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Amph Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!

Discussion in 'Community' started by Valkor, Oct 2, 2005.

  1. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Wiig is hit and miss, but she is versatile, no doubt- though the majority of her versatility lies within the "funny/quirky voices" realm.

    Gilly is just awful, awful, awful, though- it's a skit without a punchline, that's keeps repeating itself over and over and over like some nightmarish torture birthed from the seventh level of twenty personal hells where the only hope of having an ever-brief respite comes from Keenan Thompson.

    I mean, when the funniest thing about the skit comes from 4 seconds of Keenan, you know it's in deep, deep trouble.

    Drew almost made it bearable (but then, she could read the phone book and I'd be enthralled) but it was still somewhat torturous.

    The problem is Gilly just doesn't do anything except say the same 3 words in a silly voice that's not funny. They almost hit across something by giving Gilly a rival rascal with Drew's character- and if they evolved the skit to be Gilly vs Rascal Guest Star of the Week, they might actually have something to work with there. But, alas,
     
  2. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002
    Well, let's get this out there right now:

    I would take Wiig over Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler or (oh yes i'm going there!) Tina Fey any day of the week and twice on sunday.

    From a pure talent standpoint, i think she has the most ability of anyone on the show since frakkin' Gilda Radner.

    She just hasn't figured out how to properly channel it yet. She really is the female version of Hader on the show, there. I haven't given up hope on her yet.

    EDIT: Shakira's hips are hypnotic. It's criminal :p
     
  3. Boba Jr

    Boba Jr Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 1, 1998
    I find Wiig to be really rather grating, the overall effect is kind of like "nails on the chalkboard" and I don't see how that's supposed to be funny. If she toned it way down, she might seem a little funny.
     
  4. Gonk

    Gonk Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1998
    I would take Wiig over Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler or (oh yes i'm going there!) Tina Fey any day of the week and twice on sunday.

    From a pure talent standpoint, i think she has the most ability of anyone on the show since frakkin' Gilda Radner.

    She just hasn't figured out how to properly channel it yet. She really is the female version of Hader on the show, there. I haven't given up hope on her yet.


    Yeah, WAY overplaying her here.

    I could agree, maybe, that she's better than Shannon or Poehler. But that's not saying much. Shannon was very easily outshone by a lot of others she shared the stage with and Poehler was about as funny as Wiig IMO, which was not very.

    But Dratch actually had a recurring character that was bordlerlining on consistently funny for me (Debbie Downer) and I have to give her props for what she did.

    And Tina Fey? Blown out of the water. Wiig better than her? Whatever. Both her and Maya Rudolph were the best female talent on the show for years.
     
  5. TiniTinyTony

    TiniTinyTony JCC Super Bowl Pick 'Em Winner star 7 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2003
    I enjoyed Wiig in the "Thomas" sketch, but that's about it. She's the same character in Adventureland, Knocked Up, and Extract - very dry and not funny at all. The less sketches she's in, the better!
     
  6. Zaz

    Zaz Jedi Knight star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 1998
    January Jones and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will host SNL in November

    By Chris Nashawaty

    "Saturday Night Live announced its line-up of guest hosts and musical acts for November and it?s looking like there will be a lot of new faces in Studio 8H. Mad Men?s January Jones will host the show on Nov. 14, with the Black Eyed Peas doing the musical honors. A week later, on Nov. 21, (500) Days of Summer star Joseph Gordon-Levitt will stand center stage with the Dave Matthews Band, who return to the show after nearly a decade. As previously reported, pop star Taylor Swift will wear two hats as both host and musical guest next Saturday night, Nov. 7."
     
  7. jangoisadrunk

    jangoisadrunk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2005
    Hopefully January Jones means more Mad Men skits. I loved the Jon Hamm episode from last year.

    The Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Dave Matthews Band could be excellent.
     
  8. Zaz

    Zaz Jedi Knight star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 1998
    Taylor Swift

    "This is the 5th broadcast of the 35th season of SNL. Information is subject to change."

    Airs: 11/07/09
     
  9. King_of_Red_Lions

    King_of_Red_Lions Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 28, 2003
    The 'Scare you Straight' skit was the funniest I've seen on SNL: I was laughing long after the skit was over.

    Taylor missed her cues a few times and seemed wooden impersonating Kate Gosselin (not sure if that was on purpose or not) but did a decent job pulling double duty as host and musical guest.

    The 'SNL Monologue' song was funny and the 'Swine Fever' and Twilight spoof digital short was funny, too.
     
  10. jangoisadrunk

    jangoisadrunk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2005
    Wow, that was a strong episode. Despite Taylor Swift's handful of minor flubs, she showed some real talent for comedy starting from the opening monologue. I want to know who wrote it, the SNL writing staff, or Taylor Swift.

    I thought the scared straight skit was the weakest of the night, despite the fact that it was hilarious - the rest of the night was that strong if you ask me.

    1.21 jizzawatts = best joke of the night
     
  11. King_of_Red_Lions

    King_of_Red_Lions Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 28, 2003
    Taylor did a pretty good vocal impersonation of Shakira during the bunnies at work skit.

    The only other SNL episode I've watched this year was the premiere when that girl said the F-word and Megan Fox hosted. This one was much funnier.

     
  12. jangoisadrunk

    jangoisadrunk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2005
    The only other one that was above average was the Gerard Butler one.

    The Ryan Reynolds and Lady Gaga one had it's moments as well, mostly involving Lady Gaga.
     
  13. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002
    I feel like i watched a completely different show then everyone else.

    Swift was wooden and showed a complete lack of comedic timing and ability, and also proved she really is a terrible musical performer, live.

    The only 2 things that made me even crack a smile were Sarah Mchlachan bit during Weekend Update (which was, admittedly, very funny) and some parts of the "Scared Straight" sketch (the Back to the Future bit, and the way everyone broke character when Sudakis did that bizarro leap onto the desk.)

    The Digital Short, imo, continued the trend of incredibly weak offerings that the gang have so far offered up this season.

    That final skit about the bunnies was sort of okay with the impersonations people did.

    Swift continues to get a free pass for the Kanye West thing, and to be quite honest she has shown me nothing.

    We also suffered from a severe case of Wiig overload in the early portion, where the View sketch and the combined forces of Taylor sucking and Wiig's Penelope nearly killed the show before it started.
     
  14. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Pretty good episode- I think Swift did a good job. I've never seen or heard Gosland but the clearly-enunciated speech was hilarious. Reminds me of Butters' "Yes. I know what you are talking about."

    Penelope has been worn thin and while it's not as god-freaking-awful as Gilly, it's one of her middle characters, IMO.

    The "Scare you straight" skit was ok- I never found them too funny to begin with, but they're one of Keenan's very few recurring decent-to-good skits. I usually just watch them because they are inexplicably the only thing I can recall that's gotten Hader to crack up.

    Sudekis's odd hop and crotch-spread getting them all to crack was great though.

    The Digital Short wasn't perfect but it was good, I thoguht- it reminds me of the Penny-Arcade strip from a few weeks ago where they predicted mummies being the next creature to be ruined in a Twilight-style.
     
  15. Zaz

    Zaz Jedi Knight star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 1998
    January Jones/Black Eyed Peas

    "This is the 6th broadcast of the 35th season of SNL. Information is subject to change."

    Airs: 11/14/09
     
  16. jangoisadrunk

    jangoisadrunk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2005
    In the ads for it, January Jones looks like a coked-out hooker.

    I wonder why.
     
  17. henchman24

    henchman24 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 22, 2008
    Jones was one of the worst hosts I have seen in ages, I mean really bad. I think the only skit I laughed at was the Biden opener, and the impression wasn't even that good, which brings me to Lou Dobbs during weekend update.....

    I know this is a young cast yet, and needs time to find its groove, but watching Darryl Hammond's "Lou Dobbs" during Update was wow. Staff writers aside, from a purely performance standpoint, this impersonation was just next level. No current cast member has done a character of comparable quality this season, and I don't think any of them can.

    The only thing that gives me hope, is that it always seems to be this way when the bulk of a quality cast leaves. Always takes some time to flesh out who can do the job and who needs the axe when transitioning.

    Is anyone out there who believes this isn't a transitional cast? I am genuinely curious in that I haven't been watching consistantly for a while, I have seen all of this seasons upon discovering Hulu. =)
     
  18. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I don't think it's transitional- Hader is an emerging mega-star and fills in the impersonation void left by Hammond better than Hammond did. Which is not to diss Hammond's works, his Lou Dobbs, while accurate by adding 2 or 3 new touches here and there, sounds just like 2 or 3 of his other impressions.

    Seth is doing good in Weekend Update- I think his more biting sarcasm hits more effectively as a solo act when he doesn't have to share it with Amy.

    Wiig is either going to break out eventually or be on the show forever. She's hit and miss, but her hits seem to be popular.

    Sudekis has been very entertaining overlal even if he doesn't have much in the way of stand-out characters. but he's a good straightman as well as a "jerk" character. I think he'll leverage some additional success from his roles on The Cleveland Show too.

    Samberg basically brought SNL back into mainstream pop culture with Lazy Sunday and other Digital Shorts. And Forte has created some memorable characters and is usually very hilarious and plays "off" very well.

    Armisen is riding Obama and one or two characters but generally just tends to be a utility performer that doesn't register much. Abby Elliot has been showing a lot of promise so far, though. Keenan has like one or two sketches ever where he's really funny- not sure if it's a failure of the writing or him, but his job is safe until they hire another black guy whose funnier. Bobby can be funny, but I could take or leave.
     
  19. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002
    I actually really like this current cast. They're in a bit of a dry spot right now, but there is alot of talent in there with Hader and Samberg (though Samberg has been mysteriously MIA a couple of times this season.) I also quite like Sudeikis and Forte (also seemingly MIA alot. Filming the MacGruber movie, perhaps? Probably where Andy is at, too.)

    I know alot of people don't feel the same, but i even find Keenan Thompson to be funny most of the time. Sure he's always playing the same character, but he cracks me up more often then not. And Armisen is a good utility guy that fills a need for the show. He can pass as a couple of different races, and has the chops to be able to pull off most roles at least serviceably.


    This is really the first cast since Phil Hartman was on the show where there wasn't a performer that i absolutely despised... Wiig grates on me a bit, but i also believe she has a wealth of talent.. She just has to figure out how to use it.

    The other women on the show all seem to be too little used or to new to really classify...

    Still, seeing as how i've normally despised the SNL popular women of recent years (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Terri O'Sherri, etc. etc. etc.) the fact that i don't openly hate anyone the show at the moment is a big plus.



     
  20. jangoisadrunk

    jangoisadrunk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 7, 2005
    Sudekis, Forte, Amisen, and Wiig represent their most talented core group in years. Being a comedian is about more than impression, and that is Darrel Hammond's only talent. That's why he's barely on the show anymore.

    They may not have the Hollywood appeal the cast had about 10 years ago with Will Ferrel as the shows top performer, but this group is far better at the technical aspects of comedic acting if you ask me.

    As far as this past episode goes, I would call it average. January Jones looked a bit uncomfortable at times, but isn't the point of live comedy to catch the good and the bad?

    My main problem with her was how skinny she is. It was gross. She should not have walked out on that stage in hip huggers.

    Oh, and I've wanted to throttle Betty Draper for a season and a half of Mad Men, so there was that as well.
     
  21. darthdrago

    darthdrago Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2003
    Cherie Oteri? o_O
     
  22. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002
    AGH! Don't say her name! She's like Beetlejuice! She might show up!
     
  23. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    [image=http://blogs.brilliantbutcancelled.com/tv_lover/tvlover_spartans.jpg]
    too late!
     
  24. Drew_Atreides

    Drew_Atreides Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2002

    AAAAAGH! *Throws himself out the window*
     
  25. Zaz

    Zaz Jedi Knight star 9

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 1998
    11:29-1AM
    NBC
    Preview
    Saturday Night Live

    "What exactly is the always-adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt plugging with his very first SNL hosting gig? His roles in the new micro-indies Women in Trouble and Uncertainty? The four-month anniversary of (500) Days of Summer?Oh, who cares? Look at that picture. Adorable. ? Adam Markovitz"