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Jimmy was Born:

… James Thomas Fallon, Jr., on Sept. 19, 1974, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He’s the son of Gloria and Jimmy Fallon, Sr. And he has a sister named Gloria.

Growing Up with Jimmy:

… was growing up with Saturday Night Live. It was in his blood, as he and his sister would re-enact skits for friends and family. But allegedly only the skits their parents deemed appropriate.

He attended St. Mary of the Snow Elementary and Saugerties High School, graduating in 1992. At the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., Jimmy was a computer science major, though he purportedly has not garnered his bachelor’s. The major may have influenced his “Annoying IT Guy” character on Saturday Night Live.

Jimmy Fallon’s Net Worth:

Jimmy Fallon has an estimated net worth of $70 Million.

The Early Years:

Retail jobs paid the bills while Jimmy studied comedy at the Groundlings Theater in L.A. His sketch work on the West Coast got the attention of producers of SNL, and he flew East to make it or break it. The rest is history, as Jimmy became one of the most popular cast members during his 1999 to 2004 run.

He left to pursue a movie career, which has seen only a smattering of success with films like Fever Pitch and Taxi. Jimmy found a wider audience with his hilarious run as host of the MTV Movie Awards.

Becoming a Talk Show Host:

In late 2007, NBC awarded Fallon with a contract that married the comedian with the network – and started the rumor that Jimmy would succeed Conan O’Brien as host of Late Night. That rumor was confirmed in April 2008 and made official in May.

Jimmy became the new host of Late Night on March 2, 2009. (Conan O’Brien moves to The Tonight Show June 1, 2009, and Jay Leno moves to a new primetime talk show on NBC in the fall of 2009.)

And Just for Fun:

• Is married to Drew Barrymore’s producing partner, Nancy Juvonen.
• Acted out Saturday Night Live skits with his sister when they were kids.
• Fulfilled a life-long dream by joining the cast of SNL in 1998 (becoming a featured player in 1999).
• Is an author, with his sister, penning the tome I Hate This Place: The Pessimist’s Guide to Life.
• Took over as host of Late Night on March 2, 2009.

Wanna know what hip new bands are becoming the next pop culture phenoms? Tune into any number of talk shows to find out.

Since The Beatles introduced themselves to America on The Ed Sullivan Show, bands from all over the world are using late night and daytime talk shows as one of the most effective ways to reach the masses. And well known acts are turning up entertain audiences and introduce new music all of the time.

If you’re a fan of hard rock, country, alternative, pop – whatever – check this listing weekly to see which artists are lighting up what stage and when!

Late Show with David Letterman

• Monday, March 16: Matthew E. White
• Tuesday, March 17: Glen Hansard
• Wednesday, March 18: Theo James
• Thursday, March 19: Kishi Bashi
• Friday, March 20:

The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon

• Monday, March 16: Wiz Khalifa
• Tuesday, March 17: Modest Mouse
• Wednesday, March 18: Boots
• Thursday, March 19: Rixton
• Friday, March 20: Ariana Grande

Late Night with Seth Meyers

• Monday, March 16: Smallpools
• Tuesday, March 17: Alex Gibney
• Wednesday, March 18: Tove Styrke
• Thursday, March 19: Seaton Smith
• Friday, March 20: Echosmith

Conan

• Monday, March 16: Tobias Jesso Jr.
• Tuesday, March 17: OK Go
• Wednesday, March 18:
• Thursday, March 19:
• Friday, March 20:

Last Call with Carson Daly

• Monday, March 16: La Sera, Mac McClelland
• Tuesday, March 17: Tijuana Panthers, Dan Ahdoot
• Wednesday, March 18: Anna Mastro & Andrew J. West
• Thursday, March 19: Misterwives, Jordan Rubin
• Friday, March 20: Gap Dream, Tomm Moore

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Monday, March 16: Brad Paisley
• Tuesday, March 17: Spoon
• Wednesday, March 18:
• Thursday, March 19:
• Friday, March 20: Willie Nelson

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

• Monday, March 16: Madonna
• Tuesday, March 17: Madonna
• Wednesday, March 18: Madonna
• Thursday, March 19: Madonna
• Friday, March 20: Madonna

Conan O’Brien took his late night talk show to Cuba in mid-February, making history at the same time. Conan is now known as the first U.S. late night talk show to film in the

It’s the first U.S. late-night show to film in the country since the United States embargo began in 1962.

O’Brien filmed a series of segments in the country over a span of four days, spotlighting the people and the culture of Havana.

“I made countless friends and had one of the best experiences of my life,” the late night talk show host tweeted. The show will air on March 4.

Talk shows have made a tradition out of taking their shows on the road. Besides Conan’s trip to Cuba, here are four more of our favorite traveling talk shows:

1.  Oprah takes her audience to Australia

Perhaps the most amazing talk show to go on the road was The Oprah Winfrey Show. During its final season in 2010, Oprah announced to her studio audience that not only was she going to take her show to Australia for a eight days and seven nights, she was also going to take all 300 studio audience members on the trip as well. The trip was called Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure.

The crew and cast were officially welcomed with a formal party at Sydney’s Botanical Gardens overlooking Sydney Harbour. The party was hosted by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally, featured live music and a fireworks display over the water.

The trip was a boon for tourism in Australia. According to Tourism Australia, $5.4 million was invested in marketing the trip and just under $20 million of bookings were realized from the spotlight the show put on the country. 

2.  The Colbert Report in Iraq

While The Colbert Report was often viewed as liberal (true fans know Colbert takes a bite out of all comers), fans also know Colbert was an ardent supporter of American troops. In 2009, Colbert showed that support by shipping his entire program overseas to entertain the troops with support of the U.S.O.

Colbert made headlines for having his head shaved by General Ray Odierno, the quiet behind-the-scenes news was that The Colbert Report was the first full-length, non-news program to film, edit and broadcast from a combat zone in U.S.O. history.

3.  Late Late Show in Paris

When talk show host Craig Ferguson lauded over the Late Late Show, he would famously take the show on the road. One of his most brilliant escapades was to Paris, France. What made this different?

Well, for starters, Ferguson didn’t film the show in a studio or theater. He chose, instead, to play to passers-by at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. He even renamed the show Le Late Late Show avec Craig Ferguson for the occasion.

Viewers watched Ferguson interview celebrities while they sat at folding chairs and a card table in a field near the Eiffel Tower.

Of the things he learned while filming in France, as told to Vulture, Ferguson said, “That if anyone ever suggests it’s a great idea to tape a week of shows in the bustling capital of a non-English-speaking country where no one’s ever heard of you, they are wrong. Very, very wrong.” 

4.  The Tonight Show in Los Angeles

In a way, it’s an odd to think of The Tonight Show on location in Los Angeles as something to talk about. But after a year away from the Angel City in its new-all-over-again New York home, host Jimmy Fallon gave us something to talk about.

Namely, a near perfect rendition of the opening to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In Fallon’s version, he trades West Philadelphia for Studio 6B, where The Tonight Show tapes in its New York City home. You can see that parody here.

Title: The Sally Jessy Raphael Show Host: Sally Jessy Raphael

Format: One-hour tabloid talk show. Tabloid talk shows are known for inviting controversial guests and setting up moments of conflict or volatility. Subject matter is often melodramatic, prurient and taboo.

Broadcast Information: The Sally Jessy Raphael Show was broadcast in syndication.

Premiere Date: October 17, 1983

Final Air Date: May 24,

2002

Brief History:

Fans of The Sally Jessy Raphael Show will remember her most fondly for her large-rimmed red glasses and ability to host a tongue-in-cheek show with female impersonators one day and then a more serious, tug-at-the-heartstrings show about families or couples in crises the next.

Others will remember that Raphael started out on radio, hosting a call-in advice show on NBC Talknet, a nighttime series of shows on the NBC Radio Network, which ran from throughout the 1980s to 90s. The success of that show depending largely on Raphael’s quick thinking. As the story goes, Raphael was set to host a show dedicated to politics, but decided at the last moment to shift the show’s focus to relationship advice. The show blossomed and Raphael found herself dishing out the goods on more than 200 radio stations across the country.

This was the big time for a journalist who began life in Easton, Penn., was raised primarily in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts

from Columbia University in New York City. She turned her attention to journalism, becoming a news correspondent for the Associated Press and United Press International. That turned into a slew of jobs at more than 20 radio stations. Raphael was a news reporter, disc jockey, talk show host and more. By her own admission, none of those jobs ever really stuck, but she plugged on hoping for success.

Talknet was that success. And one of its biggest fans turned out to be legendary talk show host Phil Donahue. Donahue thought Raphael’s audience rapport was top notch. He reached out to her, suggesting she consider television as an avenue to her approach.

Raphael took Donahue’s advice and tried out for producer Burt Dubrow. Dubrow gave her a shot as a fill-in for a local talk show. And while her style was far from polished, her fans loved that she was on TV. After a couple more outings, and seeing how Raphael was able to translate her laid-back, common sense manner to TV, Raphael was awarded a half-hour talk show on a St. Louis station.

Raphael turned that show into the incredibly popular The Sally Jessy Raphael Show – later just Sally – which ran for nearly 20 years.

Like the other shows on daytime television at the time, Raphael’s focus soon turned to more sensationalistic and taboo topics, moving away from the more common sense advice she often dished out to guests. Unlike her brethren, The Jerry Springer Show and Maury, Raphael kept a rather tongue-in-cheek view of it all. And while her top-rated show ever focused on female breast size, the show never truly degenerated into physical conflict and true bad taste.

The end came in 2002 when the show’s ratings hit their lowest point since its debut in 1983. Tabloid talk shows were in decline, September 11th had recently occurred, and viewers wanted programming that was more light-hearted. Plus, Raphael believed her syndicator was giving more marketing time to Springer and Maury than her show.

Raphael returned to radio for several years before going into semi-retirement. She last appeared on a 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Comedy Central should sunset The Daily Show when Jon Stewart leaves.

Wait, now. Hear me out.

Certainly The Daily Show is an enormous brand for Comedy Central. You might argue that it is Comedy Central’s Tonight Show, its Late Show. And, yes, the late night program has survived – and thrived – with a change of hosts.

After all, when Jon Stewart took over for Craig Kilborn in 1999, the show didn’t fizzle. It found a new voice. And its popularity shot through the roof.

Still, there’s a reason it seems so hard to think of a good successor for Stewart (not that we haven’t tried). You see, viewers aren’t tuning in to see The Daily Show. They are tuning in to hear what Jon Stewart has to say about the day’s current events. They want to find out what his opinion is – and they want him to pull the wool back from eyes.

Without Stewart, what makes The Daily Show ‘The Daily Show’ ceases to exist.

Not your average late night talk show
The challenge Comedy Central will have replacing Stewart is that The Daily Show is not your average late night talk show. Changing hosts isn’t as simple as finding an engaging personality, with a good sense of humor and an ability to interview celebrity guests.

While both The Tonight Show and the Late Show are iconic, at their foundation both are built on the standard talk show format. Strip away the hosts, bands, sets and theme songs and you have, essentially, the same show. Monologue, comedy bit, celebrity guest, comedy bit, musical act or stand-up comedian.

So while finding a host who can excel as the successor to an iconic star like Johnny Carson or David Letterman might seem like a Herculean task, it is much less so.. As long as the successor has charisma, comedy chops and the ability to pull out great stories from celebrities and fellow comedians, it won’t take much for the new host to make the show his or her own.

Just look at what Jimmy Fallon has done with The Tonight Show. He adheres to the foundation of the show, but has made it his own. It is imbued with his personality. Remember how Craig Ferguson transformed the Late Late Show? The foundation was there. Ferguson just took the parts and made them fit his storytelling style and absurdist wit. The host, in a way, is the interior decorating.

But you can’t do the same thing with The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart was the foundation
In a way, Stewart’s exit from The Daily Show is closer to Stephen Colbert’s exit from The Colbert Report.

When Colbert announced he was leaving The Report to take over for Letterman on the Late Show, there was a brief moment when folks wondered if someone would take over Colbert’s show. How would it work? Would it be renamed? What would be different? What would stay the same?

Instead, Colbert shuttered the show. It couldn’t go on without him because, as the name implied, the show was all about the Colbert character. The talk show was built around the persona the host created. The two were inseparable.

The same can be said of The Daily Show. Even though the program doesn’t bare Stewart’s name – beyond the “with Jon Stewart” tag – the show is essentially The Stewart Report.

Remember, The Daily Show was only around two years before Stewart took over. It hardly had the time to establish itself. It certainly wasn’t the political and social force it is today. That version of the show focused a lot on field reports and satires of local news shows.

Stewart completely revolutionized the program. While many of the correspondents stayed on and certain segments continued for many years – especially when Colbert and Steve Carell were main cast members – the show slowly evolved into a quasi-news program. Stewart moved from mocking the news and news casters to joining them, in many ways.

The show’s turning point may have been the 2000 election when Daily Show correspondents joined real journalists on the presidential campaign trail during the program’s inaugural Indecision series of election reporting. The stunt caught the eye of viewers and news reporters, and the show soon started attracting bigger names in politics and punditry, nearly becoming a must stop for anyone trying to appeal to younger voters and decision makers.

Soon Stewart’s evening broadcast was more news and even more jokes. A lively and engaging op-ed page that dug into stories to uncover – or place a larger spotlight – on the facts around each story. Then, with wit and wisdom, Stewart would juxtapose opinions and point out the irony in a pundit’s speech or a political decision.

It’s no wonder Stewart was named the most trusted journalist on television in 2008 – and even more trusted news source than MSNBC in one recent study.

How do you follow that act?
The real question is, how does someone follow that act? Is there another man or woman who could step in as Daily Show anchor and provide us with the keen wisdom and wit Stewart so ably delivered? If so, it’s likely a short list. Maybe too short.

So rather than try to replace Stewart, maybe Comedy Central should consider replacing The Daily Show. If Stewart is going out on top, then so, too, should The Daily Show.

Replace it with Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show. Develop another pundit show similar to The Colbert Report, maybe with Kathy Griffin.Maybe with Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon. Follow it with the popular @midnight.