Saturday Night Live
Michael Keaton and Billie Eilish
October 19, 2024
Michael Keaton is 73 years old, only a year or two younger than my own parents but that’s neither here nor there except to say that he’s one of our acting treasures and I’m glad he’s having a moment with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and he looks great for his age and that he was not the thing that dragged down this episode.
What I am saying is that SNL has run for four weeks in a row, which, at least in recent years, is not the norm (it’s usually 3 episodes on, 1 off); and maybe the writing staff needed a break. (I’m guessing the idea was to be off the week before Halloween so that they could be on both the week before and after Election Day.)
ANYWAY. Michael Keaton, who has hosted in 1982; 1992; 2015; and now in 2024, wasn’t the problem: he was nimble and funny and game. The problem lay more in the writing and the concepts of the sketches that fell short. Hopefully, everyone gets a nice week off and comes back refreshed ahead of the MOST TERRIFYING ELECTION SEASON OF OUR LIVES.
No pressure.
Continue reading “Michael Keaton Beetlejuice’s his way into a so-so ‘Saturday Night Live’”
Saturday Night Live
Ariana Grande & Stevie Nicks
October 12, 2024
Ariana Grande is no stranger to Saturday Night Live, despite this only being her second time to host, the first time being some 8 years ago in 2016. She’s been the musical guest twice, and both of those times, she appeared in sketches. But here’s the thing: even though I shouldn’t be, I’m always surprised at how comically gifted she is. In my mind, Grande is first and foremost a pop diva with questionable taste in men. I always somehow manage to forget that she got her start on Nickelodeon comedies just like Saturday Night Live‘s most reliable player, Kenan Thompson. Ariana Grande’s been doing comedy since she was a literal child; of course she has good comic timing.
All of that is to say that Grande hosted a very solid episode this week. While the majority of her sketches put her in her comfort zone by having her sing (sometimes deliberately poorly), Grande was just as good — maybe even better — in sketches where she didn’t belt out a single note. Grande is a talented host who should be invited back more often, especially now that Pete Davidson is no longer in the cast.
Continue reading “Ariana Grande sings her way through a strong ‘Saturday Night Live’”
