SNL: Drake, Leslie Jones (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.
Drake now finds himself in a select crowd of entertainers who have not just pulled “SNL” double duty as both host and musical guest, but done so multiple times. His first double threat gig was a highlight of Season 39, so in terms of potential hosting quality, he is a fine selection. But what about timeliness? He certainly remains big in the music world, but he is not quite as huge in the culture at large the way other repeat double dippers (Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus) have been. But he has the acting chops, so when it gets down to it, who cares? As for the material he is given, it represents a whole range of ideas, some of which work quite well, and others that only work sporadically. All in all, the expansive effort is appreciated.
Donald Trump Vice President Selection – There is not much to make fun of Donald Trump this week (at least, not much new), although the “Joey Pepperoni” quip points to a goofy path that could hold up for the future. So instead, the focus is on the mogul’s VP selection, which could offer new targets for humor, save for the fact that most of the candidates floated are casualties of this election cycle and thus have already been mocked. But sneaking George Zimmerman’s name in there is sharp and the right sort of dangerous. Otherwise, this is just putting down Chris Christie for being nakedly opportunistic, which is way too obvious and not pathetic enough to really make an impact. C+
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Tuesday – New Girl closed out Season 5 with hella urgency. (An Honorable Mention of course goes to the dearly departed Grinder … but what if it weren’t dearly departed?)
Wednesday – TIE: The Middle/The Goldbergs
Thursday – Orphan Black is on the Orphan ATTACK!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – SNL, with the Black Jeopardy and the Drake as a professional chaperone
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.
“SNL” has a tendency to book recently anointed Oscar winners and nominees as hosts. Last year, it was J.K. Simmons a few weeks before the ceremony, and Michael Keaton a couple months after. This season, it is Brie Larson’s turn, with the holiday serving as a tie-in to her award-winning role. It is a sound strategy, as that Academy recognition generally guarantees that these people can act. They do not necessarily have to be funny, so long as they fulfill their roles just as the writing asks them to. Brie proves herself perfectly capable, and the writing lives up to her level.
Church Chat – As Trump Judgment Day has finally come to pass, the cold opening for this episode would of course be political. But it is not the normal cable news parody. In a fit of inspiration, and a wink to the past, Dana Carvey drops by to revive his most prolific and iconic (solo) character. Church Lady’s tsk-tsking of the Donald makes perfect sense (she’s done it before), but her hectoring of Ted Cruz feels a little like kicking an ally while he’s down. Not that Enid Strict wouldn’t do that – it is just a slightly different mode for her. Anyway, it is nice to see an old favorite, but it is tricky for her to find some really good putdowns, as Trump is too cartoonish and Cruz is too pathetic. Not all is lost, though, as Trump’s mangling of Bible facts is chuckle-worthy (though standard issue) and Cruz’s resurrection as a demon – though it may not hit as hard as it might like – is a worthwhile experiment. B-
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Silicon Valley at its sharpest (but Mr. Pickles wins Scene of the Week for its dinner with a cannibal)
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – The Grinder
Wednesday – The MiddleThursday – Inside Amy Schumer gets the edge for taking the nanny sketch as far as it can stretch.
Friday – VICE
Saturday – SNL, esp. Dead Bopz
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Better Call Saul, with Clea DuVall stopping by to ensure that Season 2 ended on a high.
Tuesday – The Grinder cannot stop grinding.
Wednesday – Broad City
Thursday – Orphan Black
Friday – VICE
Saturday – SNL remembering Prince
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in April 2016.
This episode marks Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ third time returning to “SNL” as host, but in a way it feels like her first. She never hosted while “Seinfeld” was on the air, and this is the first to coincide with her run on “Veep.” Her last two times were during the age of the decidedly less heralded “New Adventures of Old Christine.” This is all to say, she has never more been one of the undisputed reigning queens of comedy. The writing had better not fail her.
Democratic Presidential Debate – The time in between Democratic primary debates is long enough such that Larry David’s cameo appearances can be spaced out enough to not feel like overkill. By multiple accounts, this round was more contentious than most, which this parody makes sure to confirm. But overall, there is not really an overriding theme to this sketch. The most prominent moment is JLD’s appearance as Elaine Benes, which allows Larry’s Bernie to go full George Costanza (“you break em up!”). This bit becomes increasingly untethered from reality, but “Seinfeld”-inspired bits still hold up so well. Vanessa’s Rachel Green, meanwhile, while clever, is so irrelevant to everything else. B-
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Better Call Saul
Tuesday – The Grinder
Wednesday – black-ish
Thursday – Margaret the “hopelessly stereotypical” librarian on Jeopardy!
Friday – A Tournament of Champions-level brawl on Jeopardy! (Honorable Mention: Childrens Hospital‘s revelatory series finale)
Saturday – SNL, with Kate McKinnon and JLD as aliens
SNL: Margo Price, Russell Crowe, Kenan Thompson (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in April 2016.
It has been a while since Russell Crowe has been making headlines for throwing phones at people, so his personal life does not provide much fodder for his “SNL” debut. Instead, he has to rely on how well he can fit into the show’s routine, which he seems pretty confident about after seeing his “Nice Guys” co-star Ryan Gosling pull it off. It is hard to say how hosts who do not have much live performing experience will do, but Russell can follow the precedent of Alec Baldwin, Christopher Walken, and Jon Hamm, who repurpose their intensity from drama to comedy. In this episode, he ultimately does know how to deploy his acting chops as needed, but he could be utilized more frequently.
A Message from Hillary Clinton – Hillary’s recent stretch of primary losses allows Kate McKinnon’s impression to be even more desperate than usual, though it is worth questioning the soundness of this premise. With her delegate lead remaining quite high, do these losses matter all that much? That is the nature of a comedy show covering each bump in the election cycle instead of just the overarching narrative. Besides, this skid is enough fodder to ramp up Hillary’s freakouts, and the upcoming New York primary provides enough culture (New York “Meats,” “tumblr parties”) that she can use to struggle to connect with voters. B
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – One of the best NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships of all time
Tuesday – The People vs. OJ Simpson, nailing the finale
Wednesday – The best episode of Broad City is the only thing that could beat Honorable Mention Diddy on The Chris Gethard Show
Thursday – Archer
Friday – The Adult Swim Golf Classic
Saturday – SNL Vintage for the Nirvana and Daily Affirmation and new SNL for the Match Finders and Mike O’Brien as Oprah Winfrey
Begin transmission.
(That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for-) My pants!
Boys and girls! I think you’ll find That my pants Will blow your mind.
Look at my pants With the eyes in your face. My legs are covered In outer space.
Space pants! Space pants! I Am wearing Space pants.
Space pants! Space pants! My pants are Space pants.
Do you see my pants? No wait! You missed them. My pants are a tour Of the solar system.
When I say “space,” you say: “pants.” Space! (What?) When I say “space pants,” you say: “are intergalactic space pants.” Space pants! (Are intergalactic space pants.)
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Hey! You there in front! Stop talking During my song. It’s very rude.
Now joining me on stage for my grand finale Is my extremely close friend Gwen Stefani.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m happy to report My friend Gwen Stefani Is wearing space shorts.
People on Earth. Hear what I say. My shorts are from a galaxy Far, far away.
Asteroids, comets, Meteors. My shorts boldly go Where no shorts have gone before.
Space shorts! Space pants. Space pants! Space shorts.
Space pants! Space pants. Space pants! Space pants!
Jmunney's Blog 