Pete Martell

My feelings about politics and SNL are generally negative, so I will just settle for not seeing Baldwin. I've seen speculation about whether Bill Hader will cameo tonight (as Jim Jordan). I don't really expect it, but who knows.

It's hard for me to say because I thought the show was close to unwatchable for much of her tenure as headwriter - I actually quit watching the show for many years because of that era. I thought the material was lazy, too reliant on pop culture, on one-note cast members (and the talented members of the cast were frequently wasted), and on lazy jokes about ethnicity or homosexuality. Whether that's down to her, or the cast, or my own issues, I don't know, but I just couldn't deal with anymore. If she can bring in change without some of the baggage of that era, I'd be less reticent. Those were crazy circumstances, as Lorne had a terrible relationship with Fred Silverman, the head of NBC at that time, culminating in a situation where Lorne's choice for a replacement, Al Franken, went on Weekend Update and did this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Limo_For_A_Lame-O I think if the show ends it may be more down to shrinking revenues - or they may just start producing some sketches to air online and move away from the television format.

Five timers time.

Rick Ludwin, longtime NBC executive, has passed away. https://deadline.com/2019/11/rick-ludwin-nbc-stalwart-of-three-decade-who-championed-seinfeld-dead-at-71-1202783135/ John Mulaney remembers:

Laurel Griggs, who had small roles in two fall 2017 episodes, has passed away. https://www.thewrap.com/laurel-griggs-broadway-and-snl-actress-dies-at-13/

Yes. https://qz.com/quartzy/1742604/farrow-ball-sketch-snls-policy-on-sponsored-content/ The 73-year old company based in Dorset, England confirmed that it didn’t pay for the spot. Its CEO Anthony Davey told Quartz,“It was a fantastic surprise to see the Farrow & Ball sketch on Saturday Night Live this weekend.” Duolingo also wasn't aware. https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-based-duolingo-a-fan-of-snls-talk-to-kids-skit/ I've seen some say that SNL just likes to use real names in more recent years (after the Safelite mess I imagine they are now only doing that in sketches which are neutral or positive about the product). I think the product placement material may be more along the lines of sketches like this (although I have no idea):

A short interview with the dog (and his owner) in the White House sketch. https://www.insideedition.com/meet-the-dog-from-snl-skit-that-honored-conan-from-isis-raid-57059 Both Duolingo and Farrow and Ball replied to the free publicity they got on this show, although the latter's reply amused me a little more. Hayley Williams (Paramore) also enjoyed Kristen Stewart basically playing her, and made it into a meme. https://www.altpress.com/news/hayley-williams-paramore-snl-kristen-stewart/ It isn't on Youtube yet, but SNL has released Chloe's pre-tape (as mentioned in the dress cuts list) as a "digital exclusive." I'd describe it as if a Nora Dunn character went on a Kyle Mooney walkabout.

Kristen's first episode also had the conclusion to Tontino's, which had built for several seasons and which was the perfect use for her talents. The pre-tapes, the club sketch and the monologue in this episode were the main times I thought they wrote for her rather than giving her generic roles. I suppose that isn't out of the ordinary for use of a host - it's just she seemed so anxious that it gave more of an impression she was unhappy.

I think Che can be funny, particularly when he's trying to set Colin up as some kind of racist, but I have no interest in seeing him play out his bitter feuding with faux-woke social media types. That's all we're getting now. I don't know how this can continue, and I don't see why this should get a national profile. Jost can be gross and frat-ish, but most of the time I can laugh at him, because I think deep down he still sees this as his goofy dream job. I do think he should be winding down his time in the role. The show had no duos (and no female anchors) from 1982-1999. One of the problems with Update, and late night comedy shows in general now, is that they are expected to be serious, go in depth, and essentially be real news. Many people see these shows as real news. That's scary as hell. I prefer the co-anchor format when it's done right, but I'd be fine with one anchor if they get the right person. I'd say Mikey, Ego, or Alex.

I'm not sure but I think I saw someone say that it was longer than usual (the dress). Speaking of random comments, I also saw someone asking if Beck's boss character in the music video was meant to be the same character he played in Do It On My Twin Bed. They don't have the same accent, but the idea does amuse me. Maybe the boss was the younger version of the character...

I read that apparently two of the sketches in tonight's episode (the paint sketch and the jury sketch) were originally written for Emma Stone's last episode and cut in dress. Somehow that fits, as I think both episodes (although I preferred Kristen's episode) had the same problem - the host felt so laid back and so much like a part of the 'family' that the show didn't seem to put in as much effort as they probably could have. There were three sketches I wish they'd cut...others I wish they'd shaped up a little more. Cold open: I've seen a lot of comments about this being Warren propaganda. I suppose I can see why, but I thought this was the first time they tried to address some of the criticisms about Warren. On the positive side, this had much more energy than many cold opens of recent years, some good lines, and used the cast instead of cameos. It's just my amount of interest and entertainment found in any political material on SNL has been limited since somewhere around 1994. Monologue: This felt very low-energy in execution, but I loved the idea of Kristen turning the usual Q&A around by awkwardly asking questions of equally awkward writers...er...cast members. Roasting Pete Davidson for his constant talk of his personal life was amusing. I'm not sure what Beck and Kyle were doing there, but it was nice to see them together again after so rarely having any real material together in the last few seasons. WWII poster: One of the umpteenth Kate and Aidy pieces that I just don't have any real interest in at this point because there have been so many. It was nice to see Chloe and Heidi (Melissa played Rosie the Riveter a few years ago so I'm not sure why she didn't get the role tonight). I wish they'd cut this. Duolingo: Boy did I relate to the idea of having no idea how to talk to kids. This one used Kristen very well and hit all the right notes. Paint: "Crazy Aidy" is probably my favorite Aidy persona, and she and Beck had a good building of tension. I watched this a few times and enjoyed it each time. I wish the ending had been stronger. Dog: I'm just getting a bit fatigued of all the animal-heavy, dog-heavy sketches. I love dogs so much, but I feel like using them so much this season is becoming a way to bypass having to write stronger material. I wish they'd cut this. Corporate: I thought this was great. One of my favorite pieces of the night. I'm glad the show is continuing to move away from the same rap songs week in and week out, and I liked the way they combined the music with an all-too-believe story. A good showcase for Kristen, but also for Kyle - this has been a surprisingly effective season for him so far. If he's leaving it's not a bad way to go. Update: Colin's jokes get cheesier, but his goofy demeanor makes them work. Che's jokes get more and more close to the line, but I thought they were funnier this week. I don't see them lasting on Update much longer, especially with their obvious dislike of Trump jokes. As said above, not that interested in more Kate and Aidy material. I wanted to be more into Melissa's appearance than I was because she gets so few chances. This was well-acted, but as is often the case with Melissa the humor isn't quite there. This felt like a nicer version of a Stephnie Weir-era Mad TV piece, especially when Heidi Gardner came on as her aggressive mother. Jury: This one's gotten a lot of negative comments, and I was there too when the material was just building to a fart joke, but once they got into singing "Pony" I began to enjoy this. We don't get very much of a larger cast having fun this way. I liked getting the opportunity. Club: It felt like the older couple were in a sketch of their own, then Kristen was from another sketch. The balance wasn't quite there. I still liked this sketch - Ego was very good, Kristen's range was perfect for her character, and the "shock" ending actually worked for me. These last two sketches were some of the few of the night that had endings which worked for me. SNL always has such a problem with this. Stargazing: I wanted to enjoy this more than I did, because Beck gets so few leading sketches, but this just felt like a newer and more unfocused version of "luvahs" with Will Ferrell and Rachel Dratch. I always hated those so I didn't need a revival. I wish they'd cut this. Cut from dress: Cut for time sketch. This was a good use of some of the lesser-shown cast and has the weird humor I would like to see more of on the show.

There are a bunch of Halloween costumes up on SNL's Twitter page.