Saturday, October 26, 2013
That concludes m y live-blogging coverage.
Thank you all for following my blog tonight!!! I'm sorry the show wasn't good. Edward Norton was a decent host, though he was very underused. My review of tonight's show will be up by either Wednesday or Thursday night. Thank you all for following my blog and stay tuned for more Nater-Tainment! Good night everybody!!
That last sketch was basically a Halloween version of that Steve Buscemi sketch
Just very bad writig tonight.
This was a VERY BAD show!!
Right up with the Miley Cyrus show!!! I'm not at all happy with the way this season is going!! SNL is in truly bad shape.
The punchline of that sketch was different
However, oother than that, this was basically a ripoff!! The writing is TERRIBLE!!!!!!!
This sketch is basically a ripoff a sketch from two years ago
It featured Steve Buscemi as a guy giving bizarre explanations for his various christmas tree decorations. Norton is basically playing Buscemi's character and Bobby Moynihan is basically being a substitute for Kristen Wiig's character. This is lazy writing at its worst. In other words, THIS IS A COMPLETE RIPOFF!!!!!!!
This hasn't been a great show at all tonight
This season has been very poor so far in terms of writing. I have no idea how much longer the show can keep going at this point. With the writing not improving, SNL is going to be in A LOT of trouble. Commercials are on now. the show is almost over.
This song of Monae's sounds better than her first one
She sounds better singing this song than she did when singing her first one. Though I will say she isn't an amazing singer. She's alright.
All this "sex"-based humor isn't very funny
The whole idea of them laying out their plans for having sex isn't very funny. The only laugh I got in this sketch so far was Beck Bennett playing a customer , asking if he could get a seat far way from them. Very weak premise for a sketch. And now, commercials are on
Good to see Mike O'Brien get a main role ina sketch
Though this seems a bit too silly for my taste. EDdward Norton is REALLY being wasted with bad skits tonight
That wasn't great at all.
Aside from the opening, Alec Baldwin & Edward Norton in the monologue, and the Wes Anderson parody, this hasnt't been a very funny show. Commercials are on now.
A parody of "12 Years a Slave"
Jay Pharoah is giving a decent performance. Though the writing in this sketch isn't very funny. What else is new?
That was a VERY short edition of "Weekend Update"
There were only two good hokes tonight. Everything else wasn't great at all. And now, commercials are on.
This isn't a very funny segment.
Cecily Strong's jokes tonight haven't been very funny tonight. I'm REALLY not sure how she'll do if she's going to end up hosting "Update" by herself after Meyers leaves. She needs a co-anchor to work with.
Moynihan hasn't been that great with his reoccurring characters this season so far
He needs to come up with some better characters or just stop doing them and just play straightmen or just regular people in sketches. That he does very well. Also, these Anthony Crispino segments always play out the same way every time.
Meyers' second Kanye West joke was pretty funny
I'm getting tired of this character played by Bobby Moynihan. I like that they addressed Meyers taking over "Late Night".
I liked Seth Meyers' joke about the IT worers trying to fix the Obamacare website
These other jokes so far aren't that great
That wasn't a spectacular song
I liked her music. She's got a pretty average voice. Commercials are on now
This is abn energetic performance though
Monae is alright. I like the music her band is playing. She's not amazing however.
I've neverJanelle Monrae's music before until nolw
This is an alright performance. She's singing her lyrics so quickly, it's hard for me to keep track of what she's saying.
Commercials are on now-
I'm sorry I wasn't able to comment on that sketch so much. Something was going on with the blogging sit. Everything is fine now though
That was a very strange and ridiculous sketch
Kerry Washington is going to host next week. Commercials are on right now. So far this has been a mixed bage of a show so far.
This sketch is very silly-- in a not-so-great way though
I liked Brooks Wheelan's Weekend Update commentary. But this character of his wasn't very funny. He's probably better suited for just doing commentaries on Weekend Update
This looks like an interesting sketch
Good to see Good to see Brooks Wheelan play a character in a sketch. The writing isn't very good though. Edward Norton is doing well. The sketch itself isn't very humrous though.
This movie trailer parody is pretty funny
Edward Norton does a good impression of Owen Wilson, The idea of paryoding the the format of a Wes Anderson movie and using it for the trailer of a horror film is very funny. That was a good ad spoof
The joke about Kenan Thompson's Steve Harvey making ridiculous guesses about costumes isn't funny at all
This sketch isn't really going anywhere. Norton is basically being cast in straightman roles in every sketch he's been in so far.
Kenan Thompson reprises his Steve Harvey impression
This isn't very funny so far. Kenan Thompson is being WAY overused this season. Four episodes into the season and I think he's been in more sketches than anyone.
Nasim Pedrad isn't very funny as this character
All her little kid characters are bascially the same. They have the same voice and rely on repeating lines
Edward Norton is doing a good job
He and Alec Baldwin have good chemistry. I like Norton's Woody Harrelson impression.
I haven't heard of Janelle Monae. I hope her music is good
Good to see Edward Norton finally hosting SNL
This isn't a bad opening
The IT guy hitting the computer was also funny. The loading image was funny as well. That was actually a humorous opening. Good performance from Kate McKinnon.
The FAQ bit wa spretty funny
as well as the idea of sending a letter to the goverment simply saying "Help"
The idea of basic basic computer knowledge to solve the technical problems is alright
The writing is alright.
Good to see Kate McKinnon in this week's opening
I like that they are addressing the problems with the Obamacare registration website
Good to see Kate McKinnon in this week's opening
I like that they are addressing the problems with the Obamacare registration website
Good to see Kate McKinnon in this week's opening
I like that they are addressing the problems with the Obamacare registration website
It's Almost That Time!
At 11:30pm, my live-blogging coverage of “Saturday Night Live” will begin. I will be commenting on this week's episode; featuring Guest Host Edward Norton and Musical Guest Janelle Monae.
Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC and have my blog on your computers. 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,
I thank you all for following my blog. Stay tuned and I'll see you at 11:30pm!
Reminder About Tonight
Tonight at 11:30pm, I will be live-blogging this week's episode of “Saturday Night Live”; featuring Guest Host Edward Norton and Musical Guest Janelle Monae. Throughout the show, I will be commenting on the sketches, the writing, the performances, and anything else that comes to mind during the telecast. And by the middle of the week, I will be posting a review that loutlines my opinions in more detail.
Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers. Throughout the show, 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. I thank you all for following ym blog and I look forward to seeing your opinions.
So stay tuned and I'll see you at 11:30pm!
Image of "Saturday Night Live" Castmember Bobby Moynihan and Guest Host Edward Norton taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS473US477&biw=1384&bih=707&tbm=isch&tbnid=PSX-5LK3atMapM:&imgrefurl=http://www.examiner.com/article/edward-norton-and-bobby-moynihan-try-out-halloween-costumes-snl-promo&docid=Lw-rI6EVgpmmoM&imgurl=http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7f/b7/7fb71b4ffbd47b5ad6025ee490cfcb98.jpg%253Fitok%253DCzcU5O7W&w=586&h=332&ei=TTBsUuiNOourkQfZ2oD4AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=389&vpy=388&dur=2375&hovh=169&hovw=298&tx=209&ty=128&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=279&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0,i:138
Friday, October 25, 2013
"Saturday Night Live" Episode Review: Nruce Willis Hosts on October 12, 2013
Well, the third episode of “Saturday Night Live”'s thirty-ninth season has aired on October 12th; and, just like the previous two shows, there were more misses than hits. Guest Host Bruce Willis took the stage for his second time; the first being on September 3oth, 1989; back when the show's sketches were cleverly-written and not featuring the same jokes over and over again,. What's more, we had genuinely talented performers like Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman; who were so naturally funny that they were able to make every sketch enjoyable. What's more, any reoccurring sketches from the late 1980's, such as “Wayne's World,” featured fresh comedy and not simply rehashed storylines. Nowadays, popular one-time sketches are turned into reoccurring segments and practically play out in the same fashion as the first installment. And you'll see this later on in my review.
To get to my main point, Bruce Willis tried what he could to save the weak material. It was clear that he was enjoying himself in the sketches and he possessed good chemistry with the show's cast. Unfortunately, Willis was subjected to some truly poorly-written sketches that contained humor that was borderline ridiculous. However, it should be mentioned that some particular castmembers were able to improve the shoddy material of the sketches with some stand-out performances that actually brought forth some genuine laughs. Nevertheless, Episode Three of the sketch-comedy program's new season proved to be not entirely memorable. Thus, I can say with all honesty:
Bruce Wills' 2013 Hosting Stint Was, For The Most Part, A Not-Entirely Hilarious Ninety Minutes
Cold Opening- “Gravity”
This was actually a funny opening. Even though I haven't seen the Sandra Bullock-George Clooney film, it was easy to figure out that the idea of the two astronauts, played by Cecily Strong and Taran Killam respectfully, becoming detached and floating around in space while on a mission was a parody. However, the idea of the two astronauts reaching out to NASA for assistance, only to find out that almost everyone had been furloughed as a result of the government shutdown, was quite humorous and a good tie-in. Kenan Thompson actually evoked some laughs as a janitor who was deemed the only one essential to keep around NASA. Watching Thompson's character simply saying that he needs to grab a pen and paper to write down the confusing coordinates that Killam and Strong's characters were stationed was funny as was his ridiculous suggestion that the two astronauts take a cue from “Willy Wonka” and take some burps in an attempt to get down was also very funny in its sheer silliness. Kate McKinnon also brought some laughter as a lone female janitor responding to the two astronauts' loss of oxygen and not being able to think by saying that “neither can congress.” The whole opening was a short and simple premise that was actually genuinely funny. Two bad that opening sketch was probably one of the very few cleverly-written pieces of this particular episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
Monologue- Bruce Willis
This wasn't a bad monologue. Bruce Willis is joined by Bobby Moynihan; who said that he's always thought of the actor as a father to him and asks if they can play harmonica together. The result was an lighthearted blues performance that featured Willis playing the instrument with ease and Moynihan belting out his “melodies” in an off-key manner. I did get a laugh out of Moynihan stopping his playing to take some breaths using an inhaler in a comedically sheepish manner. When interacting together, Willis and Moynihan had good chemistry and I liked the letter's fake poster of himself as the baby from “Look Who's Talking.” In short terms, this was a silly but enjoyable monologue that played out in engaging fashion.
Sketch- Navy Seal Opps
This was a good sketch and probably the last entirely cleverly-written piece for a majority of the rest of the show. Featured Castmember Beck Bennett plays a commander of a squad of navy seal opps, outlining his troops' gameplan for an upcoming mission. Bruce Wills plays a soldier named “Zernicki”; who, instead of sticking to his primary mission mission task, outlines a gameplan of his own that basically serves as a plotline for a action film-- one that could be a typical blockbuster starring the actor himself. Wills' character describes how he would sneak up on different bad guy soldiers as well as how he would proceed to do away with them. While “Zernicki” describes his own mission, Bennett's on-screen persona keeps interjecting to remind Willis' character that he is to ensure that the squad's communication does not go down. Wills gave a good performance throughout the sketch as his character and was a good sport to be poking fun at the type of narratives that would serve one of his action films. In addition, Bennett did a fine job as the straightman of the sketch and his baffled responses to “Zernicki”'s descriptions were well-performed. Furthermore, Kenan Thompson turned in a decent performance as “Patterson”; a soldier who got increasingly engrossed in “Zernicki”'s action-packed scenario. The whole sketch was both well-written and well-performed throughout and its conclusion was both satisfying and actually funny-- with the whole squad following “Zernicki” oin hopes to live out the soldier's scenario. Just an enjoyable sketch all around.
Sketch- The Ol' Barbershop
With this sketch, the episode starts to take a nosedive in terms of the quality of the writing. Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah play two motor-mouthed barbers trading over-the-top stories while cutting their customers' hair. Meanwhile, Bruce Willis plays “Terry”; a newly-hired barber who proves to be incapable of telling hilarious anecdotes and only ends up trailing off and spinning yarns that go nowhere; all the while cutting the hair of a customer; played by a blonde-wigged Bobby Moynihan. Now, while Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah possessed good chemistry, it should be noted that the latter was clearly just doing an impression of Eddie Murphy's barber character “Clarence” from “Coming to America.” While Pharoah performs good impressions, I am disappointed to see the “Saturday Night Live” castmember stoop to copying one of the many hilarious performances of Eddie Murphy. I really wish that Pharoah would have come up with an original voice for his character; but, alas he didn't. I will also mention that the joke of Willis' character being unable to tell good stories became predictable early on in the sketch. In addition, the ending of the sketch felt quite abrupt; as the punchline seemed to be that Moynihan was apparently supposed to be a convict – as seen from his orange jumpsuit. This ending had no genuine humor whatsoever and felt like a tacked on visual gag.
This sketch just wasn't great at all.
Short film- Boys Dance Party
This was humorous. It seems that “Saturday Night Live” has made the idea of making comical music videos a replacement for the “SNL Digital Shorts.” This music video was quite well done and the production value had a lot of effort put into it. I got a kick out of most of the crazy dance moves by Bruce Willis, Bobby Moynihan, Kenan Thompson, and all the other male performers. While the idea of a group of guys engaging in a dance party once their wives leave for the day, while very simple and silly, the execution of the short film was enjoyable. Of course, some of the dance moves got a little too outrageous by the end of the film, most of the guys' dancing brought forward some genuine laughs. I'm happy to see Bruce Willis go along with such a silly premise; as I wouldn't expect him to be a part of something of this nature. Nevertheless, “Boys Dance Party”, for the most part, was a fun short film and may just be “Saturday Night Live”'s next viral hit.
“Weekend Update”
This was a mixed-bag of the sketch comedy's trademark news segment; however, there were more misfires than successes. Even though Cecily Strong's performance as Seth Meyers' co-anchor has improved since the first episode of the season, the second-year “Saturday Night Live” castmember still seems a bit awkward sitting at the Update desk. It should also be mentioned that she didn't really have many funny jokes; save for one quip about the hairstyles of Bruce and Kris Jenner looking exactly the same. I'm curious to know if whether or not Cecily Strong will have a co-anchor once Seth Meyers leaves to be the new host of “Late Night”. Unfortunately, I just don't see her doing “Weekend Update” by herself.
As for the guest commentators of this week's edition of “Saturday Night Live,”I do have a bit to say. First of all, Kenan Thompson makes an appearance as Senate Chaplain Barry Black; offering up prayers for the government shutdown. Thompson's bit wasn't very funny, and the whole idea of his on-screen persona venting his frustration with the situation in Washington and wanting to hit members of congress in the face with a sock full of change as well as performing other acts of violence on members of congress was just plan ridiculous. I'm REALLY getting tired of Kenan Thompson being used as the show's new go-to-guy for many of the sketches important characters. He's truly becoming WAY overexposed and some of his acting is starting to grate. He doesn't have the acting chops to be the “star” of of “Saturday Night Live.” If this continues, I'm starting to worry that the quality of the iconic sketch-comedy series will go down further.
Lastly, on this edition of “Weekend Update”, Featured Player Brooks Wheelan gets his first true opportunity to shine. The stand-up comic-turned- sketch comedy performer gives a commentary as himself commenting on the Army's upcoming policy on tattoos and advises soldiers to not rush out and get over-the-top tattoos before the new regulations come into effect. The piece wasn't bad and I got some honest laugh's from Wheelan's self-deprecating comments regarding his own tattoos as well as his comments heeding the bad decisions he made in terms of tattoo choices when he was a teenager in high school. The piece was entertaining and Wheelan handled himself well behind the “Weekend Update” desk for his first time. Furthermore, it was nice to see a stand-up comic behind the desk for the first time in years and I look forward to seeing Brooks Wheelan appear for more commentaries as the season goes on.
Sketch- Kirby the Kitty Cat Man Returns
And here's where the quality of the show continued to suffer. Bobby Moynihan reprises the role of “Kirby”; an eccentric astronaut whose immense love for his pet feline could end up jeopardizing a space mission. Moynihan last played this character when Daniel Craig hosted the previous season. And, suffice to say, the sketch practically played out the same way as before; only this was meant to serve as a (loose) parody of Bruce Willis' film “Armageddon.”Moynihan's comments regarding his beloved pet grew tiresome and only dragged out the sketch even more. What's more, the character acting like his precious pet got killed in an explosion outside the spaceship,only to reveal that everything is alright (his cat is alive, the explosion was only a solar flair) , was quite predictable. All in all, this sketch was just not good at all.
Sketch- Centauri Vodka Launch Party
Now this was a creative sketch that was well-performed. Unfortunately, it suffered from drawing out a premise for the entire duration of the sketch. Bruce Willis plays the front half of a two-man centaur costume. Featured Player John Milhiser plays the unfortunate soul embodying the second half. Milhiser's character turns out to be an actor that is suffering from a serious cold. This causes Milhiser's character to have difficult controlling his own body; as he wheezes and coughs; causing the two-man operation to backfire-- causing Willis' character to move around-- all the while pleading for his cohort to stop. Watching Bruce Willis being dragged around the scene as a result of the actions of Milhiser's afflicted character was humorous; though the bit went on a bit too long. What's more, the ending of the sketch felt abrupt and it seemed that there was no genuine punchline. All that being said, Bruce Willis handled the materiel well and it was nice to see John Milhiser get to have his first major role in a sketch,
Sketch- Protective Son
Remember my point in the earlier portion of my review of how reoccurring sketches from the late 1980s' didn't rely on the same jokes being repeated on every installment and was different each time it took place? Well, we sadly do not have that now. Back when Bruce Willis hosted “Saturday Night Live” on September 30th, 1989, he appeared in a “Wayne's World” sketch as a cool high school senior appearing on “Wayne Campbell”'s , starring Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey as their characters “Wayne Campbell” and “Garth Algar” respectfully, where he revealed the new cool word of the year. My main point is, “Wayne's World” was a reoccurring sketch that featured a different series of jokes during each installment and didn't rely on the same punchlines over and over again.
This sketch, however, is the complete opposite. Taran Killam reprises his role as “Eddie”, an obnoxious and over-protective young man who meets his mother's (Vanessa Bayer) new boyfriend; played by Bruce Willis. Upon meeting Killam's “Eddie,” Willis' character accidentally says the made-up word “chun” when attempting to say that he has a “child” of his own at home. As a result of the boyfriend's mistake, Killam's character starts to excessively make fun of the older man and obnoxiously says that he's only “messing around.” The entire sketch was basically a rehash of the first installment from the previous season; which featured Guest Host Justin Bieber as the boyfriend of “Eddie”'s sister; played by Nasim Pedrad. The entire sketch basically played out as the first installment; save for the fact that Jason Sudeikis' character of the boy's and daughter's father was written out of the sketch,
Taran Killam did what he could to improve the sketch's poor quality, but the bad writing greatly affected this particular installment. The only laugh I got was how Killam's character said that his own neck looks like an accordion. Bruce Willis also did what he could when playing his earnest character; but even he couldn't do much to improve things. Between this sketch as well as the return of Bobby' Moynihan's character “Kirby” from a couple sketches ago, it is clear that “Saturday Night Live” needs much better writers than the ones they have now. I love this show a lot, but when I look back at sketches from earlier years, I fear that the late-night sketch comedy series will never recapture the magic it once had. What a shame.
Pre-Taped Sketch- Sigma
Good to see Featured Players Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney star in another short film. This one in particular was much better than their short film from the Miley Cyrus show. In this particular short film, Beckett and Mooney play two members of a college fraternity who challenge two pledges, played by John Milhiser and Jay Pharoah, to a game of beer pong. The only thing is that the rules and set-up make it seem like the whole game was meant for children; examples include saying that the pledges have to whistle song when knocking down a cup as well as if the ball lands inside one of their own cups, the applicants have to design their own roller coasters using colored pencils and markers. Beckett and Mooney worked very well together as their fraternity members and Milhiser and Pharoah performed their roles of the confused pledges fine also. Other laughs I got included Mooney and Beckett's characters chanting “Chug”, “Chug,” “Chug,”; And the camera pulling back to reveal a toy train zipping along on a track as well as showing off some projects they worked on for their science class. Overall, a good short film and I am happy that Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney are getting more opportunities to contribute new short films to the show.
And that's the show. Overall, the writing is in a poor state. The writers of “Saturday Night Live” are mostly either rehashing one-time only sketches in a poor attempt at creating new skits as well as dragging out obvious visual jokes in an attempt to fill time in sketches. With three episodes into “Saturday Night Live”'s thirty-ninth season, is off to a poor start.
However, as we have seen with this episode's cold opening as well as the army sketch, there is still some capability present to make decent sketches. In addition, it should be said that the show's new castmembers are contributing humorous material and thus show potential to improve the quality of the variety series. I just wish that a majority of the show's writing would improve; particularly that for “Weekend Update”-- which is in need of a lot of help-- especially considering that Seth Meyers will be leaving the show in the near future.
I will also say that Bruce Willis did what he could with the material he was was given. He seemed to be game with the roles he was given, but, in all honesty, II do wish he got to do more. Aside from a weak “Armageddon” parody in the “Kirby” sketch, we didn't get any real spoofs of Willis' films. I wish the writers would have come up with parodies of some of his hit movies like the original “Lethal Weapon” or one of his other successes like “The Sixth Sense” or, most recently, “RED.” Bruce Willis did a fine job as the host, though he could have been given A LOT more to do.
And that's my review. I will be live-blogging this week's episode of “Saturday Night Live”; featuring Guest Host Edward Norton. Beginning at 11:30pm, I will be commenting on the writing, the performances, the sketches, and anything else that comes to mind during the show. And, by mid-week, I will be posting review of the show.
Be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers. Be sure sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest comments. Feel free to share your own comments as your feedback means a lot. I thank you for all your support and I look forward to seeing your opinion.
So have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow.
Friday, October 11, 2013
"Saturday Night Live" Episode Review: Miley Cyrus
Well, this past weekend's episode of “Saturday Night Live”, featuring Gust Host and Musical Guest Miley Cyrus, proved one thing about this season so far: the long-running variety series is indeed struggling. While the some of the sketches from the season premier featured some interesting premises with a not-so-great execution, a lot of this past weekend's comedy pieces suffered from paper-thin premises, weak writing, and even some over-the-top performances. In addition, it should be mentioned that much of Cyrus' performances in the sketches came off as over-the-top and not genuinely hilarious; as she basically spoke in the same manner in almost every one and hardly funny. What's more, “Saturday Night Live” continues to make the mistake of making eleven-year-castmember Kenan Thompson the go-to-guy for most of the sketches. I did, however, enjoy some portions of the show; particularly a couple of sketches as well as the performances of some particular castmembers. Thus, I can say with sincerity:Monologue
Aside from a Few Bright Spots, Miley Cyrus and the Cast of “Saturday Night Live” Brought Us a Not-So-Great Show
Cold Opening: Miley Cyrus Backstage at VMAs
This wasn't a bad opening. I do applaud “Saturday Night Live” for tying together the government shutdown with Miley Cyrus' VMA performance; as that is a creative idea for a sketch. And I do appreciate Cyrus for going along with the idea of the sketch and poking some humor at herself. In addition, I was also happy to see Vanessa Bayer's Miley Cyrus impression alongside Cyrus once again; though, in all honesty, it was inevitable. Though I did like the idea of Bayer playing Future Miley Cyrus going back to the past to warn her younger self that her scandalous performance will unfortunately lead to the government shutdown. Other highlights included Jay Pharoah's portrayal of Will Smith excitedly talking with Cyrus while warning her that his kids are watching the show and that they are in favor of PG-rated entertainment; obviously alluding to the twenty-year-old's upcoming scandalous performance. Though, in all honesty, I will say that the opening sketch- being narrated by an American citizen, played by Kenan Thompson, talking to his granddaughter, played by Featured Castmember Noel Wells, residing in a post-apocalyptic society years in the future following the government shutdown- felt tacked on and not-at-all needed. The sketch would have worked just fine with Bayer playing Cyrus' future self coming back to the past. Nevertheless, while the premise of the sketch was a good idea, the narrative portion just felt unnecessary.
Monologue- Miley Cyrus
Well, this wasn't a memorable monologue at all. In fact, this wasn't even a real monologue! All we got was Miley Cyrus coming on stage and saying what she wouldn't be up to doing for this week's show. The only quick chuckle I got was the sight gag of Bobby Moynihan sitting on a wrecking ball and screaming over his disappointment over the fact that Cyrus will not be doing any jokes about her music video for “Wrecking Ball.” I was hoping that we'd get a lot of good sketches tonight. Boy was I wrong; considering a majority of the sketches that took place that night.
Pre-taped segment- “Fifty Shades of Grey” Celebrity Screen Tests
Now THIS was a funny series of celebrity impressions. The celebrity screen test concept has been done before on “Saturday Night Live”; though I have to say a good amount of these were still funny. Featured Player Noel Wells did a fine portrayal of Emma Stone; who was goofing around with Seth Rogen; played by Bobby Moynihan. Though it was more-than-evident that he was trying, Moynihan's portrayal felt like it needed a little work. Other noteworthy impressions were of a clearly-nervous Jon Cryer, played by Featured Player John Milhiser, who was paired up with Jane Lynch; played by Kate McKinnon, who has proven to be quite good at celebrity impressions. This portrayal of Lynch was no exception. I also got a laugh out Beck Bennett's nicely done portrayal of Phillip Seymour-Hoffman getting frustrated with Kristen Stewart; played by Wells; who completely succeeded in capturing the actress' sullen demeanor. However, it was Taran Killam who stole the sketch with his dead-on portrayal of Christoph Waltz; who was willing to perform a nude screen test with Scarlett Johanson; played by Miley Cyrus. Killam captured Waltz's accent PERFECTLY and his hair style and outfit made him look JUST LIKE the Academy Award-winning actor. Overall, a humorous pre-filmed segment.
Sketch_ New Girlfriends Talk Show
This is a clear example of “Saturday Night Live”'s rinse-and-repeat formula with recent reoccurring characters. Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant play suppose “best friends” 'Kyra' and 'Morgan' respectfully ; this time introducing a guest, played by Miley Cyrus' to their talk show. Strong's 'Kyra' ends up quickly bonding with Cyrus' on-stage persona; causing Bryant's character to typically fear that she's once again getting replaced as her friend's best new co-hort. As for Cyrus', she ended up coming off as being quite annoying for the duration of the sketch; not delivering any funny lines whatsoever and her dance number added nothing special. Some of the side-comments Aidy Bryant made as her character were the only slight chuckles I got from this sketch, but otherwise, this was just wasn't great at all.
Music Video- “We Did Stop (The Government)”
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. After all the years we have gotten good genuine laughs from music videos supplied to us courtesy of The Lonely Island, “Saturday Night Live” tries to keep the laughs coming with a very risque' music video parody. While I will admit that the fact that the “Saturday Night Live” writers tackled the government shutdown through a music video spoof, it should be said that the result was too immoderate to be entirely funny. Miley Cyrus' performance as a gyrating Michelle Bachman canoodling with Current Speaker of of the United States House of Representatives John Boehner, played by Taran Killam, was just not funny and came off as overkill. The only laughs I got from the video spoof were Killam's mimicking of Boehner's voice as well as the sight of Jay Pharoah portraying President Barack Obama peering through a small viewing space; sporting a facial expression of pure shock and fear. If the video parody had been done in a more subtle manner and featured a more subdued performance from Cyrus and Killam, than I probably would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, we got what we got and hopefully we get better music video spoofs in the future.
Sketch- “Piers Morgan Live”
Now, this was a good sketch. I enjoy Taran Killam's impression of talk-show host Piers Morgan, and this was no exception. He had some good lines; particularly his comment that if he were in a cartoon, he would voice a fancy hedgehog. I enjoyed seeing Nasim Pedrad's impression of Arianna Huffington as always; and I enjoyed most of the clips of rejected documentaries focusing on the political career of Hilary Clinton. The “Breaking Bad”-style clip was very funny; with Kate McKinnon's portrayal of Clinton saying that everything she did as First Lady was all for herself; obviously spoofing a pivotal scene from the series' final episode. I also will admit that Featured Player Beck Bennett did a decent impression of Bill Clinton, and he even had a couple funny lines. My least favorite parody clip, you ask? The MTV parody featuring Miley Cyrus portraying Hilary Clinton. C yrus did not have any funny lines and her delivery came off as being too forced. The only time I laughed regarding the MTV documentary spoof was from Killam' Piers Morgan referring to MTV personality Sway, played by Kenan Thompson, as a “Human Beehive”. While the MTV spoof wasn't entirely funny, this particularly installment of “Piers Morgan Live” was funny and probably, for the most part, one of the better sketches of the night.
“Weekend Update”
Well, this was once again a mixed bag of “Weekend Update.” It should be said that I'm happy that Cecily Strong has improved her performance as co-anchor a bit; this time not saying her jokes in a manner that forced and off-putting. That being said, she does appear awkward sitting next to Seth Meyers; with whom, it should be said, she has no chemistry with. This is completely unlike Meyers had with Amy Poeher; as both performers would trade barbs off one another with ease and they established themselves as an enjoyable “Weekend Update” duo. I will also say that, aside from a joke about “The Arsenio Hall Show”, Meyers and Strong hardly had any funny jokes and they seemed to be rushing through their bits in order to get to the guest commentators much quicker.
And speaking of the guest commentators, there were just TOO MANY this week!!! We had a total of THREE!! First of all, Kate McKinnon played a mother c commentating on the latest edition of “Grand Theft Auto”. McKinnon gave a decent performance as her character, who had apparently gotten too into the game and became a bit too off-the-handle with the subject matter. Once again, McKinnon did fine; though the writing wasn't that funny. Next, Jay Pharoah played Sports Commentator Shannon Sharpe; and I was delighted to see that his guest commentator performance has improved since he was last on the weekly news segment. I was happy to see that Pharoah has stopped relying on raising the volume of his voice to get laughs, and instead now spoke his lines with genuine rapid-fire ease. Pharoah's performance improved the quality of the segment significantly; as the writing wasn't that hilarious. And lastly, we get “Jacob, The Bar Mitzvah Boy”; once again played by Vanessa Bayer. What can I say about this segment? Well, even though Bayer performs decently as this character, the whole concept of the thirteen-year-old roasting his family members when giving a speech has been done during each appearance. The segment did also drag a bit; though that was due to the weak writing. Overall, aside from some bright spots, particularly the performances of McKinnon and Pharoah, this edition of “Weekend Update” was n't very funny; mainly due to the weak writing, segments running a bit too long, and, most importantly, the lack of chemistry between Seth Meyers and Cecily Strong. I'm a little worried as to how “Weekend Update” will be once Seth Meyers leaves at the end of 2013.
Sketch- Cheerleaders Get Abducted by Aliens
Well, this was another misfire of the night. While I was happy to see a sketch rthat featured all six female castmembers, the overall concept of the lead cheerleader, played by Miley Cyrus, demanding that her squad continued their practice while three of them get abducted by an alien spaceship was just plain ridiculous. In addition, Kenan Thompson's alien invader character didn't contribute any laughs at all; as Cyrus' character had him reveal his mission plans of stealing the Earth's moon in the form of the squad's cheering exercises made the sketch suffer more. Finally, the ending shot of the model flying saucer zooming away with a plastic replica of the Moon was just an overly abrupt way to close the sketch. The only laughs I ot were from Taran Killam's performance as an effeminate male cheerleader; particularly his comment of “Deal with it, Dad” when saying his designated chant/ Poverall, however, this was just an excuse to fill time on the show. Just a really pointless sketch.
Sketch- “Mornin' Miama” Promo Shoot
This was a watchable sketch; though it wasn't entirely original. Miley Cyrus, Bobby Moynihan, and Kate McKinnon played three news anchors shooting promos for a week's worth of shows; with the news headlines getting more weird as the segment went on. This sketch probably featured the best sketch performance from Miley Cyrus for the entire show; as she didn't force her lines in this particular bit-- unlike every other comedic performance from her. McKinnon and Moynihan had good lines as their characters; particularly the latter's headline “Jeff Dunham's puppets are in the studio- Jeff Dunham is not! And we'll find out how funny those puppets really are!”. The sketch was quite funny; though, in all honesty, the whole premise of news anchors shooting bizarre headline promos have been done before in more hilarious sketches from earlier seasons. Nevertheless, this was a humorous sketch.
Sketch- Poetry Class
Here's another sketch that wasn't that great. Vanessa Bayer plays a guest poetry specialist to a high school class. Bayer played her part of the guest teacher quite well; though her character's constant stammering got a tad old by the half-way point of the sketch. Castmembers Jay Pharoah, Aidy Bryant, and Kenan Thompson played their role of attending high school students finely; though the latter's on-stage persona wasn't funny at all when delivering a makeshift poem about his drug possession. Miley Cyrus didn't add anything special as her high school student character and her comments about being attracted to Bayer's character just came off too abruptly. I was also glad to see Featured Player Mike O'Brien appear in the sketch; though his performance as the students' regular teacher wasn't anything special. And Fellow Featured Player Brooks Wheelan's one line in the sketch just wasn't funny. All in all, aside from a good amount of Bayer's performance, this sketch just wasn't very memorable.
Short Film- Kyle's Office.
Finally, “Saturday Night Live” featured the first short film from GoodNeighbor Comedy Team Members and Current Featured Players Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney. In their first piece, Mooney plays himself being invited by Miley Cyrus, as herself, to have endless amounts of sex with her and give his friends, Bennett and Bobby Moynihan as themselves, and himself tickets to all of her concerts. Throughout the piece, Mooney kept exiting his office to tell Bennett and Moynihan that Cyrus, who was staying in his office, what was going on and also kept asking them for advice. While there were some funny parts to the segment and the whole point that the comedy duo got the opportunity to debut their first “Saturday Night Live” film short, it should be admitted that the overall punchline of Mooney thinking that Cyrus was over a hundred years old and that his friends were over two hundred years of age, came off as a tad silly. In addition, the ending with Mooney being excited that his brother was having intercourse with Cyrus was even more silly and just felt like a rushed way of ending the short. Nevertheless, I'm happy that Mooney and Beckett got their first short film on the air and I hope they have some better ones as the season progresses.
Well, that's the show. Aside from the “Fifty Shades of Grey” screen test segment, the parody of “Piers Morgan Live”, and the premise of the cold opening, most of the sketches from this episode just weren't amazing. Sure, the “Mornin' Miami” promo shoot sketch had good lines, it wasn't anything original. The cheerleading sketch will probably end up being one of the worst sketches of the season “Weekend Update” needs some work; particularly due to the fact that Cecily Strong will most likely need help anchoring the weekly news segment. Kate McKinnon and Jay Pharoah delivered decent performances bu, as a whole' “Weekend Update” needs work.
As for Miley Cyrus herself, well, she is not that funny at all. For most of the evening's sketches, Cyrus acted the same way and delivered her lines in over-the-top and forced manner; with the exception of her involvement in the “Mornin' Miami” promo shoot sketch; which ended up being her best performance of the show. As for her musical performances, well, neither one of her songs were all that memorable. Though I do appreciate the fact that Cyrus didn't scream her lyrics during her performance of “Wrecking Ball”; as her video depicts her raising her voice throughout its entire duration. I was happy to see Miley Cyrus poke some fun at herself during the cold opening, but otherwise, she didn't impress me all that much as a host and a musical performer.
And that's my review. I thank you all for your patience and I thank you for following my blog. I won't be around to live-blog this weekend's show, featuring Guest Host Bruce Willis and Musical Guest Katy Perry, as I'll be busy this weekend. However, I will be watching the episode online this upcoming Monday and then I'll be posting a review sometime during the week.
So thank you all once again for your support. Have a good weekend and stay tuned for more Nater-Tainment!
Saturday, October 5, 2013
That concludes my live-blogging coverage tonight!
Thanks for following my blog tonight. Exxpect my review of the show to be available sometime mid-week. Thank you all once again and have a good night!
That wasn't too bad
Good to see the new guys get some stuff to do. Hopefully they get to do more short films.
Good to see Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett appear in a short film together
This is proving that they are going to be the next crew to bring us digital short-like material.
This sketch isn't too bad
I'm not finding Kenan Thompson to be very funnt tonight. SNL has to start treating him like he's the new star of the show. He's not cut out to be the new face of "Saturday Night Live." In addition, that sketch ended up not going anywhere. Bayer's performance kind of teetered off towards the end.
We are back
Good to see new castmember Mike O'Brien get some airtime/ This looks like a possible new reoccurring character for Vanessa Bayer. And new castmember Brooks Wheelan is playing a student
I'm sorry, but I'm not a big fan of Miley Cyrus' singing
At least she's not screaming her lines in this song like in her previous one.
Bobby Moynihan isn't too bad in this sketch
This is probably the best performance in a sketch by Miley Cyrus other besides the cold opening. That "Bitch fantastic" joke wasn't funny though.
This sketch ism't bad
Though they've done skits where they parody promo shoots before. I'm happy to see that Kate McKannon is getting more screentime tonight.
Kenan Thompson isn't funny at all in this sketch
That was a very dumb sketch. Other than the cold opening, there hasn't been any entirely clverly written sketches tonight. Very disappointing. SNL NEEDS NEW WRITERS!!!!!!
We are back with a cheerleading sketch
MMany of miley Cyris' performances tonight have been a bit annoting/ She hams it up in every sketch she's in
Commercials are on now
The performances from everyone on "Weekend Update" were good, though the writing wasn't that GREAT. Seth Meyers only had TWO humorous jokes. At least Cecily Strong's performance as co-anchor improved this week.
The idea of her character roasting the members of her family has basically been done on both previous installments
Vanessa Bayer's performance is good, though the material could be a little better. I also just want to say "Weekend Update" ran a bit too long tonight. Three commentaries is WAY MORE than necessary.
Jay Pharoah brings back his impression of Shannon Sharp
His performance as Shannon Sharp has improved. It's good to see that he's not relying on raising the volume of his voice to get laughs. His fast-talking delivery has improved also.
A good amount of Seth Meyers' and Cecily Strong's jokes haven't been that great
At least Cecily Strong's performance has improved tonight. If only the writing was better
Good to see Kate McKinnon on "Weekend Update"
Her performance is good. But the writing isn't very funny. She's doing what she can to improve the humor of the bit.
Seth Meyers' joke about Ted Cruz and Canada was a little funny though
Their other jokes haven't been that great.
"Weekend Update" is on now
Hopefully it's better than last week. That was a good joke about the government shutdown and Arsenio Hall by Seth Meyers.
Miley's singing her song "Wrecking Ball"
I've seen the video for this song. Needless to say, it's one of the most RIDICULOUS music videos I've ever seen!!
Kenan Thompson as the MTV V-JAY
Miley Cyrus was alright, though her performance was too much like the one she displayed in the "Girlfriends Talk Show" sketch.
This was an alright sketch.
Pretty much an average show so far. Commercials are on now. Miley's first musical performance should be up next
Good to see Jay Pharoah's impression of President Obama again
And I like Kate McKinnon's impression of Hillary Clinton. The "Breaking Bad" spoof was funny also.
Taran Killam is bringing back his Piers Morgan impression
I like his impression of Piers Morgan. Nasim Pedrad does a good Arianna Huffington
That was just too weird for my liking
Bruce Willis hosting next week. Fun fact, he hasn't been on SNL since Fall 1989!
Commercials are on now.
This is a strange music video parody
Fr the most part, this short film is relying too much on ridiculous material. I wish they would do something a bit more subtle when paryoding the partial government shutdown
Aidy Bryant is the only one that's making me chuckle a bit
Otherwise, this sketch just isn't great at all. Cecily Strong is just coming off as annoying, just like she was when co-anchoring "Weekrnf Update" last week
This sketch is basically repeating the same format as previous installments
Minus the brief dance moment.
This sketch has been done twice last season
Hopefully they don't rehash the same plotline as beforee. I'm happy, however, that Aidy Bryant is getting used more this season though
Never thought I'd see someone impersonate Aziz Anzari. And I liked Joihn Milhiser's Jon Cryer impression
This is a GREAT sketch!!! I NEED to watch this one online! Very good impressions as well.
Noel Wells does a good impression of Emma Stone
She also does a good Kristen Stewart. And I like Aidy Bryant's Rebel Wilson.
I'm REALLY glad Miley Cyrus has a good sense of humor about herself
That was a slightly humorous sight gag with Bobby Moynihan
Let me guess, they'll be doing a "twerking" joke
I like Taran Killam's Robin Thicke impression. Bobby Moynihan inside the bear costume is also worh a laugh
My live-blogging coverage of "Saturday Night Live" will be Starting Late
My “Saturday Night Live” live-blogging coverage will be starting late due to the college football game going late. Please hang in there. As soon as”Saturday Night Live” begins, so will my coverage.
Thank you all for your patience and stay tuned.
It's Almost That Time!
In just a little over an hour, my live-blogging of tonight's episode of “Saturday Night Live” will begin. Starting at 11:30pm, I will be commenting on the sketches, the writing, the performances of the cast and Guest Host Miley Cyrus, and anything else that comes to mind during the telecast. And by some point by mid-week, I will be posting an in-depth and critical review that illustrates my opinions in greater detail.
So be sure to have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog on your computers. If the college football game that's on now goes on, just hang in there. As soon as “Saturday Night Live” begins, my live-blogging will also. Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest posts during the show. 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 opinions.
I thank you for following my blog and I appreciate your support. Stay tuned and I'll see you at 11:30pm!
A Brief "That's Nater-Tainment!" Introduction: Miley Cyrus Hosts "Saturday Night Live" for Her Second Time Tonight
Let's flash back to March 5th, 2011. "Saturday Night Live" is currently airing its thirty-sixth season and actress-musician Miley Cyrus is hosting the late-night variety series for her first time. People on various "Saturday Night Live" message board were worried that the teen star wouldn't address her doing a pole dance or getting a picture taken of her with a bong. Fans of the variety series were concerned that she's act all high and mighty and come off as an arrogant celebrity. However, to everyone's surprise, Cyrus was in good spirits for her "Saturday Night Live" debut; as she admitted she's not perfect in the form of a song-and-dance monologue. In addition, Cyrus made fun of her acting on The Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" by starring in a commercial parody for a fictional learning facility called "The Disney Channel Acting School." Furthermore, Cyrus exhibited good chemistry with the cast of "Saturday Night Live" and also showcased some good comedic timing in the skits as well. So surprisingly, Miley Cyrus' 2011 episode proved to be better than expected and viewers were pleased.
Now, flash foward to today: October 5th, 2013. Miley Cyrus is taking the "Saturday Night Live" stage for her second time. And in the course of two years, Cyrus has gotten into worse territory. The former star of "Hannah Montana: has been appearing in inappropriate music videos; particularly one for her latest single, "Wrecking Ball." In the video, the twenty-year-old singer appears nude while licking a sledgehammer as well as the chain attached to a wrecking ball. on which, she appears nude. In addition, this past August, Miley Cyrus performed a lewd musical performance; during which she simulated sexual positions with fellow singer Robin Thicke. Needless to say, this is more crude than a pole dance.
So, we are now left wondering: How's Miley Cyrus going to address her latest inappropriate behavior on "Saturday Night Live"? Will she do another musical number for her monologue? And what's more, will she be doing any twerking during any of her performances? And by "twerking", I am referring to the perplexing dance moves Cyrus performed when appearing at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Hopefully, Miley Cyrus takes the high road and pokes fun at herself in in a tasteful and genuinely comedic way.
And, I'm going to be live-blogging it all. Beginning at 11:30pm, I will be commenting on the sketches, the performances by the cast and Miley Cyrus, and anything else that comes to mind during the show. And by mid-week, I will be posting a very critical review that illustrates my opinions in further detail as well as my overall verdict on Miley Cyrus' performance as the host.
So, have your televisions set to NBC by 11:30pm and have my blog set on your computers. Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens so you can see my latest 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 comments.
So stay tuned and I'll see you at showtime!
"Saturday Night Live" Season Premier Review: Tina Fey / Arcade Fire
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Well, the debut episode of the thirty-ninth season of “Saturday Night Live” has aired, and I have to say, the ninety-minute affair was a mixed bag. The departures of longtime castmembers Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis were definitely noticeable, as some of the performances in the show felt very forced; as certain players tried to liven up sketches with some over-the-top acting. What's more, some of the sketches relied on rehashed routines and plotlines. And, as a result of the cast's size, some performers were relegated to roles that that required them to do hardly anything. Nevertheless, Guest Host and Former Castmember Tina Fey did what she could to make the episode unfold well. In addition, some of the new featured players got some opportunities to shine, while the others didn't get a chance to do much at all. Thus, I can say with utmost honesty:
A Good Amount of the Performances of Tina Fey and Some of the Castmembers were the True Highlight of a Rather Average Season Premier
Cold Opening: President Barack Obama's Press Conference
The cold opening for this year's premier sees Cast Member Jay Pharoah showcasing his impression of President Obama addressing Americans to accept his Affordable Health Care Act. Unfortunately for him, most people in favor of the policy are taking advantage of its advantages. I will start out by saying that Jay Pharoah, now in his fourth year as a castmember, has improved his impression of President Barack Obama; further perfecting the the tone of his voice as well as his mannerisms. However, this opening sketch proved to be Pharoah's only appearance in the show; further highlighting my viewpoint addressed in my previous article. Other than his impressions of President Obama as well as some other celebrities, Jay Pharoah hardly does anything else on the show. There have been many episodes last season where Pharoah basically disappears after opening the show as President Obama. I will also say that some of the performances of the castmembers appearing in the opening weren't funny at all; as they basically raised the volume of their voices in a poor attempt to be funny. For instance, Castmember Aidy Bryant, now in her second year, raised the volume of her voice in an unfunny manner when playing an Obama supporter who's a little too excited about the benefits of Obamacare. In addition, Bobby Moynihan, now in his sixth year on the show as a castmember, played a frustrated father, constantly berating his son, played by new Featured Player Beck Bennett, for taking advantage of Obamacare and doing nothing productive at all. Moynihan's performance felt over-the-top in the sense that the primarily basis for his character's humor was simply screaming. I will say, however, that I got a laugh out of Kate McKinnon, now in her second full year as a castmember, playing a frustrated nurse who's tired of people taking advantage of Obamacare by going to the doctor due to performing ridiculous stunts. McKinnon's delivery was genuinely amusing; so much so, that viewers could actually believe her character's frustration. I will also point out that I got some laughs out of Aaron Paul's surprise appearance as his character from “Breaking Bad”; who basically summed up the actions of the show's main character as being excuses for not being able to afford Obamacare. While Paul's appearance was funny, the bit, in all honesty, just seemed like an excuse to promote the final episode of “Breaking Bad”; which would air the following night on AMC. All in all, despite the performances of Aaron Paul and Kate McKinnon as well as the improvement of Jay Pharoah's impression of President Obama, the cold opening for this year's season finale was just nothing special at all.
Monologue: Tina Fey Introduces the New Castmembers
Tina Fey marks her fourth time hosting “Saturday Night Live”by making the six new castmembers awkwardly dance behind her while she sings. I did like Fey poking fun at the show by saying that castmembers are required to dance behind the host during a musical monologue as part of their hazing process. The clips that Fey showed of herself dancing behind hosts was humorous and the new castmembers (Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, Mike O'Brien, Noel Wells, and Brooks Wheelan) seemed up to the challenge. Even though it's all part of the joke, I do wish, however, that all of our new performers were given a chance to properly identify themselves. Despite this, I will say this monologue wasn't terrible at all and it was a decent way to open the show.
Commercial Parody: “Girls” Promo
First, let me say that I have hardly watched Lena Dunham's show on HBO. However, I have seen a couple of interviews that Dunham was featured on, and I will say that Noel Wells' impression of the HBO star was very spot-on. Mimicking Lena Dunham's voice perfectly, this was a good preview of what we can expect from Noel Wells when being a castmember. I will also say that Tina Fey was amusing as her Middle-Eastern character and she and Noel Wells interacted very well together. In short terms, this was a creative commercial parody.
Sketch: Overbooked Flight
Now this was an interesting sketch. Tina Fey and Taran Killam, now in his fourth year as a castmember, star as two airline clerks who keep boarding more and more random people onto a flight while basically ignoring a married couple, played by Kate McKinnon and Beck Bennett, who kept waiting patiently to board. Fey and Killam and had good chemistry as their characters and I am glad to see the latter get more roles on the show. Taran Killam has been a good addition for “Saturday night Live”; as he's proven to be a good performer; capable of playing both straughtmen and comedic characters as well as showcasing humorous impressions. I will also say, judging by his involvement and the demeanor of his character, in this sketch, Beck Bennett might be cast in quite a few straightman roles throughout his first year as a castmember. I will also say that I did get a laugh out of Kenan Thompson, now in his eleventh year as a castmember, playing a passenger determined to get on the plane with an extremely large suitcase. Also, despite being turned off by his forced performance in the cold opening, I did get a laugh out of Bobby Moynihan's sly grin when sneakily-boarding the plane when Fey's and Killam's characters were admitting anyone onto the flight who is likely to pass gas at different times on the flight. The whole sketch unfolded in a fun way and this went on to be the few highlights of the show.
Game Show Sketch: “New Castmembers or Arcade Fire”
I'll start off by saying this: I'm very glad that “Saturday Night Live” is recognizing the fact that there are six new castmembers. That being said, I didn't find a lot of this very funny. First of all, much of Kenan Thompson's performance as the game show host came off slightly annoying and his constant berating of the new castmembers for speaking when they weren't supposed to got old quick. In addition, like in the monologue, I wish that the new castmembers were able to identify themselves in the actual sketch. I understand that the whole idea of the new performers being hazed is part of the joke, but let's face it: these six performers are going to have to carry the show in the future when more veteran castmembers eventually leave the show. I will say, however, that the joke that some of the new performers resemble some of the members of Musical Guest Arcade Fire was somewhat humorous. Though the biggest laugh I got from this sketch was Kenan Thompson's reaction when Executive Producer Lorne Michaels guessed that the eleven-year castmember was one of the new performers. Other than that, Tina Fey was alright when being herself trying to distinguish the new performers from the members of Arcade Fire. But, nevertheless, some of the main jokes in the sketch grew old rapidly; thus significantly hurting its execution.
“ "Weekend Update”
Well, this wasn't an entirely great edition of “Weekend Update” at all. Castmember Cecily Strong, now in her second year on the show, makes her debut as Seth Meyers' new co-anchor with a whimper. First of all, none of her jokes were funny at all. Second and most important, her delivery came off as very forced and not at all amusing. I was hoping, as Meyers' new co-anchor, Strong would turn in a grounded performance that would match some of her best and most straightfoward performances of the past year. But alas, every time she was on camera, Cecily Strong emphasized her punchlines in a matter that was quite off-putting. It was as if she was trying too hard to be funny. In addition, Seth Meyers' jokes weren't memorable as well and not at all funny. Furthermore, Tina Fey's introduction of Cecily Strong to “Weekend Update” as well as her advice to the latter came off as nothing special.
Also, as you know from my previous “Saturday Night Live” reviews, I have grown very tired of Bobby Moynihan's reoccurring character “Drunk Uncle.” I had a feeling we would see the character tonight; considering that Moynihan's “Drunk Uncle” is apparently a big hit with the “Saturday Night Live” audience. A majority of the segment was just your basic “Drunk Uncle” schtick, and the ramblings of Moynihan's character came off as never-ending as always. The only brief chuckles I got were Moynihan's line that children today are always “twerking it from 9 to 5” as well as Aaron Paul's fast-talking appearance as “Meth Nephew”; though it could be said that his surprise cameo was just another excuse to promote the series finale of “Breaking Bad.”The only time I truly laughed was Featured Player Kyle Mooney's appearance as his stand-up comic character “Bruce Chandling.” The energy and tone of the character reminded me of something Andy Kaufman would do when he was on “Saturday Night Live” during the 1970s. In addition, Mooney had some good lines as his character and I feel he had more genuine comedic energy that Bobby Moynihan exhibited when playing “Drunk Uncle” later on in the segment. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Kyle Mooney and the other new castmembers as the season progresses. All in all, a VERY mixed bag for the first edition of “Weekend Update” for the new season. I'm hoping that things improve tomorrow night and that Cecily Strong improves her performances as Seth Meyers' new co-anchor.
Sketch: “Cinema Classics”
Here was another dud of a sketch. Kenan Thompson offered a performance as the host of a show that focuses on unsuccessful oldtime movies. A great amount of his dialogue came off as very unfunny and all the jokes about his overweight wife came off as very off as very unappealing as well. It is obvious from this sketch as well as the game show sketch from earlier in the show that “Saturday Night Live” is trying to use Kenan Thompson as the show's new go-to-guy to play the lead character in sketches. This is a bad idea. Thompson does not have the acting chops to do so and he's better suited to play supporting characters in sketches. Whenever Kenan Thompson has the lead role in a sketch, his performance comes off as being too over-the-top and fails to move the sketch forward in a genuine manner. He's completely unlike Bill Hader or Jason Sudeikis; both of whom possessed keen comedic skills and possessed good chemistry with their fellow castmembers as well as an episode's host. Ken Thompson just causes sketches to drag whenever playing the lead character and fails to pack a truly comedic punch. All this being said, this overall sketch just wasn't funny at all. The jokes about the taxidermy being used in the film just fell flat; further causing the sketch to drag. Tina Fey, Tran Killam, and Aidy Bryant performed finely as their characters; but, unfortunately, the humor just wasn't there at all. Overall, a very weak sketch.
Commercial / Sketch: “The First Used Car Sale Commercial”
This was another creative idea for a sketch. “Saturday Night Live” writer-turned-castmember Mike O'Brien gets his first official lead role in a sketch as a salesman at an oldtime used car lot. O'Brien was noticeably a little shaky during this piece, but seeing as this is his first official night as a castmember, I'll cut him some slack. His lines were amusing and I did genuinely laugh whenever he'd mention only one item whenever listing the features of the cars (For example: “They've got Everything! Seats...”) Tina fey also had a couple amusing lines as the disturbed wife of O'Brien's character, but a good amount of her quips prior to the ending of the sketch fell flat. For the most part, I enjoyed this sketch and hopefully Mike O'Brien improves his on-stage performances as the season unfolds.
Sketch / Commercial: “Manolo Blahnik”
You remember what I said about the schtick of Bobby Moynihan's reoccurring character “Drunk Uncle” getting old? Same goes for Vanessa Bayer's and Cecily Strong's washed-up porn stars. These characters appeared THREE times last season and now they appear right at the start of the new season. Bayer's and Strong's characters have truly wore thin and their dialogue isn't funny at all. Their vapid conduct has become very grating; therefore causing these sketches to play out very slowly and tediously. In addition, while I did slightly chuckle at the sight of Tina Fey being carried in repeated as her character forgetting her proper entrance cue, her dialogue failed to be funny as well. I strongly hope Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong take a break from playing these characters for a while. This was just a bad closing sketch.
And, that's the show. It's a good thing this was the season premier because “Saturday Night Live” has a long way to go before the quality of the majority of the writing and sketches improves. The show needs to stray from relying on overplayed characters and premises that don't go anywhere. In addition, I truly hope that the late-night variety series decides not to center a majority of their sketches around performers like Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson. While both performers can have their moments, they are not cut out to be the front-and-center castmembers. In all seriousness, Taran Killam and Kate McKinnon have proven themselves to be very reliable castmembers; as they've provided much humor to otherwise weak sketches. Hopefully, they get more attention as the season progresses. I will also say that I'm happy that the six new castmembers are getting recognized and I hope they get more to do. As of now, I am most intrigued by Noel Wells and Kyle Mooney; both of whom have given viewers a good taste of what they can bring to the show. Wells being a skilled impressionist and Mooney specializing in more alternative form of comedy. Hopefully the other castmembers get more opportunities to showcase their true comedic skills. We'll know in the upcoming weeks. And finally, Tina Fey did a fine job hosting “Saturday Night Live” for her fourth time and I'm looking forward to seeing her join the Five-Timers Club next time she emcees the program.
And that's my review. I'll be here tomorrow night to live-blog Miley Cyrus' second-hosting stint. Before the show airs, I will be posting some quick thoughts as to my overall opinions about Cyrus performing double-duty as both the show's host and musical guest. Then, beginning at 11:30pm, I will be blogging the show live; commenting on the sketches, the writing, the performances of the cast and Miley Cyrus, and anything else that comes to mind during the show.
Thank you all for following my blog. I appreciate your support very much and I'll see you tomorrow night!
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