Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – Week Three/Comedy Zero

Sweaters... for the guy who has nothing, including good taste or a sense of humor

This week, we learned that Jimmy Fallon can’t ice skate, wrap presents, organize the singing of a Christmas carol, or be funny. We also learned that he thinks Keanu Reeves is good looking, and we were reminded of his ongoing man-crush on Axl Rose. We also took note of holiday sweaters that we wouldn’t give to our worst enemies (when I am offering fashion advice, you know something has gone awry somewhere).

Fallon’s video blogs of the week (he calls them “shows,” which reminds me of people who refer to karaoke singing as “gigs”) were mostly attempts at prepared comedy bits. Whether uncleverly captioning titles for non-existent ice skating moves or witlessly bantering over a yule log, the funny simply wasn’t there. To give Fallon credit, he’s charging ahead anyway, however humorlessly. Perhaps ignorant of his wretched internet offerings, or perhaps the lack of quality just isn’t a concern to him, he keeps going like the battery bunny… mindlessly banging away… annoying those around him.

Tom Snyder once followed “The Tonight Show” and brought the timeslot an interviewing style that kept even the most deeply stoned viewer captivated. David Letterman began the “Late Night” franchise and twisted the whole format with such success that, subsequently, every talk show host has tried to mimic his methodology. Conan O’Brien took “Late Night” into the 21st century with his own blend of self-effacing humor and a willingness to experiment with the medium of television in a way reminiscent of Ernie Kovacs at his prime. Jimmy Fallon is an unfunny man who wears ugly sweaters. One cannot help but feel that the bar has been lowered.