Saturday Night Live sees Baldwin break hosting record

      In the quest to make an epic thirty-seventh season premiere, Saturday Night Live enlisted Alec Baldwin to host for a record breaking sixteenth time last night. A few years ago, Baldwin tied with Steve Martin for most times hosting, then Steve returned to keep upping the record. Finally, Baldwin not only tied, but broke it. Martin showed up to playfully challenge him, though seem none too upset to lose his title.

     In the monologue, Martin inquires whether Baldwin might be on any performance enhancing drugs. To figure out this fact, Martin brings a full medical team and Seth Rogen, a "drug expert." It's all for showmanship, because Steve only needs to taste the yellow sample to determine if Alec has been taking drugs. Baldwin is declared clean in a very gross, but hilarious, bit, and the show moves on. Unfortunately, that's as funny as it ever gets.

     Baldwin has been on long enough that he has a number of recurring characters. Yet, none of th memorable ones are trotted out in this episode. There is mention in the monologue of Schweddy Balls now being a Ben & Jerry's ice-cream flavor. To celebrate, wouldn't a return to that sketch be appropriate? Or something to remember him by?

     In fact, it's really odd that only Martin and Rogen guest star. Steve and Alec's contest has been littered with many celebrities popping in, as they are always big event episodes. But last night, that fanfare and gravitas of the legendary moment were absent. The record was broken with little of the ceremony expected from such an occasion, especially considering how long the title has been in contest.

     It wasn't a wasted evening. There were a handful of amusing sketches. A goodbye to All My Children really captured the soap opera spirit, as plenty of "startling twists" were revealed by various crew members. The game show "Who's On Top?" asked which celebrity would be the top in a gay sex encounter, suggesting straight men as choices. And, of course, Weekend Update had some great zingers from Seth Meyers. But other than that, there wasn't much to fawn over.

     Undoubtedly, though he has mostly left comedy behind, Steve Martin will host again. Perhaps even before Baldwin does, so Alec can once more break the record. But if Saturday Night Live's best days are over, what's the point? The bright spot on the horizon is the 2012 election, though the GOP debate sketch was more dud than laughable. But the 2008 election was the last time the series really worked. So maybe...

     Saturday Night Live continues to air Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

     To purchase Saturday Night Live streaming episodes, DVDs, and more, please click here.

Saturday Night Live bombs with Elton John

     Sadly, not even Elton John can save NBC's Saturday Night Live, nor can his several famous friends who show up to help him out. Last night's show is one of the season's weakest. Once again, I do not think it is the level of acting talent that is sinking, though I'm pretty sure John isn't cut out to be a professional actor. It's the writing that just isn't delivering. Sure, the show has had ups and downs over the years. But this episode will definitely fall into the latter category.

     Besides Sir Elton, other familiar faces show up. Tom Hanks, a many-time guest star and host, participates in multiple sketches. In fact, Hanks actually makes a few moments worth watching, including as a worried version of himself when Wilson the volleyball is taken hostage, and as Michael Caine. Hanks is pretty much all that is funny in this episode. Jake Gyllenhaal is in Weekend Update, looking confused, and I'm still not sure why he is on the show this week at all. Just to showcase Andy Samberg's Nicholas Cage impression, perhaps? Carmelo Anthony, who is in the latest Laser Cats digital short, I have never even heard of. Wikipedia reveals him to be a New York Knicks player. SNL has always thrown in NYC references from time to time, but this may be one of their more obscure ones. Former cast member Will Forte is present, which is nice, because I miss him. Lastly, Leon Russell duets both musical guest segments with Elton John.

     As for skits, the show begins rough and stays that way. The Lawrence Welk bit with the girl who has very small hands (played by Kristen Wiig) wasn't funny the first time it was done, and only gets worse with each reincarnation. John chooses to keep the monologue mostly serious, speaking about his son, which is fine, but also tosses in a few one-liners that don't even elicit a grin. The ESPN hosts continue to be more stupid than humorous. Cowboys and movie critics play on John's homosexuality, but feel uncomfortable. I normally laugh at Laser Cats, but the musical version falls flat. Call me prudish, but I do not think the Queen of England bullying John is approaching amusing either.

     Weekend Update is always the best part of the episode anymore, as at least Seth Meyers can deliver short quips with the best of them. Even he, though, fumbles a bit, and his final joke elicits no reaction from the live audience, making for a very awkward closing. But he starts fairly strong with his comparison of GOP potential presidential candidates to reality TV stars. I also do enjoy the zookeeper who loses the snake (Kenan Thompson), a reference to an escaped reptile in NYC last week.

     Perhaps the sketch with the most potential this week is the overly long, convoluted one that begins with a BBC show called Fancy a Jar, Do You?, which is interrupted by a special news report, and then transforms into a council of modern British knights. The concept itself, asking the artistic types that currently hold the honor, to defend London from a dragon is brilliant. Sadly, the execution breaks down, wasting some characters, and just not doing justice to others. I wonder if this is a case of too many elements warring for attention, or simply a lack of follow through with the original idea. All in all, a failure.

     When will Saturday Night Live begin its recovery? It was last great in the spring of 2009, and I anxiously await a return to those levels. Saturday Night Live airs Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, live believe it or not!

     If you disagree with my review, I recommend reading Louis Virtel's write up for TVLine.com. He offers some very different opinions from mine.

Article first published as TV Review: Saturday Night Live - "Elton John; Leon Russell" on Blogcritics.

For an alphabetical list of all of Jerome Wetzel's Current Season Reviews, please click here.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Saturday Night Live - "Gwyneth Paltrow / Cee Lo Green"

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

     I've been waiting all season for an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live to inspire me to write an article. Had I been writing TV reviews a couple of years ago, I would have considered covering the series every week, as it was so good and consistently funny. Sadly, for the past year or so, consistently mediocre is the best label I can give SNL. After thirty-six years, there are bound to be cycles, and the show has gone through bad patches before. Sadly, we are firmly stuck in one of them now.

     However, this week's episode was great. Not the best I've ever seen, but the best in a long time. Almost every sketch was truly funny. And the thing is, the success cannot be attributed to host Gwyneth Paltrow, so it is highly repeatable. Don't get me wrong; Gwyneth did a fine job. Most of the hosts do, including recent ones. Cee Lo Green, the musical guest, also appeared in several bits, and also did well. But this series always comes down to the writing, and for the most part, last night's writing was something quite superior to this season's norm.

     The opening sketch was a fine example of political satire. FOX News went with the 'Embracing Civility' message being called for after last week's shooting in Arizona, and Greta van Susteren (Kristen Wiig) brought together some of the network's most popular hosts, including a very reluctant Glenn Beck (Jason Sudeikis). However, she also allowed liberal James Carville (Bill Hader) on to provoke Beck and the others, and when Rachel Maddow (Abby Elliott) took over Glenn's chalkboard, it was all over.

     It was a timely, tightly run piece of material put together by the cast and writers, which despite recent showings, proved that they are still talented. Sure, FOX is an easy target, but that doesn't mean it isn't hilarious when they are lambasted properly, as they were in this opening. Easy target or not, it still takes talent to execute a good parody. SNL has gobs of talent, and it's past time the show itself stop forgetting that.

     Also memorable, though the joke did start to wear a little thin before the segment was over, was a foul-mouthed record executive (Paltrow) fighting to get Cee Lo's "Forget You" on the radio. Yes, the sanitized version. The conceit here was that 'forget' was the filthy word, and so the exec used it quite frequently, in the same ways some of us would use f***. She and the other actors in the scene, including eventually Cee Lo as himself, used a variety of other words to fill in for other curses, including 'Country Strong', the title of Paltrow's new movie. The end segued into Cee Lo singing "Forget You", which, except in Paltrow's capable hands on a recent episode of Glee, is not nearly as enjoyable as the original, "F*** You". Still, a neat way and different way to present a musical number. This is something the show should try to do again, as it better connects the musical guests, which often seem out of place. I usually fast forward through them, even if it's an artist I enjoy. I didn't this time, thanks to the sketch.

     The weakest parts of the show, because, of course, it wasn't a perfect episode, were mostly jokes that went on a little too long, like the aforementioned skit. It also occurred during a recurring gag on Weekend Update with Garth (Fred Armisen) and Kat (Wiig), who were joined by a friend (Paltrow) this week. Sure, sometimes the improvising duets gets sort of amusing, but only in the way that an unfunny joke runs so long that eventually it elicits a slight smile. I would be pleased to not see Garth and Kat again.

     Weekend Update is always funny, no matter how bland the rest of the show gets, and this week was no exception. Hosted by Seth Meyers, SNL's current head writer, somehow the barbs there always land, and not just in Seth's to-the-camera headlines, though those are hilarious. This week's Update also included the return of Jimmy McMillian (Kenan Thompson), who wants to run for president with the platform 'The Deficit is Too Damn High'. You may remember, the real McMillan, who is a unique looking individual, recently ran for governor of New York for The Rent is Too Damn High Party. Timely, and sharp-witted, the gag worked beautifully.

     A recent trend on Saturday Night Live is to bring a bunch of singers together for very short samples of their music. This is often done with made-up, ridiculous groups or solo acts, but recently, with a cast rich in impersonations, there has been more famous artists in evidence. In my favorite sketch this week, several big names in the music industry parodied their songs for a boy's bar mitzvah. The guests included Taylor Swift (Paltrow), Jay-Z (newcomer Jay Pharoah), Alicia Keys (Nasim Pedrad), and Katy Perry (Elliott). I don't know why, but the absurdity of Hebrew-forced lyrics into pop hits made me giggle.

     A close second, almost as funny as the bar mitzvah, was a sketch set in Shakespearean times when The Globe theater introduced previews of upcoming attractions. Sure, it was silly. I know small snippets of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet were never presented, complete with a modern movie announcer's dramatic tone, before a performance of The Taming of the Shrew. However, the absurdness of the moment was surreal, and I hope more sketches like it will be revisited in the future. Historical comedy can definitely be funny, though it's so infrequently done. I don't know why it worked, exactly, but then, most great comedy is elusive to pin down. It was original and clever, a powerful combination.

     I could go on and talk about the Digital Short with Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens playing his famous character), or the monologue duet with Kenny Rogers (Sudeikis), or The Fresh Prince of Bel Air DVD special features (starring Pharoah and Thompson, of course), or even the fantastic parody commercials of The Cape knock offs, but this article is long enough. The bottom line is, Saturday Night Live and its cast showed us that they still have what it takes to produce a show worthy of the respected series name. I wish they'd do it more often.

     Saturday Night Live airs live Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: Saturday Night Live - "Gwyneth Paltrow / Cee Lo Green" on Blogcritics.