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!

Josh Hutcherson/Haim (11.23.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. This show was just as uneven as last week, but unfortunately it relied too much on tires premises and some rather subpar writing. I guess that’s to be expected for a Thanksgiving show at the end of a three show streak. In the context of this season so far, everyone involved just seemed to be coasting but it may prove to not be the worst yet in time. Josh Hutcherson is proved to be a forgettable yet competent host. I don’t see him coming back any time soon at all. Still, it must have been a good night for Mike, Beck and Kyle as this has to be the most quality airtime they’ve gotten this season so far. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Piers Morgan Tonight V - This sketch may not have been the strongest way to open the show, but the highlights were Bobby's Florida cop, Beck's Men's Warehouse spokesman and Taran's LFNY delivery. C-

Monologue - This seemed pretty unambitious and on the beaten path so far, but I like the direction it's taking. That must've been one hell of a quick change for Kate, though and I did like the hint of self-referential humor. It was nice of them to throw Noel a bone and let her appear as herself briefly. C+

Girlfriends Talk Show IV - Although it feels much too soon to be bringing back, it is a little interesting to shake up the typical format and try it with a male host. Josh has to be wearing the worst wig they had. Aidy is, once again, proving to be the standout in these sketches. Still, I was hoping this version would be closer to the one that apparently got cut from the Zach Galifinakis episode in May. C+

Baby Boss - This Beck Bennett sketch turned out quite interesting. It's great to see them give him a lead and he's pretty much killed it with his commitment to physical comedy. B-

Matchbox 3 - This subway short film seems like a weak premise, but again, I admire the commitment and cinematography in it. Josh holding the flag was the only thing that stood out to me. D+

Update had its fair share of disappointing underwritten jokes tonight, but I did like Cecily's Rob Ford dart joke. As a Colorado resident, I was expecting to hate that Denver Post marijuana joke, but it wasn't actually that bad. Aidy as the worst woman on a plane was pretty inconsistent. The only things that I can say were that good about it were that she really gave it her all performance wise and that it was pretty different from Cecily's party girl in that this was more script and premise heavy and less with less of an improv feel. Seth's constant giggling was once again ruining an otherwise tolerable bit. Thankfully, Update was short tonight. C-

Josie - This '80s sketch felt way out of place. There already 30 second Comcast commercials with this exact premise so it’s got that demerit working against its favor. Still, I did like Kenan and Taran's appearances as well as the Jessie's Girl gag at the end. C+

Best Buy - This Cecily/Bobby employee sketch also feels too soon to bring back. Still, I never hated it that much. It was nice to see they tried some more elaborate stuff with it, but it led to some pacing problems. It was also nice to see them come up with a different ending now that Tim is no longer in the cast, but it felt a little under executed. C-

Dancing - This Good Neighbor short wasn't as strong as their previous outings but it still had its moments such as Kyle's dancing and the Instant VHS and newspaper gags. Wow, it felt really odd seeing two ‘80s themed sketches in a row. Anyway, this short ran a little too long compared to their others. While I like seeing more of Beck and Kyle on the show, they should realize that their strengths of their previous digital shorts lie in getting in, getting their laughs and getting out. They should pack a quicker punch and be a little more tightly packed with gags next time. C+

Southern Animal Hospital – At first, this sketch seemed to be meandering and then it just seemed to be trying too hard. It's clearly one joke being beaten in the cold, cold ground. Still, it actually made me chuckle a couple of times although I can't remember when. All I kept thinking about is how much worse it would've been if Wiig was in it. C-

Investigative Bug Reporter - This sketch was okay. Considering that it's another taped piece (which this show feels a little heavy on, oddly enough) it really feels to be playing to Mike and Josh's "strengths" as performers. This was probably, by default, the best performance O'Brien has turned in on the entire show so far. C-

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner – This sketch feels a little played out and derivative. Bobby and Kyle did fine in it and Taran was trying his damndest here. Still, it seemed really oddly paced and Vanessa may be trying a bit too hard. D+

Now, I’d like 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. Josh Hutcherson/Haim

7. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Well, that show just came and went quietly. Next month, we have a pretty strong lineup of hosts starting with Paul Rudd. I hope he pulls a Galifinakis and hits his third show out of the park to make up for his first two being so forgettable. I also hope One Direction only really appears in a musical guest capacity even though they just now really have the US crossover fame to appear in sketches. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lady Gaga (11.16.2013)

Okay, here’s my review. Despite how wildly uneven this show was all night, it is definitely one of the better episodes this season. It started off fairly strong and then started to fall apart in the middle and then picked up some steam toward the end. Lady Gaga has displayed some real hosting talent tonight, but I thought it would translate better to musical performances than sketch acting. To me, this seemed truer for the monologue than her duet with R. Kelly. Something about that first MG spot seemed a little off to me and I think it was the dancing. Her second performance was a something a little unexpected, but just OK other than that. Usually, it would be a demerit to the show when they don’t use a particular host in many sketches but this actually worked in Lady Gaga’s favor. You may have noticed early on how she was basically shoehorned into sketches with rather small roles. This actually wasn’t a detriment to the show because as we saw the last two times she appeared on the show, she doesn’t quite have the acting chops for a lead role in any sketch. Thankfully, the writers seemed to remember this and figured out the exactly when and where to use her in just the right moments during the show. Otherwise, we’d have to sit through ninety minutes of Lady Gaga just trying too hard. I also liked how much they gave us a chance to see the featured players on air more and made great use of Taran and Bobby. Anyway, this might be my longest preamble ever so let’s just move on with the actual review.

CBC – This Toronto Mayor cold open was pretty funny, even though they probably could've gone without the stereotypical hosehead accents. Bobby was funny as Rob Ford (even though he probably didn't have the voice down) and the taped press conferences were a highlight. A-

Monologue - This musical monologue is pretty much exactly what I was expecting, but this jazzy Broadway version of "Applause" is quite an improvement over the original. Her interaction with Bobby was definitely the best part and the "tuck" line was a nice touch. Other than that, it reminded me a bit too much of Chevy Chases' monologue from his first hosting stint in 1978 but this was more enjoyable. B-

Paxil Second Term Strength - This was a clever and well executed ad, but something about this felt a little dated. It's like they really could've done this for any president. Taran's appearance as John Boehner was a nice touch but other than that nothing really stood out to me here. B-

Waking up with Kimye - This seemed to be meandering . Jay's Kanye is great (even if it's slipping a bit) but Kardashian impressions on SNL should've stayed retired. Still, I'd like to see a little more from Noel and Kate here and I did like Nassims' MJ and work lines. Gaga seemed to be trying too hard to create a stereotypical nerd character in a sketch that doesn't necessarily call for that type of "acting" and her not-so-subtle nod to camera toward the end kind of bugged me. Still, they did know exactly where to end this and I'd definitely rather see it than Vanessa's Gaga impression again. Also, I sure hope we don't have to read any fluff pieces about Kanye's reaction to this because I already know that's going to annoy the hell out of me. C+

Whaaat Cover Songs - This reminds me of something Ferrell would've done in 1997 for some reason. Taran and Kenan were great in it and Noel does great Britney. Aidy was good as well but I wish they didn't underuse her so much. Gaga did a better job of poking fun at herself here albeit maybe a couple of years too late. The Jay/Kate duet at the end was also great. Thankfully, this was different enough from those "Bunny Business" type soundtrack sketches that it was somewhat enjoyable. C+

Update had a long string of decent jokes. Nothing really bombed and as a whole, I'd say the entire segment got the audience reactions it deserved. I could already tell I wasn't going to like Kenan's commentary before he even came out. They lost me at "common sense". The pre-taped sketch reminded me of something Fred Armisen would've done in '04-'05. I liked the level of energy Kenan committed to, but not much else about it. The thing that bugged me the most was how it appeared to be the first use of most of the featured players the whole night. Taran's commentary was great and really breathed some life into the show here, but Seth and Cecily's constant giggling really bugged the hell out of me. B-

Co-Op Board - This sketch meandered worse than anything I've ever seen. I still don't know what to make of it even after its ending. Still, I have to say I liked how they used Aidy, Kyle and Kate. Gag's appearance was just all right. D+

Spotlightz Camp For Serious Child Actors - This was obviously recurred from the horrendous Scarlett Johansen 2010 shows. At first, I didn't think they needed to recur it again but then I noticed how well it utilized this cast and host. Gaga and Noel were very cute and definitely turned in their best performances of the night. Gaga's role seemed especially suited to her acting range very well. Kyle and Taran were also great additions to this sketch. The only real flaw with it was that it ran on a bit too long. C+

Blockbuster - This digishort was really saved by its ending. Something about it made it feel like it was missing something in execution. I can tell this is probably not a Good Neighbor short due to the lack of a title card and the fact that Beck appeared in it but not Kyle. C+

Fourth Grade Pageant - It was great to see John Milheiser finally have a breakout moment after being virtually invisible for two months and it played well to Gaga's talents as a dancer. I could see this as being Milheiser's equivalent of Farley's Chippendales sketch. Aidy played well off of him, too. B+

Upper East Side, NY 2065  - This sketch was probably the best thing Gaga could've done in terms of self-deprecation as this is probably how everyone already feels about her anyway. Hell, I sure didn't think we would still be talking about her in 2012 much less 2013 but she put out another album so...here we are. It was a little long, overly cutesy and not all there in terms of acting but it was nice other than that. I did like Kenan playing off her, especially his lines about One Direction and Willow and Jaden Smith being considered "classic rock" in the future. C+

The Roze Zone – This was another flimsy premise that felt less out of place had it been done in the Tina Fey era, but the girls made the most out of the material they were given. C+

And now, just because I haven’t done this in a while…I’m going to rank this seasons’ episodes from best to worst. After this and the Kerry Washington episode, I think it’s about damn time.

1. Kerry Washington/Eminem

2. Miley Cyrus

3. Lady Gaga

4. Bruce Willis/Katy Perry

5. Tina Fey/Arcade Fire

6. Edward Norton/Janelle Monae

Next week Josh Hutcherson of “Hunger Games” fame hosts just in time for Thanksgiving. This show could seriously go either way. See you then!