It's Official: Jimmy Fallon to Replace Conan O'Brien on 'Late Night'

Silverman allowed as how it's going to be tough to find something Leno wants to do at NBC -- other than continue to host "Tonight," of course.

Here's some big news: Lorne Michaels thinks it will be easier to transition from Conan to Fallon in the 12:30 time slot than it had been to transition from Letterman to Conan, because Conan was an unknown mostly writer, whereas Fallon is a former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" who's done flicks.

"With movies, you kind of work for six months and then it takes another six months to release the movie and then people go, 'That's not that good,' " Fallon said. "With live TV and 'Saturday Night Live,' it's an immediate reaction. You find out if a joke stinks immediately. . . . There is no chance to get depressed and apply for 'Celebrity Rehab.' "

Among the things not revealed during Monday's news conference: any format changes to the show under Fallon, who patiently explained he will have a lot of time to think about it. "I'm not going to reinvent the wheel . . . there's no need to," he said, though he made a shocking revelation that "I just have to do my own show."

Michaels went one better and disclosed the show's first day with Fallon as host probably would be heavily planned out and the second day would be a reaction to what had worked on the first day, and so on, and so on, until zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Oh sorry. Dozed off for a minute.

Anyway, Fallon said in so many words this was a dream come true for him, explaining that in his kindergarten yearbook someone had written under his picture "Most Likely to Succeed David Letterman."

"My principal was Nostradamus," Fallon explained.

One dubious reporter wanted to know what kindergarten had yearbooks, much less students thinking about late-night TV hosting possibilities.

Fallon said the school was located in a magical kingdom and the class taught by a unicorn. "It's the eighth hour of 'Today Show,' " he added, which got some chuckles.

Then he said the school was called St. Mary of the Snow, in Saugerties, N.Y., which though true, ironically got a bigger laugh.

Fallon insisted he's fully committed to the gig, and is ready to emulate Leno, doing weekend stand-up gigs and baby kissing and otherwise having no life outside his late-night career and the promotion thereof. Because that has worked out so well for Leno, who is being shown the door of "Tonight" next year, in case you missed that.