(S35E14) There was a different tone to this episode. The writing was a bit more ambitious than usual, going out on a limb a few times to tackle an idea that would require a little more work to get the laugh. It was admirable, sure, but a lot of the sketches still fell flat this week. It was strange. I also realize it's extra-weird if one considers my review of Ashton Kutcher's last stint on 'Saturday Night Live', in which I pondered out loud about whether or not he and the writers could have afforded to get a little wackier.
Kutcher's enthusiasm was nice to watch but the episode really felt mediocre. Maybe the low end of mediocre. Is that even a thing? Well, it is now.
Now here's a Facebook group I can get behind. Close to 10,000 people have joined the Betty White To Host 'SNL' (please?) group at the networking site. There's been no talks with NBC about White hosting the show, this is just something that fans cooked up and want to happen.
This is one of those things where you say to yourself, "hey, why not?" White is a TV icon, and even though she's 88 years old she's still spry, and I bet she could handle an hour or so of sketches. Besides, if the show can have people like Charles Barkley, Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, and Ellen Page host, why not White? She's been around for several decades, is one of those TV stars who is known to both people in their 50s (if they even watch 'SNL') and also people in their 20s ('The Golden Girls' is actually quite popular on college campuses). She was even on '30 Rock' this season.
(S35E13) The first time Jon Hamm hosted Saturday Night LIve, back in 2008, it was before I had seen his work on Mad Men and 30 Rock (the latter was due to the fact his guest appearances didn't exist at the time). I was super-excited that the seemingly perpetually serious Hamm actually turned out to be hilarious, and his performance led to one of the best episodes of the entire season. Taking all this into consideration, I was walking on dangerous ground as I prepared to watch Hamm's return to the SNL stage.
Were my expectations too high to be met? Did Hamm's pre-SNL beard somehow take funny away from him (I've heard beards can sometimes do that)? As it turned out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Hamm did yet another stellar job as host, bringing a level of charm and commitment that made just about every sketch work.
Expect to see a lot of Peyton Manning this Sunday on SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars, according to Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis. Forte and Sudeikis are hosting the two-hour prime time show (Jan. 31, 9 p.m. EST) as Twinkle and Stink, their ESPN Classic sports announcer characters. All-Stars will feature the best of the show's sports-related sketches from the vaults.
In a conference call with media earlier this week, Forte in particular was impressed with Manning, who will quarterback the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl next week against the New Orleans Saints.
If you're excited about the new MacGruber movie and you're a guy, you might be excited to learn that the set is flooded with more hotties than the aftermath of a stripper avalanche.
Don't believe me? Check out this behind the scenes visit to the set with the film's director Jorma Taccone.
I don't get excited that often about new episodes of Saturday Night Live, but I'll be watching this Saturday. Jon Hamm is the host again, and if it's as good as his previous hosting gig it's going to be well worth watching. The musical guest is Michael Bublé.
Fred Armisen is married to Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss.
(S35E12) First of all, Sigourney Weaver looks incredible. Believe it or not, she turns 61 this year, so that's something to think about as we slowly weep into our young but round, Cheetos-stained fingers. Secondly, Weaver managed to play a variety of characters that explored a wide range of wackiness, all without humiliating herself (it was a dangerous moment during that "Fifty and Freaky" sketch but we all knew Weaver's still a classy lady).
The writing was pretty consistent and suited Weaver well, and it was fun to see her do so many goofy things. It's not often Saturday Night Livebrings in someone that of her status. Let's be honest here.
(S35E11) Charles Barkley isn't much of an actor. I knew that even as a little kid, when I saw him pop up in Space Jam for all of five minutes. If anyone was expecting to be blown out of the water by Barkley's performance, they really need to reconsider if their entire life is plagued by self-sabotage, as that was clearly a silly thing to hope for and a set-up for inevitable disappointment.
Going in with low expectations made this episode easier to watch. There were a few points here and there where Barkley seemed more comfortable, and some of his pre-taped segments were pretty funny. Overall though, this wasn't a particularly memorable episode, apart from the fact it was bumped by over thirty minutes, thanks to something called the NFL.
And yes, as a young person that isn't very well-versed in sports Space Jam is my go-to reference for Barkley.
In a case of odd timing, Saturday Night Live actually had a sketch just two weeks ago that made fun of Murphy's persona. Now, to be honest, I didn't really know Murphy outside of the movies she was in (such as 8 Mile), so this doesn't make any real impact on me. It shows Murphy as a bit off, a bit dazed. But again, I'm not even sure if I ever saw Murphy in an interview situation. NBC has pulled the video from the web because of Murphy's death.
However, Mediaite has video of the sketch. They also have video of an appearance Murphy made earlier this year on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Judge for yourself if it's accurate or not.
(S35E10) I hope you all rolled a towel against the crack of the door before watching James Franco host. This was the most I've laughed at an episode in quite a while, but I am still not entirely sure if it's because watching for ninety minutes gave me a bit of a contact high. Okay, even if you argue that I'm inferring a lot because bits of Pineapple Express are still lingering in my brain, there's no denying Franco was definitely extra-squinty, extra-grinny, and was half-slurring, half-spitting his speech through most of the night.
There was also a lot of making out. No man, woman or tree was safe. Or bong, I guess. Maybe.
Maybe I'm 12 years old, but this sketch always cracks me up. It's Alec Baldwin in a classic Saturday Night Live Christmas sketch from years ago. It was one of the sketches shown last night on NBC's A Very Gilly Christmas.
Funny, it's almost as if it's not Baldwin introducing the sketch, it's like Jack Donaghy is introducing it.
Parent Dish -- one of TV Squad's... cousins? step-aunts? -- has a great article about the newest baby fashion accessory: baby wigs. Seriously. Someone has invented and is marketing wigs for infants. In fact, Tyra Banks devoted a segment on her talk show to the phenomenon. I expected her to be all for it, as she has made no secret of her love affair with wigs, but to her credit, she seems appropriately disgusted by the idea.
The article makes it seem as though parents are buying these for their children because having a bald head hurts the baby's self-esteem. That sounds somehow... familiar.
(S35E09) Hello, Twilight fans. I know you're only here because of your screaming hearts, thudding so hard that every beat is a case for internal bruising. I'm going to be upfront: I don't like Twilight. I tried reading it before it was a "thing" because my friends recommended it to me and I found myself struggling to get through it because, well, even then I knew it was embarrassing. I also watched the film, which I thought was very funny, though I realize that was probably not the intended effect.
That said, I thought Taylor Lautner did a great job. See? I'm not just swimming in haterade. Obviously, I wasn't prepared to like him, but just like Blake Lively from last week, Lautner delivered a strong performance. He seemed really comfortable throughout the entire episode and was surprisingly natural, more natural than some of the actual cast members at some points, at least in terms of blatantly looking at cue cards.
And thanks for keeping your shirt on for all 90 minutes, Sharkboy.
If I were Adam Sandler, I would be peeing my pants right now. I also wouldn't be wasting my day whining about primetime game shows and getting fat from sitting in front of my computer twelve hours a day. And I'm sure I'd have an official "pants guy" who could provide me with a pair of pee-stain-free pants at the push of an intercom button.
Holy music uber-god Neil Diamond has resurrected Sandler's famed "Chanukah Song," a song first made famous during his stint on Saturday Night Live, in a cover song for his new Christmas album A Cherry, Cherry Christmas. He also put together an animated video of the Chanukah carol that's not only hilarious, but marks the first and last time the world will see a collaboration involving Diamond, William Shatner and OJ Simpson, until, of course, the fourth Naked Gun movie gets a green light.
Here is what I know about Taylor Lautner: 1) He is in New Moon, the second film in the über-popular Twilight series, but instead of a sparkly vampire, he plays a werewolf. 2) Lots of ladies like seeing him with his shirt off, and 3) Said ladies feel dirty afterward because he's only 17 and they are... slightly older than 17.
Lautner is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend, and NBC has just released two short promos that he did with Kristen Wiig, and it looks like they're trying to bond. In the first one, Wiig talks about how she used to think that she was a werewolf, and in the second, Lautner tells Wiig that he really likes her-- because she reminds him of his mom. Aw, poor Kristen Wiig. A lot of non-teen Twilight fans know how you feel.
I've never actually heard this guy speak before, but he seems downright adorable, so I have high hopes for his episode. His alleged girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was on last month and gave audiences what was arguably the best episode of the season, so hopefully she gave him some pointers.
Now here's a Facebook group I can get behind. Close to 10,000 people have joined the 
Expect to see a lot of Peyton Manning this Sunday on SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars, according to Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis. Forte and Sudeikis are hosting the two-hour prime time show (Jan. 31, 9 p.m. EST) as Twinkle and Stink, their ESPN Classic sports announcer characters. All-Stars will feature the best of the show's sports-related sketches from the vaults. 
So by now you've heard the news about the 
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