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Pete Martell

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Everything posted by Pete Martell

  1. The PDD short cut at the last minute. I don't think this is anything great, but it's a much better performance than Jacob Elordi gave the rest of the night. I wish SNL wasn't so afraid of having more dramatic performances amidst comedy.
  2. Apparently, Sarah also had that line in dress rehearsal, when she had more applause. I assume it was written for her and it came off worse live because of the subdued crowd. I've heard a few podcasts with JAJ doing Trump, the same riffing he does on the show, and I think it works better in that format. The main problem is I just don't find anything about Trump funny. I never did, but more than ever, I can't watch it. And the impression is running into everything that Jason Sudeikis' Biden impression did where it no longer resembles the man himself. I say this as someone who genuinely enjoys JAJ as a cast member in many areas of the show. I wish he was not so closely tied to this one impression because I think it's going to work against him. I saw some people saying he's losing weight for his new movie (where he's playing Frankenstein's Monster). I think he may also just look better on film. I don't think Elordi was one of the worst hosts ever, but I think he was an extremely limited host, no comedic timing or talent whatsoever, and no real charisma either. The last I saw who was so limited was Jonathan Majors. When you have a host so limited, you need to be in a much stronger creative position than SNL has been in a number of years. The other problem for me was that I just didn't think Elordi was more attractive than most of the men in the cast, so when this was a major premise, I immediately checked out. The sketches that did have some interesting premises (like the lip-reading or the acting class) felt very bogged down in execution, although I liked elements of them. I think the bowling sketch was the only one I would watch again from this episode. Beyond the writing issues, I maintain that the current show does not seem to have any real faith in or ability to use most of their cast. We get so much Bowen, sometimes I think down to the show not trusting a lot of cast members who aren't as popular or established. And even after five seasons Chloe Fineman still doesn't seem natural to me - during that women's support group sketch I kept thinking how much better Aidy Bryant would have been in the same part. At first, I was against that whole bit because it's hard to laugh at what happened, but Punkie has such a great energy and warmth, maybe the most of anyone in the cast right now. Speaking of Update, that rambling "both sides" bit at the start just left me feeling annoyed the whole rest of the time.
  3. Taran Killam career interview. https://www.vulture.com/article/taran-killam-snl-comedy-interview.html Kate McKinnon is joining the new Minecraft movie. https://deadline.com/2024/01/minecraft-kate-mckinnon-jemaine-clement-1235796568/ Season 2 of Nasim Pedrad's sitcom Chad is now on Roku. Cecily Strong's sitcom, Schmigadoon, has been canceled. Bob Odenkirk talks about his love of The Royle Family. https://variety.com/2023/tv/columns/bob-odenkirk-the-royle-family-favorite-tv-show-1235833329/ Michaela Watkins has a small role in a movie whose title I probably can't type out. https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/12/15/xlnuonpslzldoiqfct79ufzzh7jm1d New Jenny Slate show. https://deadline.com/2024/01/jenny-slate-michelle-williams-dying-for-sex-fx-1235795295/ A fun recent interview with Conan O'Brien while he was visiting Ireland. Tina Fey on Seth (one of two clips) Rachel Dratch I am probably posting too many clips as it is so I'll just say there are also interviews on there with Amy Poehler, Robert Smigel and Fred Armisen from the past month.
  4. The other promo for this week was already posted in the media thread. Here's a fun Instagram promo (no spoilers but it is a spoof on a big scene from one of Elordi's recent films): https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Sb3m-ujHu/
  5. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/brian-mcconnachie-dead-sctv-saturday-night-live-1235783464/ Brian McConnachie wrote for SNL in season 4, reportedly due to being offered the opportunity after a piece he had written for National Lampoon or somewhere else was used in an early episode (I think it was the police lineup runner in the Richard Pryor episode). He was involved with a number of sketches, like one from the Frank Zappa episode where an everyday family kept a prison in their home because they needed the money, and another where Elliott Gould, drunk and on the streets at Christmas, dreamt of various "spirits." This is the one that is most easily available to see, one that left Michael Palin, the host, very impressed, according to his diaries.
  6. Marcello talks about food: https://www.eatingwell.com/marcello-hernandez-snacks-on-set-saturday-night-live-interview-8419977 Chloe Troast profile: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a46440397/chloe-troast-snl-2024-debut-season-interview/ Chloe Fineman: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tropical-smoothie-cafe-announces-2024-partnership-with-snls-chloe-fineman-in-new-national-advertising-campaign-302031300.html https://www.travelandleisure.com/chloe-fineman-snl-solo-celebrity-travel-paris-california-8424407 Kenan on NPR's Fresh Air: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/07/1197959144/snls-kenan-thompson
  7. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/dakota-johnson-snl-justin-timberlake-guest-1235879015/ The January 27th episode will be hosted by Dakota Johnson, with musical guest Justin Timberlake. Johnson hosted in early 2015, the first episode after the 40th anniversary. That was not a very well-received episode, although I'm not sure how much of that was down to her. Here's a quick list of that episode: http://www.snlarchives.net/Episodes/?20150228 Dakota does have a place in pop culture (her promos for that new Madame Web movie have gone viral) but I wasn't too sure she'd be hosting again. I wonder if they may have wanted Sydney Sweeney, who is also in that movie and has had some other recent successful projects. Still, if the show uses Dakota's deadpan the right way, especially in pre-tapes, it could work. This is Timberlake's first appearance since the 40th anniversary. I'm surprised he has come back, but then his career isn't what it once was. I think he made the right choice to not host again, if it was his choice. Andy Samberg seems to not have any real interest in returning to SNL (although he did return for one short when Natalie Portman hosted again, so you never know), but I could see Jimmy Fallon coming back and doing a sketch or two with Timberlake for nostalgia's sake. That we got this announcement so late and also didn't get one for the third episode makes me wonder if they're scrambling to get bookings right now. In other news, an interview with SNL's guitarist, Maddie Rice. https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-guitarist-maddie-rice-interview.html Casting announcements have started for the SNL 1975 biopic being directed by Jason Reitman. https://deadline.com/2024/01/the-fablemans-gabriel-labelle-lorne-michaels-snl-1975-cooper-hoffman-rachel-sennott-1235797505/
  8. Steven Castillo, who wrote for SNL from season 45-mid 47 (and returned for Tiny Horse 2), has announced he's back on a permanent basis starting with the next episode. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1upC6KgwPz/
  9. Tonight's Vintage is another repeat of the SNL Christmas special Merry Christmas, everyone.
  10. Molly Kearney's Update piece. You don't get many cut for time Update pieces (there were a few in season 47, then you start getting scraps earlier on like Tom Hanks from season 42, etc.).
  11. She hosted back in season 47 and did a nice job - you can find most of her sketches on Youtube. He was also the male lead in the Kissing Booth movies, although he has said how much he dislikes them. I was watching the aftershow on Saturday Night Network, and they mentioned that there was a cut sketch with Trump, Rudy, Clarence Thomas, Don Jr, and Biden (Andrew Dismukes played Biden, as Mikey was playing Don Jr). I have a feeling they are on high alert after the backlash to the last cold open. This cold open was more "oh that's relatable...I guess," than humor, although I was glad to see most of the cast get a turn. There were a few funny moments, like Michael holding the big dog, and Devon's deep embarrassment over his girlfriend. The whole thing reminded me of this old sketch, which was better. Still, I don't mind something that is safe filler opening up an episode over more dazed and confused political material. I know they didn't actually say it, but the implication of Kate, Maya and Kristen being contemporaries on the show threw me (as you said, Kate and Maya were never in the cast together, unless you count season 46, and Kristen and Kate only briefly overlapped). Then in the tampon pre-tape, you also had Paula Pell, who was leaving SNL by the time Kate joined. I wonder if this means Cecily and Aidy won't be coming back anytime soon (especially Cecily after whatever happened last week). This may be an episode I would enjoy more on a rewatch. The first half I couldn't get into because everything just felt like something I'd seen better versions of on the show before, or just felt too padded, or both (I liked Pongo, but I went from thinking they were going to redo the Christmas robe pre-tape with Kristen to waiting for it to end). I did enjoy Update (even if Ego's piece also felt too long - again, I liked it a little more on a rewatch) and most of the back half of the episode, aside from Cinema Classics, which seemed to greatly suffer from timing issues due to going between sets. The office gift sketch, aside from SNL's usual flaw of not having an ending, was creative and the main piece I will take away from this episode. I will give Kate some praise for not bringing back all her greatest hits. They uploaded one of the cut pre-tapes. I would have kept this in the episode over the tampon pre-tape, which I'd guess had to stay in because of the cameos. I've enjoyed more of the season than I haven't, but I hope they use the break to reassess what is working and what isn't. And to stop finding someone who is always overused - I like Mikey, but I'm just tuning him out lately because he's on so much.
  12. I think Seth brings out the best in SNL people on his show, but also it was more interesting to me because he was on the backfoot with the audience and had to adjust to them. I still enjoy him on Update but one of the reasons I'm hoping this is his last season is because everything there has become very cozy and centers so much around him to where I don't think he has to push as much anymore.
  13. PDD Bowen Yang Colin Jost. (this has two parts)
  14. The elderly prank pre-tape had a strange tone which came across as someone possibly realizing during the process that the joke wasn't actually there. Moments that on paper I would have thought might be mocking, like the old man who pees his pants, or the old woman who is lied to by her grandkids about their sexuality, or the grandmother who thinks she's going to have dinner with Jesus, were taken seriously in the footage. I've seen a few people say they should have ended with the seniors pranking the teens. That would have been a little trite, but at least had the comedy elements. I am not sure what was going on here, although at least some of the lesser used cast members got to do dramatic work. I don't think SNL has ever had a uniform vision, which is a good thing, but when the show isn't properly supervised (which I think has been the case for a while now), you get very perplexing pieces like this pre-tape or the cold open (in my opinion). I don't even want to get into the topic at hand, other than saying it's so far out of the depth of what SNL could cover even in most of its best years. I don't know how that cold open got on the air...if there is any humor, it wasn't going to be found in another version of "both sides are nutty."
  15. I didn't pay any attention to Olivia Rodrigo's songs (I tried to watch the second performance but it just felt like a lot of silly posturing) but I saw that she is apparently a fan of one of Julia Stiles' biggest movies (10 Things I Hate About You). I noticed they were talking on the stage at the goodnights. I'm happy for her if she got to meet an idol. I haven't seen Julia Stiles in anything in a long time (I know she was in Hustlers, the movie JLo hosted for in season 45 around this time), but I remember her SNL episode from 2001. She was a very likeable host. She even came back to cameo. She said years later that she wished she could have hosted again. I was never expecting her to be on this show again, but I was happy to see her. This is the type of surprise cameo I want...not Alec Baldwin. I am not into Chloe Fineman's work on SNL but I preferred this experiment away from the desk to more of her impressions or characters (she's at her best in support parts - she was great in the Old Friend pre-tape tonight). As for Adam Driver, I think he is a genius SNL host, one of the best they've ever had. He's so good that a part of me was nervous about him hosting again because of high expectations. His season 44 episode had so much content exploiting Pete Davidson's relationship with Ariana Grande that it's still something I wouldn't want to rewatch. Adam's first three episodes did have a big "event" sketch for him that I'm not sure this episode had, but other than how forgettable the prank PSA and bag sketches at the end were, I thought he was well-used through the episode. The baby sketch was one of those pieces I can see very few other hosts pulling off. He made all the emotions and reactions oddly believable, endearing and insane all at once. And the "beep beep" sketch with Adam and Andrew Dismukes facing off (Andrew helped write the Del Taco sketch from Adam's last episode so I was glad to see them together). Even the home shopping sketch, which was just a rewritten version of the same sketch a few years ago with Jerrod Carmichael, he helped to sell (although my favorite part of that was the callers, especially Kenan). Or the sketch where he and Bowen were partners, which could have been lazy gay jokes but instead turned into an interesting character piece. Of course, Adam helps make anything better, but I do think there was a lot of decent writing in place for him too. This was the second-best episode of the season for me, after Nate Bargatze's, which probably shows how uneven the other episodes have been but is still good enough for me as after how exhausted they seemed with Emma Stone last week I thought this might have been a snooze, or an outright dud. I do wish they'd shortened Update and put on a few more sketches, as so many of the jokes went right over me. I don't think their hearts are in it anymore, and it's getting harder for me to watch Che tell odd jokes, then burst out laughing at them, or at the audience not responding. Amazingly, for the first time in what seems like a year (the last I remember is one from Austin Butler's episode, although I may be wrong), SNL's Youtube account uploaded two cut sketches. I would have put both in the episode (I think the film panel sketch wasn't put in because of a technical error in dress rehearsal - the other I would guess might be because of the dark humor).
  16. This is one of the oddest SNL stories I've heard in a good long while. Apparently (there was talk about this on Twitter and later on the Saturday Night Network podcast), Cecily Strong played this role (Elise Stefanik) in dress rehearsal. There is no word of why she wasn't on the live show. I've seen fans speculate SNL decided to save her first cameo for Kate's upcoming episode. Or that she backed out because of the subject matter or how incredibly questionable the writing was. Or that Lorne pulled her out because he didn't want her to get a negative response. Whatever the reason, I felt very bad for Chloe Troast. Yes, it's her job, and I could say hey, look at the faith they have in her to give her this big part in only six episodes. But the circumstances, and the timing, and the likely hate she's going to get that had nothing to do with her and she was pushed into last minute...oof.
  17. A 2019 Robert Smigel interview with the TV Academy has been uploaded in full. https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/robert-smigel Kenan has a new production company, and a new autobiography. https://www.ign.com/articles/kenan-thompson-is-turning-a-mystery-playstation-game-into-a-cartoon https://ew.com/kenan-thompson-almost-quit-saturday-night-live-after-rookie-mistakes-8411031 Kenan and Ego also have new-ish ads out. (I've seen several Ego ads for Pizza Hut) Bob Odenkirk's AMC show was canceled, but he is appearing on David Cross' new podcast.
  18. Chloe Fineman: https://www.today.com/video/chloe-fineman-talks-interior-design-relationship-with-sister-snl-199651397899 https://www.today.com/video/see-snl-star-chloe-fineman-s-hilarious-meryl-streep-impression-199648325515 Sarah: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/sarah-sherman-snl-talking-meatball-vomit-1235814253/
  19. Mikey is not very good at British accents (as many American actors aren't, and vice/versa). I was glad they at least admitted it and had fun with it. I think it's down to how in flux the cast and writing rooms are. Some people who should leave haven't, others who were talented did leave. That and I guess they don't know what people want to see. I feel like they've been trying to bring back recurring characters in the last season or two, maybe because some fans want them...most of the time when they try I'm just reminded why I don't need them. I have enjoyed this season more than last season, but you could definitely feel how tired everyone was.
  20. I liked everyone you listed (some more than others), but I think their staying as long as they did helped lead to some of the current problems, because the writing became so tailored to their voices. As a result, a number of cast members left in their wake are trying to be them, or fill a "star" void, rather than what is true to themselves. The cast members I struggle to watch most in the last few seasons - Bowen, Heidi, Chloe Fineman - all feel like they are constantly being put in the idea of what Kate would be, or what Cecily or Aidy would be, rather than what suits them most. I got such terrible deja vu with Bowen and the piano to Kate and the piano that I actually had to mentally check out the rest of the cold open because otherwise I would have shut the episode off. And when Heidi and Chloe were doing that kiln sketch all I could think was I'd seen this with Kate and Aidy, and seen it with Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer, etc. Many of the better writers of those years are also gone, replaced by writers who don't have as unique of voices, or aren't having their voices amplified in ways they could be. Most of my favorite current cast members are people who have more of their own voice, or who can use some old styles but make them their own. If not for cast members like Punkie, JAJ, Dismukes, and to a degree Michael Longfellow, Marcello, Ego (now that she isn't trying to do "wacky" recurring characters), I'm not sure I'd keep on watching. Dress rehearsal report for the episode.
  21. Aidy Bryant is hosting the Independent Spirit Awards, haven of a number of SNL cast members and writers. https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/aidy-bryant-hosts-independent-spirit-awards-1235814033/ Nasim Pedrad. https://www.irvinestandard.com/2023/profile-nasim-pedrad/ Luke Null. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2023/11/28/luke-nell-snl-teaming-up-wayne-brady-chase-crawford/71574205007/ Kenan is in Good Burger 2 and Trolls World Tour. (a ton of SNL alum made cameos in Good Burger 2) Adam Sandler, Cecily Strong and Rob Schneider are in Adam's new Netflix animated film, Leo. Rob Riggle and Jay Mohr will be in the upcoming "adult animated comedy" Mr. Birchum. Eddie Murphy has a new Prime Video movie, Candy Cane Lane.
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