http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/09/28/f-bomb-dropper-jenny-slate-to-remain-on-saturday-night-live/
It has been confirmed that Jenny Slate will not be fired for dropping the F-bomb during last Saturday's season premiere of SNL. I'm very relieved that this decision was made, as her slip-up was clearly unintentional, and almost certain to happen given the context of the sketch. I look forward to seeing more of Jenny because I think she's very funny and has a lot to bring to the show. I don't think any castmember has ever had a more eventful first show than Jenny!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Megan Fox/U2 Episode Review
Ok, I'll jump right into my review for this first (and very eventful) episode of SNL:
Cold Opening -- Gadhafi rants and raves. Armisen does this impression decently, but without much pizazz and it leaves the viewer lazily uniterested. Nothing laugh-out-loud funny, some remotely good jokes but nothing to write home about. This went on far too long, and didn't seem to hold my interest.
New Opening Credits/Montage -- I was very excited about this! Finally, a new look and new credits to go along with it. Some MAJOR cast notes: Darrell is ABSENT from the opening credits, leaving everyone to assume he is finally gone for good. A rule for thought is that you haven't left SNL until they remove you from the credits. And once you're removed from the credits, you're done.Other cast notes: Both Bobby Moynihan and Abby Elliott remain as featured players (at least for now) I'm not terribly surprised about Abby, however I'm actually shocked Bobby wasn't upgraded to the regular cast. He deserves it. However, I think they'll both be upgraded by January.
Monologue -- Very poor. They went with the whole "Megan Fox is hot" theme, and it seriously fell flat. I was hoping Megan would show a more comedic side of her during her monologue, but she didn't. This wasn't a good start for her.
Commercial Parody -- Bladdivian, or whatever its called. It seemed to be less-than-funny. Nothing entirely great about it, but eh, its the first commercial parody so what do you expect? by this point, I'm very much not liking the episode. Nothing to give the viewers even a good chuckle.
Airplane -- Ok, this was pretty good. The audio on NBC cut off about 3/4 of the way through this sketch, so I admit I missed the ending. But the first 3/4 of it was quite funny. Kristen seemed to shine in her role, and the jokes were working pretty well with the studio audience as well as myself. First sketch I clearly laughed at. I'll have to re-watch it to catch the ending, so technically I can't give a true "thumbs-up" yet, but it seemed to be good. Megan Fox even had a pretty good showing in this sketch.
Russian Girl -- A typical "guy in drag" skit. But it was mildy entertaining. Fred did his part well. (why does he always seem so good in drag? i.e. The Looker) However, like many sketches do, it went on too long. They'd have been better off to just cut it short, because the same joke kept being repeated, and after the first 3 times it just wasn't that funny anymore. Yeah, we get it--the one girl costs $10 less! Decent overall though, not too bad.
Digital Short 1 -- Ok, this was pretty strange until the ending. Basically, Will Forte is a creepy guy who's dating Megan Fox, and 90% of the sketch was Will acting weird. The end was pretty good, at least I know that I laughed at it. Megan asks Will to marry him and Will stands up and says "No (expletive) way!" Very odd ending, but still funny.
Grady Wilson -- Another installment of Kenan Thompson's school of love-making. Again it draws some laughs from the audience, and true--it deserves some credit for creativity. However it just lacked a certain something. It seemed to similar to what I thought it would be. After the first 10 seconds, I could easily tell you what was going to happen. Megan Fox did come in at the end, which made it a bit better. Still, just ok for me.
U2 1 -- Pretty good first song. I liked it. It didn't make up for a lack-luster 1st half, but it was a pretty good song.
Weekend Update -- During the commercial break before Update, I could only think "Save me, Seth!" This episode had such a below-average first half that I desperately needed Update to turn it around. And it did. Seth NAILED his jokes. The audience was really getting into it. He KILLED it, plain and simple. Almost every joke was a winner. Jean K. Jean was decent enough, and Kristen's Judy Grimes character was fantastic as usual. And I'm not kidding! This was easily the best sketch of the night, and Seth was probably the MVP of the whole episode for this one sketch alone.
Live Lounge -- Now here's something good! A short sketch mocking the late-night chat commercials. I loved the appearances from nearly every castmember. It was short, sweet, and very funny. Excellent start for the 2nd half of the show.
U2 2 -- U2 showed again why they're just so darn great. I loved this song much more than the first. It was odd to me why their second performance was so early in the show, but it was great nonetheless. Just plain fantastic.
Biker Chat -- This is what people will be talking about tomorrow. Poor Jenny Slate...
Ok, so the sketch seemed to be a good concept. Basically a biker chick talk show, staring brand new castmember Jenny Slate. I was really excited to see her get a major role on her first episode! That doesn't happen too often. However, an extremely bad event happened. During the sketch, the biker ladies would frequently say the word "frickin" or "freakin". And at least once during the sketch, Jenny accidentally said the F-word. It was difficult to tell if she said it once or twice. I watched it live, and thought she said it only once, but I have varying sources saying different things. But the fact is, she definitely said it. That's a HUGE issue. All that I could think was "It's a live show, folks!" No censorship. I'm sure the FCC will slap a hefty fine on the show, but I'm very concerned for Jenny and her future on the show. I've heard stories of people getting fired for things like this, and I hope that doesn't happen to Jenny. And on top of all this, it was her very first show! She must feel terrible. This will be the talk of the town for the next few days at least, and I hope matters will be resolved quickly.
Digital Short #2 -- Very weird. Megan Fox, Andy Samberg, Optimus Prime, and male body parts. I guess they were making fun of "Transformers". But it was just really weird and gross to me. Didn't care for it at all.
Mom talks to Megan Fox -- Ok, this was acceptable. A mom talks to Megan Fox and gives her movie advice and what not. Ok--this was good. Not fantastic, but for a 5-to-1 skit, it worked just fine. Kristen as a mom was very believable, and it flowed pretty nicely. A pretty good final sketch of the night.
Goodnights/U2 3 -- First, the goodnights: Seth is seen wrapping his arms around Jenny Slate, clearly in reference to her previous debacle. I'm glad Seth was trying to ease her pain. Hopefully people don't dwell too much on this, it clearly wasn't intentional, and could have happened to anyone.
Ok, now on to the third performance from U2. As the credits roll, front man Bono is lifted up by his red laser lighted microphone while he sings the show to a close. Wow. That was really cool, something I wasn't expecting and a great way to close the show.
Wow. That's all I can say. It was a bad 1st half, a good 2nd half, a whole lot of U2, a great Weekend Update, and a gigantic flub-up from a first time castmember. What else do you want, folks?
Feel free to post any comments/reviews below. Thanks for reading my sketch-by sketch analysis,
LiveFromNY
Cold Opening -- Gadhafi rants and raves. Armisen does this impression decently, but without much pizazz and it leaves the viewer lazily uniterested. Nothing laugh-out-loud funny, some remotely good jokes but nothing to write home about. This went on far too long, and didn't seem to hold my interest.
New Opening Credits/Montage -- I was very excited about this! Finally, a new look and new credits to go along with it. Some MAJOR cast notes: Darrell is ABSENT from the opening credits, leaving everyone to assume he is finally gone for good. A rule for thought is that you haven't left SNL until they remove you from the credits. And once you're removed from the credits, you're done.Other cast notes: Both Bobby Moynihan and Abby Elliott remain as featured players (at least for now) I'm not terribly surprised about Abby, however I'm actually shocked Bobby wasn't upgraded to the regular cast. He deserves it. However, I think they'll both be upgraded by January.
Monologue -- Very poor. They went with the whole "Megan Fox is hot" theme, and it seriously fell flat. I was hoping Megan would show a more comedic side of her during her monologue, but she didn't. This wasn't a good start for her.
Commercial Parody -- Bladdivian, or whatever its called. It seemed to be less-than-funny. Nothing entirely great about it, but eh, its the first commercial parody so what do you expect? by this point, I'm very much not liking the episode. Nothing to give the viewers even a good chuckle.
Airplane -- Ok, this was pretty good. The audio on NBC cut off about 3/4 of the way through this sketch, so I admit I missed the ending. But the first 3/4 of it was quite funny. Kristen seemed to shine in her role, and the jokes were working pretty well with the studio audience as well as myself. First sketch I clearly laughed at. I'll have to re-watch it to catch the ending, so technically I can't give a true "thumbs-up" yet, but it seemed to be good. Megan Fox even had a pretty good showing in this sketch.
Russian Girl -- A typical "guy in drag" skit. But it was mildy entertaining. Fred did his part well. (why does he always seem so good in drag? i.e. The Looker) However, like many sketches do, it went on too long. They'd have been better off to just cut it short, because the same joke kept being repeated, and after the first 3 times it just wasn't that funny anymore. Yeah, we get it--the one girl costs $10 less! Decent overall though, not too bad.
Digital Short 1 -- Ok, this was pretty strange until the ending. Basically, Will Forte is a creepy guy who's dating Megan Fox, and 90% of the sketch was Will acting weird. The end was pretty good, at least I know that I laughed at it. Megan asks Will to marry him and Will stands up and says "No (expletive) way!" Very odd ending, but still funny.
Grady Wilson -- Another installment of Kenan Thompson's school of love-making. Again it draws some laughs from the audience, and true--it deserves some credit for creativity. However it just lacked a certain something. It seemed to similar to what I thought it would be. After the first 10 seconds, I could easily tell you what was going to happen. Megan Fox did come in at the end, which made it a bit better. Still, just ok for me.
U2 1 -- Pretty good first song. I liked it. It didn't make up for a lack-luster 1st half, but it was a pretty good song.
Weekend Update -- During the commercial break before Update, I could only think "Save me, Seth!" This episode had such a below-average first half that I desperately needed Update to turn it around. And it did. Seth NAILED his jokes. The audience was really getting into it. He KILLED it, plain and simple. Almost every joke was a winner. Jean K. Jean was decent enough, and Kristen's Judy Grimes character was fantastic as usual. And I'm not kidding! This was easily the best sketch of the night, and Seth was probably the MVP of the whole episode for this one sketch alone.
Live Lounge -- Now here's something good! A short sketch mocking the late-night chat commercials. I loved the appearances from nearly every castmember. It was short, sweet, and very funny. Excellent start for the 2nd half of the show.
U2 2 -- U2 showed again why they're just so darn great. I loved this song much more than the first. It was odd to me why their second performance was so early in the show, but it was great nonetheless. Just plain fantastic.
Biker Chat -- This is what people will be talking about tomorrow. Poor Jenny Slate...
Ok, so the sketch seemed to be a good concept. Basically a biker chick talk show, staring brand new castmember Jenny Slate. I was really excited to see her get a major role on her first episode! That doesn't happen too often. However, an extremely bad event happened. During the sketch, the biker ladies would frequently say the word "frickin" or "freakin". And at least once during the sketch, Jenny accidentally said the F-word. It was difficult to tell if she said it once or twice. I watched it live, and thought she said it only once, but I have varying sources saying different things. But the fact is, she definitely said it. That's a HUGE issue. All that I could think was "It's a live show, folks!" No censorship. I'm sure the FCC will slap a hefty fine on the show, but I'm very concerned for Jenny and her future on the show. I've heard stories of people getting fired for things like this, and I hope that doesn't happen to Jenny. And on top of all this, it was her very first show! She must feel terrible. This will be the talk of the town for the next few days at least, and I hope matters will be resolved quickly.
Digital Short #2 -- Very weird. Megan Fox, Andy Samberg, Optimus Prime, and male body parts. I guess they were making fun of "Transformers". But it was just really weird and gross to me. Didn't care for it at all.
Mom talks to Megan Fox -- Ok, this was acceptable. A mom talks to Megan Fox and gives her movie advice and what not. Ok--this was good. Not fantastic, but for a 5-to-1 skit, it worked just fine. Kristen as a mom was very believable, and it flowed pretty nicely. A pretty good final sketch of the night.
Goodnights/U2 3 -- First, the goodnights: Seth is seen wrapping his arms around Jenny Slate, clearly in reference to her previous debacle. I'm glad Seth was trying to ease her pain. Hopefully people don't dwell too much on this, it clearly wasn't intentional, and could have happened to anyone.
Ok, now on to the third performance from U2. As the credits roll, front man Bono is lifted up by his red laser lighted microphone while he sings the show to a close. Wow. That was really cool, something I wasn't expecting and a great way to close the show.
Wow. That's all I can say. It was a bad 1st half, a good 2nd half, a whole lot of U2, a great Weekend Update, and a gigantic flub-up from a first time castmember. What else do you want, folks?
Feel free to post any comments/reviews below. Thanks for reading my sketch-by sketch analysis,
LiveFromNY
Friday, September 25, 2009
Weekend Update Thursday 9/24/09
Ok, here is my review and analysis of the 2nd installment of SNL Weekend Update Thursday:
Opening -- I LOVED this. It was such a good parody of Obama, as well as the conservatives. SNL is widely known to have a problem when it comes to making fun of Obama. One of the main issues is that Fred Armisen doesn't even resemble President Obama. However, this was a very creative way to take a shot at his talk show appearances, and his disdain for Fox News. The guests who 'interviewed' Obama in this sketch were fantastic. I especially liked Bobby as Guy Fieri. That was just priceless. But basically everyone did well in this sketch. Jason as Glenn Beck was hilarious, and of course Bill Hader's Keith Morrison scored huge laughs. Oh, and we have a Nasim Pedrad sighting! She did her Kathy Griffin impression, and I thought it was very good. She made an excellent first impression on me. Overall, a fantastic opening.
Weekend Update 1, 2, & 3 -- I lump all the Update segments together, because they seemed to all be very similar. None of them really impressed me. The jokes were just average, and the guests were good but not great. Patterson was just ok for me. Sure, I love a good New Jersey joke as much as the next guy, but the impression is wearing on me now. Just not as good as before. Bill Clinton was the best guest of the night. Darrell has been doing this impression for what seems like a lifetime, yet it never seems to get old. Darrell's back again tonight, so I'm almost certain that he'll be back to start the season on Saturday. Overall however, Update didn't impress me too much. Megan Fox showed up, which was good to see. The more I see her and hear her interviews, the more I think she'll do a good job hosting this weekend. Oh, and Andy Samberg's character at the end of Update wasn't that good, and on top of that it went on for far too long.
There was a lot to like as a whole, especially after seeing that fantastic cold opening sketch. I'm really liking the current cast, and Nasim's appearance tonight only helps that. I'm really hoping for more good stuff for the "real show" this Saturday night.
What did you think? Good episode tonight? Are you psyched for the premiere?
Opening -- I LOVED this. It was such a good parody of Obama, as well as the conservatives. SNL is widely known to have a problem when it comes to making fun of Obama. One of the main issues is that Fred Armisen doesn't even resemble President Obama. However, this was a very creative way to take a shot at his talk show appearances, and his disdain for Fox News. The guests who 'interviewed' Obama in this sketch were fantastic. I especially liked Bobby as Guy Fieri. That was just priceless. But basically everyone did well in this sketch. Jason as Glenn Beck was hilarious, and of course Bill Hader's Keith Morrison scored huge laughs. Oh, and we have a Nasim Pedrad sighting! She did her Kathy Griffin impression, and I thought it was very good. She made an excellent first impression on me. Overall, a fantastic opening.
Weekend Update 1, 2, & 3 -- I lump all the Update segments together, because they seemed to all be very similar. None of them really impressed me. The jokes were just average, and the guests were good but not great. Patterson was just ok for me. Sure, I love a good New Jersey joke as much as the next guy, but the impression is wearing on me now. Just not as good as before. Bill Clinton was the best guest of the night. Darrell has been doing this impression for what seems like a lifetime, yet it never seems to get old. Darrell's back again tonight, so I'm almost certain that he'll be back to start the season on Saturday. Overall however, Update didn't impress me too much. Megan Fox showed up, which was good to see. The more I see her and hear her interviews, the more I think she'll do a good job hosting this weekend. Oh, and Andy Samberg's character at the end of Update wasn't that good, and on top of that it went on for far too long.
There was a lot to like as a whole, especially after seeing that fantastic cold opening sketch. I'm really liking the current cast, and Nasim's appearance tonight only helps that. I'm really hoping for more good stuff for the "real show" this Saturday night.
What did you think? Good episode tonight? Are you psyched for the premiere?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Facebook & Twitter
You can now find all of your latest SNL news and reviews on Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000256616903&ref=profile
Twitter account: http://twitter.com/Live_From_NY
The advantage to this is that you can receive up-to-the-minute news and information through my status updates. Check it out!
Weekend Update Thursday #2
Don't forget to watch the 2nd installment of this year's SNL Weekend Update Thursday, tonight at 8PM eastern. And then stick around for more comedy on NBC, including Amy Poehler's "Parks & Recreation" as well as "The Office" and "Community".
After the show, I'll post my thoughts and commentary on the episode. So stay tuned for that.
2 days until the premiere!
After the show, I'll post my thoughts and commentary on the episode. So stay tuned for that.
2 days until the premiere!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Weekend Update Thursday 9/17/09
Here is my initial review and thoughts about the premiere of SNL Weekend Update Thursday:
This was a great show! It consisted of a cold opening sketch, and 3 Weekend Update segments.
Cold Opening -- This was fantastic. The sketch revolved around the incident that occurred at President Obama's address to Congress last week. Many Republican Congressmen were planning to shout "You Lie!" but then at the last minute, changed their minds. Rep. Joe Wilson was in the bathroom, and missed the memo. Of course, he yells the line and no one else does.
This was a very funny skit, giving a simple, comical explanation for this real event. Jason Sudeikis did well, as did Fred and Will. I liked the simplicity of the skit, as they didn't go too far with in-depth stuff--they just stuck to a simple outline, and it worked. Great job.
Weekend Update 1 -- This was good as well. The Update set looks slightly different, at least noticeable to me. Always good to see Seth and Amy together. Jokes are decent, and Bill Hader's John Carville impression is quite funny. It goes on a bit too long though. Overall, a pretty good first Update segment.
Weekend Update 2 -- I wasn't crazy about the second Update segment. Kristen returns as Madonna, and it was just ok. Nothing special, and again it went a bit too long. Darrell and Kenan arrive as President Carter and Michael Steele. This is good, but something is just a bit off. Its interesting to me that Darrell is there, which could be a good indication that he'll return to the cast this season. Overall, this segment was ok, but my least favorite of the 3.
Weekend Update 3 -- I loved this short final segment. It featured another "Really: With Seth and Amy" bit. It seems like we should be getting tired of this bit, but they keep finding ways to make it hilariously entertaining. It revolved around the many recent outbursts (Kanye, Serena, Joe Wilson) and Seth and Amy did well with their insults. It was a great end to a very good first Thursday show.
Overall, a great (and early) start for SNL. What do you think? Feel free to post your thoughts below.
This was a great show! It consisted of a cold opening sketch, and 3 Weekend Update segments.
Cold Opening -- This was fantastic. The sketch revolved around the incident that occurred at President Obama's address to Congress last week. Many Republican Congressmen were planning to shout "You Lie!" but then at the last minute, changed their minds. Rep. Joe Wilson was in the bathroom, and missed the memo. Of course, he yells the line and no one else does.
This was a very funny skit, giving a simple, comical explanation for this real event. Jason Sudeikis did well, as did Fred and Will. I liked the simplicity of the skit, as they didn't go too far with in-depth stuff--they just stuck to a simple outline, and it worked. Great job.
Weekend Update 1 -- This was good as well. The Update set looks slightly different, at least noticeable to me. Always good to see Seth and Amy together. Jokes are decent, and Bill Hader's John Carville impression is quite funny. It goes on a bit too long though. Overall, a pretty good first Update segment.
Weekend Update 2 -- I wasn't crazy about the second Update segment. Kristen returns as Madonna, and it was just ok. Nothing special, and again it went a bit too long. Darrell and Kenan arrive as President Carter and Michael Steele. This is good, but something is just a bit off. Its interesting to me that Darrell is there, which could be a good indication that he'll return to the cast this season. Overall, this segment was ok, but my least favorite of the 3.
Weekend Update 3 -- I loved this short final segment. It featured another "Really: With Seth and Amy" bit. It seems like we should be getting tired of this bit, but they keep finding ways to make it hilariously entertaining. It revolved around the many recent outbursts (Kanye, Serena, Joe Wilson) and Seth and Amy did well with their insults. It was a great end to a very good first Thursday show.
Overall, a great (and early) start for SNL. What do you think? Feel free to post your thoughts below.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"SNL In Primetime"
Tonight is the first of several SNL "Weekend Update Thursday" specials. It's a live, 30-minute broadcast, that usually consists of a cold opening sketch followed by an extended Weekend Update segment. I'm very excited for this! Although the actual season premiere of SNL isn't for another 9 days, this feels almost like a premiere because its the first new show since last May. I don't expect a groundbreaking show tonight, after all its only 30 minutes, but It'd be cool to see quick appearances by the 2 new girls, Jenny and Nasim. I wouldn't expect that to happen though--Lorne probably will ease them into the lineup. Its also going to be interesting to see what characters they choose to be on Update with Seth and Amy. Will there be a song by Will Forte? Perhaps another "Just Kidding" from Kristen Wiig? I also have it on good authority that Abby Elliott is not going to be in tonight's show. Not too big of a deal, but I thought I'd mention it. Whatever happens tonight, it's sure to be entertaining. Following the show, I'll post my initial thoughts and reviews--so be sure to check that out.
The show begins at 8PM tonight, followed by the premieres of "Parks & Recreation", "The Office" and "Community".
The show begins at 8PM tonight, followed by the premieres of "Parks & Recreation", "The Office" and "Community".
Monday, September 14, 2009
Seth Meyers says he'll man Update desk alone
Seth Meyers confirmed during an interview with CNN that he will be anchoring Weekend Update by himself.
This news should not come as a surprise to most people, unless you bought into the moronic rumor that Kristen Wiig would join Seth at the desk. As I expected, Seth is, and should man the desk alone. In my opinion, he did very well after Amy departed. And, because he is the head writer, it seems like he has a pretty good handle on the solo-anchor job.
Of course, during Weekend Update Thursday specials, Seth will be joined by Amy Poehler and perhaps various other guests. But as for the actual Saturday night broadcasts, he'll be alone. Just thought I'd make it official for everyone. Any thoughts on him anchoring solo this year?
This news should not come as a surprise to most people, unless you bought into the moronic rumor that Kristen Wiig would join Seth at the desk. As I expected, Seth is, and should man the desk alone. In my opinion, he did very well after Amy departed. And, because he is the head writer, it seems like he has a pretty good handle on the solo-anchor job.
Of course, during Weekend Update Thursday specials, Seth will be joined by Amy Poehler and perhaps various other guests. But as for the actual Saturday night broadcasts, he'll be alone. Just thought I'd make it official for everyone. Any thoughts on him anchoring solo this year?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
SNL announces first 4 shows
SNL has just announced the lineup for their first 4 shows of the season. Its surprising (to me at least) that SNL will start off with 4 episodes in a row. They did 4 shows in a row last year, but that was presumably for the election season. Nevertheless, here is the host/musical guest list for the first 4 shows, and my commentary on the selections.
September 26
Megan Fox/U2
--This one we already knew, and I've already given my thoughts. But I'll reiterate that Megan Fox is big ratings but questionable comedy. It will be interesting how much she wants to do as host. As for U2, I think they were a good choice. Again, its a boost for ratings, as well as some pretty good music in my opinion. This will be an interesting show not only because of the guests, but because of the new castmembers. (Jenny Slate & Nasim Pedrad)
October 3
Ryan Reynolds/Lady Gaga
--Ryan Reynolds does have potential to be a good host. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. To me, Ryan has always seemed vastly overrated as an actor, but maybe SNL will reveal his true comedic talent just like Justin Timberlake proved he has strong comedic skills after hosting the show. Reynolds does have some good stuff--we'll just have to wait and see how he does. Lady Gaga--well, no. She is popular, and some of her songs are quite catchy. But as for live performances, she misses the mark. I doubt after this episode we'll say "Wow, I'm glad she was the musical guest!" More likely the response will be "How can anyone tolerate her?" Hopefully Reynolds will do well and I can stop disliking him :] It should be a pretty good episode to watch.
October 10
Drew Barrymore/Regina Spektor
--Now, here's a good show! Finally we get a good combo of guests. Drew will host for the 6th time, and she always does well on the show. Joining her will be musical guest Regina Spektor, who has a nice sound and a dynamically growing fan base. I like it when the host and musical guest seem to "fit" with each other. Its hard to describe, but Drew Barrymore and Regina Spektor just seem to "fit" together. This should be a great show--my favorite of the 4.
October 17
Gerard Butler/Shakira
--Hmm. Well, Butler is an interesting choice. And by interesting, I mean bad. I don't see a guy like him being funny in an SNL format. Recently, I read an article that said Butler should stick to action/war films ("300") instead of going for the romantic, comedy-like roles ("The Ugly Truth"). I agree with this article--Butler was definitely great in "300" and would be great in movies with a similar genre but that doesn't mean he can translate to the comedy world. I don't think this hosting gig will help his career much. Shakira is a good choice: She has a new album coming out, and has a hot new song climbing the charts. She can actually put on a pretty good live performance (as opposed to Lady Gaga), and I'm hopeful that her presence will make this show better. But even if Shakira does well, the poor hosting choice makes this my least favorite of the 4.
Well, those are the guest listings and my initial thoughts. Feel free to post your own thoughts below!
September 26
Megan Fox/U2
--This one we already knew, and I've already given my thoughts. But I'll reiterate that Megan Fox is big ratings but questionable comedy. It will be interesting how much she wants to do as host. As for U2, I think they were a good choice. Again, its a boost for ratings, as well as some pretty good music in my opinion. This will be an interesting show not only because of the guests, but because of the new castmembers. (Jenny Slate & Nasim Pedrad)
October 3
Ryan Reynolds/Lady Gaga
--Ryan Reynolds does have potential to be a good host. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. To me, Ryan has always seemed vastly overrated as an actor, but maybe SNL will reveal his true comedic talent just like Justin Timberlake proved he has strong comedic skills after hosting the show. Reynolds does have some good stuff--we'll just have to wait and see how he does. Lady Gaga--well, no. She is popular, and some of her songs are quite catchy. But as for live performances, she misses the mark. I doubt after this episode we'll say "Wow, I'm glad she was the musical guest!" More likely the response will be "How can anyone tolerate her?" Hopefully Reynolds will do well and I can stop disliking him :] It should be a pretty good episode to watch.
October 10
Drew Barrymore/Regina Spektor
--Now, here's a good show! Finally we get a good combo of guests. Drew will host for the 6th time, and she always does well on the show. Joining her will be musical guest Regina Spektor, who has a nice sound and a dynamically growing fan base. I like it when the host and musical guest seem to "fit" with each other. Its hard to describe, but Drew Barrymore and Regina Spektor just seem to "fit" together. This should be a great show--my favorite of the 4.
October 17
Gerard Butler/Shakira
--Hmm. Well, Butler is an interesting choice. And by interesting, I mean bad. I don't see a guy like him being funny in an SNL format. Recently, I read an article that said Butler should stick to action/war films ("300") instead of going for the romantic, comedy-like roles ("The Ugly Truth"). I agree with this article--Butler was definitely great in "300" and would be great in movies with a similar genre but that doesn't mean he can translate to the comedy world. I don't think this hosting gig will help his career much. Shakira is a good choice: She has a new album coming out, and has a hot new song climbing the charts. She can actually put on a pretty good live performance (as opposed to Lady Gaga), and I'm hopeful that her presence will make this show better. But even if Shakira does well, the poor hosting choice makes this my least favorite of the 4.
Well, those are the guest listings and my initial thoughts. Feel free to post your own thoughts below!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Kristen Wiig NOT joining Weekend Update
Finally, this annoying rumor has been put to rest. Over the past few weeks, a rumor swirled around the internet that Kristen Wiig would join Seth Meyers to co-anchor Weekend Update. I knew this wasn't true, I would've bet anyone that it was a false rumor. I'm glad that it has been confirmed now, so people can stop announcing it as if it was pure fact.
I knew this rumor couldn't be true for 2 reasons:
1) Kristen Wiig, although great at sketch comedy, is not the person you would want to co-anchor a mock news segment like Weekend Update. She just doesn't seem to fit the "anchor" role to me. If a current castmember were to be added to Update, (which still isn't likely at this time) Lorne would probably choose someone like Bill Hader or Jason Sudeikis, who seem to have more of a "news-like" appeal in my opinion.
2) If Kristen Wiig had been chosen to co-anchor Weekend Update, her role in the rest of the show would steadily decrease--and no one wants that to happen. Let's be real--Kristen is one of, if not the, best sketch comedian on SNL right now. Her value to the show is enormous. And by putting her on Update, she will most certainly be asked to do less during the rest of the show, as to prepare for her segment on Weekend Update.
I'm glad this awful rumor has been buried, and we can get on with our lives. Looking forward to news on Darrell Hammond...whenever that may come. Maybe we won't know his status until the night of the premiere--now that would be entertaining!
I knew this rumor couldn't be true for 2 reasons:
1) Kristen Wiig, although great at sketch comedy, is not the person you would want to co-anchor a mock news segment like Weekend Update. She just doesn't seem to fit the "anchor" role to me. If a current castmember were to be added to Update, (which still isn't likely at this time) Lorne would probably choose someone like Bill Hader or Jason Sudeikis, who seem to have more of a "news-like" appeal in my opinion.
2) If Kristen Wiig had been chosen to co-anchor Weekend Update, her role in the rest of the show would steadily decrease--and no one wants that to happen. Let's be real--Kristen is one of, if not the, best sketch comedian on SNL right now. Her value to the show is enormous. And by putting her on Update, she will most certainly be asked to do less during the rest of the show, as to prepare for her segment on Weekend Update.
I'm glad this awful rumor has been buried, and we can get on with our lives. Looking forward to news on Darrell Hammond...whenever that may come. Maybe we won't know his status until the night of the premiere--now that would be entertaining!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
SNL Fires Watkins, Wilson
One word: Wow. I found this out yesterday, and apologize for the delay. I was just too busy trying to pick my jaw up off the ground.
Yes its true: After the recent hires of Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad, Lorne Michaels has fired castmembers Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson. The news about Casey didn't surprise me. Once the announcement came a few days ago about the 2 new females being hired, I knew there was no way Casey would be kept. However, I figured the cast would be strong with the 5 females they had. Lorne Michaels didn't agree--he also fired highly regarded Michaela Watkins, which so far has not been a popular decision with the SNL faithful. Michaela hadn't even been on the cast for a full season, and she'd already won many viewers over with her "Bitch Pleeze" character and her impressions of Ariana Huffington and Hota Kotb. Many fans, myself included, thought she out-performed her co-hire Abby Elliott, who will return for SNL's 35th season. I know Lorne has his reasons for what he did, but as for now, I'm still scratching my head. Maybe he's really "sold" on his two new females.
In my opinion, this move puts a huge amount of pressure on the young Abby Elliott. Not only did Lorne keep her over Michaela, but now she's the unofficial "#2 female" on the cast. Something interesting to watch for: If the two new ladies look funnier than Abby, then the Michaela decision will look horrible. Because then, fans would argue (as many of them already have) that Michaela is funnier and more valuable to the cast then Abby. This being said, I wish everyone the best. I never root against a castmember, but I do take notice of who's doing better.
And good luck to the newbies! Let's not forget about them. It's always exciting to get some fresh faces on the show, and I'm excited to see what they have to offer. Good luck!
Yes its true: After the recent hires of Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad, Lorne Michaels has fired castmembers Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson. The news about Casey didn't surprise me. Once the announcement came a few days ago about the 2 new females being hired, I knew there was no way Casey would be kept. However, I figured the cast would be strong with the 5 females they had. Lorne Michaels didn't agree--he also fired highly regarded Michaela Watkins, which so far has not been a popular decision with the SNL faithful. Michaela hadn't even been on the cast for a full season, and she'd already won many viewers over with her "Bitch Pleeze" character and her impressions of Ariana Huffington and Hota Kotb. Many fans, myself included, thought she out-performed her co-hire Abby Elliott, who will return for SNL's 35th season. I know Lorne has his reasons for what he did, but as for now, I'm still scratching my head. Maybe he's really "sold" on his two new females.
In my opinion, this move puts a huge amount of pressure on the young Abby Elliott. Not only did Lorne keep her over Michaela, but now she's the unofficial "#2 female" on the cast. Something interesting to watch for: If the two new ladies look funnier than Abby, then the Michaela decision will look horrible. Because then, fans would argue (as many of them already have) that Michaela is funnier and more valuable to the cast then Abby. This being said, I wish everyone the best. I never root against a castmember, but I do take notice of who's doing better.
And good luck to the newbies! Let's not forget about them. It's always exciting to get some fresh faces on the show, and I'm excited to see what they have to offer. Good luck!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Megan Fox/U2
Ok, its now official: The season premiere of SNL will be hosted by film star Megan Fox, and will feature musical guest U2. Star-studded? You bet. This pairing is sure to bring home big ratings, and both should be very interesting to watch. Combine this with the recent announcement of Lorne bringing in 2 new castmembers, and the season premiere is surely "must-see TV."
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
SNL Adds 2 New Castmembers
Breaking news in the SNL world: Lorne Michaels has hired two new castmembers for season 35! When I heard the news I could hardly believe it--I really didn't think he'd hire anyone before the start of the new season on September 26th. However, the next bit of news surprised me even more: Both new castmembers are female. Wow. This is VERY surprising--shocking even.
Let me elaborate. Last season, Lorne hired 2 female castmembers, Abby Elliott & Michaela Watkins. They were added primarily to counteract the departure of Amy Poehler, plus in my opinion, they were hired to support the standout of the show, Kristen Wiig. Now, with the news coming today, there could be 6, that's right, 6 female castmembers. Before I give further reaction and commentary, let me briefly introduce you to our newbies:
Jenny Slate is a comedian from Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of Columbia University and starred in her one-woman show "Dead Millionaire" at the Upright Citizen's Brigade (UCB). She also had a weekly show with comedy partner Gabe Liedman called "Gabe and Jenny." However, most people may recognize her from a recent Verizon TV ad, and her role as Jimmy Fallon's assistant in the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" miniseries "7th Floor West."
Nasim Pedrad is a comedian born in Tehran, Iran. Yes, Iran. She graduated from UCLA, and has worked with The Groundlings, the UCB Theatre and Improv Olympic. Most notably, she has been a player on the Sunday cast of The Groundlings. She too had a one-woman show entitled "Me, Myself, and Iran." You also may know her as "Nurse Suri" from ER.
That's a little background info on the new castmembers. Now to some thoughts on the hires:
Again, I'm surprised beyond belief that this move was made. In my opinion, this clearly sets up the departure of another castmember, namely Casey Wilson. I just don't see SNL keeping and utilizing 6 women on the show. Sketch comedy shows usually have about a 2-to-1 ratio of men to women. That seems to fit about right, seeing as there are usually far more male roles to play than female roles. In turn, because there are less females on a cast, each female gets used more, so in the end males/females have about the same impact on the show even though men greatly outnumber women. That being said, 6 women on a cast of 14 isn't the ratio you'd hope for. Therefore, I just don't see a way Lorne keeps Casey around. In a recent post I stuck up for Casey, and said I'd be surprised if she didn't stick around for season 35. Now, that changes. Because now a female has to go. Its not going to be Kristen or Abby, they've already confirmed they're coming back. And although the Michaela rumor has been thrown out there, I don't think Lorne's going to give up on a talent like her after 1/2 of a season. With the 5 remaining females, you have a strong, young group that can bring the laughs for years to come.
Also, Darrell Hammond is still in negotiations with SNL to come back for the 35th season. This is getting interesting, especially considering his essential "send-off" at last season's finale. This situation will be interesting to watch in the weeks leading up to the SNL premiere.
Let me elaborate. Last season, Lorne hired 2 female castmembers, Abby Elliott & Michaela Watkins. They were added primarily to counteract the departure of Amy Poehler, plus in my opinion, they were hired to support the standout of the show, Kristen Wiig. Now, with the news coming today, there could be 6, that's right, 6 female castmembers. Before I give further reaction and commentary, let me briefly introduce you to our newbies:
Jenny Slate is a comedian from Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of Columbia University and starred in her one-woman show "Dead Millionaire" at the Upright Citizen's Brigade (UCB). She also had a weekly show with comedy partner Gabe Liedman called "Gabe and Jenny." However, most people may recognize her from a recent Verizon TV ad, and her role as Jimmy Fallon's assistant in the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" miniseries "7th Floor West."
Nasim Pedrad is a comedian born in Tehran, Iran. Yes, Iran. She graduated from UCLA, and has worked with The Groundlings, the UCB Theatre and Improv Olympic. Most notably, she has been a player on the Sunday cast of The Groundlings. She too had a one-woman show entitled "Me, Myself, and Iran." You also may know her as "Nurse Suri" from ER.
That's a little background info on the new castmembers. Now to some thoughts on the hires:
Again, I'm surprised beyond belief that this move was made. In my opinion, this clearly sets up the departure of another castmember, namely Casey Wilson. I just don't see SNL keeping and utilizing 6 women on the show. Sketch comedy shows usually have about a 2-to-1 ratio of men to women. That seems to fit about right, seeing as there are usually far more male roles to play than female roles. In turn, because there are less females on a cast, each female gets used more, so in the end males/females have about the same impact on the show even though men greatly outnumber women. That being said, 6 women on a cast of 14 isn't the ratio you'd hope for. Therefore, I just don't see a way Lorne keeps Casey around. In a recent post I stuck up for Casey, and said I'd be surprised if she didn't stick around for season 35. Now, that changes. Because now a female has to go. Its not going to be Kristen or Abby, they've already confirmed they're coming back. And although the Michaela rumor has been thrown out there, I don't think Lorne's going to give up on a talent like her after 1/2 of a season. With the 5 remaining females, you have a strong, young group that can bring the laughs for years to come.
Also, Darrell Hammond is still in negotiations with SNL to come back for the 35th season. This is getting interesting, especially considering his essential "send-off" at last season's finale. This situation will be interesting to watch in the weeks leading up to the SNL premiere.
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