Tag: snl

Paul Mescal auditions for Broadway in a mediocre ‘Saturday Night Live’

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 50

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?

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Things are going great and are totally chill over at ‘Morning Joe’

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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Did you catch that recent ‘Good Place’ Easter egg in that Netflix series?

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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Charli xcx does her best to keep ‘Saturday Night Live’ from being a turkey

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 50

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

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 50

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.

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‘Euphoria’ still hasn’t been canceled even though it sure seems like it’s been canceled

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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It’s Election Eve, SO WHO ELSE IS FREAKING OUT?

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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‘Yellowstone,’ ‘The Penguin’ finale, the election — so much election — and everything else you don’t want to miss on TV this week

by Therese Odell, posted in set your dvrs

 

The Madison (Paramount+)

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John Mulaney and Kamala Harris deliver a ‘Saturday Night Live’ that is one for the ages

by Therese Odell, posted in saturday night live: season 50

Saturday Night Live
John Mulaney & Chappell Roan
November 2, 2024

The wonderful John Mulaney has hosted Saturday Night Live six times in the past six years. In fact, since 2018, he’s become a staple, usually hosting once a season in what will be one of the strongest episodes of that particular season (if not THE strongest). But it’s not all laughs: Mulaney has been through some shit in those 6 years — a relapse into drugs and booze, a divorce, a stint in rehab, and all the humiliation associated with all of that happening in the public eye. But Mulaney also bounced back, and stronger than before: he’s now a father of two, newly married to a woman he stood by through a cancer scare, and with a career that withstood all of those stresses.

And that is why, even if Saturday Night Live didn’t intend it, Mulaney was the perfect person to host the show on this particular Election Eve — in some ways, he represents the country itself. Like John, 2020 and 2021 were rough years for our nation: a pandemic, an economic crisis, a volatile election, an attempted coup — there were times we weren’t sure we were going to make it out the other side. But we fought through and came out changed: and like Mulaney, better than before, with the strongest economy in decades, unemployment at the lowest rates in memory, and our country in (relative) peace times.

I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this, except to say that I hope Mulaney and our country maintain that sense of optimism, that we keep making good decisions every day, and that we all stay on track. I guess our country, at least, will find out whether or not we choose to on Tuesday.

Oh, and also? This is just a fantastic episode, start to finish.

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Do Not Obey in Advance.

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

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