SNL Review featuring a report of my trip to SNL

[bob_barron 0]

SNL Review-

 

 

Except at voy- my Trip Report is at the end of the review.

 

Sports Report-

 

Nets- Thank God for their defence since their offence has been terrible. K-Mart really needs to step up and bring his A game since the Nets need someone to bring it to the Pistons or else they will be bounced soon.

 

Braves- Like the Nets their offence has also been sputtering recently and it's ruining some good games by our pitching staff. They've been hovering around .500 all year and they really need to get something going if they want to win the division.

 

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

 

BobSmith12345 writes-

 

Hey, Bob. Big fan of your reviews. I was wondering if, when you do standby again this weekend, if you could ask one of the SNL people (particularly Tina or any of the other head honchos) why they dumped Parnell as Bush and have been jumping around from Hammond to Forte. I think Parnell looks and sounds like Bush a whole lot more than the other guys, and I don't see what he did to justify taking the role away from him. Seeing Forte do it again last night only made me question their decision some more, since he dropped the voice constantly and didn't bother to do anything with his face. I get the sense that Forte is just relying on his wackiness instead of trying to do a proper impression or something.

Thanks.

 

I think what happened:

 

Parnell's Bush was too much like Ferrell's Bush and he was never able to find his voice or his own identity. I also think Lorne rushed him into it too soon and the fans just didn’t view him as a suitable replacement for Will.

 

Darrell's Bush was just Darrell Hammond talking to the audience pretending to be George Bush. Just dreadful.

 

I think Forte has done fine so far. SNL finally made the right choice.

 

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

 

 

 

Cold Opening

Cast- Will Forte, Darrell Hammond, Maya Rudolph T

Thoughts- Good to see Forte getting another shot at doing W. I really enjoy his impression and I look forward to well looking forward to cold opening. I also like Maya's Condaleeza Rice so she didn't bug me here. The Friends spoof was hilarious and I nearly fell out of my seat when Forte and Hammond kissed like that. Nothing like some good ole fashioned homo-eroticism to kick off the show. This was very funny and the best cold opening of the season. ****

 

Monologue

Cast- Snoop Dogg, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch Thoughts- That was such a bad ass BMF like entrance that you know only Snoop Dogg could truly pull that off and look good doing it. Tina also looked pretty hot which is always a bonus. I like how the week after someone heckled the show, they had Snoop Dogg have the audience yell stuff out. Snoop's discussion with the audience on fo shizzle my nizzle was so funny and yet so true at the same time. And I can't forget that entrance. ****

 

Mom Jeans

Cast- Fey, Rachel Dratch, Rudolph, Poehler, Chris 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

 

Applachian Emergency Room

Cast- Dogg, Meyers, Poehler, Hammond, Rudolph, Parnell, Kenan Thompson

Thoughts- Applachian Emergency Room is fast becoming one of my favourite recurring skits- especially since Amy is so freaking funny in it with her accent, outfit and just everything she does. I just wish they gave Seth more to do then tell people where to go since he's wasted here. The bit with Kenan stuck in the thingy was hilarious and I'll give Maya credit for attempting a hick accent. And Parnell and his Stretch Armstrong made me laugh. I hope they continue to do this next year. ***3/4

 

Freestyling

Cast- Dogg, Meyers, Rudolph, Finesse Mitchell, Thompson

Thoughts- This was like the freestyle scene in Scary Movie 3 yet hilariously funny and with no cameos by Simon Cowell. I also thought Finesse's Ryan Klesko jacket was pretty badass. Snoop's second rap (My mom died...yesterday) was awesome and made me love him that much that more. Seth as Ivory was also really funny- I laughed the minute he came on stage. Kenan as the guy in the wheelchair was a bit much (If he's deaf how did he answer Maya's question) but I liked him having to get hooked up to hear the beat. I didnt mind Snoop jumping up and rapping at the end since there was really no other way to end the skit and I love 'Ain't Nothing but a G Thang'. And this skit involved more crowd participation. So I could dig that. Great performance by Snoop in this one. ****

 

TV Funhouse

Thoughts- This was edited down from dress which puzzles me since I don't understand why they didn't just cut it in the first place. While Pothead Theatre is a good concept in theory the execution was pretty piss-poor since they just kept showing the same thing. (A dog walking a person, a fish fishing a man) Have some variety! Another misfire by Smigel- hopefully he'll be ready to offend us for the finale. *

 

Friends

Cast- Dogg, Thompson, Mitchell

Thoughts- This is one of those skits that proves the Snoop theory: Snoop doing anything is funny. I was sad that the crowd was dead for this in the live show (in fact they were kinda flat all night) since this was pretty funny and deserved some laughter. Snoop's Chandler imitation was great (Could I BE anymore happier=goldage) and someone should've reminded Snoop that Joey is getting his own spinoff show. The skit was going okay until the end: Snoop, Finesse and Kenan jumping around in the fountain was awesome. Snoop lip-synching and playing air guitar to "I'll Be There For You" was pure gold. ***1/4

 

Avril Lavigne

Thoughts- Now those of you who read my reviews know that I love Avril. (There goes my credibility- well if you knew I love Avril then I guess I lost my credibility a long time ago. I love her new song 'Don't Tell Me' even though I think it's way too short. (Only 2+ minutes!) It was awesome getting to see her live and I thought what she wore was really cute. And the song sends a good message too so bonus for that. Awesome performance by Avril and it made me very excited for her new album. ****1/4

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fey, Fallon, Hammond, Dratch

Thoughts- Weekend Update rebounded from last weeks misfire and was back to normal this week. I really enjoyed the Dirtbag of the Week segment and Darrell as Clinton is always good for a laugh. The singing montage with Jimmy was very cute ("Thanks Charles Rocket") and seeing Tina get down to 'Yeah' made me very happy. The jokes were a tad weak (you can see the cut jokes at fallonfey.com) but Darrell as Clinton is just so awesome and makes me love every Weekend Update that much more. I guess the montage was a hint hint that Jimmy's leaving and I hope if they want to continue the co-anchor thing…they call Seth. ****

 

Ferecito

Cast- Dogg, Armisen, Sanz

Thoughts- Yes! Yes! Yes! Ferecito is back. This was just hilarious and one of the best sketches of the year. The interplay between Ferecito and Manuel about Omarosa, Ferecito's terrible monologue, the resurrection of deez nuts (That's how you do it John Cena) and just Snoop being Snoop led to pure comedy gold. Oh and Ferecito Walking was the funniest thing I've seen this year and takes over Lindsay Lohan's attempts to stay in character in the Debbie Downer skit. I couldn’t stop laughing during that whole bit and I actually applauded when it was done just to make sure this did not get cut. Snoop and Ferecito getting down to the Ferecito music, Ferecito saying 24 in Spanish- it was aaaaaaaaaaaall good. I hope they do this next year and Fred gets promoted to cast member because this character is this awesome. ****1/2

 

Now for Ferecito's Spanish reviews I present the review en Espanol-

 

¡Sí! ¡Sí! ¡Sí! Ferecito está detrás. Éste era apenas hilarante y uno de los mejores bosquejos del año. La interacción entre Ferecito y Manuel sobre el monólogo terrible de Omarosa, de Ferecito's, la resurrección de las tuercas del deez (That's cómo usted la hace Juan Cena) y Snoop justo que era Snoop condujo al oro puro de la comedia. El Oh y el caminar de Ferecito eran la cosa más divertida I've vista este año y asume el control las tentativas de Lindsay Lohan's de permanecer en carácter en el skit del downer de Debbie. No podría parar el reír durante ese pedacito entero y aplaudí realmente cuando acaba de ser hecho para cerciorarse de que éste no consiguió el corte. Snoop y Ferecito que conseguían abajo a la música de Ferecito, Ferecito que decía 24 en español era aaaaaaaaaaaall bueno. Espero que hagan el este año próximo y Fred consigue promovido a para echar a miembro porque este carácter es éste impresionante. **** el 1/2

 

ABC Fall Season

Cast- Poehler, Meyers, Fey, Dratch, Forte, Rudolph, Sanz, Armisen

Thoughts- Given that Tina's a fan of the Extreme Makeover shows I think it's fairly obvious she wrote this. This was tweaked from dress- it was edited down a bit. The bit with Seth/Amy and Tina/Rachel were pretty funny but the rest of the skit was kind of a miss and it dragged on too long. I will admit that the BUTT as a face got a giggle out of me since it was a BUTT…on someone's face. You can't not laugh at that. This was alright but definitely needed to be cut down more. **

 

Avril Lavigne

Thoughts- It was awesome getting to hear an Avril song that I had never heard before and the verdict is: Thumbs up. The song got off to a bit of a bumpy start but I really enjoy the chorus and was getting into it in the end and was able to sing along. I also enjoyed Avril's almost wardrobe malfunction. Message to the cameraman: Wardrobe malfunctions are cool. There is no need to zoom out and shoot the band during a potential wardrobe malfunction. I felt bad for her since you know the straps were bothering her but she could do nothing about it but pray nothing too bad happened. Really awesome song and I can't wait for May 25th. ***3/4

 

Duster's Digest

Cast- Dogg, Parnell, Poehler, Rudolph, Forte, Meyers

Thoughts- In dress the bit with Snoop Dogg as Rick James was longer and funnier. I thought this was pretty funny and I laughed seeing the cast on PCP. Seth and Will were the funniest and this is where Parnell is perfect as the dry straight man in these skits. Good stuff and I'm glad it wasn't cut. ***

 

A Mother's Day Message from Snoop

Cast- Dogg

Thoughts- This was very cute and really sweet and Snoop was his usual funny self here. It was just really short and not all that funny so I can't really give it a higher rating or anything. **

 

Schoenwald Studios

Cast- Dogg, Meyers, Dratch

Thoughts- Seth almost lost it in dress as well but that's because Rachel was egging him on with her sandwhich eating. I think Schoenwald Studios has been cut about 12,382 times so I'm always happy when it makes it on the air. I don’t think the concept is all that funny but the interplay between Snoop and Rachel ("The Martian who came from Mars…and was black) and Snoop mentioning the old guys from the Muppets was awesome and again prompted 'Don't cut this applause'. Funny stuff here and Snoop is God. ***

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was ***.3 making this a thumbs up show, the best episode of the season and the third best episode I've ever seen live. Snoop was a terrific host, he had a lot of fun hosting and he was funny in every skit he was in. Anything the guy says is funny and it really helped this show. I'd love to see Snoop host again as this was a fantastic episode.

 

Thumbs Up

 

SNL Trip Report-

 

When we last left me at the standby line: I arrived to the line super late, got touched by Lindsay Lohan and saw my first dress rehearsal in 5 months.

 

I arrived to the standby line at 5:30. Now I know what you're thinking (72 people get in last week and you arrive 5 hrs earlier?????) but I love Snoop and Avril and I wanted to ensure that I get in. I was #15 inline (something like that) so I felt secure about my chances of seeing Avril perform.

 

I went inside to wait for Lauren Graham to come outfrom Conan. She was Andrea Planbee from NewsRadio so I've always wanted to meet her. But I never liked her enough to go and like wait for her. As I was waiting for Lauren- Amy and Rachel came down! Amy was in a rush to get dinner so I let them go. While waiting for Amy and Rachel- Fred came down. Fred told me that he

didn't laugh during Debbie Downer since he didn'tunderstand why he should laugh just cause evertyone else was laughing.

 

I love this man.

 

Fred also fixed a guy's camera so he could take a picture with him. Fred Armisen: Funny and efficient.

 

Amy and Rachel came back in and I got to talk to Amy. Amy told me that her husband was stunned that the Leafs lost and is sad since he wants to watch hockey but well can't. As a fellow Leafs fan- I feel his pain. Amy was very nice and it was nice getting to talk to her again.

 

Lauren Graham finally came down and I told her how she was great on NewsRadio. I wanted to say:

 

Is it cold in here or are you wearing an atomnically correct bra?

 

But I was worried she wouldn't get the NewsRadio reference and she well wasn't wearing an anatomically correct bra so in the end I just kept quiet.

 

Conan came down!!! Now this was kinda awkward. I had some magazines in my hand for the cast to sign and when Conan came down.....

 

Me: Hey Conan!

Conan: I'm in a rush. Make it fast.

Me: Uhhhh I have nothing for you to sign. I just wanted to say hi.

Conan: (embarassed) Oh. Okay. Well hi.

 

I never got a chance to tell him how much I loved Alex Rodgriuez in a bag of cash.

 

While waiting for the cast to come out- I bonded with my fellow standbys. We ended up chanting 'Free Michael Jackson' while I held up a sign that Pedophiles Are People Too. This sign becomes important later.

 

Later on I went in and waited for the cast to come down. I saw Rachel and people were trying to convince her to do Debbie Downer again. Stupid fans. Seth came down and shook my hand. He didn't like taking a picture with someone in a Yankees hate. Good man. Amy Poehler came down and asked if any of us had a lighter for her cancer stick. Maya came down and I yawned. Fred came down and would not sign my Pedophiles sign. Bastard.

 

Will Forte came down and was super nice. He talked to us for like 10 minutes. He seemed very happy that he got W. I asked him if he thinks W. watches his impression and he got all scared and said he didnt know.

 

I said: Well if you turn up dead then I guess we know the answer.

 

We found out what Will was like in high school and he basically just chatted with us for a bit. He signed my pedophiles sign.

 

Jimmy Fallon came down and once again said he didn't know if he was leaving. He wouldn't sign my Pedophiles sign either. My friend Zack tried to get him to sign a picture of Lindsay Lohan's cleavage and he wouldn't sign that either.

 

I asked him why they changed Jarrett's Room in dress ("It wasn't funny") and watched him get mobbed. A Mexican girl asked him on a date and he said if he was in Mexico- he'd give her a jingle on the jangle.

 

I then began the long wait for Tina. Well Tina has been coming out earlier so now it's not really a long wait. It's more like the half assed wait for Tina while we ogle Lindsay Lohan in Vanity Fair.

 

Tina came out with Lorne at 1:30. I liked it when Tina came out on her own since Lorne is always rushing. I gave Tina a birthday card so my mission was accomplished.

 

Thus ended the celebrity portion of standby. I hung out with my fellow standbys, talked about the NBA Playoffs (Go Nets Go) and told new standbys some of my best standby stories.

 

It didn't get cold either so the sucky portions of standby were actually pretty kickass. I had a great time. At 7 (Well after 7) the page came out and gave us the tickets. I was #9 for dress.

 

LATER THAT NIGHT-

 

I went back to NBC at 5:45. You don't have to be there till 7 but I get so nervous and paranoid that I always get there early. And this time- it paid off. This guy had an extra dress ticket and gave it to me so I was automatically in without doing standby. Yay. I used my extra ticket to bump up this girl from Orlando who badly wanted to see the show. I was just happy I got to see Avril.

 

Don Pardo kept calling Snoop 'Snoopy Dogg'. JB Smoove did his usual warmup.

 

Message to JB Smoove:

 

Making fun of crime in New York City is not funny. It's old and lame.

 

Now it's time for...

 

WHAT GOT CUT!

 

Ike and Tina

Cast- Snoop Dogg, Rudolph, Mitchell, Fallon, Forte, Sanz, Meyers, Thompson

 

This was an E True Hollywood story on Ike and Tina Turner. Snoop was hilarious as Ike Turner. Jimmy busted out his Mick Jagger impression. It was pretty long (which is why it probably got cut) but very very funny in spots. ***

 

Whistling

Cast- Dogg, Forte, Armisen, Dratch

 

Will and Fred face off in a whistling competition but are then interrupted by Snoop Dogg who challenges them to a whistle off. This had some funny parts but you could tell it was so getting cut. Snoop was really funny. **3/4

 

Da Apprentice

Cast- Dogg, Poehler, Mitchell, Parnell, Thompson, Rudolph

 

This was a ghetto version of the Apprentice with Snoop in the Trump role. When he fired people he slapped them around and said 'You're tired.' Not much here. *1/2

 

Burn v. Snap

Cast- Dogg, Meyers, Forte, Dratch, Parnell

 

Yes- DAVE CLINGER RETURNED!!!!!!!!! This was a bit too short so I didn't like it as much as the other two (plus the subplot of Will Forte's brain getting operated on was just not good burn v. snap material) but there were lots of zings and lots of snaps and a good time was had by all. I applauded after every joke to get it on the air. Didn't work. ***1/2

 

Adventures of Harold

 

Same thing as last week. DUD

 

A Message from George W. Bush

Cast- Forte

 

George Bush speaks to the Arab world without wearing a shirt. This was not funny at all and the crowd was dead. *

 

Octane

 

This was a repeat from the Andy Roddick show I think.

 

I thought it was a great dress rehearsal and I had so much fun doing standby.

 

Be here next week when I wait in line for 20+ hrs for a show that will not require me to wait 20 hrs for.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

I... uhm... it really WASN'T that good. I mean, it was a decent episode, but eccch, Ferecito gets ****1/2 when it's the same sketch they always do except with "Ferecito Walking" which was admittedly funny?

[razazteca 0]

Parnell should of been in the freestyle skit! The man gotz skillz.

[Ted the Poster 0]

AAAGH! I missed the whole show! Is there a way to see it now?

[Ted the Poster 0]

Edit: F'ing double posts.

[bob_barron 0]

I... uhm... it really WASN'T that good. I mean, it was a decent episode, but eccch, Ferecito gets ****1/2 when it's the same sketch they always do except with "Ferecito Walking" which was admittedly funny?

 

I love Ferecito a lot- it's one of my favourite characters. So it pretty much earns ***1/2 right there. And Ferecito Walking was so freaking funny that I had to bump it up a bit.

 

Parnell should of been in the freestyle skit! The man gotz skillz.

 

I'm surprised Parnell wasn't on Weekend Update...and thankful

AAAGH! I missed the whole show! Is there a way to see it now?

 

Try bit torrent- they sometimes have SNL up

[Vyce 0]

Avril Lavigne

Thoughts- Now those of you who read my reviews know that I love Avril. (There goes my credibility- well if you knew I love Avril then I guess I lost my credibility a long time ago. I love her new song 'Don't Tell Me' even though I think it's way too short. (Only 2+ minutes!) It was awesome getting to see her live and I thought what she wore was really cute. And the song sends a good message too so bonus for that. Awesome performance by Avril and it made me very excited for her new album. ****1/4

 

I must say, I'm with you.

 

Avril DOES it for me. And I'm NOT talking about the music.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Snoop is quite possibly the funniest man in the world.

[The Fett 0]

Haven’t you in the past said how much you hated musical guest that just stand there and sing without bringing any energy whatsoever?

 

That’s exactly what Avril did. She was a statue the entire time she was on stage.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Snoop and Ferecito getting down to the Ferecito music, Ferecito saying 24 in Spanish- it was aaaaaaaaaaaall good.

You must have missed it, but when Ferecito intro's Snoop for the 1st time, he called him "Snoop Perro" (however "dog" is spelled in Spanish).

[Lando Griffin 0]

Damn that Avril telling girls not to put out. I've always heard that pop music sends bad messages to our children, but now I've heard it with my own ears!

[Guest Deebo]

whos hosting the finale?

[Guest Crazy Dan]

The Olson Twins are the Finale Hosts.

[Styles 0]

We have very different opinions. Bad episode, and Snoop is not durable at all. All he can do is rap and make funny words.

I liked the crazy old producer sketch and the PCP magazine but that's about it.

[bob_barron 0]

Haven’t you in the past said how much you hated musical guest that just stand there and sing without bringing any energy whatsoever?

 

That’s exactly what Avril did. She was a statue the entire time she was on stage.

 

That only applies to artists who I don't like or have never heard before. I love Avril's music so as long as she didn't sit on a stool- anything she did was a-okay with me.

 

You must have missed it, but when Ferecito intro's Snoop for the 1st time, he called him "Snoop Perro" (however "dog" is spelled in Spanish).

 

I don't remember that- They must've added that in after the dress rehearsal. That's pretty funny.

[Ripper 0]

We have very different opinions. Bad episode, and Snoop is not durable at all. All he can do is rap and make funny words.

Well...he can make words...don't know about the rap or funny part.

[ant_7000 0]

Naw, Snoop isn't funny, he's minstrel. He hasn't put out anything that would want me buy his album.

[MDH257 0]

Okay show, but nothing over the top. The opening and update were all that did it for me. The dead crowd really hurt the show this week. I'd call the somewhere in the middle of this seasons episodes. Not a bad one, but certainly not the best.

 

I remember ABC Fall Schedule and Ferricito being on earlier, not sure why Bob got the order wrong.

 

Bob, did you forget, not realize, or not care about Mom Jeans being a year and a half old and this is the third time they've run it? It dosen't matter since it's really funny (better that than Huggies Thong), but you reviewed it as if it were new.

[bob_barron 0]

When I go to dress I write the skits in the order that they were in the rehearsal- not in the live show.

 

And when they repeat commercials I just copy and paste from my previous review.