Once Jimmy Fallon saw Butler University’s flash mob YouTube video, he said he couldn’t wait to visit during his week-long visit to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. Before delivering a hilarious two-hour show on Sunday, Fallon sat down with The Collegian to discuss bulldogs, Steak ‘n Shake and traveling with his show for the very first time. Unfortunately, he didn’t mention his surprise campus visit to Schwitzer Hall and Atherton Union that he made on Monday night.

Collegian: Did you see the flash mob or any of the Butler tweets? Did that influence you to come?
Jimmy Fallon: I absolutely saw the flash mob. It was amazing. The “Jimmy Back to Butler” campaign was getting some steam. I saw it on Twitter and remember thinking like, that’s awesome, because we’re going out there.

Then I saw the link to the YouTube video, and that was the one that really floored me. I couldn’t believe it. It was one of the coolest things. Everyone doing the Jimmy Fallon dip, and you had the mascot out there. It was so positive and so cool. So much hard work went into that. So it made me call up the school and go, “Hey, how do we set this up?” Literally, this is our only night off while we’re out here in Indianapolis, so I was like, “We’re ready to play, if you guys are ready to play.” We talked to the school, and they were great with setting it up, and now, here we are.

We were running around today; I probably still have makeup on because I was dressed as a woman. The “Real Housewives of Late Night” come to Indy for the Super Bowl: that’s one of the sketches we’re doing. I don’t want to give that many spoilers away, but five or six Colts are doing it as well. They play their wives. It’s really awkward. They’re not good actors, but they’re really funny. It’s very, very good. Some of them are good actors, actually. You’ll see it on Thursday night. It’s definitely something I don’t think Colts fans have ever seen.

This is our first time on the road and first time doing a live show. We’re psyched to come to Indianapolis. We wanted to come with our guns blazing, you know.

On Super Bowl Sunday, we’re doing a live show, our first ever. And so, we’re going to do a spoof of what could have been the the half time show. We’re going to imitate LMFAO, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Bruno Mars. I don’t know who else. There’s so many. I’m blanking out. It’s pretty silly. It’ll be fun. That’s Sunday night.

We’re going to do a musical opening of the show with Butler students too. And we’re getting Blue Two. He’s got a lot of followers on Twitter. He’s a very popular dog. He couldn’t make it tonight. He’s too busy. He’s got a previous engagement.

Collegian: How long have you been here? What have you done so far?

Jimmy Fallon: I’ve been here two days. It’s gorgeous. We’ve been all over the place, shot last night on the streets. We’re redoing the opening of the show. Normally, it’s me running through the streets of New York City. Now, it’s me running through the streets of Indianapolis. We got a lot of great shots of the streets and we saw some kids—gotta have love for IUPUI. They’re people too, so some of them are in the opening. We also got to go to Lucas Oil Stadium last night. We got to go out on the field. It was pretty insane. It’s a gorgeous stadium. It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. Did a lot of running though there—I think I ran 700 yards. I was hurting last night.

We were also at the Circle and saw the monuments. We tried to squeeze in all we possibly could. We’re going to the race track tomorrow and doing a head swap, which involves switching people’s heads on their bodies. This one’s pretty crazy. It involves kidnapping Bob Costas. Marco Andretti is going to help us out with that, get a real Indy driver.

Collegian: What’s going to be different about the show?

Jimmy Fallon: Well, the opening is a love letter to Indy. The Super Bowl Village is just packed with people. There really is no option but to stay there. That’s where everything is. It’s great, but it was hard getting footage and running around with cameras. But really, it turned out great. Everyone is in great spirits. It feels like you guys have done this before, even though you haven’t.

It’s fun because everyone has really come together [on the show]. It’s like camp, because we’re like strangers here, and we know New York like the back of our hand. Usually, we’ll just meet up, but now we’re like “Hey, where are you going for dinner? Oh, where are you going for breakfast? Are you awake yet? Are you asleep yet?’”

Everyone has been so hospitable and so nice, giving us recommendations for restaurants, bars, for anything we want to see. Mug-n-Bun has come up a couple times. We’ve been to Steak ‘n Shake and St. Elmo’s. We had the shrimp cocktail.

One of my producers was like, “It wasn’t that hot.” I sat there just waiting for him to take a second bite, because clearly he didn’t do it right. Then he started coughing. It was addictive pain. It hurts, but I want one more!

Collegian: Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?

Jimmy Fallon: I’m from New York, so the Giants. I’m actually a Jets fan, so you go with the Jets as far as they can, then root for the Giants.

Really, this is being nerdy, but I just want a good, close game, because then, people won’t tune out of the Super Bowl. They’ll keep their eyes glued to the TV, and then, we get good ratings.

Collegian: Final question: Who would win in a fight—you, Conan, Stewart or Colbert?

Jimmy Fallon: I’m a lover, not a fighter. But if they asked, I wouldn’t be opposed to a four-way.

Be sure to catch “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” all this week at 12:35 a.m. on NBC for his special Indianapolis episodes.

The show will be taped at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, located downtown.

Sing

What would the holidays at Butler University sound like if it weren’t for the blaring musical stylings of “Dominick the Donkey” coming from the windows of Tau Kappa Epsilon?

Played all day, every day, from after Thanksgiving through the first of the year, this beloved campus holiday tradition began in 1986 and shows no signs of stopping.

Brant Vogt, a senior secondary English education major and TKE member, said that the Italian donkey might take a little getting used to but to the students, especially upperclassmen, the voice of this little guy represents a distinct holiday spirit.

“No matter what mood I’m in, when I walk up to my front porch, I have a smile on my face because it’s on,” Vogt said.

Vogt isn’t the only one smiling.  Katie Palmer, a sophomore international studies,  Spanish and strategic communication  major and a Resident Assistant in Schwitzer Hall, loves the tradition so much, she began a #FreeDominick campaign on Twitter when she didn’t hear the song playing right away.

“‘Dominick’ brings people together, whether they sing it together or talk about how much they want to steal TKE’s speakers because they can’t take listening to it anymore,” Palmer said.

Vogt said that any complaints he receives about the song are from those who haven’t yet given it a chance, and Palmer agreed.

“I know a couple of my residents that started out as haters have grown to like hearing the song,” Palmer said.

During this busy time of finals and holiday shopping, take a moment to walk in step to the melody of Butler’s favorite Italian Christmas donkey.

Shop

For a college student at during the holidays, two things are generally true: cash is short and there is no time to buy gifts.

Photo by Anne Carpenter

This shopping guide gives the best of the Butler Bookstore, from gifts for dad to goodies for your furry, four-legged friend, these suggestions have you covered, no matter what your budget.

For those of you buying for your younger siblings, try these spirited gifts:

• Super-soft stuffed animal Blue (rumor has it that the real Blue II loves this thing) : $18
• Butler baby booties: $8
• Toddler hooded sweatshirt: $24
• The best options for dad will keep him looking great and organized at the office:
• “Butler University Dad” T-shirt: $16
• Blue II calendar: $5.95
• Butler University bistro mug: $11.95
• These thoughtful gifts are sure to put some holiday joy in mom’s stocking:
• Butler holiday ornament: $9.95
• Butler University wine glasses: $24
• Butler University print art: $39
• For your best friend, at school or otherwise, spread some Butler cheer with these:
• Sweatshirt blanket (student favorite): $36
• Butler gnome (for those with a sense of humor): $25
• T-shirt: $14.95

Don’t forget, mom and dad are shopping for you too.  Here are some of the big ticket items we think should be on your list:

• Replica basketball jersey: $60
• Sweatshirt quilt: $120
• Nike polo: $50
• Last but not least, don’t forget about man’s best friend (who is always the most excited to see you upon arrival home for break):
• Butler Rawhide Dog Bone: $9.95

With break fast approaching, be sure to stop into the bookstore to check out these items and more.

Rejoice

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Traditions are Butler University’s specialty, and the “Nutcracker” and “Dominick” are far from its only holiday rituals.

“Rejoice!,” the annual concert from the School of Music, features the University Choir, the Butler Chorale and the Butler Symphony Orchestra in an event to celebrate the holidays.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the ever-growing event, which last year brought in an audience of 4,000 in a two-night span.

Highlights this year include Eric Stark, professor of music, and Tom Studebaker, the new professor of voice, performing “Gloria” with the Symphony Orchestra, as well as music from “The Polar Express” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The Arthur Jordan Saxophone Quartet will provide music in the lobby before the show and during intermission.

Give Back

Be sure to head to the Butler University Police Department to participate in another Butler holiday tradition by donating toys to the “Toys for Tots” toy drive.  BUPD has been doing it for 15 years and  will help distribute the new and unwrapped toys to the needy families of Indianapolis.  BUPD also will be collecting toys at the university holiday party on Dec. 16.