SNL review

[Guest bob_barron]

SNL Review- Bernie Mac/Good Charlotte

 

Sports Report-

(I’m only doing the Canucks this week since my playoff preview covers my other teams)

 

Canucks- Man- stupid Milan Hedjuk. We were ten seconds away from a division title and he had to ruin it. I have faith that they can earn a point against the Kings tomorrow but hopefully the Blues can help us out. I have a feeling they can take Anaheim in round 1 but St. Louis will be tough.

 

Nets- K-Mart maybe hurt but they just keep rolling. I was against them sitting out K-Mart on Friday but luckily they won and Philly lost. He’s questionable for tomorrow but I wouldn’t play him since a loss doesn’t put them out of first. Hopefully they can keep him on the benched until he’s 100%. This way they won’t have to rush him back. I also read in the New York Post that Jason Kidd seems to be leaning in favour of staying in Jersey. Good for you Jason.

 

Braves- Well there’s 157 games left. I’m trying to be optimistic here.

 

Bob Barron Eastern Conference Hockey Playoff Preview 2003

 

I was going to do a Western Conference one but nothing is set in stone here and I don’t want to waste my time predicting matchups that won’t happen-

 

Team Bankruptcy (52-21-8-1, 113 pts) v. New York Islanders (34-34-11-2, 81 pts)

 

Team Bankruptcy gets a cakewalk in their quest to not get their ass kicked by Toronto this year. The big intrigue in this series is the whole ‘Yashin v. former teammates’ thing. Yashin seems to choke in the playoffs year after year and the Islanders haven’t made it past the first round since 1993. Ottawa is just too good a team right now and the addition of Rob Ray can’t hurt. Bankruptcy in 5

 

Philadelphia Flyers (44-20-13-4, 105 pts) v. Toronto Maple Leafs (44-28-7-3, 98 pts)

 

This should be a great set of hockey. Both teams are terrific and in a perfect world- neither would lose in the first round. Doug Gilmour and the rest of the injured Leafs squad should be back by Wednesday and that cannot be discounted. Gilmour is fantastic in the clutch and if any games go into overtime- he could be dangerous. Toronto will also have Eddie Belfour backing up in the net and he could be the difference in some of those games. Eddie needs to be at the top of his game here and I think Toronto can get it done. Toronto in 6.

 

Tampa Bay Lightning (36-24-16-5, 93 pts) v. Washington Capitals (39-29-8-6, 92 pts)

 

Giving the division winner’s the top three seeds in the playoffs is a flawed system in the NHL that must be changed. The fact that either Tampa or Washington will make it to the conference semi-finals while Toronto or Philly will have a long summer of golf is ludicrous. Nicholas Khabibulin is going to be the difference in this series and I think he’s gonna be the one that gets Tampa into the second round for the first time in franchise history. This could be a real entertaining series and could be a lot of fun. Khabs will be the difference though. Tampa Bay in 7.

 

New Jersey Devils (46-20-9-6, 107 pts) v. Boston Bruins (36-31-11-4, 87 pts)

 

Boston is a very dangerous team but since January has just been a major league slump. Their goaltending is way to suspect for me to take them seriously into the playoffs. Offence will only get you so far. The Devils have Martin Brodeur in net and he will be unbeatable. This should be a very quick and easy squash for Devils Nation as they move on to bigger and better things. New Jersey in 5.

 

And that’s my hockey playoff preview. Next week if the standings are settled by then I may do an NBA basketball playoff preview.

 

Mailbag!!!!!!-

 

Larry Zeidman writes-

 

your reviews are good to read. but FYI, the way the tilda-exclamation

point

thing goes is:

 

TAKA~!

 

not TAKA!~

 

Just lookin' out for you bro.

 

Larry

 

I know but to me the exclamation point should go first. Its like: Dean Edwards is in a skit! OH. MY. GOD! I am so excited that I’m going to add a tilde to prove my point. It sounds better then I’m so excited for that no reason I’m going to add a tilde and then post an exclamation point. To me the tilde at the end just adds extra emphasis.

 

Seth (hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm) writes-

 

I love reading your reviews and thoroughly enjoy reading them,but the Avril thing that Amy did was supposed to be making fun of her in a mean spirited way,at least that's what I got out of it. That is why I loved it,because it was making fun of what a ridiculous personality she is and what an awful singer she is.(With the "Im with youuuuuuuuuuuu" thing at the end).The impression certainly was dead-on.

 

To me it’s always a joy when I see someone I love getting impersonated on SNL. It’s like their connected somehow- and the impression was mean-spirited, hilarious and absolutely right. I love Avril’s music but come on- she’s dumber then ten day old dog shit. And her music is about as punk as the Chicago soundtrack. I don’t think she’s a bad singer though- but that impression was awesome. Having someone I love like Amy Poehler do it made it all the more great.

 

[email protected] writes-

 

Hi, this is jojo from the message board. I have a question for you pertaining the WWE

 

Which wrestler do you think is wasted the most? I think it is Rico. He is a legitimate tough guy, and despite being 40, still very good in the ring. The stylist gimmick sucks, and he cant even buy a win.

 

I’m gonna have to go with Tajiri. The guy is awesome in the ring, has moves that pop the hell out of the crowd and can get over without cutting one promo yet is always jobbed out. I know he’s small and that scares Vince off but if they gave the guy a decent push he would get way over like he did during the invasion. I do agree with you on Rico- why are two angry Samoans hanging out with a stylist anyway? Sadly Three Minute Warning is being punished for some run-ins with the law and injuring Pat Patterson and Rico has to go down with them. It just isn’t fair.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Hi Bob,

 

 

I was wondering who your least

favorite SNL Cast Member Is, past or present, and why?

Just curious.

 

 

 

Chad

 

Janeane Garafalo. She only was on the show for half a season and spent that half bitching and complaining and refusing to do skits. She kept running to the media about how SNL was a boys club and all that. Thank God she only lasted half a season- I couldn’t take anymore of her.

 

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

 

W. on Iraq

Cast- Chris Parnell

Thoughts- Remember that episode of the Simpsons where Lisa does an experiment on whether her brother is dumber then a hamster? Well one of the experiments has her putting out a cupcake and everytime you touch the cupcake you get shocked. Bart keeps touching the cupcake each time knowing a bad result will occur. That’s how I feel about SNL continuing to parade Parnell out there. It sucks, he sucks at it, get over it and move on. That bursting of negativity said- I thought this skit wasn’t bad except for the ultra lame sentimental ending. If you’re gonna be crass and make fun of the war- go all the way and don’t be all politically correct in the end. Parnell’s impression still sucks but he was given some great lines here and the skit was pretty good. ***1/4

 

Monologue

Cast- Bernie Mac

Thoughts- I saw The Original Kings of Comedy so I’m a bit familiar with Bernie’s work and it was great seeing a nice old school monologue like in the Jon Stewart/India.Arie episode. Even though I had trouble understanding some of what Mac was saying he was very funny here and I enjoyed his work. Hopefully next week they let Ray Romano do the same thing. ***3/4

 

Bahston Teens

Cast- Mac, Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz

Thoughts- I think it’s time to finally retire the Bahston Teens as they’re just not as funny as they used to be and this was the worst one yet- yes- even worse then the Mosely episode. Bernie Mac wasn’t funny at all except for one or two lines and the Nomah references just there to mention Nomah now. Everyone knows Edgar Renteria is the shortstop of the future. The ending was pretty lame and illogical and I must knock off points for Rachel’s incorrect geography. You can pronounce Qatar as Kutter or Ka-tar- it’s just newscasts are pronouncing Kutter. A very bad Bahston Teens and maybe it’s time to put these guys out to pasture. *

 

Brain Busters

Cast- Mac, Fallon, Sanz

Thoughts- I thought putting Fallon and Sanz in a skit together was skit comedy disaster but lo and behold they managed to keep it together for the most part and deliver a kick ass skit that had me laughing my ass off. I will have to dock some points for incorrect baseball history however. Jackie Robinson was not the first black baseball player- he was just the first to break the colour barrier that Major League Baseball put up. Before MLB put up the colour barrier there were black people in baseball. Bernie was great here and Jimmy and Horatio did their jobs well and acted professionally and that=sketch comedy and a **** rating. I especially loved the bit with the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. ****

 

Tabasco Sauce

Cast- Mac, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Will Forte

Thoughts- I didn’t know Tabasco sauce was exclusive to black people. I also didn’t know Maya Rudolph was black. This skit started out bad but had its moments such as Amy dancing at the end and Bernie plugging an alternate purse for men. The majority of the skit dragged however. **

 

The Pianist

Cast- Mac, Tracy Morgan, Dratch, Parnell, Poehler, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen

Thoughts- I never really noticed Adrien Brody’s big nose but that’s just me. This was another skit that was kind of draggy but had its moments such as them saluting the old Jewish man and some of their comments regarding the movie. Another thing that bothered me- why use Tracy Morgan? They could’ve easily used Dean Edwards and it probably would’ve been the exact same skit- maybe funnier. Tracy is probably (well hopefully) leaving after this season and it’s pointless to keep putting him in meaningless roles that could be filled by other people who are the future of SNL. As much as I like Tracy it’s time to give Dean the shot he deserves and any airtime is good airtime. **1/4

 

Good Charlotte

Thoughts- I honestly don’t know what’s so good about Charlotte and why the NBA is bothering to give them another team- but I digress. They were alright but they sounded like every other band on the radio. **

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fallon, Tina Fey, Sanz, Parnell, Jeff Richards, Forte

Thoughts- The last WU rated ***** so you had to expect a letdown. This wasn’t really a letdown per se. The jokes were fantastic here- ESPECIALLY the Rosie O’ Donnell joke. I have no idea how Tina got that past the censors but God bless her for it. This was like the Eric McCormack Weekend Update- the jokes rocked the body that just felt like being rocked to the fullest extent while the extracurricular activities kinda sucked. I hate Gene Shalit and I hate Drunk Girl. Jeff’s true forte is doing impressions and he should stick to doing that instead of wasting his time with a character that was only funny once. I would the same to Horatio but a)he sucks at impressions and b)Gene Shalit was never funny once. The thing with Parnell and Forte had its moments and was alright and was sort of a weird mis-mash. We have Forte who seems to always rock out on WU and we have Parnell, who like Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Hernandez and the server for fallonfey.com on Sundays, seems to strike out a lot on WU. Still it was pretty funny. The bottom line- the jokes were terrific while everything else was pretty forgettable. ***1/2

 

Three Stooges

Cast- Mac, Fallon, Darrell Hammond, Chris Kattan, Parnell, Richards

Thoughts- I’m a big Three Stooges (well screw Shemp) so I enjoyed SNL paying tribute to them. The skit was kind of dull as the violence here looked as fake and unrealistic as a match involving Jackie Gayda and the Bushwhackers. Jimmy Fallon’s Woody Harrelson impression was the funniest part of the skit so I will give the man credit where credit is due. They could’ve done a lot more with the Three Stooges impression but didn’t which is kind of a shame. Still some of Bernie’s antics and Jimmy give this skit- **

 

NYC Bans Smoking

Cast- Mac, Poehler, Fallon, Meyers

Thoughts- As much as I supported Michael Bloomberg in the 2001 election (well anyone is better then Mark Green) I think this new anti-smoking law is a load of bunk and completely undermines the rights of New Yorkers. Let the restaurant decide whether they want people puffing away and the consumer can decide whether they want to dine there. Amy was awesome here and she was the highlight of the skit. Jimmy and Seth’s smoking argument was also pretty funny. I wasn’t expecting much going in but this was a good skit and even better considering the time. ***

 

Second Time Around

Cast- Mac, Rudolph, Dratch

Thoughts- I think Maya Rudolph has set some sort of record for worst recurring character and worst recurring voice ever. This is sad but if I had the choice between hearing Avril Lavigne explain why her music is punk or listen to that voice Maya uses- I’d wanna hear Avril try to be smart. At least you get some comedy value instead of this pointless drek. I really wish they would stop giving Maya Rudolph so much airtime- she just isn’t that good. Lorne needs to look in the mirror and say “Self- I tried to make Maya Rudolph a successful castmember. But sadly- she’s a failure. Time to admit it and move on.” DUD

 

Swifter Sweepers-

Cast- Poehler

Thoughts- So far the commercials have been pretty good this year which is a relief cause like usually by may we will have this seen commercial 84 times and be sick of it but it will still be at least amusing. Good stuff. ***

 

Adventures with Saddam

Cast- Sanz, Fallon, Kattan, Richards, Armisen

Thoughts- This skit had a great concept but didn’t have a terrific execution. It had some very funny lines and stuff but it just didn’t have the overall humour that it could’ve had. **1/4

 

Good Charlotte

Thoughts- I’ve actually heard this song and I like it and I appreciate the fact that the band was energetic at 12:45 am. ***

 

Don Banks

Cast- Mac, Dean Edwards, Forte

Thoughts- DEAN!~ Bernie Mac is the host and the man is only in one skit. Dean just can’t catch a break. For a last show skit this wasn’t that bad and I loved Will Forte, Dean’s brief’s appearance and the Martin Lawrence joke. The rest was whatever but at 12:50 am- I don’t ask for much. **1/2

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was **.5 which makes this a right smack dab nothing that great nothing too bad episode. With the very funny Bernie Mac as the host- it’s kind of a disappointment but I’m not gonna complain about a thumbs up episode. Next week’s episode with Ray Romano should be really good as Ray did a good job the first time and is an extremely funny guy. SNL just needs to stop doing shows with a bunch of ** skits cause one show- that’s gonna bite them in the ass. Still this week there was enough good stuff to propel it (just barely) into the thumbs up range.

 

Thumbs Up

[Guest Nevermortal]

STOP INSULTING MAYA FUCKING RUDOLPH!

[Guest Slapnuts00]

Good show last night, you can tell Bernie helped write a lot of the sketches. Its usually good when they have a comedian/writer who can contribute to the show. I liked everything except Drunk Girl (THIS NEEDS TO STOP, ITS NOT FUNNY) and the second time around sketch, it wasnt funny the first time and it was worse this time. The Saddam sketch, the gameshow, the movie theatre and 3 stooges were all good.

[Guest bob_barron]

STOP INSULTING MAYA FUCKING RUDOLPH!

Not until she stops sucking.

[Guest bob_barron]

Good show last night, you can tell Bernie helped write a lot of the sketches. Its usually good when they have a comedian/writer who can contribute to the show. I liked everything except Drunk Girl (THIS NEEDS TO STOP, ITS NOT FUNNY) and the second time around sketch, it wasnt funny the first time and it was worse this time. The Saddam sketch, the gameshow, the movie theatre and 3 stooges were all good.

You make a good point. In Live from NY they seem to praise who really help the show come together (a la Tom Hanks) instead of people who just show up and leave everyday.

 

I thought the game show was the skit of the night- I'm glad I taped it

[Guest JHawk]

The jokes were fantastic here- ESPECIALLY the Rosie O’ Donnell joke. I have no idea how Tina got that past the censors but God bless her for it.

 

I don't think the censors got the joke.

[Guest bob_barron]

Haha- that could be it.

 

Tina was on Conan talking about Betsy (or Betty) and I think she's some old lady

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Yup gameshow was the skit of the night mos def. I thought the Stooges one was badly handled especially Kattan as Larry. Only part I found funny was when they all sang "hello!" and then Bernie came in with a grumpy "hello."

[Guest HHH123007]

I thought Good Charlotte sounded horrible....that being said, I'm not a big fan of their music.

[Guest Nevermortal]

STOP INSULTING MAYA FUCKING RUDOLPH!

Not until she stops sucking.

Sucking? Hardly. She's one of the best on the show.

[Guest bob_barron]

Excuse me?

 

Subway Fred, Subway Fred: The sequel and Subway Fred is now named Reggie have all made me want to poke my eyes out.

 

Wake up Wakefield is too medicore for me and Versace is just awful.

[Guest DerangedHermit]

STOP INSULTING MAYA FUCKING RUDOLPH!

Not until she stops sucking.

Shouldn't it be until she STARTS sucking?

[Guest bob_barron]

I think Subway Fred and its various offspring are enough for it to qualify in the suck hall of fame