Fallon covers Rolling Stone

Jimmy Fallon is on the cover of Rolling Stone this month, which gives me permission to write about one of my favorite subjects - Jimmy Fallon! I think Fallon is a controversial figure in the blogosphere, because bloggers tend to be sarcastic, darkly funny characters who like sarcastic, darkly funny late night hosts (I'm looking at you, Letterman, Kimmel, even Conan), and Fallon just isn't that at all. He's a happy late night host.

People can argue that Fallon's sunny disposition is because he's new to late night, he's not jaded yet like other late night hosts, or doubt that he's for real - see the already-cynical Rolling Stone caption above: "Can Anyone Really Be This Nice?" But really, ever since his SNL days, Fallon's pure joy about his job - how cool it is, how much of a nerd he is about it - has been as obvious as it is sincere. He refused to take himself seriously on SNL - he didn't mind breaking character, which the audience loved - and now, every single night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he has just as much (if not more) fun. He handled the Leno-Conan situation with class, (for instance, he didn't put on a Leno mask and mock the host for an hour, Kimmel), had a Glee-inspired sing-off with the Parks and Recreation cast, sang the "History of Rap" with Justin Timberlake, and even organized "Broadway Week," during which a different Broadway cast visited the Late Night studio every night and performed a song from their show.

And why shouldn't he be happy? He doesn't get his kicks by taunting celebrities or the government - instead he plays a hilarious and totally unnecessary game of elevator dodgeball with Jon Hamm and Josh Charles. There just aren't many people in the entertainment industry like him left. Just recently, New York Magazine did their cover story on Fallon, and the article ended with the quintissential Jimmy quote - “It’s not: I’ve got to wear a bear suit. It’s: I get to wear a bear suit.” Awesome.

P.S. My two favorite Fallon impressions on Late Night - his (literally) genius Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson in a tree.