Will Jimmy Fallon take down Sutherland 'Bauer-style'?

Jimmy Fallon has put himself in an interesting position. Not that kind, sickos.

Next week, he welcomes 24 star Kiefer Sutherland to the Late Night studios in the wake of his latest assault charge in which he allegedly head-butted a fashion designer outside of a night club. I'm calling it "Butt-Gate" because I won't get that opportunity again until Jennifer Lopez and Shakira get into a fist fight.

The question for Fallon is how hard will he interview Sutherland on this latest incident that could land him in jail on a probation violation. This could be a defining moment for Fallon as a late night host. Granted, he's not interviewing the head of the Saudi Royal Family or even the head of the Hilton family, but it could either give him and his show some juice or take some away.

Think back to the early days of Jay Leno's time in the host seat, just after "The Late Shift" between him and David Letterman. He interviewed actor Hugh Grant on his show just mere days after he had been arrested for paying a hooker to play with his manual shifter in the back seat of a car. The ratings were huge, the interview was memorable and they have stuck Leno in first ahead of Letterman ever since, long after the image of Grant getting it on in a Subaru graciously left the populace's minds.

Sutherland's problems aren't as big as Grant's were back in the day, but if Fallon can muster the courage to talk to him about it in a probing, forceful and (God forbid) funny way, it could score him some much needed points in the bravado department. He doesn't have to be tough with the guy or even demand him to reveal information that he shouldn't for the sake of his case or legal protection. Just bringing it up and having the balls to discuss it without worrying about whether his head will remain attached to him by the end of the show would be interesting enough.

A note to the new Late Night producers: have Fallon do the interview "Bauer-style." Tie Sutherland down in a wooden chair, hook various parts of him to a car battery, and hire strongmen to pour buckets of water over his neatly quaffed hair and demand that he answer the questions. I wouldn't just TiVo that bit of television. I would frame it, dip it in bronze, and hang it in my trophy room so it can be preserved for the remainder of human time.