Cold Opening: Iraqi Election-This was a really funny parody of the election coverage in 2000. I liked how every time the anchor said Saddam’s name, he would follow it by a string of compliments. The sketch dragged on a bit, but I liked Horatio’s version of Saddam Hussein better than Darrel’s, it’s a little bit more cartoon-ish, and funnier. This was a pretty solid opening. Chris Parnell did a great job. 8/10
Best Quote: “In all my years of covering Iraqi elections, I’ve never seen one not go like this” –Maya Rudolph as an Iraqi election analyst
Monologue- I felt like this was a pretty ballsy monologue, especially for a politician. It was pretty surprising to hear a republican senator do a George Bush joke on National TV. Fericito has returned, I guess that’s ok with me, he was pretty funny, but he could have used some new material. He basically did the exact same routine as 2 weeks ago on Weekend Update. O well, it was pretty funny to hear McCain go off on stereotyping of Latin Americans, then say, “I am just keeeding!” Good for a monologue. 7/10
Best Quote: “They asked President Bush to host, but apparently he doesn’t work on weekends.”
Hardball- I love it when they do hardball parodies, mostly because it’s a freaking annoying show, and the guy yells too much. This was possibly one of the best ever. Darrell’s impression was incredible as always. Having John McCain as John Ashcroft was totally brilliant. I liked his joke about arresting Shaq for making “Kazam.” I also loved the lady who wanted equal treatment for the terrorists, that was so great. Tracy Morgan as Harry Belefonte provided many hilarious quotes. This sketch as a whole was incredibly funny. 9/10
Quotes: “When I get scared I shout, and when I shout I get scared!” Darrell Hammond as Chris Matthews
“What Ashcroft said was pretty crazy, can you beat it?” Darrell Hammond
“Belefonte, hit me with another!” Darrell Hammond
“Pokemon is a slave trade, and Pikachu is a slave master.” Tracy Morgan as Harry Belefonte
“Poodles are the black men of the dog world!” Tracy Morgan
Lifetime Movie- This sketch was kind of lame, I think Lifetime movies are so ridiculous, but SNL has yet to figure out a way to do an effective parody. It had some funny parts, like at the very end when Amy Pohler and Rachel Dratch were telling the real story, but in general it was pretty boring. 6/10
Quote: “It turns out that my husband had a hearing problem, he was just to embarrassed to admit it”
Wakeup Wakefield- This has to be one of my all time favorite recurring sketches, but this wasn’t my favorite one. It seemed like Maya toned Megan way down, he voice isn’t has squeaky, and she seems almost sad. Luckily though, the writing is still really good. The paint in the Volvo joke was classic. Sheldon is as good as ever, I liked the fact that he dressed up as Charlie Rose. Seeing McCain in a ponytail wig and a loud shirt was pretty amusing in itself, and he did a decent job of portraying a free-thinking teacher. I liked Sheldon’s speech about trick-or-treating, and not pushing certain people into the bushes. Randy Goldman finally knows Megan’s name, but again Maya could have put a little more excitement into the voice. 7/10
Quote: (“Randy Goldman Knows my name!”) “It’s because those coconuts look like boobs.” Rachel Dratch as Sheldon
Ambiguously Gay Duo- I’ve seen it a lot funnier than this. 5/10
Meet The Press- I don’t watch Meet the Press, so I don’t think I was getting the whole joke, but I still found it to be pretty amusing. The guy kept pressuring McCain about running for president again, and every time he would say no but the guy would always find a way to twist it around, that was funny. 7/10
Quotes: “What if George Bush forgets to run in 2004?” Darrell Hammond as Tim Russert
“I would call the president and remind him to run.” John McCain
Weekend Update- This week’s update wasn’t as good as last week’s, but still better than the season premiere. I liked Tina’s joke about Saddam’s election, “Nobody in the whole country overslept and forgot to vote? Really Saddam?” There also a mini-rant about Iraq/North Korea, it was ok, but there have been better rants. Had I not seen the Iraqi Idol joke on Conan, it would have been funnier, but it was still pretty good. I think my favorite joke was the Pope praying for a lighter hat. The onion joke was really funny, and also true. Why have they discovered how to produce non-tear onions while millions are dying from AIDS? Good point Tina. And then there was Senatorial Candidate Tim Calhoun, Will Forte’s first character. This was really odd and bizarre, yet extremely funny, mostly because of the facial expressions, hand thing, and note cards. (which were a nice touch) I liked the joke about Robert Downey Jr.’s date looking like Jimmy in drag, she really did! Overall, it was a pretty run of the mill Update, nothing too exciting. 8/10
Quote: “The pope prayed for the strength to continue in his duties or at least for a lighter hat.” Tina Fey
McCain Sings Streisand- Haha, he really can’t sing, but that’s part of the joke I guess. This was a really good sketch, especially for the end of the show.
Quote: “Do I know how to sing? About as well as she knows how to govern America.” John McCain
My Big Thick Novel- Blah, bring back Deep Thoughts! 2/10
Top O’ The Morning- Jimmy and Seth really pulled this off well, they had great accents. I liked Jimmy’s wig, it was a semi-mullet. Other highlights included: The punching wall, and their friend who was just like a magic 8 ball because if you shook him, he could answer a yes or no question. Decent amount of funnyness. 7/10
The shows overall rating drum roll please) 74/110, not bad.
Post-Show Thoughts- McCain really surprised me, he was actually better than some actors I’ve seen host. This show had a whole lot of political humor; I think it was geared towards an older audience. Almost none of the sketches were completely lame, although some were just mediocre. The White Stripes rocked so much, they killed live, and they don’t have a bassist! That takes talent to perform live with no bass. It was a good show; the highlight was “Hardball.”
What I’d like to see next Week- Eric McCormick is the host next week, and I’m predicting that it will be awesome since he is really funny on “Will and Grace.” I think I’m ready for another Boston Teens sketch. Okay, okay, I know they did that fairly recently, but remember, this what I want to see. I’d also like to see a Jeffrey’s Guys sketch, even though it won’t be the same without Will Farrell, I think Erick McCormack could do a great as a Jeffrey’s guy. I hope WU is a little better next week.
If you have any questions or comments email me- blinkgrl@wt.net