Amy Adams/Vampire Weekend (03.08.2008)

The following blog post is a companion piece to the newest episode of the We Heart Hader Podcast. Give us a listen, won't you?

3AM Phone Call (Dramatization)

Hillary Clinton (Poehler) presents an approved "unfair and deceptive" campaign ad depicting an outraged, panicked and out-of-his-depth Barack Obama (Armisen) calling her at home from the Oval Office asking for her experirnced advice on how to deal with Iran building nuclear weapons and how to fix the heat in the white house. She follows this up by urging democrats (or even republicans for all she cares) to call the DNC and tell them "wait...we've changed our minds"

• So, this was obviously a spoof of the famous "3AM Phone Call" ad that Hillarys' campaign was running at this time. 

• The main twist being that it's not Hillary receiving the call about some international crisis in the oval office that Americas' being dragged in to.

• If nothing else, this was at least a different format for an SNL cold open (what it it being basically a pretaped slideshow that is intro'd and outtro'd by Amy) and I was impressed by how much they extrapolated out of such a simple premise 

• Armisens' Obama may have been at its weakest here (he is still working out the kinks after all) but that may actually work in this sketchs' favor as it plays into the idea that if Hillary were to run this  devious of an attack ad against Obama she would want to make him look as bad as possible by portraying him as either as sniveling or as goofy as possible.

• The part where Amys' Hillary straight up tells Fred's Obama to call his secretary of state (who turns out to he Al Sharpton here) is eerie considering that in real life Hillary would become Obamas' secretary of state and actually get paid to advise him on such matters...and years later we would find out that our president being on their phone ar 3AM isn't necessarily a good thing...but that's a story for another time.

• Anyway, decent cold open. B-

Monologue

Amy Adams brings Kristen Wiig on stage to sing a duet of "What Is This Feeling" over their slight resemblance to each other.

• OK, I'm guessing Amy's line about how everyone here has been "treating her like a princess" was some kind of "Enchanted" reference? Was she plugging that this week?

• I'm kinda torn on this monologue because while I liked the sheer pissy and antagonistic energy Amy and Kristen bought to it (right from Amy's line about Kristen "graciously" stepping down for roles in the show she was up for all the way up to the two of them slapping and punching each other near the end), I just don't see that strong a facial resemblance between them.

• I mean, sure...they could PASS for sisters, just not identical twin sisters which this monologue assumes they both are. 

• Plus, I'm not a huge theater kid or Broadway fan (hell, I had to use Google to figure out that the song they were singing was just straight up lifted from Wicked because it was cut out of this episode's Peacock edit) so a lot of SNL musical monologues don't do a whole lot for me. 

• This monologue was probably concieved just to allow Amy to show off her musical theater chops, but again...at least Amy & Kristen had the ability to actually sell it and put it over. C+

Mirror Image

An ABC Family sitcom where identical twin sisters Hailey (Adams) and Hagley (Wiig) Winters long running childhood plan to both pretend to be the same person in order to only have to do half of their school work fails to trick on their newest teacher Mr. Heffernan (Hader) as Hagley has gained much more weight and become more crass and slovenly than Hailey by the time they both reached high school.

• I did like the use of writer Paula Pell as the announcer with the line "You're watching ABC Family; because sometimes regular ABC can be just a little too in-your-face."

• It is a little bothersome that they would do two segments in a row based on Kristen and Amy's slight facial resemblance to one another (even though the monologue was obviously thrown together on Friday morning) but I at least like how this somewhat subverts what one's expectations would be for based on the monologue they would've just seen before this.

• Somehow, Kristen's voice and line delivery were the funniest thing about this. It probably helps that this is a character archetype that we didn't end up seeing that often from her. I did get a little sick of the running gag with Amy constantly winking into the camera and Kristen constantly farting while attempting to wink into the camera.

• Bill did solid straight man work in this. I especially liked his lines where he just straight up figured out their plan, got them to reveal that it has never worked and that they just end up changing schools every day and said he thought Kristen's character may be functionally illiterate based on her odd mispronounciation of the term "Renaissance painting".

• Also, why the hell was Andy in this with no lines as a glorified extra? Did he have lines in this that were cut at dress? B-

Couples Therapy

Brian (Forte) and Bagdana (Poehler) receive marriage counseling from Dr. Helen Winston (Adams). Brian wants to discuss communication and intimacy issues but Bagdana only cares about getting her documents signed by Brian and Dr. Winstin to prove her marriage is legitimate and that she is now a U.S. citizen who will never have to go back to her village.

• Immediately, this sketch reminds me of the "poison therapy" sketch from the previous seasons' Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen episode. This one does have the same quiet comedy feel to it that one but doesn't quite have the same sense of sheer derangement. Still, this had its moments.

• Even when Forte plays the straightman roles, there's a tiny absurd spark of a delusional caught up in his own little world there. His story of how he and Poehers' character met was funny.

• Amy Adams truly felt like the straightway here with various chipper psycho babble lines reading way too much into Poehers' talk of "documents".

• Possibly my favorite Poehler moment in this was her whole McDonald's rant during the "role play" segment or her line to Forte "you sign form, I give one more sex" (because she already gave the sex as proof her marriage is real, you see). B-

Digital Short: Hero Song

A wealthy looking Bruce Wayne-alike (Samberg) sings of his despair and frustration over the growing crime rate in his city. As he dons his super vigilanter costume and takes to the streets to stop a mugging, the mugger (Sudeikis) stops his singing by savagely beating him just long enough for his almost victim (Adams) to run away with her own purse still in her possession.

• Another deep cut underrated Digital Short from this era. 

• I don't quite remember the song having a hip hop type beat or having such a "OneRepublic meets Tears For Fears" type sound to it but I did like Andy's line "I can't take another murder" as he reacts in frustration to a newspaper with a headline about 50 more murders.

• I also liked how all the melodrama of the song was just a build up to the sheer bluntness of Andy's vigilante superhero having the shit just thoroughly beaten out of him by Jasons' mugger who repeatedly punches him then bashes a mailbox over his head and whacks' him upside the head with a 2x4. B+

Fierce: The Hot Mess Makeover Show

Recent "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano (Poehler) has his own reality makeover show where he just goes through people's wardrobes and labels their clothes as "tranny", "fierce", "hot mess" or some even stranger combination of the three. Also making guest appearances just to spout their own catchphrase are other "Project Runway" judges/hosts Tim Gunn (Hader) and Heidi Klum (Adams)

• Well, I've never watched a single episode of Project Runway in my life...but I remember it being omnipresent enough in pop culture from roughly 2005-2008 that I at least knew who Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum were through a mix of parodies like this one and the occasional real clips of them I'd pick up from commercials or wherever.

• Sadly, the only reason I even know the name Christian Siriano was from Amys' portrayal of him (and I was a bit surprised to later learn he was a "him" to begin with) because he seemed to branch out way more into the actual world of fashion than the world of reality television.

• That being said, Amy Adams as Heidi Klum was very cute and Bill Haders as Tim Gunn was a fun part of this that I wish they could've given us more of. Poehlers' performance was endearing and accessible in a way only she could pull off and I liked how Casey played the sheer befuddlement and quiet frustration of her role. 

• ...and that's all I'm able to really say in 2026 about a sketch that throws around the term "tranny" as fast and loose as this one did in 2008. C-

Vampire Weekend Performs "A-Punk" and "M79"

• Aside from knowing their first song from the opening sequence of "Step Brothers", I wasn't too familiar with this band. They're a bit more twee and poppy than I was expecting, but they still pretty much fall into line with the basic indie rock trends of this time.

Weekend Update w/Seth & Amy

Tim Calhoun (Forte) makes his dark horse bid for the presidential primaries

French Def Jam comedian Jean K. Jean (Thompson) makes his Update debut

• Amy's Best Jokes: Skydiving Crash, Bush Accepting Donations, 

• Seths's Best Jokes: German Soldiers Fat, Bar Owner In Atlanta, Hells' Angels Murder Plot

• Hey, always nice to see Fortes' Tim Calhoun. Unfortunately, this may have been his weakest appearance. Nothing really stood out here aside from him referring to himself as a "grade school educated crystal meth enthusiast who literally cannot wait to push the button."

• Unfortunately, nothing much stands out about Kenan's Jean K. Jean other than this being his first appearance. I don't know, I guess I never got into this character because most of the Euro-centric references in Kenan's Jokes were lost on me.

• Sadly, this was a pretty weak Update for both Jokes and commentaries. C-

Traffic School

Penelope (Wiig) irritates fellow traffic school attendees (Hader, Thompson, Wilson) and thier proctor (Adams) with her constant interruptions and one upsmanship.

• I've never really been that big on this character at all and this followed the exact same formula as her previous three appearances, so...lather, rinse, repeat. I don't have much else to say about it.

• I did like Bill & Kristen's brief back & forth about their insurance rates going up and I liked the way Amy imitated Penelope, but that's about it. C+

Dr. Uncle Jimmy's Smokehouse And Outpatient Surgical Facility

Dr. Uncle Jimmy (Forte) advertises his own authentic, down home, deep south barbecue restaurant just off of Route 13 in Jasper, Arkansas where he and his staff also perform medical procedures. Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo (Adams) provides a reluctant unwitting endorsement.

• This was a geat "patented bizarre Will Forte sketch" that I've alwats fondly remembered as one of my favorites. Glad to see it still holds up.

• This sketch was packed with so many odd writerly details that there's almost too many to list individually. I did like Wills' statement that he "spent nearly three semesters at a once accredited medical college in the Caribbean learning what were THEN considered modern medical procedures" 

• I also liked as the "most hernia repairs in 24 hours" line as well as his trying to pass off a quote from a police report as a glowing review.

• Even though this was a Forte showcase, Hader almost stole this with his one line in his real customer testimonial: "I mean, sure, you could find better barbecue or a safer Surgical experience..." followed by a long pause.

• Amy Adams unsurprisingly does a solid Ellen Pompeo and I liked Jason as a random patient's line to Andy as his surgeon "hey, I hope those aren't my ribs" followed by Forte presenting and mixing up the nearly identical. blood and barbecue sauce bags on the IV. B+

Roger Clemens Presents

Raging and 'roided out Red Sox relief pitcher Roger Clemens (Sudeikis) presents a short three act play he wrote about the dangers of congress taking steroids OUT of baseball. In it, the team manager (Hader) is dismayed to learn his star player Matt Mulgrew (Adams) and second basemen Salazar (Poehler) have gotten off the juice and become so scrawny & weak (just like those "stats geeks no one likes) that they can't even hit home runs to save a dying boy in the hospital (Samberg).

• Yeah, 2005-2008 really would've been peak times for steroids in baseball to be a major news story thanks to congressional investigations and testimony. As Jason references in this sketch, Roger Clemens was the subject of an FBI & IRS perjury probe...so that's probably what inspired that sketch.

• This is also one I remember being pretty damn funny when it aired. Sudeikis as Clemens was a great anchor tying this sketch together and also the big laugh getter from me with his big fake muscles, out-of-nowhere aggressiveness and especially his very last line in this sketch simply being "I AM MAD ALL THE TIME!!!"

• Bill did more solid straight work as Skip, the team manager trying to convince his star player to take steroids. Amy Adams did a good job as the star player. She didn't oversell it or go too broad. I had heard this may have been cut from Elliot Pages' dress rehearsal the previous week. I say that version worked in this sketchs favor.

• Andy's performance seemed a tad grating but I did like Fortes' stilted reading of his lines. Poehlers' character, I'm not so sure about but it was only one line. Apparently, that was John Lutzs' voice offscreen telling Roger to "calm down." I wonder if he actually wrote this, too? B+

The Tookie Styles Show

Late 70s/Early 80s local NY Cable Access personality Tookie Styles (Thompson) advertises a DVD of his show's "best" moments with guests such as Egyptian defense minister Ahmad Badawi (Armisen), Isreals' head of Mossad Yitzhak Hofi (Hader) and Ulster unionist/sworn enemy of the IRA Elizabeth Kent. He tries to teach them his signature "Zookie Styles" dance just before gunshots ring out.

• Um, what exactly WAS this? Was this based on a real local access TV incident or what?

• I mean...I didn't hate it, but it was one of the most senseless bizarre SNL sketches I've ever seen. 

• This sketch was like a fever dream that defies any description.

• Kenan, Bill and Fred all performed their parts exactly the way you would expect them to. Jason and Andy were two bodyguards/secret service members who appeared after the gunshots

• At least Amy Adams seemed to be the only one having even a modicum of fun with her part. I have absolutely nothing left to say on this sketch. D+

Celebrations

Four sad, desperate attention seeking middle aged ladies (Adams, Poehler, Wilson, Wiig) enter a bar and immediately try in vain to impress the bartender (Hader), a married patron (Sudeikis) and his two buddies (Forte, Thompson) with an old dance routine from their 8th grade talent show that they suddenly "remembered" and haven't rehearsed since.

• This was a unique, lower key female focused sketch of this era that didn't feel too mean. It almost qualifies as "slice of life", but not quite. Great showcase for Casey Wilson and Amy Poehler, though. 

• I got a kick out of her and the others trying to do the same moves at the constantly changing speeds and tempos of each song (from Rhiannas' "Umbrella" to R.E.M.s' "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" to Peaches' & Herbs' "Reunited" to even Jasons' classic Nokia ringtone).

• I also got a kick out of the lines about Adams' big hair and her suddenly admitting to living in her car.

• Bill was mostly the straightman here again, but he was a great unimpressed bartender. I especially liked how he rushed to hand them all their purses once they hinted that they were leaving. B-

Ranking Season 33 From Best To Worst

1. Lebron James/Kanye West (09.29.2007)
2. Seth Rogen/Spoon (10.06.2007)
3. Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood (02.23.2008)
4. Amy Adams/Vampire Weekend (03.08.2008)
5. Brian Williams/Feist (11.03.2007)
6. Elliot Page/Wilco (03.01.2008)
7. Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters (10.13.2007)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this was certainly a major step up from the previous weeks episode (as low of a bar as that is to clear). 

• Still, it wasn't quite the solid episode I remembered it to be. The first half wasn't very strong, the recurrers bought this down a bit but they took some interesting chances post update that were worth sticking around for.

• Amy Adams was a strong host when she was actually used, though. The other Amy (Poehler) obviously had a great night as well as did Kristen and Bill. 

• Andy and Fred kind of had light nights. It seemed like Kenan and Will were also going to but they started making gains in airtime in the back half.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, since it's summer now, you'll probably only be getting a few more blog entries from me before things with modern day SNL pick up again in the fall.

• My next blog post will be a review of the Jonah Hill/Mariah Carey SNL Season 33 episode which Deej and I will review on an upcoming episode of We Heart Hader (no plans to combine this with any other SNL episodes yet but you never know). 

• Before that episode comes out, we're gonna start covering season 2 of Documentary Now with "The Bunker". That podcast will have a small bit of Documentary Now related bonus content attached to it in that we'll also be reviewing a Doc Now short Fred and Bill did for called "David Letterman: Beginnings" for Lettermans' Mark Twain Prize ceremony in the fall of 2017.

• Yes, that may be well after season 2 but with CBS having just killed off The Late Show (a late night TV franchise that Letterman himself started in 1993 and Stephen Colbert helmed the past 11 years until it ended) I figured right now would be a more appropriate time to review this particular piece of media I came across on YouTube recently.

• Anyway, have a great summer and see you soon!