SNL Review

[bob_barron 0]

SNL Review- Steve Carell/Kanye West

 

Hi everybody and welcome back for another season of rants, raves and my unhealthy obsession with Spy Glass.

 

I hope you all had a good summer. If you were a Nationals fan, your good summer probably ended around July 26th.

 

I hope you all enjoyed the 124 page review, or at least found some part of it you liked. I know it was long, but I think everything that was there deserved to be there, and I tried to put together a good look back over SNL’s past 5 years. There were too many grammatical errors and the like, but that’s because I was too exhausted to edit it. This review is quite long so as usual, use the scroll down button if you just want to know what I really thought of that Girls Gone Wild skit.

 

Tribute-

 

Don Adams- I used to love watching Get Smart back in the day, and I was also a pretty big Tennessee Tuxedo fan. I mean, “Would you believe?”

 

Sports Report-

 

Braves- Can you believe we’re back in the postseason again? I sure can’t. Andruw Jones has been nothing sort of sensational this year, and how about Jeff Francoeur. I don’t think we’re going to beat Houston, but this team has shocked me all year, and I’d love to see them do it again.

 

Saints- Remember when the Saints were going to inspire a city and rally a nation and all that good crap? Well that lasted all of one game. They should be able to beat Buffalo and if they don’t, this is going to be a looong season. That whole Monday night game was bull too.

 

I checked, and according to Canadian law, I am not a stalker-

 

Marques Houston- Yea that’s right. I met Roger from Sister Sister. I went to Planet Hollywood to meet the Sisterhood cast but went a day early and well he was doing an album signing. I told him I liked Sister Sister and he asked me if I was going to buy his album. I lied and said yes.

 

Amber Tamblyn- I discovered Joan of Arcadia when Hilary guest starred in January and the premise and Amber’s performance had me intrigued and I became hooked on the show. Barbara Hall took a complex plot and turned into 45 minutes of great TV each week. But the show wouldn’t have worked if not for Amber being the best actress on TV with her role as Joan. You all should get the Season 1 DVD of Joan of Arcadia because if you’re not hooked by Disc 3, well then you have problems. Anywho, Amber and the rest of the Sisterhood cast was at Planet Hollywood for some promotion, and of course I had to go.

 

Amber came first and was very nice. She personalised my Joan DVD and when I told her that it was one of my favourite shows she called me baby and said she was very sorry and thanked me for being a big fan. As she left the Planet Hollywood event, I got an autograph for a friend. Another friend of mine was in school when Amber did the Planet Hollywood thing, so went to Conan so he could meet her. There I got a picture. So yay for Amber for giving off good ripples.

 

Blake Lively- Blake was the hot one in Sisterhood. The one whose mother killed herself. Now I’m not giving anything away by saying that, since I didn’t even realise her mom did kill herself during the funeral scene. Sisterhood was Blake’s first movie, so she seemed very excited to be approached for autographs. Nice girl.

 

America Ferrara- America was the fat one in Sisterhood. I still don’t know how the pants fit her. The pants weren’t that magical. She was running really late and contemplated whether she had enough to sign for us, but then decided she was America Ferrera and not that famous and should sign for us anyway.

 

Alexis Bleidel- Alexis Bleidel was the boring one in Sisterhood. She’s also crazily shy. When she went into Planet Hollywood, she just stared at us. On the way out, she again just stared at us and started going but then my friend professed her love for The Gilmore Girls. I guess that was good enough for her since while she still stared, she did sign.

 

Sen. John McCain- I met McCain the same day I met Amber at Conan. He once again was very nice and we talked for a few moments.

 

Bob Dole- I saw Dole at a book signing in May. He was very cool. When he came in, he said hello to me and then said I would have to shake his other hand while laughing. When I went up to get my book signed, I asked Dole for a picture and he kept making fun of my friend and questioning his photography skills. He asked me if he worked for the Times and when I said yes, he said, “ You know, I don’t like that paper.” I agreed and he started laughing and joking around again. Very cool guy, I wish he was president.

 

Colin Powell- Colin Powell wasn’t that nice. He wouldn’t sign for anyone on the way in at the Daily Show, and at the way out, he only signed for a few people. Luckily, I was one of them.

 

Howard Dean- I met Howard Dean at TDS. He came in on his cell phone, but still signed for me and my friend.

 

Ringo Starr- Ringo a.k.a. The Fourth Beatle is a dick. On his way in to the Daily Show, he ran in only signing for one person. He told us he would sign for us on the way out. On his way out, he ran to his car and made sure he had a police escort to take him where he needed to go. That’s not very nice. And why does Ringo Starr need a police escort? He’s not that famous!

 

Hilary Duff- Okay, moving right along…

 

David Aldridge- I was walking by the Hyatt when I saw a bunch of collectors waiting for potential NBA draftees. My theory of “Any tall black guy has got to be an NBA draftee” could never be tested, since we didn’t see any tall black guys. I did see David Aldridge though. I talked about being a sportswriter with him and told him I do freelance work and he was encouraging.

 

Joel Madden- I had the honour of meeting Joel when he showed up at TRL with Hilary. Me and my friend were the only ones there and as we went up to get Hilary, Joel jumped right in front of us and wouldn’t let her sign since he didn’t want to be photographed with her together. Now of course why he had to be there anyway is something I pondered but I’m not the brain surgeon Joel is. So he shoved us away and then was pushing Hilary in, even though she wanted to sign. I like to say I got cockblocked by Joel Madden, even though I did get the last laugh.

 

Dave Grohl- I was at a steakhouse when I realised the Foo Fighters were sitting at the end of the restaurant. I’ve always been a fan of the band, and loved their live performances on SNL. When Grohl left, I followed and said hi. He was really cool and I asked him about Jim Carrey playing leg guitar on SNL. He told me he spotted Jim in the audience and they said hi, not realising he would come on stage and play leg guitar. He then took a picture with me and said it was very cool to meet me and shook my hand.

 

Mick Foley- Mick was at a few ROH shows this summer, and always took time to sign autographs and talk with the fans. I asked him when his book was coming out and he said, “Come on, don’t lie, you’re not going to read it!”

 

Rob Zombie- I met Rob when he did Conan the same day as Jason Ritter. He was really nice and signed and took photos for everyone. I just said hi to him and that I looked forward to seeing the Devils Rejects.

 

Jason Ritter- I of course am a fan of Jason Ritter, since he was Kevin on Joan of Arcadia. He also had an incestuous attraction to Hilary in Raise Your Voice. Also his commentary on the Joan DVD is hilarious. Jason was really cool and talked with me about Joan for a few minutes. He signed the DVD Love, Jason Ritter which kind of creeped me out. I felt bad for him cause everyone kept whispering about how his father was dead. I mean I think Jason’s figured it out.

 

Billy Bob Thorton- I met Billy at Conan, when he was doing promotion for Bad News Bears. I had met Billy Bob four years ago when he hosted SNL and he was amazingly nice and he had Anjelina Jolie’s blood in a vile around his neck. Now he was sans vile but he was still very nice. He had us all get in line and personalised and took pictures with everyone, despite having to rush over to the Daily Show.

 

Patton Oswalt- I think I pissed off Patton Oswalt when I told him that he was the only funny part in Taxi. He stopped, looked at me and said “What?” I repeated myself and he said “Ummm thank you, but I’m going to have to disagree.” I then asked him if people ever come up to him and compliment him for Everybody Loves Raymond instead of King of Queens, since the shows are similar. He said yes. When asked what working with Kevin James was like, he said, “Just like working with Kevin James.”

 

Tim Robbins- Tim Robbins was a huge dick. I asked him to sign my Mystic River DVD and he said “Picture or autograph.” I said picture, but there was confusion over whether me or my friend was getting a picture and Robbins had run outside. As he was about to get in his car I asked him to sign my DVD and he goes: I thought you wanted a picture. I tried to explain to him that that didn’t happen but he just got in his car and left.

 

Johnny Knoxville- I’ve always been a huge fan of Jackass since it began. I mean it’s the ultimate guy fantasy show. I always hated Steve-O but Johnny’s stuff was awesome. The Ultimate Cup Test is the greatest thing in television history. Human bowling is funny too. Well all the stunts are awesome (except for Steve-O’s and the vomit omlette) and I’ve loved Knoxville ever since. When he hosted SNL in May, he went out the wrong side and I missed him.

 

Luckily, I had a second chance to meet him, when he did Conan. I was waiting for the collectors for Knoxville to come in, when we heard some noise and saw people running around. We ran in and saw Knoxville already was signing for people. He was getting mobbed but he stood there and signed for about 10 minutes. I told him I loved Jackass and got my Vol. 2 DVD signed. Vol. 2 is more people getting hurt stunts, while Vol. 3 is just the gross-out stuff which I never found to be that funny. But still, viva Johnny Knoxville for being nice.

 

Michael Madsen- I met Madsen at a book signing in Toronto. He was hilarious during his Q-n-A, speaking on anything and everything and not caring who he insulted. At one point they tried to cut him off so he would start signing and he said, “Honey, I’ll be here all night if they have questions.” He took a few of my questions about QT projects. When I went to get my book signed, he saw my Saints hat and we talked about them, and then we talked about Reservoir Dogs. Michael Madsen, a true American icon.

 

Bono- Bono wins the Kristin Davis Celebrity Stalking Award. My encounter with Bono is pretty anticlimactic and I’m stretching it with the word encounter, so this won’t be 6 pages.

 

As you guys know, I’m a huge U2 fan. I have over 700 songs in my collection, not counting full length concerts and solo work by the band. I love U2 so much that I listen to Pop all the time, and actually love it! Don’t worry, I think Passengers sucks.

 

I’ve never even tried to meet U2 before, and with them coming to Toronto for four shows (at one of them they did In A Little While!) I wondered if I could meet them. I went to a U2 fan gathering before the concerts kicked off and while mingling with my fellow fans and debating the merits of playing Vertigo twice in the same show ( I mean come on) I asked people about meeting the band. I got responses about how they just care about the music and don’t think meeting the band makes them cool blah blah blah, I did talk to people who had met the band and told me how I met do it.

 

Even though U2 was playing all week in Toronto, I didn’t try until their last show. I had school and I really had no specifics, just a street name. But on Saturday with nothing to do, I figured, what the hell.

 

I got to the ACC and had a hard time finding where exactly the entrance was where they go in. I finally found it and spent the next few hours talking and debating with U2 fans. And yea, fuck you, In a Little While does own ATYLCB.

 

By 3ish there was a huge crowd of people there, as apparently U2 is quite the popular band. Then Bono drove by. A group of people swarmed his car and this security guy tried to push them away. Bono didn’t want to stop for crazies so he kept driving. As he drove by me, I yelled, “HEY BONO!” and he looked up at me, gave me a thumbs up, a smile and a wave.

 

I was ecstatic, I mean while I didn’t get an autograph or anything, getting acknowledged by the guy who wrote Please, Mercy and God Part II is pretty cool.

 

Yea, I said this was anti-climactic.

 

Mailbag!!!!!!-

 

Justin Kaplowitz writes-

 

Hiya Bob,

I've been reading your reviews for a few years now; and as I've been reading them, I've noticed that you deliver more than just the SNL review. (In a comprehensive way, nonetheless) You give the sports, reader mail, an occasional newsworthy item or two. I guess what I'm saying is that your "Reviews" are more than just the reviews, it's a full-on report. Which brings me to a suggestion which you can consider throughout the summer. (Or maybe you can try it out in this review) Instead of headlining your reviews "Episode Review: Host/Musical Guest", try calling it The Barron Report.

The people who lurk on the board have looked forward to your reviews each week as much as old people look forward to Sunday Morning Talk shows (I.e. "Meet The Press" and such) Calling your reviews "The Barron Report" will set you apart from all the other guys. It will make people think that this is the only thing worth reading after a new show airs. I know, it's just a fansite posting, but it seems as though you go through the trouble--sometimes too much trouble--to do these reviews, especially this week. Just something to consider.

J.K.---

P.S. What was your #3 SNL moment, you never did a review from 5/7.

 

The Barron Report would be interesting but I’m not that egotistical and self centred. I mean except for the premiere and the finale, and my occasional playoff preview, most of the pre-review stuff is pretty light. But thanks for the kind words.

 

Shawn Clay writes-

 

I’m reading your reviews of SNL and enjoying them. I’ve watched SNL religiously since I was about 10 years old (1983). Still my favorite show of all time, and Phil Hartman was the greatest.

“I’m just a caveman – your world frightens and confuses me”!

Shawn

 

Yea, Phil Hartman did rule. Buy the NewsRadio DVD.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

I thought Monday's Raw was a pretty good program In which The Talking/Promos out shined The actual wresting. I know this probably upset a lot of viewers, but I for one was pleased with what was offered. For the most part, said promos were largely entertaining and managed to forward ongoing story lines. Also, In The Case of The Edge/Lita/Kane Promos, as well as Chris Masters vs Steven Richards Match, The Writers actually remembered past story lines to play Into current/future matches/stories. Continuity In The WWE: Who would've guessed? Speaking of The Past, The Highlight of The Show for me had to have been The Vince McMahon/Eric Bischoff/ Paul Heyman Segment. Seeing those 3 In The same ring together brought out The Mark Fan boy Inside of me. Unreal. I could've definitely done without The Ric Flair Turn (No. 678 In The last 2 years) on Batista, as apparently Dave was the only one who didn't see It coming. And I for sure could've lived without HHH's all to soon return to Raw and subsequent announcement That he'll be facing Batista In a Hell In The Cell Match. No.1, From a Storyline Standpoint, how many times does Batista have to beat HHH to move on, and 2.) Once Again, who runs Raw, Eric Bishoff or HHH? Oh well. I was pretty happy with this week's show, so I'll actually cut Creative some slack this week and see what they have planned next week. What Did You Think? Chad

 

This was the show where everyone went OMG HEYMAN MCMAHON AND BISCHOFF IN THE RING!!!!!~~!! I really liked the main event, but I didn’t like seeing Edge get buried. Ric Flair’s turn was lame and you could see it coming a mile away, just like Triple H’s on Monday.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Raw this past Monday was about what I expected from a Memorial Day Edition of The Show: Nothing too good and nothing too great. Considering The Draft starts next Monday, not to mention that The Memorial Day Raw has never been a huge ratings draw even during The Boom Era, It was probably a smart strategy. That being said, Internal Logic once again reared It's ugly head. Re: The Draft, The WWE has made It a priority to sell The fact that "Nobody Is safe". If that Is The Case, why The Hell Is Batista and HHH signing a Contract to face each other In a Hell In a Cell Match for The World Hvt. Title at Raw's PPV next Month on next Monday's Show? Storyline wise, what happens If one of them Is drafted to Smackdown? I think even the most casual fans would see right through this flaw. Oh well, maybe I'm just thinking too hard about this. I know The Creative Team obviously didn't. Again. What Did You Think? Chad

 

They ended up explaining the HHH v. Big Dave thing was nice. I liked seeing Big Dave kill Hassan and Edge v. Benoit as good stuff.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Other than The Opening Segment which was both Surprising and Newsworthy, (Assuming that Cena doesn't get traded back to Smackdown! at The end of The Month), I just wasn't feeling Raw this week. It was as If The Show went on Cruise Control from that point on with nothing but blah filler garbage the rest of the way. Even The Final Segment with Bischoff's Raw Superstars vs Heyman's ECW Crew did nothing for me. Maybe because It was so similar In nature to The Failed ECW/WCW Invasion nearly 4 Years ago. I don't know. Speaking of Creative, It was nice that they actually bothered to acknowledge what would happen to The World Hvt. Title Hell In A Cell Match should HHH or Batista get drafted. I'd like to think that my E-Mail last week to [email protected] had something to do with It, but probably not. Whatever.

 

I don’t really remember much of this show, but the opening segment with Cena showing up on RAW was awesome, and I loved his interaction with Christian. It was also cool seeing the Dudleyz back,

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

I thought Monday's Raw was a Solid, Entertaining Program that effectively hyped "Vengeance". I especially enjoyed The Final Segment, particularly The Interaction between HHH/Flair/Angle. Was HHH trying not to crack up when trading barbs with Angle? Really Funny Shit. My only complaint about Monday's Show was The lack of follow up to The ECW "One Night Stand" PPV.(Which I stupidly made The mistake of not ordering. I will own The DVD when It comes out, though.) Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to Batista vs Angle and The Edge& Lita Wedding for next Monday Night. Thumbs Up this week. What Did You Think? Chad

 

The Edge and Lita wedding segment was hilarious, especially with Snitsky’s poem and the Hardy music. I also liked the HHH/Flair/Angle stuff, especially the woooo off. Good stuff.

 

Chad Ruffner (I’m shocked too) writes-

 

The HBK Heel Turn on Hogan was a genuine surprise, especially considering that Michael's was said to be so against doing It. Unfortunately, that was about The only highlight on what was otherwise a dreadful,dreadful show. I don't know If The Co. knew The rating would be pretty bad due to The Holiday (And It was), and basically conceded trying to put on at least a half decent program or what, but It was pretty damn bad. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

I don’t really remember the rest of this show, but yea, HBK turning on Hogan was awesome.

 

Ken Hayashi writes-

 

Hey Bob- It's Ken Hayashi from Voy. Sorry I haven't been on AIM for a while. I've been really busy this summer. I know SNL (and therefore your mailbag) is in the off-season, but I just needed to get your take on the results of WWE's Draft Lottery 2005 from last month. As we both know, Cena, Angle, Carlito, Big Show and RVD have all gone to RAW. Likewise, Benoit, Orton, Hussan, Christian and Batista have all gone to SD! What do you really think of all these transfers? How will this year's shake-ups affect both shows in the long run? Plus, what are your predictions for SummerSlam next month? In addition, how do you feel about Brock re-signing with WWE and returning to Smackdown? Hope you're having a fun summer, Bob. Thanks for your time and insight. Later, Ken

 

Looking back now, I think both shows are about even. Cena and Angle have done well on RAW, while Show is just lumbering around chokeslamming people. Carlito has made an impact but is terrible. Benoit has done nothing on SD! but fight Orlando Jordan, although I enjoy Orton’s feud with Taker. Christian could be a player if he ever won a match. I like Big Dave a lot but he hasn’t done much either. And Brock went to Japan and has an ugly tattoo, who knows if he’ll be back.

 

[email protected] writes-

 

Hello I'm David From North Carolina

I was wondering if you have any contacts with Nick and Jessica as in emails or anything.My Girlfriend is obsessed with Nick and Jessica and we have been talking about getting ingaged soon and I was wanting it to be very special for her. But if you do have contact with them and not allowed to give the information out I will totally understand. I been at my comp for hours trying to find anything to get a hold of Nick or Jessica's email or something. Please email me back asap

Thanks David

 

No.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Raw this past Monday Night was an "Eh" program to me. It was a better effort than last week (which I know Isn't saying much at all.), but nothing that I would call real good, either. Michael's promo was 10x better than what he gave last week, as this Is the type of Interview he should have given 2 weeks ago. Better late than never, I suppose. I also actually enjoyed The Kane vs Edge Stretcher Contest, as It was pretty good for what it was. I do hope that was the blow-off match between those 2, however, but somehow I doubt It given The Angle Involving Kane and Lita In The Ambulance afterward. The rest of The Program was mostly just there. Thumbs In The Middle. What Did You Think? Chad

 

I agree that this was an eh show. Kane v. Edge Part 38 was fun, I seem to be the only one who likes their matches.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Just when I thought Raw couldn't possibly get any worse than The logistical mess that was last Monday, It was nice to see that I was proven wrong once again. And In my Hometown of Pittsburgh,PA no less! Needless to say I'm really glad I didn't waste my time or money to see that garbage. Unfortunately, I have some friends who weren't so lucky. I would call this hands down The worst Raw of The Year, but I fear The worst Is yet to come. What will It take for Vince to realize that his Daughter and her band of ass-kissing failed Hollywood Sitcom Writers are not getting The job done and probably never will? I did like The Edge promo and The HBK/Hogan Face off, even If both were "Too Inside" for some. 2 small highlights on an otherwise horrid show. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

Yea, this RAW was really bad except for Edge.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Remember when I said that I fear The worst Is yet to come Re: Raw? Well, Even I couldn't have predicted It would come a week later! I know a lot of people liked this show because of The Bret Hart tease and The Hot Montreal crowd, but I really didn't see anything different than The Shit they have been churning out for The Majority of The Summer. Whether It was Big Show squashing The apparent No.1 Contenders to The Tag Team Titles,(Even though The Tag Titles on both Brands are a complete joke), Bishoff,Jericho, and Carlito discussing their plan on how to get The Canadian fans to cheer them and Boo Cena RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA,(I swore I've mentioned this before), or meaningless matches that served no purpose other than killing time, The negative vastly outweighed any positive this Show may have had for my taste. This Program did end up doing one thing for me, though. It made me glad I won't be wasting $50 bucks this Sunday. Thankfully Monday Night Football starts In less than a month. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

HBK’s promo was amazing, especially the Bret Hart promo. Seriously, one of the best heel promos I’ve seen in my life, and the Montreal crowd made it that much better. So of course he turned face again. Good work, Shawn.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Monday's Show was The first Raw I watched from start to finish In about 3 weeks. All I can say Is I sure am glad Monday Night Football starts next week. With MNF starting next week until The End of December, then with "24" returning on Monday Nights starting at The Beginning of January until The End of May, this was probably the last Raw I will watch start to finish for a good while. The WWE made my decision all The more easier for me considering The type of "effort" they have put forth for The past couple of months. Monday's Show was no different. Raw did have more matches than usual Monday, but Unfortunately none of them were even remotely any good. If I had to pick one positive coming out of Monday's Show, I'd have to say It was The NWA:TNA Impact Commercials that aired. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

HBK kicking Masters in the balls was the greatest thing ever.

 

And, yes, Chad Ruffner writes-

 

I caught parts of Raw this past Monday Night between commercials and slow spots of The MNF Game between Philadelphia and Atlanta, but didn't catch The last 45 minutes or so. From various reports that I read on The Internet after Raw was over, I'm glad I didn't waste any more of my time. However, I will expand on what 2 of my bigger complaints were of what I saw and later read about. 1.) I've actually been saying this for quite sometime, but It hit a fever pitch tonight: The WWE has got to stop and/or limit The No. of Commercial Breaks It takes during The Matches. It simply kills The Momentum of a good contest and prolongs The agony of a bad one. How about breaking when a Wrestler makes his/her entrance? It's not like we've never seen those before. Unless we are watching an Iron Man Match or a 2/3 Falls Match, this needs to severely decrease or stop all together. 2.) Trish Stratus comes back to Raw after a 4 Month Hiatus still The WWE Women's Champion. So much for that 30 day Title Defense Rule, huh? I guess that clause Is only exercised whenever The Writers feel like It and/or remember that It exists. No surprise there. Overall, Raw was yet another Terrible Show In a seemingly never ending string of them attempting to sell a PPV that very little are probably going to buy. On The Bright Side, It's nice to have an alternative In The Form of Monday Night Football. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

The reason everyone forgot about the 30-Day rule for Trish is because well, it’s the women’s title…who cares. I like commercial breaks, because it gives a chance for wrestlers to rest and catch their breath. Other then that, I can’t say I remember much.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

With The Monday Night Football Game featuring 2 Teams that I don't particularly care for, (Not to mention that It soon became a 1 sided contest), I decided to tune In for The Final Raw on Spike T.V. thinking that The WWE might have something big planned. Stupid me! You would think I would've learned after 5 years that expectations and this Company don't mix. That being said, I won't be too hard on them this week as The 3 Hour "Homecoming" looks to be stacked from top to bottom. I guess we can thank The UFC for that, as I don't think "Homecoming" would be half as loaded as It otherwise would've been If UFC weren't providing direct competition that night. However, what will The WWE do for an encore once "Homecoming" Is over? Something tells me Vince and Co. haven't planned that far ahead yet. Best part of Raw this week was Spike T.V. attempting to edit any mentions of The Move to USA Network. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

Well of course they weren’t going to do anything big since they want to build to next week. I was sad to see Shelton job again though.

 

Wanna be in the mailbag???? Email me at [email protected]

 

And now the review….

 

Cold Opening

Cast- Darrell Hammond, Will Forte, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, Jason Sudeikis

Thoughts- So I went to NBC.com to check on how to spell Sudeikis’ name and found out that Rob Riggle’s bio is still up. That’s just cold. And funny. For the record, Sudeikis’ name is not up yet. Neither are the new guys.

 

Anywho, Forte has really come into his own as President Bush and is much better then Parnell and Hammond ever were. The writing was really funny, and Forte’s impression was strong. I loved the part where Forte didn’t want to take questions and him getting into it with Poehler was good stuff. I hope Forte can continue to establish a consistent pattern with W. skits, since what made the 2001-2002 season so strong, was Ferrell’s W.’s leading off the show and always got the show off to a strong start. So consistent cold openings is the key to success. ****

 

Monologue

Cast- Steve Carell

Thoughts- Now I love Steve Carell and all, but I don’t like singing in the monologue so I’m torn. I mean, I don’t even like it when Walken sings. I did like Carell mentioning the Office. Seriously folks, watch it, it’s good stuff. I thought the song was pretty dull. I mean oooo taking shots at the Frat Pack, DANGEROUS! I really wanted to like this, but the laughs weren’t coming. Not a good way to start off the monologues. *1/2

 

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter

Cast- Forte, Poehler, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader

Thoughts- These ads creep the heck out of me. Forte was hilarious here and I loved him just going off on Amy. I also laughed when Bill Hader called him a dick. Welcome to the show Bill. Word of advice: If you want to make me laugh really hard, say cock. It’s funnier. Anyway, thought the ending was a bit flat, but Forte was awesome. ***1/2

 

Jet Blue

Cast- Carell, Poehler, Parnell, Hammond, Seth Meyers, Andy Samburg?

Thoughts- Did you know Taryn Manning from Hustle and Flow was on that plane? Yes, I read that in the news. I was happy to see Darrell’s Aaron Brown back, since I loved that skit from the Ray Romano show. Oh, the question mark next is next to Samburg’s name because I still haven’t officially noticed the difference between Samburg and Hader. This is like what happened with Seth and Jeff, but luckily, Seth broke out from the pack and Jeff Richards was fired. Still funny.

 

Anyway, Amy and Carell were really good here, and Carell was in an element here, playing a dumbass. I loved hearing the Charles the Charge theme song. Seth and his graphics were funny too. It started out a bit slow, but this really grew on me at the end. ***3/4

 

Anderson Cooper 360

Cast- Carell, Meyers, Finesse Mitchell, Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson, Poehler, Hammond, Horatio Sanz, Hader

Thoughts- This was very funny but was tried to cram too much stuff into it. I mean you could cut this half of it out, tweak it a bit and turn it into a separate skit.

 

So, let me get this straight. Maya Rudolph is 8 months pregnant…and is still on the show. Chris Parnell is on a sitcom that is based in LA….and is still on the show. Tina Fey had a baby…and is still on the show. Horatio Sanz was in Rebound….and is still on the show. Christ, does anybody leave this show anymore?

 

Fred’s Tony Danza is tremendous and it was great to see it brought back. Seriously, best impression on SNL right now. Hader’s Pacino impression was also good. I loved Carell’s Romano impression and the jabs at Sean Penn were funny. The bits with the black family were okay, although I liked Kenan asking why he had to be Spongebob. Darrell’s Geraldo was alright, but it’s starting to get tired, just like almost everything Darrell does. Seth’s Anderson Cooper was fine. And you know I probably hated Horatio.

 

This had a lot of good moments, but suffered a bit at the end. ***1/2

 

The Needles

Cast- Carell, Meyers, Rachel Dratch, Poehler, Sudeikis

Thoughts- You know I love me some Seth and Amy interplay. I enjoyed the Needles in the Johnny Knoxville episode, and this was once again very funny. Seth brought the zings and Amy brought the burns. I wish Carell had more to do rather then play straight to Seth and Amy. I especially liked the parts where they talked about getting engaged and marriage counselling. I thought the ending with them having sex was a bit lame and didn’t work for me, but the rest of this was very good. ***1/2

 

Girls Gone Wild

Cast- Sudeikis

Thoughts- Now I know some people will be in a tizzy about how offensive this was, and you know what, I’m offended too. I’m offended that it wasn’t funny and rather lame. I mean SNL should be offensive and pushing the envelope and all that. If this was during the hurricane or something, yea, that probably wouldn’t have been cool, but I think now that it’s October, go nuts. But yea, this was quite lame and just not very funny. Good try though. *

 

Kanye West reunites with Mike Myers

Cast- Mike Myers, Lorne Michaels, Kanye West, Rudolph, Mitchell

Thoughts- First of all Maya did not get the pregnancy boobs that Courtney Cox got. And seriously, leave SNL if you that preggers. I mean, damn. This was very funny though. Kenan-Finesse mix-ups will always make me laugh. I thought the interaction between Myers and Kanye was hilarious. It’s always cool seeing Myers back, and I’m glad Kanye can actually laugh at himself and Myers was awesome as always. ****

 

Kanye West ‘Gold Digger and Touch the Sky’

Thoughts- First of all, thank God Jamie Foxx didn’t show up and try to act like Ray Charles. Someone should tell him that even though he was very good at playing Ray Charles in a movie, he is not Ray Charles. Kanye did a good job with Gold Digger even though I like how they use the I’ve Got a Woman sample more in the song then they do live. Other then that, the use of orchestra is always cool. I don’t know why Kanye switched into Touch the Sky because it kind of killed his performance a bit. Other then that, this was pretty good but would’ve been much better had he stopped at Gold Digger. ***1/4

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Poehler, Sanz. Mitchell, Hader, Samburg

Thoughts- I broke a pen during Update.

 

Hey, you know that show Family Guy with the dog who talks and all that? Well I watch Family Guy everyday with my roommate and while I think it’s funny, there are about a billion jokes and a lot of them miss. So one time, we started counting the jokes the hit and the ones that missed.

 

I did that with Update. I think the score was 2-943.

 

I could rant and rave about Horatio being on Update and Seth not getting a shot, but I said the same stuff last year and I’d just be repeating myself. Update died when Jimmy quit, and there’s no saving it.

 

I await the USA Today profile that says fans are warming up to Sanz. Like I said, I could rant about how horrible Update was, but what’s the point. If Lorne is dumb enough to let someone in Boat Trip at the desk, then go him

 

The bit with Hader and Samburg was funny, and I actually laughed at Amy’s over-exaggerated laughing. Other then that, this was like the worst Update ever. *

 

Variety Vault

Cast- Carell, Armisen, Poehler, Rudolph, Dratch, Parnell, Forte, Thompson

Thoughts- I still don’t get how Parnell is taping a sitcom and doing live sketch comedy. I guess he knows that Thick and Thin is the next Committed or something. This was pretty hit or miss. Amy wasn’t funny and I didn’t like the dancers, but Kenan was hilarious and totally made this skit. The rest was okay, but I don’t think this has to be a recurring character or anything. **1/4

 

TV Funhouse

Thoughts- Fun with Real Audio? Boo! I mean with Carell is hosting, do Ambiguously Gay Duo or something. This was the usual lame Fun With Real Audio that wasn’t funny in 1996 and isn’t funny now. Let’s hope next week, Smigel will offend. *1/2

 

Kanye West w/Adam Levine “Heard ‘Em Say”

Thoughts- Did Kanye really say something about the government causing AIDS? Well that was an interesting lyric to say the least. This was okay, but there are other Kanye songs I would’ve rather heard and in the end this was a bit dull for 12:50 am. **3/4

 

Debbie Downer

Cast- Carell, Armisen, Poehler, Sanz, Dratch

Thoughts- I laughed at one of Carell’s lines. But Debbie Downer is so old and stale, and it’s sad that no one at 8H realises that. ¼*

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was **.54 making this a thumbs up show. The first half was really good, but once Horatio Sanz’s fatass was at the desk, this show sunk pretty fast. I wish they had given Carell a bit more to do, as he seemed very much in the background throughout. After the clunkers we got least season, it was imperative that SNL got off to a good start, and I’m very glad they did. Now let’s see what wacky skits they can come up with involving Ashlee next week!

 

Thumbs Up

[BUTT 0]

Darrell Hammond is STILL on SNL? What is this, his 11th season?

[bob_barron 0]

Yes. He began in 1995.

 

His first episode was on the Classic SNL tonight.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

In three segments, Debbie Downer has gone from First Hour Gold to End Of The Night. Axe it, arleady! The only reason people enjoyed it was because the crew was falling apart.

 

 

This show has an interesting trend of completely being utter suckitude, then slowly building itself up over the season. It built itself up earlier, so of course it was time to go back to utter suck again. And this episode was so bad that I did something unprecedented.

 

I switched to MadTV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For five minutes, then went to something on DVR when I saw that it was even worse. And 3.5 minutes were commercials.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Yes. He began in 1995.

 

His first episode was on the Classic SNL tonight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does that mean he beats Kevin Nealon for longest tenure?

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I missed a lot of the episode watching Impact! and then taking my time switching over. The first thing I saw was Weekend Update and as soon as I saw Sanz I told myself that I can't wait for the BBSNLR.

[Mik 0]

FUCK! I totally missed this. Barron, I'm counting on you to tell me when and where it will be replayed this week, if ever.

 

Damnit - I'm so pissed right now.

[snuffbox 0]

Yes. He began in 1995.

 

His first episode was on the Classic SNL tonight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does that mean he beats Kevin Nealon for longest tenure?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I woulda geussed Tim Meadows had that distinction...

[SuperJerk 0]

Yes. He began in 1995.

 

His first episode was on the Classic SNL tonight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does that mean he beats Kevin Nealon for longest tenure?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I woulda geussed Tim Meadows had that distinction...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think Nealon only came in halfway through the 1986-87 season, whereas Meadows started the 1991 season at the beginning of the year.

[bob_barron 0]

This show has an interesting trend of completely being utter suckitude, then slowly building itself up over the season. It built itself up earlier, so of course it was time to go back to utter suck again. And this episode was so bad that I did something unprecedented.

 

I liked the show, but I think they figured they gave us one great moment in Myers/Kanye and decided to dog it the rest of the show.

 

Does that mean he beats Kevin Nealon for longest tenure?

 

Kevin Nealon was a featured player in 86-87. So overall he lasted 9 seasons, 8 as a cast member.

 

Tim Meadows was a featured player from 91-93. So he lasted 9 seasons, 7 as a castmember.

 

Darrell's been a castmember all 11 years.

 

Al Franken has also been a featured player on and off for a while.

[MDH257 0]

I thought the Seth & Amy couple were called the Harrisons in the Johnny Knoxville episode. Why'd they change it?

 

I'm betting (hoping) that Horatio on update was just a one week deal and they'll rotate a different person in the chair until Tina comes back.

[bob_barron 0]

I was thinking that Horatio was a one week deal too, but then again I also hoped Amy would be gone by midseason.

[razazteca 0]

I was thinking that the new guys on WU were given the scripts that Myers and Forte rejected.....I'm surprised that Haden and Samburg did not bust out in a song.

[SuperJerk 0]

This show has an interesting trend of completely being utter suckitude, then slowly building itself up over the season. It built itself up earlier, so of course it was time to go back to utter suck again. And this episode was so bad that I did something unprecedented.

 

I liked the show, but I think they figured they gave us one great moment in Myers/Kanye and decided to dog it the rest of the show.

 

Does that mean he beats Kevin Nealon for longest tenure?

 

Kevin Nealon was a featured player in 86-87. So overall he lasted 9 seasons, 8 as a cast member.

 

Tim Meadows was a featured player from 91-93. So he lasted 9 seasons, 7 as a castmember.

 

Darrell's been a castmember all 11 years.

 

Al Franken has also been a featured player on and off for a while.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I don't really think being billed as a "featured player" means you don't get to count that as a year you were in the cast, provided you appeared in every show.

[Guest Shylock]

Horatio & Amy > Tina & Amy.

 

I really, really despise Tina and Amy's gigglefest that usually comes after one of them makes a joke. And it goes on for the whole Update segment. It's sickening. This Weekend Update didn't have that and that's an improvement.

 

Update died when Jimmy quit, and there’s no saving it.

No. Update died when Colin took over the desk.

[bob_barron 0]

He may have gotten off to a horrible start, but Colin Quinn ended up pretty funny. He was pretty much set up to fail from the getgo, and I think it overshadows some of the good work he did at the end.

 

While Tina and Amy are annoying, at least Tina still always had some funny jokes to make it somewhat enjoyable and had good time. Horatio was just awful, and his timing was worse then Amy's.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

I'm not sure if anybody knows or cares, but Andy Samberg is/was a member of The Dudes, found at The Lonely Island and, if I'm not mistaken from that site, the other Dudes, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are writers. They're damn funny, especially The 'Bu, which was made for Channel 101.

 

I like Andy, so I'll have to remember to watch SNL.

[Krankor 0]

Horatio & Amy > Tina & Amy.

 

Horatio wasn't the best but anything is better than Tina & Amy. I can't stand them together. If they actually keep Horatio on it for a while, he could turn out to be decent at it. I enjoyed the segment much more than I expected to.

[bob_barron 0]

I don't know if it was Samberg, but I watched Kicked in the Nuts on Channel 101, and it was hilarious.

 

Tina and Amy are horrible together, but Horatio is a black hole of suck onto himself. Tina, as bad as she got last year, still had some really funny jokes. Horatio had one joke I remotely liked (I don't remember it) but the rest were just cringe worthy.

[SuperJerk 0]

During the 1984-85 season, didn't they just have whoever the host was that week do Update? I seem to remember Jesse Jackson and Ed Asner doing the news that year.

[bob_barron 0]

The host did WU until December, when Christopher Guest took over.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Is Kenan billed as a regular cast memeber yet?

[bob_barron 0]

Yes.

 

As is Finnese.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Finnese SUCKS!

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I was pretty sure Horatio was put out there in an attempt to make people forget they hated Amy at the desk. I couldn't wait for it to be her turn to do a joke.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Oh, the question mark next is next to Samburg’s name because I still haven’t officially noticed the difference between Samburg and Hader.

I think Samburg has the longer hair. Those 2 do look a lot alike, though.

 

And I think you need to take out a restraining order against this Chad Ruffner fellow. That dude dominated your email section. I think you may have a stalker.

[bob_barron 0]

Samberg has a big Jewish nose and looks really young.

 

Hader doesn't have a big Jewish nose

[Frankie Williams 0]

God I miss Norm MacDonald on WU.

[Aero 0]

The first half was good, and the second half sucked. As soon as I saw Horatio at the WU desk, I immediately thought about Bob's review.

 

There's obviously a reason why, but I'm not aware of it, so.. why did Kanye West talk with Mike Meyers on the way to the stage?

[King Kamala 0]

During a telethon for Hurricane Katrina, Mike Myers and Kanye West did a plee for money and Kanye West ended up saying "George Bush hates black people" and they did a quick cutaway and Mike Myers looked horrified after Kanye's remark.