TVSquad

Annie's review of last Saturday's SNL pretty much encapsulated how I felt about it; it was above average, especially if you understood some of the jokes directed at guest host Peyton Manning. Since I'm a football fan, that was no problem; the NCAA sketch where the studio guys kept saying certain players "pulled a Peyton Manning" was funny to me because, until he won the Super Bowl last month, Peyton had a bit of a choker's reputation.

Anyway, the funniest bit of the entire episode was the phony United Way PSA, showing Manning "helping" a bunch of kids. Even watching it today on NBC.com, I couldn't help but laugh when Peyton not only checks the play at the line of scrimmage, like he does on every play he runs in the pros, but then he whips the ball at his receivers, whether they're ready or not. When he knocks them over, he calls them "losers;" he's so angry at one kid, he banishes the boy to a Port-O-Let so he can think about the error of his ways.

One of the things I forgot to mention in my review of Sunday night / Monday morning's Oscar ceremony was the welcome sight of Jerry Seinfeld presenting the award for best long-form documentary. By the time ol' Jer showed up to give the award, most viewers, including myself, were punchy and tired, but it did seem like he injected a much-needed bit of irreverent humor into the show.

His prepared stand-up bit was short but funny. He talked about how movie theaters shouldn't ask patrons to clean up after themselves because, after overcharging for popcorn and food that he shouldn't even be eating, he should have the right to be able to dispense of his junk by just opening his hand. He then led into the announcement of the nominations by saying: "And now, here are the five extremely depressing films that are nominated for this award."

All of this leads me to wonder: Why has Jerry never hosted this show? He seems to be a natural at it.