It's rare when the Saturday Night Live host is also the musical guest. In the past, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon and Garth Brooks have successfully managed both. Britney Spears and Taylor Swift were both fairly good, as was Elton John and Mick Jagger. This tradition extends back to the first season when Desi Arnaz (yes, of I Love Lucy) did both. Tonight, Bruno Mars joins the exclusive club of talented singers, who have light comedy skills.
Often when the host pulls double duty, it's a chance for the regulars to shine. With the host getting plenty of focus in the musical segments, the pressure is off to feature them in a lot of the sketches. The other possibility is that the show becomes music heavy. When Quincy Jones hosted in the early 1990's, there were tons of musical numbers that night. Even if it's not legitimate musical numbers, you can count on a lot more music to be included within the sketches.
What will tonight hold? Who knows. I'm hoping for more Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong who have been invaluable additions to the company. I'd like to see Jay Pharoah do more than Obama in the inevitable Presidential Debate sketch, which I am dreading. I want to see Jason Sudeikis in a lot of the sketches as I am still rocking out to the Odysseus sketch from last week. I'd like for Vanessa Bayer to rejoin the party as she has a lot to offer, and I'd like Aidy Bryant to have one feature. Just one. That's not too much to ask...Is it?
Really, I am just looking for some good comedy. SNL is the premiere comedy showcase of our times. It has taught the public what is funny, defining comedy for almost 40 years. It has made stars of any number of its cast members. It does this by only being good about 50% of the time. It's an amazing thing to consider.
Cold Open: Presidential Debate
Oh, my God! It's Aidy Bryant!! Please don't disappear. I do like the belligerent Obama, and I like that Pharoah's wig is getting grayer each time he wears it this season. Does Kate McKinnon give great crazy eyes or what. I like that Bobby Moynihan is undecided about which candidate's ase he wants to kick. TOM HANKS!! My evil twin appears, and I am sad to not have his career. And the Obama mic drop from Key and Peele makes an appearance. This was so much better than I anticipated. I'm thrilled that both candidates were made to look like petty fools, which they sorta were on Tuesday night. Bryant was very good. Don't fire her. Put her in more stuff, pronto.Monologue: Bruno Mars
Mars looks scared to death, at least until he gets a mic in his hand. The Kid who is watching live for the second time would like for him to get off the stage. "He looks like a young Michael Jackson," says she. I liked the number quite a bit. It had a very Timberlake feel and that bodes well for the rest of the night. He certainly came alive and really shone. He's a great live artist and I'm looking forward to his new album.Brad Pitt pour Chanel
Taran Killam does his Brad Pitt impersonation which isn't any good. It's really a poor parody with a poor core concept. The only saving grace: my "rock 'n roll" affirmation was used. I think I'd like to be in every skit tonight.Haters with Sunny Taylor Tompkins
Cecily Strong is out as Sunny Taylor Tompkins a Jerry Springer-esque self help talk show host. Her first guest is Bobby Moynihan playing a woman whose daughter (Mars in drag) is trying to steal all her men. Mars is cutting loose. This is really an excuse to have people boo at each other, and for the guests to shake their booties. It's all a little too pat and easy, even if Mars is committed. Tim Robinson plays a normal doctor who can also shake his booty, so there's that.Brad Pitt pour Taco Bell
Sigh. At least the Taco Bell surprise was good, and as weak as the vocal impersonation is at least Killam's mannerisms are down cold.Power Outage at Pandora
This was great. The internet music station loses power and the staff straight out the 1960's Nasa struggle to keep things going. It's essentially a chance for Mars, playing an intern, to mock all his pop music cronies. The most successful: Billie Joe Armstrong--spot on and vicious. Other targets: Bieber, Katy Perry, Aerosmith and Michael Jackson. I love it that all the Pandora workers had Michael Jackson gloves. Mars doing Jackson is an incredible thing to watch.Sad Mouse
A filmed bit (the first post-SNL Digital Short Digital Short) about a guy who's life is miserable and whose new job is to wear a patriotic mouse costume in Times Square. He's nervous that no one will wave to him, and when they don't he spirals further downward. This is a brilliant little movie, and dare I say it almost Louie-esque. It made The Kid and I very happy.Bruno Mars: Locked Out of Heaven
This is Mars' first single from his new album, Unorthodox Jukebox. It's a high energy number with a solid hook, but leaves little impression. I don't know that I would seek it out again.Weekend Update
Almost nothing here was connecting with me. All of the election stuff felt tired, especially the Do's and Don'ts. I did laugh quite heartily at the new mouth strip joke. Bill Hader is out as Stefon; a crowd favorite. At which point will he break himself up? I like that his dog's name is Bark Ruffalo. He breaks himself up in the second hot spot, when he starts to bring in the Jewish connections. The audience just loves this. I can't put my finger on why this is successful, but it never fails to entertain me. It just works on some primal level I can't explain.Haunted House Ride
Bayer and Pharoah are riding in a Haunted Mansion like ride where Killam, Mars and Hader play Barbershop Quartet animatronic characters. When the ride breaks down, the characters stalk our riders. This is a holiday update to an old bit, but it's still funny. Hanks is out at the end to try a" stopping short" grab at Bayer after the others dispose of Pharoah. This is fairly abrupt; I'm not sure the whole skit was more than 2 minutes long. I like the bit, but the last time it played it seemed longer and more vital.Brad Pitt pour Franklin's Dog Condoms
I have nothing to say.Yeti Point Wilderness Lodge
Sudeikis and Bayer are at the Wilderness Lodge and they want to trek all the way to the top of Yeti Point. Mars and Hader play lodge employees who want to warn our travelers of the dangers of the yetis, who like to look at you and point. Or, if you're Hader, molest you. This was a sketch, and it ended with a Yeti raping Hader and then giving hnk you im a rose. They walked off arm in arm, and I think if you're as stoned as Mars looked when he popeyed the camera repeatedly in that sketch then you'd have laughed a lot. Instead it was a throwback to a long forgotten horror style that has little agency with audiences today that devolved to a background visual joke that is at its core fairly offensive.Brad Pitt pour Dr. Zizmour, the Subway Doctor
THIS gets the repeated call outs?!? Yuck.Bruno Mars: "Young Girls"
These kinds of power ballads show off Mars' rage and turn me off. I hate them. A lot.Under-Underground Records
This ADD sketch is all over the place as they promote their Donkey Punch the Ballot event. It's fast and frantic and features Neil Cavuto and Ruth Bader Ginsberg doing Borat impressions. I always like this but I can never keep up. I'm going to have to rewind to watch it again later. I did love the binders of women joke, a lot.Final Bows
This was a great episode. Perhaps the best of the season. Mars killed it. Tom Hanks was in the house and the cast was great. The writing for the most part was top notch and fun. This is the second week in a row where the taped bits don't work as well for me--though I really liked Sad Mouse. I'd happily watch this one in repeats in a few weeks. Best sketch: Power Outage at Pandora. Honorable mentions: Debate sketch, the monologue. Worst sketch: the Brad Pitt ads.But it's been a great night. My thanks to Bruno Mars...Bruno Mars...Tom Hanks...and the cast and crew. You guys are the best. Good night, everybody!!
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder