in motion a carefully arranged host shift at NBC. O`Brien, who took over "Late Night" from its original host, David Letterman, in 1993, is now devoting full time to prepping his version of the Los Angeles-based "Tonight" show, where he will replace Jay Leno in June. Then, come fall, Leno will return to the air with a new weeknight prime-time hour airing at 10 pm. An hour before Fallon`s premiere Monday, CBS` "Late Show with David Letterman" kicked off a full week of appearances by the superstar band U2. Besides performing a new song, U2`s four members also pitched in for some comedy. Letterman said viewers shouldn`t just think "these are pretty-boy rock `n` rollers." They`re willing to help however they`re needed, he said as the camera switched to a shot of U2 shoveling snow outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. Fallon also found humor in the wintry weather during his debut monologue as he joked about opening-night jitters. "New York City was hit with a huge snow storm," he noted, "and I woke up this morning and said, `Please, let it be a snow day! Please!`" But that was clearly a joke. Considering his level of enthusiasm, it would have taken a full-scale blizzard, at the least, to keep him off the air. Bureau Report