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Let me start this off by saying that I am a Saturday Night Live apologist. Yes, they have some sketches that miss the mark just about every episode, but they also have a lot of sketches that give me some serious LOLs. With this in my mind, this episode was pretty much terrible. I would venture to say the worst of the season. I think the best way to describe it would be boring, which is a shame because the last few episodes were pretty decent. In fact, the last few episodes were great! I blame Russell Brand…
The Talent Booker over there really went off the deep end this week. Why was Russell Brand even hosting? His raping of Arthur doesn’t even come out until April. That is so far away! Dude just irks me so badly. I enjoyed him in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but that is where I draw the line. So maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this episode? I don’t know about you guys, but his monologue just made me really uncomfortable. It was so loooooooooooooooong, and I LITERALLY did not laugh once.
Also, Chris Brown was the musical guest. Bad decision or worst decision? It’s almost like the world has forgotten that HE BUSTED UP HIS GIRLFRIEND’S FACE! Are we really letting this guy continue to have a career?! REALLY?!?!
Let’s get to it, shall we?
First, the O’Reilly Factor cold open was pretty good, but the show just went downhill from here:
We got a mock British movie trailer Don’ You Go Rounin’ Roun to Re Ro which was one of the better sketches of the night. Pre-taped segments typically are, and it also helped that we had a heavy dose of Bill Hader and Fred Armisen who I love. Just to top it off, Russell Brand was used sparingly.
The Royal Taster was a sketch that I wasn’t sure how to feel about, but I think my love of Hader out-weighed my DisTASTE for Brand. SPOILER ALERT: Hader’s line of “I’ll never tell” made laugh for a good while.
Now, Weekend Update is always the best of the night. Fred Armisen’s Mubarak was fantastic:
Lil’ Wayne and Eminem Valentine’s Day rap was very funny but only because Taran Killam’s Eminem was out of the park. Let’s talk about Jay Pharoah for a second. I really hope he is not invited to return after this season. I can’t put my finger on it, but this guy is horrible. His impressions are very good, but he’s just not funny. Maybe his timing is off?
The saving grace of this episode was the triumphant return of STEFON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of my all time favorite characters, and Hader trying to keep it together is the best. Get ready for BOOOOOOOOOF, Jewpids and human suitcases, y’all! Actual tears. Hands down the best moment of the night:
Finally, Spot of Tea was just silly, but I sort of enjoyed it. I don’t know if it was because it was late into the show and I was just tired or it was that I am partial to a Hader and Samberg team up. Even Russell Brand entertained me in this sketch:
I’ll tell you what this episode could have used, more Jason Sudeikis and Abby Elliot. All in all, Saturday Night Live wasn’t that great, but it was to be expected. Russell Brand, amiright?!
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Would you say that this was not your BRAND of comedy?
You know, I didn’t see the episode, but I still will try to RUSSELL up a comment.
I would have watched it, but I was too busy buying a DOUCHEBAG.
Godsauce, you are just the best ever.
Also, in terms of musical guest, am I right that you thought it was Brown zero? (On a related note, can we all just take a moment to thank the God of the internet that I am not running this blog today? I mean, shit — look at these jokes! What am I, a writer for SNL???)
In terms of shitty SNL guests last night, Chris Brown was definitely Number 2.
I paid special attention at the end to see how the SNL cast interacted with Chris Brown. It seemed like most gave him a courtesy handshake and moved quickly to find someone else/better to talk with.
I was going to watch this. No I wasn’t.
Can I just say how happy I am that you spelled BOOOOOOOOOF right? Nine Os, people.
Russell Brand’s crotch shot during A Spot of Tea grossed me out. Actually, everything about him grosses me out.
Now, I’m truly honored, or should I say honoured?, to get a CA .gif, but he’s crotch is still ew.
*his
no, you had the cockney right the first time
Rather than watch SNL this week, I watched the last two episodes of Season 3 of the Wire and then wrote songs in my bathroom.
I just finished season 3 too! Last few episodes were insanely good.
I watched Biutiful, and I’m pretty sure it was less depressing than SNL would have been.
I hope they were songs about Brother Mouzone.
What am I talking about…of course they were.
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON SEASON 3 OF THE WIRE. SOOOOOO GOOD.
Ugh, I just finished season 4, and I’m dreading season 5. SO SAD!
I love The Wire so much, even though it just keeps breaking my heart over and over and over. My heart sunk when I started season four and realized that now there were children involved. What are you trying to do to me, The Wire?
There were ALWAYS children involved. This ain’t Bobby’s World.
I thought the Eminem/Lil Wayne bit was a not-so-subtle comment on Chris Brown’s violence that probably went right over Chris Brown’s stupid, shouldn’t have a career and should be burned in fire head. Stefon was amazing too.
STEFON!!!
“Man, at least I’m not THAT guy.” – Chris Brown referring to Russell Brand
“Man, at least I’m not THAT bloke. Also, I’m disgusting.”– Russell Brand referring to Chris Brown
“Katy Perry seems like such a nice girl, what does she ever see in Russell Brand?” – 97% of the moms in America, including mine.
This is true.
My mom LOVES Russell Brand.
Really? My mum can’t stop talking about how Katy Perry is a “a tramp!” She even bothered to learn her actual name such is her distaste. Normally I need the mom to reality translator for her mangling of celebrity names.
My mom: ” Who ARE these people? ”
Chris Brown punches because he’s angry at the air?
Yeah, somebody should have told him not to perform roundhouse kicks in his song…actually why was he even on? Rihanna has been pretty good to SNL. She’s appeared in the digital shorts and such. They made fun of Lil Wayne & Eminem (best sketch of the night) for their violent lyrics against women then they go and have someone who actually-very notoriously- battered a woman. Weird move SNL.
SNL are a bunch of hypocrites sometimes. Let’s not forget when they made light of Tiger Woods’ wife beating him with A GOLF CLUB
Women are ALLOWED to beat men, silly.
You’ll notice that SNL did move away from the recent trend of including musical guests in sketches or Digital Shorts. My guess is there was some back-room politicking that got Chris Brown onto the show.
My granddaughter Madison keeps talking about this Russel Brandt character, so I made a point to have Danny come over and set up the DVR he and Lizzie gave me last Christmas, bless their hearts, so I could see what all the fuss was about. It is hard enough to follow the trends these days. I guess maybe I am just too old, but I cannot say I approve. It just seems to me that he could stand to be a little more of a gentleman. Maybe I am old fashioned, but people used to have manners on television. And in life, too, like Dickie Jones down the street? He was always such a sweetheart. I remember when he insisted on cutting Mr. Coulson’s grass, and refused any payment. That was back when being a neighbor meant something, I guess. I haven’t thought about Dickie Jones in years. Strange what you think of when you get older.
…Gabe? Is that you?
I didn’t see it so I can’t really comment on whether or not I liked the show or if I like this guy or think that he is funny but I do know that when I was coming up, I had to mow not only my family’s grass but also the yard of the old woman who lived next to us because my daddy said that she was too old to mow it herself and because she had osteoporosis or soft bones or something, one of them, so I was the one who ended up having to do it every time even though I had TWO brothers who could have been mowing, but they weren’t allowed near the mower and the gas anymore after what they did the Easter before, so I was who ended up mowing all of that grass for all of those summers until I went to college. I could have used a Dickie Jones.
Oh Dickie Jones was such a peach. He used to carry my books home from school, until he became serious with Catherine Walker, of course. Oh, they were a lovely couple.
It must be sad to harbor those feelings so long like this.
Oh goodness, don’t you fret about that. Dickie and I maybe thought well of each other, but life takes you places you never really expected to go, doesn’t it? I’m just in a mind to think on the past these days. I never used to look back, but I suppose that’s the way of things.
Ms. Fletcher, explain, I beseech.
Was this Dickie boy really a peach
(A fruit with a pit
At the center of it)?
Or is “peach” just a figure of speech?
But isn’t this just a hoot? I haven’t been this tickled since before Arnie passed, bless him.
So when we were camping, on the second day, we woke up because we heard a sound outside of the tent and we just held really still, because it was not yet even dawn, or maybe it was just then dawn, and we listened and what it was was a bear had come into our camp because we’d left a grocery bag out and John left the tent to see what the noise was finally and saw the bear eating all of our peaches.
I don’t remember what happened then. I think the bear just wandered off. But when someone says that someone is a peach I think about bears.
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Just zip your lips like a padlock and meet me at the back with the jack and the jukebox.
Perhaps due to errors parental
Brand thinks manners are just sentimental.
He is far from gallant.
What’s more, he lacks talent.
When he’s funny, it seems accidental.
Well, isn’t this clever! This reminds me of the youngest Bertram boy. Now what was his name? I’ll have to ask Henry next week after Church.
The funny thing is that my husband John used to look like this comedian guy and also he wrote poetry, or did for a long time, just after we married, but he stopped around the time that we changed churches.
I just got done watching some of the videos and actually the resemblance between John and this guy is sort of startling but John didn’t really act like that and he liked to wear pants that fit him, being that he was slightly more ample in the leg. I still have some of his poems around.
I remember one that he wrote not long after we got married when we took a trip to camp at Lake Burnside and him just sitting there scratching.
Good work.
I myself took a trip to that lake,
Where I ate a delectable steak.
At Burnside it’s easy
To gorge ’til you’re queasy.
Dessert was a real piece of cake.
Our daughter takes after he father and writes poetry now herself.
When you visited Burnside, did you hike out alone that one trail, the one where they mark the trees with the red paint meaning that it is a strenuous hike, and at the top of it there is a small break of trees, but if you go past them, and off the trail, there are these old granite steps that lead up to the abandoned hospital?
Yes.
The Lil Wayne/ Eminem killed me. Pharaoh’s Lil Wayne wasn’t that great, but Killam KILLED EM (did you guys see what I did there) with the Eminem. What sealed it for me was the parts in between when Seth asked “Were you kissing on her throat?” and “Were you going to cut a chocolate cake or brownies?”
I can also see why Cobie Smulders likes Taran Killam now.
Taram Killam was also fantastic in the sketch where he was the sad DJ in love with Vanessa Bayer. Dude was really pulling his weight last night.
everytime i see him, all i can think about is his character “spaulding” on the amanda show. because i loved the amanda show. and if i’m being honest, i still love the amanda show.
but this guy, right? glad to see he’s doing such a fantastic job
Slow down, Nightmare! At this pace, I’ll never get a chance to study for my Genetics exam.
Gabe’s gonna like her best…
Chris Brown’s tiny jacket made me more uncomfortable than his PUNCH DANCING! Too soon.
Okay, so I cannot tell you how much this episode of SNL made me hate Chris Brown. Not that I had a terribly favorable view of him beforehand, but still. This made me want to actually hunt him down and punch him in his “I busted up Rhianna” smarmy smirky face. I hate him.
Exhibit A: He decided we’d all rather watch him dance than sing, so he just stopped singing at points during his song. Not that i missed him singing at all, just fuck you and your dancing. I can go to YouTube and listen to this song (BAAAAAAAAARF) if I wanted to, sing you bastard.
Exhibit B: That second song. WAS THAT A LOVE SONG? LOVE SONGS DON’T CONTAIN THE WORD “CUM” YOU GODDAMNED THIRTEEN YEAR OLD. Is this what passes for love? Is it? ‘Cause that certainly wasn’t it. That was a song about how much you love sex with a booty call. You’re an asshole. Whats worse, you’re not even trying to hide it. God dammit I hate you.
Exhibit C: THE BLINGGED OUT KIRBY?! Who the fuck are you?!
What the fuck?! Kirby is not for you. Kirby is for me. And my niece. Was he really that big a fan of Kirby’s Epic Yarn? Was he one of the 5 people to buy Kirby’s Canvas Curse? NO YOU WEREN’T. You’re and asshole. You’re an immature child whom I need to find and slaughter.
AND YOU BEAT UP RHIANNA. LETS CELEBRATE YOU. GOD DAMMIT!
I’M OUT.
At least it wasn’t a blinged out Jigglypuff.
*fist bump*
I agree with all of these points. The faces he was making during the sign off and the finger up the nose thing during the commercial…Get lost, Brown.
Dirtyspacenews,
I know it’s not really your fault, but fuck you. I was in an okay mood this morning, sure not happy-go-lucky, but I was fine, even when I found out that Russel Brand and Chris Brown were on SNL, I was still okay. But you had to inform me of this Kirby bling?! Why you gotta go do that? Now I’m angry, sad, confused…
Also, how is Epic Yarn? When I get a job again, i want to get a Wii, just for the next Zelda, the recent Mario, and Epic Yarn.
OMG, it was super adorable. For the uninitiated, Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a game (mostly) for younger kids by Nintendo, and the game focuses on Kirby being transported to a land made entirely of fabric and cloth (“Epic YARN”? You get it?). Upon first arriving, we see Kirby land of a field made of denim, to which he exclaims, “This… This ground feels like pants!”
It was an instant winner. So cute.
So it was Taran Killam’s night, right? His Eminem was perfect, and I loved his face in the “Living Single” sketch. Okay, I just love his face.
His face in the “Living Single” sketch = best
Except for Stefon, this was the worst episode of the season. If you need something to laugh at, a certain someone we all know put out a mixtape today.
GET HAZED
#GETHAZED indeed
The worst part of night night had to be Russell Brand’s 10 MINUTE monologue. What the fuck?
O my god that was so bad! I think I blocked it out of my memory.
Yeah! I usually watch the Hulu version, but I had access to a TV this week. I was seriously wondering if this was normal and Hulu is often just saving me the trouble when they cut the monologue.
His monologue was terrible, and how many times did he touch his crotch with his hands? Was he pulling off some gag for his friends? “Wouldn’t it be funny if I overtly massage my crotch several times on SNL!?” The guy is creepy and his face is annoying.
This whole season has been pretty eh for me. I think it’s that I really don’t like most of the new cast. Vanessa Bayer is AWFUL and I really don’t like Jay Pharoah. I wasn’t too sure about Paul Brittian, but that Eminem this week killed it, very funny. I think the problem with Jay Pharoah is that he gets all the voices perfect, but doesn’t do anything physical, so the impressions just don’t work.
Also, booooooooo Chris Brown
The new cast members need one or two skits to stand out in to put them on my “ok I like him” list. Killam did that with the carnival-singer skit w/Jim Carrey. His Eminem was solid too. I like him.
More of him, more Abby Elliott, more Pedrad! Bayer, Brittain and Pharoah are taking up space.
WHAT?? I’m surprised. Vanessa Bayer is GREAT; very talented and maybe one or two things haven’t hit, but her impressions and characters/parts are generally awesome. Same for all the new Chicagoans.
Re: Jay Pharoah, I really don’t understand why so many people don’t like him. I agree that he hasn’t gotten comfortable doing the variety of things others are doing on the show, but he is clearly very perceptive (you have to be to nail nuances in impressions like he does) and very talented. As per Nightmare’s comment about him hopefully not getting invited back: hiring someone for a 6 month to a year stint and then firing them is seriously the most bizarre thing ever, and really ignores the fact that MANY SNL performers grow into their best work. Hiring someone and expecting them to be AMAZING IN EVERYTHING IMMEDIATELY is an exercise in futility. Granted many of the performers have been doing awesome work for years before being hired, but it’s a leap from that to SNL and I honestly feel that the show is enriched by Pharoah being there. He is genuinely a different voice that is suprising and fun now and could easily grow to be incredible.
Lots of people seem to forget that Jay Pharoah comes from a standup background. He doesn’t have sketch comedy experience. There’s going to be an adjustment period for him before he learns to really make his impressions work when interacting with other people.
I don’t know, I just feel like Vanessa Bayer doesn’t seem very versatile. She does the same voice for every character. I think shes really funny as Hanna Montana, and that’s about it. I really notice it when she plays one the the Kardashians, Nassim and Abbey Elliott nail it, but she doesn’t sound anything like them, she just does the same voice she always does.
I do agree with you about Jay Pharoah, I can see him getting much better, but for right now, it seems like all he can do is voice impressions.
Wait, so no one else just fast forwarded through the horrendous musical guest? I honestly do that almost every week cause it’s such shit.
I think Nightmare doth protest too much. Ripping the episode and Russell Brand in the intro but the descriptions of individual sketches don’t sound so dire . . ? I can’t hate (either way) because I didn’t watch.
I thought it was really kind of Nightmare for finding four or five nice things to say about 90 minutes of television.
Every episode needs more Jason Sudeikis.
I’m glad he decided to leave the Time Machine Sketch when he saw it was going down:
I was disappointed in him this week. That Bill O’Reilly impression was super weak. Halfway through the sketch I forgot who he was supposed to be impersonating.
Why was everyone YELLING the entire episode? Every sketch maxxxxxed out the yellometer and it drove me insane.
And one more thing….the George Washington bit might have been one of the laziest/worst sketches in the history of the show.
I thought the gutter hitting the excited Kristen Wiig character was particularly lazy, too. It reminded me of a sketch I wrote in 4th grade for Dimensions class, where I ended with MacNeil and Lehrer getting into a fight and I remember thinking “this is lazy.” WHEN I WAS 9.
YEAH BUT THEY WERE MOSTLY YELLING IN ENGLISH ACCENTS SO HAHAHAHA?
Thank you. Does Vanessa Bayer even have a regular-sound-level voice? Our TV’s volume was set on 6. Out of 100.
I just don’t understand why people can’t use their indoor voices.
I’m just glad we all agree that the Eminem impression and Stefon we’re the best parts about this weeks show.
Dear SNL, more Eminem impressions by Taran Killam and Stefon, please. Actually, just more Taran Killam and Bill Hader in general, I think.
Add Sudeikis too and I completely agree Bria.
Here here. Taran Killam for promotion from featured player.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear,_hear
Yeah, what (s)he said.
I was struck by a Jewpid’s arrow, and am now in love with Taran Killam and Bill Hader.
Taran Killam shined last night.
I admit I immediately was predisposed not to like Taran Killam, as his facial features are a bit like Dane Cook’s, and I’ve seen Dane Cook contort around and over-do everything for years, and I hate it.
But he’s been consistent and funny in the skits he gets into. I mean, when Jim Carrey hosted Taran did that awesome animatronic singing guy with the tambourine, out-roboting Carrey.
And last night he just hit homers every time, making the most out of the material even when the writing was not the best. The food taster was great when he died an AMAZING DEATH, his Eminem blew me away (KNIFE!), as Stevie Dix he looked stoked and pissed himself, he was the love-torn DJ in that terrible Singles skit, etc. etc. etc.
Good stuff, Taran. Keep it up!
One skit that deserves mention…the lawyer representing people injured from Spider Man Turn Off the Dark (minus Samburg’s impression). That was TBS.
- Never Forget
Clip here: Gublin & Green
Duhhh. Why couldn’t I remember that.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/snl-spider-man-musical_n_822586.html
ah stefon made me cry he was so good last night
Also does anyone else think Russell Brand has sort of become the British Robin Williams at least in the sense that they both try way to hard and long to get a laugh (*Russell Brand interrupts your commentary to make innuendo jokes on “hard and long” and point out his tight pants for 10 min*)
Also also stop making the point that you’re more famous in England… it was amusing when you were new to America but it’s been how many years? Everyone knows who you are…
Also also wik… seriously though Russell Brand is not a comedic actor – he clearly can’t read cue card well, and the only persona he can play well is hedonistic wastrel who counters everything with a careless quip
but seriously this forever
Is no one going to mention Jewpids? I think that line was Stefon’s best of the night.
Oh Seth Meyers. So good. He’s so great at WU.
The “skimming the pool for ghosts” line was an insta-classic.
Last night I came up with a theory that Bill Hader does not see the names of the clubs or its features before it goes to air. I think the writing staff headed by Seth Meyers just try and think of shit that will crack Hader up, then they do the thing live with Hader never rehearsing. Even if that’s not how it happens, Stefon is a genius-level character, and I feel he’s a cast favorite as well.
Always
Be
Cracking Stefon Up
I realized the exact same thing last night!
Good Over Acting:
Bad Over Acting:
You’ll have your very own When Harry Met Sally moment when you meet Gizblow, the coked up gremlin.
I’ll have what she’s having.
Whenever I see Russell Brand, I think, “Cut your hair, hippie!” This is not like me.
Nightmare, as played by Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers in a “REALLY?!” Point-Counterpoint
Amy: Point: “It’s almost like the world has forgotten that HE BUSTED UP HIS GIRLFRIEND’S FACE! Are we really letting this guy continue to have a career?! REALLY?!?!”
Seth: Counterpoint: This guy… He… Um… NO, you know what, HE BEAT HIS GIRLFRIEND’S FACE IN. We let him on the show? REALLY?!
Amy: REALLY?!
Seth: REALLY?!
Fuck Chris Brown
Except for the cold open, British Movie Trailer, A Spot of Tea, George Washington, Lil/Wayne Eminem, Stefon, Mubarek, and the rest of Weekend Update, this was by far the worst SNL episode ever created.
Russell Brand and Chris Brown are two of the five people you meet in Hell.
Not that I’m a huge fan or anything, but where the hell was Kenan Thompson?
I am a huge fan of Russell Brand, but really wasn’t too impressed with this particular episode of SNL. Other than the faux British film, I found it boring. SNL had Elton John recently, and the skit of Elton and the Queen playing punk music is absolutely hilarious! Here is the full episode – http://beta.dishonline.com/shows/13021-saturday_night_live/videos/842851-elton_john
My employer, DISH Network, has most of the new SNL episodes available for free.