SNL Review

[bob_barron 0]

SNL Review-

 

 

Sports Report-

 

Toronto Maple Leafs- They've had a rough week as Eddie is still not back yet. Ugh this is getting frustrating. I think it's been firmly established that Trevor Kidd licks balls.

 

Canucks- They've had a rough week (well a rough time overall) but at least they were able to defeat Colorado. They have a three game homestand coming up and hopefully they can bounce back and get some points.

 

The 2003 Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils- They've had a real impressive week going 3-1-0 and they are quietly catching up to Philadelphia. With JR on the shelf this should be an interesting race to look at it.

 

Nets- They haven't lost in more then a month. Lawrence Frank is God.

 

 

I'd like to give a special thank you to Greg Maddux who is leaving the Braves after 11 seasons. I'm very happy he gets to back to the Cubs and I hope he wins #300 and gets another World Series ring. Thanks for everything Greg.

 

Mailbag!!!!

 

Nothing this week- I think it's due to Sean's lack of updating.

 

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

 

 

Hardball

Cast- Darrell Hammond, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz

Thoughts- Darrell has done double duty in skits before- I remember the time when he played three roles in one skit. This was good but it was a below the usual greatness that Hardball provides us. Horatio was funny as Rosie O'Donnell and Parnell played his role of conservative sleazball really well. Darrell's Ahnuld sucked as usual and he almost had crack up problems but he did okay. There just weren't enough funny lines like the usual Hardball has and it came off really flat. ***

 

Monologue

Cast- Christina Agulera, Lorne Michaels, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Sanz, Parnell, Kenan Thompson, Finesse Mitchell

Thoughts- Well it was going good until she decided to sing. I always enjoy seeing Lorne in the monologues and the bit with all the guys and Tina was really funny. Lorne not remembering Finesse's name (We hired a guy named Finesse) was a great line. Kenan was also good.

 

BUUUUUUUT I hate the song Beautiful and it killed the good buzz for me. I think it would've been so much funnier had she been in the middle of the song and they cut to all the guys in the back nodding off or something. Good jokes, bad song. **

 

Sex and the City

Cast- Agulera, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph

Thoughts- True story: I've gotten about 5 IMs commenting on how I would hate the fact that Maya Rudolph played Charlotte.

 

Fact: Charlotte York is not black.

Fact: Charlotte York is not ugly.

 

So I was soured on this skit from the start. But damn- Christina Agulera was fantastic as Samantha. She got the voice, the mannerisms just everything was perfect about it and it totally saved the skit for me and made me actually like it quite a bit. Amy was pretty good as Carrie and Rachel added nothing as Miranda. The one big highlight was Christina's excellent portrayl of Samantha and that's enough for- ***

 

Do You Know Who My Father Is?

Cast- Agulera, Forte, Seth Meyers, Parnell

Thoughts- This was probably the most dissapointing skit of the night. I expected greatness with Seth and Will in it but nothing was very funny. The writing was pretty poor and Christina Agulera wasn't funny at all. Seth tried to get laughs by playing it totally over the top but it just wasn't meant to be. Better writing could've made this skit so much better. *

 

Fun with Real Audio

Cast- I hate when they tease us with a Smigel cartoon and then give us Fun with Real Audio. Smigel is so funny yet insists on producing this crap. Some of the clips of Pat O'Brien were funny but for the most this was pretty bad. Not one of Smigel's best. *1/2

 

Womens Week

Cast- Agulera, Hammond, Poehler, Dratch, Rudolph, Parnell

Thoughts- Darrell does a great Phil Donahue and it was great seeing him getting a chance to bust it out. The main part of the skit was pretty funny as well. Rachel was really funny here and Amy was funny as well. Christina was really good at playing a skank whore.

Who knew? Rachel and Darrell were the highlights of the skit and I loved the ending. ***1/4

 

Maroon 5

Thoughts- I had only heard one song before this but these guys kick a lot of ass and they ended the bad musical guest streak at 3. The song was nice and catchy, a lot of fun to listen to and the guys showed a lot of energy. Awesome stuff. ***1/2

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fallon, Fey, Forte

Thoughts- That's a lot of 'F's. This was a KICKASS Weekend Update but was once again way too short. The jokes kicked a ton of ass except for one or two clunkers. The jokes about Jesus Horses, A-Rod, Outkast and most were awesome stuff. But you can't discuss this WU without discussing the greatness that was Will Forte. His commentary on Black History Month was HILARIOUS and I was laughing my ass off the whole time.

 

Will: Tina- it's not half black history month

 

That's your line of the year right now and I don't think anything is going top it unless we get like the greatest zinger ever. Will is awesome on Weekend Update and if Jimmy leaves I totally endorse him for co-anchor. (Well aside from you know who)

 

This Update was fantastic- I just wish it had been a lot longer. ****1/2

 

You Got Served

Cast- Agulera, Rudolph, Parnell, Sanz, Meyers, Forte Thompson, Mitchell

Thoughts- Of all the movies to spoof- they picked this one. This skarted started out pretty funny and then got incredibly draggy in the middle as the dancing was not very funny. Will Forte's incredibly random cameo was very very funny and saved the skit from suckdom. **1/4

 

Backstage with Christina

Cast- Agulera, Rudolph, Poehler, Sanz, Dratch, Armisen, Mitchell, Thompson

Thoughts- Good to see SNL bust out some impressions I really like. I'm a big fan of Amy and Sanz's impressions of the Osbournes and come on: Kenan dressed up as Star Jones is funny based on image alone. This was really funny (I loved the Stedman jokes) but I thought it came off as a bit too preachy and I didn't like Maya. But the rest was really funny. ***1/4

 

Spanish Soap Opera

Cast- Agulera, Sanz, Dratch, Meyers, Armisen

Thoughts- This was actually cut from the Salma Hayek episode which had musical guest....

 

Christina Agulera.

 

It's weird how these cut skits from full circle. This was way too hard for me to follow (It was 12:40 am) but I still found this to be pretty funny. Those Mexican soap operas are pretty screwed up and this skit did a good job of spoofing them. Fred plays a good Mexican sleazball and it's always good seeing Seth get airtime. ***

 

Bad Employe

Cast- Parnell, Poehler, Forte

Thoughts- Man- Will Forte is completely owning this show. He's fast becoming one of my favourite cast members. His performance was incredible. I'm a fan of his end of the show bizarre skits and this was the best I've seen. The bits with racial and sexual discrimination and Forte diving out the window were awesome. Even the beginning bit with Poehler and Parnell discusssing the sandwhich was great stuff. Excellent work by Forte here- and I hope he continues to get more airtime. ****

 

 

Maroon 5

Thoughts- These guys ended up being pretty darn good. This song was a bit too poppy for my tastes but I loved how they didn't do what other pop acts do and play some sappy goopy slow piece of crap for their second song. This was a nice, fun song to listen to and it was nice to hear good music on SNL again. BTW- since Huggies Thong aired for the 232,837th time- I'm going to ignore it from now on. ***

 

 

Walgreens

Cast- Agulera, Sanz, Parnell, Dratch

Thoughts- This becomes a recurring character while Lil' Sleuths has only aired once. There is no justice. Some of the lines are always funny but I hate how it always ends up being a freaking swerve and it's an ad for Walgreens. Show us some originality for God sakes. It just sucks out all the fun out of it for me. This was a decent last skit but if they're going to bring it back- be original! **

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was **.8 making this an easy thumbs up show. There was minimal crap and they got the most out of Christina which was great. Christina was pretty good and I'm still amazed by her impression of Samantha. Will Forte was AWESOME in this show and carried a **** skit and made WU a must see. SNL had a pretty good February (aside from the first half of Drew) and I really hope they can continue this momentum the rest of the season. The first month of the no Jeff Richards era has been a success.

 

Thumbs Up.

[Styles 0]

OK show. I liked the Spanish soap opera, WU, Hardball and Amy and Horatio's TREMENDOUS Sharon and Ozzy.

 

Me and you have polar opinions of Will Forte. The only sketch where I didn't feel like jumping though my TV and kicking his teeth down his throat was the black history bit on WU which was cute but not really original. I'm so sick of his crazy shirtless guitar playing man randomly ending sketches. And there's a thin line between being a little goofy and a nonstop annoying immature fucking moron who's part could be played verbatem by a 6th grader. At least there was no Falconer...

[Guest JMA]

I agree that Forte really stole the show. My favorite skits would have to be Weekend Update and Bad Employee. The clown stealing the stolen sandwich was just so unexpected and funny.

 

"Hey! That's MY stolen sandwich!"

[Guest ToddRoyal]

Will Forte has been the MVP of SNL this season in my opinion. I think he makes me laugh out loud more than anything other than WU. From "Poooor Jesus" to "It's not HALF Black History month", his delivery is the best of anyone on the show. Still don't like Falconer though...

 

I figured you'd hate Maya playing Kristen Davis.

 

I thought this was one of the better episodes SNL has put out this season. Christina Aguilera has more acting ability than I figured (and tons more than Britney or Jessica Simpson) and she was willing to make fun of herself which is always key.

[bob_barron 0]

Me and you have polar opinions of Will Forte.

 

I've noticed you've never been a big fan of Will Forte.

 

The only sketch where I didn't feel like jumping though my TV and kicking his teeth down his throat was the black history bit on WU which was cute but not really original.

 

I thought the black history month thing was the funniest thing I've seen on Weekend Update this year. I'm still laughing at the Maya Rudolph line.

 

I'm so sick of his crazy shirtless guitar playing man randomly ending sketches.

 

I think that's only the second time it happened. And both times it was pretty fucking funny.

 

At least there was no Falconer...

 

We agree!

[Guest JMA]

I'm also glad SNL FINALLY got a decent musical guest.

[starvenger 0]

I actually watched the whole thing for once, so here are my thoughts:

 

Cold Opening - thanks for the 411. Had no idea that was Darrell.

 

Monologue -

Well it was going good until she decided to sing. I always enjoy seeing Lorne in the monologues and the bit with all the guys and Tina was really funny. Lorne not remembering Finesse's name (We hired a guy named Finesse) was a great line. Kenan was also good.

The thing I thought was that at some point they'd have her sing so you might as well get it out of the way early. Plus it had the added bonus of showing up skank whore wannabe Britney Spears simply by, you know, SINGING. Otherwise, the monologue was what it was.

 

Sex and the City - Samantha's big "reveal" was pretty funny. Best pun was "Weenie in a bottle", playing off of Christina's song.

 

Do You Know Who My Father Is? - It took me about halfway through the skit to figure out what it was about. Seth was pretty funny, but really it's like a version of the Zinger character so I expected it.

 

Fun with Real Audio -

I hate when they tease us with a Smigel cartoon and then give us Fun with Real Audio. Smigel is so funny yet insists on producing this crap. Some of the clips of Pat O'Brien were funny but for the most this was pretty bad. Not one of Smigel's best. *1/2

This is what happens when you let a guy go up to Toronto and get people pissed off at you, I guess. Oh, and Ed the Sock > Triumph, if only for the gratuitous "Spring Break bikini contest" clips...

 

Womens Week - Christina in a southern belle outfit was good. What more can I say?

 

Maroon 5 ("This Love") - This was the song that I thought could be sung to "Your Woman" by one hit wonder White Town (1997-ish). Anyways, I thought that the singer was kinda stiff at the beginning but really kicked it up around the bridge.

 

Weekend Update -

That's a lot of 'F's. This was a KICKASS Weekend Update but was once again way too short. The jokes kicked a ton of ass except for one or two clunkers. The jokes about Jesus Horses, A-Rod, Outkast and most were awesome stuff. But you can't discuss this WU without discussing the greatness that was Will Forte. His commentary on Black History Month was HILARIOUS and I was laughing my ass off the whole time.

 

Will: Tina- it's not half black history month

 

That's your line of the year right now and I don't think anything is going top it unless we get like the greatest zinger ever. Will is awesome on Weekend Update and if Jimmy leaves I totally endorse him for co-anchor. (Well aside from you know who)

The "telling Shorty's not to drink Bacardi like it's your birthday" bit would have been the best part if not for Will's line.

 

So did Maya "get served" with that line?

 

You Got Served - Basically the point of this was how stupid it is for two gangs to have a dance off. Woulda been fine if they had cut out a dance or two. Although you had to have Christina do a skanky dance, and Maya's "You can't see me" move was rather unexpected - I've never seen that outside of Cena doing it. And "Gonna Make You Sweat" should be retired because when I hear that I expect a Spartan dance.

 

Also, it's at this point where I note that Christina is using a lot of blonde wigs. Ironic, or something like that.

 

Backstage with Christina

Good to see SNL bust out some impressions I really like. I'm a big fan of Amy and Sanz's impressions of the Osbournes and come on: Kenan dressed up as Star Jones is funny based on image alone. This was really funny (I loved the Stedman jokes) but I thought it came off as a bit too preachy and I didn't like Maya. But the rest was really funny. ***1/4

If they kept Maya to playing over-the-top divas that would be fine. I have no idea why, but she seems to do well in that role.

 

Spanish Soap Opera

It's weird how these cut skits from full circle. This was way too hard for me to follow (It was 12:40 am) but I still found this to be pretty funny. Those Mexican soap operas are pretty screwed up and this skit did a good job of spoofing them. Fred plays a good Mexican sleazball and it's always good seeing Seth get airtime. ***

Nice to see Fred showing up. I think that Finesse and Kenan both had more skits than him this week.

 

For some reason this reminded me of the softcore soap "Latin Lover" that was running on TLN late Fridays, opposite CityTV's Baby Blue II. Why can't US basic cable be more like this?

 

Don't answer that, I know why. I'm just grumbling.

 

Bad Employee - This was something I expect to see on MadTV, to be honest. But it worked, and I enjoyed it. I'd also like to have been Parnell in that skit, because, well, he got to squeeze Amy's boobs.

 

Not that I advocate that kind of stuff or anything.

 

Maroon 5 ("Harder To Breathe") - Straight rocker with a catchy hook. Again the singer seemed off until the bridge, when he kicked it up a notch. I'd be interested to see them in a full concert, as I think the singer thrives on the adrenaline. Or maybe he was stoned before the performance?

 

Walgreens - Typical last skit. Has it's moments but overall not very funny.

 

Overall a good show, I quite liked it.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Hardball

Cast- Darrell Hammond, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz

-Like usual it's a very solid skit. Darrell's great as Chris Matthews, but not funny as Arnold. Sanz was funny. Good way to start the show. ***1/2

 

Monologue

Cast- Christina Agulera, Lorne Michaels, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Sanz, Parnell, Kenan Thompson, Finesse Mitchell

-First thing, AND NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT...but Finesse Mitchell comes off gayer and gayer every time he's on tv. Very funny opening, and good joke at Mitchell's expense. KILLED by a song. 4 star potental, but the song costs them one. ***

 

Sex and the City

Cast- Agulera, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph

-Maya was her usual awful. Amy was less then great. Rachel was so-so. And who'd of thunk it, Agulera was a perfect Samantha Jones...I kinda sorta got into the show last year when I caught it on a free HBO marathon run. Anyway...Rachel's jokes just felt flat, but Christina made it pretty good. ***

 

Do You Know Who My Father Is?

Cast- Agulera, Forte, Seth Meyers, Parnell

-Couple laughs, Seth could have toned it down a little and Forte just was not funny. 1/2*

 

Fun with Real Audio

-Just not good, I understood the joke, but it just wasn't funny. Here it comes Barron...DUD!

 

Womens Week

Cast- Agulera, Hammond, Poehler, Dratch, Rudolph, Parnell

-Decient, could have been better. I'll take Hammond when I can get it though. **

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fallon, Fey, Forte

-Still not liking Forte, while he was alright here, and his Maya joke was very good, I just don't find his bits too funny. Good WU though, but they're killing these by making them shorter every week. ***1/2

 

You Got Served

Cast- Agulera, Rudolph, Parnell, Sanz, Meyers, Forte Thompson, Mitchell

-ehh, a week too late and not enough actual jokes. *

 

Backstage with Christina

Cast- Agulera, Rudolph, Poehler, Sanz, Dratch, Armisen, Mitchell, Thompson

-The Osbournes bits are usually good, even thought Sanz is just too fat to play the role. Kennan was good. Maya wasn't funny, and Mitchell came off even gayer...I like that Christina will make fun of her self, but then she tries to take it back...I almost expected her to break into song again. **

 

Spanish Soap Opera

Cast- Agulera, Sanz, Dratch, Meyers, Armisen

-A tad bit of credit for Agulera in a maid outfit...other then that I was just waiting for it to end...but it went on and on and on. Maya even managed to annyoing me by just making an ugly face. 1/2*

 

Bad Employe

Cast- Parnell, Poehler, Forte

-Didn't do much for me. Forte seems to be playing the same charcter all the time. Where he talks loud and does a whiney voice. Couple of good jokes, but far from great. **

 

STOP SHOWING HUGGIES THONGS! Write something new ya lazy bastards!

 

 

Walgreens

Cast- Agulera, Sanz, Parnell, Dratch

-Alright bit. Maya's done this character before and it's actually worth a laugh. Kennan was in the skit (you missed him Bob)...but he was kinda there for no reason. Agulera kept stpping over her lines. Not bad. **

[bob_barron 0]

Will Forte has been the MVP of SNL this season in my opinion. I think he makes me laugh out loud more than anything other than WU. From "Poooor Jesus" to "It's not HALF Black History month", his delivery is the best of anyone on the show. Still don't like Falconer though...

 

Forte's been pretty awesome this season but I still like Seth and Tina more.

 

I figured you'd hate Maya playing Kristen Davis.

 

Tina was RIGHT THERE and it would've been an SNL Dream for me. Instead they got Maya.

 

I thought this was one of the better episodes SNL has put out this season. Christina Aguilera has more acting ability than I figured (and tons more than Britney or Jessica Simpson) and she was willing to make fun of herself which is always key.

 

Will Forte told me that Christina was going to surprise people and she reminded him of when Justin Timberlake hosted. He was right.

 

The thing I thought was that at some point they'd have her sing so you might as well get it out of the way early. Plus it had the added bonus of showing up skank whore wannabe Britney Spears simply by, you know, SINGING. Otherwise, the monologue was what it was.

 

I always have a big soft spot for Britney. I know she has a horrendous voice but I just love her and hate Christina. Christina needs to dye her hair.

 

This is what happens when you let a guy go up to Toronto and get people pissed off at you, I guess. Oh, and Ed the Sock > Triumph, if only for the gratuitous "Spring Break bikini contest" clips...

 

Well he technically went to Quebec and got people pissed at him. I became an Ed the Sock Fan when he kept commenting on the 2002 VMAs and just teared it apart.

 

So did Maya "get served" with that line?

 

She got zinged.

 

Bad Employee - This was something I expect to see on MadTV, to be honest. But it worked, and I enjoyed it. I'd also like to have been Parnell in that skit, because, well, he got to squeeze Amy's boobs.

 

He also once got to touch Tina's boobs.

 

Maybe it's Lorne's way of apologising?

[Guest thebigjig]

one question... whatever happened to Forte's Tim Calhoun: presidential candidate? I LOVE that character and I havent seen it in a while. You would think they would be using it more because of the election season

[bob_barron 0]

one question... whatever happened to Forte's Tim Calhoun: presidential candidate? I LOVE that character and I havent seen it in a while. You would think they would be using it more because of the election season

He did Tim Calhoun fairly recently. (Andy Roddick episode)

 

You can watch it at fallonfey.com if you missed it

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Thoughts:

 

Hardball: Not as good as it usually is. Lines seemed kind of flat although the first sight of Horatio as Rosie O'Donnell was pretty funny.

 

Monologue: Meh. Talking about what a skeez Aguilera was is SO 2003. Like Bob, I also don't care for the song.

 

Sex in the City: I don't order HBO, I've never seen the show, it did nothing for me.

 

Smiegel cartoon: It was funny the first 45 seconds or so, then it got boring. The funniest part was at the very end where.

 

And that's it. I fell asleep at that point. Hardball was my favorite, and I wish I could have stayed up to see Maroon 5.

[Guest thebigjig]

one question... whatever happened to Forte's Tim Calhoun: presidential candidate? I LOVE that character and I havent seen it in a while. You would think they would be using it more because of the election season

He did Tim Calhoun fairly recently. (Andy Roddick episode)

 

You can watch it at fallonfey.com if you missed it

sweeet! Thanks pal

[Ted the Poster 0]

Good show; the joke about "Jesus Horses" had me rolling. Also, what the fuck is Ed the Sock?

[treble 0]

Ed The Sock, Canadian quasi-celebrity.

 

He claims that Conan's show stole his 'gimmick' and created Triumph after he contacted them about appearing of the show.

 

Oh, and Tim Calhoun, Bush, and whoever gets the Democratic nomination need to have debates.

[MDH257 0]

Good Show I liked the Timberlake and Nick & Jessica shows better though.

 

The only bad skit was Walgreens. Do You Know who My Father is? was a letdown. Before the contestants were introduced, I thought they were going to play real life rich kids and Christina was going to play Paris Hilton.

 

I figured "It's not Half-Black History Month" would earn the show an automatic thumbs up from Bob.

Poor Maya can't win with Bob. Too white to play a black woman, too black to play Kristin Davis.

 

On the subject of Tina not playing the Kristin. I think it's obvious that Tina dosen't want to be in skits unless all the other women are used up and she absolutley has to.

 

Fun with real audio went on too long, they should have made fun off all the celebrity shows like E.T. and not just focused on Pat O'Brien.

 

Bob, just so you know I swear I remeber reading an article about the SNL writing process in early 2002 and they mentioned a Li'll Sluthes skit getting cut.

 

BTW, was there any confirmation on why Jeff Richards was fired? Was it the sexual harrasment alegations?

 

I remember seeing American Speldor and thinking they should have gotten Jeff to play Letterman in the scene where Harvey Pekar gets himself thrown off Late Night.

[bob_barron 0]

I figured "It's not Half-Black History Month" would earn the show an automatic thumbs up from Bob.

Poor Maya can't win with Bob. Too white to play a black woman, too black to play Kristin Davis.

 

Yea- poor Maya. It's not that Maya is too black to play Kristin it's just that she's too ugly and Kristin is too hot.

 

On the subject of Tina not playing the Kristin. I think it's obvious that Tina dosen't want to be in skits unless all the other women are used up and she absolutley has to.

 

Tina's record in skits is kinda weird. Sometimes she's in them for no reason. She actually was in 2 skits that got cut from the Barrymore episode.

 

Tina is on my list of 5 and her playing Kristin (also on my list of 5) is just an SNL dream come true.

 

Bob, just so you know I swear I remeber reading an article about the SNL writing process in early 2002 and they mentioned a Li'll Sluthes skit getting cut.

 

Lil' Sleuths has gotten cut a ton of times. At least 3-4 to my count. I get an email from someone who attends dress every week and I always find out what got cut.

 

 

BTW, was there any confirmation on why Jeff Richards was fired? Was it the sexual harrasment alegations?

 

Kenan said that it just wasn't working out and they mutually agreed to end it. It's weird that this has gotten no news at all.

 

 

I remember seeing American Speldor and thinking they should have gotten Jeff to play Letterman in the scene where Harvey Pekar gets himself thrown off Late Night.

 

Even though I have a soft spot for Norm (Me being biased towards Norm..NO WAY!) I will agree that Jeff's Letterman was awesome. I'm going to miss his O'Reilly impression most.