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• Jimmy Fallon, former Saturday Night Live comedian, replaced Conan O'Brien as host of the Late Night show after O'Brien assumed Jay Leno's hosting role on the Tonight Show. The changing of the guard for the late night hosts occurred after O'Brien's final show on February 20, 2009. Fallon assumed the post on March 2, 2009.NY Times: Where Is Leno Going (December 8, 2008)

• Fast Facts

  1. Premiere: March 2, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. ET/PT
  2. Network: NBC
  3. Released his first video blog for Late Night on NBC.com in December 2008EOnline: Jimmy Fallon's News Not as Big as Jay Leno's (December 8, 2008)
  4. Held in a studio once used by Milton Berle and Johnny CarsonEOnline: Jimmy Fallon's News Not as Big as Jay Leno's (December 8, 2008)
  5. House band: The RootsEOnline: Jimmy Fallon's News Not as Big as Jay Leno's (December 8, 2008)
  6. First guest was Robert DeNiroNewsweek: Jimmy Fallon Prepares for the Late-Night Wars (February 27, 2009)
  7. Guests during the first week of show included Tina Fey, Cameron Diaz and Donald TrumpEW: New King of Late Night (March 2, 2009)
  8. Was named "Most Likely to Replace David Letterman" in his eighth-grade yearbookEW: New King of Late Night (March 2, 2009)

• Jimmy Fallon Facts

  1. Was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for eight years
  2. Left SNL in 2004
  3. Grew up in Brooklyn, New York
  4. Was a member of the Los Angeles improvisation group, The Groundings
  5. Has starred in the movies Fever Pitch and The Year of Getting to Know Us

• Conan O'Brien Facts

  1. O'Brien is a writer, host, and comedian
  2. Was a writer on Saturday Night Live
  3. Hosted the Emmy Awards twice
  4. Won one Emmy

• Review Quotes

  "It is, of course, unfair to judge after one episode, as even Fallon's competitor Craig Ferguson has told us. A late-night show is, in a way, one evolving performance; grading it after one day, or even a few, is like reviewing a movie after the first opening title."—Time MagazineTime: Jimmy Fallon Thinks You Are Awesome, America (March 3, 2009)

  "Of course, it isn't fair to judge a late-night host by his first outing. We'll have to see if, in a few weeks, Fallon still looks like he's had four too many double-espressos before the show. But it is still valid to wonder if Fallon is suited to this gig. On a late-night show, either the non-interview comedic bits have to be inspired, or the interviews have to be smooth (in a perfect world, both halves of the late-night formula succeed). But, with a few exceptions, neither worked all that well during Fallon's first show. The comedy frequently fell flat, and as a host, Fallon is underwhelming at the moment."—Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune: Jimmy Fallon Has a Rocky Late Night Debut (March 2, 2009)

• Leno in Primetime

  Jay Leno has been the host of The Tonight Show since Johnny Carson retired in 1993. Leno's contract with NBC was set to expire in May 2010 but in December 2008 it was announced that Leno will be hosting a new prime time show. The new program will air at 10 p.m. Mondays-Fridays on NBC after Leno once steps down as host of The Tonight Show.NY Times: Where Is Leno Going (December 8, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Jimmy Fallon | The Roots | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Jay Leno Show | Conan O'Brien | Jay Leno | Saturday Night Live | Tina Fey | Amy Poehler | Justin Timberlake | Robert DeNiro

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