Taped From New York...It's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"

Television history is being made before your eyes...

It's not often that The Tonight Show gets a new host.

This is the 6th time in 60 years that someone new has taken over the desk.

The last time that I put any serious time into watching this show, Johnny Carson was the host.

When he said goodbye, I was upset that David Letterman lost the gig to Jay Leno, so I moved to CBS with Dave when Leno came onboard, and that's pretty much where I stayed for the next 22 years.

Sure, there were occasions when Jay would be on, usually because I had let an episode of ER or Law & Order run through the local news, and then The Tonight Show would start and the monologue would be half over before I realized I needed to change it.

I rarely found Jay Leno funny.

Amusing, sure.  

He's had lots of amusing bits over the years, but a great majority of those are because of the dumb people in America (Jay Walking, Headlines) moreso than anything Leno brought to the table.

Then there was the whole Conan O'Brian fiasco, and any begrudging respect I might have had for Jay over the years was washed away.

So it was with great happiness and a touch of skepticism that I welcomed the news that Jimmy Fallon was taking over The Tonight Show.

Taking it back to its roots in New York City.  Bringing a younger generational spin to the granddaddy of late night talk television.

Thanks to the Winter Olympics and a newborn, I watched The Tonight Show for seemingly the first time in a generation when Fallon came aboard.

And I laughed.

In fact, to sum up my feelings on the regime change:

I've laughed more in 2 weeks watching Jimmy Fallon than I did in 22 years with Jay Leno.

I've always been a fan of Jimmy Fallon since his days on Saturday Night Live.  His comic sensibilities and all around showmanship have been on display over the last two weeks.  

To be fair, I never watched an episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Sorry, I was hooked on Craig Ferguson.

So, not being familiar with any of his routines from that show, I'm not sure what skits/routines are old bits, but they all work for this viewer.

Whether he's dancing with Will Smith looking at the history of hip hop dance or rapping with Justin Timberlake, there's nothing Fallon is afraid to try.

Pretty cool.

I'm happy to say that I'm once again a fan of The Tonight Show.

I think Johnny Carson would be proud of what Jimmy Fallon is bringing to the show and bringing it into the 21st Century.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: If I'm up, I'll keep tuning in.  Otherwise, I'll keep checking out the video highlights on YouTube/Facebook/Twitter, etc.

The Best of 2013...Part One...The Documentaries

As 2013 winds down, it's time to take a look back at the best of the best this year offered in the form of movies and entertainment for the year.

When I did the Worst of the Year back on Thanksgiving, I mentioned that 45 made the "Best Of" countdown. 

By taking a look at some of the genre-specific titles, I want to give some last minute love to some of 2013's best that might otherwise miss out on a Top 20, 15...10 listing but deserve a shot at one last mention on this page. 

Just in case.

So without further ado, here's the documentaries that enthralled me this year.  Many are still streamable on Netflix, Amazon Prime, other websites or running on cable.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy -

Starting things off with a fairly comprehensive look at the Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise.  It's a fond, and fun, look back at the little budget horror film that reinvigorated the horror genre, then quickly devolved into parody.  Freddy Krueger instantly became a pop culture sensation, and the rest, as they say, is history.  It's been a long time since I've visited any of the original Elm Street films, but even the worst was better than the pale relaunch that lacked any of the style and substance from the original series.  New interviews with about 95% of the cast and crew makes this pretty much THE comprehensive look back at Elm Street.  And I must confess, A Nightmare on Elm Street was always creepiest when they were living a nightmare and didn't realize it, then JOLT, they were awake.  Kept the movie audience on our toes!

Moving from horror, to interesting PBS series comes:

Nova- My Life as a Turkey -



I had no idea what to expect in this little charmer about a man who raises wild turkeys from birth and the interesting things he learns from them along the way.  Turkeys are very smart birds, and you will run the gamut of emotions in this little hour long look into the life when man becomes one with nature.  He teaches the birds as they grow, but they both end up learning from one another.  Uplifting, yet ultimately sorrowful, it's still very much worth a look.

One that keeps things light, and reminds us why The Tonight Show as an institution will never go away...

American Masters: Carson-The King of Late Night-

There was only one Johnny Carson.  I was lucky enough to catch the last few years of his career as I was growing up.  I'd often stay awake for the monologue, then out like a light.  This documentary offers a mostly comprehensive narration of Carson's career using bits of old audio and many interviews with those that worked alongside him over the years.  He was invited into everyone's house weeknights, and the longer he's been off the air, and the more imitators to the crown have come (and gone), the more lasting his legacy really becomes.

Switching gears, time to give the WWE some love...




CM Punk: The Best in the World
The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
WWE: Top 25 Rivalries in History
WWE For All Mankind: The Life & Career of Mick Foley

All four are solid productions, and all worth a viewing to professional wrestling fans.  The WWE is really hitting their stride at putting out high quality documentaries on their wrestlers, and it is a welcome look at the lives of these guys who give their all to entertain the fans on a nightly basis.  I think that even the casual fan, or non-fan could watch any of these documentaries and begin to see the passion that these guys have for what they do, and why the fans love to watch.

Yes, even if it's fake.

:)

So from guys dressing in tights, to guys dressing in red...

Becoming Santa -







A fun look at what it takes to become a Santa by attending an actual Santa school.  The best part, the documentary also interweaves a history of Santa Claus throughout the narrative.  Very entertaining look at the holiday, and would totally recommend you watch it...next holiday season.

;)

Finally, we go back in history to World War II!

Nova: 3D Spies of WWII
Secrets of the Dead: Churchill's Deadly Decision
Garbo the Spy



Two are great, informative pieces about World War II history that you may not be that familiar with.  Both are engaging and very entertaining.

However, hands-down, the best documentary would have to go to Garbo the Spy.  It's such a "truth is stranger than fiction" story, you just can't make this stuff up.  Yet, that's exactly what he did, and he fooled the Third Reich, consistently.  Highly recommended if you ever get the chance to watch any of them.

Tomorrow, things get a little scary...

A Man Who Lived Up to His Nickname: "American Masters: Johnny Carson - The King of Late Night"

Oh no... not a PBS show!

:)

The Story:

From the American Masters series, this is a look at the life and career of the Johnny Carson, the King of Late Night.

This documentary chronicles Carson's life as a boy in Nebraska who came to love magic, and then realized that he loved getting laughs when he performed on stage.  From there, the idea to entertain was locked into his mind, and the rest is history.

They take a look at all of the shows Carson wrote or hosted leading up to his getting the gig of the Tonight Show.

Comedians recount their tales of how honored they were to get their start on the Tonight Show, and how it propelled them to bigger careers than they ever dreamed of.

Included are Letterman, Leno, Seinfeld, Joan Rivers and with perhaps the most touching story, Drew Carey who cannot help but choke up when he relays the story of his appearance with Carson.

Archival interviews with Ed McMahon and others who had passed help fill in the gaps of this very private man, who was perhaps also the most public man ever, coming into our homes every night for 30 years.

Also, his second wife is very forthcoming with a lot of information, and helps fill in the personal details of Johnny's life, but never in a mean/salacious way.

Highly recommended if you grew up watching any bit of Carson during his 30 year tenure or want to see what we used to enjoy before Leno took over...

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Enjoyable, but I think I would prefer a greatest hits of the Tonight Show instead.