Continue reading “All of the jokes that were simply too mean to tell on The Golden Globes”
Tag: snl
Martin Short and friends gift us a delightful ‘Saturday Night Live’ just in time for Christmas
Saturday Night Live
Martin Short & Hozier
December 21, 2024
Merry Christmas! In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Saturday Night Live has gifted us an episode helmed by the brilliant and always hilarious Martin Short on the event of his fifth time to host, and packed to the brim with some of the show’s favorite hosts from the past, including Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, and Melissa McCarthy.
Was the episode perfect? No. But it was filled with warmth, some familiar comforts, cheeky nonsense, and happy surprises, which, in the end, is all you can ask from a Christmas episode.
Oh cool, an unelected South African billionaire 400x over is now running our government. What could go wrong?
Chris Rock comes home for a perfectly fine ‘Saturday Night Live’
Saturday Night Live
Chris Rock & Gracie Abrams
December 14, 2024
Remarkably, this is only the fourth* time Chris Rock has hosted Saturday Night Live since he was a cast member back in the early nineties. Despite (or maybe because of) being comedy royalty, Rock hasn’t really spent that much time in the 8H studio that helped make him a star. And honestly, it’s probably for the best? Rock seemed unprepared for live television, hesitant at times, and clearly dependent on the cue cards and teleprompter. It was almost like he was coasting on being Chris Rock.
As for the episode, it was … fine. It was completely fine and unmemorable. It was a mid episode of Saturday Night Live, featuring a couple of legitimately funny sketches, a bunch of middling ones, and a couple of desperately unfunny bits. But most unfortunately for Rock, the episode will probably be best remembered for an unexpected cameo from an entirely different SNL alum. (Not Dana Carvey.) (Thank goodness.)
*Fun little fact: note the Prince symbol necklace Rock is wearing in the bumper photo above? Prince was the musical guest when Rock hosted for the second time in 2014. R.I.P. Prince.
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Paul Mescal auditions for Broadway in a mediocre ‘Saturday Night Live’
Saturday Night Live
Paul Mescal & Shaboozey
December 7, 2024
I’m going to be completely honest with you: I have not seen Normal People. In fact, I haven’t seen anything Paul Mescal has been in. I hear he’s often naked? He cries a lot? He dated Phoebe Bridgers for a while? Critics have been falling over themselves about his acting performances for years now, he’s been nominated for an Emmy and the BAFTA for his searing emotional delivery, so it only makes sense that he is the lead of a violent sword and sandal epic currently in theaters.
What I’m saying is that Mescal isn’t exactly known for his comedy chops, so even though he’s headlining a huge holiday blockbuster, he’s not the most obvious choice to host Saturday Night Live. Was the episode terrible? No, but it wasn’t good and it will be well forgotten by the end of the season. As for Mescal himself, he seemed to be having fun, and curiously, the highlight of the night was a big musical number which he seemed to lose himself in. Maybe Broadway should be the next area this talented young actor conquers?
Continue reading “Paul Mescal auditions for Broadway in a mediocre ‘Saturday Night Live’”
Things are going great and are totally chill over at ‘Morning Joe’
Did you catch that recent ‘Good Place’ Easter egg in that Netflix series?
Charli xcx does her best to keep ‘Saturday Night Live’ from being a turkey
Saturday Night Live
Charli xcx
November 16, 2024
Here’s what I know about Charli xcx: She’s a pop star. She is British. She is responsible for the whole “Brat summer” thing. She’s friends with Troye Sivan who was on The Idol. She had a collaboration with Billie Eilish this summer that was kinda naughty and all over TikTok. What I didn’t know is that she’s been around for about a decade, she’s pretty funny, quite natural in sketches and in front of a live audience, and she’s very happy to make fun of herself and her entire persona.
Now, that said, she wasn’t given a lot of great material to work with this week as the host (and musical guest) of Saturday Night Live. It wasn’t a terrible episode — I can point to countless worse episodes (including last week’s) — but the writers gave her a combination of recurring sketches that are starting to feel a little worn around the edges, and mediocre bits that needed some punching up. The biggest shame, though, is one of the best sketches of the night, and the one where she best shone, was cut for time. I’ll never understand the decision-making process of Mr. Lorne Michaels.
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Bill Burr’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ matches the national mood: Terrible
Saturday Night Live
Bill Burr & Mk.gee
November 9, 2024
Let me just say before going into this recap that I am still furious about the election and the very last thing I needed to comfort me through it was a both-sides-are-stupid comedian talking down to women. Did this color my ability to enjoy this episode? ABSOLUTELY. But here we are, like it or not.
Continue reading “Bill Burr’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ matches the national mood: Terrible”
