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SNL is Friggin' Horrible! Except when Timberlake is hosting. (1 Viewer)

Haven't caught the full episode yet.

Thought the Undercover Boss sketch was fantastic.

Monologue was fun.

Subbing Darrell Hammond in for Trump is a huge plus; he's been doing that character since The Apprentice.

As always, dug Pete Davidson's commentary on Weekend Update.

 
John Bender said:
jamny said:
First episode in probably 20+ years that I didn't record. I'm done with it. I'll record it if they have a great host and see clips online if there's a buzz about it.
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In defense of SNl. There's been quite a few absolutely hilarious episodes over the past 2 years or so.LAst night, I agree, was bottom of the barrel terrible (other than Cecily in the Jasmine outfit which made my pants tight)
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It wasn't an easy decision. I've been watching since the days of Mr. Bill. It reminds me of when I finally gave up on The Simpsons.

 
Uwe Blab said:
jamny said:
First episode in probably 20+ years that I didn't record. I'm done with it. I'll record it if they have a great host and see clips online if there's a buzz about it.
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:shrug: I thought the Kylo Ren Undercover Boss was hilarious.
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Didn't watch much of it. His opening was horrible. The undercover boss was pretty hilarious. That was it. I switched channels because it was brutal.

 
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Encyclopedia Brown said:
Bruce Dickinson said:
Subbing Darrell Hammond in for Trump is a huge plus; he's been doing that character since The Apprentice.
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I wonder if he has been switched permanently. He also played the role in December. SNL made a big deal about Taran Killam taking over the role, but instead he was Ted Cruz in that sketch.
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I feel like Killam is not really breaking out in the way that I though he could. He had really good stage presence and commitment to the characters in the beginning, and I though that he could be Hader-esque going forward, versatile and really funny. But this year I'm just not feeling much memorable about him.

Overall, I really like most of the pre-taped/filmed pieces. I thought that dark Santa Claus piece with Gosling was really cool. Most of the skits are just falling flat for me. Many follow the same formula of go around a group and have people say normal things and then suddenly someone says something really weird. LIke the LD songwriting class, the Matthew McConaughy blues jam session, the band intros where the guy playing the laser harp (or whatever) gets mad he doesn't get a better intro. Or the skits have a really funny comedic idea as a premise. Bu t they don't know how to really play the whole thing out. Like the Pictionary game show from last season where one of the clues was to draw the prophet Mohammed or the Family Feud sketch where the husband is playing with his new family against his ex-wife and kids.

No cast member feels like a standout or must-watch. McKinnon might be the closest.

I did think Rhonda Rousey was a lot better than I expected. Surprisingly good as an actor. I did think that a lot the sketches from that episode seemed repetitive. Like Pete Davidson in the 3-way with the teachers. Didn't they do basically that exact same sketch before? Didn't seem like they put any new twists in it.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
I'm torn on last night's episode. There were a lot of laughs, and Springsteen's bonus song over the closing credits is something I hope show brings back in highlight reels over and over again.

However, I felt like I was watching a "Tina & Amy" sketch comedy show, not SNL. By the end of the episode, the experience felt a little selfish by the hosts. Again, difficult to complain about because of the talent level involved - I'm a fan of Fey, and I think Poehler is a national treasure (if you haven't watched Seasons 3-6 of Parks and Recreation, please make arrangements to do so) - but I would have liked to see the hosts try to elevate the cast a bit more.

But that's a meta-complaint, I guess. The material crushed. The Hillary Clinton sketch was top-notch. Meet Your Second Wife was responsibly mean, and il be shocked if Fey didn't write at least 90% of it. The 1940s film sketch was straight out of Second City, and if anything I wish they had taken the risk of improvising more of it. The music video was good (though I didn't care for the cameo - not a fan).
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To me, this was more of an indictment of the current cast than of Tina or Amy falling short. I think this is part of where I realized that the cast (and/or writing) is just not getting it done.

Bruce Dickinson said:
AAABatteries said:
Bruce Dickinson said:
Enjoyed the Gosling episode.

The alien abduction debriefing sketch shouldn't have worked that well. But wow, McKinnon was awesome. Bryant and Strong hardly ever break, but they both lost it.

Cecily Strong as the Glamour Magazine tech reporter was outstanding. A lot of the WU commentaries have one monster laugh and struggle through the rest, but that was a long string of extra-base hits.

But OMG my favorite performance of the night was Kyle Mooney as Ryan Gosling's childhood tormentor. Full commitment, clever dialogue, funny physical presence.

Santa Baby short film was a bit off-brand, but worked. I'm assuming that was a Mike O'Brien jam, but he usually casts himself in his work and I didn't notice him.
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Strong episode overall. But I have to speak out against Weekend Update - those two morons are ruining it. I can't stand either of them. I would fire both of them and go with anybody else they have.
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Michael Che is growing on me, but I'm done with Colin Jost.Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are co-hosting the Christmas show. I'd love to see those two hop behind the Weekend Update desk again, but it would make Jost & Che look even more amateurish.

Not sure what I'd do about WU if I was Lorne. Maybe Beck Bennett - he has a booming deep broadcaster's voice and is pretty nimble with words. I'd also be tempted to try John Mulaney, but he looks and sounds too much like Jost for it to seem like a real change. Or maybe just go all-in on Pete Davidson - his WU commentaries are hysterical, but he hasn't found a groove in sketches.
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I have been thinking for the past year that Mulaney returning makes so much sense. I guess that he wants to figure out a new thing for his next move, but he is so ###### funny and would be awesome on WU and/or as head writer.

 
Honestly do not understand why Kanye is a thing anymore...just awful for a sustained amount of time now.

Not that great of an episode this week...really don't understand why Killam has almost vanished from the cast.

 
-The opening skit was kind of fun, good idea but the execution at times was terrible. The Jeb Bush impersonation was horrible. You either nail it or you go with someone else, it was half ### done. McKinnon pulled out all the stops and tried hard, you gotta giver her that.

-Monologue was OK, the 4 and one sixteenth thing was mildly humorous, Keenan Thompson stole the opening IMO.

-The Day Beyonce Turned Black was pretty funny and quite a take on how whites react to stuff, thought it was funny but likely offensive to some as well, that makes it even better.

-The Cul-De-Sac was probably the funniest skit all night and let McCarthy basically let 'er rip. That was pre-taped with some cut to live action but it was the funniest thing of the night IMO.

-Leslie Jones in the news segment doing the V-Day was great. Bayer doing Jennifer Anniston was funny but monotonous. And yes, JA acts surprised when she says everything.

-Kanye West, we pretty much fast forward not even halfway through them, they were just not pleasant to listen to. I don't think I'm the target audience so I find no reason to make fun of it. If the music is written more for a particular race or culture then so be it. I have enjoyed several Kanye songs but this just wasn't interesting to me.

 
The Lonely Island is technically returning to Saturday night sketch comedy. Half-hour Saturday night show on FOX. Working title is "Party Over Here".

Samberg, Shaffer, and Taccone will be producers. Paul Scheer will also be involved.

On-camera leads are planned to be Nicole Byer, Jessica McKenna, and Alison Rich. IIRC all three are UCB folk.

Trying to get excited here, but FOX has a history of developing shows like these then not supporting them at all once they hit the air.

 
Long Ball Larry said:
Bruce Dickinson said:
Santa Baby short film was a bit off-brand, but worked. I'm assuming that was a Mike O'Brien jam, but he usually casts himself in his work and I didn't notice him.
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This says it was written by Vanessa Bayer and writer Jeremy Beiler, with some input from Gosling himself.

http://mashable.com/2015/12/22/snl-ryan-gosling-santa-baby/#dwRYoudSC8qD
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First of all, I had no idea Inside The Sketch was a feature. Thanks. Those are great reads for comedy nerds like me.

Impressed Bayer was one of the writers, and kudos to Gosling for hopping in and making it funnier.

 
Long Ball Larry said:
I have been thinking for the past year that Mulaney returning makes so much sense. I guess that he wants to figure out a new thing for his next move, but he is so ###### funny and would be awesome on WU and/or as head writer.
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It probably seems like too big a step back after being the title character on a sitcom, but that show never should have made it to air. And I'm saying that as a big fan of Mulaney's standup and WU commentaries; I'm giggling just thinking about his bits about Girl Scout cookies, and Law & Order.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
The Lonely Island is technically returning to Saturday night sketch comedy. Half-hour Saturday night show on FOX. Working title is "Party Over Here".

Samberg, Shaffer, and Taccone will be producers. Paul Scheer will also be involved.

On-camera leads are planned to be Nicole Byer, Jessica McKenna, and Alison Rich. IIRC all three are UCB folk.

Trying to get excited here, but FOX has a history of developing shows like these then not supporting them at all once they hit the air.
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I definitely like this idea.  Fox must have given Samberg a really sweet deal when they signed him for B99 (or the original holding deal or whatever).  Would have thought that Lorne would have tried to get him under his umbrella somewhere.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
First of all, I had no idea Inside The Sketch was a feature. Thanks. Those are great reads for comedy nerds like me.

Impressed Bayer was one of the writers, and kudos to Gosling for hopping in and making it funnier.
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Yeah, not clear how often those features come out, but I love #### like that.  The reason that I care about SNL at this point is not so much the actual content (at least from the sketches), but its place as a cultural phenomenon and all of the creative and logistical inner workings that come from having to put a 90-minute show on at the end of a week, no matter what.  Such a different animal from all other shows, which obviously have various time pressures, but not in the same way.

Also, have you read Apatow's book, Sick in the Head?  Just came to mind, because he constantly refers to himself as a comedy nerd.  Most of the interviews are pretty interesting regarding the creative process, mind and temperament.  I'm not sure that I really find Apatow to be a funny person, but he has a pretty remarkable resume and always seems to be thinking about the things that I wonder about with regards to the process of comedy and how actualize creativity.  Pretty impressive how he was able to have a goal from such a young age and be able to achieve way beyond his dreams.

In other comedy nerddom, Sacha Baron Cohen is on the WTF that dropped today.  Haven't listened yet, but I am psyched about it, because he's pretty much always in character when making appearances.  The only exception, that I know of, was when he was on Howard Stern, which was a fantastic interview.  Very interesting and thoughtful guy.  

Anyway, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled SNL bashing.

 
Long Ball Larry said:
Yeah, not clear how often those features come out, but I love #### like that.  The reason that I care about SNL at this point is not so much the actual content (at least from the sketches), but its place as a cultural phenomenon and all of the creative and logistical inner workings that come from having to put a 90-minute show on at the end of a week, no matter what.  Such a different animal from all other shows, which obviously have various time pressures, but not in the same way.

Also, have you read Apatow's book, Sick in the Head?  Just came to mind, because he constantly refers to himself as a comedy nerd.  Most of the interviews are pretty interesting regarding the creative process, mind and temperament.  I'm not sure that I really find Apatow to be a funny person, but he has a pretty remarkable resume and always seems to be thinking about the things that I wonder about with regards to the process of comedy and how actualize creativity.  Pretty impressive how he was able to have a goal from such a young age and be able to achieve way beyond his dreams.

In other comedy nerddom, Sacha Baron Cohen is on the WTF that dropped today.  Haven't listened yet, but I am psyched about it, because he's pretty much always in character when making appearances.  The only exception, that I know of, was when he was on Howard Stern, which was a fantastic interview.  Very interesting and thoughtful guy.  

Anyway, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled SNL bashing.
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I think that's why I'm still a regular viewer of SNL.  As Lorne says, "The show doesn't start because it's ready; it starts because it's 11:30."

I have read Apatow's book, but I picked up the descriptor "comedy nerd" from David Steinberg's interview show on Showtime, "Inside Comedy".  I also catch just about every episode of Inside The Actors Studio.  I'm fascinated by the process, and amazed by those who can pull it off consistently.  I've tried.  It's tough.  

Apatow strikes me as an excellent identifier and curator of talent, but not inherently funny.  He's more Lorne Michaels than, say, Will Ferrell.  That said, I was a fan of Larry Sanders, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin is one of my all-time favorite comedies.

The SNL VIntage over the weekend was the 2000-2001 season opener.  This episode was canonical for the epic Gore v Bush debate ("Lockbox v Strategery"), and had the milestone of Fallon and Fey's first Weekend Update.  Of course, Hammond kept launching missiles into the upper deck and out of the stadium as Gore, and Ferrell was relentlessly unintelligent as George W.  Interesting parallels with this year's race, too: in the debate, Gore hammered Bush's tax plan for a proposal that would give the top 1% in wealth 50% of the tax relief.  Then backstage, Ralph Nader (who hosted in the 1970s but was just making a cameo in this episode) was the political outsider railing against big money and big corporations controlling the political process.

Fallon and Fey were pretty choppy in their debut.  They hit some obvious beats on Bush that the debate sketch handled with a higher level of clever.  Their original idea for the pairing - Fey as the brainy, stuffy one, and Fallon as the charming kid who didn't do his homework - wasn't working on stage and took time away from jokes.  

Also fun seeing Tracy Morgan and Maya Rudolph as bit players barely in the show, before they broke out. 

 
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Long Ball Larry said:
I definitely like this idea.  Fox must have given Samberg a really sweet deal when they signed him for B99 (or the original holding deal or whatever).  Would have thought that Lorne would have tried to get him under his umbrella somewhere.
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Starts tonight, but you sold me a bill of giods, Bruce, as the lonely island guys are not the stars.

an alternative explanation is that I comprehended the article poorly and/or have total memory loss. 

 
Long Ball Larry said:
Starts tonight, but you sold me a bill of giods, Bruce, as the lonely island guys are not the stars.

an alternative explanation is that I comprehended the article poorly and/or have total memory loss. 
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I buried the lead.  3-4 paragraphs in I mentioned the on-camera talent was planned to be three UCB alumni women.  

The next Lonely Island project is a spoof of the pop star concert/BTS movies with Samberg as the dooshtastic pop star.  Taccone and Shaffer are sharing director credit and will appear in the film.  Bill Hader will have a small part, and a bunch of music industry folks appear as themselves, including Adam Levine and Simon Cowell.  Hits theaters this summer.  

 
Yeah, obviously my misread, but the show was really quite poor, I thought.

the one bit with the lonely island guys sitting in the balcony was not terrible.

 
The Jonah Hill monologue was so weird.  He was so nonchalant (same with his music intros and farewell).  It was like they woke him up at 9:00 and told him he had to fill in for the real host.  And the whole thing was really disjointed.  Odd to have one question from the "audience" then into something else, then into the bit with Future.

The two films were funny, though the visual reveal on the Trump commercial was better.  Even though the joke itself was less interesting, Killiam's raised arm with the swastika was pretty good. In contrast, the underlying premise of the wrestling one was a lot more interesting, but it felt like they didn't quite get there in terms of execution.  The news report angle didn't really make sense and was far less inspired.

Jay Pharoah's black comedian meeting bit was funny, but again didn't fully land because it just kind of didn't go anywhere.

Darrell Hammond's return to the screen is so great.  Should have never left.

 
This freaking show....

in an election that features Trump and Hillary as the presumptive nominees, SNL devotes 25% of its air time to drive home that they reeeeeeeealy hate Ted Cruz.

 
Statorama said:
This freaking show....

in an election that features Trump and Hillary as the presumptive nominees, SNL devotes 25% of its air time to drive home that they reeeeeeeealy hate Ted Cruz.
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You do realize Trump and Hillary will still be around providing a wealth of material, while Ted is exiting stage left don't you?

 
Big fan of Fred Armisen.  If you haven't seen the Blue Jean Committee episodes from Hader and Armisen's Documentary Now! show, check it out.  

 
Dead Poet's Society will never be the same...

Pete Davidson, bug the #### out of me, just a tweaky SOB, no awareness IMO and I wasn't surprised to see he is 22 years old...that said I enjoyed all the more watching him have his head cut off, ricochets off a table fan that acts more like a table saw, bounces out a window and then ripped thru a lawn mower and splattered all over the glass...knowing it was Pete made it even better.

He's too young, no awareness...but I bet the majority of folks here think he's the funniest thing to hit SNL in years... 

And understand that Davidson does not make that scene funny, he got his head cut off by a ceiling fan made out of ginsu knives, automatically that scene should be funny. You could have Nora Dunn come out for that scene and its still funny.

 
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Ilov80s said:
Pete Davidson is pretty funny. MoP you are insane.
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He is great on the Opie and Jimmy show. If you get a chance to hear the one where a producer quit over Pete Davidson making fun of him it is hilarious. A lot led up to that show where he quit but it was comedy gold. I think he is very funny but I am bothered when he brings his dad up. I guess that is how he deals with it but it is uncomfortable.

 
Mr. Ham said:
Seriously. So bizarre!  My post had absolutely nothing at all to do with him.  What a runaway ego.  And he seems to take pleasure in the identify of "going MoP" like it's anything but pathetic coming from a what is supposed to be a grown ### man.  This place can be so strange.  
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He's just getting started early on the 2016 tournament. Need to lock up the #1 overall seed. With timmy going over the top recently, it's a bit tighter than recent memory.

 
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