SNL Review

[bob_barron 0]

SNL Review- Steve Martin/Prince

 

Sports Report-

 

Leafs- They’ve had the quite miserable week (4-1 to Washington) although they look to be slightly turning it around. Ferguson needs to go badly, and this team really needs to rebuild.

 

Canucks- Even though they lost to Edmonton tonight, I’m happy they reclaimed first place. I’ve been hard on Auld, but he’s played well recently and the Canucks have improved. They’ve reclaimed first in the Northwest and hopefully they can stay that way. I’m very glad Naslund isn’t going to Sweden.

 

Nets- They are inconsistent, but I can’t hate on a week where they get victories over Miami and Detroit. They seem to be playing better at home, and Vince had a triple double so yay that. Of course, I don’t think Clifford Robinson will ever come close to 23 points again.

 

Mailbag!!!!-

 

Ken Hayashi writes-

 

Hey Bob- This is Ken Hayashi from Voy again. I need you to lend me some of your box-office knowledge. I don’t know shit about economics or business affairs, so I was hoping that you could help. If a wide-release movie has a $20 million production budget and a $28 million advertising budget, roughly how much revenue would this movie need to gross at the domestic box office, in order for the whole thing to gainfully surpass the breakeven point and make a good amount of profit? Hypothetically, how much U.S. total gross would this movie need to earn, in order to be called a profitable success in the end? In other words, how much would this movie need to ultimately yield in the U.S., in order to avoid underperforming at the box office? Does this movie need to stay in the box-office Top 10 for over a month (like 13 Going On 30 did), in order to produce a decent amount of profit? Realistically speaking, I just expect that this movie of mine would have the potential to be ultimately considered a modest box-office hit (like Fever Pitch), rather than a commercial boom (like Mean Girls). Think of it that way. Like always, I’d really appreciate your insight, Bob. Thanks for helping me out. Later,

 

Studios get 55% of all box office receipts. That’s pretty much all the math you need to do.

 

Chad Ruffner writes-

 

Raw this past monday night was a horrid show with little to no redeeming qualities whatsoever, especially when you consider that this was the raw after the 2nd biggest ppv of the year. You would never have known that was the case if you tuned in monday, however. The Company will have a hard sell trying to convince people to part with their money for Wrestle-Mania if this is the best type of programming they have to offer between now and then. The less said about this show the better. Thankfully I remembered to tape "24". Here's hoping Stephanie McMahon takes an early an extended maternity leave. Thumbs Down. What Did You Think? Chad

 

I’m not going to complain about any show that has Goldust wrestling. Cena getting the title back is beyond retarded, but I thought it was a pretty okay show. Eddy’s spirit turning heel on Chavo is sad though.

 

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

 

I’m not going to type up my top 10 list like last year due to working my ass off at the Sun, but here it is in short form-

 

10) King Kong

9) The Aristocrats

8) Batman Begins

7) Squid and the Whale

6) Sin City

5) Munich

4) Match Point

3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2) Crash

1) Cinderella Man

 

And now the review….

 

Cold Opening

Cast- Kelly Ripa, Alec Baldwin, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Will Forte, Samberg

Thoughts- Wow, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin meeting up, that’s like ummm the two people who host MadTV a lot meeting up. The beginning with Martin and Ripa was funny stuff, especially the Viagra clock. Viagra is not a word according to Microsoft Word. Baldwin was great as always and Martin kicking Lorne in the face was a great payoff to all this. ****

 

Monologue

Cast- Martin, Maya Rudolph

Thoughts- Maya Rudolph, the SNLer no one wanted back. The fact that she still looks pregnant (rocking those pregnancy boobs) was ummm interesting to say the least. Martin was hilarious here and I love his self-absorbed asshole persona that he always has on SNL. The attempted story he told at the beginning was great as were the pictures. The monologue died off when Maya made her unwelcome appearance, but at least we got the payoff to the Viagra Clock. ***1/2

 

Teddy Bear Hearts

Cast- Forte, Amy Poehler, Wiig

Thoughts- I liked the DeBeers music and the whole buildup was really funny, but the payoff itself was kinda lame. Amy showing her bear to Wiig was good but the end bit felt too tacked on. **1/2

 

Oprah

Cast- Martin, Rudolph

Thoughts- Yep, we definitely did not need Maya Rudolph back, and this skit was proof of that. Martin tried, but the Oprah skits always seem to come off as so flat. I think one of the improvements of this season over last season was the lack of Maya, hopefully the massive pregnancy boobs is a sign she won’t be around for long. I liked some of Martin’s lines, but this is the first skit? I mean, come on! **

 

Credit Card Debt

Cast- Martin, Chris Parnell, Poehler

Thoughts- A GREAT idea for a skit and Parnell was so in his element here. He seems to be working his ass off this season, apparently having figured out that Thick and Thin will not be long for the world. I have to say, Parnell not leaving SNL and squeezing Thick and Thin into his schedule like that makes him the smartest man alive. Parnell was awesome here and I really loved Martin as the dimwit. Some good exchanges between all three, and the end bit was the only thing I didn’t really like. Great stuff here. ****

 

Playing for Hamas

Cast- Martin, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, Bill Hader

Thoughts- I’m telling you. Steve Martin + self absorbed asshole= guaranteed laughs. I liked all of the Hamas people gushing over Martin’s early work and doing their Steve Martin impressions. Martin was funny and I loved the shameless plugging for Pink Panther. Martin’s opening bit kind of reminded me of that new Albert Brooks movie. Really good, if unmemorable, and Martin always brings the funny. ***1/2

 

SNL Digital Short

Cast- Martin, Forte

Thoughts- Yes! A bizarre Will Forte skit. I had flashbacks of that Seinfeld with Judge Reinhold. The one that spoofs Schindler’s List. This was funny, if a bit odd. I liked how the ending saw them talking from opposite ends of the room. Kind of had a downbeat ending as well. This was funny though, and I was glad we got to see Forte and Martin interact like that. ***

 

Quick Zoom

Cast- Martin, Parnell, Armisen, Kenan Thompson, Rudolph

Thoughts- I have to say, the first half of this skit sucked hard. I wanted to laugh but I realised this was not working. Then Kenan walked in, and it got good. The camera zooming in at the wrong thing was great and the rest of the exchanges between Fred and Martin was very funny, especially when the zoom-ins had a purpose. The camera not zooming in at Martin at the end was a great payoff at the end. I’d like to give it a higher rating, but the first half really did blow. ***1/4

 

Prince

Thoughts- Prince was a great choice for a musical guest, and I’ve always liked him throughout the years. This was a kickass set design and the song was really catchy and a lot of fun to listen to. Prince was great here and this was a really good performance. ***1/2

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Fey, Poehler

Thoughts- Well that was short. And that’s about the nicest thing I can say about it. Some of the jokes did work, but they need to stop doing jokes off video footage. It’s just a sad attempt to be Jon Stewart, and well Tina and Amy are a lot of things, funny as Jon Stewart is not one of them. This seemed very rushed and was over before it started, so in some sense this was the Best Update Ever! **1/4

 

Super Bowl National Anthem

Cast- Meyers, Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Thompson, Jason Sudeikis

Thoughts- I was actually starting to like Horatio’s Aaron Neville impression in this skit until he had to ruin it by laughing like a jackass. Kenan’s Aretha Franklin was pretty uninspired. It was just Kenan talking in his normal voice with fake breasts. Sudeikis’ Dr. John was pretty awesome though, and easily the highlight of this bland skit. **

 

Martin meets Lorne

Cast- Jimmy Fallon, Baldwin, Michaels, Martin, Parnell

Thoughts- JIMMY FALLON!~ ALEC BALDWIN!~ MORE BALDWIN-MARTIN INTERACTION!~ I really did like the show-long story between Baldwin and Martin. Jimmy’s random cameo was cool and Baldwin was quality as always. Martin and Lorne’s faceoff was funny stuff as well. This was too short for me to give it a higher rating, but I liked it a lot. Oh, and Matt Dillon hosting= the awesome. ***1/2

 

Prince Show

Cast- Martin, Rudolph, Armisen, Kristin Wiig

Thoughts- The Prince Show really has never been funny, and Prince being the musical guest does not make it funnier. Plus, Maya REALLY doesn’t look like Beyonce anymore. Martin was alright and I liked the way he said Prince, but he really had nothing to do here. Wiig’s Drew Barrymore impression was good stuff, so she finally did something noteworthy. The rest of this was the usual Prince Show crap, and I hope we can finally put this out to pasture. *1/2

 

NBC Nightly News

Cast- Meyers, Darrell Hammond, Forte, Sanz, Dratch, Poehler, Hader

Thoughts- I don’t know, I thought this was a bad concept for a skit and I could never fully get into it. I also think it’s some sort of sick joke to make Darrell wait around till 12:30 when you know he just wants to get the hell out of there. Funny, but also mean. Some of Bush’s speech was really funny (Hader running off= great stuff), but this fell flat and the ending felt tacked on. I wonder why we couldn’t have gotten another skit with Steve Martin. **1/2

 

The Tangent

Cast- Scarlett Johansson, Conan O’Brien, Brian Williams, Armisen, Parnell, Hader, Wiig

Thoughts- Well I guess we knew when they filmed this one! Parnell swearing about the results of this movie was the highlight for sure. I also thought the appearance on Conan was really funny. I also liked the ending, and Fred gave one great performance here. ***1/4

 

Surfers

Cast- Martin, Forte, Armisen, Meyers, Sudeikis, Hader, Wiig, Samberg

Thoughts- This was kind of a waste of Martin. He was funny and there were some good bits (him repeatedly asking Sudeikis, the little bit with Wiig), but damn did this skit sure drag on and on. I really wanted to get into it, but it was so repetitive and just seemed like it wouldn’t end. Kind of like A Simple Twist of Fate! **

 

Prince

Thoughts- I didn’t like this as much as the first song (too much backup singer, not enough Prince) but this was another good performance and I loved Prince’s guitar playing at the end and general performance. Of course he did have to plug his album (why?) so I must dock some points for that. But Prince was a great musical guest, and I’m glad SNL was able to get him. ***

 

Naturally Crafting

Cast- Martin, Dratch

Thoughts- Except for Martin’s hair and a few of his lines, this was BAD. I flipped over to Ed the Sock ripping on cheesy videos and that was much funnier. I don’t know what they were trying to do here, but whatever it was, it totally backfired. ½*

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was **.77 making this a thumbs up show. This wasn’t a blowaway show or anything but Steve Martin was very funny and there was some great stuff. The show seemed to die off a little after Update, but the first half was excellent. Prince was a great musical guest and the way they used the cameos made this seem like a big time show and unlike some of last year’s episodes, this one delivered. I really enjoyed this show and hope they can use the long break to recharge and have some funny March episodes.

 

Thumbs Up

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Hmm, they didn't have The Wild And Crazy Guy go into a gay bar. Damn, I'm out $20.

[Precious Roy 0]

I used to be the biggest Steve Martin fan but the guy just isn't that funny anymore, and doing live sketch comedy just shows how unfunny/out of practice he is these days.

 

I still like the guy, and it pains me to say it, but Steve Martin, YOU'RE NOT FUNNY!

 

The surfer skit was like a definite nod to this fact, just kind of sad that they have to make a skit out of the fact that he's past his prime...and it couldn't even be done in an ironic sense

 

The first Prince song was really good, a total ode to Jimi Hendrix. Second song was awful, and smacked of Prince trying to put over the latest untalented bimbo he's banging. Nothing wrong with him trying to sell his album though, that's the only reason he's on the show! Did you have a problem with the cheap plugs for Pink Panther? That's all SNL is there for these days.

 

My favorite parts of the show were the opening with Martin "killing" Baldwin and the short with Armisen talking non-stop (don't know why you'd single out the Conan bit as especially funny though). The zoom in doctor skit was really clever as the hackneyed first half was all to setup the actual joke, definitely the most creative writing on the show.

[bob_barron 0]

Hmm, they didn't have The Wild And Crazy Guy go into a gay bar. Damn, I'm out $20.

 

 

You know what's weird? The last time they did the Festrunks, the way they did it seemed like a passing of the torch to the Roxbury Guys. And that ended up being the last time they ever did the Roxbury Guys too.

 

I used to be the biggest Steve Martin fan but the guy just isn't that funny anymore, and doing live sketch comedy just shows how unfunny/out of practice he is these days.

 

I still like the guy, and it pains me to say it, but Steve Martin, YOU'RE NOT FUNNY!

 

I don't know, I still love the guy and thought he did a great job, considering he hadn't hosted SNL since 1994.

 

The surfer skit was like a definite nod to this fact, just kind of sad that they have to make a skit out of the fact that he's past his prime...and it couldn't even be done in an ironic sense

 

Yea, I was waiting for the surfer skit to go somewhere and well yea, it didn't.

 

The first Prince song was really good, a total ode to Jimi Hendrix. Second song was awful, and smacked of Prince trying to put over the latest untalented bimbo he's banging. Nothing wrong with him trying to sell his album though, that's the only reason he's on the show! Did you have a problem with the cheap plugs for Pink Panther? That's all SNL is there for these days.

 

The cheap plugs for Pink Panther were done in a funny sense. I have a feeling Martin knows it's really bad. It just bugs me when they're up there singing and somehow manage to plug their album. Just sing the damn song!

[BlackFlagg 0]

They missed a great opening for a big mark out moment with Fallon, the random appearence was nice, but they should've had him show up on Weekend Update, they had the perfect set-up for it when Amy went to get an abortion.

[bob_barron 0]

Jimmy appeared in the Cameron Diaz WU to continue the sexual tension with Tina.

 

Unless they kiss, I really don't have interest in seeing them together again.

[BlackFlagg 0]

Ah, missed that episode

[SuperJerk 0]

Studios get 55% of all box office receipts. That’s pretty much all the math you need to do.

 

I alway thought the studio got the bulk of the gate for the first few weeks, and then the exhibitor got more as time went on (like after 6 weeks or so). At least that's the excuse used whenever someone is asked why concession prices are so high.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

When I worked at the theater, I was told the take the studio got was much more. Also, my one manager said that Disney wanted a take on the CONCESSION prices of one of their animated films (I think it was Lion King). But who knows.

[bob_barron 0]

According to BOM-

 

On average, studios earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

[SuperJerk 0]

When I worked at the theater, I was told the take the studio got was much more. Also, my one manager said that Disney wanted a take on the CONCESSION prices of one of their animated films (I think it was Lion King). But who knows.

Anyone surprised by this? Anyone?