While Jimmy Fallon was preparing to debut as the host of NBC’s signature show “Late Night,” he bumped into his much-admired forerunner, Conan O’Brien, who was packing in the dressing room.

 

When Jimmy Fallon told his predecessor enthusiastically that he was about to kick off his first show, Conan O’Brien seemed stunned and said he had in mind to TiVo it “or something.”

 

A fresh epoch started on Monday for “Late Night” in the time slot generally known as “12:30” (more precisely, 12:37 a.m. EST) when Jimmy Fallon appeared on the show with his wired-up behavior, as well as a stylish and relaxed set and a really hot house band, the Roots.

 

Following the Conan O’Brien fragment, Jimmy Fallon entered the stage with a vigorous and rapid monologue, pursued by a more interesting “Slow Jam” presentation of the news, which proved to be quite syrupy, as accompanied by the super-cool Roots. In addition, Jimmy Fallon continued with a comic tribute to the program’s chosen target demographic: Blonde Moms. Ain’t that sweet.

 

A possibly returning game-show burlesque dubbed “Lick It For Ten” saw three “contestants” selected from the audience lick several objects such as a lawn mower, a photocopier and a bowl of goldfish for the incredible prize of … 10 dollars.

 

What’s more, all of these happened even before guest star Robert De Niro hit the stage in order to offer Jimmy Fallon a not very conservative interview. Jimmy Fallon performed a De Niro impression and asked the famous actor to impersonate himself as well. The two subsequently appeared in a spoof together.

 

Robert De Niro was followed by other well-known celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Van Morrison.