It was like 2000 all over again. Jimmy Fallon hosted “SNL” this past weekend and he brought along with him callbacks to his older skits (Barry Gibb! Cowbell!), as well as Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, and Jude Law (for some reason), for one of the show’s most enjoyable episodes in years. The cast’s energy level, inspired by Fallon’s infectiously gleeful presence, was extremely high, and everyone brought their A-game.

Fallon actually made for a better host than he ever did repertory player. Too often during his seven-season run on “SNL” from 1998-2004, he inadvertently hogged the spotlight — not just because of the mid-sketch giggling, although that didn’t help, but because he naturally (and unintentionally) mugged to the camera. That’s why he, and people like Conan, make for good talk show hosts; they need the attention on them, and they’re not afraid to do something and look silly for a cheap laugh. But this only works if the spotlight’s supposed to be on you and only you, not you and everyone else you’re acting with. On Saturday, it was all about Jimmy.

Just the best — no mention of the dumb “don’t make me sing/dance” sketch — on the following pages.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you’re a politician, you enter a dimension of reality where people criticize you for having beliefs that don’t line up with their own. That’s what happened last week to Tea Party presidential hopeful Michele Bachman, when she appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and the Roots played a Fishbone song called “Lyin’ Ass Bitch.” Bachmann seized on the opportunity to politicize the moment, demanding an apology from NBC and saying that Michelle Obama would never be treated like that. So NBC apologized, but Bachmann is unsatisfied because it wasn’t from the PRESIDENT of NBC.

Doug Vaughn, NBC’s senior vice president for special programs, wrote Bachmann a personal letter on Wednesday. He called the show’s choice to play a snippet of Fishbone’s “Lyin’ Ass B—-” as she walked on the show both “unfortunate” and “unacceptable.”

“Of course I accept the apology but my guess is that it would have been the president of the NBC that would have been apologizing not a senior vice president,” had a liberal, like Michelle Obama been the guest, she told KLIF radio in Dallas on Friday. [NY Daily News]

Jesus Everloving Christ. “Of course I accept the apology, but I kind of expected it to be printed on a GOLDEN PAPYRUS SCROLL.” How the hell is it possible that FEWER politicians are assassinated now than 50 years ago?

I don’t give a rat’s ass about this story, but it’s been all over the news cycle and I can’t ignore it any more. So here goes.

• On Monday, Ol’ Crazy Eyes Michele Bachmann was a guest on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
• For her entrance, the Roots played a Fishbone song called “Lyin’ Ass Bitch.” (video)
• Fallon apologized on Twitter, but has still been criticized for the song, which was The Roots played without the knowledge of “Late Night” staff.
• Roots drummer ?uestlove, who tipped off viewers to the song’s title with hints on Twitter, said that the song was intended to be tongue-in-cheek.
• Bachmann hasn’t gotten an official apology from NBC, so of course she took the opportunity to be politically divisive: “If that song had been played for Michelle Obama, I have no doubt that NBC would have apologized to her.”

If there’s a lesson here, it’s that politicians are the absolute worst late-night guests. Why bother getting embroiled in a mess like this when there are so many dogs that can do entertaining tricks? Hell, the dogs don’t even have to do tricks. I’d rather watch Jimmy Fallon pet a golden retriever for five minutes than watch him try to be interested in what Bachmann’s saying. This story blows goats.

When Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake teamed up with the Roots to perform “The History of Rap” last September, it was a blast — a fun and funny walk through some of rap’s most influential songs. Then they did a second volume this summer, and it was noticeably watered down. Four months have gone by since then, and now we’ve got a third edition (video below).

The performance is fine — it’s good, really — but it feels predictable. “Oh, here’s the part where they finish the medley in the audience.” And while I enjoyed Timberlake razzing Fallon about not having to use his AK, I was equally embarrassed to see them include a slice of “Jump Around,” the whitest rap hit of all time. C’mon guys, leave that one to the DJs working high school dances and boring people’s weddings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Warming Glow favorite Alison Brie was on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” Friday night to promote “Community,” and, you guys, she was like the most adorable thing ever. During her interview, she told Jimmy a story about encountering a coyote on the road during a jog and channeling her inner gorilla to scare it off, acting out the relevant action sequences. It was funny and charming, which is a hard combination to pull off in the traditional five-minute interview segments they do on late-night shows. (No really, Gwyneth Paltrow, tell us more about your drapes. It’s FASCINATIzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.)

The interview is after the jump, and ends with Jimmy saying, “You were super fun and I want to hang out with you more,” echoing the sentiments of the Uproxx community and creeps everywhere. Two groups that are FAR FROM exclusive.

Read the rest of this entry »