Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake (12.21.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show wasn’t as good as Fallon’s other Christmas show from two years ago, but it was still a little more enjoyable than most of the other recent shows this season. It was another episode that started off promising enough and then rapidly fell apart after about two sketches. Fallon is still a decent host who tried his damndest to make some rather weak material more bearable. Timberlakes’ efforts are also appreciated, but all of his appearances felt a little more gratuitous. Speaking of cameos, I feel like the ones we were all expecting (you know…the cast Fallon has actually worked with during his tenure) would’ve been better than the cameos we ended up getting but after seeing Fallons #saugertiesdreams tweet, I think he may have lobbied for them. Still, I did like how they chose to give a lot of the new cast members some airtime this week as it felt like they all got on a lot (except for Bennett). Anyway, here it is.

Wrappingville - Timberlake's dancing mascot hasn't been done as the cold open, so this should be interesting. Usually, I like the parody numbers, but this time they were pretty forgettable aside from the Gotye spoof. Jimmy's role was a nice touch. Aidy was a decent foil and the twist that she was both of their moms was funny. I did like that they tried to add some backstory, but some of it fell a bit flat. The deck stacker bit was funny even if they really milked it. The Thrift Shop number might have been better if they hadn't bungled thee lines. C+

Monologue - Fallon's musical number was nice. It probably wasn't as good as his previous sprawling musical number, but I appreciate this even with the whole low key vibe and all. I liked hearing his Bowie and Dylan impressions again. The McCartney cameo felt a little gratuitous but it was also appreciated. B-

Celebrity Family Feud – For the most part, this turned out pretty good. It was great seeing Taran's Ashton Kutcher again and I also like how they threw the new featured players a bone (especially Brooks playing himself). Kenan as Steve Harvey added nothing but it was nice seeing Timberlake's Jimmy Fallon finally and it accurately captured Jimmy’s real life enthusiasm. I can't say the same for Fallon's Jim Parsons but at least he had the facial expressions down and his breaking felt a little gratuitous. I did like Jay's Ice-T much better than Armisens' and Noel's Alyson Hannigan was amusing. It wasn’t totally accurate yet it wasn’t completely baseless either but she sold it pretty well. Kate’s Jane Lynch was great and Milhieser’s John Cryer was fine. Thankfully, they knew how to keep it from going on too long. B-

Doin’ it in the Twin Bed – This video reminded me too much of the hometown tourism ad from that awful Jeremy Renner episode last year, but I did like this sexy feminized pop twist on it. Also, it was interesting seeing how comparatively little they've all aged since seventh grade. Overall, this was a nice showcase for the entire female cast. B+

Barry Gibb Talk Show VI – At first, I was disgusted to see they did this again, but seeing the real Gibb there was a nice touch. This tells me he was probably a fan of the sketch and this had his blessing. Seeing Taran's Paul Ryan was nice, but Madonna's cameo was completely pointless as was Cecily getting no lines as Megyn Kelly so Fallon could scream over her (as entertaining as that aspect of his impression may be). They could've utilized that impression more effectively. Still, I did like the “skeleton selfie/diamonds” numbers. C+

Update was a little inconsistent. Aside from "Dork Dynasty" and the Kathie Lee/Hoda intervention line, Seth seems to just be phoning it in. Cecily is still getting a little better. Kate's Billie Jean King commentary was all right but not as good or as memorable as some of her others. The Fallon/Bloomberg commentary also seemed to go nowhere, but seeing him reminisce with Seth was nice. C-

Waking Up With Kimye II – This also feels too soon to bring back and it also felt way too underwritten. Did they have to cut a lot of this for time at the last minute or something? The Bound 2 spoof was okay, but it already felt too played out. Still, Jay's Kanye is still a decent impression. D+

Now That's What I Call Christmas - This seemed like a pale imitator of the Buble Christmas duets from Fallon's last show. What's odd is that while a lot of the impressions in this were accurate and funny (Bocceli, Rickman, DMX, Alanis, Shakira) they just didn't feel all that relevant. Still, I did like the Lorde/Harry Styles and Fallon-as-Buble-and-Pitbull bits. I also liked how this sketch really gave Kyle Mooney and John Milheiser a chance to perform even though I can’t say that much about their Axl Rose/Billie Joe impressions. C+

A Christmas Carol - This closeted Ebeneezer Scrooge bit seems too much like something they would've done in 04-05 or 09-10 but I have to admire how Taran and Jimmy were really selling it. Thankfully, they knew how to keep this one short and it had a solid ending for what it was. C-

Baby Its Cold Outside - I was a little confused as to why Jimmy and Cecily seemed to just be doing a straight rendition of this at first  but I'll admit they had a pretty decent twist on it. Still, I have to say Key and Peele did a much funnier twist on this holiday standard. C+

Well, that was the Christmas show. Usually, it seems like they save their best material for these shows but this year may have been the exception to that rule. I knew they couldn’t keep up that streak of good Christmas shows going for too long. Now, to update my rankings for this season…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Paul Rudd/One Direction

7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

8. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

9. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

10. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

The show returns on January 18 with Drake pulling double duty as both host and musical guest. Since he released a new album, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he would appear at some point during this season. Now, Drake is an odd choice for host but he could go either way. After all, he came from similar backgrounds as Justin, Britney, Xtina, and even Miley and Taylor more recently. Those kids turned out fine as hosts. Still, for some reason I can't picture him doing sketch comedy that easily. I’m starting to think that maybe the Amy Adams/Drake episode for 12/7 actually WAS planned but Adams had to back out at some point. Then again, having Rudd with all the Anchorman cast on at once was probably something they had to have planned in advance as well. That probably wouldn’t explain why someone thought Drake could host the show too but…ah, whatever. What I’m really getting at is it really feels like a weird sign of decline to have THREE double duty hosts in the same season. I can’t even remember the last ti…oh wait, they did it last season, too but never before THAT…wow. Anyway, see you next year!

John Goodman/Kings Of Leon (12.14.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. As much as it bothers me to say it, this is probably one of the top 3 weakest shows of the season so far. This show felt as underwritten and creatively empty as last week’s show but less redeeming qualities and none of the same feel good vibes that came along with certain cameos. While it was nice to see Goodman again, his performances seemed really inconsistent. Some moments he seemed to be trying, some moments he didn’t. Still, I think they really just didn’t write enough for him and gave him a lot of forgettable roles. Good to see more of Kyle Mooney and John Milheiser tonight, even if it was also just in small bit parts. Let’s just get on with it.

Obama Cold Open - This had its moments. Jay's Obama impression is still very solid. I liked the Michelle/furious line. While I kinda saw where it was going immediately after they mentioned the sign language interpreter from Mandela's funeral, I still enjoyed it. Kenan managed to save it. I did like the web/thriller bits. Kates' Angela Merkel wasn't totally necessary, but it was a nice touch. C+

Monologue - This was a little disappointing. John had some good opening lines, but I was disappointed to see him doing a musical number with Kenan. Still, they managed to make it somewhat funny and it was at least better than another tired Blues Brothers number with Aykroyd. C+

Guy Fieri Christmas Special - This seems like a very dated premise and Bobby's impression is even starting to lose its comedic value. Still, I did like the Dog/Big Ang number with Goodman and McKinnon and Bobby as all the Pawn Star guys. Still, I wonder who Noel (or could that be Nassim?) was playing in the red hair and green sweater? C+

Snowflake Dance - This seemed like it was going to be another pointless meandering bit, but it got funnier as it went along and the cast got more committed to it. Aidy was particularly good in it and I liked her voice over about hitting a guy with her car. C+

Three Wise Guys - This seems like a sketch that we should've seen coming. It was far too long. Stallone and Deniro have no real comedic timing and some of their lines just bombed but just the novelty of seeing Stallone at first glance was enough to make me giggle once. I did like the gifts bits and the "Jesus Christ, what ethnicity is this kid" line. Other than that, this sketch had serious pacing problems and seems horribly underwritten. D-

Update was pretty hit or miss, but at least Cecily's delivery shows some signs of improvement. She's showing some ability to make some weaker jokes more tolerable. Kenan's Black Santa went nowhere, but I did like his Kwanzaa line at the end. Drunk Uncle was probably a highlight. I don't care much to see it anymore, but at least Bobby gave it his all here. Kudos to whoever called the Goodman Drunker Uncle cameo. This was probably his best performance of the night. C+

Lawsuit - This courtroom sketch honestly had to be the best sketch of the night for me. It was a weak premise, but the performances really saved it. Taran made me laugh my ass off for some reason and Kenan also got in a few good lines. I also liked Goodmans's cartoon wolf impression and Bennett's dancing. Too bad it probably won't get online because of that R. Kelly song. B+

Fireman Visit - This Nassim sketch from the Edward Norton show was probably the absolute last sketch I expected them to make recurring, but it wasn't terribly the first time. Nassim is performing well and Goodman and the rest of the cast are really adding to it (especially Bobby) but I still have two questions. First, did Milheiser accidentally miss one of his lines? Second, is anyone else being reminded of Nassim's Aziz Ansari impression...or the actual Aziz Ansari? B-

Hallmark Movie Marathons - This was nothing more than useless filler, but I did laugh at the Santana guitar solo joke. D-

Christmas Whistle - This sketch also went nowhere, but it had a decent ending. I did like how the whistle got more and more ridiculous sounding toward the end and kudos to Goodman for giving it his all. C-

H&M - This was probably the weakest taped piece of the season, but Jay's rapping was all right and I did like Goodman's outfit toward the end. That Wale cameo was totally useless, though. C-

Sheila Sovage III – This sketch was okay, but it's not as good as the Louis CK one. Still, it was better than the Vince Vaughn one. I did like the "66" line and the whipped cream/motorboat ending with Kenan's towel/headphone reaction shots. B-

Well, that was it. Now, time to update my rankings.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Paul Rudd/One Direction

7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

8. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

9. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week, Jimmy Fallon returns to host with Justin Timberlake as musical guest. Now, this show I’m expecting good things from even if it does feel a little too soon for both of them. I’ve noticed that the last two seasons have been following a pattern of the premiere, the first episode of November and the Christmas show being among the seasons’ best. Let me show you…

2011/12: Premiere: Alec Baldwin/Radiohead, First November Show: Charlie Day/Maroon 5 Christmas Show: Fallon/Buble

2012/13: Premiere: Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean, First November Show: Louis CK/Fun Christmas Show: Short/McCartney

The Tina Fey/Arcade Fire show may be the exception that proves this rule, but the Kerry Wahsington/Eminem episode got pretty favorable reviews, so I think you get the idea. There’s no reason why next week’s show shouldn’t at least be decent. See you then!

Paul Rudd/One Direction (12.7.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode really fell apart toward most of the second half, it still had some very enjoyable moments that kept it from being an early contender for the absolute worst of the season so far. Although it was probably his weakest episode, Paul Rudd got to actually shine in sketches for once and prove himself as a host without being totally upstaged. Ironically, the people we all expected to upstage him weren’t nearly on screen long enough to do so (or if you’re like me you’re actively trying to block half of them from your memories as we speak). They all seemed content to stand back and let Rudd do his damndest to save the show from itself. Still, as I watched this episode I couldn’t help being a little worried about the direction (no pun intended) it took. It seems like they tried to use the obligatory fuck load of cameos to hide the some weak writing or bring some unwelcome recurring sketches out of mothballs in a failed attempt to cover for their “creative bankruptcy” (as jojo so eloquently put it). Hell, this episode seemed to have some serious timing issues and gaps to fill and they couldn’t even distract us from how light it felt on material. The most generous assessment I can make of this episode was that they came out as strong as they possibly could’ve given what they had (which was clearly more focused on pleasing the crowd than anything else) and completely disintegrated by the second half even thought it was starting to rapidly fall apart before that. Let’s just get on with it since I’m really starting to ramble.

Sound of Music - Seeing Wiig again (and as “Doonise” no less) really disappoints me, but I guess we should've expected something like this as Wiig does also apparently have a substantial role in Anchorman 2. Seeing Armisen again also disappointed me, but not nearly as much. His cameo felt a little too tacked on for my liking. Admittedly, it was kinda clever the way they worked her into The Sound Of Music, but if they were going to tackle THAT whole mess they should've at least tried to get in some good Carrie Underwood jabs or something. Still, I also have to give Kate, Bobby and Taran for having good lines here and there. C-

Monologue - This felt a little predictable considering they've done this sort of thing before (i.e. Ben Stiller 1998, Paul Rudd 2010), but it's got a lot better as it went along. Seeing Koechner, Ferell and Carell all together again was particularly exciting. It was particularly cool of them to acknowledge how they "overshadowed" Rudd and after seeing the lads from One Direction tackle "Afternoon Delight" with the Anchorman cast, I do admit I have just a little bit more respect for them. I mean, I'd rather not have to see them in sketches but I kind of understand why they would've had to and this was probably the best way they could've done so. B+

Politics Nation IV - This is a particularly horrible way to open the show. It was the same old shtick from Kenan we've seen before. I did like the shot of the tracksuit and the knockout game joke. Thankfully, it was shorter than expected. D+

Dan Charles: One Direction’s #1 Fan - This Matt and Oz short film was interesting. Paul’s interaction with little girls was actually pretty funny and I liked his "basic facts" line as well as the crowd chanting bit. His wife's pregnancy phone call was also a nice touch. The guys also played straight man to him well enough. This was another decent way to do the "obligatory" One Direction sketch while still giving Rudd some real face time. It does kind of remind me of a sketch that I heard got cut from the Louis CK episode last year. I liked it well enough. B-

Diner Divorce - I didn't quite know what to make of this, but the song made it seem kinda repetitive. Paul and Vanessa really gave it their all here. The ending was decent and I did like the Duncan Danish and Pooh Bear lines. C-

Story Of My Life - After watching One Direction actually perform, I have just two things to say. One, their first number sounds like it may actually be their least terrible song by default. Also, how are they allowed to have THREE band members with facial hair? I actually see how one of them might need it, but they can't really have three designated "bad boys" but I guess they have completely different standards in England.

Update seemed to step up its game just a little bit. Cecily actually did okay tonight and seems to be finding her own voice a little more. I did like the Walmart towels/panda/romance novel string of jokes. As soon as Seth uttered the phrase "Hannukah", I knew Vanessas' Bar Mitzvah boy was going to make an appearance. That was pretty much the same thing again, but I did like the bit about the older brother. It might be a little too soon to bring back Taran's 1860s critic but it was pretty awesome of them to acknowledge that and it still made me laugh my ass off (especially the Family Guy/Snoopy reference and the Natl. Lampoon/linear time joke). This could’ve been one of the better Updates this season if not for a couple of minor things weighing it down. C+

Michelangelo’s David - This sketch was way too predictable, but still had its moments. Still, I am quite surprised that even at 12:30 AM Est on network TV they could show a close up of a sculpted anatomically correct penis on network TV. Jay and Bobby had some great lines and I liked Nassim as Mona Lisa. C-

White Christmas - This was kind of shaky premise, but it was somewhat original and executed well enough. Did anyone else think that was Samberg and not Rudd at first doing Madea? Still, they did a fine job of dissecting a film genre and providing an oppositional reading. I did like the Vibe/Essence reviews at the end. C+

Slimmed Down Santa - I have to say Milheiser, Moony and Wells are perfectly cast as elves in this sketch and they did everything they could’ve to save it. That's really my only commentary on it because it was by far the weakest premise of the night and went pretty much nowhere. D-

Past Lovers - This also meandering, but Rudd and especially Moynihan are great in it even if Cecily hasn’t quite shown the range necessary to play a lead in any sketch yet. C+

One Direction's Second Performance – This was expectedly pretty lame. Now, this is a song of theirs that I can’t say I’ve heard before anywhere nor do I care to look up the title of but I honestly wish they had actually performed "Best Song Ever" just so I could make the obligatory joke "Best Song Ever?!? More like Least Accurate Title for a Song Ever! Ha!" Hey, remember what I said earlier about the show being light on material? Yeah, you know that’s GOTTA be true if I find myself being compelled to comment on the musical performances (which I do rarely if ever) for no good reason other than to entertain MYSELF.

Tales Of Bill Brasky VII – This was obviously the highlight of THIS episode. Taran, Paul and even Kenan were great additions. Sure, it may not be able to hold a candle to the classic McKinney era sketches of 1996-97 (or even the one with just Goodman and Baldwin from 1998) but it was still very funny and it was nice even just to see Ferrell and Koechner again. There were probably too many good lines to list separately here but I did like a lot of the ones from Kilam and Koechner as well as Kenan's "true meaning of Kwanza" line and Cecily's reveal that they were at a Chuck E. Cheese. Still, it might have been better if they had just waited until next week and let Goodman take Rudd's place. A-

Well, that was that. It sure felt nice to judge Paul Rudd on his merits as a host and comedic performer rather than how well he carried the cameos scattered through his episode. For once, they carried him. Next week, John Goodman (a man who hasn’t appeared on this show in 10 years) hosts for his thirteenth time. He is another host who will do well with the material they give him no matter what but let’s still hope the writing doesn’t drag him down.

Now, it’s time once again to update my rankings for this season.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Lady Gaga
4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry
5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire
6. Paul Rudd/One Direction
7. Josh Hutcherson/Haim
8. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

See you soon!