Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran (4.12.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. While this show was mildly inconsistent, it was one of the better episodes this season in kind of a middle of the road way. While there’s still some reliance on recurring bits, the writing is on a minor upswing. Seth Rogen was merely a serviceable host as he has proven to be two previous times. Good to see Beck and Kyle getting more airtime this week (as well as the rest of the featured players even if they’re in smaller roles). Anyway, let’s get right to it.

New GOP - I quite liked this Coachella open. It was a rather thin premise that they might not have done enough with, but it was a little more creative than most. Taran's Paul Ryan was put to good use here and Beck was funny as Jeb Bush although I can't say much for the impression. I did like "ratchet" and "basic bitches" lines. Brooks as DJ Rand Paul was good. Nassim was pretty badly misscast as Bobby Jindal, but the "molly" lines were pretty funny. B-

Monologue – This was okay. It felt like it would've been much lamer had it been delivered by someone with less relevancy to comedy than Seth Rogen. It felt like they just threw his first monologue in a blender with Rob Lowe's '97 monologue but this was more entertaining. As soon as Seth said "4:19 am" I immediately knew where that jokes was headed. Still, I thought Noel as his sister imitating his laugh was cute. Bobby and Kate as his parent was a nice touch. I liked the Fear Factor joke as well. The Zooey Deschanel cameo felt a little pointless, but it was pleasant. James Franco's cameo was pretty funny and I liked how they poked fun at his recent Instagram scandal. He was a pretty good sport there. Taylor Swift's cameo wasn't totally necessary either, but at least it was the closest thing the show has had to a genuine surprise in quite a while. I mean, given how public perception of Taylor and her image have shifted so drastically over the past year and a half, I thought we'd never see her anywhere near 30 Rock in a million years but at least it's nice to see she can show some sliver of a sense of humor about herself as well. Then, Seth mentioned Ed Sheeran was in the building and her cameo suddenly made more sense. Anyway, it was an inoffensive monologue. B-

Shallon III - I really don't think this needed to be recurred a third time, but I did like how Seth was cast as a D.A.R.E. employee. Noel, Bobby and Aidy were the true highlights and I did like the "just say now...to crack" line at the end. C-

CNN Pregnancy Test - This was another topical piece that showed signs of cleverness but fell flat in terms of execution and got repetitive pretty quick. It was allright but something felt missing. Plus, the entire premise of making fun of CNNs wildly inept reporting has been done do death (and done much better) by Stewart and Colbert. C+

Birthday Dinner - This sketch revolving around broken arms was pretty disappointing. Aidy did well here but they kind trailed off as a whole. Seth's acting was a little stiff, surprisingly. Everyone's cheesy Southern accents were pretty jarringly distracting but at least they shifted focus from that and ended the sketch just shortly enough after it really started to fall apart. C-

Monster Pals - This sketch was a noble effort. It was probably the best SNL performance of Mike O'Brien's career so far. Again, Seth seemed a little off his game here but Franco and O'Brien were put to good use here. I also liked how this had a sentimental "Sad Mouse" vibe in the middle and the jab at Monsters Inc. was funny. B-

Blue River Dog Food - This commercial was...different. Although, the shots of the dog were a little gratuitous it had a lot of different energy. It wasn't that funny, but it was darkly interesting. Sadly, it hit a little too close to home for me as Seth and Cecily's interactions reminded me a little too much of my own parents at times but that's a story for another time. C+

Update is pretty consistently bland. While Jost shows no real signs of improvement delivery wise, at least he has visibly grown some more confidence at the expense of developing some blatant Seth-like qualities. I would put Kenan's Big Papi Ortiz commentary right up there with his Ray Lewis commentary from last season in that they bot just dragged on pointlessly. Still, I gotta admire his comittment to that accent. I liked how they changed the dynamic of Jacobs' interactions with the Update anchors, but they still missed a few opportunities. At least Cecily is more likable than Seth was here. C+

Trashy Cousins - This didn't seem all that different from the way it was described in Mo Levy's Blog and in the FeaturingEmilyPrager report. I liked seeing this, but I feel like a combination of reading a description of it before it aired and what it lacked in its execution kind of took away from its humor value for me. Now that I've actually seen this, it feels just like they ran one more cheap gay joke into the ground. Still, Cecily and Seeth's performances were quite strong here. Also, is it just me or was Nassim just wearing Hader's old Stefon wig? C-

Undercover Sharpton - This felt like another missed opportunity. It felt like they were just doing the same joke from those Politics Nation sketches. A lot of it just dragged on and went nowhere, but at least they kept it short and Kenan really looked the part of 80s era Sharpton than he ever did playing Sharpton today. C-

Happy 420 - This Kyle Mooney character was hilarious. I'm glad to see they let him revive this character from YouTube as well. To me it felt like it was more of a composite of his 420 poser and his "how we trip" guy. His songs had me cracking up and Beck and Rogen as his dealer were great additions. A-

Sperm Bank - This sketch was surprisingly funny. The delivery by Seth and Kenan really saved this. I also liked the old timey photo with the "semen" barrel, the visual of Aidy running screaming with a full cart, the Chewbacca/hobo sperm references and the yogurt machine gag at the end. B+

Now, for my updated rankings…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Seth Rogen/Ed Sheeran

5. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

6. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

7. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

8. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

9. Paul Rudd/One Direction

10. Drake

11. Lena Dunham/The National

12. Jim Parsons/Beck

13. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

14. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

15. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

16. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

17. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, after a two week break Andrew Garfield hosts on May 3rd to promote the next Spiderman movie. I haven’t seen Andrew in anything besides The Social Network and I remember him being pretty good in that one. Still, I feel this could go either way. See you then!

Anna Kendrick/Pharrell Williams (4.5.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was pretty much on the same level as last week, but slightly less disappointing. It started out promising despite a few minor faults, but then trailed off more noticeably later on. I feel like compared to last week, what did disappoint, really did disappoint and much worse. Still, it’s far from the worst of the season. It was just one of the most forgettable despite the best efforts of the host and cast. Anna Kendrick proved to be a promising host who was just misused and underused when she wasn’t doing big musical numbers. Still, I like seeing that some of the newer cast is getting more and more airtime. Now, here we go…

C-SPAN GM Hearing - That cold open was possibly the worst of the entire season. The GM story wasn't even covered all that much to begin with, so odd choice there. It just meandered pointlessly despite Kate and Bobby's best efforts. The ending with the aborted LFNY was good as they haven't done anything like that since at least the '90s. D-

Monologue - This song-and-dance monologue would be unbearable cheesy in the hands of any other hosts but Anna Kendrick has a fine singing voice and is making this monologue very charming and endearing with the occasional cast support. Her interactions with Taran and Lorne and the Kate/Vanessa number were great and it was pulled off nearly flawlessly in terms of staging. C+

FOX and Friends VIII - I'm not sure how to feel about this returning, but it feels like we haven't seen this in at least a year. I liked Bobby's NAACP line and the pie chart bit. The porn joke was something I saw coming a mile away, but Vanessa does a fine Elizabeth Hasselbeck nonetheless. She's much less annoying than Wiig was in this role. Anna did fine in her role as well and is proving to be a charismatic host. Kenan's portrayal of Neil Degrasse Tyson was surprisingly funny and accurate. This may be the most well written FOX news sketch SNL has done. B-

Dongs – This was probably the worst music video SNL has ever produced. Yeah, the ladies were all dolled up real good but this whole piece felt like just a three-to-four minute build up to a punch line that never even came. The brief interaction between Vanessa and Aidy was ok, but this was seriously lacking and Icona Pop was just an absolutely wasted cameo. Did anyone else notice how this eventually got nothing but DEAD SILENCE from the audience? Also, was anyone else reminded of that "Balls" music video w/Abby Elliott posted on CollegeHumor? F.

Little Mermaid - This sketch was at least interesting. Jay is pretty funny as Sebastian, Aidy is doing fine as Ursula (even if she could've dialed it back a little) and Anna played Ariel quite well. She and Maya Rudolph are both talented at mimicking the singing styles of mediocre millennial pop songstresses. I did like how this had more of a point and a premise to it than the previous bit even if it meandered a bit at the beginning. Overall, it was a decent sketch that could've benefitted from being shortened. Also, kudos to SNL for being the first form of media to make a joke about Iggy Azalea that I've seen. (In case you don't know, she's a white Australian rapper who performed on Seth Meyers recently). B-

Good Neighbor - This Kyle and Vanessa short was sweet and endearing and Beck was very funny at the end. Good to see SNL finally put Good Neighbor to decent use. I honestly don't know what else to say about what was essentially three minutes of pure, unfiltered awkwardness. B-

Update is a slight improvement over last week, but then again it shouldn't be hard to top that mess. Colin's delivery is showing some slight improvement (at least in terms of looking into the right camera). No jokes stand out particularly, but at least they are sharper and tighter paced. It was nice seeing Kate as Angela Merkel again. She really made the absolute most out of some lame material. It was also nice seeing Brooks Wheelan on Update again doing his butter down pants/STD bit. I actually thought that was one of his better bits when I was checking out his standup on YouTube last summer. Fortunately, it did well here but his delivery was a little too derivative of TJ Miller toward the end (who incidentally I saw live in Boulder live and he tore me down continuously for, like, 38 minutes when he thought I was heckling him. He's amazing live and you should go see him if he ever plays near you! I still have the signed bottle of Evian Facial Spray he gave me). The memory bit was cute and while Cecily and Colin don't quite have chemistry yet, it's good to at least see them try to develop some. Bobby's bit as George R.R. Martin wasn't too bad, but nothing stood out there either. C-

Les Jeunes Des Paris V - Given Anna's musical theater background, we should've seen "Les Jeunes Des Paris" coming but while far from the best installment, this was quite enjoyable for the Cups reference, Kyle's random appearance as Captain Picard (although maybe Beck should've been in that role) and Jay's quick appearance as Chris Tucker/Ruby Rhod from "The Fifth Element" which for some reason was the first thing I actually laughed out loud at all night. C+

Principal Frye VI - I liked seeing Principal Frye again. As usual, Jay and Kenan were very funny here. Jay's monkey Snapchat lines cracked me the hell up. Anna Kendrick was good here in a role that, for once, didn't rely too much on her singing and dancing talents. B-

Big Joe - This was a really thin premise, but the performances (especially Kilam and Kendrick) really saved it. They also made good use of some of the new featured players here. B-

Pharell Auditions - This sketch was probably the second weakest segment of the night. It lazily established a half a joke and dragged it out, but at least it didn't do that for too long. It felt like they just threw the DeMarco Bros, Blizzard man and Chippendales in a blender and called it a day. The best things I can say about it were that I liked the hat gags, Taran's "oxygen to the brain in the womb" line and that they made a decent use of Sasheer. D+

NCAA Best of the White guys – This was just fine for how far they went with it. Beck's narration was the best thing it had going for it. Something about it did seem familiar the whole time I was watching it. I'm pretty sure it got cut from a dress rehearsal last season that I read about (probably the Kevin Hart episode but I'll have to go back and check again). C-

Now, for my updated rankings…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

5. Anna Kendrick/Pharrell

6. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

7. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

8. Paul Rudd/One Direction

9. Drake

10. Lena Dunham/The National

11. Jim Parsons/Beck

12. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

13. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

14. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

15. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

16. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week, Seth Rogen returns for his third time. Again, this could just go either way. Rogen is one of those hosts who puts forth a good effort, but is ultimately forgettable. He’s not terrible, but not too great either. See ya then!

Louis C.K./Sam Smith (03.29.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This was actually one of the more enjoyable shows of the 2014 half of this season, despite the fact that it started to crumble a bit post-Update. Louis CK really shined as a host and his relevance to comedy proved to be this show’s saving grace. The writing seems still seems relatively stable and they are really starting to utilize the featured players more to their full potential. Anyway, here it is.

Healthcare.gov and Social Media - This cold open was probably one of the most clever and creative of the whole season. Noel did quite well in a non-impression role that seemed very well suited to her comedic strengths as did Taran. Kyle was quite funny as Pope Francis in his brief appearance. As for Nassim, well at least she switched something up about her usual portrayal of Kim Kardashain. Although Brooks killed another non speaking role, I gotta hand it to hair and makeup for his Harry Styles look. I didn't realize until now how much they actually look alike. Overall, it seemed pretty good statement on the power and influence of social media on politics. C+

Monologue - While Louis' monologue wasn't as laugh out loud funny as his previous one, it was still VERY good and it's nice to see some quality standup showcased on SNL for a change. The bits about his daughter's play, murder, men and women in charge and religion were all great. A+

Black Jeopardy - This seemed like it made the most out of a silly premise, but even still it felt a little empty and it could've been taken further. They utilized Louis' character well enough but it would've behooved the sketch to include him a little more. My favorite parts were the "If that was me" category and the "any answer/rap songs starting with the letter ‘n’" lines. C-

In regards to the car commercial w/Cecily, I think she did fine in it and it was nice to see Micheal Che and the behind the scenes process of the show showcased in such a way. On the other hand, it still feels much too soon to be pushing Cecily as the new star of the show. I can't remember any other time a cast member has been promoted this heavily this early in their tenure at SNL.

Baby Boss - I'm glad they recurred this and that it was so malleable in terms of current recurring sketches. I did like the spitup bit (which must've taken some tricky shots and timing to pull off). The cake flinging bit was aso really good too. Kind of reminded me of the E. Eppy Doolittle resort sketch with Murphy and Piscopo from the '83 Joan Rivers episode, but this was way more scripted and more beneficial to the sketch. B+

Joeseph A. Banks -This suit commercial seemed a little too inside for most viewers but the level of commitment to it made it funny. I did like the visual gag with Taran's suit disintegrating. C+

Update is turning out pretty decent. Colin had some fine jokes despite his delivery not adding much to them. Cecily had good jokes as well and her deilvery is probably as good as it's going to get. At this point, I understand the Cecily/Jost pairing a little better and how they are supposed to benefit from each other's presence. Jost's seniorty behind the scenes at SNL helps Cecily because it's only her second year at the show and she is quite young and green for Update. Cecily's experience as a sketch performer helps Jost in that he has someone better to play off of and she looks better with him as an anchor since her delivery is naturally better. I liked seeing Jay's Stephen A. Smith again despite how played out it has gotten over the years and how little energy he put into it. C+

Mr. Big Stuff - This musical sketch got off to a bit of a slow start, but it got better with Louis increasingly expressed befuddlement. I didn't quite know what to make of it at first, but Louis carried it and made it work. His comments once he bought the song to a halt were great especially "becoming an albino" and "clip on goatee". B-

Doctor - This short may have been the weakest piece in the show so far. Louie, Kenan, Beck and Aidy made it work in spite of the material (I did like the gag with Kenan "mopping carpet"). The payoff at the end was pretty weak, though. It felt like it was aiming for some absurdist level comedy but came up quite short. C-

Pajamas - This sketch was probably the worst segment of the night. The intentionally awkward acting really bought it down and it dragged on for quite a bit. The only parts I really liked were Bobby's walk on and Louis rambling about cutting holes in pajamas with scissors. C-

Dyke and Fats - This filmed was okay. It seemed like it took too long to build up to the joke and when it finished, the payoff wasn't that great and that's just what it was. It was fine being just that. Thankfully, they kept it short even though it could've been shorter and Kate and Aidy performed it well. By the way, it was pretty obvious that they wrote it themselves so they could've done without the "created by" credit at the very end. C+

Chris Fitzpatrick for Class President - I'm SO glad they found a way for Kyle to work this character into the show. Although they really had to water it down for network TV the point where he too closely resembled his Inside SoCal character, it was probably the best thing in this show. Pretty much everything that came out of Kyle's mouth had me cracking up with his delivery in this and I also loved the footage of random slow paced car accidents and arrests. A+

Reconciliation - This sketch at the end sure did seem like a mess, but Louis strong comedic presence it worked and I actually liked the sheer rambling absurdity of this sketch. Aidy played well off of him and Bobby's cameo was also great. I like how he kept the same insane expression throughout the whole thing. B-

Now, for my updated rankings…

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Louis C.K./Sam Smith

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Paul Rudd/One Direction

7. Drake

8. Lena Dunham/The National

9. Jim Parsons/Beck

10. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

11. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

12. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

13. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

14. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week, Anna Kendrick hosts. As she is a first time hosts (and especially with SNL in the shape it is in right now) this could go either way. See you then!

Lena Dunham/The National (3.8.2014)

Okay, here's my review. This show turned out to be mostly better than expected and I feel like most of that was due to the writing more than the host. Lena Dunham was pretty much exactly what everyone expected but she proved to be more bearable in smaller doses. I would put her in the same hosting league as Lady Gaga but with more airtime. They both were hosts widely expected to be bad, but proved to be better when used sparingly in smaller roles. The writing was a little bit better this week than it usually was. I also liked how much they made great use of the featured players, but a little more Noel would've been nice. Anyway, let's do it.

Obama Cold Open - This was one of the better cold opens this season. It was nice to see Jay's Obama again and I liked his Putin/Iraq line. Liam Neeson was an unexpected cameo but they certainly made good use of him. He was a nice change of pace from the typical dry political speech I was expecting. The action montage was okay. Nothing about it really stood out to me. I just wondered why he couldn't have been hosting instead of Lena Dunham. Sure, he hosted an unmemorable episode in 04-05 but he'd have been a more interesting host choice. C+

Monologue - This was a little better than I expected. I knew exactly where it was going as soon as Lena mentioned people asking her sex questions. Overall, it reminded me a little too much of Kerry Washington's monologue, but kudos to Vanessa, Aidy, Bobby and Kate for making the most out of their bit parts in this. I don't know if I would've preferred a straight solo monologue to this, but it would've been interesting to see Lena pull one off. C-

Ooh Child - This was one of the better non Good Neighbor filmed pieces this season. It had more of a fun vibe and effortlessly enjoyable feel to it than most. I definitely liked how it waited to establish the main running joke and Brooks' appearance at the end was great. B-

Scandal - Overall, this sketch reminded me too much of the old timey newspaper sketch from the Zooey Deschanel episode but kudos to Sasheer for finally getting a leading role in a sketch (and an impression she easily pulled off at that) and kudos to Beck for getting another impersonation role as well. Lena was decent here. She did a fine job of playing a non-Hannah type role even if she was a little cloying and overbearing in doing so. I also liked the resemblance this bared to the "Homeland" sketch with Anne Hathaway and (ironically) the "Girls" sketch from earlier in that it was an actual satire of its subject matter rather than just introducing some outlandish parody element. I also liked how the Sasheer/Taran lip touch moment reminded me of that great morgue sketch from the otherwise awful Jeremy Renner episode. B-

What's Poppin'? - This sketch felt like it had unreached potential. It started out fine, but started to flail toward the end in search of a coherent ending. Jay and Kenan were fine in it, but they focused a little too much on the band performance. Still, I have to give Mike credit for not totally bombing his role. The Sprite jokes were okay, but I feel like they could've been cut. I also liked the bit at the beginning about the filthy female rapper and Aidy's "flute amp" line. Otherwise, this sketch needed some serious fine tuning in terms of pacing. C+

Girl - This really made the most of a shaky premise. This is one of the rare times this season where the writing actually benefitted the show and seems to matter more than the performances. I was impressed by the CGI effects that placed Vanessa's face on a snake. Otherwise, this seemed like it would be quickly forgettable. C-

What Are You Even Doing? You're Being Crazy! - This turned out to be better than expected. Kudos to Kyle for getting a lead role no matter how small it was. Bobby was great here and Nassim and Lena were just okay. The true highlight of this sketch of course was Jon Hamm's bewildered unexpected cameo. Again, I have to wonder why HE hasn't hosted again yet either. B-

Update continues to show some gradual changes for the better. Cecily continues to improve in her delivery and have more fun. Colin continues to...just be a pleasant alternative to Seth. The writing continues to be at about the same level. Taran as Matthew McConaghey was great despite him not looking the part. He had the voice down cold and he was very funny. Putin's friends from growing up was surprisingly the most disappointing moment of this show. Fred has cameoed three times this season since leaving. That's two times too many...even for a guy who does a show thirty feet away. C+

Jewelry Party - Cecily's accent seemed a little overbearing and rather unnecessary to the character. Otherwise, this was a decent sketch. It was another sketch that could've been improved in terms of pacing because it felt like it really dragged in some parts. Still, it had a funny premise behind it. Lena was good as the character seemed especially written for her. Mike was okay, but he did make the sketch drag on a little. B-

Pimpin' Pimpin' Pimpin' Oscar Edition - Seeing Jay's Katt williams impression again was fun and he had a lot of good one liners. Brooks didn't quite do the best Jared Leto, but kudos to him for getting another substantial impression role. Lena's Liza Minelli wasn't all that great but thankfully it was short. Taran's Harrison Ford wasn't his most accurate impression either, but he had Ford's delivery down and made it funny. I also liked the fake sponsors in this sketch and Jay's interaction with the audience member who booed his Rob Ford joke. Noel's Lena Dunham was a nice touch. B+

Good Neighbor - I liked this, but it really didn't start to get funny until they started talking about drugs. The discovery that there was no concert was also very funny. They even made Brooks seem funnier. I liked how this built up. B+

Well, most of this show turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Granted, I watched most of it with other people again so that may have contributed but a lot of this show felt different from how the rest of the season has been turning out. Louie CK hosts again in three weeks, so...FUCK YES! Also, this may be the first time in at least 2008 that SNL has had three shows in March. Anyway, here are my Updated 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. Drake

8. Lena Dunham/The National

9. Jim Parsons/Beck

10. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM

11. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

12. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

13. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

14. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

See you soon!

Jim Parsons/Beck (3.1.2014)

Okay, here's my review. This turned out to be probably the second or third best show so far in the 2014 half of the season. Jim Parsons turned out to be a capable yet fairly predictable and forgettable host. He started out a little slow but he picked up some steam toward the middle of the show. I'm also glad the newer cast got some more substantial airtime this week but I would've liekd to see more of Kyle and Noel soon. Let's do this.

Ellen II - This cold open felt too much like a carbon copy of the Ellen sketch from Anne Hathaway's last episode. The hidden camera prank part w/Jay as the Captain Phillips actor was a highlight. I haven't seen that much of Johnny Weir in terms of live footage, but I'm positive he doesn't talk EXACTLY like Sheldon Cooper. This doesn't bode well for our host. Still, I did the the "dad was a Christmas ornament" and "Tara Lipinski is in my coat pocket" jokes were okay. C-

Monologue  - This was pretty cringeworthy in terms of Jims' one liners and how he stumbled over delivering them. For once, the song and dance actually SAVED it. The premise behind the song and the performances from Jay, Bobby, Kate and Taran were all fine. C+

Peter Pan - This sketch seemed like the thinnest premise ever, but Aidy as "Tonkerbell" really saved it with her delivery. Bobby as the mouse was also funny and John does a great English accent, but Jim Parsons is the worst possible actor for the role of Peter Pan. B-

Bird Bible - This is possibly the most boring and pointless sketch SNL has aired in thirty years. Still, the most positive thing I can say about it much it felt like a throwback to the '90s Jack Handey/Delicious Dish era. F.

The Killer Files - This sketch was an improvement. Kudos to Beck Bennett finally getting the chance to be used as a utility man. The Dance Floor Killer turned out to be Jims least Sheldon-like role in the show so far (and the role that best suits him oddly enough). Did he remind anyone else of Hader as JonBenet's killer John Mark Karr or the "Truckee River Killer" from Reno 911? B-

12 Years A Slave Auditions  - This was probably the best segment of the night taped or otherwise. Jay and Bobby were brilliant in it. Kudos to the writers for finally giving Brooks and Mike their most comfortable roles on the show so far. A-

Now we come to the moment everyone's been waiting for...Weekend Update, which in some ways was pleasantly surprising. Whoever kept saying Colin Jost seems to similar to Seth was DEAD...ON. I mean, Jesus, their voices are identical. Hell, I'd even say Jost both resembles AND sounds like the product of a three-way between Seth Meyers, John Mulaney and Kermit the Frog. Still, his delivery is a lot more bearable than Seth's. He actually made me chuckle at those Jeter/Paula Deen lines. Colin doesn't show much of an ability to save a lame joke as much as he shows a cometency at not ruining a joke by trying too hard or haphazardly rushing and shouting his way through it, which is preetty much 99% of what Seth did as an anchor. Cecily also continues to be a pleasant addition to Update as well. Although I saw the punchline to that Joe Biden/Yakety Sax joke coming a mile away, I liked her little dance to it. I also liked her delivery on the driving dogs/vaginal douche jokes. The Shaq/Barkley segment also felt like too much of a retread, but I liked how they played up Shaq's exasperation at Shaq's soft spoken cluelessness. Jebadiah Atkinson was a welcome addition to Update and I do like how they spaced out his appearances more this time. I especially liked the Woody Allen and Forrest Gump jabs. Overall, Update appears to be taking baby steps. In the right direction. Also, before I forget to bring this up, I know they've changed up Update anchors midseason before but is this the first time in SNL history where the Update titles (well, when Update HAD titles) have changed mid season? Both the titles and AND theme song are now different. I don't remember any other time where this happened. C+

Murder Mystery Party  - This sketch was okay. It felt a little repetitive, but it had some decent writing and premises behind it and made nice use of the cast. Jim Parsons was all right, but I couldn't help but imagine how this sketch might have been different with any other host. He was just portraying an exasperated Sheldon here. C+

Spotlightz Camp II - This sketch obviously felt too similar to the sketch from the Lady Gaga and Scarlett Johansen episodes but less funny, but I did like the Wolf of Wall Street/Her/Capt. Phillips bits. C+

Elevator Ride  - This sketch felt just like they wrote the dialogue and performances a certain way to hide a really cheap premise. The most positive thing I can say about it is that Mike O'Brien really performed it as competently as he could've. D+

Old West Surprise Birthday - This sketch felt like it had one of the more creative premises behind it, but something felt missing in terms of performance. Still, kudos to them for using Beck and Brooks in substantial roles they were able to pull off well again. C+

Well, that show turned out to be a pleasant surprise in some ways. Next week, Lena Dunham hosts. I honestly don't know what to expect from her in terms of performances but let's hope the writing doesn't just take a nosedive.

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. Drake
8. Jim Parsons/Beck
9. Josh Hutcherson/HAIM
10. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake
11. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons
12. John Goodman/Kings Of Leon
13. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

See you soon!

Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons (2.1.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This show seemed to have a lot of potential to be better when it started, but it all went to waste. Even though I have to admire Melissa’s determination and dedication to sketch comedy, this seems to be the second time the show has simply deteriorated around her although the writers can probably share some of the blame with her on that. There were some bright spots here and there but otherwise it felt too much like a repeat of her episode form last year. McCarthy and Timberlake are repeat hosts who have something in common in that the show always feels pretty much the same whenever they host. The only difference is that in McCarthy’s case, it has more to do with her playing the same character hosts than it does repeating specific sketches. Still, this episode was good for some newer cast members in that it gave them more substantial roles. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Super Bowl Halftime - This cold open was a more fun and creative one than a lot of the ones they've done this season. The entire cast did well in it although I feel like McCarthy bought the whole thing to a grinding halt. Seeing Jay's Michael Strahan again was good. I liked how he looked so gleeful and delighted with the whole thing while the other color men looked disgusted. I also liked how he looked like he was wearing Bill Brasky teeth the whole time. The musical number was fine and Kenan, Taran and Kyle were particularly good in it but it started to get a little tiresome and repetitive after Melissa showed up. Also, Kudos to Beck for getting in on some of that LFNY action. C+

Monologue - This was a lot more fun than both of her first ones put together despite a glaring technical miscue. Bobby was great in it and the pretaped segment with her berating him after the show was funny. The wired segments weren't much but kudos to Bobby and Melissa for toughing it out through that. Taran's parts were ok and I did like Melissa's line about being married to Richard Sherman despite it not really having a point. C+

CVS - This ad was fine but I feel like it was too similar to something they did before in the Steve Martin '06 episode. Still, I liked the Taran/Sasheer face tickling bit. B-

Delaware One News Report - I'm surprised they actually thought to recur Melissa's Sheila Kelley character from her last episode, but I guess the Rep. Grimm story kind of called for it. I liked this better the second time, but it felt like something that had a little more unreached comedic potential. B-

Women’s Club – This sketch was okay. I did like the mix of more subtle, female humor with some Adam McKay style dark comedy but again, I feel like they could've taken it a little further without going on too long. I did like the transition between this and the Kelley piece. That's something they haven't done a lot lately and they did pull it off well. I also appreciate how this sketch had a feel like something about the writing on SNL was finally headed in a different direction. This had to be the best live segment of the night by default. B+

Guess That Phrase - This game show sketch felt like both SNL and Melissa McCarthy were both leaning on their respective worn out crutches simultaneously. This gave me bad flashbacks to Melissa's ranch dressing/pizza loan/knock off wheel of fortune sketches and felt like it was way too long. Still, the only thing that was actually good about this sketch was how it showed that the show was working Beck Bennett into sketches more prominently. D+

Black History Month - This music video was okay, but again, they could've gone a little further with the whole premise than just emphasizing slavery. It might have been the most one note sketch of the night, but I did like how Jay was committed to it and Bobby's part was funny. Also, did anyone else think Kate STRONGLY resembled Mean Girls era Tina Fey here?

Update was just barely saved from being forgettable tonight. It's good to see they gave Cecily a lot of the better jokes (although the Bush/Obama one made me cringe). I liked the "sexcercise" one and Seth's Pope/bird joke and I'm sure there were a few more but those were the only ones I remember at the moment. Taran's Atlanta guy commentary was good only because of him. He made the absolute most out of a really shaky and derivative premise and it made me think about how I would've cringed at someone like Wiig or McCarthy delivering this. Seth had an enjoyable sendoff even if it felt a little drawn out. Seeing the return of Hader and Stefon with a call back to the "Kevin" club was the best moment of the night hands down for me. It was nice to see Hader finally make his obligatory next season cameo. Amy was nice, but the frequency of her cameos kinda took away from it. Even Andy's cameo and Fred as Gov. Patterson (for the sheer unexpectedness of it) were nice touches. I did like how it was more sincerely heartfelt than Amy's despite being very bit heavy. B+

Museum - This was just an incoherent mess but McCarthy's performance and how it made prominent use of Kyle, Nassim. Kenan and even Mike and Noel's one lines were also okay but this might just be the nadir of this season's writing problems. D-

Girlfriends Talk Show V - I don't really care all that much for these girlfriends talk show sketches but I do like how they're establishing some continuity to them. Melissa was decent here and Aidy carried this sketch as usual (I did like her "not allowed to use Twitter" line) but I feel it devolved too quickly into derivative meandering again. Also, does it seem odd to anyone else that they placed this so late in the show? C+

Diane - This sketch got better as it went along Bobby's narration made it for me. Thankfully, they didn't keep it running on too long. It got in, established its running joke, hung out for a little bit and got out. C+

Good Neighbor: Kyle at the Superbowl - I'm pretty thrilled they found a way for Kyle to do his "man on the street" interviews on the show. I just wish it wasn't the very last segment of a pretty weak show. Still, this was probably the most fun thing I saw on the show tonight and even it felt like it could've been edited down just a bit. His interactions with the "suberbowl sucks" and Mario guys made the whole segment for me. I hope we get to see more of these from Kyle if they could just tweak the format a little bit. B+

Well, that episode certainly came and went. Here are my updated 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. Drake

8. Jonah Hill/Bastille

9. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

10. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

11. Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

11. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

12. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

It feels a little unsettling that they apparently haven't booked a host for March 1st yet, but see ya then!

Jonah Hill/Bastille (1.25.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. While this episode sure seemed like it was rather “middle of the road” for this season, it had its fair share of fun moments here and there. In terms of Jonah Hills hosting gigs, I would rank this second behind his ’08 episode and ahead of his 2012 episode. He wasn’t as strong of a host as some others this season, but he added to the show when he could. Still, the writing is about on the same level and most of the new cast seems to be being used more sparingly compared to the preceding two shows. A little more of the new FPs as well as more of Bobby and Jay couldn’t have hurt this episode.

Full disclosure: I ended up watching this episode in a big lounge/common room with a small group of other people who wanted to see it. I think it’s worth mentioning because it may have affected my ability to view this episode as critically as possible. This review will most likely be less objective than most or all of my others. Anyway, here it is.

Heterosexual Olympic Skating - This cold open was pretty well done. It was a cleverer premise than most of the stuff they've done this season and it was executed well. Bobby, Jay, Beck and Kate were particularly good. It was a nice touch seeing them subvert their typical over use of gay humor as a tired trope with STRAIGHT humor as a tired trope at least. C+

Monologue – Jonah was funny here. Leonardo Dicaprio was a pretty good get for SNL at this point, too. It was pretty cool of him to come on, but he could've seemed a little more interested in the whole thing. I did like how Jonah trashed him and immediately changed his tone once he walked out. The Titanic bit at the end was cute and I liked how it made decent use of Noel and John. Taran's Brad Pitt was also a nice touch. B-

Six Year Old III - I'm not really surprised that they did this sketch again with or without Hader (since they added Vanessa) because this is kind of exactly what I thought they would do anyway. Even though it was more of the same this time, Jonah had some decent lines and his back and forth with Vanessa at the end was endearing. They also made good use of Sasheer. C+

The Hit - This short film about the snow stakeout went on a little too long and felt like the type of sketch SNL has done before but it had an endearing quality to it. The cinematography was good and the ending was funny even though I did see it coming a mile away. Taran also did well here. B-

Couples Quiz - That game show sketch was a really weak premise, but I did like how Jonah, Cecily and even Kenan were committed to it. C-

Update was kinda all over the place. People are laughing at everything but the only good lines were Seth's first Bieber joke and Cecily's tea party speech joke. Kenan had some good lines in his Miami police bit, but I think his delivery may have oversold it. Cecily's delivery continues to be more entertaining than Seth's and her Scottish fish joke was great. Seth's Massachusettes owl joke was an example of a real news story funnier than the lame punchline and his call back to Cecily's Scottish fish joke gave me a heavy Tina annd Jimmy vibe for better or worse. I'm surprised they decided to reprise this specific Kate Russian meteor character (but for the Olympics) but it's still pretty entertaining. I did like her dog lawyer, Haiti/middle of ocean and warm rehab jokes. It's getting huge laughs from people around me right now, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say they just saw this for the first time. B-

Horse Stable - This sketch may have been one joke run into the ground, but in a way it felt a lot like a throwback to something they would've done back in the '90s. Cecily was all right. In fact, I thought it was Kate at first instead of her from her voice so I guess that shows she has some range as an actress. It was something a little different for this season, I'll give it that. C+

Me - This “Her” parody was another piece that really made all it could out of a rather lame and uninspired premise. I laughed at the testicle line and the back and forth with Vanessa in the elevator. The Micheal Cera cameo felt unnecessary and made the sketch go on a little too long. C-

Dinner w/Boss - This dinner scene is also pretty repetitive, but Jonah's screaming is making me laugh for some reason. I particularly liked the Infant Penis Syndrome/black guys wife lines. The ending fell kinda flat, but at least they knew how to keep it from going on too long. C+

Good Neighbor: Inside SoCal - This short was a lot better than last week's "I Know" short. I liked seeing awkward Kyle and Beck make their way back onto SNL (and I also appreciate Beck’s character being coincidentally named after me). I also notice how this was another one of their bits from YouTube that made it onto the show (I believe that a version of this sketch made it onto Kyle Mooney’s Christmas special from 2012…look it up on YouTube if you don’t believe me), so good for them that they mined something else that's safe for broadcast television out of their repertoire. I liked the transitions between all the awkward bro-ish dialogues and the use of the words “sick” and “gangster” with a hard R. Taran, Jonah and Bobby's performances also made this sketch for me. B-

Lamborghini - I think they've gotten all the mileage (no pun intended) out of the former porn stars. Even shoehorning the host into this sketch felt a little uninspired, but I did like the Seal Team Six/16 Seals and funeral lines. D+

Well, that show also turned out better than what my lowered expectations led me to think but not as much as last weeks’ episode w/Drake. I hope the same thing happens next week with Melissa McCarthy even though they write completely differently for her than they do for any other host.

Now, my updated 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. Drake

8. Jonah Hill/Bastille

9. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

10. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

11. John Goodman/Kings of Leon

12. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

See you next month!