Amy Poehler returned to host the 36th season premiere of SNL this past week, but did it feel like she ever really left? Between her frequent appearances last season on the big show and her stint co-anchoring Weekend Update Thursday last fall she was really on the show as much as Jenny Slate was, and probably more times than Jay Mohr during his brief run (cheap shot, sorry, Jay). She even capped last season by coming back for the famed, Emmy-winning Betty White episode, joining her fellow former female castmates like Tina Fey and Molly Shannon in helping White carry the hosting weight. That episode, the 2nd to the last of the season, felt more like a prime-time special than a regular show (indeed, it was billed as a Mother’s Day edition, but as a result of coincidental timing and to justify bringing in the ringers to support White, who then proved she really didn’t need assistance). And while host-in-residence Alec Baldwin made his annual appearance to close out the season a week later, White’s episode really felt like the big finish. And wouldn’t you know it, SNL felt like it picked up just where it left off, by pulling out the big guns and bringing back the all-time greats, starting with Ms. Poehler herself.
Tag Archives: SNL
‘SNL: All-Stars’; Or: Where Was Betty White?
Filed under Analysis, Saturday Night Live, Yvonne Hudson
‘SNL’ Shake-Ups & Sensationalism: Slate & Sudeikis
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed by since we waved goodbye to Michaela Watkins (we hardly knew ye) and Casey Wilson (probably for the best) and welcomed with skeptical arms the rookies Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad. And it’s sad to report that a year later we’re already saying goodbye to the former of that dynamic young duo. And once again, the changes are sure to raise eyebrows. However, this time around, we don’t have a good theory as to what precipitated the moves.
With Will Forte’s departure two weeks ago the whispers began to circulate and the dominoes began to fall. Except, they really didn’t fall so much as erect themselves next to already firmly planted playing pieces, with Taran Killam (best known from Scrubs), Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer from the iO Chicago, and Jay Pharoah, a comedian and talented impressionist, joining the cast, while veterans Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson – rumored to possibly be following Forte out the door – remain (as of press time) at their posts. So it came as a bit of a shock when word got out yesterday that the show had released a cast member, but not one of its established male veterans with s burgeoning film careers (or even Kristen Wiig, who may have already over-stayed her welcome a season or two), but, instead, Slate, who had only put in a season’s worth of work.
Now, if you recall last year’s history lesson on women & SNL, you’ll recall that going into the season with four women (Slate, Pedrad, Wiig & Abby Elliott most recently) was on the high side. In fact, going a whole season with four veteran female cast members is just about as good as it’s ever been on the show. So, with the addition of Bayer, it’s not surprising that SNL & head honcho Lorne Michaels decided to cut loose a lady. It was a numbers game. That we understand. But then why add one in the first place?
Read on: The curious case of Jenny Slate. Also, Jason Sudeikis is the new Ben Affleck.
Filed under Analysis, Flashback!, Saturday Night Live, Yvonne Hudson
Not Really News: Dave Letterman Approves Norm MacDonald’s Impression
Considering that MacDonald is just recounting a conversation from about 13 years ago. But hey, slow news day.
However, it’s a great excuse to repost this clip:
All-time classic.
NYT via Vulture
Filed under Flashback!, Saturday Night Live, Slow News Day
Nostalgia Corner: Any Time I Hear The Words “Several Options” I Think Of This Sketch
Similar, and just as good:
Vodpod videos no longer available.Thank you, VHS copy of “SNL Goes Commercial” that my brother taped on off TV in 1991.
Filed under Good Humor, Nostalgia Corner, Saturday Night Live
Not Very Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Random, Belated, Emmy Thoughts
The Emmy’s were handed out three nights ago, and in the internet world that’s about the equivalent of a fortnight, and everyone who can say it better than me has already said it better than me. But, just to put it on the permanent record, and to get us ready for the impending fall TV season, we thought we’d follow-up with a few humble thoughts of our own, in concise bullet-point form:
- Loved the opening bit, even if it was somewhat of a rehash of 6-Bee‘s glee club rendition of “We’re Not Going to Take It,” a performance that we still giddily cue up on our screen on a regular basis (as well as an audio version on our iPod). But with Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Joel McHale, Jorge Garcia AND Tim Gunn it was like the Ocean’s 11 all-star version of the original Late Night piece, and it truly demanded some freak out control. Our worlds colliding, but in an amazing way.
- Speaking of Jon Hamm, now that his comedic genius has finally been exposed to a wide audience (30 Rock is still critically adored but commercially ignored, his appearances in viral videos only legitimately reach a small segment of the online viewing public, and even two turns hosting SNL don’t necessarily make you a household name these days), can we start having him be funny full-time? He’s so gifted, and so natural, it honestly feels like a waste forcing him to be so stoic and dour and cold on Mad Men (and we know we sound like a broken record on this, but we’re going to keep bring it up until it happens. Or until Mad Men becomes a farcical satire. Maybe in season 5). Sure, he’s magnetic, sexy and mysterious on the AMC drama, but it’s when he’s allowed to do comedy that he truly lights up. But after being seen dancing like an idiot on HDTVs all across the country maybe someone will give him a chance to headline a comedy. Perhaps something in the Apatowian genre. I think that’s a hit.
- And if and when Hamm gets that nod can they please place Joel McHale alongside him? Please?
Continue: more overdue and rambling considerations, compliments and criticisms…
In Memoriam: Will Forte (Sort Of)
Well, it’s the end of a weird, absurdist, hit-and-miss era, as Will Forte and SNL announced their amicable separation today, after 8 years of professional bliss and uneven comedy.
As for Will and this blog, it’s no secret that our relationship has not been so smooth. We’ve often voiced our objection to some of the more outrageous, off the wall sketches that seemed to spring forth from the Forte womb, most often found in the 12:50am dead zone, or sometimes only in dress rehearsal (see: skeevy stalker Hamilton, the bizarre Falconer, and the lyrical stylings of Jackie Snad and Clancy Bachlerat, which literally consist of just random words thrown together in random orders). In many cases we’d rather see Jason Sudeikis elevate a simple premise or a lame idea to something spectacular, rather than a Forte sketch that was just too far out there.
But, to his credit, Forte willingly flew too close to the sun. Sure, he got burned a time or two (certainly in our eyes), but we have to respect his ambition. And beyond the odd sketches and one-note “Weekend Update” characters, we have to begrudgingly admit that his MacGruber was often brilliant, and even more impressive, it never got old. And while Forte’s George W Bush never managed to escape the shadow of the definitive Will Ferrell version, he really never had a shot, but he still soldiered on and made it work in its own way. We can certainly salute him for that.
So, Will Forte, we’re going to miss you challenging us. The show is going to be a little more dull without you (if that’s even possible. Riiiiight???). We didn’t always like what you did, but we (usually) respected it.
In honor of Forte’s departure we’re going to leave you with what we consider his grand opus, a sketch from another planet; strange, baffling, completely dead in the water and with the impression that it was made on a dare, but, yet, oddly compelling. Will Forte, for better or worse, this is your legacy:
Vodpod videos no longer available.(on another note, can you believe it’s already been a whole year since that whole uproar over the firing of Michaela Watkins and subsequent hiring of Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad? Time sure flies when you’re occasionally offered sharp and/or funny sketch comedy).
Filed under Bad Humor, Good Humor, In Memoriam, Saturday Night Live
Out of Hibernation
We accidentally took some HiberNol, knocking ourselves out for 2-3 months.
Vodpod videos no longer available.But we’re back. And we feel great.
It’s merely springtime for Jumped The Snark. Stay tuned.
Filed under Count Bleh, Saturday Night Live
More Jumped The Snark Nostalgia: Best ‘SNL’ of the 00s
With the Saturday Night Live retrospective In the 2000s: Time and Again airing last Thursday, we thought it would be a great time to revisit our list of the best SNL sketches of the 00s from earlier in the year. If you saw the show, you might recognize some of our selections.
(Belated) Top 10 SNL of the Decade
And here’s a clip that didn’t make the broadcast, a behind the scenes look at the Sarah Palin rap. I will never, ever, get tired of seeing Jason Sukeikis as Todd Palin.
Vodpod videos no longer available.And, for kicks, here’s one of our favorite sketches of the new decade. Been meaning to work this one in for a while, and this seems like a good excuse.
Vodpod videos no longer available.For the record my dad loves Burn Notice.
Filed under Good Humor, Is That Still On?, Saturday Night Live
‘SNL’: Say Fey Kid
(Title allusion here)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that Tina Fey has a new movie out. Between her appearances on Oprah, Live!, and Late Night (leaving behind a wake of Jamie Foxx-Oprah rumors and charades losses), she’s been pounding the pavement drumming up excitement for Date Night. The last stop on the promotional tour was coming home to host SNL. However, in a way, it has seemed like her talk show visits have also been to build enthusiasm for her return to studio 8H. The means were also the end. And with tween phenomenon Justin Bieber rounding out the card as musical guest, this SNL, the first in a month, was shaping up to be a special instance of a white-hot host meets a white-hot musical act.
Did the show live up to expectations? I’d have to say no, especially after getting off to a slow start with a census-centered cold opening that probably wouldn’t have been funny three weeks ago when it was still relevant. And there weren’t any real knock out, “holy water cooler” sketches later in the show. But there was a sense of excitement with Fey and Bieber in the house, and what may have lacking in humor was made up for with a bit of electricity.
Filed under Analysis, Good Humor, Saturday Night Live
No ‘SNL’? No Problem? Jason Sudeikis Is Our Jam-a-Lam
I mistakenly thought that Tina Fey was hosting SNL this past weekend (so much so that I nearly flipped out on my DVR for failing to record the show). But I must have jumped the gun, as the show doesn’t return with host Fey and musical guest Justin Bieber until April 10 (and now that I can use the tag “Justin Bieber” my page views are sure to skyrocket. Thanks, SNL!), or maybe they re-ran the Fey-Carrie Underwood episode from February 2008. Either way, there was no new show this week.
But don’t fear, we’ll fill that vacuum. Instead of another edition of “What Up With That?”,we have Jumped the Snark hero Jason Sudeikis on Jimmy Fallon (an interview from earlier this month that, we admit, slipped through our cracks). Sudeikis’ alcohol drenched description of his hectic work schedule explains his relative absence from the recent Jude Law-helmed SNL, a deficiency that we noted here. Somehow everything this man says in hilarious. New sketch idea: Jason Sudeikis reads the classifieds. Could totally work.
Vodpod videos no longer available.Filed under Good Humor, Mancrush, Saturday Night Live, Talkies
Jumped The Snark 