SNL Recap February 4, 2011: Channing Tatum/Bon Iver

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Cold Opening – Newt Gingrich: Moon President
It is always gratifying to see something a little unusual, particularly when it comes to political cold opens.  This was a clever idea as well, as it sprang from an actual Newt Gingrich idea.  As for the execution, the jokes were on target, but flatly delivered. B-

Channing Tatum’s Monologue
So often lately, when the hosts interact with “audience members” during the monologue, it can feel so forced.  But as Channing’s past customers, Kristen, Vanessa, Fred, and Andy all actually had something to build a performance around.  Fred’s line, “I’m not sure yet, but you should keep trying” was gold, and Andy’s Yikes-I-better-get-out-of-here reaction was also worth a quick laugh. B

It’s Getting Freaky with Cee-Lo Green
Not even Bill as Colonel Nasty could make this rendition of “It’s Getting Freaky” worthwhile, as he offered little more advice than, “Touch her in the right place.”  He didn’t even laugh enough!  Some of Cee-Lo’s aside comments – “searching for my neck” – were worth a chuckle. C

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SNL Video Recap January 14, 2012 Daniel Radcliffe/Lana Del Rey

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SNL Recap January 14, 2011: Daniel Radcliffe/Lana Del Rey

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Cold Opening – A Message from Mitt Romney
SNL seems to have decided that the main idea of Sudeikis’s Romney is that he is emotionless and doesn’t know how to talk like a normal person, which isn’t much, but when it leads to lines like “slinging the pigskin around” and “my five human sons,” then it is something, at least. B

Daniel Radcliffe’s Monologue
This wasn’t so much comedy (i.e., joke-telling) as much as it was an expression of a philosophy.  Dan brought up some reasonable points, even though we all knew he was just jerking us around a little bit.  Still, it was a good idea to temper expectations. B

Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais makes fun of celebrities because they are a group of people who perhaps ought to be taken down a notch.  It’s not like dogs and flowers have that in common with celebrities.  Hiring Ricky to make fun of those groups would just be pointless, and this sketch had a corresponding lack of spirit. C

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SNL Video Recap January 7, 2012 Charles Barkley/Kelly Clarkson

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SNL Recap January 7, 2012: Charles Barkley/Kelly Clarkson

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Is there pomegranate in this soy milk?

Cold Opening – A Message from Rick Santorum
SNL seems to have decided that there is no need for a real impression of Rick Santorum, probably because – well, how many people know about Santorum?  Apparently, though, he might make some noise in the primary, so Andy might have to do a bit of work eventually.  For now, though, this opening proves that there is enough material to overcome that lack of an impression, namely, Santorum’s relentless campaigning and how that may go up against his personality, particularly with that money line about San Francisco. B-

Charles Barkley’s Monologue
Not so much a monologue as much as it was Sir Charles saying a few funny things and hoping to be done with it relatively quickly.  The (admittedly dated) Muggsy Bogues line got a chuckle out of me and reminded me of his cameo during Barkley’s first hosting appearance in ’93. B-

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SNL Video Recap December 17, 2011 Jimmy Fallon/Michael Bublé

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SNL Recap December 17, 2011: Jimmy Fallon/Michael Bublé

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Cold Opening – Sully and Denise
I’ve never been a fan of Sully and Denise, but I’ve never hated them either.  It was fun to see them several years graduated from their old stomping grounds.  Amy’s character saying that her “case of mono” is now 15 years old was the most clever moment of the sketch. B-

Jimmy Fallon’s Monologue
When Jimmy sang some of his jokes, the volume of the music seemed to throw off the laughter cues, which affected the rhythm of this routine a bit. But his interactions with everybody were fun and gratifying, which was no surprise, as monologues in which the host traipses around backstage doing a musical number almost always work. B

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SNL Video Recap December 10, 2011 Katy Perry/Robyn

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SNL Recap December 10, 2011: Katy Perry/Robyn

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We have a clip.

Cold Opening – On the Record with Greta van Susteren
This was a distressingly bad cold open.  Kristen’s Greta van Susteren has never really been that amusing, but Darrell’s Donald always has been.  The Donald may be one of his three best impressions, but this time it hardly was.  He seemed out of practice.  He couldn’t even consistently say “hyuge” in that patented Donald style. C

Katy Perry’s Monologue
There were a few “jokes” about Katy Perry’s persona, but no real premise built around them.  This monologue was a mess, but a hot mess. C+

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SNL Video Recap December 3, 2011 Steve Buscemi/The Black Keys

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