‘Late Night’ warm-up

By Joe Brown (contact)

Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

Jimmy Fallon’s not talking.

“Nope, sorry,” said the casino publicists for the Hard Rock, who were all frowny-faced this week because Fallon wasn’t doing his bit to promote tonight’s stand-up appearance at the Joint.

Maybe Fallon is just saving his voice.

Or — more likely — he’s skipping middlemen like me and speaking directly to fans and potential audience members.

On March 2 the impish former “Saturday Night Live” cast member slides into Conan O’Brien’s seat on NBC’s “Late Night” (meanwhile O’Brien takes over “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno). And to warm up for the talk show gig, Fallon has been posting near-daily confessional-style videos and antic behind-the-scenes bits at www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com, which includes an “Ask Jimmy” segment with questions from fans, who are seen asking their questions via online video.

1. Going Bananas

Last Saturday, Fallon, 34, returned to the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., comedy club at which he launched his career at a comedy contest at age 17.

“Bananas — I’ve made it,” Fallon deadpanned, after opening with “Carwash for Peace,” a song he released for a veterans charity last year. Fallon played four sold-out shows at the club, which is in a basement banquet room at the Best Western Inn on Route 9.

Fallon did his first (minute-and-a-half) set and was eventually hired to host comedy shows at Bananas, and recently told the Poughkeepsie Journal he might not have pursued a showbiz career if he hadn’t won that contest. (You can see clips of his Bananas return — and from that first gig — on Hulu.com.)

2. Night shift

The “Late Night” gig isn’t too much of a stretch for Fallon. He’s used to working after dark, having spent fully half his life on comedy stages. After studying with the Groundlings improv troupe, Fallon made his name on “SNL,” where he quickly established himself as the cute class clown among class clowns, and stayed for six years. Fallon was well-prepared for that show, too: He has said that he and his sister Gloria would re-enact the “clean parts” of “SNL” programs his parents had videotaped for them.

3. Hip shtick

Unlike many other “SNL” alums, Fallon’s calling card wasn’t inventing recurring characters and coining catchphrases — his most memorable bit may be his impression of a past-his-sell-date Bee Gee Barry Gibb, coincidentally hosting his own talk show. (Come to think of it, Fallon’s character Jarret — a stoner who hosts a talk show on webcam from his dorm room — foreshadows his “Late Night” appointment, too.) Fallon’s strengths: He’s a quick-on-his-feet, puckish pop culture impressionist, adept at making up parody songs — accompanied by his own more-than-passable guitar skills. It seems pop music will be one of Fallon’s high cards: He recently scored a coup by securing the Roots to be house band for the new show.

4. Ready for prime time?

“When I first got this offer, Lorne (Michaels, ‘SNL’ producer) suggested to me that I go back to doing stand-up,” Fallon says in one of his online fireside chats. Tonight’s Hard Rock gig is a bonus. Fallon has mostly been playing colleges on weekends, the natural way to build a base for his talk show. It also seems that Fallon has joined every social network in existence, including Twitter, and is peppering his posts with videos and fan interaction.

5. Beyond the “talk show”

Television history is littered with fallen comics-turned-talk-show hosts — Chevy Chase, anyone? And the announcement that Fallon would succeed O’Brien was greeted by an avalanche of catcalls and criticism. Fallon’s talent for cracking himself up and his corresponding inability to stay in character still bugs some “SNL” viewers and colleagues.

But NBC is betting there are enough viewers out there who will take to Fallon’s buoyant kid-brother persona. And there’s hope that Fallon’s mischievous wit, ADD-level energy and “I’ll try anything” tech-savvy attitude could be a game-changer for the moldy and moribund talk-show format.