Jimmy Fallon Puts Down Roots

By Rick Porter, Zap2It.com | December 9, 2008

Jimmy Fallon

Discuss this story now

New 'Late Night' host taps hip-hop group as his house band

Given the hoopla surrounding Jay Leno over the last 24 hours or so, it's easy to forget that the rest of NBC's late-night lineup is getting a makeover too.

Jimmy Fallon hopes you won't forget about him. The former "Saturday Night Live" regular is taking over "Late Night" in March, and he launched a daily video blog this week to keep viewers informed about what to expect from his version of the show. The first installment revealed the identity of his house band: hip-hop group The Roots.

The band, led by drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and MC Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, will provide the soundtrack for Fallon's show when it debuts on March 2. Fallon also informed viewers that his show will originate from Studio 6B at Rockefeller Center, across the hall from where Conan O'Brien currently tapes "Late Night."

The studio carries a good deal of history with it. It housed "The Tonight Show" with hosts Jack Paar and Johnny Carson before Carson moved the show to California in 1972 and dates back to the network's radio days. It most recently was home to the local newscast for the network's New York affiliate, WNBC.

"We are really excited to be working with Jimmy on the new 'Late Night,'" Thompson says in a statement. "It's also an honor to be working with an icon like ['Late Night' executive producer] Lorne Michaels. We are looking forward to becoming part of the history of 30 Rock."

Fallon will be posting new entries most days at 12:30 a.m. ET at LateNightwithJimmyFallon.com.