Well I guess that movie career didn’t exactly pan out for Jimmy Fallon. Then again, I’m not sure what Hollywood was thinking trying to make a leading man out of an okay looking guy who can’t tell half a joke without giggling like a shy little schoolgirl. Oh well. With the movie career having all but fizzled out, Fallon has now been tapped by NBC to replace Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show; O’Brien himself, of course, has been tapped to replace Jay Leno since 2004, and is now just waiting for the Chinned One to retire, which should happen next year.

The Hollywood Reporter has more on the announcement:

NBC is expected to make the announcement May 12 during its upfront event in New York.

The deal gives Fallon and “Late Night” executive producer Lorne Michaels enough time to assemble a team and prepare for Fallon’s takeover after O’Brien’s departure, expected in January.

It is not clear whether “Late Night” with Fallon will stay at Studio 6A at New York’s 30 Rock, but it is probable as O’Brien will be moving to the new “Tonight Show” home at Universal Studios’ Stage One.

I haven’t watched late night talk shows in, God, how many years? I tune in to Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” every now and then, usually when there’s a good guest on. It’s usually good for a laugh or two. I actually like the idea of Conan taking over for Jay.

And Jimmy Fallon taking over for Conan? My guess is that NBC will be losing a lot of viewers to CBS’ Craig Ferguson as a result of the switch. After all, how many times can Jimmy pick up a guitar and impersonate a singer or giggle while trying to tell a joke before the audience gets fed up?

This, by the way, is probably Jimmy Fallon’s funniest bit during his time on SNL (the quality is crap but you get the idea):