"Trump Press Conference" - Rosie O'Donnell put-downs! The Apprentice! More Rosie O'Donnell put-downs! The Apprentice! Barbara Walters is a gargoyle! The Apprentice!
"Smokin' Meatballs!" - Anthropomorphic meatballs (and chicken parmesan) perform for two restaurant patrons. Well, they're not actually performing - the two patrons are on 'shrooms. Really weird sketch, this, but it ended the only credible way it could. This felt like a relapse to earlier in the season, but at least this sketch wasn't "Big Wigs."
SNL Digital Short: Laser Cats! 2 - I never saw the original Laser Cats! short and one has to wonder if the writers for the SNL Digital Shorts are on 'shrooms, but this was entertaining.
What really made this sketch was the no-budget nature of Laser Cats! 2, with the NBC Universal offices in New York standing in (poorly) for a dystopian future, as a space base and as Doctor Scientist's lair. The little details like Doctor Scientist's laser cat being a dog for a second and "reloading" a laser cat by feeding it were in keeping with great bad shot-on-video efforts.
Sure, Laser Cats! 2 is sophomoric - that's why the sketch is as good as it is. There's a right way and a wrong way to use Andy Samberg, and Laser Cats! 2 isn't the wrong way.
I wouldn't be surprised if the SNL Digital Shorts rate a best-of within the next year or two.
Stock Footage Awards - Not a bad follow-up to Laser Cats! The concept is in the title, but the execution of said concept was surprisingly good. I liked the fact that the same stock footage of a clapping audience was used throughout the sketch. Best of all, I imagine this sketch was incredibly cheap to produce.
The Shins MG Segment #1 - The Shins aren't bad for indie rock. Considering I'm not a fan of indie rock and vice versa, I'm surprised to find the band's music as good as it was. I can understand why people are buying Wincing the Night Away.
Weekend Update - Good for Update. Weekend Update is better this season than last season, but most of the Updates aren't standing out from each other. That's good in a way - WU needs that sort of consistency - but it looks like Poehler/Meyers isn't going to be the best part of Saturday Night Live like with Norm MacDonald's or Kevin Nealon's Updates. This week featured Fred Armisen as a creepy Steve Jobs (with his nigh-godly iPhone) and Maya Rudolph's Whitney Houston impression.
Article comments
1 - Lono
Monologue:
I loved it. It was cool of Gylenhaul to immediately address the elephant in the room... the whole gay thing. I thought he handled it beautifully, by doing the gayest possible bit - a broadway tune in drag. I respect the dude for having the security to prove he isn't gay by referencing his gay movie with a super gay drag scene. I think it was clever because it wasn't the obvious choice.
Lasercats:
Lasercats rules because it is the stupidest thing on the planet. It is even more sophmoric than the Sandler and Breur years. That is what is cool about it. They never pretend for a second that it is good theatre. They take pains to make the special effects insulting to the viewers. Great! If i want real sci-fi I will watch one of the 30 Star Wars movies. SNL's duty is to deliver stupid and silly. Well played.
The rest, as usual, was just ok. As always, the news part is the high point. I was kind of disappointed by the Shins. Though I enjoy their music, that was the most boring performance I have ever seen. I think maybe Beck set a new standard of excellence so high it may not be achieved again for years.
Anyhow, those are my two cents. As always, I watched the show off the DVR on about a 30 minute delay. the purpose is to be able to fast forward through painfully bad skits... like 'Stock Footage Awards'. Funny premise, and the first 60 seconds were clever. After that... it just dragged.
If you ever need a night off from watching SNL, drop me a line. I never ever miss it. Generally, I am only really dazzled about once a show... but those moments are priceless to me.
2 - chantal stone
damn...i'm sorry i missed it
3 - Baronius
I flipped past it twice: they were making fun of Donald Trump and Whitney Houston. I can't imagine anything further from the cutting edge.
4 - Bullopololpopl
I LOVE AFI! someone with no music taste at all would hate afi. you should be shot!
lots of love, Bullopololpopl
5 - sahara
Jake Gyllenhall was BRILLIANT