Jimmy Fallon Has “Revolutionized” Late Night

There was Johnny Carson, then came Letterman, then Jay Leno, followed by Conan O’Brien. All of these names have been a part of NBC late night television. Carson and The Tonight Show created the format of what late night television should be. It starts with the opening monologue, then the comedy bit, followed by the guests, and ends with a comedian or musical act to close out the show (bringing comedians on was a Johnny Carson specialty. Carson will always be the king of late night, and Leno, Letterman and O’Brien all bring their own unique style to both the Tonight Show and Late Night.

More recently, no one has made a bigger impact on late night television other than Jimmy Fallon. Fallon took over Conan O’Brien’s Late Night show after he left to host The Tonight Show, which you remember became a giant mess and was one of NBC’s darkest hours. Fallon is well known for his long run on Saturday Night Live. He became a favorite and joined the club of well-known SNL alumni. Fallon’s entrance into the 12:35am time-slot in March 2009 displayed a change in late night television. Fallon’s show tries to attract younger viewers, mostly that 18-30 year-old audience that is usually watching Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

Jimmy Fallon at times, especially in his first few shows, displayed a sense of nervousness in his opening monologue. But as he got comfortable after the first couple of shows, his creativity began to come out, and of course like Conan and Letterman before him, when the nerves leave, their unique talent enters.  

The first thing that made Fallon’s show stand out was his choice of the in-house band. He chose the legendary Roots Band (The Roots), who are involved in the show in several occasions. Fallon has also gone the way of Conan O’Brien when it comes to bringing his own unique style to Late Night. He is appealing to a younger audience, and looks to expand the interviews that put the guests into funny situations. One of the more hilarious bits involved him challenging his guests to beer pong. He even got 88 year-old Betty White to play the college-age game. Playing Tiger Woods PGA 12 The Masters with the man himself on Playstation Move created laughs, especially when Fallon and former SNL castmate Amy Poehler did everything they could to distract Woods when it was his turn. It was also in my opinion, a good way to take pressure off of Woods, being that it was one of his first appearances on a talk show since the controversey that hung over his head for over a year.  Another one that got me was Password with Robert De Niro and The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper. Face it, anything that gets De Niro out of his comfort zone is hilarious, especially since Fallon and him were teammates. 

Fallon has been able to get his audience involved in the show also. Singing karaoke to  Former South Carolina Governor Sanford's messages to his mistress were sung to by audience members as well as other current events.

Fallon is also never afraid to display his muscial talents on the show. The first musical act that got attention was his Neil Young cover of General Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground,” a song that was sung during an American Idol audition. He appeared again with another Young cover singing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song (younger audience knows that).  If that wasn’t enough, Fallon then pulls out his Bob Dylan impression and does a cover of the theme from Charles in Charge.

Fallon has performed with the musical guests also. A more recent show had him, the group “Stomp” and the legendary Paul Simon performing “Cecilla.” But the best one had to be with Stephen Colbert. The host of the Colbert Report joined Fallon, along with former American Idol contestant Taylor Hicks, the Roots, and the New York Knick dancers in a cover of Rebecca Black’s Infamous song “Friday.” The cover was more liked than the original song. Then again, anything is better than her song.

It is nice to see that Fallon can wear the suit and tie and keep the dignity of late night television, but is willing to loosen the tie and try new things.

The Final Project: By Sean Gallagher and Tom Kane

Our Final Project was to develop a website that provided information on the current Pennsylvania State Budget Proposal regarding education. As many people know, the state may see cut-backs in the funding for education. This is news that will catch the attention of people in the Shippensburg University community and the state at large. For some, they may be confused and have several questions about the budget. We looked to create a website that was non-bias and provided the facts and information that can be used to help them better understand what is going on. We recognize that this issue does bring out political views from both sides of the aisle. We did our best to provide information that did not favor one side over the other. We provide links to this past years budet, this years proposed budget and summaries of both. We also looked to provide information on how the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and Shippensburg have responded to the news, as well as provide them with contact information of their local politicians if they are still unsure of any of the information in the budget and if they had any questions or concerns. Our site can be accessed from the link below.

Pennsylvania State Buget on Education Website

Best Network Theme Song for the NHL?

In the spirit of the new deal with NBC and the NHL, I thought it would be fun to put the theme songs for the current networks and former networks against one another in a contest of which one is the best. Which one is the best?

NHL and NBC Together Again For 10 More Years

In the battle of TV deals, NBC stays with the National Hockey League for a record 10 more years which will give the NHL $2 billion. After offers were going back and forth between ESPN, NBC, FOX and Turner Broadcasting, the league's current suitor matched and out-bid ESPN for the television rights, which was announced this past Tuesday. This was the first time ESPN has taken an interest in acquiring both cable and network rights (ABC) to NHL games. But now, ESPN will not have a shot at hockey until 2021.

This new television deal comes with a lot of benefits for the league. NBC and the cable carrier Versus will carry 100 games during the regular season each year, and will broadcast every playoff game nationally. The NHL on NBC will kick off earlier this year. Instead of the Winter Classic being the first game, a game will air on the network on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. NBC will continue to cover the classic on New Years Day, along with games 3-7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Versus, which will be renamed withe the NBC name in the title, will carry several games each week, any Future Heritage Classics, and the NHL Premiere Games in Europe.

After hearing about the inevitable deal early Tuesday morning, I was hoping that the NHL didn't get short-changed by NBC. I was shocked to see the 10 year, $2 Billion deal when I first read the article, I was very surprised by the deal. But as I continued to look at the details, I became more optimistic about the new deal.

Here is one reason I believe it was positive. With Comcast buying the network, the chances of NBC getting another television deal with the NHL went up. If this was the same network being run by Jeff Zucker and General Electric, the deal would have looked bleak.

Let's face it. Since GE took over the network, it slowly went downhill. It's ratings were awful, going from #1 in 2002 to last place by 2008. When the orphaned NHL came out of the lockout and was looking for a TV home, NBC made an offer that many people feel the league took out of desperation. Even Conan O'Brien back in his Late Night years mocked NBC for taking the NHL in. Along with the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), now Versus, sub-par production and criticism of the channels dogged the league and NBC. Although I must say that both NBC and Versus have improved when it comes to broadcasting and producing games.

With Comcast now in control of the network, it opens up a window of opportunity for the NHL and NBC to expand and improve year-by-year in this new deal. Comcast now has control over all of NBC's channels, along with them owning Versus. With the promise of every playoff game, there is a possibility that hockey could be shown on the USA Network, and NBC Universal, two channels that were known for their Olympic Coverage in 2010. With Versus most likely being renamed "NBC Sports Network," it will become a better known channel, and hopefully an easier channel to find on most cable company's listings, an issue the league has dealt with since 2005.  

For those of you wondering what ESPN offered the league, get ready to laugh. The Worldwide Leader of Sports offered to broadcast every playoff game, BUT only offered to broadcast one game during the week in the regular season, a terrible deal that even Barry Melrose and Matthew Baranaby, the networks NHL personalities, should be disgusted with. This would put the NHL in the same area with Major League Soccer, a game one time a week on ESPN2. Hopefully the MLS jumps ship and comes to Versus and NBC when their contract expires. Besides, ESPN just likes to cover the NBA and NFL more than anything. Two leagues that could both have lockout years coming up, leaving ESPN with just baseball and its block of shows.

Now, I am optimistic, but I do have some suggestions to make this deal even better and to improve the outreach of the game.
1) Two games on NBC once every other week:
    -Being a Penguins fan I can see all 82 games in the regular season, if I didn't have responsibilities. I like seeing my team on NBC, but there needs to be a game with more Western Conference teams. The 12:30pm start is something that makes me mad. What else is NBC showing that is so important. Well the amateur ski jumping, poker tournaments, and the amateur golf that means nothing to me are BORING! A 1pm game and a 4pm game once every other week would be great with the East and West switching one the one game a week cycle. A 1pm game one week, then a 4pm the week following the doubleheader week. Dick Ebersol, are you getting this? I don't care about some gambler from Iowa who can read someone's bluff for 4 minutes. No wonder the network has struggled.

2) More Personalities
Mike Emerick is a legend when it comes to play-by-play in hockey. Although I would encourage NBC and Versus to bring in announcers from other Comcast Sports Network affiliates to do games. They have in the past but they need to have more. When it comes to former players, bring more of them in. I love Jeremy Roenick, but there has to be a group of former players who can analyze. If Charles Barkley can do it on TNT or basketball, anyone can do it.

3) SHOW THE SCORE!!!
NBC never shoes the score before the break. It's not that big of a deal, but nobody in the production studio has ever thought of creating a graphic that gives the score of the game. It's traditional for all sports, what makes NBC's NHL coverage an exception to tradition?

The best of luck to the NHL and NBC in a marriage with this much money, it's worthy of a possible prenup.

The Stanley Cup: The Underdog of Trophies

It's that time of year again for sports. The baseball season is kicking off and basketball and hockey are starting their respected postseasons. Each league has 16 teams competing for a championship. Both playing for bragging rights and trying to win their league's trophy. For most, the NBA Playoffs will be front and center and outshine hockey's Stanley Cup playoffs during the next two months in viewership. Basketball's popularity may outshine hockey, but the significance of the price at the end of the NHL playoffs outdoes the NBA as well as the Lombardi Trophy in the NFL and the World Series Trophy.

Now, you are probably asking yourself, "what makes the Stanley Cup more prestigious when compared to the others?" Well, I can give you a few reasons to consider why the Stanley Cup is one of the most sought out and hardest trophy to win.

Reason 1: There is only 1 Stanley Cup: The NBA, NFL and MLB all make a new trophy every year to present to the championship team. The Stanley Cup is 118 years old. At one time just a silver-nickel bowl, it has grown to the 35 pound treasure it is today. The fact that the winning team only gets the summer with it makes them want it again the next season, just ask Chicago and Pittsburgh, the past two winners. To think of the millions who have touched it, raised it over their heads, seeing the history of a professional league that has seen its good and bad moments and the places it has gone. Of course there is a replica that sits in the Hall of Fame when the real deal is out on tour, just something to add.

Reason 2: The Road to Winning the Cup: The NHL plays an 82 game season that runs from October to mid-June. If you are a playoff team that goes all the way to the end, you might add 28 extra game maximum to your season. People don't need to be geniuses to see that hockey is a physical game. Men have broken bones in almost every place, lost teeth, they have been stitched more than a rag doll passed down from past generations, but will play through all those injuries to have an opportunity to live out the dream they had a kids, to carry the Cup around the ice, being on the winning team.

Reason 3: The Emotional Effect on Players/Fans: OK this might just be my point of view but the Stanley Cup does bring out the emotions of players and fans during the spring rush for hockey's most coveted price. The idea of being a part of history as a player. Getting your name on the Stanley Cup and having it their forever. It's amazing to watch grown men who take 100 mph pucks to the jaw and take physical tolls on their bodies become speechless and tear up after winning the Stanley Cup, while they never cry after losing teeth or break a bone. The fact that a silver and nickel trophy can do that to a adult male with a beard says a lot about hockey and what makes it so unique. Fans watching the game find themselves on the verge of heart attacks as their team comes seconds within winning the cup, knowing one play can mean victory of defeat. Fans share the same emotions as players do at times.

We cheer when they score and win, we share a variety of emotions that would have a non-hockey fan think we had lost our minds, and we find ourselves with tears of joy when they win, or sadness when they lose. Former NHL star and a player who will one day make it to the Hall of Fame, Jeremy Roenick came close to a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1992, but they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Chicago won their first cup in 49 years, Roenick could not hold back the feelings he had about his shot at the Cup and Chicago's story book season.

Reason 4: How They Got There: Sometimes the victory is even sweeter when there is a good-feel story behind that teams championship season. The Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that almost didn't stay in Pittsburgh, went through the sad reality of a possible relocation. But with a new arena deal that finally came, the Penguins were to stay in Pittsburgh. The teams transition from hockey's worse to one of the best came in 2008 when they made it to the Finals against Detroit. After losing to the Red Wings in 6 games, the Penguins wanted to get back to the Finals in 2009. After a bad start to the 2008-2009 season, the Penguins fired their head coach Michael Therrien, and hired minor league coach Dan Bylsma. The team rallied to get the number 4 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, played heart-stopping hockey against the Flyers and Capitals, swept the Carolina Hurricanes, and had a date for vengeance against the Red Wings in the Finals once again. After losing the first two games, the Penguins won the next two at home, lost in game five, but won game six and forced a win or go home game 7 back in Detroit. The underdog Penguins won the game 2-1, that came down to the last 6.5 seconds with a career highlight save by Marc-Andre Fleury. An ending to a cinderella story that not even Disney could write.

The history, emotion and the stories that go along with the Stanley Cup make it one of the most coveted trophies in the world. Most people who don't watch hockey might not be able to name all 30 clubs in the league, but they know the name of the trophy given to the winner. When your team isn't in the race for the Cup, it more fun to watch, because when your team is in the hunt, it is nerve racking and results in a roller coaster of emotions. Either way, its a lot of fun to watch.

WSYC Flash Movie

A small, 30 second Flash Movie promoting WSYC, Shippensburg University's Radio Station!

WSYC FLASH VIDEO!