Jimmy Fallon

Quick background here. For Christmas, Bryan got me the SNL dvd, "The Best of Jimmy Fallon". Great gift! He already knew this, but I think Jimmy Fallon is hilarious and was one of the most underrated cast members to ever be on the show. It was nice to see him get his due in that dvd.

The other day, though, I was having a conversation with Dustin during which Saturday Night Live was brought up and I told him about the Jimmy Fallon dvd. He just sat there, speechless, shaking his head in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe there was even such a thing as a "best of" for Jimmy Fallon or that I or anyone else would like him. So let's just tell it like it is. Dustin is wrong.

His main beef is that Fallon laughs in so many of his skits that it makes him unprofessional and a poor live actor. I have to admit, in asking other friends about Fallon's place in SNL lore, this is the polarizing issue. Either they didn't like him because of the uncontrollable laughter or they thought it only made his skits funnier. I'm with the latter. If anything, it only adds to the humor. And to his critics on this issue I pose this question: could you keep a straight face all the time in sketches with Will Ferrell or Horatio Sanz?? I think not.

Laughter issue aside, Fallon had two of the show's best recurring characters in Sully (the Boston teens) and Nick Burns (the computer guy, pictured above). His impressions are right up there with Darryl Hammond. And he was also one of the best news anchors the show had. Fallon was a great one. And don't you forget it.