Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Andy Samberg on Letterman



Andy Samberg on Letterman last week!

Andy Samberg To Host MTV Awards

SNL's favourite funnyman Andy Samberg has been chosen to host this summer's MTV Movie Awards!

Comedian and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Andy Samberg has been tapped to host the upcoming MTV Movie Awards in May, the cable television network said on Monday. Samberg is the latest in a long line of "SNL" performers, including Mike Myers and Jimmy Fallon, to host the irreverent awards shows that gives out honors in categories such as best fight or best kiss.


Woot!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson Review

Cold Open: Funny, energetic, silly, stupid - perfect opening to a show hosted by Tracy Morgan.
Nice cameo from writer Simon Rich also!
7/10

Monologue: Funny stuff. I particularly enjoyed where he was looking at the headlines about the recent fire in his apartment. "Why is it a crib? That's my home!"
8/10

Chewable Pampers: I won't dignify that with a rating. Put it to rest!

Brian Fellow's Safari Planet: I was in hysterics! Brian Fsnellow is hilarious, period. So ridiculous and silly, especially everything about the "uppity" cow. And it didn't run too long either, which is always a plus! All in all, pretty perfect sketch.
9/10

The View: Not as funny as some previous ones, but Kenan never fails to crack me up with his Whoopi Goldberg impression. Same can be said for Michaela Watkins' impression of Barbara Walters. The argument about stem cell research was my favourite part of this sketch.
"Stem cells are not people. If you walked into a restaurant with three stem cells, you wouldn't get a table for four."
"Yes I would!"
7.5/10

Scared Straight: Ordinarily I would probably groan at the thought of yet another Scared Straight sketch, but this one was just too funny, if only for the fact that Bill & Andy broke at the end, and Jason was hilarious making them laugh even more. It may not be professional, but I love seeing cast members break, especially Bill who I would have considered to be unbreakable. Also, "penis noir" sticks out in my head.
9/10

Dateline: "And then he shot me."
"Ooh, shot you a dirty look?"
Enough said, Bill was characteristically awesome, and this sketch was as funny, if not funnier, than its predecessor.
9/10

Astronaut Jones: I think the theme tune was funnier than the actual sketch itself. Don't get me wrong, it was fine and I smirked at a few parts, but it didn't live up to my expectations. However, that song will forever be stuck in my head.
7/10

Kelly Clarkson 1: I don't like the song My Life Would Suck Without You, but I have to hand it to Kelly - she sounded pretty damned good live. Kudos.

Weekend Update: So, while the guests on WU were funny, the jokes were subpar and I don't think I actually laughed at one of them. John Malkovich was excellent, and Bill had him down to a tee. I laughed at Really?! with Tracy Morgan. Barbie was amusing, but I felt she dragged on a little bit. Not the best WU.
7.5/10

Big Love: I am willing to forgive the somewhat disappointing conclusion to this sketch, for the fact that the cast were excellent at the impressions. Casey Wilson was particularly good at capturing Ginnifer Goodwin's vacant expressions, while Abby made me howl as soon as she opened her mouth. However, this was a sketch that could have done without a presence of Tracy Morgan.
7/10

Digital Short: I missed these kinds of digital shorts. It reminded me of the boardroom meeting one with Rainn Wilson. My favourites were cereal rapist & numbnuts.
9/10

Suppressex: Felt a little rehashed to me. The beginning with Will Forte was funny, but it sort of went downhill from there.
6/10

High IQ: So incredibly silly, and that's the only word fit to describe this sketch. But I really liked it. It had a circus feel to it, and I love ensemble sketches. And I don't know why, but Darrell's voice made me laugh a lot too!
8/10

Kelly Clarkson 2: n/a didn't watch.

Family Flix: The minute Life is A Highway started playing, I was gone. This sketch was just so funny to me, and I think had anyone other than Tracy Morgan done it, it wouldn't have been nearly as funny. The photos of all the people who died during the making of Rocket Dog were hilarious too.
9/10

Gas Right: Some original commercials please!

Overall: I really enjoyed this episode. I knew this episode would be good, but it really surpassed my expectations. Even the sketches I didn't enjoy so much, didn't leave me bored, as some sketches did last week in Dwayne Johnson's show. Tracy Morgan was an awesome host, and while this may not be the best episode of the year, I think he's one of the best hosts.
I think it was Bill's night tonight. He is basically Midas, and he elevates every sketch to a level it most certainly would not reach without him.
Hard to pick a favourite sketch, as there were a lot of great ones. My only qualm is that they had to replay Gas Right & Chewable Pampers. Some new commercials or shorts, please! Also, while I love the political sketches they do, I'm glad they didn't do one tonight. It wouldn't have felt right to integrate politics with the fun episode that we had Saturday night.
Overall - fun episode, full of laughs. Perhaps they overutilised Tracy, but I don't even care. There's never enough Tracy Morgan.
8/10

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson - Thoughts?

Feel free to share your thoughts about last night's show!
Best sketch, stray observations, etc.

Comment, comment, comment!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson Web Promo

Abby Elliott in People Magazine

Here's a brief excerpt from an interview with Abby & her father Chris Elliott.

Did you always know Abby was destined for showbiz?
Chris: In middle school she was in The King and I.
Abby: Lady Thiang, the King's head wife. Which was very dramatic for 13. (laughs) Chris: She had such a presence, and I remember thinking, 'Oh my God. You’re going to be a star.' But we pushed her. I wanted you to follow in my footsteps. It was all planned before you were born. I just thought you were going to be a boy.
Abby: And be bald?
Chris: You still will be, honey. I lost mine at 22. You've got a year.

Abby, did you go to college?
Abby: I didn't even last a semester. The school part was doable, but the living situation – there were mice crawling up the desk in my dorm room, which was on top of a YMCA. So you started working with comedy troupes like the Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.

How did you land SNL?
Abby: I just kept sending in tapes. 'Look, I can play a yoga instructor and stand on my head!' One character, then four. When they called me to audition, I couldn't speak.
Chris: Her audition was great.
Abby: I did five minutes of impressions: Drew Barrymore, Joan Cusack, Katie Holmes.
Chris: She's always been a good mimic. Angelina Jolie I think you started doing when you were 12.
Abby: When she came out with that whole Gothic thing, with Billy Bob [Thornton]. I started doing her face before the voice, the eyes, the moving.

Has your dad given you any advice?
Abby: Not a lot of advice, but a lot of support, a lot of letting me know that I can do anything that I want. You couldn't ask for a better family.
Chris: Well, you could ask, but you're not going to get it. This is as good as it gets.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20262837,00.html

The rest of the interview is in this week's People magazine, I do believe.

Fred Armisen Interviews Lonely Island

The funniest thing you'll see all day!

If the video doesn't work, go here:

www.prefixmag.com/news/fred-armisen-interviews-the-lonely-island-for-pitc/26855/

Friday, March 13, 2009

Victoria Jackson Is Back!

SNL alum Victoria Jackson managed to get onto Sean Hannity's show to once again claim that Obama is a communist. Here is one of my favourite excerpts from the article I read:

She said her research included reading George Orwell's book 1984 -- twice -- and said seeing Obama's picture on the cover of every magazine in an airport bookstore reminded her of "Castro, or the guy in China."

Wow, that's a helluva lot of research. Especially seeing as she couldn't name Chairman Mao, who I am assuming "the guy in China" is.
So, who would Jackson like to see run America?

Jackson said she would like to see Hannity run the country, along with conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the failed GOP vice-presidential nominee.

Wow, that's a super idea, having two conservative commentators, and a tried-and-tested failure run America.
I feel your pain Victoria. I long for the day when we can say the words President Rush Limbaugh, but unfortunately I just don't think the communists would let a sexist, racist, ignorant idiot would allow that to happen.
But who wouldn't want this guy running the country?

-For two weeks in 1989, on his Sacramento radio show, Limbaugh performed "caller abortions" where he would end a call suddenly to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner and a scream.

-Limbaugh is critical of feminism, saying that "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society."He also popularized the term "feminazi", referring to radical feminists "to whom the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur."

And my favourite:
On the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal, Limbaugh said, "This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation... And we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day [referring to the U.S. Military service members]. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release?"

I too think that torturing prisoners is just having a good time, but tell that to the communists/socialists.
Did I mention Rush Limbaugh didn't go to college? The liberal elite are too snotty to ever go for that, Victoria. But hopefully one day people will see past the bigotry and stupidity, and they will see that Hannity & Limbaugh are the smartest men in America, and ought to run the country.
And maybe Victoria, they'll let you entertain the troops with your handstands, and reciting 1984 at the same time!

Tracy Morgan Promo

Clarky Kellson is going to be so excited!


Sunday, March 8, 2009

Dwayne Johnson/Ray LaMontagne Review

Cold Open: This sketch featured Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (Will Forte) seeking ideas from the public as to how best deal with the financial crisis. Funny & clever premise, and it was good to see SNL prove that they can make fun of Democrats in equal measure.
8/10

Opening Monologue: I always love a good song and dance, and when it features Dwayne Johnson belting out a big number like Tough Guy, as he did here - well, hilarity ensues! I loved it, loved it, loved it. And it was great to see Abby featured in the monologue!
9/10

MacGruber 1 - When is MacGruber not good? Never. When is MacGruber excellent? When Richard Dean Anderson reprises his role as MacGyver, and it's revealed that he's MacGruber's father. Hilarious.
9/10

The Rock Obama - Firstly, I love Andy's impression of Rahm Emmanuel (who is one of the creepiest politicians I've ever seen on television) so I was super excited to see him featured here. Johnson did a terrific job here, and even did a decent Obama impression (who he happens to sound like anyway).
"Show yourself out of window."
Yes, Obama talking like a caveman/Hulk will always be funny to me.
9/10

MacGruber 2 - Not as funny as the first one. Here it is revealed that MacGyver left MacGruber and his mother for a stripper named Lacy. Amusing, but not as laugh out loud funny.
7/10

Activia Commercial - I think I'm in the minority when I say I didn't enjoy the first one that much. It was amusing and all, but a little one-note. But I have to say I liked this one. Probably because it featured more people, like Abby Elliott & Jason Sudeikis. My favourite line?
"You know when one person yawns.."
Also, nice cameo from SNL writer/comedian John Mulaney as the cameraman!

7/10

Hawaii Honeymoon - I really enjoyed this one. My heart goes out to people who live in tourist areas such as Hawaii, and I thought this sketch was a really funny send up of how much some locals must hate the tourist industry. The line about Obama being from Hawaii was great, and I loved when Johnson knocked over the drinks of Sudeikis & Thompson.
8/10

MacGruber 3 - Funnier than MacGruber 2, not as funny as MacGruber 1. I loved the final scene where MacGruber was fulfilling his earlier promise of scattering MacGyver's ashes in the toilet. And, we got to see some of Will Forte's ass again, so it's all good.
8/10

Ray LaMontagne 1 - Nice to hear a musical guest who can manage not to "sound like ass" on SNL. I really enjoyed this. Very lovely.
8/10

Weekend Update: The high standard that WU set itself earlier in the season, is slowly beginning to slip unfortunately. The jokes have gotten a little bit more predictable, although I did enjoy the quip about Brad Pitt meeting Obama, and everything being okay. Also a clever dig at Iran is always a winner.
The characters meanwhile fared a little better. I enjoyed Kenan's Michael Steele, and thought that segment was pretty well written. Cathy was fine, but it was Timberlake and Biel that really saved that segment. Meanwhile Jon Bovi were funny, but the joke went on a little too long. It ended on a high note : "I like tiny dongs.."
7/10


Game Time with Dave and Greg: Pretty good, solid sketch. Bill Hader was pretty fantastic in this sketch, but once he started freaking out the sight of water, I kind of began to lose interest. Would have preferred it had he just kept up the vomiting of lines he'd heard used before. "That's my taxi cab."
7/10

Apprentice Commercial Shoot: As I've said on many occasions, I always love impression-orientated sketches. And this one was no different. It was great to see Hammond featured in a sketch, playing someone other than John McCain. Everyone was funny in this, and I particularly loved Fred's creepy Tom Green impression.
8/10

Ray LaMontagne 2: Loved this. Really gorgeous performance.
9/10

Lighthouse Date: This was a decent sketch. The double entendres were pretty funny, but I think funnier lines from the stranded crewmen really would have elevated the sketch. Props to the set designers and lighting people for this sketch though. They did a pretty great job of making it look like the guys were stranded on rocks.
6/10

Overall:
Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was good & solid, and Johnson did a great job of hosting. I enjoyed the first half more, as I feel like the sketches in the second half weren't tight enough. On the plus side, it was great to see most cast members featured tonight, and no over-concentration of Kristen Wiig.
I have to comment on Casey Wilson's virtual absence from the show though. I mean, she had one or two lines in one sketch. I know sketches get cut, and what have you, but can the writers not muster up more lines or appearances for her?
Enjoyed the cameos tonight, and I have a feeling JT will be making many more appearances, now that he's living in NY.
Disappointed that there was no digital short, but I guess three MacGruber shorts does make up for it.
7.5/10

Next week - Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson. Wonder if we'll see any cameos from 30 Rock peeps?

Stray Observations:
-Justin Timberlake looked hot-to-trot at the goodbyes.
-I want to see more writer cameos!
-The bumper photos are getting better and better!
-A lot of Abby Elliott, little Watkins, Wilson or Moynihan. Favouritism perhaps?

Tune In Tonight For...

-SNL Game Show Parodies
-Just Commercials

I Hour Specials Tonight on NBC at 7&8PM.

Bill Hader in NY Times

Check out this article, where the NY Times profile TV stars who are tomorrow's big screen stars.
http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/03/08/style/t/index.html#pagewanted=5&pageName=08coverw&

Bill Hader is mentioned in it, and there is a rather dashing picture of him featured in the article.
Enjoy!

Dwayne Johnson/Ray LaMontagne

I've read nothing but good things on the internet about this episode, but what did you think?

Best sketch of the night? How was LaMontagne?
Go ahead, comment, comment, comment!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Andy Samberg to Appear On...

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Bold- March 9th (as part of Lonely Island)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show - March 17th
Jimmy Kimmel Live! - March 18th


You're welcome.