Bucket List Item- Jimmy Fallon

Many of you have asked about my Jimmy Fallon experience, so I decided to post what I wrote about it. (Which explains the back logged date.) Make sure you check out the links included to get a taste of what you missed out on. :) Thanks for sharing your excitement with me!

I can't even contain the excitement of the day. I'm pretty sure there has been a silly grin on my face all day long; it's also possible that I've sweated out every bit of moisture out of my body. My ears are even ringing a bit from the deafening excitement of the crowd. I've spent the entire day at Universal Studios with Emma checking a special item off of my bucket list, but today really started a few months ago…

This past Easter (4/20/14), I added a new item to my bucket list: Be a part of a live studio audience for the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. I told my mom that there are always “greats” who lived that you look back on and wish you got to witness becoming great. Sometimes you don't even realize that they are becoming legends right before your very eyes. People such as Steve Jobs, Johnny Carson, the Beatles, Audrey Hepburn, Michael Jordan come to mind. I told her that I think Jimmy Fallon is in the process of becoming one of those legends, and I would love to see history being made. The heart that he has infused into The Tonight Show is refreshing; he's funny without being raunchy and seems to be a genuine guy. Teamed up with “The Roots”, Steve Higgins as announcer and AD Miles as head writer, Fallon is working his way into the hearts of America and into the history books of pop culture. With that being said, I knew I needed to add The Tonight Show to my bucket list even though I knew it would probably be years until I checked it off. There's never been any real desire or reason for me to go to New York unless it was maybe to see a show on Broadway, but Jimmy Fallon gave me the “why.” All I needed to do is try to figure out the “when.”

Shortly after the addition to the bucket list, The Tonight Show announced that they would be traveling to Orlando in June in anticipation of Diagon Alley opening up at NBC's Universal Studios. This was too coincidental! And too good to be true! And it “just so happened” to be one of the weeks I was student-free. So I made it my goal to obtain tickets, but it wasn't to be. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my hands on tickets and I was so disappointed. Jimmy Fallon was so close, yet I wasn't going to be able to see him.

Then last night I got on the ticket site expecting to see the “Sold Out” icon reminding me of all I was missing, but it wasn't there! The screen told me to proceed with my ticket order and before I knew it, it said my reservation was confirmed! Talk about excitement!! I literally started jumping up and down hollering! The one caveat was that my reservation was technically not guaranteed. They purposely overbook every show to guarantee a full audience. The reservation just got me one step closer. I still needed to get to Universal early to beat out the others for tickets. Which brings us to today…

Since it was such a last minute thing, it was hard to find someone to go with me. Mom and Dad were expecting the AC repair man, my brother had class, my sister couldn't miss anymore work after returning from Costa Rica, and my best friend was out of town at camp. But Emma is my buddy who doesn't turn down an adventure! We pulled out of town bright and early and braved a 45 minute line in the scorching sun at City Walk to secure our tickets! Let me tell you, 45 minutes isn't a long time, but 45 minutes with no shade, no breeze, and no clouds is an eternity! After spending some time in the AC at the Mall at Millennia, we returned in ample time for the taping to begin at 5:00.

As we waited for the show to get rolling and everyone to find their seats, they played clips of Jimmy Fallon's greatest moments. At 4:30, they brought out a guy who told us how the show was going to go and the expectations for us. He also kept us entertained by having a dance off with those who were celebrating birthdays, but his humor was a bit raunchy, so I was glad when he was done.

It was when 5:00 rolled around, that things got exciting. The show started out with The Roots marching out while showcasing their talents. But the real excitement came when Higgins announced Jimmy Fallon's entrance. When you watch the show on tv, Jimmy often comments on what a hot crowd they have tonight, but you can't really understand or appreciate what he is referring to until you live it. The crowd was literally deafening. It was hard to hear what he was saying because everyone was cheering and clapping so loudly. You know how your speakers might start to crackle if you play your music too loud? No joke- that's what my ear drums were doing. It makes you appreciate the live experience even more.

Overall, my one complaint is that Jimmy Fallon was so talented. Other than a slight catch in his throat, he managed to do the entire show in one take. He did bits such as Pros and Cons with a Universal theme and recapped the Bachelorette with The Roots. It was fun seeing him here in Orlando, because his jokes revolved around Florida humor. The funniest moment was probably when he aired a clip from earlier in the day when Kevin Hart and he rode the Rip Ride Rocket. I've gone back and watched that clip a couple times now. Kevin Hart is petrified of roller coasters and Jimmy was hit in the face by a bug. Kevin Hart was literally shaking as they re-watched the clip. Emma and I had wondered why the roller coaster seemed to have so many problems earlier in the day- we got our answer. They had shut it down to film that part of the show.

I had been kind of worried that Kevin Hart was one of the guests, because he's so obnoxious that he gets on my nerves, but he didn't pull that act on the show. I was actually able to enjoy Kevin Hart for once in my life; the roller coaster segment didn't hurt. :) Jimmy Buffet was the other guest. He didn't stay on long before he had to get ready for the concert portion of the show.

As the filming wrapped up, they released the crowd into Universal Studios. We got to spend a couple of hours in the park on NBC's dime before returning back to the sound stage for the Jimmy Buffet concert. The best part of that was being able to get a look at what the new Harry Potter area is going to look Iike. That has been the cool thing about theme parks in recent years- Disney and Universal have brought worlds that only lived in people's imaginations to life through the New Fantasyland and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Emma got in a few rides before Jimmy Buffet, and we were both surprised by how much we enjoyed Jimmy Buffet. I had always thought of Jimmy Buffet as an old drunk guy who liked to sing, but I was surprised. He was a an older man who took care of himself with bright, clear blue eyes that had an amazing singing voice! His recordings don't bring him justice.

And before I knew it, it was over. The day had been a bunch of hurry up and wait for one hour of air time, but it was worth every sweaty, tired moment. It was great sharing it with Emma since she is just a month and a half away from college. Just six more months until they will let me do it again. Next time it will be in New York, but in the meantime, Thank you... Jimmy Fallon, for taking Orlando by storm this summer.