I don't hate Jimmy Fallon. I thought he was often quite funny on Saturday Night Live. I thought Fever Pitch was a perfectly cromulent romcom. And while I don't think I've seen a full episode of his Tonight Show (or, for that matter, his Late Night), I've enjoyed some of the bits that I've seen online. He does ensure The Roots have a steady paycheck.
Jimmy Fallon is also a decent singer. He's not a great singer--he sings a lot better than I do, but no one is going to confuse him for his friend Justin Timberlake. That said, the only reason he has a new Christmas album out is because he is the host of The Tonight Show--and he has a lot of famous friends willing to sing along with him. Since he works for NBC, the go-to network for singers wanting variety specials to promote their new Christmas album, he of course is going to get one. So, a couple of weeks ago, America was treated to an hour-long commercial for his album Holiday Seasoning with Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular.
One issue with Fallon is that he is both almost too eager to please, like a puppy, and all too confident in his own abilities. That's the feeling I got from him through the entire special, which starts with him finding a pair of ice skates, and then "skating" his way through New York City via deliberately bad green screen, before he trips and lands in front of a magic door. Upon entering the door, he encounters special guest J.B. Smoove in a very long, festively decorated hall. Fallon excitedly tells him he's seeking the "Christmas Ding Dong". Why such a odd thing to be searching for? Maybe because that happens to be the title of the first song on the album, and the first number he performs in the special.
Fallon had been recording and releasing material for three years, starting with "It Was a...(Masked Christmas)", which he sang with Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion back in 2021. Most of the other songs on the album are duets with the aforementioned famous friends, from evergreens like Dolly Parton and "Weird Al" Yankovic to more contemporary partners like Timberlake and The Jonas Brothers. Many of his guests (though not Grande or Megan) show up during the course of the special to sing their song with him. Smoove and The Roots are the only ones who stick around for more than one segment.
The numbers range from clear attempts at novelty songs (the aforementioned "Christmas Ding Dong" and "Hallmark Movie", a duet with Cara Delevingne in which the two singers realize they are characters in said movie) to, I think, earnest attempts at a new Christmas classic ("Hey Rudy", which Fallon and The Roots performed at Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which might be the best song from the selections that made the special). How much you'll enjoy this pretty much depends on how much you enjoy Jimmy Fallon, and a little of him in full song and dance mode goes a long, long, long way.
There is one weird note toward the end of the special. Fallon receives a FaceTime call from Mariah Carey (who is not on the album) and then we're treated to an entire performance of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (of course) that Carey sang with Fallon--in 2012. The old clip, dating from Fallon's Late Night days, has Carey performing the song with Fallon and four kids while The Roots accompany them with classroom instruments. It's a fun clip, but why recycle it 12 years later? Did someone cancel at the last minute?
The show ends with Fallon on the roof of 30 Rock, singing the one song in the entire special (other than Carey's song) that he does not have a co-writing credit on--specifically "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", which he sings while being lifted into the air abord the rising observation platform as the Radio City Rockettes dance below him.
Like most of these specials, don't expect Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular to become a regular part of NBC's rotation. Indeed, this is almost certainly a one-and-done program. After all, Fallon's album will be a year old next year and why would NBC waste an hour of primetime to promote it again? That's probably for the best. Fallon isn't a bad guy, but a full hour of him earnestly singing is rather hard to take for all but his hardiest superfans.
Next time: One of the most ubiquitous decorations of the 21st century gets its own special.
No comments:
Post a Comment