Saturday Night Live

[theboywholived8]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

source

This is fantastic news indeed.

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

There was only one unfunny sketch, and it was the Glee parody - which wasn't a Glee parody really, but another unfortunate Gilly routine.

Now that Will's gone (which, by the way, has also resulted in the loss of the funniest element of the Gilly sketches - Forte's scolding "Gilly...")

I really dislike Gilly and was disappointed that they started the night off this way. The timing of these specific sketches is always a little off so the supposed comedic effect is somewhat diminished.

I miss Will Where did he go? He wasn't fired, was he? He was my favorite male cast member of recent times.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by theboywholived8

Where did he go? He wasn't fired, was he?

No, he wasn't fired, he left, and he's living in L.A. now.

Originally Posted by theboywholived8

This is fantastic news indeed.

That announcement mentions "original material featuring Rachel Dratch, Nora Dunn, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Laraine Newman, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Molly Shannon." Now, there's not a single lady on that list that I don't like, and I enjoy/would enjoy seeing them all return to their old 8H stomping grouns - but if Laraine Newman, Nora Dunn, and Cheri Oteri are going to come back to do a little something, then those are the ones I'm really excited about. Not only are those three terrific, underrated cast members (plus, Laraine is one of the originals, part of the 75-80 cast), but they have never returned to the show (not counting appearances to intro clip packages on the 15th or 25th anniversary specials). For Laraine Newman, this means she hasn't appeared since 1980. For Nora Dunn, 1990, For Cheri Oteri, 2000.

[theboywholived8]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

No, he wasn't fired, he left, and he's living in L.A. now.

Awe, thanks for that. I'm glad he ended it on his own terms. And I like his reasons...

"Maybe it's because I turned 40 and I started getting very..." Forte takes a long pause and sighs before adding, "...introspective."

"I just wanted to be close to my family," Forte says, specifically mentioning his sister, a niece and an impending nephew. "If you really want to do good work there, you really have to give it your all and that makes having a life outside work kinda tough."

Yay for family closeness.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Reminder (I'm saying this in my Don Pardo voice, and you should too): SNL returns live tonight with Emma Stone and Kings of Leon.

[Fawkesfan1]

Just saw some old SNL on VH1 today with Will Forte on it as Alex Trebek... both my mom and I were cracking up while watching it .

Poor guy got driven up a wall by Sean Connery, Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler...

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by Fawkesfan1

Just saw some old SNL on VH1 today with Will Forte on it as Alex Trebek... both my mom and I were cracking up while watching it .

Poor guy got driven up a wall by Sean Connery, Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler...

Those Jeopardy sketches were great; my favorite is the one with Darrell Hammond as Connery, Jimmy Fallon as French Stewart, and Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Another good episode this weekend, with the highlights being:

-Paul Brittain's dead-on Michael Cera impression. Actually, this may have been a breakout show for Paul Brittain, with the Sex Ed sketch another high point (and it killed with the audience). Before this episode, I couldn't have told you what the guy looks like, or a single sketch he'd appeared in, so I'm glad he got some airtime this week.
-The Digital Short - It started out kind of lame, but that's okay; sketch comedy should build, not fade, and this did certainly build. Emma Stone's character coming out basically as Stephen Hawking cracked me up.
-John Mullaney's Update commentary - his girl scouts commentary last season was great, so I was glad to see him return to the Update desk. This one wasn't as good, but it was still funny.
-Speaking of "not as good, but still funny..." Stefon. I LOVED Stefon's first appearance, in the 2008 sketch where he was pitching a movie with Ben Affleck, and I'm actually really glad they've been using him on Update, because it's the perfect vehicle for him, as opposed to just having him pitch the same movie with various guest hosts. It's a hilarious character (although I'm a little annoyed with the way Bill cracks up every time - at least the material that makes him break is funny, though, unlike when Jimmy Fallon was on and giggling at EVERYTHING); the "Cosby face" and "Furkels (Fat Urkels)" lines were my favorites this time 'round.

I do feel like Emma Stone was underserved, but she did well with what she had.

[theboywholived8]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

Another good episode this weekend, with the highlights being:

-Paul Brittain's dead-on Michael Cera impression. Actually, this may have been a breakout show for Paul Brittain, with the Sex Ed sketch another high point (and it killed with the audience).
-The Digital Short - It started out kind of lame, but that's okay; sketch comedy should build, not fade, and this did certainly build. Emma Stone's character coming out basically as Stephen Hawking cracked me up.
-I LOVED Stefon's first appearance, in the 2008 sketch where he was pitching a movie with Ben Affleck, and I'm actually really glad they've been using him on Update, because it's the perfect vehicle for him, as opposed to just having him pitch the same movie with various guest hosts. It's a hilarious character (although I'm a little annoyed with the way Bill cracks up every time - at least the material that makes him break is funny, though, unlike when Jimmy Fallon was on and giggling at EVERYTHING); the "Cosby face" and "Furkels (Fat Urkels)" lines were my favorites this time 'round.

-That impression was indeed spot-on. I love Michael Cera, but I think he deserved a healthy dose of mockery. His Sex Ed advertisement was just plain awesome, it reminded me of something I'd see on Adult Swim. I hope he's planning to do similar commercials.
-Haha, I was feeling a bit iffy about the Digital Short too, but I snorted with laughter when Stone came out in the wheelchair. I was hoping for some bizarre ending, and I certainly received one. I love those Lonely Island boys.
-Stefon, what can I say. I love to see the performers break character, especially Hader...it's a rare treat. I wonder what makes him crack up exactly. I don't think I've seen his appearance with Affleck, I'll need to look that up.

[Fawkesfan1]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

Those Jeopardy sketches were great; my favorite is the one with Darrell Hammond as Connery, Jimmy Fallon as French Stewart, and Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds.

Yea -- the Jeopardy ones rank up with the Bill Clinton ones (Will Ferrell played him iirc) and the Samurai Delicatessen ones, and the Mr. Robinson ones.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by Fawkesfan1

the Bill Clinton ones (Will Ferrell played him iirc)

Do you mean Ferrell as Bush? Hammond played Clinton. And fabulously, I might add.

I finally watched the John Hamm episode. Loved it. Hayder stole the show with his Alan Alda impression. That was so spot on! I always love him as Vincent Price, too.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

It wasn't as good as the previous Jon Hamm episodes, but that was a good episode. The highlights:

-I always love the Vincent Price holiday special sketches, and this was no exception. I was a little disappointed that Hamm wasn't given as much to do as he was when he played James Mason (and killed) a couple years ago. Actually, these sketches are quite similar to the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches; the celebrities that feature here may not be as stupid, but you have Bill Hader's Vincent Price serving the same role as Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek, as the host who starts out irritated but professional, keeping his cool, but with each successive installment, he loses that cool - and any control he has - more and more. That's my "analysis" of the Vincent Price holiday special sktches.
-The audition sketch - At this point, seeing Kristen Wiig in anything usually makes me groan/roll my eyes, because usually she's playing a character that's outlived their usefulness, but I liked this a lot, the absurdity of it built nicely.
-Bill Hader's James Carville impression gets a little bigger every time it appears, but man, it is funny. SNL is gonna have a tough time recovering when Hader leaves; that'll be a big loss.
-I'm gonna start noting my Sketch of the Night, and this episode's was "I Didn't Ask for This" - great idea, execution that actually totally lived up to that idea (each one of those videos were really funny), and just the right length.

Okay, so for the last two weeks I haven't been able to watch the show live, so I've caught up by watching 'em OnDemand (I did catch the last third of the Emma Stone episode). Two weeks in a row, not only have the musical performances been cut from that OnDemand version (not a big deal, I haven't been interested in the last couple musical guests), but there have been some sketches cut: for the Emma Stone show, that incredibly weird "Les Jeunes des Paris" sketch was cut, and for the Jon Hamm show, the "Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Edition" sketches or commercials (which I only know exist because SNL Archives has entries for them) were cut. I checked the official website, and those sketches aren't there either. I checked Netflix, which, as part of their deal with NBC, also streams the shows as they air (again, minus music), but those sketches don't appear there either. It's very strange.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

there have been some sketches cut: for the Emma Stone show, that incredibly weird "Les Jeunes des Paris" sketch was cut, and for the Jon Hamm show, the "Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Edition" sketches or commercials (which I only know exist because SNL Archives has entries for them) were cut. I checked the official website, and those sketches aren't there either. I checked Netflix, which, as part of their deal with NBC, also streams the shows as they air (again, minus music), but those sketches don't appear there either. It's very strange.

That's too bad. The Back to the Future stuff was the funniest of the night, I thought. That's where Hader does his Alan Alda impression, and we also get tons of impressions from the rest of the cast like an excellent Eddie Murphy from the new guy who also killed as Will Smith and Denzel. Hamm did a pretty good Robin Williams. There were quite a few more. It was a good sketch. And it's too bad you missed the "Les Jeunes des Paris" sketch from Emma Stone's episode. I thought that was the best of the night.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

And it's too bad you missed the "Les Jeunes des Paris" sketch from Emma Stone's episode. I thought that was the best of the night.

I actually did see that live, that was in the last third of the show that I did see. I had no idea what I was watching, but I saw it. And afterward, online, I saw that no one else knew what the hell it was either.

[mrsmalfoy96]

SNL makes my life

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by IenjoyAcidPops

I actually did see that live, that was in the last third of the show that I did see. I had no idea what I was watching, but I saw it. And afterward, online, I saw that no one else knew what the hell it was either.

Yeah. I don't know if I comprehend it, but it made me laugh.

[Fawkesfan1]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

Do you mean Ferrell as Bush? Hammond played Clinton. And fabulously, I might add.

I finally watched the John Hamm episode. Loved it. Hayder stole the show with his Alan Alda impression. That was so spot on! I always love him as Vincent Price, too.

Yea he was ok. I forgot about that -- it's been so long since I've seen those clips that I've forgotten who played him on SNL.

[theboywholived8]

What about last night's episode? Scarlett Johansson failed to impress me yet again. I don't know what it is about her...she seems to have good comedic timing, but the material she has to work with is subpar. The best parts of the episode were the moments during which she was absent. The opening sketch was quite humorous, I think they've done that Chinese-English translation bit before. I think I chuckled more during the Digital Short than during the rest of the show. And honestly, that's all I remember of the episode. Pretty lame.

[freelantzer]

I adored the Wikileaks/TMZ opener last night. Lost complete interest when What Up With That came on. Have yet to go back and finish watching the episode on my DVR.

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

I adored the Wikileaks/TMZ opener last night. Lost complete interest when What Up With That came on. Have yet to go back and finish watching the episode on my DVR.

"What Up with That?!" is the low point, most definitely, so I'd say you can continue on. And even "What Up with That?!" (which I don't watch in its entirety anymore) was a little different than usual, from the moments I saw, with De Niro calling Kenan's character on his rudeness. It still really depresses me how people on the caliber of Morgan Freeman and Robin Williams (Robin Williams!) are brought on to do literally nothing. I know that's the joke, but still...Robin Williams! The man hasn't hosted SNL in 22 years, but every time he did, he was great!

De Niro, on the other hand, is a decent host, but considering he's one of the greatest actors of all time (despite his best efforts over the last decade to change that), I still expect better. This was better than his last two shows, though; I especially liked the Weekend at Bernie's-esque Digital Short, the sketch with Bobby Moynihan as the little kid visiting the set of Little Fockers and being awed by everything and everyone except De Niro, and the last sketch, with De Niro as the Gandalf-ish prostitue (I think) at the bar. Yeah, that was an odd one.

[featherfish81]

Another sketch about the Fogelcheck's (sp?), full of inappropriate kissing. It was funny the first time, but not so much anymore. It's the same sketch every time, just with more tongue. Just once I'd like to see the girl say "I don't care if you love each other, that's weird and I'm leaving." But then we'd have to see the sketch again, so maybe no.

"What's my name" was really funny, though I think depressingly true.