SNL cast/writers at Comiskey

Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain and Michael Patrick O'Brien

SNL cast and writers/Chicago imports Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Shelly Gossman, Michael Patrick O'Brien and John Lutz all took to Upright Citizen's Brigade's stage on Sunday to perform in Comiskey. Fortunately for us, Keith Huang documented the event photographically and after the jump are photos from the show. 

Happy birthday, Jay Pharoah!

Happy birthday to SNL featured player Jay Pharoah. Have a good 'un, sir! Keep being great!

Jane Lynch/Bruno Mars - Sketch-by-Sketch Review

Sorry for the delay in posting this. 


Cold Open - This week's cold open featured Nasim Pedrad as famed attorney Gloria Allred. I thought Nasim Pedrad did a great job at anchoring the sketch and I like that SNL didn't hold back in calling out Allred on the despicable human being she is - I mean really, that sketch was vitriolic in tone. That said, there was something about it that didn't work for me? Maybe it just didn't work as a cold open. Don't get me wrong though, there was some great stuff here - most of all, Nasim's performance.
7.5/10


Monologue - This marked the second consecutive sing-song monologue but who's complaining? This was, as one Sue Sylvester might say, "outstanding". And that can be attributed to comedy goddess herself Jane Lynch who just killed this. The premise of the monologue was Lynch singing a Glee theme song penned by hers truly. The only problem is that the theme song centers solely around Sue Sylvester. Some great stuff here including, "Blame my co-writer, Jose Cuervo," "This will all be clay-mation" and "Glee, glee, glee, glee, glee, me, me, me, me, me". Great start to the show.
9/10


Damn It, My Mom Is On Facebook - Commercial parody featuring a filter which scans your page for references to things like sex, drugs or alcohol and cleans it up lest your mother see. Great concept that was executed brilliantly and made all the more relevant in the wake of The Social Network's release. Some choice quotes - "Who's your friend? She looks ill." Or "October means getting all my fall motif sweaters down. Or maybe I should just leaf them up there. Ha ha ha."
8/10


Gilly - So, a Glee sketch was inevitable, right? It's funny though, because for a show (disclaimer - which I love) that is so ripe for parody, I didn't think SNL went as far as they could. And while incorporating Gilly into the sketch was a clever touch, I'm not sure it actually worked. For the most part though, I just felt like it paled in comparison to 6-Bee from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This sketch did have its moments though - Taran Killam as Finn was pretty hilarious. "What does it mean - believe?" Likewise Fred Armisen's resemblance to Artie was uncanny. "You know that I couldn't have done it, 'cause of my glasses." Kenan Thompson probably stole the sketch based on his appearance alone. I also have "Little Orphan A-Hole" written in my notes, so there's that. But aside from that, it just didn't go as far as I would have liked and the parodies all seemed very pedestrian and obvious. Just as not as sharp as I would have expected.
6/10


New Boyfriend Talk Show - Andy Samberg starred in this sketch which featured a young boy interviewing his mother's latest conquests. It was a simple enough concept with a great execution. Jane Lynch and Jason Sudeikis were both terrific in their respective parts - Lynch as the whorish mom and Sudeikis as the incredulous one night stand. Some of my favourite bits include, "Are you my new daddy?" and Sudeikis' dismay at 100 episodes in just 4 months. All in all, this was a great vehicle for Andy Samberg and he did a great job.
8/10


Christine O'Donnell - I loved this. It was a campaign ad "paid for by the coven to elect Christine O'Donnell, who is not a witch". Concise, to the point, absurd and hilarious. Kristen Wiig did a wonderful job here, possibly outdoing her previous impression of O'Donnell. There was also this -
"Besides, if I were a witch, why wouldn’t I just cast a spell making all of you forget that I’m a witch? It’s certainly not because the spell requires one newt per person and I lack a sufficient number of newts."
Perfection. SNL should concentrate on these silly and absurd depictions of politicians - the pay-off is so much better than some of the straight cold opens we've become accustomed to.
9/10


Secret Word - Ordinarily, I wouldn't consider myself a fan of this sketch and I'll admit, I groaned slightly upon seeing the title card on my screen. But you guys, the writing on this sketch this week was on a different level possibly owing to the presence of Jane Lynch who killed in her part of a Phyllis Diller-esque comedienne. Kristen Wiig was more hilarious than usual as Mindy Grayson, delivering lines such as "I sleep with my face in mayonnaise!" However it was Lynch who stole this sketch with her delivery of bawdy lines that included jokes about her less-than-endowed breasts. (TB also stands for "tiny boobs", didn't you know?) Also, kudos to Bill Hader who cracked me up with the line, "And I am not full of bananas!"
8/10


Digital Short - Definite step-up from the previous two efforts. This featured Jane Lynch as a therapist who incorporated herself into her patient's relaxation exercises. The simple and linear structure really paid off while the typical absurdity of the digital shorts remained intact.   Lynch managed to yet again steal this one. Not one of the best digital shorts ever, but a step in the right direction.
7.5/10


Point Of No Returns - This saw newbie Jay Pharoah showcase his impressionist skills - this time he took on two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The impression was, of course, spot-on.  I'm not sure that the sketch content was fully there, but the writer of this sketch deserves credit for at least creating a situation to put Denzel Washington in - they could have resorted to something like "The Denzel Washington Talk Show". It worked to a certain extent and the commitment from Jay Pharoah was nothing short of impressive.


Weekend Update -  I feel like Weekend Update was a little condensed this week, probably owing to the high number of sketches. Anyway, here were some of my favourite jokes -


"North Carolina state representative Larry Brown created controversy this week when he sent an e-mail to other lawmakers referring to homosexuals as "queers" and "fruit loops". And the "Larry Brown gets caught with a male escort" countdown begins now."


"According to a new study, 85% of men said that their latest sexual partner had an orgasm while only 64% of the women surveyed reported having an orgasm. I think that the takeaway here is that women are kinda bad at noticing their own orgasms."


Andy Samberg made an appearance as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg i.e the subject of The Social Network. That was good for a couple of laughs - Zuckerberg's assertions that parents do count as friends and his insistence that all guys use what they've got to attract girls ("I guarantee you that the first thing the guy who invented the wheel did was roll it over to some ladies - 'Hey girls, it's called a wheel - hop on!'") were pretty funny. Fred Armisen's bit as Mexico's tourism spokesman was amusing if not a little repetitive. 
7/10


The Suze Orman Show - Were you dying for some lame-ish lesbian jokes? Fear not, 'cause The Suze Orman Show made an appearance. Basically, Jane Lynch played an old girlfriend of Suze Orman who was now insisting that she was straight. "Tell that to your haircut and crocs." Just a little one-note and definitely one of the weaker ones of the night.
5.5/10


Sunday Night Football - Bizarre much? It featured Jane Lynch singing an extended theme tune to Sunday Night Football. Funny enough at first, but dragged on a little. Bill Hader's impression of Cris Collinsworth was the sketch's saving grace, at least for me. Jane Lynch can belt out a tune though. 
6/10


Tax Masters - So, it's a shame that this one got cut early, because it was certainly a good premise and featured a good performance from Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis played Patrick Cox, a spokesman for Tax Masters who has a half-formed twin brother on the side of his face. Unfortunately, it was kind of cut off early and the pay-off with Fred Armisen at the end was super-rushed. But nevertheless, I liked what I saw.
7/10


OVERALL -
So overall, Jane Lynch definitely met my high expectations and I was glad to see that SNL used her to such a great extent. She was featured in most of the sketches and I feel like it's a testament to Lynch and her genius that the show had so much content this week. She acquitted herself exceedingly well and I realised that she would have made an excellent SNL cast member in an alternate universe.  So, let's give a hand for Jane Lynch!


Cast members-wise, the stand-outs were Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg. Wiig was particularly good in Secret Word and as Christine O'Donnell while Samberg delivered on New Boyfriend Talk Show, Dammit My Mom's On Facebook and as Mark Zuckerberg. Sudeikis impressed in Tax Masters, Gilly and New Boyfriend Talk Show.
Meanwhile, the conspicuous lack of Bill Hader continues. I'm not sure what this can be attributed to, but this absence of Hader is rubbing me up the wrong way.


On the featured player front - I'm still kind of waiting for Paul Brittain to arrive. His Johnny Depp impression last week was stellar, but aside from that, he hasn't had a moment. Get on that, writers! Vanessa Bayer was largely out of view this week, while Pharoah had his Denzel Washington sketch. Taran Killam has impressed me thus far - despite not headlining a sketch yet, he's shown himself to be great at playing a sidekick or second funny guy. That may not seem like high praise, but he's blending in with the cast exceedingly well and it's only week three of the season. Can't wait to see more from him. 


Overall, I really enjoyed this show - dare I say it's my favourite thus far? Lynch was an excellent host and the writing was largely improved on last week (which, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed.)


8/10

Jane Lynch/Bruno Mars- Thoughts

EDIT - I evidently saved this to drafts instead of posting it last night. Sorry for the delay.


Share your thoughts on tonight's show with Jane Lynch and Bruno Mars. Did comedy genius Lynch live up to our fiercely high expectations? Was there a Glee parody? Best sketch? Worst sketch?


Comment, comment, comment!

Nasim Pedrad interview | Movieline

Check out this Q&A that featured player Nasim Pedrad did with Movieline in which she discusses her first year at SNL and her ideal host!

Kings of Leon to appear as musical guests on SNL

It's been announced that Kings of Leon will join Emma Stone on SNL as musical guests on October 23.  They will be promoting their upcoming album, "Come Around Sundown", which is released October 19 in North America. 

Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch headed to SNL for "Women of SNL" special | EW

"Saturday Night Live will air a two-hour tribute to its female cast members Nov. 1. “The Women of SNL” special will include clips (duh), but also new material from Rachel Dratch, Nora Dunn, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Laraine Newman, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, and Kristen Wiig. Um, Jane Curtin and Julia Sweeney, call your agents!

This special is obviously a follow-up to last year’s hit Betty White episode, and who knows? Maybe the sustained interest in SNL‘s female performers will lead to there being more of them."

• Entertainment Weekly

Jane Lynch/Bruno Mars Promo #1

Bill Hader to cameo in Muppets movie

Online reports are suggesting that Bill Hader has agreed to cameo in the upcoming Muppet movie, written by Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller and set to be directed byJames Bobin. Hader, along with Steve Carell, will play himself in the movie.

Meanwhile, it was also reported that Amy Adams has been offered a lead role in the film and while it's unclear who exactly she would be, suffice it to say, it's a major part. 

Other sources are reporting that Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller are trying to tie down big-name stars like George Clooney, Matt Damon and Mel Brooks for cameo appearances too. 

Andy Samberg for "Opposites Attract"?

Production Weekly has reported that Andy Samberg and Anna Faris are in talks to join a body-switching comedy entitled, "Opposites Attract". No other details on the project as of yet, but this would mark the pair's third collaboration after both donated their voices to "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" and starred alongside one another in the upcoming "What's Your Number?"

Kristen Wiig, Seth Meyers and Kenan Thompson were among those who attended last night's "A Lifeline In The Night - A Benefit for Pakistan Flood Relief". Pictures after the jump.

Highlights of the SNL Panel at The New Yorker Festival | The New Yorker

"Here are a few highlights from David Remnick’s Sunday-afternoon panel with some (slightly groggy) cast members from “Saturday Night Live”:

Kristen Wiig on how she got the job: “Lorne and I made love…for three days.”

REALLY?!?

Andy Samberg on meeting Rahm Emanuel: “He was very nice. He made me sit at his desk. He made me. He was like, ‘Do you like how it feels?’”

REALLY?!?

Kenan Thompson on why Lorne’s actually a great guy at heart: “Some guy came up to him and gave him this whole story about how he was homeless. And Lorne gave him $100…. Keep in mind that’s all he had, was hundred-dollar bills.”

REALLY?!?

Jason Sudeikis on what he’d be doing if he wasn’t cast on “SNL”: “I think I’d be hosting ‘Chelsea Lately.’ ”

REALLY?!?

Fred Armisen on which of his characters is the most challenging: “It’s hard to wear the Prince shoes. They’re really pointy.”

REALLY?!?

Seth Meyers on manning the desk on Weekend Update: “Someone made a joke that the closest I’ve come to a catchphrase is, ‘I’m going to stop you there.’”

REALLY?!?"

SNL Cast at New Yorker Festival (PHOTOS)

Members of the SNL cast were out in full force at the New Yorker Festival last night where they participated in an SNL panel. Seth Meyers, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig,. Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg were among those who appeared and I've taken the liberty of adding photos from the event after the jump.

Bryan Cranston/Kanye West - Sketch-by-Sketch Review

Cold Open - This week's cold open centered around Rahm Emanuel's resignation from his position as White House Chief of Staff. I always enjoy Andy Samberg's impression of Emanuel, but I didn't really feel like it was up to par this week? Maybe it just wasn't as deliciously vicious as usual? Anyway, it had some funny lines such as, "But remember, there's a big difference between arguing a point passionately and committing actual physical violence. And that's a difference I completely lost sight of." Bobby Moynihan played Emanuel's successor and had some funny moments - his facial expressions were pretty hilarious. But for me, it lacked some of the punch that last week's Christine O'Donnell-centric open had. 
7/10


Monologue - Bryan Cranston proves himself to be a decent song-and-dance man in this monologue which lampoons the fact that he's not exactly a household name. Enjoyable beginning and nice way to top the show.
7/10


Pepto Bismol Ice - This commercial parody features a Pepto Bismol malt liquor that one can enjoy in the clubs when they experience the discomfort of indigestion. Amusing premise and Nasim Pedrad did a great job as the commercial's spokeswoman. 
7/10


The Miley Cyrus Show - I've always been surprised that Miley Cyrus hasn't been the subject of sketches on SNL. Her persona is ripe for parody, as proven in this sketch where newbie Vanessa Bayer imitates Cyrus to perfection. Bayer did a really terrific job and successfully carried the entire sketch.Paul Brittain had his first starring role on SNL with a pitch-perfect impression of Johnny Depp while Bryan Cranston was equally enjoyable as Cyrus' father Billy Ray Cyrus ("You make me smile!"). I felt like the "pretty cool" catchphrase was unnecessary but the faux clip from the fictional movie "Goodbye, Jeff" was pretty hysterical. A worthy successor to The Dakota Fanning Show.
8/10


What Up With That? - Next, we were treated to Season 36's first installment of What Up With That?, a sketch that just never grows old for me despite the samey nature of the sketch. This week's guests were "93-year old sex machine" Ernest Borgnine and Morgan Freeman as well as the perennially bumped Lindsey Buckingham. Freeman's cameo was priceless and his disillusioned expression was delicious. Borgnine was delightful and seemed to be enjoying the whole spectacle very much. And how could you not with appearances from Mary Kay Letourneau and her student lover (Abby Elliott and Paul Brittain) and Do-Do Man and Zwiggy (Bryan Cranston and Jay Pharoah). Much-deserved kudos to Kenan Thompson who, as always, brought an unrivalled energy and enthusiasm to the stage. 
8/10


Shanna - Kristen Wiig reprised her character Shanna i.e the sexy girl with an unsexy manner. So, I was a little "meh" on this sketch, just because I didn't see the point in it being brought back and I didn't think the material was there. But, what I will say is is that Wiig always commits fully to this character even as it has devolved into a semi gross-out sketch and leaves her vanity at the door. Any comedy in this sketch is wrung from her performance and for that, she deserves her due. But, for me, this was the weakest of the night. 
5.5/10


Digital Short - A marked improvement on last week, but still not reaching the heights of last season. This had some very funny moments though such as, "You've purchased 99 child's tickets for Rescue Dogs 3D" and "Haven’t heard from U in 5 years. Rescue Dogs 3D?! Are U 4 real?!". But I feel like the premise wasn't fully realised and as a result was a little jumbled and silly. Still though, better than last week's.
7/10


Weekend Update - Not as strong as last week's - but then again, last week had David Paterson and Amy Poehler. Some nice jokes this week courtesy of Seth Meyers such as, "This week marks the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones, the seminal animated series that inspired, among other things, the creationist movement." Bobby Moynihan was on hand to reprise his Second-Hand News Correspondent character Anthony Crispino. That had some fun moments like Crispino confusing the Ground Zero Mosque debacle with Muslims wanting to show Jim Carrey's movie The Mask at Ground Zero. It wasn't uproarious, but like I said, it had some fun moments and Moynihan did a great job. Also on hand was Andy Samberg who came to deliver his swansong performance as Cathy. Again, this was fun but to be honest, I'm relieved we won't be seeing more of Cathy. All in all, a fun installment that failed to reach the heights of last week's. 


Kid Smartz - Here, Bryan Cranston played an overly kissy-kissy children's quiz show host while Kenan Thompson played the sassy Janelle who was having none of Cranston's inappropriate antics. I thought this sketch was fun and had a great premise. My favourite moments were undoubtedly between Cranston and Samberg's dim character Roger, who obliged Cranston's requests for kisses. I thought this was executed reasonably well, but it didn't go as far as I would have liked. Maybe it was just me but I felt like it ended a little abruptly? I don't know. 
7.5/10


Sparkling Apple Juice - Here, Cranston and Fred Armisen played two singers in Minneapolis, MN who sang one song over and over - "I sent a bottle of sparkling apple juice to your house?/Did you get it?" On paper, that doesn't sound great, but I actually enjoyed it a great deal. Maybe it was the live element, which saw Cranston and Armisen coax the crowd into singing the song with them, but I just found myself smiling throughout. Simple premise that was executed well and great job by Cranston in particular.
8/10


Henry - This saw Nasim Pedrad debut a new character - a small, nerdy 10 year old named Henry who's learning self defence from his father. Now, here's what I'll say about this - I didn't necessarily think the content was there but the level to which Pedrad committed to the character and carried the sketch was more than impressive. So for me, the brilliance of the performance outweighed the middling quality of the writing. 
6.5/10


i-sleep-pro - I'm unsure as to why this didn't take prominence over Pepto Bismol Ice, because for me, this was way sharper and more inventive.  This featured  a sleep aid that played sounds black people are used to and can therefore get to sleep to. Sounds like "Muffled Tyler Perry Sitcoms", "Old Lady Complaining About Foot Problems" and my favourite - "Bass". Simple, sharp and concise. Great job.
9/10




OVERALL-
Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable show. Bryan Cranston fit in seamlessly with the cast and proved to be a great utility player. Would I have liked him to be featured more than he was? Yes. I don't think he got the opportunity to showcase the breadth of his comedic talent, but at the same time, he proved to be a worthy host and I sincerely hope that he's invited back again. 
If Cranston wasn't showcased, then by God, were the featured players showcased with Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Taran Killam and Nasim Pedrad all getting ample face time. Bayer, Killam and Pedrad were particularly impressive in their respective sketches and made me eager to see more of them both. This featuring of the featured players players may have come at the expense of the repertory players with there being a conspicuous lack of Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis this week. Hopefully this will be remedied soon. 
But what everyone's talking about this morning is Kanye West and his two killer performances. Honestly, it's rare for the musical guest to take centre stage and steal the show, but that's exactly what West did last night with his impeccably staged and performed Power and Runaway. It was a true spectacle and the white background/dancers were genius touches. Any animosity between West and SNL should be forever buried because the boy brought it and tore up Studio 8H last night. A great television moment.

Grade - 7.5/10

Kanye West performance of Power (VIDEO)

Rarely do I blog about SNL's musical performances, but I felt it necessary to pay special notice to Kanye West's performance of Power which was awe-inspiring, chilling and generally awesome. It was great television and the staging was phenomenal. Hopefully we'll see more musical performances like this from now on. Video embedded below.