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Oh, SNL. Sometimes I wonder why I watch it every week. But then a character like Stefon comes along and makes me fall in love with the show all over again.
I thought this past season was actually a very strong one for the show. It seemed like the writing was a bit tighter, and with standout performers like Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and relative newbie Taran Killam stepping up to the plate, it gave us plenty of memorable moments. Here’s a look at some of the best.
Honorable Mention: “She’s a Rainbow” (Mick Jagger)
I didn’t feel right including it on my list, since this wasn’t a proper sketch and wasn’t supposed to be humorous. However, it was such a lovely send-off for Kristen Wiig that I would be remised not to mention it. Love Mick Jagger and Arcade Fire, love the rest of the cast members’ reaction. Wiig is awesome, and I’m sad to see her go.

Honorable Mention: “The Real Housewives of Disney” (Lindsay Lohan)
Definitely had some great moments (Taran Killam’s snooty Prince Charming laugh, Wiig’s drunken Cinderella), but didn’t quite live up to its potential as an entire comedy bit for me.
Honorable Mention: “J Pop America Funtime Now!” (Anna Faris)
Killam and Vanessa Bayer play two white kids obsessed with Japanese culture who are gleeful in their unintentional racism. At least they have Sudeikis’ exasperated teacher to try and set them straight. Killam’s moony grin kills me.

10. Bein’ Quirky With Zooey Deschanel (Zooey Deschanel)
Sketches that allow the cast to roll out their celebrity impressions are often enjoyable, but rarely noteworthy. But something about this sketch just worked. We may have seen Killam’s pitiable Michael Cera, Wiig’s giggling Bjork (who knits a sweater for an octopus and leaves “one extra hole for its dreams and ideas”), but they’re perfect in this setting. Abby Elliot’s adorkable Zooey Deschanel and Zooey Deschanel’s Mary-Kate Olsen were also nice.

9. Columbus Day Assblast (Ben Stiller)
Ass Dan will never not be funny to me.

8. You Can Do Anything! (Daniel Radcliffe)
Radcliffe was an eager host, so it made sense to give him such a high-energy sketch to work with. It cleverly commented on the obliviousness and delusions of young people today, and Radcliffe’s little jig was just wonderful. It also gave me a phrase to work into conversation: “I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me.” Radcliffe was actually a great host.

7. Someone Like You (Emma Stone)
It’s a simple premise: everyone listens to Adele’s “Someone Like You” and cries uncontrollably. But it’s really funny. Nasim Pedrad gets the Best Crier in Show award from me.

6. B108FM (Lindsay Lohan)
There wasn’t a lot to this sketch, but I just really, really enjoyed it. It was nice to see Killam and Bobby Moynihan get their own sketch. Playing two morning radio DJ’s in the middle of nowhere, Killam and Moynihan’s enthusiasm was infectious. Lohan’s contribution was less than stellar, but even she couldn’t bring down the gleeful mood of this one.

5. Retirement Party (Jason Segel)
This is a bit of a bizarre one, and some would say that it doesn’t go anywhere. I, however, found it increasingly hilarious to watch Wiig exclaim, “I don’t have anything to say!” repeatedly. “I’m not quick on my feet. I’m not Robin William.”

4.Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (Melissa McCarthy)
McCarthy proved countless times that she was a host up for anything. Perhaps this was never more apparent than in this sketch, which revolved around a focus group sampling ranch dressing. McCarthy’s comedic timing and ability to go with the flow are just two reasons why she was one of the best hosts of the season.

3. Coach Bert (Steve Buscemi)
Definitely an edgy one, considering it came right on the heels of the Penn State scandal. Very funny, though, and Buscemi was the perfect host to pull it off. I love when SNL goes dark (see also: Jason Sudeikis as the Devil).

2. Lord Wyndemere (Anna Faris)
Paul Brittain, you shall be missed. His delightful little sweets-loving lord was an inspired character. Jason Sudeikis as the enraptured father and Bill Hader as the footman, Turlington, were almost just as good.

1. Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Sofia Vergara)
I had never heard of Andy Cohen when I watched this sketch, and I’ve actually still never seen him live in action. But something about Killam’s gleeful self-delusions as Cohen won me over. I laughed. A lot. This was one of Killam’s standout moments of the season, and I still can’t get that image of his face on a dog’s body out of my head.
Other Notable Bits (AKA things that weren’t their own sketch, but still were funny):
- Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle on Weekend Update (“Netflix me! Netflix me!”)
- Justin Timberlake as Bon Iver
- Nicholas Cage appearing in Get in the Cage
- Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Seth Myers sharing the Weekend Update desk. That whole Jimmy Fallon episode was just lovely.
- Jason Sudeikis playing both the Devil and Jesus over the course of the season
- The entire Maya Rudolph episode. Seriously. There wasn’t one super standout sketch for me, but it was just an all-around fantastic episode.


Here’s a new feature that I’m calling The Friday Five. It’s basically just a list of five things that I’ve been into the past week. I think it’ll be a good chance for me to talk about things that I might not otherwise discuss on here (and some things that I definitely would). I’m hoping to make it a weekly thing, so here’s the first one!
1. Friday Night Lights Season 2
(*SOME SPOILERS ABOUT SEASON 2 AHEAD*)
From what I understand, some Friday Night Lights fans have a beef with the show’s second season, but at the halfway point, I’m enjoying it so far. The whole murder (or manslaughter, I guess?) storyline is kind of ridiculous, but to me, FNL has walked a fine line between drama and melodrama several times before. And while it’s not where I would have wanted Landry’s character to go, at least he’s getting more screen time.
Julie’s storyline seems pretty natural to me. She was always a self-involved brat, so I’m totally not surprised to see her “acting out” more this season. I’ve never really liked that character (and I don’t Aimee Teegarden is a very good actress), so at least it’s something more interesting for her this season.
I also have to give them a lot of credit for where they’re going with Jason’s character. Because literally just at this point (I’m at the point in the season where he just got back from Mexico) I’m starting to care about his character. I’m not exactly sure why, but I never connected with him much before. But whenever you throw Jason Street and Tim Riggins together, I’m probably going to like it. Actually scratch that – whenever you put Tim Riggins with ANYONE, I’m bound to like it.
My hopes for the rest of the season are that they focus more on Matt, and that they find more excuses to put Coach Taylor in a suit.
2. The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart
Hey, do you know what the world needs? Another bearded folk-rock group from Seattle on the Sub Pop label.
Seriously, though, these guys are good. The lead single from the album, “Lost in My Mind“, is a hushed, harmonized stunner, and the rest of the album lives up to it. If you like bands like Mumford & Sons, and yes, Fleet Foxes, be sure to check these guys out. They released this debut album independently at first, but it was recently reissued on Sub Pop.
3. Taran Killam on Saturday Night Live
All four of this season’s SNL newbies (Paul Brittain, Vanessa Bayer, and Jay Pharoah are the others) have had really funny moments, but for me, the one that’s really standing out is Taran Killam. He was woefully underused at first, but after shining in the Unstoppable trailer spoof, delivering a spot-on Eminem impression on Weekend Update, and writing the off-beat-but-strangely-awesome “Les Jeunes de Paris” sketches, he’s getting more airtime (especially in the last two weeks). His best moment yet was in the Elton John episode, when Killam and John played a gay couple hosting their own show on the LOGO network. It’s a fine line to play a stereotypically gay character, but Killam’s performance was entirely sweet and affectionate. He played off Elton John perfectly.
4. “Fragile Bird” by City and Colour
Dallas Green used to be best known as the guy who sings the melodies in Alexisonfire, but thanks to two solid albums, he’s getting tons of praise for his solo work, too. Three years after his last album, we finally get to hear some new material, and it doesn’t disappoint. “Fragile Bird” is one of his strongest melodies yet, and Green’s voice sounds prettier than ever. There’s an electric element that might not sit well with some fans of his usually acoustic fare, but I personally really like the evolution in sound. It sits nicely between Alexisonfire and his earlier solo stuff. The only downside is that we have to wait until June 7 for his next album, Little Hell.
5. Modern Family
I know I’m late to the game on this one, but isn’t Modern Family such a nice little show? I’m halfway through the first season, and it’s totally living up to my expectations. I loved the episode where they throw a birthday party for Luke, and the one after that, where the Dunphys cancel Christmas.
Everyone is good on the show, but the immediate standouts for me were Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ty Burrell. Ferguson plays Mitchell (half of the show’s same-sex couple), and aside from the fact that I can relate to that character to an extent that slightly frightens me, Ferguson just has such an easy, wry sense of humour. As for Burrell (who plays bumbling father of three Phil Dunphy), his physical comedy is absolutely fantastic AND he’s totally charming. He’s like some wonderful Chris Farley/Robert Downey Jr. hybrid. And he’s not bad to look at, either.

Saturday Night Live gets a lot of heat for its uneven (to put it lightly) writing, but every once in a while, everything comes together, and a sketch just works. It may not be enough to truly justify watching the show every week, but it’s always exciting when something genuinely funny happens. And while this season had a couple of episodes that undeniably bombed entirely (hi, January Jones), and seemed unusually weak over all, there were a few redeeming moments.
1. Stefon on Weekend Update (Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT)
People gave Jimmy Fallon a lot of flack for frequently cracking up mid-sketch, but I almost always enjoy sketches more when the cast members fail to contain their laughter. On this Weekend Update segment, Bill Hader played “Stefon”, a “City Correspondent” recommending New York City hotspots. He reprised the character for the season finale, too, but his giggly, lusty turn here made for one of the most memorable moments SNL has had in years (for me, at least). From the monosyllabic night club names (“Crease”, “Wesh”) to the descriptions of the colourful characters found within (“screaming babies in Mozart wigs”), everything is bizarre. But you’ll have to watch the above clip to answer one burning question – what exactly is a human fire hydrant?
2. What Up With That? (Gerard Butler/Shakira)
SNL sometimes hits a homerun with its bizarre, out-of-left field concepts (though they more commonly bomb), and somehow everything came together with their spoof of BET programming. Keenan Thompson’s nonstop enthusiasm, Bill Hader’s ever-snubbed Lindsay Buckingham, and Jason Sudeikis’ sweet dance moves have propelled this sketch through repeated rehashing. But the bizarreness of it all the first time around (wait, so you got James Franco on the show, but never let him speak?) is what made it work so well.
3. The entire Betty White episode (Betty White/Jay-Z)
This highly anticipated episode may have not featured the “soon-to-be-classic” sketches that many had hoped for, but as a whole, it was very charming (largely thanks to White, of course). The inspired hosting choice and the joy that surrounded the whole thing (including Jay-Z dedicating “Young Forever” to Ms. White) made it a highpoint in the season. And we’ll always have “The Wizard of Ass”.
4. Laser Cats 5 Digital Short (Sigourney Weaver/The Ting Tings)
Taking full advantage of their guest host, The Lonely Island topped their Laser Cats series with an entry “directed by James Cameron”. They got Cameron himself to cameo (trying desperately to prove that he has a sense of humour), and their spot-on low-budget spoofs of Terminator, Titanic, and Avatar were both topical and timeless.
5. Threw it on the Ground Digital Short (Ryan Reynolds/Lady Gaga)
The Lonely Island are at their best when they inject some sly, silly social commentary into their Digital Shorts. And this random riff on self-righteousness gets better each time they repeat the gag. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but I was too busy laughing at the first three-quarters to care.
6. Zach Drops By the Set (Zach Galifianakis/Vampire Weekend)
In additional to Galifianakis’ glorious non sequitur of a monologue, this sketch – in which he appears in the background of various NBC programs – provided all of the offbeat charm that I’d expected from the host. It’s a simple concept, but it worked far better than most of the purposely “random” sketches (such as the lengthy, unfunny bidet one) that the writers threw at him.
7. Kickspit Underground Rock Festival (Blake Lively/Rihanna)
It should have been a throwaway fake ad, but this send-up of music festivals somehow managed to nail all of the skeevy details of what a heavy metal gathering might consist of (“Everyone gets a pitchfork!”). The follow-up during the Ryan Phillippe episode (a music video honouring the death of “Ass Dan”) was equally hilarious. For once, SNL showcased sharp, succinct writing.
8. Hamm and Buble (Jon Hamm/Michael Buble)
Jon Hamm is one of the best recent hosts the show has seen, and his second time hosting provided a few memorable sketches (though perhaps none as memorable as “Jon Hamm’s John Ham”), such as the Closet Organizer, and the character’s subsequent return a couple of sketches later. But pairing Hamm up with the affable musical guest made for the best sketch of the night. Hamm played the owner of a pork and champagne restaurant (get it? Ham and Bubbly?) who ruled with an iron fist, and both men delivered the laughs.
9. Smash Mouth (Jennifer Lopez)
This is a sketch that had no business working (and for many viewers, it probably didn’t), but I loved the completely unexpected reference point (yes, the 90′s band Smash Mouth). The premise was pretty thin, but the visual humour of the goateed rockers popping up around the set really worked for me.
10. Boombox Digital Short (Jude Law/Pearl Jam)
Featuring The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas (whose strange charisma served the sketch well), this digital short was initially confusing, catchy, and even disturbing. But on subsequent viewings, the whole thing suddenly and inexplicably became hilarious to me.

Last night was the big Joseph Gordon-Levitt show on Saturday Night Live. As we know, I was way too excited about this. But here’s my rundown about how I thought the parts with JGL went.
“Monologue”
After an iffy, Levitt-free cold open, JGL came out with LOTS of energy for his opening monologue. After the nearly-catatonic January Jones show last week, it was a nice change. He danced, sang, and flipped his way through “Make ‘Em Laugh” from Singing in the Rain. Even despite the hints dropped in (500) Days of Summer (the karaoke scene, the dance number, this viral video) I still had no idea that he had that much in him. It was a great way to open the show. By the end of the opening he was out of breath (understandably), and that wide-eyed excitement and eagerness to please carried throughout the episode.
“Secret Word”
The first sketch was yet another game show spoof. This time it was “Secret Word”, where celebrities and normal people work together to get the other to guess a secret word. JGL played a latin pop singer (he sang in more sketches than most actual musicians do when they host), and though he didn’t have too much to work with, it was amusing. Kristen Wiig was also hilarious as a Broadway star who was obsessed with “theataaar”. Wiig’s character saved this otherwise forgettable sketch.
“The Mellow Show with Jack Johnson”
One of the best sketches of the night. Andy Samberg was great as the notoriously “mellow” Jack Johnson, who would randomly spew out random “mellow” things, like “Vegan cookies!” and “hemp necklace!” Bill Hader played Dave Matthews (who was the musical guest last night), and JGL was the fedora-clad Jason Mraz. Then, Dave Matthews came out as the very un-mellow Ozzy Osbourne, and talked about how Dave Matthews made him want to throw up in his hands. Matthews kind of stole the sketch, but I thought that JGL was great as Jason Mraz. It was sort of an easy concept (making fun of hippies/hipsters isn’t a new concept), but all four guys were really funny, and I always like music humour.
“What Up With That”
When this BET spoof was first introduced on the Gerard Butler episode, it seemed to go over pretty well. So like any successful sketch that they have, SNL is going to beat it into the ground. Mind you, this re-hash wasn’t too bad. Jason Sudeikis continued his hilarious dancing in the background, and all the randomness and cacophony of the original sketch was still there. I LOVE how Lindsey Buckingham (played by Hader) is always the third guest on “What Up With That”, and always gets bumped. Al Gore showed up and got to say some stuff about the environment in between Keenan Thompson’s constant singing of the show’s theme song. JGL had a small part as a spacey guy playing a keytar. At the end of the sketch, as the “show” ends, and everyone dances, JGL kept pacing back and forth in front of the camera, wielding his keytar. Not as funny as the first time around, but still not too bad.
“Angry Thanksgiving Dinner”
I swear I’ve seen this exact sketch before (probably because I have). It revolves around a dysfunctional family eating a thanksgiving dinner. No one can bring up anything without Kristen Wiig’s character threatening to storm away from the table. It’s good for a smile, but it goes on way too long, relying on the same joke over and over.
“Woman to Woman”
Another talk show sketch. It’s a female advice talk show, but when the host falls ill, the insensitive male producer takes over to host. Of course, he gives awful advice to the women in the audience. Armisen was funny, and JGL was cute as the show’s assistant trying to cover for the producer’s brash remarks. It didn’t really work, though the concept was amusing enough. It’s one of those sketches that they throw into the last half hour of the show that seem like half-baked concepts.
“Say Anything”
This was a close second for my favourite sketch of the night. The sketch showed us what would’ve happened if a neighbour had witnessed the infamous “boombox” scene in Say Anything. It was awesome seeing JGL as Lloyd Dobler. He had the whole persona down pat. The Genesis humour was probably lost on some of the show’s younger viewers (my mom is a fan, so I got it) but I think I laughed harder at the “Genesis is back together!” line than anything else in the show.
So, to wrap things up, it was much better than last week’s disastrous episode. I thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a decent job hosting. He isn’t going to become the new Justin Timberlake, but he certainly brought some much-needed energy to the show. It was also nice to see him look like he was having a blast. Oh, and since I didn’t cover it above, I also wanted to say that Al Gore was great on Weekend Update, talking about his plan to become crazy, and scare people into saving the environment. Overall, it was a better-than-average episode.

(Yes, I realize that this news is old…but it isn’t to me…)
I was watching Saturday Night Live last night, and the most interesting part of the entire episode came just before the second commercial break. It came up on the screen that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hosting next week. I actually audibly gasped. I’m not sure why I am so surprised about this. He’s definitely a rising star, and comes across as a really charming and funny guy. He seems like a perfect choice. Yet, it just seemed like an unlikely pick. He’s still not a household name, and his string of downer-indie films from this decade doesn’t scream sketch comedy. I’m also a little bit surprised that he would want to host SNL. From the interviews that I’ve seen and read with him (not to mention his decidedly unglamorous movie role choices), it doesn’t seem like he wants to be a huge superstar. But how would I know? I’m just really pleasantly surprised by this choice. I’m pleased that SNL chose such a great young actor, and I think he might be able to really bring something new to the show. You can be sure that I’ll be posting my comments on the show here next Sunday.
Speaking of last night’s show, how blah was January Jones as a host? She had a couple of sketches that she was pretty funny in (I like the 1950′s instructional video about how to host a party), but she just didn’t adapt well to the format. It seemed like every sketch was set in the 1950′s, or earlier (and that being said, I can’t blame her entirely. Everyone knows that the writing on SNL leaves a fair bit to be desired. But a great host can succeed in spite of that). I guess they were playing to her “strengths” (since she’s on Mad Men), but still. Even Taylor Swift, who’s not even an actress, did a much better job last week. She wasn’t a perfect host by any stretch, but at least she brought some charisma and energy to the show when she hosted. For me Jason Sudeikis saved last night’s show. He had a huge role in almost every sketch, and he singlehandedly saved quite a few of them (his Jimmy Stewart impression in the Rear Window sketch was awesome). It seems like they’ve been relying on him a lot recently (Andy Samberg appears to have been entirely absent twice in the past few episodes, and Will Forte has an increasingly smaller part), and he’s stepping up. Bill Hader is also getting used more, which is definitely a-okay with me. He’s one of the funniest cast members of recent times, but he didn’t really get the opportunity to shine last night (well, maybe in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sketch). It was Sudekis’ show.
Since it’s been a week since my last entry, I thought it was time to get back to the blog. I started university this week. It’s going well, but I’m lazy/busy, so I figured I’d take this oppertunity to just play catch-up and discuss some random topics.
1. UNIVERSITY
So I am now officially a university student. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I don’t like the hoity-toity aspect of university. One of the very few things that I liked about high school was that it was a public school with so many different types of students. The school I’m going to now is waaay more culturally diverse than my high school, which is a very good thing (residents of my town frequently refer to it as “the whitest town ever“. I’m never sure if they see this as a negative or positive attribute…), but everyone at university seems so damn put together. But my classes seem good so far. I’m really liking my English prof, and political science seems like it will be intersting, even though I know absolutely nothing about politics (hence why I took the course). I’m also taking a cinema studies class. I’m excited to see movies that I never would have watched on my own, and to learn more about the different narrative and stylistic elements that make up a film. (See? I’ve got a bit of the lingo down. I’m already learning things!) I’m nervous about the workload for all of my courses, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.
2. Predicting the future
NBC has announced the line-up for the first few episodes of the new season of Saturday Night Live. I was pleased to see that Ryan Reynolds is slated to host the second episode of the season (set to air October 3. Musical guest is Lady Gaga), since I recently made my list of people who I want to see hosting SNL for the first time, and Reynolds was #6 on my list. Now we just need to get Anderson Cooper on! Or we can settle for Drew Barrymore, who is always funny, and will be hosting on October 10th.
3. Glee
I loved Glee‘s second episode (or, as they like to call it, the “series premiere”, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me…), “Showmance”. More great musical numbers (Including a priceless scene involving a pep rally performance of Salt N Peppa’s “Push It”), and sharply satirical dialogue. And is just me, or are Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays), the best will-they-won’t-they TV couple since Jim and Pam? Apparently Wednesday’s episode got pretty good ratings, and the show seems to have a great buzz surrounding it, so that’s encouraging.
4. Brendan Benson
I love Jack White’s fellow Raconteurs frontman. I could listen to him sing anything, but I recently picked up his debut album, One Mississippi, and I’ve been spinning it constantly since. His songs are simple, but so catchy and listenable. I also need to get his latest album, My Old Familiar Friend, but for now, I’m content with listening to this one over and over. I’m just wondering why there was such a gap between 1996′s One Mississippi and 2002′s equallly excellent Lapalco.
There are some tidbits of what’s going on in my life, and what I’m digging right now. Hopefully I’ll be getting another “real” blog post up soon. I think that the entries are really going to slow down over the school year, but I’m going to try to not forget about the blog entirely

