Hint: he's a notoriously difficult interview....
Jimmy's first guest will be Robert De Niro, who, despite being a living legend, is kind of old. Is this the way to become the young, hip 21st-century talk show host? By having an actor on who did his best work over a quarter-century ago? We're not the only ones to notice this is kind of weird. Besides which, De Niro is famous for being a difficult interview; he'd much rather act than talk about acting - or, for that matter, talk about anything. Even with a top-notch interviewer like Charlie Rose, there are always a lot of one-world answers, some nodding and smiling. He's not Joaquin Phoenix, but he isn't exactly expansive. Of course, DeNiro's been on SNL, and Fallon does a (cute but not very good) DeNiro impression.
So that could be funny. Or annoying. regardless, the musical guest for Jimmy's first show is Van Morrison - again, huge talent, living legend, old man. What is this? Yes, both Van Morrison and Robert de Niro are notoriously publicity-shy, so these are great "gets." But they're not necessarily great guests, especially for a show that, presumably, is framing itself as the next generation of late night. Plus, check out Fallon's guest list for the whole first week:
Monday, March 2 – Guests include Robert De Niro and musical guest Van Morrison
**Tuesday, March 3 – Guests include Tina Fey, Jon Bon Jovi, and musical guest Santigold
**Wednesday, March 4 – Guests include Cameron Diaz and Billy Crudup
**Thursday, March 5 – Guests include Donald Trump, Serena Williams, and musical guest Ludacris
**Friday, March 6 – Guests include Drew Barrymore and Mario Batali
One funny person that whole first week - Tina Fey. Which signals that producers think Fallon can carry the comedic load. This seems like a bad move - why not have a few comedians on to ease the burden? The weakest part of this show will probably be the interviews - it always is when these things start out. So why not bring in people who make those interviews easier and funnier? Jon Stewart. Stephen Colbert. Amy Sedaris. Dave Chappelle. Adam Sandler. Demetri Martin. Will Ferrell. Chris Rock. Steve Carell. Amy Poehler. Flight Of The Conchords. The Lonely Island Guys. Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Sascha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher together. Any of these people would have been good guests the first week, to get people laughing. This guest list seems like a recipe for a whole lot of awkward moments.
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