SNL review- with a report of my weekend at SNL

[Guest bob_barron]

SNL Review- Adrian Brody/Sean Paul/Wayne Wonder

 

I did standby for SNL this weekend and my trip report is at the end of this review. Except at Voy.

 

A while back in my mailbag I wrote:

The Wild are a young team and while they may make the playoffs- they won't go too far.

 

I was wrong. Congratulations Wild.

 

Next week is the big season finale review (it’s going to be LONG) so I’m saving my pre-review stuff for then. Except for the…

 

 

Mailbag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-

 

Sean Hogland writes-

 

Bob

 

Come on man give the Lightning a little bit of credit

we weren't that easy on you. Yeah you won in 5 but

we were in every game (except for game 4 the score was

deceptive there) and took you to two overtime games

including one triple OT. Hell if Habby didn't choke

on us (or if Grahame was put in sooner) we'd be going

to a 7th game right now.

 

Sean H.

 

P.S. in case you didn't see below I ditched the

College Man moniker on the Voy board and am using my

real name.

 

Game 1 was an easy win for the Devils, Game 2 saw the Lightning completely choke and blow it in overtime and Game 4 was another squash. Game 5 was the only game where you didn’t really know who was going to win. There was a never moment in the series where Devils fans had any reason to be concerned that their team would lose. While the Lightning didn’t simply roll over and die like Boston did- it was still a very easy series for Jersey.

 

[email protected] writes-

 

Hi,

 

I'm going to make my first attempt getting into SNL next week. What is the best time to get there and what's your best advice on catching cast members

 

The best time to come- simple- Anytime after me. There really isn’t a good answer to your first question. For example- last week 54 people got in to dress so you wouldn’t have to get in line so early. Some weeks only a few people get in. But at least show up before 2 I guess.

 

In terms of meeting the castmembers- You can catch them Friday morning-afternoon as they come in. Late Friday evening when they leave is another good time to try and catch them. Saturday after the show is another great chance to meet them but you have to deal with barricades and a lot of other fans.

 

[email protected] writes-

 

Hi, I just got done reading your Ashton Kutcher review/standby

experience

(good stuff, might I add), and had a question about attending SNL. I

have tix

for next week's dress, and will be coming down by train from Boston to

see

it, so I'll have a backpack with me. Does NBC allow you to bring

anything

like this in, or do they have somewhere you can put it during the show?

Also,

is there any way that the folks who attend the dress can see the live

show

(like does NBC have a tv or something set up, or is there a store or

something nearby I can go to watch it?). Also, are there any

limitations on

what you can / can't wear to the show? Thanks for any help!! I look

forward

to your Adrien Brody review!

 

Regards,

Mike Prescott

 

NBC does allow you to bring backpacks into the show. They just search it and look through it. I guess they don’t want someone to assassinate Jeff Richards. I bring a backpack into the show myself since I take notes on the show in my notebook. When I watch the show I just put it on the floor in front of me and no one seems to mind. There is no way to watch the show at NBC- they do not have a TV set up. In terms of dress- I think you can where whatever you want although I wouldn’t wear a shirt that says: I Molest Boys or something like that.

 

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

 

And now the review. Keep in mind that some lines were changed in dress.

 

American Idol

Cast- Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler, Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Dean Edwards, Jeff Richards

Thoughts- I don’t watch American Idol so a lot of the jokes here were lost on me- especially the Maya Rudolph Coke ad. This skit did a good job of letting non-AI fans in on the joke soon enough and I found myself laughing along with the rest of the American Idol fans. Poor Dean Edwards- he actually left his makeup on the whole show. Jimmy and Chris sparring back and forth was pretty funny and I got a kick out of all the commercials that they took during the show. Tracy was also pretty good as the guy who is probably going to win. Forgot his name, sorry. This was a good way to open the show- I just wish I got it more. ***1/2

 

Monologue

Cast- Adrien Brody, Mrs. Brody, Mr. Brody, Rudolph, Horatio Sanz

Thoughts- I figured they would spoof his Oscar speech and they did just that. This didn’t really go anywhere and the bit with his mother didn’t work with me or the crowd. Brody’s line to the band “Don’t you people have mothers?” was hilarious and it was a good way for the skit to go out. In dress the band cut Adrian off twice- unlike in live. **

 

Mom Jeans

Cast- Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Rudolph, Poehler, Parnell

Thoughts- Haven’t seen Tina in a commercial in a long time. I assume this joke was aimed at the female demographic but I still was laughing along with the rest of the women in the audience. Good commercial parody here. ***1/2

 

Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet

Cast- Brody, Morgan, Chris Kattan

Thoughts- Well I guess Tracy is leaving so I can excuse them doing this skit one more time. It was funny the first or second time but ever since then the skit has never been funny and I never understood its mass appeal with people. “I’m Brian Fellows ‘ just doesn’t sound like something that would be the catchphrase of the new millennium. It does pain me to know that this will probably be Tracy’s lasting legacy. The guy was terrific as Dominican Lou and in the criminally underrated Russell and Tate skits- skits that showed his true talents- but he will mostly be remembered for saying ‘I’m Brian Fellows’. This was the usual Brian Fellows crap but I laughed a little more then usual *3/4

 

Self Absorbed

Cast- Brody, Kattan, Dratch

Thoughts- This played towards the end of dress rehearsal so I guess the crowds reaction got it bumped to the end. This was pretty funny but it kind of lost with me with too much interplay between Kattan and Brody at the end. The part with CK singing Journey was funny stuff and I liked the ‘Damn you match.com’ line. This skit was more suited towards the end of the show it seemed. Some pretty funny lines here though- I just wish the interplay between Brody and Kattan was shorter. ***1/4

 

Live with Regis and Kelly

Cast- Brody, Poehler, Darrell Hammond, Kattan

Thoughts-I didn’t know who the climber was until they finally revealed he was the guy who cut his arm off. Brody went on a bit too long here but Regis and Kelly’s reactions to his long winded tale of sorrow was hilarious. In dress Amy said she wouldn’t get preggers till July- the line was changed to 6 months in live. I could’ve done without Darrell almost losing it at the end and most of Brody’s lines but the interplay between Kattan, Poehler and Hammond was really funny and has caused me to enjoy this reoccurring bit. ***1/2

 

TV Funhouse

Thoughts- Oh. My. God. Robert Smigel was ON tonight- as this was one of the most hilarious and offensive things I have ever seen. It seemed like Smigel was playing a game of ‘can I top this’ and the results were spectacular and well worth watching. I just kept shaking my head every 5 seconds not believing what Smigel kept saying. I didn’t care for the Dukes of Hazzard spoof but the rest of this cartoon was absolutely hilarious- especially the bit at the end crediting Sean Penn.. One of, if not the best, Robert Smigel cartoon of all time. ****3/4

 

Sean Paul

Thoughts- Adrian Brody’s introduction was some funny stuff but ran a bit too long. It got a great response in dress though. I like reggae music and found this song to be really good and a lot of fun to listen too. I also liked all the different types of music that was displayed here. Good to see SNL get someone with actual musical talent after the debacle that was 50 Cent. Sean was one of the best MGs of the year and it’s too bad they only gave him one segment. ***1/2

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fallon, Fey, Sanz, Dratch

Thoughts- for those of you who would like to know what got cut from WU- head over to ff.com- it should be all there. Dratch’s role of Q*terplex was cut from last week’s Update. Tina’s first Update since making the big bucks- and it was way too short. Seriously- they cut around 20 jokes from dress rehearsal. Most of the jokes seemed to work however with the usual 1-3 clunkers thrown in. Horatio as Elton John was kinda funny but I’m just sick and tired of seeing Jimmy and Horatio try to break each other up on the air. Save that stuff for dress rehearsal or rehearsal- where it belongs. Despite my complaints- most of the jokes here were really funny- Update just needed to run a bit longer. ***1/2

 

Lensmasters

Cast- Brody, Poehler, Kattan

Thoughts- Funny story- As they were about to go air the director kept saying ’40 seconds..Amy Poehler. 35 seconds…Ames? 30 seconds…Where’s Amy Poehler? Finally- just before the skit went to air Amy RAN across the set and was yelling ‘I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!’. And when she arrived on the set she looked down and said “My shoes are untied.” This skit KILLED in dress but it seemed to lose some of its humour in live. The crowd wasn’t into it as much and Brody and Kattan just didn’t seem as funny. I thought the premise was funny and as a glasses wearer- I appreciate SNL reaching out to my demographic. Even in live the skit still worked and I was still laughing but for some reason the dress version was a lot better. So I’ll give about- ***1/4.

 

Dance School

Cast- Brody, Sanz, Morgan, Dratch, Armisen

Thoughts- This skit flip flopped with Self Absorbed from dress to live. Horatio and Fred were pretty funny in this skit- I like their characters a lot. Rachel’s character doesn’t do make me any laugh and Tracy’s character adds nothing. Brody was also not very funny at all- his monologue at the beginning fell flat. Fred’s Gabe character was the highlight of the skit- just like he was last time. Horatio got more funny lines in this one and I thought his dance with Tracy was cute. A bit funnier then the Hayek skit but not by much. **

 

Wayne Wonder

Thoughts- Dean may be a really funny featured player who is chronically underused but he is one crappy musician. *1/4

 

Name that Stag Film

Cast- Brody, Poehler, Parnell, Will Forte

Thoughts- Tracy and Rachel were cut out of the skit as old porn stars. Amy’s little cameo at the beginning was hilarious and completely unexpected. I figured out the joke of the skit about one movie in but that didn’t change the fact that I loved the skit. It aired a lot earlier in dress rehearsal- I’m puzzled that it got bumped all the way down- maybe an issue with the censors or something. I found the fact that they made a gay porn version of Holes to be unspeakably hilarious. This was a terrific way to end the show. ****1/4

 

The Bottom Line: Avg. skit was *** which makes this show an easy thumbs up. Most of the show was consistently good and it featured a great cartoon by Robert Smigel and a very funny skit to close the show. The only thing I really didn’t like was the lack of Seth Meyers as he could’ve made this show truly great. There were also some skits in dress that I would not have cut. Despite my minor complaints this was still a very good show as SNL has seemed to be putting out a lot of those lately. See ya’ next week for the BIG BIG BIG season finale review.

 

 

SNL Trip Report: The Week where #1 mattered

 

 

When we last left me at the standby line- I had an awesome Amy encounter at Ben and Jerrys, argued hockey with Seth Meyers, had a deep philosophical encounter with Caroline Rhea and completed my triumphant return to the standby line by seeing my first dress rehearsal in 50 weeks.

 

I arrived at the standby line at 9:00 am and to my shock- I WAS #1!!! I was the one who built the line. ::Cue U2’s Hands that Built America:: Then I realised what the dark side of being #1 was. You’re all by yourself until #2 shows up. And you can’t leave at anytime cause then you’re no longer #1 if someone else shows up. So for the next hour my friend was a big pole. As someone who was still trying to stomach the Canucks losing and was stupid enough to not bring a chair- I learned the DARK SIDE of being the first in line.

 

Al Roker temporarily lifted my spirits by giving me a healthy forecast of niceness with a little dose of an autograph later on in the day- tapering off towards night. I asked him what the weather was going to be like and he said ‘Great!’ It rained later in the day. Then I met Brian Williams who saw Al Roker’s autograph and said he needed to work on his penmanship. Someone’s bitter over Tom Brokaw not retiring yet.

 

At 11:00 with people in line- I went inside to meet the cast and possibly the host. Adrian Brody came in soon after. I praised him for his work in the awesome creepy suspense thriller Oxygen with Maura Tierney. I expected our convo to go like this:

 

Me: Hey Adrian- I really enjoyed your movie Oxygen with Maura Tierney.

AB: Ummm dude- I won an Oscar.

 

I also- I really don’t understand why all those girls find Brody sexy. Winning an Oscar does not automatically give you plastic surgery. Message to Adrian Brody fans: You want to meet Adrian Brody? Go to temple- you will see that everyone looks just like him.

 

After meeting Adrian Brody I was determined to not have another debacle like last week. You know- where I ended up meeting the two castmembers I liked the least and that was it. Maya Rudolph came in and walked by. Chris Kattan followed shortly thereafter. I have no idea how to explain how that keeps happening.

 

After a long time of waiting my prayers for someone good were answered. SETH!~ came by. I praised him for the baseball skit that got cut last week\and since I was a bit mean with my Bruins hate I gave him the chance to sign anything he wanted about anything. Seth wrote-

 

Go Leafs!

(I’m not vindictive)

 

Seth Meyers showed what a true man he is. He could’ve continued our petty argument on hockey teams but Seth finally accepted that the Boston Bruins were a horrible hockey team and that the power of the blue and white is strong in everyone. By signing the immortal words ‘Go Leafs’ Seth showed true heart and/or fortitude. Congratulations Seth- if I ever sign your notebook I will write ‘Go Seth!’

 

Fred Armisen was the next SNLer that I saw. Fred was nice enough to come up to the standby line and talk to everyone. He seemed shocked that we wait 22 hours just to get non guaranteed tickets to the show. I thought it was awesome that Fred took time out of his schedule to talk to us low peons.

 

As we waited to see more people- someone had the bright idea of bringing his guitar and playing a bunch of old songs from the 60s to show how in touch with society he was. The breaking point was when he played on his guitar AND sung along to American Pie. I think he was one of those hippies who thought SNL standby was one big peace and love fest duuuuuude where we were like one big happy communion and we all loved each other. I don’t think he would’ve gone to standby had he known that this is the place where the first black person doing standby is considered a big deal. Too bad being #1 didn’t give me the right to go up to him, grab his guitar and smash it into the ground and parody American Pie by going:: Bye bye your stupid guitar/I just broke it. Hey- it’s not as bad as Madonna’s version.

 

As we waited for more people and prayed that Guitar Boy would lose his guitar pick, I went to 49th St. and ran into Darrell Hammond. Darrell was still as eccentric as ever. A Darrell encounter is guaranteed to mean hilarious moments and he didn’t disappoint as we had trouble communicating where in my PEOPLE magazine he was supposed to sign. Finally we decided to have Darrell sign a Cover Girl ad. An SNL crisis had been averted.

 

Waiting for the Conan guests is always a fun standby experience. I met Craig Wilkinson from the Drew Carey Show. Then I saw NILES from Frasier. He was in a rush and didn’t sign but luckily I was able to catch him when he came down later. I’m not a big Frasier fan but Niles is always the character I enjoy watching. He signed an ad for Down with Love and told me he would tell Eddie the dog that I say hello. See Yoko- it’s not too hard to be nice.

 

I soon after ran into the man, the myth, the legend- Dean Edwards. I informed Dean that last week his role as Cop #2 last week (it got cut) was fantastic and that they should make a movie of Dean’s great character- Cop #2. I mean- how awesome would a movie where Cop #2 meets Michael Jackson be? Dean Edwards to me and my friend , “You guys are here more then me!”

 

A little later in the evening I finally completed meeting the Trilogy of Awesomeness. The cool thing was that I saw the 2/3rds together. Tina and Amy came in together at one point. Tina showed she did not let the money go to her head as she signed for everyone and was her usual awesome self. Amy was nice enough to console me on the Vancouver Canucks losing- it’s still a hard pill to swallow. I asked Amy if she was going to start borrowing money from Tina but I did not get a response. Tina ended up signing my issue of PEOPLE and she soon went off to see how that Update was coming.

 

Apparently there was a big party at the Rainbow Room because a lot of big people came out. I met the President of NBC Jeff Zucker and saw Courtney B. Vance and Angela Basset. I thought I saw Della Reese but it turned out to be some other woman- I couldn’t tell from the autograph I got.

 

Adrian Brody came out later but was too quick for anyone to get a picture or autograph. Some woman did flash him though which me and I’m sure Brody enjoyed. As it turned out I was the only person in the standby line to have any fan interaction with him. Woo me.

 

I always tell people that standby starts to suck around 4 am and as usual this week was no different. As usual come 4 I was tired, cold and really wanted to get the hell home and find out if the Nets had won. By 6 morale in the line was low and as #1 I needed somehow to make sure that morale improved. I found it. Someone in line was an American Indian. Now as someone who to quote Chris Rock has seen “more polar bears then Indians” this was truly a comedian’s dream. So for the next hour to keep morale high- me and my friend made fun of Indians and the fact that they lost almost every battle. I’m not saying it was politically correct- but it was sure as hell hilarious. A little after 7- they handed out the tickets. I was #1 for dress.

 

LATER THAT NIGHT-

 

I’m sure the suspense is killing you on whether I got into a show hosted by Adrian Brody. I mean- would 1 person be able to get in? Did getting early end up paying off?

 

54 people got in. Good thing I got there early eh?

 

And now-

 

 

WHAT GOT CUT-

 

Ferecito did the warmup but did NOT say- I’m just keeeeeeeeeeding! SCANDAL!~

 

Ferey Muthar

Cast-Brody, Sanz, Hammond, Fey, Poehler, Rudolph, Parnell, Forte

Thoughts- Sanz did his Turkish talk show host here. Brody played a guy who had gotten rich by stealing treasures from Iraq and now owned discoteques in Turkey. This was much better then the usual Muthar crap- they actually had him spoofing other talk show hosts with his act- including spoofing Jay Leno. It was also really cool to see Tina in a skit. A better then average Muthar here. **1/2

 

Empower America

Cast- Hammond

Thoughts-Darrell plays the head of Empower America and gives a speech about how Americans need to be stronger. While giving this monologue he is constantly interrupted by his bookie who wants to know what sports teams he wants to bet on. I didn’t know who Darrell was impersonating and the crowd didn’t either. *

 

Strippers!

Cast- Brody, Poehler, Morgan, Parnell, Meyers

Thoughts- This was probably the third best skit of the season….and it got cut. Amy Poehler plays a stipper who is giving Adrian Brody a lap dance for his birthday. But Brody doesn’t really care for the lapdance and spends the whole time trying to make conversation with Amy. It was hilarious seeing Amy and Adrian play off each other as Adrian’s laid back way of talking totally worked with this skit. Amy was hilarious as the stripper and the fact that this got cut is a travesty. I also had a nice view of two of the strippers who were extras in the skit. ****3/4

 

Weight Loss

Cast- Brody, Kattan, Rudolph, Meyers, Forte

Thoughts- Maya played a former Knicks dancer who was peddling a weight loss pill for people who are 2-5 lbs above their weight. Had a few funny lines and Seth was pretty funny but the skit was pretty bleh overall. *

 

Brody meets Melissa

Cast- Brody, Rudolph

Thoughts- Adrian Brody is put on a blind date with Melissa who has never heard of him and despite Brody’s best efforts- can’t seem to figure out that he won an Oscar. Funny stuff here and the reaction when Rudolph finds out he actually did win an Oscar was worth the skit alone. Another skit I wouldn’t have cut. ***1/2

 

There you have it- once again a trip to SNL standby line had proven worthwhile as me and 53 other people, who didn’t have to wait 22 hrs got into the show.

 

If you have any questions, comments or your from a foundation against Indian Defamation then email me at: [email protected]

 

I’ll be back next week for my final Trip Report of the season.

[Guest Slapnuts00]

Wow, I can't believe they have so much material that doesn't even make air.

I must say, this week was a total 180 from last week's show. I enjoyed everything. I noticed they hardly used the newer cast members which made the show more enjoyable (No Will Forte to be seen!) Brian Fellows as always was very funny, and the Robert Smigel cartoon was dead on satire. I loved it. Got a kick out of just about everything else from Kattan's apartment, to Horatio as Elton John. Even the gay porn sketch was an easy laugh. Very good show!

[Guest RevEvil]

So no one else saw the "infamous" Andrew Dice Clay episode?

[Guest bob_barron]

I've never seen it personally. I know it caused Nora Dunn to leave the show and he became the second host to ever be on 7 second delay

[Guest RevEvil]

It was this week's "classic" episode. Maybe next week they'll show the Milton Berle episode.

[Guest hardyz1]

Bob--

 

I think the "Empower America" was about William Bennett. He's been in the news lately.

[Guest bob_barron]

In NY they don't show the classic SNLs still 3-4 am so I had to go to sleep.

 

I don't really know much about William Bennet and the crowd didn't seem to know either which is probably why they cut it

[The Dames 0]

Do you know the songs that Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder sang, Bob?

 

I assume that Sean Paul sang "Get Busy".

 

Dames

[Guest bob_barron]

Sean Paul sang 'Get Busy'

 

Wayne Wonder sang 'No Letting Go'

[Guest hardyz1]

William Bennett is one of those morality-preaching assholes. It recently was revealed that he's lost $8 million in gambling over the past 10 years.

[Chazz 0]

What's up with The SNL Classic Eps going all out of order? Just a couple months ago they were airing Bob's Fav 1996-1997 Season. Now they are going with the 89-90 Season. What's up wit dat?

[Guest bob_barron]

Well they showed the Goldblum season finale and for some reason showed the Rob Downey, Jr episode.

 

They were supposed to show Hartman/Bush but ended up going back to 1989

[Chazz 0]

Hey Bob,

 

Do you ever think The WWE's upcoming Brand only PPV's are gonna work? With The joint PPV's drawing dick, I don't see the point In Brand only PPV's unless they are purposely trying to lose money.

[Guest bob_barron]

Ummm this mega off topic (points to WWE folder)

 

The split PPVs will work if they have good storylines and matches.