SNL Review

[bob_barron 0]

SNL Review- Natalie Portman/Fall Out Boy

 

Tribute-

 

Don Knotts- Barney Fife is one of my favourite characters of all time, and I loved the Andy Griffith Show. Mr. Furley was great as well. RIP Don, thanks for the memories. Barney Fife will live on forever.

 

Sports Report-

 

Maple Leafs- Ouch. Remember when they were playing pretty well and were defying expectations? Well so much for that. They need to blow up this team and just start over. Fire Quinn and Ferguson, it’s just not working.

 

Canucks- Going 2-1 without your top three defencemen is impressive and they are staying close in that Northwest division race. I really hope Salo and Ohlund can come back soon, we need all the help we can get to overtake Calgary.

 

Nets- I was about to lambaste them for half-assing it this week, but they had a great comeback win against the Raptors and Jefferson, Carter and Kidd looked excellent. I think the game lit a fire on their asses and hopefully they can capitalise on it and kick ass again,

 

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

 

[email protected] writes-

 

Hey Bob- This is Ken Hayashi again. I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on the preliminary card for WrestleMania 22 on April 2. They’ve already planned five major matches-

Cena v. HHH- WWE Title

Angle v. Orton v. Rey- World Title

Taker v. Henry

Vince v. HBK

Foley v. Edge

 

Frankly, I’m pissed that Edge had to drop the WWE title so soon. Edge v. Cena v. HHH would’ve been a much better main event for ‘Mania. So I’m quite apathetic about Cena v. HHH, since either guy winning wouldn’t do anything for me. Angle v. Orton v. Rey could be decent, and hopefully they won’t keep pissing all over Eddy. Taker v. Henry is whatever, and I’ll be pissed if that match lasts more than 5 minutes. Vince v. HBK doesn’t really interest me either, and unless Bret does a run-in, the match will die. Foley v. Edge seems rather pointless, but the match could be fun if booked ECW-style.

 

So what do you think of the card being developed for WM22? Do you think Bret will physically get involved in the show like Hogan did last year? Later, Ken

 

Yea, Wrestlemania looks pretty underwhelming this year. Cena-HHH is gonna suck, the three-way should’ve just been Angle v. Rey, Taker v. Henry will suck, Vince v. HBK is pointless, and Foley v. Edge will be fun but has lacklustre build. It’ll probably end up being an okay-good show, but it just seems so slapped together.

 

I heard Bret won’t be at the actual show, just the HOF, but I don’t expect him to do anything physical. He did have a stroke.

 

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

 

And now the review…

 

Cold Opening

Cast- Will Forte, Darrell Hammond

Thoughts- Yay, Forte’s W. returns. This was the usual solid cold opening, as I continue to enjoy Forte’s impression. Some really good lines here, especially Bush rationalising Katrina and talking about facing off with Bin Laden. It kind of reminded me a bit of the first W. skit post 9/11. Even though it’s a bit stale, I didn’t mind Darrell’s little cameo at the end. Good start to the show. ***1/4

 

Monologue

Cast- Natalie Portman, Chris Parnell, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Finesse Mitchell, Kristin Wiig

Thoughts- Natalie shaved her head last summer, I would hope she’d have grown it out by now, since she didn’t look that great. Natalie countering the Stars Wars geeks, though done before on the Simpsons, was really funny. Could’ve done without Finesse’s bit, but Kristin’s exchange redeemed it. I never saw the middle of either trilogy, so I can’t verify if what Natalie said was correct. ***1/2

 

Bald Babies

Cast- Bill Hader

Thoughts- This was pretty random but it had its moment. It didn’t work at the beginning but the ending with Hader holding his son and the Baby Beards is what clinched it for me. **1/2

 

Jamba Juice

Cast- Portman, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, Amy Poehler, Parnell, Hader

Thoughts- Jamba Juice always confounded me because I thought they mainly served juices, but instead they mostly make smoothies. I guess they wanted Jamba Juice for alliteration, and something like Saucy Smoothies didn’t work. I know someone who worked for Jamba Juice and they were pretty energetic, yet I never went in there. In case you’re wondering why I’m talking about Jamba Juice and not the skit itself, it’s because well, the skit blew. The boundless energy didn’t translate to humour and of course Seth laughing knocks it a bit. I laughed at Parnell, and that’s about it. *

 

Larry King

Cast- Portman, Fred Armisen, Poehler, Dratch, Forte, Wiig

Thoughts- I don’t really know what they were going for here. I was almost as confused as Larry King as to who was supposed to be what. And Fred’s Larry King has been done much better. His conversation with Amy was amusing and I thought the end bit about Portman’s penis was good stuff. The rest was just lame, and the random Felicity Huffman bit did nothing for me. **

 

Needlers

Cast- Portman, Meyers, Poehler, Sudeikis

Thoughts- As much as I love the Needlers, and I did enjoy this one, this edition was oddly flat. The audience was not into it at all, and the timing seemed a bit off. Still it’s the Needlers, it’s Seth and Amy, and you know I enjoyed it. Usual good lines here, especially Seth’s about the red wine and Amy talking about his lack of promotion. I really wish they would come up with a new ending for the Needlers, since them having sex is so played, even though it did lead to a nice dirty joke by Seth. I like the Needlers, but they’ve done so much better. I would hold off doing it for a while, just so it doesn’t become lame and unfunny. Still, this was good. ***

 

TV Funhouse

Thoughts- They really should’ve pretaped Dennis Haysbert’s bit or had him learn his lines…or something! Gore blimey, that was awkward. The Token Blacks was alright but should’ve been better. I did like the Bryant Gumble ending. The Driving Miss Daisy thing was whatever, I would’ve liked to see someone mock Morgan Freeman. The Lady Smith Black Mazambo thing was hilarious and easily the highlight of the show. The English to African joke was great, and seriously, that was just awesome. So yea, the first two kinda sucked but the last one was awesome. ***1/4

 

Nune

Cast- Portman, Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Parnell, Sudeikis

Thoughts- Calgary is really polished right now and they looked great against San Jose, especially how they were suffocating them that third period. I mean I know San Jose has nothing besides Thorton and the people he plays on the line with, but really, you should’ve seen Calgary’s D. Oh, I watched the Hockey Night in Canada game rather then concentrating on the Nunes. But what I saw was really bad, and Maya Rudolph coming back helps nobody. ¼*

 

Fall Out Boy ‘Dance Dance’

Thoughts- I thought I had never heard Fall Out Boy before, but I realised this was the song my roommate had been playing ever since I told him how Fall Out Boy were douchebags on Letterman. I came in wanting to hate this, but they’re really not so bad. The lead singer really pisses me off though, and I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. **1/4

 

Weekend Update

Cast- Portman, Tina Fey, Poehler, Hammond, Mitchell, Thompson

Thoughts- Tina and Amy were their usual bad self, even though I laughed at a few of their jokes. Portman as Sasha Cohen sucked the first time, but I’m a sucker for an Aristocrats joke, so I really enjoyed the second one. Darrell as Martha Stewart/Donald Trump was alright and thankfully they didn’t let it drag out too long. Kenan’s bit modelling the drag started off lame, but Kenan saying “Hell yea” and talking about the pouch for the penis and balls was funny stuff. I didn’t need Finesse doing the Stahkisha bit though. This Update had its highlights, but was the usual mediocre stuff. **1/4

 

Wake Up Wakefield

Cast- Portman, Dratch, Rudolph, Forte, Armisen, Samberg

Thoughts- Hmmmm, I guess the Wake Up Wakefield characters never age, or else they would’ve been 9 when the skit started, and that makes no sense. Also, I always bought Sheldon as being older then 13, especially given how long the skit had been on the air. And, Adam Levine? Maybe in 2004 when Maroon 5 was starting to hit it big I could buy that one, but come on. I have to say, Sheldon and the other girl’s song being Follow Me by Uncle Kracker was really funny, and a nice touch to Sheldon’s geekiness. Jazz Times 10 showing up at the end was cute, although they didn’t play their usual song. Despite those nice touches, the world really didn’t need a Wake Up Wakefield again and this was pretty bad. *1/2

 

SNL Digital Short

Cast- Portman, Parnell, Meyers, Samberg

Thoughts- The Chronicwhatchles of Vendetta. I said the Chronic what? Chles of Leon. Man, that joke doesn’t work when Natalie Portman hasn’t made a movie with the word Chronicles in it. A quick check of imdb confirms this. I forgot she was in Everyone Says I Love You though, great movie. This so wanted to be another Lazy Sunday, but well, you’re not getting another Lazy Sunday. The bleeps were really funny, because, all bleeps are funny. The ending was weak though and it soured me on the skit. **1/2

 

Fall Out Boy ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’

Thoughts- Global or NBC seemed to have some technical difficulties so this started a little late, but I don’t think I missed anything. This had a lot of energy and I loved seeing a band take my advice and go crazy at 12:50 am. I still couldn’t understand a word they said but I liked the energy. **3/4

 

Smoke Alarm

Cast- Parnell, Armisen, Forte, Dratch, Sanz, Thompson, Mitchell, Sudeikis

Thoughts- This was actually pretty funny. I liked Fred as the ultra serious fireman and this was a good concept. I have to say that I think I’d be more likely to get out of the house if I had some annoying 80s synthesizer music playing. The stuff with Fred telling people to get out of the house ASAP and Parnell talking about enjoying the music was good stuff. I also enjoyed the little bit with Finesse and Kenan at the end. ***1/4

 

The Bottom Line- Avg. skit was **.38 making this a thumbs in the middle show. It got off to a good start but then nosedived once the first skit began. Nothing stood out, and a skit like the Needlers just fell flat. There were some unneeded recurring characters like Wake up Wakefield and the Nune people and Natalie Portman just couldn’t deliver. The show just never was able to put together a few good skits in a row. I really like Matt Dillon, so I hope he can deliver a good show next week. I’ll chalk this one up to an Olympic hangover.

 

Thumbs in the Middle

[Precious Roy 0]

I didn't tune in until the "tokens" skit...and flipped in and out after that

 

Natalie Portman is amazing. She's not a good dramatic actress, but she's really good at...something....I'm not sure what it is...but she's definitely talented, and likeable, and when she's on the screen my attention is drawn. She's perfect for a show like SNL...it's unfortunate that she's a big movie star, I'd rather see her in goofy sketch comedy than big budget hollywood movies

 

Thought the running "Olympic joke" gag during Weekend Update was great....Portman was great here

 

I like the "Noonie" skits....no fucking idea why, it's a cheap Sprockets ripoff in spirit with none of the creativity, horribly retarded, but for some reason I like it...

[Precious Roy 0]

Oh, and I'd never heard Fall Out Boy before....I thought they were ok....but it seemed like they were trying way too hard to be At The Drive IN

[bob_barron 0]

I've never liked Natalie Portman. I thought Garden State was terribly overrated, Anywhere But Here was awful and I didn't like her in the Star Wars movies.

 

Closer was awesome but not because of her.

 

The Classic SNL last night (Bruce Willis/Neil Young) was amazing.

[Cowboy Battlenuts 0]

First and last time reader, it's hard to take you seriously as an authority on anything let alone what is and isn't funny, so acting as if you don't even have to watch a skit to rate it just seems....pompous.

 

You'd think by the time you start tagging star ratings on a FUCKING COMEDY SKIT you'd look down, see your penis and just leave the house.

[bob_barron 0]

I never said I was an authority, just someone who likes to review SNL.

 

so acting as if you don't even have to watch a skit to rate it just seems....pompous.

 

I've seen enough Nune skits to know it's not going to be funny. I watched a few minutes of it in between Flames v. Sharks, and I was right, I didn't find it funny.

 

You'd think by the time you start tagging star ratings on a FUCKING COMEDY SKIT you'd look down, see your penis and just leave the house.

 

I think it's been well established I have no life.

[SuperJerk 0]

I never saw the middle of either trilogy, so I can’t verify if what Natalie said was correct.

 

1. What did she say?

2. You never saw Empire Strikes Back? WTF?

I thought people weren't even allowed on the internet unless they liked that movie.

[bob_barron 0]

I don't even remember to be honest. There was one question about Episode 3 and some other stuff.

 

When they re-released the movies I saw Star Wars and Jedi, don't remember why I never saw Empire.

 

With the prequels, while I liked Phantom Menace, it didn't make me want to go see Attack of the Clones. Especially after all the negative reviews the movie got.

[SuperJerk 0]

With the prequels, while I liked Phantom Menace, it didn't make me want to go see Attack of the Clones. Especially after all the negative reviews the movie got.

Wise choice.

 

Thoughts- The Chronicwhatchles of Vendetta. I said the Chronic what? Chles of Leon. Man, that joke doesn’t work when Natalie Portman hasn’t made a movie with the word Chronicles in it.

 

You should have gone with "The ChronicWHATcles of Natalie" as the punchline, instead of trying to tie it into a movie she's been in. Just saying.

[Gary Floyd 0]

Well, this didn't take long

http://nataliedrinks.ytmnd.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ7bJQGlfJY&search=SNL

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

I liked most of the digital short, as it reminded me of The Party Andersons' "Cocaine", but Andy's role seemed like it was kind of stuck in there, as if "Hey, Andy, Jorma, and Akiva wrote it, Akiva directed it (Along with apparently most of the digital shorts), and Jorma made the beat, so Andy has to be in it, as he's a cast member. Put on a viking outfit!"

 

I noticed that Samberg's dancing in the Wake Up, Wakefield skit was a lot like when he danced with his mom in Awesometown (Which wouldn't be the first time an Awesometown skit was used in SNL, as Glirk was first done in Awesometown. Just waiting for Castaways to make it.).

 

I've never seen a Nune skit before, but this one was a bit insane, and I'm a fan of insanity.

 

And honestly, I'm only watching because Andy is on the cast, but for the most part, the episode was decent.

[Guest tony manero]

I love Natalie Portman and all, but she sucks at comedy. Her rap was amusing, not funny. Eh, whatever. She's still one of the top five female, dramatic actresses.

[Jericholic82 0]

I never saw the middle of either trilogy, so I can’t verify if what Natalie said was correct.

 

1. What did she say?

2. You never saw Empire Strikes Back? WTF?

I thought people weren't even allowed on the internet unless they liked that movie.

then boot me off, cuz I have never seen any of the star wars films (just clips here and there). but I have seen spaceballs over 100 time sprobably and I like it better

 

 

I missed alot of SNL (tna was on) so thanks for the recap bob.

[bob_barron 0]

The Chronic what? chles of Natalie- damnit, how did I NOT think of that?

[SuperJerk 0]

I never saw the middle of either trilogy, so I can’t verify if what Natalie said was correct.

 

1. What did she say?

2. You never saw Empire Strikes Back? WTF?

I thought people weren't even allowed on the internet unless they liked that movie.

then boot me off, cuz I have never seen any of the star wars films (just clips here and there).

 

My comment was intended to poke fun at the way the internet seems overpopulated with Star Wars fans, with the overwhelming bias that Empire Strikes Back is the best of the series.

[SuperJerk 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhFln_ZAaN4...talie%20portman

 

Of course, I'd bet a million dollars her dialogue was written by an SNL staffer, any Star Wars nerds looking for "real" answers should probably look elsewhere.

[bob_barron 0]

If any Star Wars fans were looking for answers from that, they should kill themselves

[SuperJerk 0]

If any Star Wars fans were looking for answers from that, they should kill themselves

http://www.aintitcool.com/tb_display.cgi?id=22635#1103902

[strummer 0]

So apparently MAD TV made fun of Lazy Sunday last night. I don't watch the show, anyone know what happened? Being that it was MAD TV it was probably lame

[Downhome 0]

If you want to download the rap video, here you go:

 

http://64.237.40.71/media/mov/s/snlnatalie...169f6d35d9aee18

[The Czech Republic 0]

Too favorable to Fall Out Boy. F--.

[bob_barron 0]

I wanted to hate them, but I don't know, they're song is catchy.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Try harder. Catchy isn't always a good thing.