Saturday, January 19, 2013

Anne Hathaway/Rhianna (11.10.2012)

Okay, here’s my review. This could possibly be a contender for the worst show of the season, but it might still be a little early to call it. If it doesn’t turn out to be the worst of the season, it would definitely be the worst of the three that Anne Hathaway has hosted. The worst of the season so far would be JGL followed by Applegate. Somehow, this would place a close third at highest. She proved to be just as capable of a sketch performer as she always was, but she couldn’t really save a bunch of the material. I mean, I knew this was gonna be a bit of a comedown from everyone’s Louis CK high form last week, but yeesh…none of us expected to come down this hard. 

Romney Balcony - This open felt a little too predictable and seemed like it was missing something, but Taran and Bobby were very funny in it. The milk thing was kind of trite and cheap, but the sound of the cartons cracking open was a nice touch. I also liked the Donald Trump/Paul Ryan lines as well as Karl Rove being thrown off the balcony. C-


Monologue - I liked the theatricality and heavy cast involvement. Jason’s appearance was a god way to start it off. It was fine for a big musical number and all, but I liked her first two legit monologues better. Also, was anyone else expecting more when Anne said she wanted to play Stefon? B+


Girlfriends Talk Show - During the commercial, I thought another Roger Brush sketch was being set up until I notice the opening sequence was missing stills of one of the female cast members as the absent host. Then, I thought this was a sketch that got cut from the MacFarlane show until I remembered that they were playing ethnic characters whereas here they just seem to be playing generic white bitches. I'm glad we got an original sketch instead, but this ended up going nowhere. Still, I did like Aidy's performance in it. Also, this sketch is giving the feeling that all of Cecily's characters are going to completely run together which will make me like her substantially less. There were a lot of similarities between this and her Update Party Girl. I hope they never make this recurring. C+


The Legend of Mokiki and the Sloppy Swish - This music video is quite interesting. It got much funnier as it went along as the absurdities of Taran's character kept building. For some reason, I saw the “venom” part coming, but it was a nice touch nonetheless. B+


Homeland - This might be funnier to me if I had actually seen the show at some point, but I have to say it was decently well acted. I did like Taran and Annes' performances. Bill and Kenan were also good in supporting roles. I liked how at first this didn't feel like a 09-10 type one joke sketch until it turned into the focus just being Hathaway mugging wildy. Nassim was useless here. B+


McDonalds Layoffs - I don't know what to make of this sketch, but Bobby and Cecily are very funny in it so far. Perhaps, I was too quick to judge Ms. Strong if it weren’t for her blatant cue card staring throughout the whole sketch. Taran's one creepy facial expression was also funny. The ending was also a little predictable. B+


Diamonds - Did they just green screen the fuck out of the whole goddamn stage for Rhianna? WTF? Even Kanye must think this is some pretentious horseshit.


Update actually saw Seth start out a bit strong with his jokes, but quickly head in the wrong direction. Pharroh's commentary as Obama felt like another bit that was predictable, but he did have some funny lines about Boehner and the GOP rape congressman. The Gay Couple from Maine was pretty disappointing. Hader and Armisen kind of overdid it again. That bit just felt like a hammy and unfunny version of the Carvey/Colbert "Skinheads From Maine" sketch from The Dana Carvey Show. Drunk Uncle was just more of the same, but I liked how Bobby put more into his delivery. I'm surprised the show made no mention of Colorado and Washington both legalizing it, but I'd rather see no mention than a half assed one. Then again, it might have done well to replace the Bill and Fred commentary. D-


Ellen - This talk show parody was nothing really special. It could've done without the dancing bit with Taran and Cecily, but it was okay, I guess if not quite a bit dated. Kate's impression was really carrying it. The Nassim/Vanessa bit was cute though. Kenan had some decent lines as the DJ. I also liked the Sofia Vergara texting bit and the “half talk show, half weird day care” line. I can't believe they're having Anne play Katie Holmes again, but I guess it shows just exactly how little fucks Anne Hathaway gave after her last hosting stint. C+


American Gothic - This sketch seemed like a lame premise on paper, but I liked how Anne and Jason really gave it their all. It felt a little derivative and predictable toward the end. It kind of reminded me of that news promo sketch from the Jack Black 05 episode. C+


Flaritin – This, on the other hand, was a premise that seemed funny on paper but was missing something in execution. The list of possible fake allergies was funny, though. Apparently, this seriously offended some actual gluten allergy sufferers for implying that their disease is fake. Again, while they may have a legitimate complaint, I think they must’ve missed the entire point of this sketch. C+


Also, it's pretty obvious that the show ran a little short and they must've cut something at the last minute. Why else would Anne appear almost as if she were on Ecstacy with a laundry list of people to thank during the goodnights?


Well, that was a disappointment. Next week, Jeremy Renner will be in Studio 8H. I literally have no idea what to expect from him. See ya!

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