Jimmy Fallon Returns To NBC As Host Of Late Night

After years of speculation, we now know who will be taking over as host of Late Night when Conan O’Brien leaves in 2009 to take over the Tonight Show. (link) The Hollywood Reporter found out earlier today that Jimmy Fallon has signed a deal to take over hosting duties for NBC’s Late Night upon O'Brien's departure. (link) Conan’s chair became available in 2004 when it was announced he would be Jay Leno’s successor as host of the Tonight Show upon Leno’s retirement in 2009.

It has been a long four years since the initial announcement of Leno’s scheduled retirement as rumors mounted that Leno was unhappy about his already planned exit and was hoping to either extend his Tonight Show run or move to a rival station. Many names have been floated around as the eventual successor to O’Brien on Late Night, with Fallon’s name repeatedly being mentioned as a front runner based upon his popular run on Saturday Night Live and his stint as co-host of SNL’s Weekend Update with Tina Fey.


While Fallon has been The Blot’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast members in recent years, I am worried that his unique style of delivery might be found a little grating when on television 5 nights a week. Hopefully his transition to behind Late Night’s desk will be a smooth one and much more successful than the comedian’s movie career which pretty much died on impact after Taxi and Fever Pitch bombed in theaters.

G.I. Joe The Movie - First Look at Storm Shadow and The Baroness

More and more pictures of the live action G.I. Joe film’s cast are slowly leaking on to the internet and here we have our first look at two of the movie’s villains, Thomas S. Arashikage, a.k.a. Storm Shadow, and The Baroness. I’ve been pretty impressed with the movie’s costumes so far and like the modern feel of the characters. With that being said I’m a little disappointed in Storm Shadow’s uniform. The character has always had a very distinct look in the G.I. Joe comics, cartoons and toys, but here he looks like a generic ninja straight out of the Matrix trilogy.


After having done such a great job with Snake Eyes’ uniform and staying so true to his character, I am surprised the movie went such a different direction with Snake Eyes’ blood brother and fellow ninja, Storm Shadow. The Baroness, on the other hand, has always had a very simple look, one that is easy to reproduce in a live action movie. I’m anxious to see how the movie chooses to recreate G.I. Joe’s main adversaries, Cobra Commander, the leader of COBRA, and Destro, into living breathing characters. Storm Shadow is played by Byung-hun Lee and The Baroness is played by Sienna Miller.


Update 5/9/08: To see BRAND NEW photos of Storm Shadow (in a different uniform) and The Baroness click here!

To see other G.I. Joe First Look photos of characters from the upcoming live action G.I. Joe movie click here.

Wanted - Teaser Movie Poster

Wanted, a new movie based on the comic book mini-series of the same name created by writer Mark Millar and artist J.G. Jones, “tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforce of justice. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson.” (link) Wanted is a highly regarded, creator owned comic book that many have compared to the classic Watchmen comic book series with its adult themes and unique take on super heroes. Even though the book had a short run, Wanted has had a lasting impact in comics since its debut in 2003. Jones’ artwork in particular is amazing and his comic book covers are some of the best in the business.


Hopefully the movie version of Wanted will be as spectacular as the comic. The movie, by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (the Night Watch series), stars James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson, Morgan Freeman as Sloan, Angelina Jolie as Fox, Terence Stamp as Pekwar and Common as The Gunsmith. Look for Wanted in theaters this summer on June 27th, 2008. If you’re interested in reading the trade paperback of Wanted, which includes all six issues of the comic, you can do so here.