Saturday Night Live September 26th, 2010

Saturday Night Live
September 22nd, 2010
Host: Amy Poehler
Musical Guest: Katy Perry.

Cold Open.
Kristen Wiig as Christine O’Donnell. I was worried this sketch wouldn’t have an ending beyond the Live From NY callout, but luckily there were cables attached for a cheesy but satisfying visual gag of her flying off on a broom.

Credits.
I’m surprised Nasim Pedrad didn’t get bumped up to a full cast member with Bobby Moynihan and Abby Elliott. I guess you have to be on for longer than a year before you get a promotion?

Monologue.
I’ve always been a fan of these types of openings, ever since Tom Hanks passed out and dreamt of Abe Lincoln. Justin Timberlake is totally SNL’s new Steve Martin. Yay, Dratch Bear! Yay, ex-SNL cast that still works in the building!

Boo! No commercial parody. There should always be a commercial parody after the monologue. I’m stubborn.

Bronx Beat.
I enjoy these characters more now then when Amy and Maya Rudolf were on the show. I wonder how much the four new cast members appreciate all the cameos from old cast members.

COMMERCIAL PARODY: Bosley Hair Restoration.
Disturbing but brilliant.

Maternity Matters.
This was basically the same sketch as “Woman to Woman” from November 2009. Only now it features photos of Vanessa Bayer in the intro. It’s actually not a bad premise so I don’t them bringing back once more. Not sure it’s worth doing a third time though.

Gay Wedding/Mosque at Ground Zero.
Silly but enjoyable.

Half an hour in and Vanessa Bayer has been seen twice but hasn’t spoken. I assume there was a photo of Jay Pharaoh. No sign of the other two new featured players.

Katy Perry.
Everything about the performance felt like it should have been a drag queen act. I’m kinda hoping her fiancée Russell Brand makes a cameo (assuming he’s no longer in jail).

Weekend Update.
Not a bad Will Smith impersonation from Jay Pharaoh, but I hope we get to see some original stuff soon. Gov. Paterson’s cameo should have been a bit funnier, but I still give anyone credit for coming on the show and dueling their impersonator.

Showtime: Women with secrets.
Enjoyed this for the Amy Poehler interview segments. What? How? Her? Yes! “I always thought the best titles mean two things.”

Another new cast member got to play the straight man/doctor….but not memorable enough for me to go and check which guy he was.

Digital Short: Boogerman.
At first I assumed this was some homage to Howard Stern’s Fartman. But it was just lame completely on its own merits.

Little hats at Chez Henri.
I liked it. Kristen Wiig eating out of defeated frustration was great. Hope Vanessa Bayer doesn’t end up the new Casey Wilson playing the “other friend” in these types of sketches.

Actor II Actor.
I appreciate how short this was. Except having to sit through more commercials immediately after.

The Expendables Spinoffs.
Best gag: “From Fast Car Tracy Chapman.”You could tell the audience was really happy to see Hooch. I was too.

No real stand out sketches, but far from a bad episode. Fingers crossed this will be a decent season! Hopefully more chances for the new performers next week when the cameos shouldn’t be so frequent.

SNL 36th season pre-show analysis

Even though the premier of a new SNL season historically underwhelms (or occasionally frightens) me, I’m excited about tonight’s new episode. There is enough cast turnover to make things interesting! This is where SNL becomes the only sport I watch. Which of the new performers will rise or fall? What characters are gone for good? How many opportunities and talented people will be wasted?

THE PERFORMERS WHO WERE FIRED/QUIT THIS SEASON:

Will Forte. I’m glad he’s gone. Anyone who reads this blog, knows he’s the cast member who consistently irks me most. I certainly didn’t dislike him as much as Jim Bruer (sorry Goat Boy fans), and I’m honest enough to admit he had good moments…even a few brilliant scenes. But 8 seasons is a long time and his misses were physically painful and increasingly frequent. Even though Kristen Wiig is still on the show I can hope this means no more Gilly sketches (since his mustache talked more than the main character).

Jenny Slate. One season wasn’t enough for me to have strong opinions about her. I’ll admit I had to double-check if it was Jenny Slate or Nasim Pedrad in many cases. She’s probably best known for using the F-word in her first sketch (which I liked) and the Tina-Tina Chaneuse informercials which were brought back too many times. But overall, I thought Jenny Slate had potential. Especially if her web video Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is any indication. That was better than anything she did on the show! Maybe they should have let her do some digital shorts.

THE NEW PERFORMERS ARE: Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah.


I’m not familiar with any of them, which is good. That means they have a clean slate. Sometimes with Upright Citizens Brigade performers, like Rob Riggle, I want them to be as funny on SNL as they were doing improv and it doesn’t translate. Then again, Amy Poehler is one of the best people ever on the show, so you never know.

So, I’m hoping for the best…yet not expecting too much!

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.