Sunday, September 25, 2011
SNL SEASON OPENER WITH ALEC BALDWIN AND RADIOHEAD
From the first word to the next-to-last line, (the flat and off-putting last line -"I'll tell my mom she's fat."), the SNL Season Opener with Alec Baldwin and Radiohead was one of the best SNL shows ever. Even stumbling through a few line readings, Alec Baldwin was funny, in character and terrific in almost every sketch. (Well, he didn't jam with Radiohead.) The Radiohead segments were OK. I never like the SNL mix, which makes the vocals hard to understand.
Here's a brief synopsis:
=> A great opener that slashed the Republican candidates to pieces.
=> Host Monologue was pretty good. The steroid test worked! But is it really funny to re-hash the who-has-hosted-more? issue every time Alec Baldwin or Steve Martin hosts? (Maybe it'll become funny again in a few years, just by repetition.)
=> Red Flag mockumercial. Great style. Just the right attitude. Not that funny.
=> All My Children / Susan Lucci / Farewell Party. An amusing sketch -- "or was it pushed!?"
=> WDHX was funny from beginning to end. A classic sketch. Kristin Wiig was on location as an anchor with a serious time delay (and apparently no live cameraman). Attacked by one after another creepy, crawly, biting things, she was not aware until -- after that deadly time delay -- the in-studio anchors warned her of the dangers.
=> Weekend Update was funny from beginning to end. Every joke worked. Alec Baldwin was pitch perfect as Tony Bennett (the film critic).
=> Who's On Top? SNL quiz shows are always fun and this was one of the better ones.
=> Top Gun. Hilarious riffs on different celebrity auditions for the movie.
=> The Power. A child psychologist who knows his kid!
=> Angel in the Trenches / Last Wishes. Except for that awful last line, this was a classic sketch.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/
