Okay, here’s my review. Foxx proved to be just as capable of a host as he was ever going to be and this show had a few saving graces that kept it from being the worse show of the season. Well, it’s a strong contender for second or third worst at this point, but at least we got the feeling that the host really gave a shit about doing the show this time. I liked seeing Hader and some of the new girls in a lot, but I wish the cast had been more balanced in terms of airtime.
Fiscal Cliff Open - This Obama/Boehner sketch was a better political open than most. Jay's Obama continues to improve and Hader played a great straight man to him. I'm glad they are finding different angles to his impression, too. I’m glad he didn’t just do the cowardly lion cry the whole time. I especially liked the ladies' bathroom bit. C+
Monologue - Foxx's monologue was good, but not great. It was great for getting the crowd psyched for the show, but it didn't really go anywhere and "how black is that?” got old pretty quick? I like that we essentially got two stand-up monologues this season. It's also a little odd that we got two monologues involving pianos in a row, but he could've taken the singing a little further. Also, the Two Chainz cameo made no sense. I almost thought it was Jay at first. Foxx has talent, but he still seems a little too full of himself. Not surprisingly, this clip has about nine comments on its nbc.com page of people calling Jamie Foxx an ignorant, repugnant racist for his “how great is that?” line after mentioning how he gets to kill all the white characters in “Django Unchained”. One person said they even “emailed the clip to every news station out there”. Yeah, THAT will accomplish something. Another person said he should be “ashamed of himself and his race” and that this clip was evidence that blacks were the most prejudiced race against others Someone replied to that calling out the previous posters latent racism. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. You should check them out for yourself. I mean, yeah the monologue was bad…but that doesn’t mean it can’t be taken with a grain of salt. Joe Piscopo sure was right about people having too much time on their hands, huh? D+
Bitch, what’s The Answer? - I liked this upon first viewing far even if it is the thinnest premise so far this season, but it didn’t hold up as well upon repeat viewing. Only those who can match the acting talent of Foxx, Kilam and Moynihan could pull this off. I think the humor came from the extreme open ended vagueness of all of Foxx’s questions. It actually kind of reminds me of a cross between "What's that Bitch Talkin' About?" From the first show Tina hosted in '08 and that Neve Campbell sketch where Kattan's gibberish guy, Suel Forrester, hosted a game show. Also, does the name “Mookie Meeks” sound like it’s been used elsewhere before to anyone else? C-
J-Pop America Fourth Time Now! – This definitely should've stayed retired, but this installment was interesting just to see how they would try to work Foxx into it. His lines were a bit trite and the sketch was still a little repetitive for my liking, but Foxx's strange, stilted (intentional) awkwardness was entertaining. Still, I was expecting the ending to be a big reveal that Foxx's character was faking his Japanese cultural infatuation in order to hit on Bayer's character. I did like the "unteaching" and "Japanizzles" lines. C-
Tyler Perry Presents Alex Cross 2: Madea Special Ops - This parody was a little underwhelming and underperformed though and it went on a bit too long. This is probably the weakest taped piece of the season. It felt derivative because it reminded me of the "Alex Cross-Dresser" poster parody I saw on MAD magazine's blog "The Idiotical". Still, Foxx does a decent imitation of Tyler Perry's "Madea" voice. I did like the slow-mo montage at the end, though. C-
Update was once again, quite forgettable. Good for Aidy getting another big role as Mrs. Claus, but sad to see her stuck with such lame derivative jokes. Also, it was nearly identical to her internet commentary as Kourtney Barnes so that can't be helping her. I can't help but think the ding dong bit would've been better had Jay or even Kenan possibly performed it because Foxx's performance was just awkward. In fact, I actually thought it was Jay under that white pipe cleaner mustache until he spoke and it was clearly Jamie's voice. C-
Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney - I don't know how I kept myself from changing the channel during this, but I'm kind of glad I didn't. It had its’ moments. I liked Bill's performance as well as Jay, Jamie and Kenan's head shaking "hell no's" at the beginning and Kenan's "you're a sick man" line. I also liked Jamie's “Derbil McDillett” written answer. Mulroney was a good sport for making a cameo. C-
Marcus Banks: Tree Pimp - This was another paper thin premise, but I did like Foxx's performance. I also liked Kenan smacking and alternately humping a tree, but that's about it. It was one of Kenan’s better performances, though. I find it a little odd that Kenan’s character mentioned being a pimp for 12 years when that’s the exact length of time between Foxx’s hosting gigs. C+
Maine Justice - I'll defend this just for the genuinely unexpected Charlie Day cameo alone. It was definitely the best live sketch of the night. I can't remember the last time we saw a strange conceptual sketch like this. It definitely reminds me of something Will Forte would've done. I also liked how Sudekis appeared to be playing his character from the Blake Lively Potato Chip sketch, but he didn't have any lines that were that good. I also liked Bobby's sheer bewilderment at the whole thing. This has as many comments as the monologue, but most of them were from Louisiana Southerners who got it plus one person form Maine who didn’t get why there weren’t enough accurate references to her state. B+
Swarvoski’s Crystals - This had so many great lines I can barely name all the ones that I liked. It was definitely the second best live piece of the night. I can't remember the last time they wrote something this bawdily absurd. Jamie's performance was also great. B+
Well, that show had its faults, but it took baby steps in the right direction. Next week, Martin Short returns with Paul McCartney. Let’s hope the writing doesn’t fail him. See ya next week!
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