How serious is new “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon about stamping his Lorne Michaels-produced brand on the longtime franchise? Last night he had a biggie on as a guest in a sketch — First Lady Michelle Obama, who joined Fallon and Will Ferrell drag. Watch:
For her part, Michelle Obama uses the spotlight to plug her drive for exercise and healthy eating. It’s a smart moving: sticking a message in a fun way into a comedy piece that has millions of viewers and will most assuredly have a long shelf life on the Internet.
If this is the kind of comedy Fallon will offer — comedy more akin to the style of comedy on SNL — he’s likely to garner strong ratings as time goes on. It could also pose a challenge to David Letterman who is still a major talent but if Fallon’s ratings go up and he ropes in major guests the media buzz will become huge.
Also note again how many public figures so used to the spotlight could actually be good actors if they decided to change their gigs.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.