Saturday Night Live

I also have a soft spot for his Al Gore -- "Strategery"/"Lockbox" is a classic.

I hope he does the announcing from the set so they can drag him back in for a sketch every now and then, though I guess he could do what Pardo did towards the end and record his lines at home.

Oh god, I do too; I almost said that even.

I just remember coming back from hiatus, I guess in the election year, and in the previous season Hammond's Gore had been pretty generic/underwhelming, and suddenly in the fall it was AMAAAAAAAAZING. Yeah, that was a highlight of the show for me, the debate thing.

Instant Monkeys wrote:Oh god, I do too; I almost said that even.

I just remember coming back from hiatus, I guess in the election year, and in the previous season Hammond's Gore had been pretty generic/underwhelming, and suddenly in the fall it was AMAAAAAAAAZING. Yeah, that was a highlight of the show for me, the debate thing.

Supposedly, Gore's people showed him the sketch in preparation for the next debate so that he would come across as more likable, and through two terms in the White House, Bush's people referred to their weekly planning sessions as "strategery" meetings.

SNL used to do great political stuff til the second Bush term (9-11 effect maybe). They've been weak sauce on Obama. Just cause Stewart and Colbert do it too doesn't mean no one else can.

Eris Rising wrote:

The Dude wrote:As loath as I am to see the show get whiter, it's got to be about that time for Keenan.

I suspect that he has one more season left in him, though it wouldn't surprise me if you were right.

You are correct, sir.

Aaaaand retracted. Whatevs.

Pratt was charming enough, but it was an inconsistent night overall. Jost has mildly improved over the summer, but not enough to look comfortable in the role, and Che, while an experienced performer, is going to need a few more weeks to settle into the role. Aidy Bryant is, as always, gold. Pete Davidson nailed his "Let's introduce the new guy by letting him do his stand-up on Weekend Update" role, and I'll be interested to see if he brings that same energy to sustained sketch work. Leslie Jones was just as good as last time, if a bit less controversial and more willing to wade into typical relationship humor.

The fact that they're still taking a handful of minutes each week, handing them over to Mooney and Bennett, and saying "Here, do whatever the hell you want" is something that may keep me tuning in even during the most mediocre episodes.

Honestly, I want to play Puzzle World just to see how insane the 75 levels get.

Also Ariana Grande's second performance was terrible.

Does Ariana Grande hate consonants? It was all vowels, no actual words.

She's campaigning hardcore to be the dictionary definition of "marble mouth".

The Sarah Silverman episode was a bit of an improvement, though she kept blowing her lines. Weekend Update was significantly better, enough for me to think that Jost may be able to adapt to the Update desk. I'm thinking that this is the season where we're going to start seeing some more standout performances, as well as some successful recurring characters.

I watched a marathon of last season's episodes on VH1 on Saturday, and I can't believe how awesome the women on the show are! Kate McKinnon kills absolutely every sketch she's in, and Aidy Bryant is a riot! I think Cecily was great as a WU anchor so I can't understand why she's been removed. Jost is adorable, but he definitely seems a bit stilted and apprehensive to me.

I think Aidy Bryant is hilarious, and I love that they just let her be funny, instead of making her The Fat Girl all the time. It's refreshing, especially when you think about all of the fat jokes they made Melissa McCarthy do when she hosted.

whatthedeuce wrote:I watched a marathon of last season's episodes on VH1 on Saturday, and I can't believe how awesome the women on the show are! Kate McKinnon kills absolutely every sketch she's in, and Aidy Bryant is a riot! I think Cecily was great as a WU anchor so I can't understand why she's been removed. Jost is adorable, but he definitely seems a bit stilted and apprehensive to me.

I think Cecily Strong didn't want to do Update anymore because it took her away from doing more sketches.

Ohhhh, so it was her choice! That makes sense, and I totally get it even if I enjoyed her immensely as an anchor.

bloomtoperish wrote:I think Cecily Strong didn't want to do Update anymore because it took her away from doing more sketches.

Wasn't that just positive spin on the situation? Weekend Update has been a huge launching pad for SNLers in recent years.

Arabella wrote:

bloomtoperish wrote:I think Cecily Strong didn't want to do Update anymore because it took her away from doing more sketches.

Wasn't that just positive spin on the situation? Weekend Update has been a huge launching pad for SNLers in recent years.

There's no way of telling what really happened. There is some alleged grumbling in the ranks over it, though.

Writer Leslie Jones upgraded to cast member. Good. She's been hilarious on Update, and deserves a chance to show her sketch chops.

OMG. I'm so thankful to VH1 for marathoning SNL eps on weekends. Taran Killam kills pretty much any sketch he's in, which is great since he's in just about all of them. Even that stupid He-Man skit with Chris Pratt was partly hilarious due to him constantly patting his junk and saying "I like this!" Which reminds me, how did the writers come up with such lame material for Pratt? He seems like a guy who'd be game for anything, and his show was terrible. The only piece I remember liking is the one with him and Aidy Bryant rapping come-ons to each other.

A pretty strong show last night. Weak cold open and monologue, surprisingly good Weekend Update (Che's bit about how black people are seen like Ebola was the edgiest thing I've seen on WU since Meyers left, and I actually laughed a couple of times at Jost's lines). Strong points? The Lincoln commercial, the dance-off (Aidy Bryant made the most of the line "I'm just a woman trying her best!"), the graveyard scene. Leslie Jones brought serious comedy chops to the haunted house pre-tape, and even playing a waitress, she got actual laughs in the opening of the turgid family reunion sketch. I think that she's the one to watch this season.

Vanessa Bayer and Michael Che totally cracked me up on WU! That and the graveyard sketch were the high points for me.

whatthedeuce wrote:Vanessa Bayer and Michael Che totally cracked me up on WU! That and the graveyard sketch were the high points for me.

Oh, I forgot the romantic comedy bit! Bayer's become a vital member of the cast, no doubt.

I just love the women on this show so much. I think Bayer may be favorite, but each woman brings her own brand of awesomeness to the sketches.

Prince's musical performance to consist of a single, uninterrupted, 8-hour jam. Then again, as we all know, Prince has been living in Prince World for a while now.

I can get with this.

Eris Rising wrote:Prince's musical performance to consist of a single, uninterrupted, 8-hour jam.

Hee, 8 minutes, not 8 hours!

I was watching New Girl on Netflix, and there was an episode all about Prince. It was very strange.

I thought the Jim Carrey musical opening was terrible.  The haunted graveyard was hilarious! And the Lincoln car ad spoofs were good, particularly the payoff with the Allstate commercial.

Not a big fan of Jim Carrey, but he was doing spectacular at not looking like he was reading cue cards.