Writing for the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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years ago.) Once the game starts, King and a second ball girl take up posts at either the first or third base side. Armed with a glove, a helmet, and a bucket to sit on, she prepares for every hop, liner, foul ball, and pop- Emmy-nominated writers up that comes her way. Mike DiCenzo (left) and The worst crime for a Arthur Meyer help The Tonight Show dominate late night TV. ball girl to commit, she says, is interfering with a fair ball. “My rule of thumb is that if I’m on the first base line, I will not move to my right,” Writing for The Tonight Show King says. “The first base side, the foul ground is very Starring Jimmy Fallon tight as compared to the third base side. If it’s really Alums reflect on working for late night close, and you have to wait TV’s most popular host to see if the ball is fair or foul, I’ll usually let it go. You Growing up, Mike DiCenzo had a dream: he The BU scribes met only briefl y in college. don’t want to be booed by wanted to reunite the cast of one of his favorite DiCenzo, who wrote for BUTV10’s now- 38,000 people.” shows, Saved by the Bell. As a senior writer on defunct Overexposed, landed a gig at the satiri- Such a moment would NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F allon, he cal news website The Onion before going to inevitably end up on Sports- not only was able to make that happen, but had work for Fallon. He began to use his Brooklyn Center’s “Not Top Ten” a boss willing to star in a sketch that brought neighbor Meyer in some of the Late Night skits, list. Fortunately, some of Zack, Kelly, Jessie, and Slater back together. drawing on Meyer’s background in sketch com- King’s best catches, like DiCenzo cast Fallon as a Bayside High class- edy as a member of BU’s comedy group Slow the time she came to the mate of the four, and he persuaded Saved by the Children at Play and then of Pangea 3000, a grounds crew’s rescue, have Bell stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, sketch comedy group he belonged to in New been caught on camera and Elizabeth Berkley, and Ti" ani Thiessen to take York after college. His talent for sketch comedy live forever on YouTube. up their old personas and dress in ’90s duds. helped him get hired as a Tonight sta" writer. She passes her successful The eight-minute skit was an instant hit when “It taught me how to collaborate with other catches to a nearby kid or it aired last February and has been viewed on comedians, and that’s a huge part of doing a fervent fan. YouTube 31.5 million times since. comedy,” Meyer says. “The only way you can The job comes with “My job is awesome,” says DiCenzo write a good sketch is to collaborate and be more than a few perks. (COM’05), who admits he still has “holy s--t!” open to other people’s ideas.” King scored tickets for her moments when he realizes he’s writing for a The Tonight Show is known for goofy humor, family and herself to the late night show with millions of viewers. He was good-natured interviews, and skits like legendary game six of the the fi rst writer Fallon hired when he succeeded Michelle Obama “mom dancing” and Tom 2013 American League Conan O’Brien on Late Night in 2009, and he Hanks performing slam poetry. “It’s a very Championship Series that went with him when Fallon took over the Tonight sincere show, a positive show,” says Meyer. sent the Red Sox on to Show from Jay Leno last year. “Just the nature of “It celebrates more than it takes down.” play—and win—against the the show and who you get to work with is amaz- The two writers credit Fallon with setting St. Louis Cardinals in the ing—I got to write lyrics for Paul McCartney,” the tone in the writers’ room. “A lot of the World Series. And maybe DiCenzo says. The personal payo" is good, too: show’s best ideas are inspired by him,” says the biggest thrill: she got “My grandma’s defi nitely proud of me.” DiCenzo. And from Meyer: “He’s the hard- her own World Series ring, Joining DiCenzo at the Tonight Show writers’ est worker I’ve ever seen.” Fallon expects the with her name engraved table each day is Arthur Meyer (COM’06). same work ethic from his Tonight Show writing on the side. The Emmy-nominated alums pen sketches and sta" . “I’m thinking of ideas for jokes when I get And there’s no rule that celebrity bits that have helped the show domi- on the subway at 7:30 in the morning,” says says the job has to end when nate competitors such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! Meyer, who is still working from home at 11 she graduates. If she gets During last February’s sweeps, The Tonight most nights. “You have to be pretty on top of a job in Boston, she may Show beat its competitors by more than a news and current events so you can reach as DOUGLAS GORENSTEIN/NBC continue. AMY LASKOWSKI million viewers. large an audience as possible.” AL Fall 2015 BOSTONIA ! 04-17_Bostonia_Fa15.indd 5 9/30/15 10:58 AM.