I've decided to adopt the "show segment" reviewing style for tonight and for all subsequent SNL reviews. No reason, it's just that everyone does it and I want to join the crowd.
Cold Opening - Not bad, not good. Sudeikis still seems rushed in his delivery as Bush, but The Iraq Study Group Report could not be avoided for its comedic potential. The "five-year-old's" letter to Bush wanting to kill the Iraqis by poison was the highlight of the segment. The cold openings have been weaker than usual this season and this cold opening continued the trend.
Anyone get the feeling that this could be Don Pardo's last season with Saturday Night Live? He's a good announcer, but his flubs are becoming a weekly feature. He really doesn't add much to SNL anymore.
Monologue - Most of the monologue was about Bening's real estate character in American Beauty and felt dated. What a surprise that Alec Baldwin came in, pointed out that he was in Glengarry Glen Ross ("Always Be Closing") and saved the monologue by being utterly self-absorbed. The entire monologue seemed like an excuse to have Baldwin in a cameo, not that him being on the show is a bad thing. I get the feeling Baldwin's going to host more than one show this season.
SNL Movie Trailer Re-Cut - Apocalypto is given new, anti-Semitic subtitles. This wasn't bad for the debut of a potential SNL segment, even though the Mel-Gibson-hates-Jews jokes could be seen from space. There were some funny moments here, especially with the child "smelling bagels." I wonder how this segment will work with non-subtitled films, though.
Good Morning I Hate This Town - From the title I assumed Good Morning I Hate This Town was going to be a typical morning show parody with comedically insipid banter. This was a bit different - the two hosts hate the town they're broadcasting from and the entire segment is the show talking down to the viewer. The concept is in the title and I felt the sketch could have gone farther with the condescending, but Sudeikis had his moments and Good Morning... was short enough to be entertaining.
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Article comments
1 - Czar of Entertainment
I don't what you are thinking about here - the headline about this SNL is that Annette Benning knows how to read - she was so focussed on reading her cue cards that if another actor dropped dead during a sketch she would have never noticed. Her acting was so bad, I thought she was doing a Kristin Wiig parody.
As per usual Weekend Update was a HUGE disappointment. Perhaps SNL should copy This Week with George Stephanapoulos and air the Saturday funnies using highlights from Stewart and Colbert. Amy Poulin continues to be way over her head here.
It's hard to believe that this show is spiraling the drain so quickly.
2 - Cameron A.
Who's Amy Poulin? Is that someone I should know?
3 - Dave
4 - Tzuriel
He means Amy Poehler
5 - Col. Mustard
"For some reason I just like bad gags."
Apparently, if you sit through the whole show.
"Most of the monologue was about Bening's real estate character in American Beauty and felt dated"
That's because it was dated. The movie is seven years old. You left out the best part was Baldwin saying she looked good naked in The Grifters.
"A lot of people feel that this was sketch of the night." "a lot of people have pointed out her over-reliance on cue cards"
Who exactly? I don't believe "a lot of people" are talking about this show.
6 - susan
I think Ms Bening had to rely on cue cards because things were changed considerably in the last minutes....the ads throughout the week featured Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisan dressed as recurring characters from another planet, whose names escape me, (are spelled the same but pronounced differently?) which did not appear in the live show. That and the fact that a sketch had to be cut for time suggests last minute cuts and additions took place, rendering it impossible to memorize lines....replacement sketches were likely kicking around for some time, so the cast was familiar with it, but not the host - I don't know, that's what Studio 60 taught me.
7 - Lono
There is something that happened that night that I don't think I have EVER seen, and I haven't missed SNL much in the last 20 years.
What was the deal with two completely different musical guests?
btw, Gwen Stefani sucked major eggs. She used to be hot, talented, and interesting. Now, she is none of the above... just a joke. My god how horrible that music was. I made the deadly mistake of watching the show in real time (instead of on DVR delay) so I couldn't fast forward.
8 - saharat
Lono, I agree Gwen was less than great, but really, Akon? Talk about sucking - that performance looked like it should have been the losing act at a high school talent contest
9 - Gina R.
While it is difficult for different hosts to come in late and learn all their lines, no one has ever botched the job more than Annette Bening last week. Some effort to turn her head, use hand gestures, or attempt to ACT would have been helpful.
10 - Princess Consuelo
I love saturday night live! i watch it every saturday. i love the weekend update with Amy Poehler. she is so awesome. i wonder if Amy has ever seen the shows Friends, and Charmed. they are my two favorite shows. Amy you rock. i can't wait to see the SNL episode with Jake Gylennhaal. he is sooooo hot!! Reese Witherspoon has good taste in men.I was wonderin if any one knows the answer to this question. Don't ya think that after Reese and Ryan Philipi got a divorce, that Reese wouldn't want to think about Ryan or date anyone who looks like him? I think Jake Gylennhaal looks a little like Ryan, i mean they both have blue eyes and facial hair.So, i guess Reese likes the guys with blue eyes and facial hair. ok, well i better go. see ya! once again Amy Rules!!!