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« Saturday Night Live
Episode Recap: Tina Fey Hosts, Carrie Underwood Performs
Hello! Are you as stoked as I am to be watching Saturday Night Live again... and with our beloved 30 Rock star Tina Fey rockin' the premiere episode? (Sorry, I could not care less about Carrie Underwood, even though she's talented.) Yes, tonight is the night that SNL can reignite its fans' passion for the show... or it could fail miserably (but we'll still get to have a few episodes of 30 Rock to heal our wounds).
So this recap will be a little different. I'll go skit by skit, and give my opinion of each. Cool? Hope so, because that's what you're gettin'.
Cold Opening
It's a CNN debate with Hillary and Barack, and a panel filled with Obama fans who are so excited to be near him that they are suffering from "Barack Attacks." Ha! Kristen Wiig plays moderator Campbell Brown, who openly shares the fact that CNN is biased for Obama, and introduces Hillary by citing that her husband was president and then cheated on her before her career in the Senate. It's much funnier than I'm writing it, and Amy Poehler plays Hillary with robotic denial-heavy perfection. I'm stoked they've picked Fred Armisen to play Obama, and I love his posture, big ears and forehead crease. Perfectly Obama. However, the writing for his part of the sketch is really boring. Next we get an appearance from "Obama Girl," and when Hillary interrupts, Campbell insists that Hillary issue the entire nation an "Obama-pology" Ha!
Roll opening titles....
Monologue
Tina enters wearing her trademark glasses and an adorable black dress. Lookin' fine, Ms. Fey. You go, girl. Back to the monologue: If those of you out there don't know it, Tina Fey was a big supporter of the writers' strike, and picketed on the lines often. So the fact that she can make fun of herself and address what could have been an awkward situation with angry crew members (who didn't get paid for 12 weeks) is awesome... IMHO. I love that the boom microphone smacks her in the head after she says, "No hard feelings." When you hear the conditions, it does sound ridiculous, right?
OMG... Steve Martin just popped up on stage! Yay, surprises! He's there to make her remember that she's not just a writer but a talented performer as well. He makes her stand up straight and say, "I can do it!" in a million different accents. He keeps slapping her, too, which is fake yet satisfying for some reason.
Fake Commercial No. 1
Tina is in a hilarious wig as a voice-over comes on about having one period a year. Cheesy shots of women shopping and doing yoga follow... uh-oh... something's gonna happen. Wait for it... there it is! The V.O. says, "When it is time for your period, hold on to your f---ing hats!" And we cut to Tina wielding an ax and screaming at her terrified coworkers. Ha! Hormone jokes are funny cuz they're true. (I'm a chick, so no hate mail.) Oh, jeez, I didn't need to see Kristen Wiig frenching a dog because of her wacky hormones. (Shuddering with disgust.)
Rock of Love Sketch
Jason (Floyd from 30 Rock) Sudeikis plays skeevy Bret Micheals. Tina is all tatted up and has huge fake lips as she talks like a doped-out stripper. Awesome. In comes recurring character Amber, the one-legged belligerent chick played by Poehler. This skit is funny for like a minute and then I'm bored. PS. Amy should lay off the Botox.
SNL Digital Short
"A Message for Old People." An old guy talks about getting confused during movies, so his grandkids (Bill Hader and Andy Samberg) pop into all his movies to explain things or warn him of violence. It's kinda dumb. Sorry, you can do better, guys.
"What's That Bitch Talkin' About" Sketch
The title says so much. Keenan Thompson hosts and contestants try to guess... what that bitch is talkin' about. Tina's character can decipher the girl talk. Really, the funniest line is the title.
Carrie Underwood Performs
I've timed my DVR perfectly so I can fast-forward through what I'm sure is a lovely performance.
Weekend Update
Now we're talkin'. This better be good. And why isn't Tina making an appearance? The best joke so far, again aimed at the strike, was about Hollywood losing $2.5 billion during the shut-down — or "10 movies about treasure." Hahaha. So true. Surprise No. 2 tonight: Gov. Mike Huckabee explaining why he won't concede to John McCain for the Republican nomination. He's trying to make fun of himself, and I have to give him some kudos. The whole bit is about why he's still in the race even though it's impossible for him to win. Seth has to explain it to him several times, including that he can't win superdelegates. Huckabee then says he's always been known for being able exit gracefully when it's time... and then promptly sticks around until they have to kick him off stage. Cute. Finally, there's Tina! She's doing "Women's News." She disses Lindsay Lohan for finding "new ways to look old." Ha! Dude, she's on fire, especially when discussing Hillary's popularity issues. She says that we should like Hillary even if we think she's a "bitch" because "bitches get stuff done." Guess we know who she's voting for now.
Fake NBC Promo Sketch
They're spoofing Celebrity Apprentice with crazy Z-list guests including a funny impersonation of Rachael Ray. I give it an A-plus for capturing her obnoxiousness.
Wedding Sketch
Another take on drunken, awful speeches we've all awkwardly sat through at weddings. It's not all that funny, but I think we can all relate.
Fake Commercial No. 2
Hot-air balloon rides. Weird and random.
Food Network Sketch
"You're watching the Food Network — porn for fat people." That's gonna piss some people off. I chuckled, though. The FN show is hosted by the Daniel Day-Lewis character from There Will Be Blood and his son, who are searching for the perfect milkshake. Talk about weird and random. I realize they are trying to get in as much Oscar stuff as possible. But boo. Just boo.
Carrie Underwood Is Back
Nice outfit. Nice song from what I can tell as I fast-forward.
Lady Business Sketch
Making fun of the crappy Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia shows that managed to make it on air due to strike desperation. It's not even as funny as it could be. And that's the last bit of the show for ya.
See ya next week with Ellen Page hosting and Wilco performing.
For another take on SNL's return, read Cheers & Jeers.
Watch more Saturday Night Live using our Online Video Guide.
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Feb 24, 2008 1:17 AM
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First and foremost; an SNL blog? Whaaaa? Thanks, Erin.
Unfortunately, I did not share the optimism you had about the episode. I think you are in the minority.
So, apparently SNL's idea to revolutionize the cast is to add someone with big boobs. No wonder you are in last place, NBC.
Seriously, what the heck was that episode? The funniest thing in the episode was when Mike Huckabee wouldn't leave Weekend Update...and when you call Mike Huckabee funny, you know something's wrong.
I know there was a 3 month hiatus due to the strike...but John Mark Karr? Obama Girl? Really.
Even the Digital Short, which is usually somewhat witty, failed immensly.
Specifics:
Steve Martin instead of Alec Baldwin? Odd, considering that Tina cameoed for Alec last time he was on.
Tina's Declaration of Strike Terms: Coming from the head writer of 30 Rock, a show known for hyperrealism, I was sorely dissappointed that she didn't have more fun with that.
Something I found odd: Wouldn't feminists, as Tina claims to be, object to the usage of the word "Bitch?" I guess society is different now than what it was during the whole women's suffrage movement, but OK...
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Feb 24, 2008 1:43 AM
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"Bitch is the new black" is an instant classic. Overall though it was a so-so SNL which nowadays is actually good for them. I think it's weird though that when interviewed a couple days ago Tina thought the favorite sketch so far was the "what's that bitch talking about" sketch. Not really my fave. I was gonna say Fred's Obama wasn't thrilling til I realized that just means all the actual black men that auditioned must've had crappier versions. Geez how bad were they?
I do like Casey. I'd like her to stick around. No offense to Maya but since she's still not got a contract, it's really time for her to, in the words of Donatella, "ged-ooooout!" Mike Huckabee needs to just go into comedy permanently as his occupation, like, now. And what's with a)Will Ferrell not guest hosting since Semi Pro is coming out soon and b)Ellen Page guest hosting next week? Sure they didn't want to put her up first thing with the weird turn around after the strike but the Oscars will be over and sorry odds are Juno and Ellen herself won't win awards judging by the critical consensus. Kinda late to the party at that point.
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Feb 24, 2008 2:12 AM
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Thank you JosieK,
But, I actually looked up "shuddering" and it is the correct usage/spelling. I make plenty of mistakes (as my lovely copy editor can attest to) but this time, I'm in the clear! Woo hoo!
To Zinger314: I was really just optimistic about Tina being back. I think you can see my disappointment in the actual show in my blog. I really don't hold any hope for Ellen Page hitting one outta the park, and I think she's adorable. It's all about the writing. And even Tina being back couldn't fix that whopper of a problem.
To Scoobysnacks: Totally agree about "Bitch is the new black." Awesome. And LOL about Maya... especially the "Ged-oooooouut" reference. That was classic.
P.S. How rad was Huckabee? Even though I'd never vote for him in a million years. 
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Feb 24, 2008 9:13 AM
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SNL second rate to MAD TV.
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Feb 24, 2008 9:25 AM
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I thought this episode was awful. And I may be in the minority, but Tina Fay gets on my nerves.
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Feb 24, 2008 9:39 AM
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Re: SNL vs MADTV -
SNL isn't on fire, but on its worst night it's way better than MADtv is now.
MAD used to be pretty great, but it's just hideous now. It stopped trying to be clever years ago and seems to primarily exist to make fun of Bobby Lee and make unfunny racial jokes. (The Native American presidential thing from a few weeks ago was just painful to watch.)
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Feb 24, 2008 9:42 AM
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I too was thrilled to have Tina Fey come back and host. She was a great host, too - just the writing didn't support her very much. Oh well. I still love seeing her back at SNL.
As far as her opinions on the word "bitch," I don't think she has many objections. The word's usage increased exponentially on SNL when she became head writer. I'm pretty sure she just thinks it's funny and not necessarily an insult anymore. Plus, it's easy to call women bitches when you're a woman yourself. If a dude were calling a woman a bitch I'm pretty sure she'd be singing a different tune.
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Feb 24, 2008 9:51 AM
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If they couldn't find an actual black actor to play Obama, of all the pre-existing cast members they could have used, why didn't they use Bill Hader?
Obama always strikes me as a tall, gangley looking man and I think Bill could pull that off, as well as Obama's charasmatic pressence.
And if Darrell Hammond's going to stick around, can't they find some good recurring characters for him to use? At this point, he's practically like Alice Horton on Days of Our Lives, just trotting out their senior cast member once in a while for special occasions and then never to be seen again for months.
He can be funny when he wants to be; they just need to find him the right vehicle.
Should I have been as surprised as I was that there seemed to be no connection or even a mention of Tina Fey's show? Maybe I missed it in the monologue, as I was only partially watching it.
But I agree with the other poster, noting how odd it was for Steve Martin to be there instead of Alec. Maybe they wanted Alex, but some reason he couldn't do it?
But it would have been nice to maybe see some of her other castmates from 30 Rock. Why couldn't Tracy Morgan come on? He could have played Obama. I know he doesn't look like him, but if a guy 3 times Bush's size can play Bush on Mad TV, Tracy Morgan can play Barrack Obama.
Maybe that's a stretch, I don't know. (Now that I think about, why couldn't they have gotten the guy that plays Toofer on 30 Rock? He could have been a good Obama, at least for this one episode.)
Given the nature of what 30 Rock's about, it's odd there wasn't any kind of tie-in.
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Feb 24, 2008 9:54 AM
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If SNL has the problem of too little diversity, MADtv has the problem of too much diversity. MADtv is basically a competition on how many stereotypes, both racial and non racial, a show can fit into one hour. SNL atleast attempts actual humor.
Why couldn't Kenan play Obama? Aside from the girth problem, the look is somewhat close. Closer than Fred Armisten, at the least...
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Feb 24, 2008 10:20 AM
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You forgot to mention the cake that Tina brought out at the end of the show to celebrate announcer Don Pardo's 90th birthday, which was on Friday. He's been working for NBC since 1944 and has been on SNL since the beginning. It was a nice moment. He doesn't look like he's 90 at all, and it's great that he's still working.
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Feb 24, 2008 10:26 AM
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i Loved last night but WHERE WAS MAYA!?!?!
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Feb 24, 2008 11:07 AM
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"Saturday Night Live" is the most overrated comedy program in TV history.
I could go on and on about why I think so, but perhaps my biggest gripe of all: the use of cue cards.
The show has used cue cards for all of its sketches, monologues, and "Weekend Update" segments since the very beginning, but to me there is nothing less funny than watching actors on a stage doing little else than reading cue cards to each other. No cast member or special guest that I've ever seen on the show could ever bear to take their eyes off of their written-out lines on the cards for more than a syllable or two at a time.
You could argue that the sketches are constantly being rewritten thoughout each week, leaving little time for the cast members to memorize anything. Lame excuse. In television's early years, there were several brilliant, live sketch shows that ran on similar schedules but didn't have their actors rely on the cards: Sid Caesar and Jackie Gleason's programs were just two classic examples. Caesar himself said that actor's needed to look into each other's eyes during a sketch to make a true comic connection. Even Carol Burnett's brilliant program, while not aired live, did not rely on cards or teleprompters.
And that leads me to the fact that "Saturday Night Live" never NEEDED to be live in the first place, and has rarely benefitted from it. Same-day taping, allowing for better preparation and performances, and an extra take if needed, would have served the show and its audience much better. If performing live supposedly provides the cast members with some kind of "edge", when has that ever been apparent?
But of course, after over 30 years on the air, nothing about this show will change for the better.
And for anyone about to post a reply to my comments along the lines of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't bother posting", save it. A little dissent among such overwhelming, if blind, praise won't ruin your day, will it?
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Feb 24, 2008 11:26 AM
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overwhelming blind praise? I'm not seeing any overwhelming blind praise in this blog...
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Feb 24, 2008 11:42 AM
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