TVSquad

(S32E12) Cold Open (American Idol auditions): The animals angle was cute, but I think the best parts were the split-second clips of the good singers, a beautiful example of how American Idol loves to focus on the painful auditions and push the better performances to the sidelines. Oh, and the shaggy dog family was also kind of nice.

Monologue: Drew Barrymore has only hosted five times? I mean, I know that's a lot, but I definitely feel like I've seen her more than five times. Maybe it's because of her occasional cameo appearances. Anyway, I thought this monologue was a great take on the typical romantic-comedy. The inclusion of Maroon 5 and Corinne Bailey Rae as the soundtrack was also hilarious.

"The Dakota Fanning Show": Sweet Jesus, I hate Dakota Fanning so much. Bill Hader as Daniel Radcliffe was pretty awesome, but nothing could top Drew coming out as Abigail Breslin in full Little Miss Sunshine gear. I've said it before and I will say it again... Abigail Breslin > Dakota Fanning.



"Marriage Counseling": This was nice, but it dragged on a bit long. I couldn't tell if Drew's half-smiles were in character or attempts to not laugh. After all, Will Forte's face was pretty busted up.

"Body Fusion": Wow, this was beautifully done. The high contrast, awful sharpening... It was awesomely 80s. Maya's sudden "WHOO!" caught me off-guard and made me laugh straight through the rest of the clip. This was just... weird. I loved it.



"Target": This gets less and less funny every time. Kill it.

"Sandraya Sharp": Chandra? Sandra? I couldn't really hear properly. It sort of sounded like everyone was saying something different. The only bit I really liked from this was the "grown-up Webster" line.

"Weekend Update": Kenan Thompson, as the WU Nanny, was actually kind of scary when he leapt across the desk to try and beat Seth's ass. Sometimes, the audience reaction to a moment tops all of the scripted bits in a sketch. When Kenan was holding the baby and lifted his cigarette to take a puff, I loved how the audience started freaking out. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing... I expected him to put out the cigarette on the baby.



"Versace Super Bowl Party": Donatella! Goodness, when was the last time we saw her? It's been ages. The Beckhams were pretty spot-on (David Beckham's voice is crazy). I wasn't surprised to see Horatio Sanz reprise his role as Donatella's main bitch Elton John... Sanz hasn't really done much since his departure from SNL.

"Jo-Jo the Valet": This was like an extended version of Ron Burgundy's attempt at flirtation in Anchorman. It was fun to hear the various Mr. Howell-esque rich people voices. That was about it.



"Firestarter Brand Smoked Sausages": To sum it up... "A jointless finger made out of pork!"

"Drinking with O'Toole": Nothing remarkable. I always like Bill's impression of Peter O'Toole. Um... That's about it. The sketches at the end of the night get more and more unremarkable.

"Baby Toupees": I guess they were running really, really under? The inclusion of this commerical repeat felt like an attempt to take up a few more minutes. Plus, they actually had the time to show a majority (all?) of the credits for the first time in a long while.

Lily Allen: Decent singer. Weird mid-90s hair, outfit, and jewelry. Boring performances. Welcome to the States, hon. Um, that last bit was supposed to sound kind of bitter and mean, by the way. I suppose I don't sound particularly vicious in writing. Anyway, sorry to say... Lily Allen sounds like a right bitch from her blog.

Next time: Forest Whitaker, Keith Urban.