Saturday Night Live, October 25th, 2008
Host: Jon Hamm
Musical Guest: Coldplay
I found this to be the least consistent episode since this season's premier.
Joe Biden and John Murtha on the stump.
The weakest of all the political sketches they've done so far this year. It felt like they used up all their good ideas on this week's Weekend Update Thursday. Nothing said in this sketch is as crazy as what was said by the real people involved and not enough of a twist was added. The whole thing just felt awkward.
No Commercial Parody.
So I'm complaining about it.
Sex Offender for Halloween.
Will Forte tries out a new character, what? It's surprising how little it takes for Will Forte to come across as creepy. I'm not sure why the sex offender had a catch phrase, but for the most part the sketch had some good laughs.
Andy Samberg as a Rasta guy.
It was definitely something. I don't know if it was funny…but it was definitely something. On a personal note, Andy Samberg looked like my hippie cousin Dan. So extra points on that personal note.
Mad Men 2/A-holes Crossover.
I was nervous at first because I still haven't watched Mad Men. Then I was nervous because the return of the two A-hole characters did nothing for me. I certainly enjoyed their first two appearances but now it feels like they're stretching the schtick way too thin.
Obama Variety Hour.
It was nice to see Maya Rudolf back on the show, even if her impersonation of Michelle Obama didn't seem that accurate or funny. Some cute moments like Bill Clinton singing "Don't You Forget About Me" and Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers performing together. Also a better use of Jason Sudekis as Joe Biden with the foot in mouth gag.
Another Mad Men parody.
This sketch definitely worked better, even without any knowledge of the show. "Blow people away any time you say anything" is great advice.
Coldplay song 1.
Did Chris Martin always dance around like the guy from Midnight Oil? Their current rock outfits with mismatched armbands and toast patches look like fashion school rejects. Especially since they follow in the footsteps of My Chemical Romance's marching band jackets (a la Sgt. Pepper) which made more sense for them, since their album was called the Black Parade.
Weekend Update.
Seth Meyers hosts alone because Amy Poehler is having her baby. Congrats! I'm impressed she made it this far into the season. I wonder if there's time to make a Robo-call costume for Halloween? Bill Hader does a great Ralph Nader, and sock puppets are always comedy gold. My admiration for Fred Armisen's Nicolas Fehn political comedian continues to grow. I can't believe he can still get mileage out of saying so much nothing time after time.
Kenan can really sing! A surprisingly sincere end note as he and Maya Rudolf sing a sweet love song to Amy and her baby. Very appropriate since Maya herself was pregnant on the show for quite a while before finally taking a leave.
Vincent Price Halloween Special.
A friend of mine pointed out how little Bill Hader's impersonation actually sounds like Vincent Price, so I spent most of the sketch focusing on it and eventually agreeing it's too nasal. And yet, I want to like this re-occurring sketch for some reason…even though it doesn't do much for me.
Jon Hamm's John Ham.
Inspired. Further proof that SNL's best bits are often further into the show.
Coldplay song 2.
I liked their second song better.
Finger in Butts.
Um. Sure.
Coldplay song 3.
It's been a long time since a band has gotten to play a 3rd song. I guess Coldplay is the biggest band that's been on the show for a while? "Yellow" still holds up as one of their better songs. Barack Obama!
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3 comments:
my favorite part in the andy samburg as a rasta guy sketch was when he went by the real rastas and got quiet.
and i agree about nicolas fehn, if fred armisen weren't so funny there's no way that character would still work. but he is, and it cracks me up every time he does it.
i was surprised that coldplay started a fourth song at the end. i told my wife that that was the most songs in an episode since bon jovi hosted.
That Nicholas Fehn character is EXCRUCIATING to watch. I agree that it takes a certain measure of talent on Armisen's part, but it still doesn't move me to laugh. I don't think the character merits recurring status at all. Probably only 1/2 (if that)the recurring bits they do are worthy of being recurring. Speaking of which, thank God there was no MacGruber this episode!!
Also particularly bad: that Finger-Butts sketch. How colossally stupid...made me feel like maybe they had some 3rd & 4th graders helping out with the sketch writing.
I really liked the Vincent Price sketch. I am biased though—I adore Vincent Price, feel like any reference is a good one, and hafta applaud SNL simply for going there (again). Bill Hader’s Vincent Price impression is not exactly spot on, I do agree on that. But tragically, there are not a lot of Price impressions out there—it’s not like the ubiquitous impressions: Walken, Cosby,DeNiro, etc. that just about anyone who does impressions seems to have in their repertoire. Therefore, he may well be the very best Vincent Price impersonator the world’s got. It’s all relative after all.
But Price impression aside, Jon Hamm’s James Mason was pretty damn terrific. I never partied with the real James Mason, but if he was HALF that funny in real life, I feel like I really missed out.
I think the 2 other standout skits were the rasta Digital Short and Jon Hamm's John Ham. “If it feels like ham, don’t wipe you’re a$$ with it” Now, it coulda been on account o’ my mild inebbriation..but that struck me as possibly the most brilliant ad slogan since the dawn of time.
I enjoyed the encore performance of “Yellow” but overall, I coulda done with significantly less Coldplay.
"If it feels like ham, don't wipe YOUR ass with it!"
Not being redundant...I just am unable to revise my previously posted comment and I just cannot bear to let such a boneheaded spelling error slide.
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