Author Archive

ZOË RICE: I like the topical choice of subject, even if the Daily Show’s bit on the oil spill is hard to beat. I especially enjoyed Armisen in this sketch. I would have liked to see a couple more “plans” but that’s a good sign if I want more, no?

STEVE MURPHY: I’m just elated that didn’t have a politician in it! I enjoyed the plans (particularly the ‘Back Up Plan’), and I agree with Zoe, SNL has never been very good at leaving you wanting more, typically opting for “repeat it till it dies and then keep repeating it.” A moderately good start!

HOWARD MEGDAL: Exactly- it was the pacing that made this work. Way too many openings drag.

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HOWARD MEGDAL: There are certain pleasures to Fred Armisen’s Lawrence Welk- but I’ll be honest. With a week, news-wise, like we just had, this was a…

ZOË RICE Gabourey Sidibe has been darling and funny in interviews…but how would she do at scripted comedy? The monologue really started for me with “I’m famous now. Suck it college.” And then came the cute little back up dancer outfits. Sometimes it just takes some early 60s spectacle and a big happy woman to put a smile on my face. I had to rewind a couple times to hear the the lyrics, and Gaby needs a better wig, but overall the monologue was very enjoyable, in large part because of Sidibe’s likability.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Wow. As Obama and the Democrats actually get tough on financial reform, SNL portrays him as acquiescing. Happy to see Obama humor-hell, this skit would have worked a month ago! But to do it as Democrats actually hold firm and Obama took Wall Street to task? It was as strange as having a sympathetic priest on the show two weeks ago.

ZOË RICE: Kristen Wiig’s Bjork is adorable, and I liked the little ash bits falling around her. Other than that, Armisen’s Larry King and Hader’s Richard Branson left me feeling kinda meh.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Fred Armisen is well-deployed here. I happen to love Wiig’s Bjork. Branson was a time waster, but the fault was the writing, not Hader’s.

STEVE MURPHY: I love Kristen Wiig’s Bjork impression pretty damn hard. I love that she calls Larry “Lorax.” I really enjoyed Hader’s Branson, even if the only joke was a very general one about a not-that-famous guy. He’s always happy… doesn’t seem that hilarious. But I laughed a bunch so I’m giving this sketch a thumbs up for starting the show without making me want to throw myself into a snake pit, as the cold open typically does.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Nicely executed right-wing fantasy of what the Census is. And is there anything funnier than watching Michelle Bachmann and company realize, Wile E. Coyote-style, that making their base paranoid about the government will result in representation losses via census count?

ZOË RICE: Indeed this one was a chuckler. I looked forward to what each next inappropriate census question would be, and I was not disappointed. Finally they’ve gotten the Obama-vs.-right-wing tone and material just right.

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ZOË RICE: Even just the intro to this week’s open was amusing, but the Eric Massa story easily lends itself to disbelieving humor. The part of this open that…

STEVE MURPHY: I think most actual Obama speeches are funnier than this sketch. Maybe they should stop calling this a “Cold Open” and start calling it the “Dead Open?”

ZOË RICE: Eh, the opening was just not that funny. They could have done something much more clever about healthcare.

HOWARD MEGDAL: This drags, and is utterly aimless. How hard would it have been to make fun of Democrats, Republicans or even the general public here? The target was nobody.

HOWARD MEGDAL: A good idea, but I wonder if this dragged for me because I don’t care about these musical acts.

ZOË RICE: Solid open–SNL has history of spoofing We Are the World, and here I chuckled more than once at how they called out the participants. Farnsworth Bentley? Yeah, you gotta call that out.

STEVE MURPHY: I’ll one up Howard here and say that this was a great idea, done terribly. I do like though that even Jennifer Lopez seemed to acknowledge that she’s not famous enough to play herself in this sketch. The only saving grace was, as Zoe said, calling out the funny participants (Vince Vaughan?)… but couldn’t Update have done that in like 8 seconds and without all those terrible impressions?

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