Jimmy Fallon show gets online push

Variety

By Michael Schneider -- Video Business, 12/5/2008 4:38:00 PM

Video blogs starring Fallon will start appearing nightly at 12:35 a.m. on NBC's website beginning Monday. Although originally conceived as a dry run for Fallon's takeover of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the webisodes will instead be more lo-fi, freeform-style looks at what Fallon is up to on the eve of his hosting gig.

The blogs - which will run around five minutes -- will change every day, and may range from behind-the-scenes at a Fallon stand-up gig, or a riff on something he's found on the streets, to a clip of Fallon running around his new offices.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, NBC is expected to announce an official start date for "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon": the start of March (expected to be March 2).

That means O'Brien will likely step down at the end of February to prep for his own new gig as "Tonight Show" host. (NBC has already announced that O'Brien assumes the "Tonight Show" from Jay Leno on June 1.)

March transition would come in the middle of sweeps (which has been pushed from February this winter because of the upcoming digital TV transition).

Peacock has remained mum on details surrounding the Fallon show, but some details have emerged - including the likelihood that hip-hop group The Roots will join as the show's house band.

Fallon's webcasts are being overseen by Michael Shoemaker, who will serve as showrunner of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" as well (Daily Variety, Aug. 6). Also involved in the Internet series: Co-producer Gavin Purcell, the former "Attack of the Show" exec producer who joined the Fallon team this summer.

Lorne Michaels is also an exec producer on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Michaels first announced plans for the Fallon webisodes at this summer's TV Critics Assn. confab.

Coincidentally, one of Fallon's recurring characters on "Saturday Night Live" was "Jarret," a stoner college student who hosted a webcast with the equally baked "Gobi" (Horatio Sanz).