(S33E05) Cold Open (CNN Democratic Debate): After seeing all those rumors about adding a new cast member to specifically play Barack Obama, I had resigned myself to seeing a new black guy. Hey, don't pretend you didn't think the same thing. In my mind, Fred Armisen never, ever entered into the equation, so imagine my surprise when Armisen popped up on screen next to Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton and was immediately identifiable as Obama. It was the ears and the super-serious look of concern, I think. This sketch was all about the some members of the "unbiased" media's blatant negligence of Clinton. Yeah, the content was all right, but I spent most of my time trying to figure out if I liked Armisen as Obama. He had the look down, but only part of it. Obama's frowny face was pretty spot-on, but what about his signature grin? And the voice didn't work at all. Perhaps this will improve with time, because I don't think it's likely that Armisen expected this new role and didn't have much time to intensely study Obama's voice and mannerisms before the end of the writers' strike.
Monologue: Have you all seen footage of Tina Fey from her writer days on SNL? She would occasionally make a writer cameo, playing a bit part, and, I've got to say, she was frumpy as hell. Now, look at her... Ten years later and she looks a million times better and younger. It gives hope to all slouchy, geeky girls in the world. This must have been the most surreal thing for Fey as well. After all, she used to work on SNL, then she got a show based on her experiences at SNL, and then, because of that show, she came back to host SNL. Fey has really got it made right now. The monologue touched on the writers' strike and then somehow managed to work in a cameo by SNL favorite Steve Martin. The whole monologue was okay, but I really loved that bike shorts moment. Just the subtlety in Fey's reaction showed just how far she's come since her performing days on SNL, when I totally loathed everything thing she did.
"Annuale": I absolutely loved this commercial, because birth control ads are already inherently hilarious. The only bad part of it was Fey's rat's nest of a wig. "It may turn your baby into a firemonster" was pure gold. We also caught a glimpse of Maya Rudolph's replacement, new featured player Casey Wilson.
"Rock of Love 2": Bret Michaels (Jason Sudeikis) had to pick three out of four skanks to keep on his show. One-legged Amber, who we haven't seen in a while, farted her way off the show. I don't really care for this particular character, but I suppose the audience will always enjoy one-legged chicks and fart jokes. Also, I think it was around here that I decided the new girl, Wilson, was trying a little too hard.
"DVDs That My Wife Made": This was the most incredibly random commercial, but I still enjoyed it. Honestly, I'll watch anything that has Bill Hader and Andy Samberg together (as long as it isn't Hot Rod). "That phone's in the movie, Grandpa! It's not your phone!"
"What's That Bitch Talking About?": I'm not sure if it was because Kenan Thompson played host, but I got a weird adult All That vibe from this bizarre game show. It was kind of weak but a little intriguing at the same time. I don't think I liked the game show part very much, but I did like the home game design. Did I spot Ann Coulter and Queen Elizabeth?
"Weekend Update": Joke-wise, this was a pretty good WU. I adored the appearance by Governor Mike Huckabee, who has been making the comedy rounds like whoa. First he fuels the whole O'Brien vs. Stewart vs. Colbert feud and now he's on SNL? Someone make him say, "Sock it to me" next, please. Honestly, I may not agree with that man's ideas, but I appreciate how he can play along like this. It was so beautifully self-deprecating, I wanted to give Huckabee a pat on the back. Fey also jumped back behind the desk, forming a surprisingly cool WU line-up. Can you see it? Fey, Poehler, and Seth Meyers. It could totally work. Anyway, Fey ranted on some lady-related issues, from mocking Lindsay Lohan to bashing Hillary-haters. That Lohan joke caught me off-guard, by the way. It was a fairly tame jab, but Fey's whole history with Lohan, including Mean Girls and that weird post-SNL intervention, made it a bit weird. If it was Poehler or Meyers delivering the joke, I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but the fact that it was Fey made it seem so much more malicious that it really was. No? Yeah? Just me? All right.
"Celebrity Apprentice": Oh, Darrell Hammond, why are you still here? I bet even Tim Meadows is thinking, "When in the hell is this guy going to let go?" Anyway, this was pretty much just an opportunity for all the cast members to show off some of their weirder celebrity impressions, ones that have little to no relevance in today's bigger pop culture scene. Seriously, when else was Kristen Wiig going to get to show off her awesome Jennifer Tilley voice? Wilson's over-excited Rachael Ray was... okay. The girl needs to play it cool, she's trying way too hard.
"Best Man Speech": When in doubt or need of filler, do a best man speech. I loved the Mario references and had a good chuckle, though.
"Hot Air Balloon Rides": What in the hell was this? It was awesome, but I'm still confused. It felt like SNL briefly switched over to Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I Drink Your Milkshake": I still have yet to see There Will Be Blood, but that milkshake scene has already reached enough of a quotable status that I could laugh along. Hader's impression was spot-on, as always, and Poehler's wide-eyed, silent little Plainview was hilarious. The overall sketch was okay, but the best part was Will Forte's over-enthusiastic "I Drink Your Milkshake" theme song.
End: The thank yous ended with a big Happy Birthday to announcer Don Pardo, who recently turned 90. Come on! 90! That's absolutely insane. And Pardo totally owned those birthday candles, putting them out. I would have been winded halfway through, quite honestly.
Carrie Underwood: Didn't this blonde girl win a contest or something? Anyway, she was pretty.
Next time: Ellen Page and Wilco? Man, this episode is going to get so much street cred with the indie kids. I really hope Page pokes a little fun at Diablo Cody.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-24-2008 @ 2:00PM
Jimmy said...
I expected this episode to be very good, and it delivered. I have to disagree with Annie, though, on her impression of Tina Fey. She has NEVER looked "frumpy as hell." She has looked great and been funny since Day One. This was one of the best episodes of the last five years -- right up there with Alec, Justin and Jack Black -- and I have no doubt that it's because of Tina.
My random comments:
* Fred's Obama was too reminiscent of his Steve Jobs.
* The monologue and Annuale commercial were both great. I also laughed out loud on Steve Martin's bike shorts line.
* I loved the knock on Rainn Wilson's performance in Juno in the Digital Short -- "Fast forward, Grandpa. It gets better." How true.
* I don't usually like game show sketches, but I thought this one was very well done.
* By the same token, I don't like Darrell Hammond, but I love sketches that feature the entire cast. Celebrity Apprentice was solid. Fred's Gene Simmons is PERFECT.
* I had the same reactions Annie did to Weekend Update: I liked Huckabee a lot and was thrown off by Tina's Lindsay Lohan joke. The other joke that caught me off-guard was Seth's line about Liberia. Not funny.
* The "There Will Be Blood" parody was absolutely brilliant, thanks mostly to Hader's dead-perfect impression. This sketch blew me away -- especially coming in the last half hour of the show.
* I like what I've seen of the new girl so far.
I'm sure we'll see this one in repeats five or six times over the next year. Thankfully, it was a classic. Even the ending with Don Pardo was fantastic.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 4:02PM
Joel Keller said...
Jimmy, if you saw pictures of Tina during her Second City days (around 1996) or her early, non-performing SNL days, you'd think differently. She was about 30 pounds heavier and had a really short, boyish haircut. It's pretty well known that she had to drop the weight and glam herself up in order to make the transition from SNL writer to SNL writer-performer.
She's been married since before SNL, though. Lucky guy; he married a cute-ish funny woman and ended up with a babe in the process :).
2-24-2008 @ 4:14PM
Jimmy said...
Sorry, Joel. Tina started working at SNL in 1997 and got married in 2001. And she was beautiful long before she landed 30 Rock.
2-24-2008 @ 4:40PM
Joel Keller said...
*eyeroll* OK, she was married in 2001. But as far as I recall, they met at Second City. And, you may have thought she was babelicious in her early SNL days (1997 - 2000, when she was a writer not a cast member). I have no idea. But this look came about as a result of her wanting to perform on-air. She talks about this stuff here:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/tina-fey-talks-to-womens-health
(Oops, she says they met at ImprovOlympic, but worked together at Second City. So they met even *earlier* than I originally thought.)
2-24-2008 @ 3:12PM
JW said...
"Food Network: Porn For Fat People", that was classic.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 3:36PM
Charlee said...
Kenan Thompson on the game show reminded me of... what was his name? Like, Principal Pimprel or something? He had a huge like boil/pimple on his forehead? Oh, classic All That.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 3:38PM
Melissa said...
I really enjoyed the period commercial and the DVD commercial. The DVD commercial reminded me of my Dad taping his voice over the number count on Romper Room. He thought it was a good way to teach me how to count in German and Spanish, which it did teach me to do. I was about four...I think. I was thrilled every time the numbers came on, because I thought my Dad had actually been on the show.
Back to SNL, I also liked the Steve Martin bit. Heh...comedy rule of three.
What I did not care for was Tina Fey's rant. I had a horrible flashback to 1/2 hour news hour. The anchors on that show were so intent on getting out their political message that the joke part always seemed thrown together. Don't get me wrong, I love political humor (Jon Stewart FTW), but I don't love it when the quality is poor and/or making someone laugh is not the primary objective. That ruined weekend update for me tonight. Anyway, it's still nice to see the show itself back.
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2-24-2008 @ 3:55PM
ac said...
Honestly except for the Steve Martin cameo, Huckabee (least he can make fun of himself), and I'll Drink Your Milkshake I was dissapointed. Why do I only find Tina Fey funny on 30 Rock? On SNL I thought she was awful, but on 30 Rock I laugh my @$$ off the whole 30 minutes. Strange.
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2-24-2008 @ 4:14PM
Ryan said...
Favorite parts:
- Fey's numerous "I can do it!" sayings.
- I Drink Your Milkshake with Anton cameo - PERFECTION
- Bitch is the New Black!
- The Annuale commercial - FANTASTIC
Everything else ranged from meh to okay including Carrie Underwood.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 4:47PM
Sarah said...
I really missed Mya on this show. She adds sass. That replacement girl was all boobs, no talent. Hurry up and bring her back. Also, why all this gushing about Tina? No acting talent there whatsoever. Could she have read her lines any harder?
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 5:08PM
Jimmy said...
Joel, you ignorant slut.
In the article you link to, Tina mentions losing weight through Weight Watchers, but she says nothing of doing it out of a desire to be on-air.
I'll drop it, though. This is, after all, your blog, and I'd hate to let the facts get in the way of your opinions.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 5:20PM
Joel Keller said...
Jim, she dropped the weight in 2000. When did she become a performer and not just a writer? Fall of 2000. Doesn't take a genius to connect the two. Do I have to search all over the internet to get you the article that states that in those exact words?
2-24-2008 @ 5:48PM
Argus said...
Why is Darrel Hammond still on the show? Because he's the best impressionist they have! Who else will do Bill Clinton if Hilary Wins?
That said, I have to give this show a fail. It went up and down, but Tina Fey's rant on Hilary Clinton stopped being satire and started just being her campaigning and it really soured the whole thing for me. I liked her during the opening monologue, but that was really it, this episode reminded me how glad I am she's gone.
They need to get rid of Wilson too. That is one featured performer who should not become a regular.
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2-24-2008 @ 6:15PM
pinsleric said...
I loved the monologue! It had Steve Martin, and a spanish Minnie Mouse impression... Fantastic!
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2-24-2008 @ 7:55PM
Ellen Higgins said...
This was a hot show. It is an hour and a half so some highs
and lows can be expected. I loved the Hader/Samburg short.
I think Daryl Hammond is the best impersonator out there.
His Trump was spot on. Keep on, keepin on Daryl. Tina is
and always has been smokin.
Reply
2-24-2008 @ 7:56PM
Aberdeen said...
I was kind of bored...in fact, I didn't bother to watch the whole show.
I did love the Annuale ad, though, that totally rocked.
Reply
2-25-2008 @ 12:17AM
Jeff said...
Carrie underwoods set was awful. She can sing, but those lyrics. What is up with the almost emo country western band members?
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2-25-2008 @ 12:46AM
Jojee said...
The Lindsey Lohan joke was the 3rd time I had heard this weekend. Once from The Soup and the second from Real Time with Bill Maher. The weekends not over and the joke is already stale!
Reply
2-25-2008 @ 11:30AM
kevjohn said...
I would like the address of the crack dealer you are getting your supply from. He must be serving you some really good shit if it got you to enjoy this episode of SNL.
I'd give the episode a 3 stars out of ten. 3 as in the number of times I laughed the entire episode. And if it weren't for Steve Martin's contributions it'd just be getting a 1-star rating. Lame, 1-joke payoff for the Huckabee visit, musical guest was atrocious, not a single sketch that was humorous beyond its premise, and all the sketches seemed to go one twice as long as they usually are. Bill Hader's great Daniel Plainview impersonation was totally wasted on dead material, as was the other players' Trump, Gene Simmons, and Hillary. And if you couldn't predict that Fey would end up behind the WU desk, again I'd have to blame it on the top-notch crack.
One positive thing I do have to say is that this was by far the best new episode of the year. When's the next writer's strike? Can't come soon enough for me.
Reply
2-25-2008 @ 12:42PM
lucyfan62 said...
Honestly, this was the funniest SNL is years! I have not laughed so hard consistently throughout a single episode. Not all the bits were great but I found something to make me laugh in just about all of them. The bike shorts thing was funny, but the boom hitting Tina in the head was slapstick gold! Great episode from start to finish...I just wish my local station hadn't cut the episode off during Don Pardo's cake presentation! And what happened to Maya Rudolph??? Did she leave the show again? I hadn't heard anything about her departure. I know she was gone prior to the season premiere, then she was enticed back but what happened this time???
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