(S33E03) "Amy Poehler: 1986": I thought that this was a great choice for a cold open! A young, big-haired Amy Poehler being visited by a magical poster version of Jon Bon Jovi? Fantastic. In general, it was really cute and made me feel a little better about Bon Jovi's hosting abilities. I mean, not that it really mattered because he barely appeared in this episode, not counting the musical performances. Hey, whatever it takes to promote an album, right?"Monologue": Mr. Jon Bon Jovi, what the hell were you wearing? Was that a sportscoat with leather sleeves over another leather top? For shame, Jon Bon Jovi, for shame. Poor Richie Sambora stumbled on his guest appearance, but Bon Jovi saved him, dragged his band on the stage and played music. Surprise, surprise.
"Ohhhh!": SNL used to have some pretty funny fake game shows but I feel like the latest ones have all been fairly lackluster. This one was no exception. Although I'm sure some of Jon Bon Jovi's lady fans were pretty satisfied with what he was wearing. The man doesn't age, apparently.
"A Visit with Former Vice President Al Gore": Sometimes I wish that Darrell Hammond would just leave the show once and for all. I like the guy, but he's been on for too long. But then there are moments like this where they can't help but use Hammond because he's the only one who can do these impressions. Donald Trump, Dick Cheney, Chris Matthews, another older white guy who has been in the news recently... It's all Hammond! He's probably not going away until this decade passes.
"SNL Digital Short: People Get Punched Just Before Eating": I. Loved. This. I didn't get it, but I loved it. The music was spectacular, Andy's facial expressions and victory dances were spectacular, the Foo Fighters getting punched was spectacular. Yeah, it was great. I'm pretty sure the decision to finish with a Zombie Dance went something like this...
Jorma and/or Akiva: So, Andy, we've got you punching people and... how do we want to end this?
Andy: [shrug] Zombie dance.
Jorma and/or Akiva: Sure.
Andy, Jorma, and Akiva: [smooooke]
I'm just sayin'.
"Dane Cook for ALCS": Jason Sudeikis' Dane Cook impression is pretty much spot-on when it comes to the voice. If only he could get that posture down. He's got the puffed-out chest going on, but he needs to pace around a bit more and pump up the ego. You can do it, Sudeikis!
"La Rivista Della Televisione con Vinny Vedeci": After all the times I've seen this sketch and character, I'm still not super jazzed about it. The only thing I consistently enjoy is the fact that Will Forte is always on the side, silently eating spaghetti.
"Weekend Update": Fairly weak this week. I did like Fred Armisen's political comedian, though. I felt like I was listening to the self-proclaimed "politically-aware" college students I deal with all the time. Generally, that just means complaining about the mass media, bitching about Bush, and wearing ironic t-shirts.
"Dane Cook for NLCS": See comments for "Dane Cook for ALCS". It was the same thing, don't lie to yourself.
"NBC: Football Afternoon": Filler. Oh, that was such filler.
"Bon Jovi": I think this sketch addressed an issue that most Bon Jovi listeners have pondered. It was a fun take on the question, but I feel like they could have pushed it so much further.
"Iconoclasts": Now, I enjoyed this immensely. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation talking, but a recurring sketch with Kenan Thompson's Charles Barkley and Kristen Wiig's Bjork in an Odd Couple living situation would be hilarious. It's the sleep deprivation, isn't it? Oh well. I laughed. It was one of the better sketches of the night.
"Foo Fighters": As much as I love these guys, I felt like we didn't need to see them. Bon Jovi performed twice, so why didn't they just be the musical guest? J.Lo's done double duty before, why not Bon Jovi?
Next time (well, next new episode): Brian Williams and Feist! BRIAN WILLIAMS! My heart swells with glee! Judging from his appearances on The Daily Show and cameos on SNL, Williams is going to make a great host. He has a lovely deadpan delivery that I think will translate well to the show. I even dare to say it's a little Kevin Spacey-like.
Six shows that I am watching pretty regularly this season
Five other TV shows where Sarah Palin should appear
Brought To You By ... - VIDEOS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-14-2007 @ 3:50PM
DC said...
Foo Fighters were awesome. I was very disappointed that they only got to perform one song. I wish they could've done two. Bon Jovi got to do two!! It was the first time I actually gave the new "country" Bon Jovi a chance, and it wasn't that bad. I would've much rather seen more Foo Fighters though.
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10-14-2007 @ 4:47PM
Piper said...
Jorma and/or Akiva: So, Andy, we've got you punching people and... how do we want to end this?
Andy: [shrug] Zombie dance.
Jorma and/or Akiva: Sure.
Andy, Jorma, and Akiva: [smooooke]
I'm just sayin'.
That is the funniest thing I have read in a week!
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10-14-2007 @ 5:31PM
nickmagoo said...
Man, what a bad episode overall. that Andy sketch had one or two funny moments, but it went from oddly absurd to just dumb and long winded. punching people and then making dorky faces just loses its fire after a while i guess...the Barkley/Bjork sketch has potential. the Dane Cook has potential too, but still not fully developed.
Bon Jovi Mach 2: the Country Years blooows. you could start a drinking game based on the number of inane cliches in the lyrics and be hammered by the second verse. if i were Foo Fighters i'd be very ticked off...and Dave Grohl is much funnier than Jon Bon Jovi (based on his apeearances on "Almost Live," an old show from Seattle that came on after SNL in the 80s/90s - Joel McHale from The Soup is an alum, as was Bill Nye the Science Guy, who had a great superhero character named Speed Walker!
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10-14-2007 @ 5:37PM
Matt said...
People Getting Punched Just Before Eating was the funniest thing SNL has done since "SLOTHS!"
I thought the Notre Dame/NBC commercial was awesome, but I'm a big College fan, so I can understand someone not into College not finding it funny at all.
The rest of the episode was very meh.
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10-14-2007 @ 6:08PM
Jeff said...
Murder dance! :D
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10-14-2007 @ 6:17PM
Jim said...
I thought it was a fairly solid episode.
Things I liked:
* A non-Darrell Hammond cold open
* "Double Punch" with Dave Grohl
* The Notre Dame commercial
* Kristin's Bjork impression
Things I didn't like:
* Only one Foo song
* Richie Sambora with his short unbuttoned
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10-14-2007 @ 6:37PM
dtrain said...
2 songs by bon jovi and only one from the foo fighters? how effin reterded. it's 2007, who the hell wants to hear bon jovi when the foos have a new record out? isn't it just rude to have the shitty host play more than the musical guest? anyhow, did anyone notice Pat Smear on the stage, just jumping up and down, not playing his guitar? hillarious. what a week episode.
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10-14-2007 @ 6:49PM
ac said...
Why were the Foo Fighters there? Bon Jovi who apparently went country (why) sang more. Its like they got ticked off after their 1st song and bailed. And did Bon Jovi have a mullet?!
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10-14-2007 @ 8:42PM
Chris said...
You people were not watching the same episode I was.
Cold Open - was a bit dull, cute concept but not very funny.
Monologue - Funny to see Richie Sambora stumble on his lines but not funny otherwise
Ohhh! - Funny. Period. Kristen Wiig was amusing too
Visit with Al Gore - Another amusing concept sketch stretched too thin, though the AVN award perked it right up
SNL Digital Short - I hated the first 75% of this sketch, but they stretched it out long enough to where I was amused by the end...the music helped make it funny. Reminded me of the Digital Short from last season where they kept shooting people who came in the room. While they're not always homeruns like "Iran So Far Away" they are usually funny and almost guaranteed to be offbeat.
La Rivista Della Televisione con Vinny Vedeci - I hated this sketch every other time I saw it. But this kept cracking me up, from the robot horse, to the kids and nuns smoking, to the smoking producer to the silent consumer of spaghetti, I definitely liked this one.
Lost Purse on Spaceship sketch - This leads me to my Kristen Wiig theory, which is that she's awful when carrying a sketch / concept by herself. Like the Lebron James sketch where she kept repeating accomplishments last week, it was just painful to watch.
Weekend Update - This was a bit weak. It's the same thing over and over again, setup - punchline.
Iconoclasts - Funny, in part because the Barkley impression did sound a little like Barkley, and it was just a wacky, offbeat concept. Bjork is instant comedy, and when Barkley called her "Bork" I had a good laugh. Another Exhibit for consideration re: the Kristen Wiig theory, as she helped support the sketch, and was quite amusing.
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10-14-2007 @ 9:28PM
MattyRock said...
I loved the Dane Cook commercials. Seth Meyer was actually on ESPN's Bill Simmons podcast earlier this week and Bill pitched that idea to Seth, very cool to see that he used it. This season has been pretty bad-I hope they get Alec Baldwin or Justin Timberlake back on soon.
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10-14-2007 @ 9:47PM
Paul said...
Can't wait for Brian Williams. I saw him at the end of August do the monologues for an ASSSCAT show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC, and he was HILARIOUS. His timing is great. It seems he's friends with several of the SNLers, too, so it should be fun for that reason alone.
They really need to bring Colbert in, though. That would up the ante, for sure.
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10-14-2007 @ 9:53PM
Rebecca said...
I really wanted to watch it. But I fell asleep, and when I woke up Access Hollywood was on. Doesn't seem like I missed much. But Brian Williams next week? Awesomeness.
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10-15-2007 @ 1:31AM
Robin Diane Goldstein said...
ok... was that Jack Nicholson who introduced BJ at the end? WTF? is there some connection? and why didn't they show the TV Funhouse they blew-off last week?
every week my TiVo FF button gets its toughest workout during SNL... (is sketch comedy -that- hard? there have got to be 100's of young performers around the country who would kill to put together shorter/edgier sketches? everything is too damn long... )
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10-15-2007 @ 10:04AM
David said...
Even though the premise of the "political comedian who doesn't say anything" got real lame, real quick, as it went on it became all about Armisen's performance, which I thought was absolutely brilliant. It must have looked like nothing on the page (and I can't wait to read the transcript), but he sold it, big time.
As for the "I lost my purse in space" sketch, I kept waiting for there to be some twist of some kind. The stereotypes could have been written in 1957, and I kept thinking that this was the point -- that it would have been revealed that the script was produced by, say, an anti-Hillary Clinton group who was trying to demonstrate that A Woman Cannot Have Power Because Well, She's A Woman. But no, it was just a sketch about a stupid woman who lost her purse in space. Ha ha.
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10-15-2007 @ 10:59AM
Karen said...
Robin Diane Goldstein--that most certainly WAS Jack Nicholson who introduced Bon Jovi at the end, and I'm staggered that Annie didn't mention it in her review. He was just there--with the Foo Fighters--on stage as if it was the end of a show he had hosted, with no explanation for his presence. SO weird!
I, too, thought the Foo Fighters got gypped. Musical guests ALWAYS get two songs. Inviting them on, giving them a single slot, but letting the host (who claimed he was there to act) do two numbers? Why didn't SNL just spit in their faces?
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10-15-2007 @ 11:29AM
Jim said...
Karen: Annie is probably too young to know who Jack Nicholson is!
As for the Foos, I am a big fan, but I thought Dave was off on "The Pretender." Maybe he hurt his voice and they scrapped the second song?
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10-15-2007 @ 11:55AM
Annie Wu said...
I'm sure I had just looked away to finish typing as Bon Jovi did their final performance. I remember being pretty annoyed that they got to play a second time.
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10-15-2007 @ 2:50PM
Diego M said...
lame... not that funny.
weekend update was all right. Digital short was ridiculous but fun.
Brian williams up next? WTF? was katie couric unavaliable? I'm about to drop 3.2 Courics on SNL. where's madtv damn it?
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10-15-2007 @ 4:10PM
superrrguy said...
Why did Bon Jovi play the same song twice? Actually, why did they even play anything. The Foo Fighters were there!!! Totally messed up.
I still want to know how Jon Bon Jovi convinced the rest of the band to go with the Bon Jovi name.
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10-16-2007 @ 4:45PM
ken said...
I have been looking all over for the Fred Armisen Weekend Update sketch (the political blogger or comedian) and you mention it, but could you post it? I watched it and it was my favorite and I want to see it again and share it with someone. That was my favorite of the night.
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