tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73580742052084291932024-02-08T10:04:03.762-08:00I STILL watch SNLA blog about Saturday Night Live and other sketch comedy I enjoy.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-24280498872999405682011-09-24T22:01:00.000-07:002011-09-24T22:03:30.807-07:00Saturday Night Live, September 24th 2011Saturday Night Live, September 24th 2011<br />Host: Alec Baldwin. Musical Guest: Radiohead.<br /><br />Opening:<br />Sorta happy Kristen Wiig isn’t as funny as Michele Bachmann, as Tina Fey was with Sara Palin. Because I’d rather never see anyone ever mention Michele Bachmann ever again.<br /><br />Credits: <br />Glad that Nasim Pedrad is finally an official cast member.<br /><br />Red Flag:<br />Always glad to see a new commercial parody after the monologue!<br /><br />All My Children Finale. <br />For a one-joke idea, this worked better than expected thanks to the power of funny faces. <br /><br />News Delay: <br />Loved the snake poking Kristen Wiig in the chest and silly visual ending. <br /><br />Radiohead. <br />In general, I’m a fan, even if I’m not in love with the recent “King of Limbs” album. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />Rather enjoyed Alec Baldwin’s Tony Bennett, even if it did start veering toward Will Ferrell’s Harry Cary impression. <br /><br />The 2nd song Radiohead performed worked better live than it does on the album. It’s cooler too see 2 human drummers recreate the sound of electronic rhythms. <br /><br />Not sure why they need to have the TCM bumper. Couldn’t they just have an army sketch?dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-87683783086310357332011-04-02T22:00:00.000-07:002011-04-03T15:21:29.783-07:00Saturday Night Live, April 2nd, 2011Saturday Night Live, April 2nd, 2011<br />Host and Musical Guest: Elton John. <br /><br />The only time I’ve ever seen Elton John act is in The Country Bears movie!<br /><br />ESPN Classic. <br />I love that that audience did not cheer or clap for the return of Will Forte. No one even noticed he left the show! Doesn’t help when the same sketches keep coming back with little to no changes. <br /><br />BBC Special Report: Knights of the Realm. <br />Fairly entertaining because I like fantasy plotlines. And I enjoyed Elton John’s shameless plug for The Lion King. <br /><br />Digital Short: Lazer Cats the Musical.<br />That was…too long! I've never been that into the lazer cats. I remember the last one being okay, but this one just dragged. <br /><br />I guess Tom Hanks is the secret co-host? <br /><br />Royal Wedding. <br />Kind of liked the punk song at the end. But way too much build up. <br /><br />The Silver Screen.<br />Elton John was actually really funny in this! I also enjoyed the setup/contrast of classic films to Suckerpunch. <br /><br />Gay Cowboy. <br />This could have just been really obvious, but it was surprisingly funny. Partially just because of Elton John’s strange voice and delivery. He kinda reminds me of Paul Williams. Also the twist actually made for a good ending.<br /><br />Closing thought: Not a lot for the female actresses to do in this episode.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-77682318591731652532011-03-12T22:05:00.000-08:002011-03-12T22:06:55.350-08:00Saturday Night Live, February 13th, 2011Saturday Night Live, February 13th, 2011<br />Host: Zack Galifianakis <br />Music: Jessie J.<br /><br /> Monolog. <br />‘A’ for effort! <br /><br />The Talk.<br />At first I thought they’d just start doing The Talk instead of The View sketches, but I liked how there was a bit of commentary to it. And it was actually pretty funny. Not sure why they didn’t have Jay Pharaoh play Holly Robinson.<br /><br />Kings of Catchphrase Comedy.<br />I was ready to write this off, but the gags picked up in the last round. <br /><br />Scared Straight. <br />Really? I guess it’s been a while. But really? Just for the decent “Colon First” gag?<br /><br />Digital Short. <br />Those kids could have been funnier. <br /><br />Jessie J.<br />Decent enough. Not much more to say. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />Julie Taymor was the funniest thing Kristen Wiig has done in a while. <br />Loved Liam, the teenager who just woke up. <br /><br />Dead Dog. <br />This one also came together in the end. <br /><br />Celebrity Scoop. <br />Not the best Canadian accents, but charming, none the less. Not sure about Zack Galifianakis’ extended “ohhhhs.”dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-13807732238478617922011-02-12T22:00:00.000-08:002011-02-13T14:33:27.009-08:00Saturday Night Live, February 12th, 2011Saturday Night Live, February 12th, 2011<br />Host: Russell Brand<br />Music: Chris Brown<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Decent Bill O’Reilly impression by Jason Sudeikis.<br /><br />Monologue. <br />I know it’s an SNL tradition for stand up comedians to do their “material” for the opening monologue, but it’s always made me a bit squeamish. <br /><br />Gublin & Green. <br />Since they’ve already made plenty of jokes about the injuries related to Spider-man: Turn of the Dark, it was refreshing to see a joke about how the show “insulted the Legacy of Spider-man.”<br /><br />Publishers Clearance House. <br />It must save a lot of time not having to write new sketches for every episode. Swapping out 2-5 words from the previous Kristen Wiig Publishers Clearance House sketch and replacing the people she interacts with, is really not worth sitting through, though. I tune out once I see the start of the sketch. <br /><br />Digital Short: Don' You Go Rounin' Roun To Re Ro<br />A lot of time spent on a single joke. <br /><br />Royal Taster. <br />The most dialog Taran Gillam has ever had in a sketch?<br /><br />Chris Brown. <br />Considering Rihanna has been on SNL twice, I’m surprised the producers would invite the guy who beat her up on the show. <br />Weekend Update.<br /><br />Taran Gillam’s Eminem impression was the best thing he’s done on the show so far. Hope he doesn’t get knifed! And of all the overly repetitious SNL characters, Bill Hader’s Stefon manages to make me laugh. And these last two appearances have at least changed it up in small ways. Mostly in the little moments between Hader and Myers. <br /><br />Livin’ Single. <br />It’s probably the wrong attitude to view every new sketch through the lens of “I hope this doesn’t become a recurring thing because I already see how it would play out.” Points for Kristen Wiig not being the main character. Random thought: Russell Brand looked like magician David Copperfield. <br /><br />A Spot of Tea.<br />Not exactly Monty Python. <br />Chris Brown.<br />I feel bad for any girl who gets that song sent to her on a mixtape. <br /><br />George Washington travels through time.<br />That was kinda good! Good thing they hid it at the end so no one will see it.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-19918249292748853822011-02-05T22:01:00.000-08:002011-02-05T22:05:10.730-08:00Saturday Night Live, February 5th, 2011Saturday Night Live, February 5th, 2011<br />Host: Dana Carvey<br />Musical Guest: Linkin Park<br /><br />Cold Opening: Wayne’s World. Considering their ages, Dana Carvey and Mike Myers managed to pull this off pretty seamlessly. The material even managed to feel very of the time, despite the current references. Very satisfying for this SNL nerd.<br /><br />Monologue. <br />It’s a bit weird how Dana Carvey’s mannerisms are starting to resemble his impression of Johnny Carson. Considering I first started watching SNL in the late 80s, I totally agree that Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz’s cast WAS the best. But I’m sure if Bill Murray came out at the end it would have been equally true. Also, I was expecting to see G.E. Smith!<br /><br />VH1: Celebrity Teen Crisis Center<br />Yet another lame excuse for cast members to dole out their most overdone impressions. Abby Elliot still hanging on to that semi-obscure Anna Farris impression. <br /><br />Digital Short. <br />Roommate horror film parody. Surprisingly straightforward with no real twist. Since Justin Bieber was around I guess it makes sense to film another thing with him in the hopes it could get linked to on Facebook. I wonder of Linkin Park fell left out. <br /><br />Linkin Park. <br />I really liked the effect of projecting all those stars and lines on the band members. I’ve never really seen anyone do that before without wearing any kind of special outfit. The song sounded like 80s synth music, but with less keyboard. <br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Paul Brittain’s James Franco impression was just okay. This is a really off year for Kristen Wiig. She’s becoming the new Will Forte. <br /><br />Live! With Regis and Kelly.<br />I wish Nasim Pedrad’s voice didn’t grate on me with 40% of her impressions. Otherwise she's risen to the top of the cast this year.<br /><br />Kids Beauty Pageant. <br />This felt like it could have been funnier, but it at least seemed to be trying. <br /><br />Abby Elliot thing. <br />I’m starting to wonder if she can play someone who isn’t kinda ditzy or Angelina Jolie. But at least this was sort of a character and pretty much worked as a sketch. <br /><br />Linkin Park Intro.<br />It makes me happy to see Jon Lovitz, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey together. And it’s been a long time since Mike Myers has done anything to make me happy. <br /><br />Sports Bar. <br />Speaking of synth-pop… I actually really liked the song. Dana Carvey’s mustache seemed out of place My wife said Paul Brittain looked like Matt Smith’s Doctor Who. Maybe SNL they should do a Doctor Who parody?<br /><br />Final thoughts:<br /> Dana Carvey hasn’t been on SNL for years and he’s way better at not looking like he’s reading the teleprompter compared to all the current cast members. He’s also better at fully inhabiting his celebrity impressions so they feel like fleshed out characters. In so many current SNL sketches, the cast members do celebrity impressions that can only be sustained for a minute before they have to cut to ANOTHER cast member doing another limited impression.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-58018339244842927882010-12-18T21:59:00.000-08:002010-12-18T22:08:07.208-08:00Saturday Night Live December 19th, 2010December 19th, 2010<br />Host: Jeff Bridges. <br />Musical Guest: Eminem and Lil’ Wayne. <br /><br />Cold Open. <br />One of the best political ones they’ve done in a while. <br /><br />Monologue.<br />Not sure it was the best use of Cookie Monster, but I’m a sucker for Christmas songs. <br /><br />Miley Cyrus Show. <br />Not as tightly written as the last installment, but still a decent sketch. The clips from Miley’s acting are always the best. It still makes me laugh to think about the clip of her and Batman. Also. I know it’s weird to say as a longtime SNL watcher, but I always find it weird when one celebrity plays another celebrity within their peer group. <br /><br />Digital Short. <br />The rap and R&B songs still seem to be their strength. <br /><br />Larry King. Great make-up job on Kenan as Jermaine Jackson. <br /><br />Crunkmas. <br />I don’t really want to like these sketches, but usually there are 2 random things that make me laugh. Like a 2-D screening of Owls of Ga’Hoole. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />Kenan’s impression of Michael Steel almost makes me feel sorry for him. Tarran Killam’s Brad Pitt impression just confused me. I guess I haven’t seen Brad Pitt in a long time. Patterson, Stefon and Snookie are the new Tarzan, Tonto, Frankenstein.<br /><br />It’s a Wonderful Life. <br />The movie parody was so-so, but I’m a nerd for TCM host impressions. <br /><br />Jeff’d.<br />I liked how calm and relaxing this was. I could watch 10 more minutes of the narration segments. <br /><br />Old Western Gift Wrapping. <br />Not sure what they were going for, but aI’ll give them credit for trying something different.<br /><br />Holiday Message from Kardashians.<br />I almost like their impression of these people I don’t know, except the voices get a bit grating. <br /><br />Ack! They showed Cookie Monster's performer in the farewell!dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-34669945897269410272010-10-04T15:50:00.000-07:002010-10-04T15:53:01.708-07:00Saturday Night Live October 2nd, 2010Saturday Night Live, Season 36, Episode 2<br />October 2nd, 2010<br />Bryan Cranston<br />Musical Guest: Kanye West<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan show the contrast between the former and new White House Chief of Staff. Points to the SNL writers for pointing out what should have been obvious, but I hadn’t thought too much about before the sketch. <br /><br />Monologue.<br />It’s sad whenever the monologue’s central joke is no one knowing whom the host is. Admittedly I didn’t recognize his name at first either, since it’s been a while since I watched Malcom in the Middle and don’t currently have cable! So I’m guilty of “Oh, yeah, that guy!”<br /><br />Commercial Parody: Pepto Bismol Ice. I can imagine a world where this product is real. Enjoyable, if only moderately funny satire. <br /><br />Miley Cyrus Show.<br />I was surprised that the first full sketch of the night starred two of the new featured players. Vanessa Bayer was great and the theme song was also great. The sketch is sort of a nice compliment to Amy Poehler’s Dakota Fanning Show….similar, but with enough of a different take to make it enjoyable. Paul Brittain’s Johnny Depp was serviceable enough but didn’t get too many great lines. <br /><br />What Up With That? Back to School Edition. <br />If they are going to keep doing these, they need to push them a lot further. I wanna see Kenan Thompson working up a crazy sweat and singing his heart out. It’s starting to feel phoned in with its paint by numbers formula. The only part I never get tired of is Jason Sudeikis’ dancing. Minor thing: Is one of the new guys playing the same character Will Forte did? That seems unnecessary. <br /><br />Sexy/Not So Much.<br />I was okay with them retreading this Kristen Wiig sketch from last year, but it’s weird that they followed the structure so closely. They didn’t need to have the same exact amount of characters/types/etc. If you are going to change the setting, go a bit further and change some more elements as well! Don’t fall into the SNL rut. <br /><br />Digital Short.<br />I like how it started out as a parody of annoying pop up ads/cell phone services, but then had a silly/cute/violent twist that actually tied it all together rather than being completely random. I’m all about strategic randomness. <br /><br />Kanye West.<br />Because of the white backdrop that blocked the entire stage and all the models on stage, this was the most an SNL musical performance has looked like a music video. It was interesting, but I prefer that musicians save the theatrics for the MTV Music Video Awards. <br />Weekend Update<br />I sorta liked the secondhand news guy by Bobby Moynihan. But it’s a mild like. Andy Samberg’s Cathy comic strip impersonation is still inspired. Part of me wishes they rigged something in the wig to automatically make the hair fly up rather than have him lift it with his hands. But that’s probably over-thinking it. <br /><br />Game Show: Kidz Smart.<br />Another sketch where the main gag seems to be watching two male performers kissing each other (like the Vogelcheck family). The additional premise of the host being a pervert is funny mainly because Kenan Thompson’s kid character beats the crap out of him. The most distracting part was Vanessa Bayer being a bit too obvious in her cue card reading. Hopefully she’ll get over that. <br /><br />The Bjelland Brothers. <br />Well, at least the performers seemed like they were having fun—even if I wasn’t. This lame sketch about lame performers didn’t go anywhere new or interesting. First time they sang the “sparkling apple juice” lyrics wasn’t so bad, but of course they have run it into the ground with forced repetition. These are the types of sketches that make you think they already burned through the good material and it’s time to flip the channel. In fact, I decided to go to sleep and watch the rest of the show later. <br /><br />Henry Basement Karate. <br />This was my favorite sketch of the episode (and of course it was the second to last one! If it wasn’t for my DVR I would have completely missed it). Mostly because I like that Nasim Pedrad keeps trying out new non-celebrity characters. The voice is a tad annoying, but she really can pass for an elementary school boy. Henry is like a mashup of Amy Poehler’s Kaitlin, Mike Myers’ Wayne, Rachel Dratch’s Sheldon (from Wakeup Wakefield), Martin Short’s Ed Grimley (from SCTV), and Bruce McCullough’s Gavin (from Kids in The Hall). All characters I love! The thing I like best isn’t the character’s potential catch phrase “I’m Way Small,” but the way he overanalyzes his own life with complete objectivity. Sorta like a sports commentator explaining why he is the way he is. It’s a subtle trait for a comedy character, and it took a few exchanges to really gel. I re-watched it and noticed how the audience didn’t really laugh at first but started laugh more as it went. Luckily there was also the physical comedy of this little kid being repeatedly punched in the face by his own father for you to latch onto if you don’t like dialog-based humor as much as I do! I’m interested to see a reprise of this sketch—but hopefully placing the character in a completely new scenario. Luckily the dad was played by the host, so it’s unlikely they’d repeat that aspect. <br /><br />Commercial Parody: I-Sleep Pro.<br />My second favorite sketch (and the last of the evening!). The conceit of Black Noise vs. White Noise is total genius. Even if the natural payoff is [arguably] racist humor—it’s undeniably funny! <br />Final thoughts. Nasim Pedrad is my new favorite performer on the show. Vanessa Bayer seems to have the most potential of this year’s new featured players. She’s already contributing the most, so I’m looking forward to seeing more. <br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="384" height="283" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://widget.nbc.com/videos/nbcshort_at.swf?CXNID=1000004.10045NXC&widID=4727a250e66f9723&clipID=1252487&showID=61&configXML=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbc.com%2Fservice%2Fvideowidget%2Fparams%2FdmlkZW9faWQ9MTI1MjQ4Nw%3D%3D%2F&initXML=http://www.nbc.com%2Fsaturday-night-live%2Fvideo%2Fepisodes%2Finit.xml?videoId=1252487"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://widget.nbc.com/videos/nbcshort_at.swf?CXNID=1000004.10045NXC&widID=4727a250e66f9723&clipID=1252487&showID=61&configXML=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbc.com%2Fservice%2Fvideowidget%2Fparams%2FdmlkZW9faWQ9MTI1MjQ4Nw%3D%3D%2F&initXML=http://www.nbc.com%2Fsaturday-night-live%2Fvideo%2Fepisodes%2Finit.xml?videoId=1252487" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" width="384" height="283" allowFullScreen="true" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-55849760333550883312010-09-25T22:14:00.000-07:002010-09-25T22:16:25.470-07:00Saturday Night Live September 26th, 2010Saturday Night Live<br />September 22nd, 2010<br />Host: Amy Poehler<br />Musical Guest: Katy Perry. <br /><br />Cold Open. <br />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. <br /><br />Credits.<br />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? <br /><br />Monologue. <br />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!<br /><br />Boo! No commercial parody. There should always be a commercial parody after the monologue. I’m stubborn. <br /><br />Bronx Beat. <br />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.<br /><br />COMMERCIAL PARODY: Bosley Hair Restoration. <br />Disturbing but brilliant.<br /><br />Maternity Matters. <br />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. <br /><br />Gay Wedding/Mosque at Ground Zero. <br />Silly but enjoyable. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Katy Perry. <br />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). <br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />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. <br /><br />Showtime: Women with secrets. <br />Enjoyed this for the Amy Poehler interview segments. What? How? Her? Yes! “I always thought the best titles mean two things.”<br /><br />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. <br /><br />Digital Short: Boogerman.<br />At first I assumed this was some homage to Howard Stern’s Fartman. But it was just lame completely on its own merits. <br /><br />Little hats at Chez Henri. <br />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. <br /><br />Actor II Actor.<br />I appreciate how short this was. Except having to sit through more commercials immediately after. <br /><br />The Expendables Spinoffs. <br />Best gag: “From Fast Car Tracy Chapman.”You could tell the audience was really happy to see Hooch. I was too.<br /><br />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.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-23078687492510655462010-09-25T13:14:00.000-07:002010-09-25T13:39:18.024-07:00SNL 36th season pre-show analysisEven 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?<br /><br />THE PERFORMERS WHO WERE FIRED/QUIT THIS SEASON:<br /><br /><b>Will Forte. </b> 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). <br /><br /><b>Jenny Slate.</b> 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 <a href="http://vimeo.com/14190306">Marcel the Shell with Shoes On</a> is any indication. That was better than anything she did on the show! Maybe they should have let her do some digital shorts.<br /><br />THE NEW PERFORMERS ARE: Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah. <br /><img src="http://yaytime.com/postimages/SNL/2010_SNL_newcast.jpg"><br /><br />I’m not familiar with any of them, which is good. That means they have a clean slate. Sometimes with <a href="http://www.ucbtheater.com"> Upright Citizens Brigade </a> 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. <br /><br />So, I’m hoping for the best…yet not expecting too much!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14190306" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/14190306">MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4509398">Dean Fleischer-Camp</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-69097941872992857462010-05-15T22:01:00.000-07:002010-05-16T15:29:40.275-07:00Saturday Night Live May 15th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />May 15th, 2010<br />Host: Alec Baldwin<br />Musical Guest: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers<br /><br />Opening: BP Gas Spill Conference.<br />Only two minutes. Shortest cold opening ever?<br /><br />Monologue. <br />Kind of a week intro, but he’s right, “It’s an incredible voice.”<br /><br />Digital Short.<br />Another bit that felt straight out of The Lonely Island’s “Awesometown” pilot. Great cinematography, choreography, and songwriting made this simple idea of a down and out coke addict singing fairly entertaining. <br /><br />Starfish the Script Girl.<br />One my least favorite sketch formats is the “Okay, let’s do ANOTHER take” because someone keeps messing up their lines, walking into the shot, etc. Occasionally it can be kinda funny like the Brian Williams teen drama or Fred Armisen’s “I’m your MOTHER,” but this one didn’t really cut it. Yet another weak new character from the growingly inconsistent Kristen Wiig. Is the character supposed to be funny because she makes mistakes and has bad teeth?<br /><br />Hudson Valley Swim Team. <br />Are there that many kids on a school swim team? This felt like the type of half thought out piece of a sketch they would have at 12:55. Felt pointless. <br /><br />Bedelia. <br />Holy crap. Nasim Pedrad debuting another actually funny character! I enjoyed her “Talk Show with Ravish” from a few months ago and this was even better. Not only was it a well-defined character, but the entire sketch had lots of great writing with quotable lines. I wouldn’t mind seeing more, but hope they don’t run it into the ground! <br /><br /><b>EDIT:</b> My friend Andre informed me that Bedelia actually debuted during the Tina Fey episode! I saw MOST of that episode but sadly missed the sketch, so I'll be tracking it down ASAP.<br /><br />Commercial Parody: Sally Field.<br />Brilliant. A clever parody of all medicine commercials. “Fanning out your magazines” was my favorite bit.<br /><br />Grady Wilson’s Intimate and International.<br />I’ve enjoyed these in the past, but I guess they can’t all be winners. <br /><br />Tom Petty. <br />It's been a lot time since I've even thought about Tom Petty. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />“My freakin’ brains is in there!”<br /><br />At first I thought it was too soon for a return from Stefon, but then it kinda cracked me up. I just wish Bill Hader would vary up the intro rather than the repetitive default “NY’s hottest club is…” On the flipside I DO like when he says “It’s like that thing where…” <br />“Puppets in Disguise” was the best thing I’ve EVER heard.<br /><br />I really wish Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig would stop with Garth and Cath. It might be funny when they do this bit at parties but not on TV.<br /><br />Timecrowave.<br />I really liked the idea and generally enjoyed the sketch. Not as funny as I would have hoped but still decent. I’m glad they found another use for the Planet of the Apes mask from the Charlton Heston episode!<br /><br />TCM.<br />That’s a whole lotta set up! <br /><br />Army Dudes Take the Shot.<br />It was no Canteen Boy.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-49309572335536273012010-05-15T19:09:00.000-07:002010-05-15T21:45:44.060-07:00M.I.A.Sorry, I haven't been updating this site! I've been busy traveling and often catching SNL on DVR a week or two after the fact. But I promise to write some a summary of thoughts AFTER this week's finale. In the meantime, here are some pics I took from my first visit to the <a href="http://www.secondcity.com/">Second City</a> theater in Chicago! It was a blast to FINALLY see what I've read and heard so much about. The show I saw was a compilation of sketches from over the years starring the touring group. Kind of the perfect thing for someone playing catch up. Definitely hope to go back again and maybe also check out Improv Olympic. <br /><br /><img src="http://yaytime.com/postimages/SNL/secondcity1.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://yaytime.com/postimages/SNL/secondcity2.jpg">dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-83626592308209750672010-03-13T22:01:00.000-08:002010-03-13T22:03:36.565-08:00Saturday Night Live 13th, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />March 13th, 2009<br />Host: Jude Law<br />Musical Guest: Pearl Jam <br /><br />Opening: Tickle Party<br />“NO!” Yes!<br /><br />Monologue.<br />I love Hamlet, but this recap seemed pointless. <br /><br />Commercial Parody: Ford Hybrid. <br />Well filmed!<br /><br />Game Show Parody.<br />I hate to admit it, but the concept behind this Kristen Wiig character (albeit stupid) kinda makes me laugh. <br /><br />Commercial Parody: Another Security System commercial.<br />Not hilarious, but it worked well enough. <br /><br />Parody of Vicky Christina Barcelona?<br />One joke, mildly executed. Second sketch about potential abuse against women.<br /><br />Digital Short: Another Andy Samberg music video.<br />Had no idea who the other singer was. A notch below the “Threw it on the Ground” song.<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Jerry Seinfield is a perfect fit for the “Really?!” segments.<br /><br />Twilight Zone Parody.<br />Is this the first time SNL has riffed on the episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"? Seems like everyone else already has. I do always like when the bands show up in sketches. <br /><br />Hamlet Audition. <br />Just an excuse for celebrity impressions, but Andy Samberg’s Nick Cage STILL makes me smile. <br /><br />Kicksplit Underground Music Festival.<br />This was the same exact sketch as last time, right? Seems a bit long for a total commercial repeat. Did they really not have any other ideas for new sketches?<br /><br />Pearl Jam.<br />It’s been a while since I’ve listened to Pearl Jam and was mostly disappointed by these newer songs. I remember liking the song they played on Conan last year, though.<br /><br /><br />Court Stenographer, Round Two.<br />Sorry, Fred Armisen. I still hate this character. <br /><br />Ravish.<br />I’ll never understand why they choose to break out a new character/sketch in the last ten minutes of the show. Not hilarious, but more interesting than a lot of the other things they’ve tried out this year. I enjoyed the “Jay Leno Walking” segment and the violin-playing sister.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-23440271787169633972010-03-06T22:01:00.000-08:002010-03-06T22:03:05.221-08:00Saturday Night Live March 7th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />March 6th, 2009<br />Host: Zach Galifianakis<br />Musical Guest: Vampire Weekend<br /><br />Opening. <br />Intentionally giving fodder to Conservatives?<br /><br />Monologue.<br />I haven’t seen his stand up routine in a while so I’m not sure if it was new material or not.<br /><br />Vogelcheck Family Funeral.<br />You think they spend a lot of time practicing these sketches? I hope they washed that dog’s mouth! I loved how the audience had such a strong reaction to Fred Armisen the minute he started walking over toward the casket. And the corpse kissing back definitely cracked me up. But I was disappointed James Franco didn’t do a cameo since he was in the last one.<br /><br />Bidet Crazy.<br />Not really enough material to warrant an entire sketch. I fear that means it will become a reoccurring sketch. <br /><br />Zack on the set.<br />Kinda fun. Kid with beard was a good climax. <br /><br />Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb.<br />One of the meaner parodies on SNL. Makes me worry that the real Hoda is equally abused by the real Kathie Lee (considering most of what I’ve seen in the previous sketches has turned out to be too close for comfort). <br /><br />Vampire Weekend.<br />I always think this band sounds interesting when I first hear them. But I find I tire of them fairly quickly. But this song was short enough to go down easy.<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Kenan’s hairstyle and impression didn’t really come across as Mo’nique. <br />A lot of set up for another annoying Will Forte nonsense song. I’m fair enough to admit that this was actually one of his more tolerable ones. Points for the Miss Piggy reference. <br /><br />What Up With That?<br />I really wish they could find a way to change these up a bit more beyond just loading up random guests and background dancers. They can never get back the initial surprise factor and energy of the original. But this one seemed better than last time, mostly because grown-up Baby Jessica in the well was brilliant. <br /><br />The Situation Room.<br />Kind of an obvious commentary on the overuse of social media on CNN…but well played. Well played. <br /><br />Vampire Weekend.<br />Another okay song.<br /><br />Pageant Song.<br />Did the makeup artists cover Zach’s beard? Did he shave between sketches?dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-31368172076560703302010-02-27T22:04:00.000-08:002010-02-27T22:05:50.265-08:00Saturday Night Live February 28th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />February 27th, 2009<br />Host: Jennifer Lopez<br />Musical Guest: Jennifer Lopez<br /><br />I was caught off guard, not expecting a new episode till after the Olympics. But here’s what I did catch. I’ll watch the rest on DVR later. <br /><br />Romance Commentary 2<br />Second time out, I was ready to write off this reoccurring sketch as semi-stupid, semi-guilty pleasure. But Kenan found new ways to really sell it, and kept it from being a total repeat of last time. I found myself laughing several times, so I guess I’m a fan. I even liked Jennifer Lopez as the weird ventriloquist.<br /><br />Smashmouth in the Closet.<br />Totally ridiculous in the best possible way. Surprisingly pitch perfect. I’ll never hear those songs the same way again.<br /><br />Custom Car Horns.<br />I’m still not sure what nationality this racial stereotype is supposed to be. I guess Puerto Rican, because of the Jennifer Lopez connection? The car horns are a bit funnier than the doorbells but still not as genius as Scarlett Johanson in the chandelier sketch.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-40246469501929034482010-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:002010-03-06T20:40:31.676-08:00Saturday Night Live February 6th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />February 6th, 2009<br />Host: Ashton Kutcher<br />Musical Guest: Them Crooked Vultures<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Moderately funny! I like the idea of random "attractive blonde lady," and there were some decent lines including Karl Rove only having a problem with gay men, not gay women.<br /><br />Monologue.<br />I can't believe he's hosted 3 other times. Not sure I remember any of those episodes. I didn't catch who was dressed as the old lady break dancing. I liked the set up of Ashton trying not to react to the "awesome" stuff in the audience. And most of the examples were good up till Mark Twain getting punched in the nuts. What's he have against Mark Twain? <br /><br />Pool boy at reading of the will. <br />The only thing the sketch had going for it was "gross out" humor, and yet it felt surprisingly tame. Even the STD names weren’t very imaginative. “Foreigner’s Cough”?<br /><br />The View.<br />Second sketch to address "Don't Ask Don't Tell." I guess Elisabeth Hasselback likes to repeat things for emphasis? I don't remember that from previous View sketches, but I’ll roll with it. I did like Kenan/Whoopie's complaint about not liking to go to the movies because they play at different times. Overall, this was another decent View sketch, one of he more reliable repeating bits. <br /><br />Commercial Parody: Cialis for threeways. Almost made me smile, but mostly made me roll my eyes. <br /><br />Rome/Grapes<br />Will Forte seemed to be playing a villain in a Hanna Barbera cartoon. I’ll give them credit for doing an old-fashioned style sketch. <br /><br />Musical Guest: Them Crooked Vultures.<br />I usually like Dave Grohl’s various bands, but this song didn’t really do anything for me.<br />Didn’t sound so great and the lyrics were pretty unintelligible. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />Fairly long segment this week.<br />Andy Samberg’s new character “Liam, the teenager who just woke up” was surprisingly funny (and real).<br /><br />Game Show: What is Burn Notice?<br />Snarky! But accurate!<br /><br />Access Hollywood/Oscar Nominations.<br />Also accurate?<br /><br />Statement from Rahm Emanuel.<br />More of a rant than a sketch, but it felt fresh and different! Kind of amazing, actually.<br /><br />Wedding Band.<br />Crisis of Conformity rocked it. Worked because the song “Fistfight in the parking lot” was actually pretty good and Fred Armisen is a good singer. And of course Dave Grohl on drums. Nice live moment where his mic didn’t work.<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b932deb52c796cc/4741e3c5156499a7/6ca76f5e/-cpid/73c66d9a46b5ed46" id="W4727a250e66f97234b932deb52c796cc" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b932deb52c796cc/4741e3c5156499a7/6ca76f5e/-cpid/73c66d9a46b5ed46" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object>dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-6831108145393842512010-01-30T21:58:00.000-08:002010-01-30T22:01:16.741-08:00Saturday Night Live January 30th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />January 30th 2009<br />Host: Jon Hamm<br />Musical Guest: Michael Buble. <br /><br />Cold Open: State of the Union. <br />Not too many actual jokes or insight. Just a lot of cuts to audience from the actual event with one random shot of Brendan Fraser thrown in for good measure. <br /><br />Monologue.<br />The idea of putting the bleak character from Mad Men into other shows was probably a bit funnier in concept than execution. <br /><br />Don’t Make Me Sing. <br />It feels like the SNL writers just sit around brainstorming catch phrases to run into the ground. If the sketch was 1 minutelong, it might have been JUST okay. But instead they just dragged it out, with the only redeeming element being the dancing cats on the balcony. <br /><br />Digital Short: Sergio.<br />The final image was strangely satisfying. <br /><br />(Is Ashton Kutcher hosting SNL to promote his Coolpix commercials?)<br /><br />Democrats meet Scott Brown. <br />Mostly an eye-roller, but I give them credit for not having the Barney Frank fantasy be the final twist.<br /><br />Musical Guest: Michael Bublé. <br />BLAAAH. ZZZZZZZ<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Bobby Moynihan returns as Snookie from the Jersey Shore with even more red face paint.<br /><br />ESPN: Greg the Alien co-host.<br />Only Bill Hader can pull off the freaky alien stuff. The other guys just looked stiff. <br /><br />Hamm & Bublé.<br />A silly idea pulled off purely on the conviction of the performers. <br /><br />Commercial Parody: Zip-do Closet Organizer.<br />It’s no Bathroom Monkey. Kind of a weak commercial (usually I love them).<br /><br />Courtroom Stenographer. <br />“I can’t find my crackers” is an even more annoying catch phrase than “Don’t make me sing.” Don’t go printing up any T-shirts, just yet.<br /><br />Musical Guest: Michael Bublé.<br />Cute performance, boring song. I’d rather just see more Sharon Jones. She’s great!<br /><br />Two Guys in a Bar.<br />Has SNL ever done a follow up to one of the commercials in one of the sketches before?<br />That was sort of interesting, for SNL…very much in the sprit of Mr. Show and the Upright Citizens Brigade TV show.<br /><br />Barnes & Noble.<br />Actually pretty funny! Although maybe less so if you don’t live in NYC?<br />God bless Barnes and Noble’s free bathrooms!dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-32651638229928094192010-01-16T22:10:00.000-08:002010-01-16T22:12:11.959-08:00Saturday Night Live January 16th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />January 16th 2009<br />Host: Sigourney Weaver<br />Musical Guest: The Ting Tings<br /><br />Cold Open: Larry King Live.<br />Not much insight or commentary on the Late Night controversy, but several good impressions! I can’t remember if Daryl Hammond ever did Jay Leno when he was a cast member on the show, but he came back for this. The best part was Jason Sudeikis, who was brilliantly deranged as Dave Letterman. I wonder if he told him he’d be doing it when he was on his show earlier in the week. Bill Hader was surprisingly serious as Conan, but he got the look down perfect. Another good bit was Larry King explaining how to access his blog on the internet.<br /><br />Monologue. <br />Confident, classy and surprisingly funny. The idea of Sigourney Weaver being scared of everything shouldn’t have worked, but something about her delivery sold it for me.<br />“Are you an alien? You have to tell me if you are.” I also had no idea about her parents.<br /><br />ESPN Classic: Women’s Darts<br />The way Jason Sudeikis says “Summer’s Eve” just isn’t as funny as “Tampax” or “Vagisil.” I guess that’s why he had to add the qualifier “douche,” but still not funny enough to warrant a third incarnation of the sketch. <br /><br />Digital Short: Laser Cats 5<br />A fun homage to a bunch of James Cameron movies, and obviously a nice SNL touch to have the real director do a cameo. I appreciated the callouts to Ash and Bishop from the Alien films, and the fact that there was a character named Admiral Spaceship. But the Unobtanium reference at the end almost killed it.<br /><br />Disco Booty Junction.<br />I love the way it opened with Kenan Thompson talking to someone off camera about his dressing room. But I didn’t care for the way it segued into a short song a la the Deep House Dish sketches before it devolved into an inane debate about the guests’ names: Amber and Cream. But the ending was pretty good as Kenan asked why he had to show up to work again if the show was cancelled. <br /><br />Musical Guest: The Ting Tings.<br />I like the song (after first hearing it in a Puppetbenders web video), but the performance was underwhelming. And the outfit looked a little second-hand Lady Gaga.<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Abby Elliot’s impression reminds me of someone else’s impression/commentary of Diane Keaton—but I can’t remember whose!<br />Seth’s Best line: “I can’t go back to being in a sketch every 3 weeks!”<br /> <br />Avatar Sex.<br />I guess they couldn’t resist playing into the growing nerd interest in Navi sex.<br />The fake legs were a nice touch. And it was interesting to see how they adapted the CGI characters into live action costumes and make up. A nice testament to the production values of the show’s crew.<br /><br />Riley.<br />This was the introduction to a horrible character that I hope they never bring back. It almost makes Gilly seem like a good idea.<br />I’m guessing Fred Armisen was supposed to be channeling Harvey Fierstein? Cartman from South Park? I’m sure someone thought it was funny every time he said “bitch” but I thought it was flat and totally forced. I expect more from Fred Armisen.<br /><br />Sigourney Weaver reads her online comments. <br />This was ADORABLE and endearing. My favorite sketch of the night. I wonder if they modeled the set off her real apartment and she told them to put up the Lolita poster. <br /><br />Musical Guest: The Ting Tings.<br />Overall, I like their sound but wish their songs weren’t AS repetitive as they are. Just a tad more variation would go a long way. Was the cowbell SNL pandering? <br /><br />Fire and Rice. <br />Something about this performance evoked Jan Hooks—in a good way.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-29060623993049562432010-01-09T22:51:00.000-08:002010-01-09T22:52:30.605-08:00Saturday Night Live January 9th, 2010Saturday Night Live <br />January 09th 2009<br />Host: Charles Barkley<br />Musical Guest: Alicia Keys<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.<br />Like so many politically-themed cold opens: Sad but probably true. But this one also had some actual laughs. Fred Armisen was great as the Yemeni President.<br /><br />Monologue. <br />My wife commented that Charles Barkley was like an awkward middle school student on stage. I doubt that’s what he was going for, but it worked for us.<br /><br />Commercial Parody: Thomas Peepers Insurance. <br />Bill Hader’s facial expressions made this a good sketch. His pervy reactions very similar to his raised eyebrow Chris Hansen impression. <br /><br />Game Show: Reel Quotes.<br />Considering how many game shows they’ve done where the only joke that is the contestants are idiots, I was surprised how often this sketch cracked me up. There was a surprising logic to it, and both Charles Barkley and Kristen Wiig had tons of great material to work. They both sold the gags with conviction and perfect comic timing.<br />Great quotes: “Shark BAG!” “You shouldn’t be looking at kids, Rege.”<br /><br />Sexy Woman.<br />This sketch was close to brilliance. Kristen Wiig as a Marilyn Monroe-style sexpot who turns out to be more awkward than seductive. Lots of great moments like the way she giggles when she gets over excited and the stilted pole dance moves. Jenny Slate was also good as the contrasting “straight woman.” As was Charles Barkley as the one person turned on by Kristen Wiig’s antics. It’s a shame that he tripped up some of his lines, because they were funny! “That was superior.”<br /><br />MacGruber.<br />I surprisingly enjoyed the first two installments. Maybe they’re growing on me just because they are so short.<br /><br />NBA Booth.<br />Eh. I’m not a fan of sketches where someone keeps saying the same thing over and over. Except when it was Fred Armisen saying “I’m YOUR mother!” Seems like the fumbling likes were contagious. <br /><br />Alicia Keys. <br />Obviously talented, but her songs do nothing for me.<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Bill Hader still does a good James Carville, but this appearance wasn’t as funny as the first time. <br />Considering how in his first episode they made fun of Andy Samberg not being good with impressions, I’ve been surprised at how good he’s been at it lately. His Nicholas Cage is dead on.<br /><br />The Haney Project.<br />A little too predictable. Just having Charles Barkley fumble at everyday things wasn’t funny enough.<br /><br />Booty Call.<br />Alicia did a good job with her half, but the Andy Samberg bits just seemed too over the top to be funny. <br /><br />Alicia Keys.<br />I didn’t realize there was a full song to go with the “New York” chorus from the Jay Z rap anthem. Does that make it a sample? Or did Alicia Keys flesh out the rest of the song AFTER the Jay Z bits were recorded? I guess that’s what Wikipedia is for…<br /><br />Scared Straight.<br />I really wish they’d stop doing this. The first 5 times were sporadically amusing, but they’ve pretty much run it into the ground. The only redeeming quality is watching people try to keep a straight face.<br /><br />Barkley’s Banks.<br />Did they cut to the title card screen too soon? The sketch ended abruptly but I thought I heard mumbling.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-25040744218339737992009-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:002010-01-10T09:30:59.727-08:00Saturday Night Live December 20th, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />December 19th, 2009<br />Host: James Franco<br />Musical Guest: Muse.<br /><br /> I missed the beginning because I was watching the snow storm on the news. Hope the audience gets home okay.<br /><br />What Up With That?<br />Third time out, it’s getting a bit tired, but I still get some enjoyment from it. Sadly, this installment felt the most off. Maybe because everyone seemed tired. I’d like to see them find a way to change up the format or at least the song. The best part was just seeing Jack McBrayer sitting next to Mike Tyson.<br /><br />Awkwardly kissing family. <br />You gotta give them all credit for going at it with such vigor. Something about it seems to be a classic SNL sketch. <br /><br />Digital Short: Jammy Party. <br />Not much of an original spin on the innocent kid show going horribly wrong…but it still worked for me. <br /><br />Manuel Ortiz Show.<br />How many Spanish television parodies is Fred Armisen in? Mildly amusing if just for the amount of energy the cast put into the non-stop dancing. <br /><br />Musical Guest: Muse.<br />I don’t know that much about the band except that they sometimes sound like old Radiohead and a bit like the band, Ours. Something about this particular song reminds me a bit of Brian Setzer with an electronic twist. I like it well enough. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />Bill Hader as the Jersey Shore’s The Situation had a tight six pack on his back!<br />I enjoyed Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig’s matching outfits and wigs for Garth & Cat. Not sure I got what they were trying to do though. <br /><br />College Kids.<br />Kind of zoned out during this one.<br /><br />Vincent Price Christmas Special.<br />Still using that Harry Potter font. I’ve never been a big fan of this reoccurring sketch but I enjoyed this one a bit more than normal. Mostly because of Katherine Hepburn fighting the raccoon. <br /><br />Christmas Tree Lot.<br />James Franco is a man who really loves his Christmas trees. I LOVED THIS SKETCH!<br /><br />“Carol, Hold My Calls” is one SNL quote that will never be on a t-shirt (god willing).<br /><br />Mark Walberg talks to Christmas animals.<br />Not much new here. But it's short enough that it goes down easy.<br /><br />FAVORITE CLIP:<br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b497967c651ec8e/4741e3c5156499a7/49d3c966/-cpid/831fce521d226d05" id="W4727a250e66f97234b497967c651ec8e" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b497967c651ec8e/4741e3c5156499a7/49d3c966/-cpid/831fce521d226d05" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object>dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-76656179526511733022009-12-08T07:34:00.000-08:002009-12-08T07:44:34.330-08:00SNL Christmas: good news/bad newsSo I WOULD HAVE been very excited about the upcoming SNL Christmas Special, since it combines two of my favorite things: SNL & Christmas specials...but then I heard it's going to be hosted by my LEAST FAVORITE SNL character: Gilly.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/07/kristen-wiig-gilly-video_n_383537.html">FULL STORY</a><br /><br />I think Kristen Wiig is one of the most talented people on SNL, but I can't express how much I HATE Gilly! And not just because teh sketches have a lot of Will Forte. The character itself makes me nauseous and the inane repetition of it makes me crazy.<br />Even the Target lady would have been a better host. And it would make for easy corporate sponsorship! <br />I guess I'll just have to record it and fast forward through the Gilly intros. <br /><br />I'm mostly hoping the new special will include all of the Horatio Sanz Christmas songs and any stuff that isn't already on the SNL Christmas collection DVD.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-51462467543360051872009-12-05T22:08:00.000-08:002009-12-05T22:16:32.757-08:00Saturday Night Live December 6th, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />November 21th, 2009<br />Host: Blake Lively<br />Musical Guest: Rihanna<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Funny for about 1 minute and then dragged on too long. <br /><br />Monologue.<br />The cast members seem to really like playing the Muppets. You get the sense that Bill Hader really gets into playing Animal. And I really appreciate how the make up artists do Gonzo’s nose. I wish they did more than the old hand-up-the-ass jokes, though. <br />Random fact: Blake Lively is the 4th young blonde woman to host this season so far.<br /><br /><br />ESPN Classic/Women’s bowling.<br />Basically the same format as the Women’s Pool sketch from a few weeks back. Like last time the best part is the way Jason Sudeikis repeatedly emphasizes the word “Vagisil” (a la Tampax) and comes up with new ways to plug the product sponsor. <br /><br />The Situation Room: Tiger Woods.<br />I have a feeling that Kenan’s impression of Tiger Woods was way off, and yet I think it added a strange charm to the sketch. <br /><br />Digital Short: Rihanna and Shy Ronnie.<br />This was a fun bit, well executed. I loved hearing Rihanna sing random sentences like “Speak up!” and “I forgot my purse.”<br /><br />Gossip Girl Staten Island.<br />I thought Bobby Moynihan was pretty good in this. His dog/baby tanning booth was the best gag. Bill Hader’s Staten Island accent is pretty much his New Jersey one. <br /><br />Kicksplit Rock Festival<br />I think they tried too hard with this. Nasim Pedrad did a decent Amy Poehler impression, though.<br /><br />Musical Guest: Rihanna.<br />Yikes, chainmail, and comfy couch! The mood and content of the song “Russian Roulette” seems like it would make a good Depeche Mode song. <br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Kenan does a good Bill Cosby impression, but his rapping felt rushed and didn’t hit the mark. But I like when he complained about “Kanye Kangaroo.”<br />Seth Meyer’s best line: “How can you expect Cookie Monster to resist that much brown sugar?”<br /><br />Department Store.<br />Not much about this sketch stood out to me. I’m not even sure what it was really about except Kenan in drag playing Blake Lively’s mother. <br /><br />UPS Commercial.<br />I don’t think I’ve seen the commercial they were referencing (assuming it was a parody). But I like that they sorta played the Postal Service in the background without paying the royalty fees. <br /><br />Late Night with Chris Hansen. <br />This is one of those SNL sketches that I can’t exactly peg why I like.<br />But the back and forth moments between Tony Blades and Chris Hansen made me happy.<br />Also Andy Samberg was a surprisingly good Keanu Reeves.<br /><br />UPS Commercial.<br />This one was funnier. <br /><br />Musical Guest: Rihanna.<br />Something about her outfit seemed to evoke Rufio from the movie Hook. And I guess ripped pants are back in style? This was actually the first Rihanna song that I’ve heard that I didn’t at least like the beat to. <br /><br />NASA interview.<br />This sketch made me want to kill myself. I thought it was one of the worst sketches in the history of the show. Yes, even worse than the January Jones farting in Rear Window sketch from two weeks ago. That at least had decent celebrity impressions. This just had random yelling and excruciating pointlessness. I thought was over my dislike of Will Forte, but after this episode I think I would pay money to have him leave the show.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-27713234689107822522009-11-21T22:07:00.000-08:002009-11-21T22:08:40.745-08:00Saturday Night Live November 21st, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />November 21th, 2009<br />Host: Joseph Gordon-Levitt<br />Musical Guest: Dave Matthews Band<br /><br />I missed the first half of the episode. Hope they upload the What Up With That sketch soon!<br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Seemed really short this week. Al Gore seemed even dryer than usual and certainly not very funny.<br /><br />Thanksgiving Family.<br />Painful and confusing. I liked it better when they did it the first time (10 years ago?):<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b08ce924518691c/4741e3c5156499a7/4ad3e898/-cpid/70d3bb87674bd3c8" id="W4727a250e66f97234b08ce924518691c" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/4b08ce924518691c/4741e3c5156499a7/4ad3e898/-cpid/70d3bb87674bd3c8" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object><br /><br />Woman to Woman.<br />Fred Armisen as a sexist jerk filling in on an advice show for women. <br />It mostly worked for me, even though it didn’t actually make me laugh.<br /><br />Dave Matthews Band.<br />I kind of tuned out. But my wife commented that Dave Matthews still looks exactly the same as he did when he first started out. <br /><br />Say Anything.<br />This felt like a Dane Cook stand-up routine turned into a sketch. <br /><br />Closing.<br />Joseph Gordon-Levitt needs to calm down before he turns into Mickey Dolenz. <br /><br />I wish I cold watch that other Will Ferrell dinner sketch where he keeps tossing his plate and says "F$^K this, I'M LEAVING!"dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-80800312803744073782009-11-14T22:02:00.000-08:002009-11-14T22:07:18.461-08:00Saturday Night Live November 14th, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />November 14th, 2009<br />Host: January Jones<br />Musical Guest: Black Eyed Peas<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />It’s kind of cool that Jason Sudeikis’ Joe Biden is more of a character than a straight-up impersonation. But it still only mildly amuses me. <br /><br />Monologue. <br />Nice and short!<br /><br />Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb.<br />Jenny Slate stepped in as Hoda, but didn’t add too much to the straight-woman role. <br />I was surprised to find out that that song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqgaj8mRnso"> Everyone Has a Story </a>was not made up for this sketch! I think the real version is even funnier!<br /><br />Rear Window.<br />One joke: Pretty girl farting. Jason Sudeikis’ Jimmy Stewart was pretty good, but it made me think of Dana Carvey. Bobby Moynihan was decent as Hitchcock. <br /><br />WIIX/Michelle Dison<br />“I like it!” Kristen Wiig at her absolute best. Rare example of a one-joke character managing to milk a surprising amount of material. I laughed through the whole thing. When January Jones walked away, freaked out, I was disappointed there wasn’t a twist ending. But then the bee gag made up for it.<br /><br />Crown Instructional Films: Dinner Party<br />Really nice use of color. And the bit got better as it went along.<br />Best line: “Cats are girls, and dogs are boys.”<br /><br />Black Eyed Peas. <br />Probably the definition of “guilty pleasure.” The song is getting overplayed, but I’m not exactly tired of it just yet. Still a bit too catchy! <br /><br />Weekend Update.<br />Nice of Daryl Hammond to stop by his own show!<br />My heart dies a little every time the Bon Jovi opposite band comes back. <br /><br />Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. <br />An okay sketch that would have seemed clever 10-15 years earlier. <br /><br />Digital Short.<br />Lot of bathroom humor in this episode. The visual ending made the sketch worthwhile. <br /><br />First Date.<br />A simple, but very enjoyable sketch. <br /><br />Third song by Black Eyed Peas.<br />Some of the lyrics are cheesy, but I love the beats on this one.<br /><br />Closing thoughts.<br />January Jones was a solid host, but it seemed like she played a naive wife or girlfriend in every other sketch. There seemed to be no sight of Kenan Thompson, just his voice singing a song on Weekend Update.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-71392154051956757282009-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:002009-11-14T18:06:26.049-08:00Exactly.Plug for my friend's new website:<br /><br /><a href="http://sowhatifladygagaisaman.com/">http://sowhatifladygagaisaman.com/</a>dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7358074205208429193.post-90682115554485698692009-11-07T22:02:00.001-08:002009-11-07T22:02:57.036-08:00Saturday Night Live November 7th, 2009Saturday Night Live <br />November 7th, 2009<br />Host: Taylor Swift<br />Musical Guest: Taylor Swift<br /><br />Cold Open.<br />Moderately funny jab at Fox News. Kristen Wiig’s Greta Van Susteren impression was perfect, but Jason Sudeikis’ Glenn Beck felt a bit light after Jon Stewarts extended riff on him earlier this week. Ironic since, Stewart’s definitely not known for impersonations. <br /><br />Monologue. <br />I found this painful. Especially every time her voice cracked. Taylor Swift is no <a href="http://www.twotomatoes.com/site/">Laurie Berkner</a>.<br /><br />Commercial Parody: Swine Fever.<br />Even though I didn’t think much of the bit, I found Bobby Moynihan a bit more appealing than usual for some reason. <br /> <br />The View.<br />Jenny Slate stepping into the role of Barbara Walters (formerly played by Michaela Watkins) did a pretty good job. The mannerisms are perfect, but the voice seems too high pitch. <br />I feel guilty that every word Fred Armisen says as Joy Behar still makes me smile after all this time. <br /><br />Digital Short.<br />Weak Twilight parody that seemed straight out of Cracked magazine. <br /><br />Hollywood Dish.<br />Not really a funny enough idea to sustain a whole sketch. And what a twist ending!<br /><br />T.R.A.A.A.P.E.D.<br />This sketch made me fear the episode was intentionally written to appeal to the Disney Channel audience. <br /><br />Taylor Swift.<br />I hate this song partially because I don’t hate it as much as my teenage self would want me to. It’s obvious and cheesy but a bit too catchy to be completely evil. Sigh. <br /><br />Weekend Update. <br />I give them credit for not bringing Nicholas Fehn back till at least the 5th episode of the season. If any SNL character should get a movie—it’s this one! Just to see Fred Armisen rise to the challenge. I, too, am glad they banned Claymation in the 70’s. <br />Abby Elliot was pitch perfect as Sarah McLaclan talking about molested dogs.<br />Happiness every time Amy Poehler pops in.<br /><br />Penelope at a wedding.<br />Still one of Kristen Wiig’s most consistently funny characters. This installment had quite a few laughs. <br /><br />Scared Straight.<br />They’ve done this bit one too many times. And Taylor Swift added absolutely nothing. <br /><br />Roommate. <br />There was something really old-timey, classic SNL about this sketch, without being funny to me. <br /><br />Taylor Swift.<br />Her voice alternates between good and excruciating, like playing around with the knobs on a radio. <br /><br />Bunny Business Soundtrack.<br />Decent excuse for hit-and-miss celebrity impressions. <br />Winner: Kristen Wiig as Natalie Merchant.dave romanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11350338263660879645noreply@blogger.com1