By CONOR SHEA
Features Editor
Last Monday evening was a momentous occasion in late-night television, and an especially relevant one for the students of The College of Saint Rose. This past Monday, Feb. 17, NBC aired its first episode of The Tonight Show starring Saint Rose graduate Jimmy Fallon as host.
Fallon, who graduated in 2009, led the opening night to the highest ratings The Tonight Show has seen in 20 years, a feat some credit to the younger audience that Fallon attracts.
This same young audience took time to watch the show’s premiere at The College of Saint Rose, as the Student Association Board orchestrated a premiere party with free food for all students.
The party was held in the Touhey Forum, with seating arranged on all three floors for students to view this historic changeover. While the Facebook invitations to the event listed the starting time as 11:30 p.m., a number of students arrived as early as 11:00.
Among those who arrived early was Saint Rose sophomore Everett Hart, who says he made sure to get to the event as early as possible so as not to miss out on the food.
Everett went on to say that he enjoyed the show, but was slightly disappointed that Fallon didn’t mention Saint Rose at all. This was a disappointment apparently shared by many, as some cries of annoyance and protest were made when Fallon mentioned his upbringing in New York, and graduation from high school, but not his pursuits of higher education.
Pivotal in the planning of the event was junior communications major Courtney Carr, who serves as the director of communications for the SA.
Just prior to the airing of The Tonight Show, local NBC affiliates sent field reporters to cover the premiere party, a report which Carr was interviewed for regarding her participation in planning the viewing party.
When asked what it was like to speak with the reporter, Carr joked that it was “Horrifying.”
Kidding though she may have been, no one would blame her, as the moment the studio cut to Carr and the reporter, all of Touhey Forum erupted in cheers and applause, drowning out any and all noise.
“It was pretty amazing,” Carr elaborated. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to be interviewed so much. I think this was my fourth of the day. It was really cool to see that other people were really interested [in our premiere party],” she said.
On the turnout of students to the event, she said, “This event greatly surpassed anything that I thought was going to happen. Normally for any Saint Rose event, you’re lucky if you get a hundred people, but I think tonight we’re probably pushing 250, if not 300.”
This number range was corroborated by SA President Justin Whittaker, who gave a final approximated attendance of 370 Saint Rose students.
Among those students was Saint Rose junior Emily Rancourt, who thoroughly enjoyed herself despite the massive crowd.
“The show was hysterical, incredibly entertaining. I was never one to watch a lot of Jimmy Fallon, but now on my late nights I might have to turn his show on,” said Rancourt.
“I’m really glad I went because there was so much excitement coming from all of us students,” she went on.
The event was primarily catered by the local Albany eatery Chicken Joe’s, a popular destination among hungry students. Initially an order of 500 chicken nuggets was placed, along with one tray of fries, one tray of “x-tasy fries” (the Chicken Joe’s patented order of french fries topped with ranch, bacon, and cheese), and an assortment of store-bought cookies.
“We burned through 600 dollars’ worth of Chicken Joe’s,” Carr said on the food provided for the event.
Carr further went on to correct the above statement, saying that later in the night they had ordered more Chicken Joe’s and pizza, so the total came closer to $700.
When the show finally got underway, the crowd applauded and cheered with excitement, as some sat down and settled in while others waited in line to get their food. Arguably “waiting in a line” is quite the understatement, considering the queue of students waiting for food wrapped twice around Touhey Forum at the busiest times of the night.
It’s notable to mention that SA President Justin Whittaker had more of a connection to Fallon than just his attendance at Saint Rose. Both he and Fallon come from Saugerties, New York, a small town not exactly known for producing celebrities.
“It just shows that anything is possible. Saugerties has a population around 20,000 and to know that someone of this caliber is from the area is a great accomplishment and something to be proud of,” said Whittaker on the coincidence.
In regards to the turnout for the party, Whittaker mentioned that he understood that a portion of the increased attendance had a little something to do with the free fast food.
“The free Chicken Joe’s was the deal breaker, but I think just bringing the community together to support an alumnus was another reason for some students,” he explained.
On the prospects of future Jimmy Fallon-themed events, he said there are some considerations, although nothing final has been put into play.
“At this time, we do not have any events planned, or in the works. We are entertaining the idea of going to a taping of The Tonight Show within time.”
Altogether the event was a success, as was Fallon’s debut. Students can only hope that the Saint Rose alumnus will continue to thrive in the new hosting position, and that a repeat of the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien dispute won’t occur. Regardless, judging by the turnout of the premiere party, the Saint Rose community will continue to support Fallon, and always treat him as a“Rose Bud.”
