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!

Drake (1.18.2014)

Okay, here’s my review. This was pretty middle of the road for this season, but probably one of the stronger episodes SNL had in January coming right off of Christmas break. Drake was a much stronger host than I expected him to be. Just imagine what he might have done if he were given better material! I guess I was gradually raising my expectations for this episode ever since hearing Jonah Hill and Melissa McCarthy would be hosting. We’ve seen them host before and their most recent appearances felt a little too phoned in. Drake, however, hasn’t hosted and I honestly didn’t know what I should’ve expected from him performance wise. As I’ve said, it could’ve gone either way and thankfully, he didn’t totally disappoint. Other than that, the writing hasn’t shown any visible signs of improvement and they definitely retreaded a few things too early but I do like how the new cast got quite a bit more screen time than they have previously this season. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Piers Morgan VI – This wasn't the best choice for an opening, but the cast did save it despite being given some pretty weak material. Bobby tried his damndest to save some weak lines. Taran just played straight man to everyone but I did like his "journalistic integrity" line. Drake did a pretty funny Alex Rodriguez and I liked his texting/autocorrect bit. Kate's Justin Bieber made that whole sketch. She was the last female cast member I expected to play him which is what made it so funny. She didn't quite look like him, but she made up for it by having his voice and "swag" movements/mannerisms down pat…and I can already see her and SNL getting a lot of hate tweets over this. C+

Monologue – This was better than I expected. Drake was actually quite charismatic and not as stiff or wooden as I thought he was going to be. The bar mitzvah sketch went on a little too long for my liking but I did like how it made good use of Jay, Kyle and Sasheer. Drake's rap number was the real highlight, although I do have to wonder why he would be throwing in references to Lebron, Kimye and Rhianna if it’s supposed to be set in 1999. B-

Hip Hop Classics: Before They Were Stars - Kenan's Sway was all right. It seemed to be the rare impression where he was actually putting some effort into it. Other rappers starring on family shows before they were famous seemed like a weak premise, but the performances and some of the writing saved it. Kilam as Eminem on Felicity was brilliant. Drake did a fine job as Lil Wayne/Urkel (that impression probably came from all the time Drake spent hanging out with Lil Wayne) but his Jay-Z certainly didn't make me forget about Pharoh. Kenan was also pretty good as Reginald VelJohnson and Telletubbie Rick Ross, but we could've done without his Flava Flav Wonder Years narration. Sasheer did a fine job as Rhianna from what little of her impression we saw, but the fact that this is the second time in 20 years that SNL has done a shot-for-shot virtually jokeless recreation of the opening credits to "Blossom" is. Is actually frightening (Stooge knows what I'm talkin' bout, yo). Beck Bennett did an okay Mr. Wizard but I couldn't help but be reminded that this was another impression Hader successfully pulled off. I also thought the back-and-forth between Jay/2 Chainz and Kate's Disney actress was good. B-

Nancy Grace - Noel doesn't do Nancy Grace as well as Amy Poehler did (she does do better with the facial impressions than her actual voice much like seemingly every impression of hers), but kudos to her for giving it her all (even if it was a little one note and repetitive). Kate was also good in this and Drake did a good Katt Williams but again, he wasn't as laugh out loud funny as Jay when he did Katt. I knew SNL would probably do something on pot being legalized here in Colorado and I do appreciate the Boulder shout out. I was worried this would be pretty half assed, but the cast really saved it. C-

Resolution Revolution - This music video was okay. I liked how it made decent use of Sasheer and the donuts/drinking/gambling/sex toys/cosplay cutaways really saved it. I liked how they used those to break up the monotony of the rapping at the exact right moments and it also had a good ending. C+

Sleepover - This was another sketch that served as a very good sketch for Aidy. Drake was okay here, but he just played a straight dorky dad here so that role didn't call for a lot performance wise. Vanessa's appearance at the very end was also funny and gave the sketch some decent closure. I also like how they gave Sasheer some lines here. It wasn't much but she is new. B-

Update was nothing to sneeze at. Seth continues to phone it in, but Cecily can still make the most of jokes that are barely there. I was expecting SNL to do something on Jacqueline Bisset at the Golden Globes, but I was also expecting it to be about how spacey her speech was not how long her walk was! Everybody had an awkwardly long walk! That was a horribly designed stage! Plus, I thought Kate instead of Vanessa should've been playing her but this promise of continuing the bit was more promising that it should've been. Seth was pretty damn irritating through most of it (plus that Freud joke of his was quite telling, wasn't it?) but at least they knew when to end it and not let it run on too long. Nassim as Arianna Huffington was pretty damn forgettable. C-

Rahat - This Indiana Jones attraction sketch was probably the worst live segment of the night, but I really gotta admire Drakes sheer enthusiasm and determination to save it. Nassim probably could've been worse here, but the awkward hug and prayer bits made me giggle. Also, Kenan's "native" costume made me cringe just a little bit. I kept thinking how it was such a poor choice for Sasheer Zamata's first show which happened to be hosted by Drake. I can already see bloggers trashing the show just for this but, oh well. D+

Detention - I can't believe they decided to recur Vanessa's poetry teacher from the Miley Cyrus episode, but the first one had its moment. Still, just like this one Aidy and Kenan tried to save it. Seriously though, Kenan's "hell yeah" poem was the first genuine laugh I had all night. Brooks and Sasheer had good lines, but too bad Brooks had to flub his. Drake was all right, probably his only real phoned in performance of the night but I can't really blame them for copy-and-pasting the same ending from the previous sketch so yeah I saw his whole bit coming. I even liked Mike's lines about New Jack City and Vanessa's character sounding like someone punching a dolphin, but too bad he had to break a little at the very end. C-

Started From The Bottom/Hold On, We’re Going Home - Again, it's rare that I comment on the music performances but I have to say something about the staging choices during Drakes numbers. It is rather interesting having him seemingly alone, barely lit and awashed in orange and blue spotlights. It reminds me of something like Kanye would do but not nearly as aggressively pretentious and honestly a bit more preferable. Also, I don't know who this female singer with him is but her name sounds like it should be familiar to me. She might've been featured on Childish Gambino's newest album. Overall, Drake's performances were fine except for the shameless audience pandering there at the end.

Mornin’ Miami II - I'm really surprised and a bit worried for the show that they chose to recur TWO sketches from Miley's episode in a row, but Mornin' Miami was actually quite good the first time. This time, however, it feels like they may be missing a little something. This didn't quite have the raw absurdity of the first one but it had a great ending. C+

Good Neighbor: I Know - That may have been Good Neighbors weakest short so far this season in terms of laughs, but I did like the sharp, fast pacing of it and the endearing ending. C-

Now, 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. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

9. Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake

10 John Goodman/Kings of Leon

11. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, that episode kicked off the New Year for SNL decently enough. In the coming weeks, Jonah Hill and Melissa McCarthy host the show. I’ve already said my peace on them, so…goodnight! Happy long weekend everybody!

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!