Bad jokes make getting tickets easy for ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’

Although Columbia students used to high quality comedy on campus might not find Jimmy Fallon to be the cleverest comic, students interested in experiencing a taping at the hallowed 30 Rockefeller Plaza should consider going to “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” for more practical reasons.

Sure, Fallon is a little past his prime and there are much funnier comics on late night—his opening monologue for Tuesday’s show seemed forced and made far too many Sarah Palin jokes, given our distance from presidential elections. An interview with Shakira was so unfunny that the wild songstress talked more about her humanitarian causes than her popping and locking in her newest music video. One of the opening bits showcased Fallon and three New York Giants players, playing a game that involved pressing buttons and electrically shocked hands.

Sound funny? It wasn’t.

And yet, even though the jokes are stale and the bits fall flat, attending a taping is in itself exciting. There’s the possibility of seeing great guests, the excitement of visiting a New York City media landmark, and the sheer fun of applauding on command. While many shows taped in Manhattan require waiting months for tickets and allow few standby guests in, “Late Night” is different. Tickets to see Fallon are considerably easier to obtain. For “Late Night,” students must call a phone number up to one month in advance to request four or fewer tickets—and according to Brandon Dubeansky, “Late Night”’s audience coordinator, requests are usually granted.

Students willing to press their luck with the standby option must arrive no later than 9 a.m. on the 49th Street side of the building, where one ticket will be distributed to each person. Those who receive tickets must return for the taping in the afternoon, at a time that depends on the day.

While that might seem like a long shot, Dubeansky is optimistic about students’ chances of getting standby tickets. “If you miss booking in advance, you can try for standby. Basically, once summer ends before the holiday season, people are getting in very easily on standby—like 60 or 70 people,” Dubeansky said. “That will decrease fairly quickly because we’re heading into Thanksgiving, but once we pass December, that will be a very low season for us.”

In terms of best days of the week, Dubeansky said, “The best chance I think you have is Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Fridays are the toughest—though they’re great shows.”