Monday, March 11, 2013

"Saturday Night Live" Episode Review-- Justin Timberlake (Host and Musical Guest)


Well, I'm very satisfied! Aside from a couple of sketches in the final half-hour, this past weekend's episode of “Saturday Night Live” was both very enjoyable and very memorable! Justin Timberlake, as expected, delivered a top-notch performance as the host and musical guest. Hosting the show for the fifth time has earned the musician/actor a place in the late night program's prestigious 5-Timers Club. As he did in the past, Timberlake gave a great performance and exhibited both impeccable comedic timing and sharp chemistry with the variety show's cast. Thus, I cam say with all honesty:

Despite some weak writing in the final half-hour, the performances of everyone made this week's episode of “Saturday Night Live” Fun to Watch!

Warning-- Lots of Spoilers Ahead!

Cold Opening- Hugo Chavez's Funeral

I had a slight feeling the weekly variety program would do something to address the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In the opening, Justin Timberlake performed Award-Winning Musician Elton John; who performed a musical ode to the deceased Chavez. Throughout the segment, Timberlake perfectly mimicked Elton John's manner of singing; despite frequently dropping the musician's British accent. That being said, Timberlake bestowed a very good musical performance, and sang about some tidbits about the late Venezuelan President (such as mentioning the world leader's pet parrot that always wore ah, as well as outlawing Coke Zero). Timberlake bestowed an enjoyable performance as well as a very enthusiastic “Live from New York...”; as this week's episode was the first time doing the latter. This opening successfully got me further excited about this week's episode.

Monologue- Juston Timberlake Joins the Five-Timers Club

This was GREAT!!! As a fan of the original Five-Timers Club Monologue (which aired on December 8th, 1990- when Tom Hanks hosted the late night program for his fifth time), I had a lot of fun watching “Saturday Night Live” bring back such a great piece of its history. It was so AMAZING to ultimately see SEVEN original five-timers all in the same room. Watching Timberlake interact with Paul Simon and Steve Martin was a lot of fun; especially when the latter ordering a drink from Former Castmember Dan Aykroyd-- who had was able to merely secure a job as a bartender after hosting the show only one time. The piece got even funnier with Five Time Host and Former Castmember Chevy Chase placing an order for a Roll Royce and requesting the bill be sent to Steve Martin. Watching Chase interact with Martin was great as was Timberlake's question about whether or not the two were friends and Martin's confusing answer. The laughs continued as Former Castmember Martin Short presented as a waiter as well as Candace Bergen, the first Female Five-Timer, asking who was responsible for leaving the toilet seat up in the club's one bathroom (with Martin Short's response being the punchline). The whole segment was great; as everyone got a chance to be funny and Timberlake had chemistry with them all. This truly was an enjoyable monologue!

Game Show Sketch- It's a Date!

As I said with the monologue... This was GREAT!!! As I have enjoyed Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's '90s-era R & B Duo, I was excited to see “Saturday Night Live” take a different turn with the characters by having them be featured as “Bachelor #2” on a dating game show. Castmember Vanessa Bayer was great as a contestant on the show as was Fellow Castmember Bill Hader; who played the game show's very enthusiastic host. In addition, it was SO TERRIFFIC to see Stave Martin and Dan Aykroyd reprise their famous reoccurring characters The Festrunk Brothers; who were credited as Bachelor #3 on the show. Martin and Aykroyd delivered their lines very well and I loved how the characters reveal that they still have their foreign accent after living in the United States for thirty-seven years. Moreover, Castmember Bobby Moynihan made for a good straight-man; as his character, credited as Bachelor #1, realizing that he doesn't have chance on the game show ( as he just flat out said that “I'm going to lose.” Lastly, Timberlake and Samberg were fun as always (with them singing their answers to the questions of Bayer's on-screen persona. Along with the monologue, this sketch was the best of the night!

Sketch- Veganville

I always enjoy these sketches where Justin Timberlake plays his over-enthusiastic dancing mascot character, and tonight was no exception. Donning a snack-cake costume, Timberlake bestowed a grand performance, dancing and promoting a restaurant specifically for vegetarians; much to the chagrin to an Italian meat vender-- played by Bobby Moynihan. As with the previous sketch, Moynihan played a good straight-man and he exhibited great comedic chemistry with Timberlake. Other highlights of the sketch included Timberlake's variation of Rhianna's hit song “We found love in a hopeless place” as well as the Harlem Shake ending. This was another fun sketch.

Weekend Update

This wasn't a bad edition of Weekend Update at all. A good amount of Seth Meyers' jokes were good tonight; especially his quips aimed at Kin Jong Un and Dennis Rodman. What's more, Meyers' presentation was good as well; as he seemed to be taking his time between jokes, instead of just rushing through each one in hopes to get to any featured segments. We also got the welcome return of Bill Hader's City Corespondent Stefon. It has been some time since the popular reoccurring character; and this particular segment was a lot of fun as usual. All the jokes were great; especially Stefon mentioning that he writes for the NBC drama “Smash”, Jerry the Gorilla passing a kidney stone, a nightclub being a burned-down Red Lobster, as well as the comment that club patrons can dance to the sound Donald Duck waking up from a Vietnam nightmare-- which was followed by Hader's dead-on impression of the classic Disney cartoon character. Both Hader and Meyers exhibited great chemistry as always, and the joke about Stefon's very own Five-Timers Club was a great way to bring this week's Update to a close. This was easily my favorite edition of Weekend Update to be featured on “Saturday Night Live” this season so far.

Sketch- The Adventures of Sober Caligula

Now here's where the writing started to teeter off. This sketch, featuring Justin Timberlake playing a Roman emperor confessing that he's a sex addict, wasn't funny at all. As Timberlake's character listed all the sexual activities he has partaken, the sketch got more and more ridiculous. I feel very bad for Timberlake; as the momentum of the evening got severely impacted by the very lazy writing. Our host tried very hard with the material he was given, but alas, the sketch went nowhere. With the addition of the bad homosexuality jokes and the completely abrupt ending, this was easily the worst sketch of the evening. The less said about this sketch, the better.

Sketch- Maine Justice

I was really surprised to see this sketch once again, as the original that aired this past December seemed to be intended as a one-time sketch. That being said, tonight's edition was very good, though it wasn't as grand as the previous installment with Guest Host Jamie Foxx. Jason Sudeikis was once again very funny as the judge; making me laugh with his over-the-top Cajun accent and many of his comments aimed at the defendant; played by Andy Samberg. Justin Timberlake was very good as the bailiff and he exhibited good chemistry with Sudeikis throughout the sketch. Featured Player Kate McKinnon was also very good as the accuser, and did very well speaking in a Cajun accent. Samberg also gave a good performance, though I wish that he had been given some funnier lines. The inclusion of Sudeikis' character feeding an alligator was also amusing and enabled the sketch to take a slight bizarre turn. All in all, despite not being as memorable as the original, this was still a good sketch.

Film Preview Parody- Romantic Comedy

And.. this was another weak sketch. I did not find this piece very funny at all, as the whole concept of a young lady being completely perfect-- with the exception that she has male genitalia-- was another example of how the writers use cheap sexual humor as an easy way to get laughs from the audience. The constant mentioning of her male genitalia got increasingly annoying, and it made the sketch drag on. I will say that all the performances were good; such as Justin Timberlake playing the shocked boyfriend, Castmember Nasim Pedrad playing the woman in question (with being billed as “an adorable brunette”), as well as the inclusions of Fred Armisen's Eugene Levy impression as well as Castmember Kenan Thompson's character being referred to as “a confused black friend.” Despite the good performances, this was not a completely memorable sketch.

Sketch-Commercial- Moet & Chandon

And here was another sketch from the Jamie Foxx show that was made into a reoccurring segment; though I'm not too surprised this was brought back. Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong were once again good as the characters as the model-strippers. They had some good lines; but not that many. Though I will say that Justin Timberlake imparted a keen performance once again, and I got a kick out of the way his character kept entering and exiting the stage. All in all, this wasn't entirely bad, but I wish the closing sketch would have been more memorable.

As for Justin Timberlake's musical performances, I was happy with both. His performance of “Suit & Tie” was catchy and a lot of fun. It was cool to see Jay-Z guest star for the performance so he could perform his lyrics. The whole performance was just great. I also enjoyed Timberlake's second musical performance; which was entitled “Mirrors.” The song was good and I loved how Chevy Chase, Martin Short, and Steve Martin dressed up as The Three Amigos and performed their famous salute to introduce Timberlake's second musical performance. Justin Timberlake is just a very talented musical performer.

As I look back on my review, I have to say that, in all honesty, this may just be my favorite episode of the season. Yes, there were too very weak sketches, but that's always the case with “Saturday Night Live” nowadays. Justin Timberlake bestowed memorable performances throughout the evening and the entire first hour was greatly performed and a lot of fun. And the final half hour featured good performances throughout that helped the quality of the weakest sketches improve a bit. The cast was in top form and they all seemed to be having a good time. All the surprise guests were great and I was happy how everyone got to do and say something funny. Despite any weak writing, this episode truly was the most enjoyable show of the season so far. I hope Melissa McCarthy can follow-up this show with another enjoyable one. Fortunately, I enjoyed her great performances when she hosted last season. So, I have a feeling her show will be memorable as well.

So thank you all for reading my review and stay tuned for my more Nater-Tainment!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

My Review of Last Night's "Saturday Night Live" will be Available Tomorrow

It is taking me a bit longer to write my review of last night's show.  By tomorrow evening, I will be posting my review.  I apologize for the delay, but I promise it will be up tomorrow night.

Thank you all for following my blog and stay tuned for tomorrow!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

That's the show!

My review will be up by tomorrow night.  I was very happy with a good amount of the show.  All the performances were very good though the writing just wasn't that great after Update.

But I will say this:  Despite the weak writing in the final portion of the show, This was the best episode to air in 2013 so far!  In fact,  for the most part, this really was A VERY, VERY, VERY, MEMORABLE SHOW!!!!  Expect me to go into further detail in my review!

Thank you all for following me tonight and check out my review tomorrow evening.  Good night everybody!

Weak closing sketch

Every sketch after Update has either been just alright (Maine Justice) to very poor (basically everything else).

Timberlake did very well with the material he had, but the writing was not so good whatsoever.

I don't know why the writers don't continue the momentum after Update.

Timberlake was a very good host and musical guest. 

We are back!

This is another installment of a sketch that aired on the Jamie Foxx show.

That's two sketches from the Jamie Foxx show that have now become reoccurring.

Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer and timberlake are giving good performances, though the writing isn't very good at all.

I hope the final sketch of the night is good

Well, this is just poor

More lazy juvenile humor.  Why does the writers insist on doing such inappropriate humor?

I liked Fred Armisen's Eugene Levy impression though.

Very poor film parody.

We are back!

Both of Timberlake's songs have been very good!

Very enjoyable. 

And now, commercials

I'm enjoying this performance

Timberlake is just a good performer!  I've enjoyed his performances tonight!

Three Amigos salute! Cool!

Justin Timberlake is performing again. 

I like this song so far

The show's coming back soon

This sketchis good, but the other one was a little better!

All the performances were good though. 

Commercials are on now.

Sudeikis and Timberlake are good together

Sudeikis is good as this characrer.  Like the alligator puppet too.

Jason Sudeikis is always good

Timberlake is doing a good job as the bailiff.  And I'm glad to see Samberg back again!

They're actually bringing this back?

It was great the first time.  I hope this one is good too.

We are back!

Hopefully this next sketch is better!

Next sketch is coming up

That was the first bad sketch of the night

I'm not crazy about the writers using sex jokes like that as a crutch for getting laughs from the audience. 
'
Worst sketch of the night so far.

Commercials are on now.

Timberlake is giving a good performance

Though I'm not crazy about the type of humor this sketch is utilizing

This looks like it could be an interesting sketch

I'm not crazy about the juvenile humor so far

We are back!

Next sketch is coming up

commercials are on now

That was a very good Stefon segment

Very short Update tonight.  Very enjoyable though

I'm enjoying this segment so far

Bill Hader's Donald Duck impression is very good. 

He and Meyers are always great together.

Stefon's back!!!

AWESOME!  We haven't seen him since October 2012.  Bill Hader is always good as this character.

Seth Meyers' performance is good so far tonight

Seth Meyers' jokes are alright so far

Though I'm a little disappointed that Checy Chase isn't anchoring the news though .  Maybe he'll be on soon

We are back with "Weekend Update"

Commercials are on now

"Weekend Update" should be coming up next

This episode has been more-than-great so far tonight!

This is the most fun I've had watching SNL this season so far!

Jay-Z! Wow! Good to see him on SNL tonight!

This is a good song and Justin Timberlake is a naturally good musician

I'm enjoying this performance very much!

I've heard this song "Suit & Tie" before

It's catchy and I'm happy to see Timberlake perform music on SNL again!

we are back!

Justin Timberlake's first musical performance is coming up

Commercials are on now!

I'm REALLY ENJOYING this show so far!  Timberlake is great as always!

This is a good commercial spoof

The female castmembers are doing well with the material!

"Harlem Shake" parody!

Good way to end the sketch

Moynihan is a good straight man in this sketch as well

They have good chemistry,

Timberlake doing a parody of "We Fell in Love in a Hopeless Place"

Justin Timberlake is just a great host!

Timberlake's performances in this sketch are always great!

He's got REALLY good comedic timing and energy!!

Bobby moynihan ihas been getting a lot to do tonight!

Great to see Justin Timberlake's mascot character again!

We are back!

Next sketch is coming up

This episode has been VERY GREAT so far!

I hope everything keeps up!

Commercials are on now!

Bill Hader is good too!

This is GREAT!!!! 

Melissa McCarthy is going to be on again!  She was great last season!








This sketch is GREAT!!!

Vanessa Bayer is doing good!

I'm enjoying this greatly!  

Bobby Moynihan is a good straightman

his "I'm going to lose" line was great!

Martin and Aykroyd still got it!

This

Timberlake and Samberg are always great together!

Aykroyd and Martin's Wild and Crazy Guys!!!

This is unbelievable!

Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's R & B Singers!

Forst time they appeared in an actual live sketch!

It's an interesting idea for a sketch

We are back!

First sketch is coming up

Commercials

That was GREAT!!!!!

I like this episode very much so far!

Candace Bergen!!!

This monologue is a SNL fan's dream!

Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks!!!

This is GREAT!!!

Martin Short! Back on SNL after his hosting stint this past December

THREE AMIGOS Reunion!

This is GREAT!!!!

Chevy Chase! He also also hosted 5 times!

Steve Martin! Always good to see him!

Good joke aimed at Joey Fatone!

Dan Aykroyd!  Good to see him again!

5-Timers Club monologue!

I called it!

PAUL Simon!

Happy 5th SNL Hosting Stint to Justin Timberlake!

I have a good feeling about tonight's show

Timberlake got to say LFNY!

First time he ever got to open the show! 

Justin Timberlake is doing a good job with the material

He has a good grasp on Elton John's singing style. 

This is the first time Timberlake has appeared in a cold opening

He is a naturally good singer and musician

Justin Timberlake as Elton John!

Cool to see him in the opening sketch

Cold opening concerning Hugo Chavez

And we are Live.......NOW!!!!

It's Getting to that Time

In just a little over ninety minutes, my live-blogging will begin.  Starting at 11:30pm, I will be live-blogging and opining on the writing, the sketches, and performances of tonight's episode of "Saturday Night Live"; featuring Guest Host and Musical Guest Justin Timberlake.  And by tomorrow night, I will be posting a review that features my opinions in more detail.

So be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers.  Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you do not miss my latest comments.  Feel free to share your own thoughts by clicking the "comment" link underneath any of my posts.  I appreciate your feedback very much and I look forward to seeing your opinions.

So stay tuned and I'll see you at showtime!

A "That's Nater-Tainment!" Special Report: Justin Timberlake Hosts "Saturday Night Live" for his Fifth Time Tonight!


Tonight, NBC's “Saturday Night Live” is all-new, and this episode is going to be an important one. At 11:30pm, Justin Timberlake is going to be celebrating his fifth hosting stint on the long-running sketch-comedy program. And to mark the occasion, Timberlake will also be serving as the episode's musical guest; to promote his new album “The 20/20 Experience”; which will be released on March 19th. I enjoyed Timberlake's previous four hosting stints; as his genuine enthusiasm and comedic performances greatly improve the quality of sketches. Furthermore, Timberlake always has great chemistry with the show's castmembers; so much so, that I wish he could be a regular performer on the show every live show. Needless to say, I'm looking very much forward to tonight's show.



I should also state that the mere fact that Justin Timberlake hosting tonight's show is a boon to the late-night series. As I've said in an earlier post, “Saturday Night Live”'s current season hasn't aired a genuinely memorable episode since returning from its holiday hiatus. Every episode that has aired in 2013 so far has featured weak writing as well as not quite memorable hosting stints.  For instance, on January 26th, Musician Adam Levine marred nearly every sketch with very unenthusiastic presentations and frequent cue-card reading.  And on February 16th, no matter how much Academy Award Winner Christoph Waltz tried as host, the episode suffered from very bad writing.  Furthermore, this past week's episode experienced a very poor hosting stint from comedian Kevin Hart; who tarnished almost every sketch with his over-acting and uncouth delivery. So I'm quite happy with Justin Timberlake being the host of tonight's show; as he's always been an enjoyable host.



Image of "Saturday Night Live" Castmember Bobby Moynihan and Adam Levine taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2013012613

And in hopes that tonight's show is entirely good, I have come up with three predictions that I hope come true:

  1. Seeing how Justin Timberlake is hosting “Saturday Night Live” for his fifth time, he is now a member of the “5-Timers Club.” On December 8, 1990, Tom Hanks hosted “Saturday Night Live” for his fifth time. And, for his monologue, Hanks got to join fellow members Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Elliott Gould in the exclusive organization. For Timberlak'e's appearance tonight, it would be exciting to see him join Hanks, Martin, and Simon as well as other celebrities that have become members over the years, like Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Devito. Seeing everyone on stage together would be great and further make this episode more special.

Image of Steve Martin, Paul Simon and Tom Hanks from December 8, 1990 taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=199012082
  1. When hosting “Saturday Night Live” on December 16th, 2006, May 9th 2009, and May 21st 2011, Justin Timberlake and then-Castmember Andy Samberg showcased portrayed 90s-era R & B singers in digital shorts; with all three becoming instantly-popular viral videos. Watching Timberlake and Samberg perform was always fun; as they possess great chemistry and energy together. It would be great to see Samberg return to the show tonight and create and star with Timberlake in a new short. It would be a lot of fun and their performance together would make this episode even more special.

Image of Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and Andy Samberg from May 21st, 2011 taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=201105215
  1. Seeing as this is the last episode of “Saturday Night Live” until April 6th, I would love the final sketch of the night to be a musical sketch that would feature Justin Timberlake, the cast, and any surprise guests that appears during the show. Such a piece would be a great way for the sketch comedy series to a close until April. I'm sure Justin Timberlake is going to be a great host as always, and if this kind of sketch takes place, it would make the night even more memorable.

So there you go. Hopefully, all three of my predictions will come true tonight. And throughout the show, I will be live-blogging and commenting on everything: the sketches, the performances, the writing, and more. And by tomorrow night, I will be posting a review that outlines my opinions in more detail. Needless to say, I will be doing A LOT of blogging!

So be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on my computers. Keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest thoughts. Feel free to share your own viewpoints by clicking the “comment” link underneath any of my posts. Your feedback means a lot and I look forward to seeing your opinions.

So thank you all for following my blog and stay tuned for tonight. See you at 11:30pm!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

This Weekend, I will be Live-Blogging "Saturday Night Live"



Image of Justin Timberlake taken from
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS473US477&biw=1078&bih=542&tbm=isch&tbnid=qAS3zA58-zjrjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Justin-Timberlake-Kevin-Hart-Lined-Up-Host-SNL-March-52854.html&docid=IziVBW-VXAiEoM&imgurl=http://www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/52854/saturday_night_live_52854.jpg&w=480&h=250&ei=xAg5UfujBufO0QHDhIHICg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=494&vpy=252&dur=3125&hovh=162&hovw=311&tx=164&ty=168&page=2&tbnh=136&tbnw=261&start=16&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:29,s:0,i:173

Do not miss my live-blogging coverage of this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live"; which will feature Host and Musical Guest Justin Timberlake. I'm REALLY looking forward to this week's episode; as I've enjoyed all of Timberlake's previous appearances on the late-night program.  Before the show, I will be posting some thoughts on and predictions for this week's show.  As the show airs, I will be commenting on the performances, the writing, the sketches, and anything else that comes to mind. 

Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers.  Feel free to post your own thoughts on the episode as it airs.  You can do so by clicking the "comment" link underneath any of my posts.  Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest thoughts.  Your opinions mean a lot and I look forward to seeing your opinions.

Thank you all for following my blog and stay tuned!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

All in all, a VERY BAD episode

This show was just downright poor!   Kevin Hart was very much one of my least favorite hosts of the season; right up there with Adam Levine.  Sure, he was enthusiastic and looked like he wanted to be on the show, but his over-the-top performances just irritated me. 

The cold opening was perhaps one of the better parts of the night.  Jay Pharoah was once again good as President Obama and the concept of bringing forward affected by the new budget cuts was humorous.  Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, and Cecily Strong were very funny and I liked the visual joke about the construction worker, the cop, the construction worker, and the Idian Chief being presented as an incarnation of The Village People.  This was a decent opening and it featured alright writing.

Kevin Hart's monologue wasn't very funny at all.  His enthusiasm is worth commending, but his material just wasn't funny at all.  His story about auditioning for SNL was interesting; mainly due to the fact that I always like learning about which comedians and aspiring actors originally trying out to be a castmember.  Nevertheless, this monologue wasn't very funny, though I did get a slight chuckle out of Hart's Denzel Washington facial expression.

The Steve Harvey Show wasn't terrible; as Kenan Thompson's impression of the well-known comedian-turned-talk-show-host was very engaging.  Though I am getting a bit tired of the joke about how Harvey mispronounces words on a regular basis.  Kevin Hart's over-the-top performance peeved me and I wasn't crazy about the joke that his character was afraid of the fake horse.  Though I did laugh when Thompson's Steve Harvey ran away from the fake horse along with Hart's character.  Aside from Thompson's performance as Steve Harvey, this was a weak sketch.

The book store sketch featuring the return of Bobby Moynihan's and Cecily Strong's obnoxious employees wasn't great at all.  Moynihan and Strong came off as annoying in their performances, and they weren't given any truly funny material.  I did get a laugh out of the revelation that Vanessa Bayer's and Kate McKinnon's characters were actually Siamese Twins, as well as Tim Robinson's goofy employee that was ultimately fired.  Kevin Hart wasn't funny at all as the boss; and his loud tirade towards the end of the sketch irked me greatly.  Aside from the fact that the sketch took place at a bookstore, the entire format and premise was basically the same as the first installment that aired during the Anne Hathaway episode this past November.  All in all, another weak sketch.

"Weekend Update" wasn't great at all.  Seth Meyers did have good jokes and his delivery was very good tonight; unlike previous installments this season, during which he seemed to be rushing to get to the featured Update segments.  Bobby Moynihan's "impression" of Kim Jung Un wasn't funny at all; as it was just an excuse for him to demonstrate an exaggerated fake Chinese accent.  Jay Pharoah did alright as Denis Rodman; though he hardly got anything special to do.  The act of both men making out at the end of the segment wasn't funny at all and it was just a cheap way to get laughs from the audience.  Tonight's "Really?" segment with Kevin Hart was alright; and both he and Meyers interacted finely together.  Though I didn't like Hart's overracting towards the end of the piece, though I was glad that it was short.  A very weak update this week, though Seth Meyers was quite good tonight.

The "Walking Dead" parody featured good performances from Taran Killam, Bill Hader, and Cecily Strong, though I didn't find Kevin Hart funny in the sketch at all.  The joke about his character using the accusation of racism in an attempt to hide his transformation into a zombie wasn't funny at all.  What's more, I did not find the joke about Hart eating Strong's character at end funny at all.  I was also slightly peeved by the sketch's abrupt ending.  I'm getting tired of sketches ending suddenly after a abrupt joke; and tonight's show featured A LOT of this practice.  Another bad sketch.

I'm not familiar with the show "Shark Tank"; so I was a little lost when watching the next piece.  I thought that Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, and Kenan Thompson were funny funny as the executives judging the Kevin Hart's character's potential product (a lamp wearing glasses).  I liked Hart's performance in this sketch; as he's better when playing more low-key characters and not being loud and overracting.  This sketch felt a little rushed and the ending was abrupt as well.  However, the performances in this sketch were all very good, and I was satisfied despite the weak writing.

The Z-Shirt commercial's 90s-style format was creative, though I did get a little tired of Kevin Hart's overly energetic delivery.  That being said, I did like the constant frustration of Tim Robinson's character and he interacted well with Kevin Hart. This wasn't terrible, though the joke did get old by the end at the end.

The commercial line recording sketch wasn't very funny; mostly due to the obvious joke that the volume of Kevin Hart's character's voice was too loud to match the soothing tone of the commercial.  Bill Hader and Fred Armisen were good as the straightmen of the sketch, and Vanessa Bayer was good as well.  I did get another slight chuckle when Hart's character admitted that he wasn't right for the commercial's narration, but other than that, I did not laugh a lot afterwards; especially during the ending with Nasim Pedrad's character-- who was mouthing Hart's dialogue.  Just another weak sketch that was slightly improved by Armisen, Hader, and Bayer as well as portions of Hart's performance.

I did not know where the funeral sketch was going until Kevin Hart appeared on camera and it turned out to be a continuation of the Z-Shirt ad spoof.  SNL can take very unpredictable turns with sketches, and this was quite unexpected. The frustration Tim Robinson's character was funny once more, and I'm glad to see him get quite a bit of stuff to do during this week's show.

The final sketch that was a decent parody of news shows where the news anchor constantly turns from one camera to the next.  Kevin Hart's quick camera turns was slightly funny and I did get a laugh when suddenly seeing his character sporting a neck brace following a news break.  Though his loud creaming when expressing the pain he was experiencing after removing the brace got my nerves.  I did get laughs out of Bill Hader, Taran Killam, and Kenan Thompson portraying cameramen who straight-out said the entire idea of the news show was a bad idea.  Not a terrible sketch to end the show, but not great at all.

And that's the show.  I'm not at all crazy about Kevin Hart, and I would probably only enjoy a return if he reduced his overracting and bring forward calmer performances.  I was happy with most of the cast tonight; including the performances of Taran Killam, Kenan Thompson, Bill Hader, Jay Pharoah (during the opening), Jason Sudeikis, and Cecily Strong (aside from the obnoxious employees sketch).  Bobby Moynihan, however, had a weak night, as his acting in the rude employees sketch and his appearance on "Weekend Update" came off as very obnoxious. 

Furthermore, I am not crazy at all about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  Both their performances were slightly annoying and I was practically unable to understand a single word the lead singer was saying.  Thy will truly go down as one of this season's least memorable musical guests.

And that's my review.  I'm REALLY excited to see Justin Timberlake host next week; as he's always a very enjoyable host and he blends in PERFECTLY with the cast.  He's a very likable performer and his comedic acting on the show is always GREAT.  I'm also looking forward to seeing him perform music on the show again.  I bet his show will be one of this season's best; as he's always able to improve the quality of the sketches due to his fun performances.

Thank you all for following my blog tonight.  Have a good rest of the evening and stay tuned for more Nater-Tainment!

This wasn't a great show at all

I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing Justin Timberlake host next week.  He will DEFINITELY bring forward great performances!

Final piece of the night

360 News

The joke of Hart's character having to wear a neck brace after constantly switching back and forth to different cameras is slightly humorous.

This isn't very funny.  I'm getting a little tired of Kevin Hart now.  The cast is WAY funnier than him. 

That was actually a creative way of connecting the t-shirt commercial to another sketch

Funny how they took a new sketch and had it just be an extension of the commercial parody.

More commercials are on now

we are back with perhaps the final sketch of the night

Commercials are on now

I'm not crazy about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at all

I'm not very crazy about either one of this group's musical performances

They truly are a rather forgettable musical guest. 

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have a lot of energy

But I can hardly understand a single word the lead singer is saying.  He goes too fast when singing the lyrics.

Bill Hader and Fred Armisen are good as the straight-men of the characters

Vanessa Bayer is good as well. 

Once again, Kevin Hart isn't very funny when he's going all out.  His performance in the "Shark Tank" parody was his best.  When he acts in an over-the-top manner or speaking loudly for the sake of comedy, he's isn't funny.  He's best when portraying more low-key characters.

The ending of the piece wasn't funny at all.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are on now.

This looks interesting

But I could already tell that the joke of this piece is that the volume of the voice of Kevin's Hart's character being too loud when reading his lines.

Talk about predictable humor.

Kevin Hart is actually funny in this sketch

When he's playing a low-key character and not acting all crazy, he's decent.  He has energy, but he's better playing more grounded characters.

Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, and Kenan Thompson were good with their performances.

This commercial is a decent spoof of 90s-style clothing ads.  It's good to see Tim Robinson getting stuff to do this week.

"Shark Tank" parody

Another sketch based on a show that I don't watch.

We are back!

Next sketch is coming up

That was a poor sketch and the ending was just abrupt

Bad jokes throughtout; though the performances of Taren Killam, Cecily Strong and Bill Hader were fairly amusing.

Commercials are on now.

A parody of "The Walking Deaf"

I've never watched this show, so I'm not familiar with the characters.

I will say that the performances by the cast are good so far. 

The joke about Hart's character trying to hide his turning into a zombie and using accusations of racism and diabetes isn't funny at all. 

We are back!

Next sketch is coming up

That wasn't a great segment

Though I must say that Hart interacted alright with Seth Meyers. 

Mixed bag of Update tonight.  Seth Meyers' jokes were alright.  Bobby Moynihan's segment with Jay Pharoah was just plain pathetic and we got a "Really" segment that contained a couple funny lines.  I will say that, even though I don't find Hart funny, that was his best performance of the night.

Commercials are on now. 

Good to see Kevin Hart on Update

I'm not REALLY finding him funny at all though.  However, his joke about his short stature made me laugh slightly.  At least he has a sense of humor about himself.

This segment is weak already

Bobby Moynihan turning in a very poor and annoying Chinese "accent".  He's having a weak night tonight.

Jay Pharoah is okay as Dennis Rodman; though his designated jokes aren't funny at all.  Very poor segment and bad ending.

Seth Meyers' jokes jokes have been aright so far

We are back with "Weekend Update"!

Commercials are on now

"Weekend Update" is coming up next.

I'm not at all crazy about this performance

I've heard this song played on VH-1

I son't find this song to be very enjoyable.  I can't understand a word the lead singer is saying and "music" is just ridiculous.

We are back with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis!

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' first performance is coming up

Okay, the jooke of those two employees actually being Siamese Twins was slightly humorous

And Kevin Hart STILL isn't very funny as the host. 

Tim Robinson got a slight laugh out of me when playing his fired employee character.

This sketch practically ended the same was as the first installment.

This just wasn't a great sketch at all.

And now, commercials are on.  This is a VERY weak show so far.

Aside from taking place in a book store, this sketch is basically following the same format as the first installment.

Typical SNL wrtiers doing the old copy and paste format.

Bobby moynihan and Cecily Strong played these characters during Anne Hathaway's episode this past November

The joke of their characters' constant insulting wasn't very funny during that piece.  And guess what?  It's STILL not funny!

This commercial parody was done previously this season

I always enjoy Jason Sudeikis' portrayal of Wolf Blitzer

A sketch about Quvenzhane' Wallis being the chosen as the new Pope.

I guess SNL is taking advantage of Kevin Hart's short stature by having him play the nine-year-old actress.

The sketch wasn't funny at all the the idea of Wallis riding on Pope Benedict's back was just stupid.

Jason Sueikis gave a good performance; but other than that, this wasn't funny.

Very abrupt ending as well and I found that to be a very weak sketch.

We are back!

Next sketch is coming up

Kenan Thompson is making me laugh more than Kevin Hart

That was an abrupt ending.

I'm extremelyexcited to see Justin Timberlake host next week!  His shows are always enjoyable and he's a VERY GOOD actor and always works well with the cast.

Commercials are on now.

Kevin Hart has energy indeed

The writing is just alright but I'm not finding Hart extremely funny; though his reactions to the fake horse are slightly amusing.

The joke of mispronouncing words is a tad overused though

The Steve Harvey Show

I like Kenan Thompson's impression of Steve Harvey.

We are back!

First sketch is coming up

This isn't funny at all

His Robert DeNiro "expression" was just wierd, though his Denzel Washington "expression" was slightly amusing.

The monologue ended at just the right time.

And now we are seeing commercials.

This guy apparently auditioned for SNL

Always interesting to learn who tried out for the show.

I don't find this monologue very funny

He has energy but I'm not laughing at all.  

Good to see a stand-up monologue every now and then

I know Hart is a stand-up comic but I don't know much about his material.

I will say, however, this monologue isn't very funny so far.

I don't know much about musical Guest Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

I'm REALLY not familiar with Kevin Hart's brand of comedy.

I hope tonight's show is good

Decent opening

Short opening that featured decent writing and goos performances

Village People joke

That's actualy creative. 

Jason Sudeikis is always good, always improving the quality of sketches with his performances

The performances in this sketch are good

The writing is alright as well

JGood to see the show opening with Jay Pharoah playing President Obama

SNL has been giving him quite a bit to do this season

And We are Live....NOW!!!!

It's Getting to That Time

At 11:30pm, my live-blogging coverage of tonight's episode of "Saturday Night Live" will begin.  I will be commenting on the sketches, the performances, and anything else that is worth mentioning.  And following the show, I will be posting a review that outlines my opinions in more detail.

Be sure to have your televisions to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers.  Feel free to respond to any of my thoughts by clicking the "comment" link underneath any of my posts.  Your opinions mean a lot and I look forward to seeing your opinions. 

So stay tuned and I will see you at showtime!

From the Mind of Nate: Brief Thoughts on the State of Season Thirty-Eight of "Saturday Night Live" So Far


“Saturday Night Live”'s thirty-eighth season is experiencing difficulty. As the season started with the writers making an attempt to create intriguing sketches, has eventually led a string of episodes that consists mostly of poorly-written pieces that are only improved by the performances of the late -night series' talented cast.

In the 2013 portion of the current season, the viewing audience, have witnessed weak sketches that featured weak attempts at humor as well as premises for sketches that really didn't go anywhere. Take for instance a piece that took place during the January 26th episode; which happened to be hosted by Maroon 5 Frontman Adam Levine. The concept of the sketch was interesting: a barroom confrontation between Levine and other musicians-- Pat Monahan of the rock band Train (portrayed by Castmember Taran Killam), Jason Mraz (portrayed by Fellow Castmember Jason Sudeikis), and John Mayer (portrayed by Castmember Bill Hader). Ultimately, however, the sketch just led up to a brief dance-off that went absolutely nowhere, and then the piece just abruptly ended. While the performances of Killam, Sudeikis, and Hader were very good, the pacing fell flat and it felt that the writers just had no idea of how to end the sketch. It should me be mentioned that Adam Levine proved to be a forgettable host; as hardly expressed genuine enthusiasm in the sketches-- save for the monologue-- which featured surprise appearances from Cameron Diaz and Jerry Seinfeld as well as Former “Saturday Night Live” Castmember Andy Samberg. We did also get, in all honesty, a humorous digital short; courtesy of Samberg and his Lonely Island cohorts Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, along with supporting vocals from Kendrick Lamaar and Levine; who was a good sport in going along with The Lonely Island's comedy. However, aside from his performances in the monologue and the digital short, Adam
Levine perhaps could be thought of as perhaps the worst host of the season as well.


Image from the Bar Brawl Sketch taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2013012610

However, I will say t the performances of the host could be quite enjoyable; but ultimately, not enough to save a specific episode. Case in point: the last live episode-- which happened to air February 16th. Christoph Waltz, who just won his second Academy Award this past Sunday, proved to be a good host; despite being saddled with very thin material. Throughout the show, Waltz stepped up to the plate and imparted a genuinely avid performance. For instance, during a game show piece-- which happened to be called “What Have You Become?”- Waltz portrayed a game show host who cheerfully probed three contestants (played by Castmembers Kenan Thompson, Bill Hader, and Aidy Bryant) about their empty lives. It wasn't until the end that we see that Waltz's game show host was not happy with his life as well, and all he wanted to do was be a dancer. Waltz's performance was very good; despite the predictable jokes that dominated the sketch. Waltz bestowed humorous performances in many of the sketches; especially in the final sketch of the night-- during which he played Demitri, a shy office security guard, who sent a poorly-crafted secret admirer card to a female employee; played by Castmember Cecily Strong. Despite his performance, the sketch suffered from insufficient writing; as the joke that Strong's character, despite the sheer obviousness of the letter, wasn't at all aware that Demitri was the one who penned it. Cecily Strong's performance was also quite good, as well as the feats turned in from Castmembers Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, and Vanessa Bayer-- all of whom portrayed co-workers who were repeatedly asked whether or not any of them sent the latter. Despite the performances, the very weak writing greatly hurt the overall quality of the episode.

There have been other hosts this season that, despite their performances, experienced weak writing. For instance, Jennifer Lawrence, who hosted the January 19th episode (and also won an academy Award for Best Actress this past Sunday, did the best she could with the material she was given. However, despite blending in well with the late-night show's cast, wasn't able to improve the quality of much of the sketches she was given. For instance, a piece about two early morning DJs (portrayed by Taran Killam and Fellow Castmember Bobby Moynihan), practically featured hardly any humor at all and appeared to be included in the broadcast just so the castmembers and Lawrence could impart their performances. Though they interacted well together, the writing was weak and the sketch appeared to drag at times. Lawrence did the best she could with her sketches; including playing a rude waitress at a 1950s-stryle restaurant as well as a canine contestant in a piece called “Top Dog Chef”-- a parody of competitive cooking shows. However, it should be said that if the writing had been better, Jennifer Lawrence's performances could have been even better.


Image of (from left to right) Jennifer Lawrence, Taran Killam, and Bobby Moynihan taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2013011911


However, I will that that the 2012 portion of the current season of “Saturday Night Live” has been slightly better that the most recent shows. Hosts Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway, hosted on September 22nd and November 10th respectfully, both turned in memorable performances that greatly improved the quality of the sketches. For instance, a sketch about a father introducing a co-worker, played by Fellow Castmember Tim Robinson), to his daughter, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, through an awkward musical introduction, was primarily memorable due to our host's enthusiastic performance. Gordon-Levitt displayed an immensely enthusiastic performance; resulting in the quality of the sketch to be greatly improved. In addition, on November 10th, Anne Hathaway also imparted an engaging performance as host; particularly during a piece in which she and Jason Sudeikis portrayed the farm couple that would be featured in the famous painting “American Gothic.” Watching the chemistry of Hathaway and Sudeikis was a lot of fun and all the various poses they suggested before exhibiting the stoical pose that we know today. And even though the writing wasn't entirely great on September 27th and November 10th, both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway great in their hosting stints; thus making their respective shows enjoyable.


Image of Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2012111010

However, my favorite of the season so far took place on December 15th when Former “Saturday Night Live” Castmember Martin Short returned returned to host the annual Christmas episode Right when appearing on stage for the monologue, Short was full of energy and performed a lively variant of the classic holiday song “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”; all the while wandering backstage and running into completely surprised guests Tom Hanks and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Former castmembers Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig; who had left the late-night program on May 19th along with Andy Samberg. This past December's episode also featured a surprise appearance of frequent host Alec Baldwin; who reprised his impression of Tony Bennett for a holiday talk show sketch that featured Short portraying the iconic singer's younger brother Jerry. Baldwin and Short possessed great chemistry and watching them sing together was a delight, The episode also included an creative sketch in which Short portrayed a representative of the Royal Family, outlining bizarre requirements to a doctor, played by Bill Hader, assigned to assist Kate Middleton throughout her pregnancy. The writing was of the sketch was very intriguing; as the specific guidelines that Hader's was given got more hilarious as the sketch went on. Both Short and Hader were great and the entire segment was executed flawlessly. The episode was a lot of fun and even though the writing dipped in the later part of the episode, the performances of Martin Short and the castmembers were great enough to keep the momentum alive. In all honesty, this was truly the best episode to air so enjoyable to air this season so far.



Image of Martin Short and Alec Baldwin taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=201212153

So, all in all, Season Thirty-Eight has truly been a mixed bag so far. Truly we've had a significant amount of weak episodes; particularly due to insufficient writing. Fortunately, even with the poor sketches, we've had memorable performances from the cast; particularly Jason Sudeikis, who has bestowed significant feats throughout the season. For instance, in a courtroom sketch entitled “Maine Justice”, which took place on the December 8th episode (hosted by Jamie Foxx). Sudeikis bestowed
an overzealous performance as Southern judge dealing with a civil suit involving a vacationing tourist; played by Bobby Moynihan. Throughout the sketch, Sudeikis was hilarious and possessed good chemistry with Foxx; who portrayed the courtroom's sharp-tongued bailiff. The sketch was very creative and it got funnier as the piece progressed. In addition, during the February 9th episode, Jason Sudeikis portrayed a security guard for Guest Host Justin Bieber; who was introduced to a group of decoys that were intended to keep him well-protected. However, none of the decoys looked like the young singer; who was less-than-impressed with what he was seeing. Sudeikis was great as Bieber's security guard and had many good lines throughout the piece. Watching the eight-year-castmember bounce some zingers at Just Bieber was all in good fun. It's sketches like these that remind me just how good Jason Sudeikis is as a sketch comedy performer and I will definitely miss him when he eventually leaves the show.


Image of Jason Sudeikis and Jamie Foxx taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2012120810

There have been more good performances from the late-night series' cast. For instance, Taran Killam has proved to be a good utility player; as seen in his ability to play different types of roles; whether it be an original character or an impression. For instance, in a sketch in which he played the older brother of a college student bringing home her boyfriend, played by Justin Beiber, to meet her parents. While the writing of the sketch was completely weak and repetitive, Killam's performance as the brother was humorous; mostly due to his delivery when mocking Bieber's character. In addition, Killam has proven to be a good impressionist as well; as evident by his portrayals of various celebrities like Michael Keaton and Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan. I will also say that Kate McKinnon has proven to be a good addition to the cast; as she's been able to bestow comical performances in sketches; particularly one where she plays a bar patron that hooks up with another patron; played by Guest Host Louis C.K. McKinnon gave turned in an amusing performance and possessed good chemistry with the actor-comedian. In addition. She has also has proven to be a good impressionist; as seen by her spot-on portrayals of Ellen DeGenerous and Jodie Foster. Furthermore, Jay Pharoah has done well taking over the important impression of President Barack Obama from Castmember Fred Armisen. He's also turned in some good impressions of other well known personalities; such as Sportscaster Stephen A. Smith, singer Kanye West, and comedian Katt Williams-- the later of whom, the castmember has the voice spot on. In other words, the cast of “Saturday Night Live” manage to improve the quality of the sketches thanks in large part to their performances and energy.


Image of Louis C.K. and Kate McKinnon taken from http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=2012110311

Thus, we are now left with seven episodes left to air. And tonight, they begin with Guest Host Kevin Hart. I know that he's a stand-up comic, though I haven't seen any of his comedy routines. Nevertheless, I'm going to watch tonight's episode with an open mind. And as usual, I will be commenting on the sketches, the performances, and anything else that comes to mind during the show. And following the episode, I will be posting a review that outlines my opinions in more detail.



Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers. Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest comments. Feel free to share your own thoughts by clicking the “comment” link underneath any of my posts. Your feedback means a lot and I look forward to seeing your opinions.

So stay tuned and I'll see you at 11:30pm!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Tomorrow Night, I will be Live-Blogging "Saturday Night Live"



Image of "Saturday Night Live" Castmember Jason Sudeikis and Guest Host Kevin Hart taken from  http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS473US477&biw=1078&bih=542&tbm=isch&tbnid=hCd5b2wwkAYAfM:&imgrefurl=http://screencrush.com/snl-kevin-hart-preview/&docid=MP5Mhw3mwSCxvM&imgurl=http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/screencrush.com/files/2013/02/hart.jpg&w=630&h=420&ei=T14xUZzrB-aa0QGdlYHIBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=587&vpy=237&dur=3172&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=106&ty=144&sig=108834442758546808520&page=2&tbnh=131&tbnw=195&start=16&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:0,i:182



Don't miss my live-blogging of this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live"; featuring Guest Host Actor-Comedian Kevin Hart and Musical Guests Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  Beginning at 11:30pm tomorrow night, I will be commenting on the sketches, the writing, the performances, and anything else that comes to mind.  And following the show, I will be posting a review that outlines my opinions in more detail.  And before the show, I will be posting some thoughts regarding the quality of the late night program's thirty-eighth season as a whole.  So don't miss any of my blogging tomorrow.

I would also like to apologize for being unable to live-blog this year's telecast of the Academy Awards.  I had prior commitments this past Sunday night; and thus I was unable to watch a good amount of the event.  I apologize for the inconvenience and I am planning some writings for the next few weeks.

So don't miss a minute of my live-blogging coverage of "Saturday Night Live" tomorrow night.  Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers.  Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you do not miss any of my comments.  Feel free to share your own opinions by clicking the "comment" link underneath any of my posts.  Your feedback means a lot and I look forward to seeing your thoughts.

So stay tuned and I'll see you tomorrow night!