tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post2082447486227988501..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Never badmouth synergy!Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-91088038007224840312009-02-04T10:55:00.000-05:002009-02-04T10:55:00.000-05:00@Kevin - "Just the worst recurring sketch in SNL h...@Kevin - <I>"Just the worst recurring sketch in SNL history."</I><BR/><BR/>I respectfully disagree with you on this. After seeing the photo on this post, I unable to get McGrubber out of my head. The McGrubber sketches that had the theme about him dealing with the economic meltdown made me pee my pants. Seriously, ask my wife.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01022949773169791438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27489771950980853122009-02-03T21:56:00.000-05:002009-02-03T21:56:00.000-05:00My 7 year old niece loved the Pink Panther.Sure, i...My 7 year old niece loved the Pink Panther.<BR/><BR/>Sure, it's derivative (it's a remake after all) but if its making millions of kids laugh why is that a bad thing?<BR/><BR/>Steve wrote his amazing memoir in the last few years for us adults.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84057869969487816632009-02-03T09:54:00.000-05:002009-02-03T09:54:00.000-05:00@Bryan, good point. Though he does still have the ...@Bryan, good point. Though he does still have the underrated <I>Bowfinger</I> from '99 and some of what he's written in the past decade is still solid.<BR/><BR/>But for legendary, yeah, you'd probably have to go back a ways.R.A. Porterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851961356321735388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6143461939998776612009-02-03T09:50:00.000-05:002009-02-03T09:50:00.000-05:00I enjoyed the Banjo too R.A. - what I meant about...I enjoyed the Banjo too R.A. - what I meant about the career though is, I know he's been around for that long but I'd only consider the first 15 or so legendary (when was the first Father of the Bride 91?)I agree completely - it hurts.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-15804963739118650292009-02-03T09:41:00.000-05:002009-02-03T09:41:00.000-05:00@Bryan, I agree with most everything you said, but...@Bryan, I agree with most everything you said, but Martin's got a *40* year legacy at stake, not 15. Everytime he sullies his reputation with a <I>Pink Panther</I> or a phoned-in performance like this one (except for the banjo playing, which was excellent; clearly, that's all he truly cared about on Saturday) it hurts.R.A. Porterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851961356321735388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86836624154265783702009-02-03T09:31:00.000-05:002009-02-03T09:31:00.000-05:00Belushi, Radner and all the rest that gave their h...Belushi, Radner and all the rest that gave their heart and soul to this show are turning over in their graves. Michaels started selling out years ago but now he's gone completely over - and to Pepsi of all companies, not even something cool.<BR/><BR/>Martin is dangerously close I think to completely ruining a marvelous 15 year career.<BR/><BR/>I would never sound the death knell for this show -it's come back too many times- but I think we are in for another of their dry spells.<BR/><BR/>The only redeeming part of the show was bringing back Patterson after all the heat he got last time - good for you Fred, way to show some comic balls.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45970440556000346452009-02-03T02:52:00.000-05:002009-02-03T02:52:00.000-05:00my favorite recurring snl bits are currently macgr...my favorite recurring snl bits are currently macgruber and laser cats. although i didn't watch the show as it aired, i caught the clips on hulu. i love macgruber. i'm not ashamed that i shouted in excitement when the commercial appeared during the superbowl.<BR/><BR/>haha did anyone catch the star wars reference in laser cats 4? keenan was the half machine father but when he removed his mask he turned into a white dude (martin). at least i read it as a darth vader reference.Kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06346565881555687494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-91289120408403299732009-02-03T02:32:00.000-05:002009-02-03T02:32:00.000-05:00Forte is the funniest part of the show (well, mayb...Forte is the funniest part of the show (well, maybe tied with Armisen.)<BR/><BR/>And McGruber never fails to make me laugh. I was ECSTATIC to see it as a Superbowl commercial. Much better than most.<BR/><BR/>I also love Forte's odd neighbor character from Halloween, his Zell Miller impression, his Tim Calhoun character, and his dance in the coaching sketch with Peyton Manning has to be one of the very funniest things EVER on the show.<BR/><BR/>I wish they had shown that as part of an NFL synergy moment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90230942819332713582009-02-03T01:21:00.000-05:002009-02-03T01:21:00.000-05:00In case anyone's interested, according to this art...In case anyone's interested, according to <A HREF="http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=350499>1=28103" REL="nofollow">this article</A> Forte and co. were paid extra money for this since it fell outside of their SNL contracts. Since I bash Silverman quite a bit, it's only fair that I admit that this was a pretty clever move on his part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10228683503014884672009-02-02T22:59:00.000-05:002009-02-02T22:59:00.000-05:00I love MacGruber. Second the Obama recast...oh my ...I love MacGruber. <BR/><BR/>Second the Obama recast...oh my god it's painful to watch. They might as well not have an Obama impersonator at all if they're gonna do it like that.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16683422378349027508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41668614822195995552009-02-02T22:01:00.000-05:002009-02-02T22:01:00.000-05:00Alan, a side question: what's the story behind the...Alan, a side question: what's the story behind the tradition that whenever there's a backstage scene, we see Abe Lincoln, some showgirls and a large animal?Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42615275189907092872009-02-02T20:53:00.000-05:002009-02-02T20:53:00.000-05:00Hear hear KB! The 5 to 1 sketch, a fake NFL Films ...Hear hear KB! The 5 to 1 sketch, a fake NFL Films documentary about a Depression-era QB legend played by Steve Martin, was hilarious. The only thing you need to find on Hulu.<BR/><BR/>I love MacGruber, but that iteration was a comedy abomination. Aside from wasting MacGyver, making fun of using product placement... while using those product placements is the worst kind of having your cake and eating it too. There's just no way around it. Of course, it's less the writers' fault than the network execs for pushing it on them in the first place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59599900164835344812009-02-02T20:03:00.000-05:002009-02-02T20:03:00.000-05:00The only thing I laughed at were the cold open wit...The only thing I laughed at were the cold open with Obama, which was slightly clever but not really funny. Sudeikis as Biden is really growing on me. But come on, was it really all that surprising that it was going to suck? Martin's on there promoting The Pink Panther 2, and he's been doing Cheaper by the Dozen and other such monstrosities for the past ten years. Especially after the Gavin Volure disaster, I wasn't all that shocked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-58136432378283404162009-02-02T19:46:00.000-05:002009-02-02T19:46:00.000-05:00They *did* use MacGyver. The first "sketch" was al...They *did* use MacGyver. The first "sketch" was all about MacGyver wanting to MacGyver things and MacGruber thinking his ideas (and his name) were stupid. Not high comedy, but a MacGyver acknowledgement and the tease that it was actually a commercial for Pepsi. Followed by part two, where it was just accepted that MacGyver was there and the third one which was filled with over the top, absurb Pepsi pimpage. The more I think about it, it was probably best that they used the second one for the Super Bowl spot. <BR/><BR/>Usually I find myself warming to a bad show or at least finding something nice to say about it after the fact, but on Monday night that episode still sucks as bad as it did at the time. Total disappointment. Although I'm puzzled by the banjo hate or any confusion over it's inclusion there. He's an excellent banjo player. He plays on stage with bands all the time. It's his thing. I'm guessing he wanted to promote his record as much as the new movie...and I'm guessing said record is wayyyy better than the new movie anyway. Having three minutes of it didn't seem odd...it actually seemed like something that would have been right at home back in the early days of the show that people are always waxing poetic about. Not crazy about the vocals, but the rest = awesome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88369951917487456402009-02-02T19:41:00.000-05:002009-02-02T19:41:00.000-05:00Andrew's dead on; during the show, right after the...Andrew's dead on; during the show, right after the godawful Madoff sketch, I told my wife, who wasn't aware, that the first half of the show is supposed to be the good stuff. How was any of that good? I missed the banjo song, but I've seen him in the past, and Martin's not bad on it. <BR/><BR/>However...the third MacGruber...well, I did laugh at it, as blatant a commercial as it was, having Will Forte say the brand name over and over was funnier than I thought it'd be.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02215193038476975909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81593337604940709112009-02-02T19:37:00.000-05:002009-02-02T19:37:00.000-05:00I really dug the banjo song.But I also really enjo...I really dug the banjo song.<BR/><BR/>But I also really enjoy "The Steve Martin Brothers", so what do I know?Anthony Strandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170406011301084809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-83754263720833014332009-02-02T18:48:00.000-05:002009-02-02T18:48:00.000-05:00I was really excited to see Steve Martin hosting S...I was really excited to see Steve Martin hosting SNL again--but geez, he was just phoning it in. He didn't even seem to be enjoying himself.<BR/><BR/>Someone, somewhere in some blog on the internets said a week or so ago that it was amazing that they'd never brought Richard Dean Anderson in as a guest on a MacGruber sketch, so I was delighted to see him magically appear. And then they just WASTED him. I couldn't believe it. The joke is that you've got MacGyver, and you make the joke about Pepsi? See, this is why advertisers shouldn't write sketch comedy. It was painful to watch--and I usually like MacGruber.<BR/><BR/>I also confess to liking Laser Cats--it's just so goofy and innocent--and I thought this one was terrific. I loved the split-second non-sequitur of the Roomba Cat internet meme. You just never know what they're going to throw in. <BR/><BR/>The rest of it--including that endless and unfunny banjo song--was painful.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288100796201737845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69727497139505112182009-02-02T18:20:00.000-05:002009-02-02T18:20:00.000-05:00MacGruber is hilarious! These weren't the best Mac...MacGruber is hilarious! These weren't the best MacGruber's ever, but I enjoyed them. If Pepsi wants to pay money for me to watch MacGruber instead of DVR-skipping past some other Pepsi commercial, I'm all for it. I'm amazed that people can complain about this sort of thing. All you would get instead is some other dumb Pepsi commercial.<BR/><BR/>As for SNL, not so good except for the QB-with-a-gun sketch which was genius.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57265670187233416592009-02-02T17:15:00.000-05:002009-02-02T17:15:00.000-05:00I have never heard such a loud silence as I did du...I have never heard such a loud silence as I did during that Madoff sketch. Can you imagine how bad the sketches they cut must have been if they kept that one in after the dress rehersal?<BR/><BR/>And what is up with every week there being at least one sketch that isn't even remotely funny on the page, but they plug in Kristin Wiig to do all of the heavy lifting and she turns something unbareable into a mild diversion? It didn't work this week with that awkward make-up counter sketch, but the lady who really loves surprises or the one-upper lady seem to be recurring characters all of a sudden.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81293631693149339072009-02-02T16:27:00.000-05:002009-02-02T16:27:00.000-05:00It's official, Steve Martin is the new Robin Willi...It's official, Steve Martin is the new Robin Williams. This is the first SNL I stayed up for in years, and it was painful.<BR/><BR/>Thank god I went to bed before the banjo song (which I caught online today).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69989448700600497092009-02-02T16:22:00.000-05:002009-02-02T16:22:00.000-05:00I thought the Bernie Madoff piece worked really we...I thought the Bernie Madoff piece worked really well, actually, and Martin continues to be a remarkably good banjoist. Otherwise? Seconded re Keenan Thompson (talented guy, but utterly wasted for years now), seconded re painfully bad digital short, and seconded-thirded-fourthed-dear-god-get-that-mess-off-my-TV re Armisen's Obama imitiation. If anything it's getting looser and worse.AGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01580584618053201267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6163071566337696092009-02-02T16:19:00.000-05:002009-02-02T16:19:00.000-05:00It might be because it was on as mostly background...It might be because it was on as mostly background noise, or because of my lowered expectations, but I thought this SNL was more tolerable than the last time Martin hosted. Though I honestly can't recall anything I enjoyed beyond the Weekend Update guest appearances (I liked about half the David Patterson appearance, and the very end of Angelina Jolie, when Meyers tries to engage her in small talk and she bolted). Oh, the Bernie Madoff thing wasn't funny but was a good stab at pathetic.<BR/><BR/>I liked that they never bothered to explain Richard Dean Anderson. And the third ad, where everything was pepsipepsipepsi. The version they showed during the Superbowl was longer than the one on SNL, and it felt longer than the average MacGruber sketch. (That's one of the reasons it's usually tolerable, it's always short.)Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02438138745372633266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47925597116797913562009-02-02T16:16:00.000-05:002009-02-02T16:16:00.000-05:00yeah, youd think steve martin could attach himself...yeah, youd think steve martin could attach himself to something worth watching. these pink panthers are an embarrassment (of riches, i suppose). he needs a bill murray-style wes anderson treatment, or at least a full apatow.drathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03212841030695525741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28957428628994364182009-02-02T16:12:00.000-05:002009-02-02T16:12:00.000-05:00Seriously Lorne Michaels, you can't hold out anymo...Seriously Lorne Michaels, you can't hold out anymore. It's time to hire a black guy with a deep voice. Fred Armisen playing Obama during the primaries was one thing, but the man is PRESIDENT now. He's not going anywhere. Armisen doesn't even do a decent impression - he has that annoying high-pitched voice and he's only somewhat funny because he's legitimately creepy. Putting him in blackface every week just to avoid adding a castmember to the almost all-white cast is getting really insulting. Good satire blows up things that standout about a person -- see Tina Fey's Palin. All you've really got to exploit about Obama so far is the charm, and Ferd Armisen can't do it cause he doesn't have any.<BR/><BR/>Also while you're at it, hire a new head writer (and new writing staff, for that matter) who knows that a comedy sketch involves more than one joke repeating over and over again. Keep Seth Myers focused on Weekend Update where he's good and hand the skit reigns over to some new blood. They actually have a pretty talented cast right now - but the writing is the worst I've ever seen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13070866603595097602009-02-02T15:15:00.000-05:002009-02-02T15:15:00.000-05:00To follow up on the disappointment of Steve Martin...To follow up on the disappointment of Steve Martin on 30 Rock and SNL, well, is there any logic to the disappointment? I mean, I used to love me some Steve Martin (L.A. Story is still one of my favorite films, and it's not even close to the best thing he's done), but when was the last time that he was funny on screen?Carmichael Haroldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01437998794611176337noreply@blogger.com