Will Smith, U2 To Be First Guests On 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'

Credit: NBC

In a month's time, Jimmy Fallon will leave Late Night and take over The Tonight Show. But there are many questions surrounding the imminent takeover -- questions that Fallon and executive producer Josh Lieb were all too happy to answer at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

Here are the tidbits from the TCA panel:

-Fallon will be a guest on Leno’s final episode of The Tonight Show on Feb. 6, in preparation for The Tonight Show's move from Burbank to New York for Fallon's Feb. 17 debut.

-Will Smith will be the first guest on Fallon's premiere episode. “He’s a big Hollywood star,” said Fallon, “and he always brings it every time he goes on a talk show.”

-The first musical guest for Fallon's debut episode of The Tonight Show will be Oscar nominees U2.

-Fallon explained the timeline for how he came to receive The Tonight Show hosting gig: Leno and Fallon exchanged phone calls every couple of weeks once Fallon became host of Late Night, and Fallon made a point of assuring Leno that he was not “gunning” for his position. “When you step down,” Fallon said, “let’s do it the right way.” They would continue corresponding off-and-on until, finally, Leno called and said, “This was going to be the year, and I’d love for you to be the next guy.”

-Fallon stated he had no concerns that the Conan O'Brien situation might repeat itself, as he had nothing but kind words for NBC and Leno. “I don’t think anything sneaky is going on here,” he said. “I trust everyone involved. NBC has been totally behind me the whole way through. And I think this one’s going to work."

-Fallon also explained the decision to move the show back to New York, saying that while “it wasn’t easy,” he wanted to take the show back to its roots, where it all started. Fallon noted that New York City is the perfect setting, citing “the lights, Times Square, Broadway, the glitz and glamor.”

-The new host added that the move to New York won't limit the variety of guests they'll be able to land, noting that President Obama appeared on Late Night. “You can’t get bigger than that.”

-Despite the move to New York, Fallon asserts that he still plans to bring The Tonight Show back to Los Angeles at least once a year.

-In addition, he'll be bringing along one of his most popular Late Night segments: video shorts. Fallon stated we'll likely be seeing those shorts within the first few weeks of his tenure. “We’re toying with two ideas right now,” he noted.

-The new Tonight Show set will be located in Studio 6B in 30 Rock, The Tonight Show's old home. “If you’ve ever been to Lincoln Center, that should inspire what this will look like,” he said. “It’s almost like when you wear those bose noise canceling headphones and you turn it on and just feel like something different’s happened… It’s a work of art.”

-Fallon also explained why the name of the show will be The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon instead of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: “It’s an homage, a tip of the cap to the origins of the show.” Fallon continued, “It’s show business, it’s glamorous, it’s Hollywood. It’s kind of fun.” Lieb added his own reasons for the change: “‘Starring’ is a vastly more exciting word than ‘with.’”

-When asked what it meant to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Johnny Carson, Fallon got a bit emotional, saying, “Well, we’re skipping a lot of generations, but it means a lot to me. It’s surreal and it’s an honor… I don’t want to let anyone down. I want them to know that I’m going to work as hard as I can. And I know how much the show means and I’m a big fan of television. This is an important job and I’m so looking forward to it. And I just want to make everyone laugh.”

So are you excited for the premiere of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon? Personally, I can't pretend like I'm not stoked for this. I think Fallon is a great choice to inherit The Tonight Show, especially given what a terrific, unconventional late night show he puts on each week on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I can't wait for February 17!

Via: Entertainment Weekly