S49.E06: Emma Stone / Noah Kahan

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Emma Stone hosts with musical performer Noah Kahan.

Airing Saturday, December 2, 2023.

[Trini]

 

[grommit2]

Oh boy!
I wonder if there will  be a skit based on La La Land.

[Pete Martell]

 

[xls]

Okay-I get bored with their 'game show' routines! 

Poor tortoise 😢

[formerlyfreedom]

The musical guest isn’t someone I’m familiar with, but damned if I’m not kinda enjoying him. 

[Thalia]

1 minute ago, saoirse said:

The musical guest isn’t someone I’m familiar with, but damned if I’m not kinda enjoying him. 

 I came here to say the same thing.  Usually, if I don't know someone, I listen to a few bars, roll my eyes, and go back to a book.  This guy I liked.  

Which is more than I can say for the live sketches thus far.  I usually enjoy the heck out of Emma Stone on SNL.   Oh well, I'll say this for her.   She's game for anything and gives it her all.  

 

[Phebemarie]

Yikes.  I must be in a grumpy mood tonight; I haven't found anything particularly funny at all.  The pottery skit fell really flat with the audience.  Both of the previews for Emma Stone's movies seemed like a SNL commercial in their bizarreness.  All I've really enjoyed is Chloe Troast's voice, and the musical guest, who has a nice voice, too.  

[xls]

15 minutes ago, Phebemarie said:

Yikes.  I must be in a grumpy mood tonight; I haven't found anything particularly funny at all.  The pottery skit fell really flat with the audience.  Both of the previews for Emma Stone's movies seemed like a SNL commercial in their bizarreness.  All I've really enjoyed is Chloe Troast's voice, and the musical guest, who has a nice voice, too.  

Me ether except the Diet Coke one 

[Galileo908]

Cold Open: Out of all things I was expecting for this, Sarah as Wolf Blitzer was NOT on that list. I WAS expecting the show to trip over itself to take advantage of the last time George Santos, Princess of Genovia, will remain relevant. And here I thought he was gonna sing "Hallelujah," but a spoof of "Candle in The Wind" was more fitting.

Monologue: Cutting to Emma Stone's husband Lorne was great. It was great to see Tina Fey and Candace Bergen again, and they still got it! Loved the digs at John Mulaney and Woody Harrelson.

Question Quest: This was so stupid, I love it. Just an excuse for Joe Vibin (Iove the name) to give away his giant tortoise. I was dying at everything Punkie said. "SAME COLOR PENIS!"

Fully Naked in New York: Fun song. And EVERYONE was naked, not just Emma and Bowen!

Pine River Lodge: Wow, another one of these Lounge Singer sketches. I couldn't get over Emma's lipstick job.

Please Don't Destroy: Punkie as the fake Emma Stone was killing me. It just got sillier and sillier with all the fake AI faces, loved it.

What's in The Kiln?: Gotta love an Aidy/Kate sketch but with Chloe and Heidi. Didn't strike me as strong as the other sketches.

WU: Yeah, big news week. RIP to a former first lady, secretary of state, and SCOTUS Justice. George Santos was all three of those things! And here I was expecting Bowen to play the cigarette. That was a great bit, though.

Mama: Troast as Mama Cass was A+ casting. Emma Stone was having a lot of fun in this one, just letting loose and being silly.

Talking Posters: Huh, another one of these sketches. "You're an instagram model and you host an unpopular podcast!" 

Diet Coke by Olay: I definitely got vibes of the Crystal Gravy commercial for this, in a good way. Just incredibly horrifying, just splashing Diet Coke on yourself. This was definitely a pre-record meant to be slotted in when there's not enough time, since Emma wasn't in this one.

 

Well, Weird SNL came out to play tonight, and the show was better for it. Got two strong hosts to finish the year: Adam Driver next week, and Kate McKinnon after that.

[formerlyfreedom]

Emma was up for everything/anything. The writing really let her down tonight. The musical guest, the monologue, and the PDD pretape were really the only things that I enjoyed. 

[MrWhyt]

pretty pretty pretty good. Loved the cold open and WU. Longfellow seemed to trying to channel Bill Hader in the game show sketch. Loved the complete absurdity of the Mamma Cass sketch. Surprised they didn't mention Scarlett in the 5-timer monologue (she has done it 5 times right, i'm not just going old).

Edited December 3, 2023 by MrWhyt

[Trini]

Cold Open and monologue were great!

'Question Quest' -- loved the twist that it was all to get rid of a tortoise.

'Please Don't Destroy' - eh. My main takeaway was that curly-haired guy is cheating on Lizzo!

'What's in The Kiln?' -- Not enough payoff for all work they put into that pottery theme/set/props.

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Fully Naked in New York: Fun song. And EVERYONE was naked, not just Emma and Bowen!

They somehow missed blurring out one performer in one shot (you could see the skin-colored shorts and bandeau she was wearing); I wonder if they'll be able to edit that for the West coast airing?

[ahisma]

I LOLed during the cold open, PDD, and Weekend Update. (Loved the cigarette!) The musical guest was great. The Olay pre tape was fine. Every other sketch I wish I had fast forwarded. (The only reason I didn’t fast forward the music studio was Troast’s Mama Cass was SO GOOD. I was just trying to listen to her and tried to tune out the sketch.)

[JeanJean]

I thought the Question Quest sketch was really fun. But it went downhill from there for me, although WU was good. Not great, but good. The cigarette bit was funny. The pottery sketch was a snooze. I actually missed the musical guest both times. Wish I hadn't, sounds like he was good.

The song was meh, too predictable, didn't build. I really like Chloe T's singing.

Edited December 3, 2023 by JeanJean

[nickp1991]

The best thing George Santos gave to this country is Bowen Yang as George Santos

[Giuseppe]

7 hours ago, Trini said:

They somehow missed blurring out one performer in one shot (you could see the skin-colored shorts and bandeau she was wearing);

I noticed that too. Think it was Chloe Troast. Can't believe the editors missed that!

I enjoyed Longfellow as the game show host and especially as the cigarette on Update. Seems he hasn't had much to do lately.

[shapeshifter]

Give all the award nominations to Bowen Yang just so more people will see this:

 

[Blakeston]

I knew this one would be a letdown when that unfunny lounge singer sketch was one of the first of the night. They used up their good material very, very quickly.

Strangest thing in this episode? The repeated lyrics in the nudity song about Emma having a big ass.

[cdnalor]

Loved the absurdity of Heidi's character winning three(!) cars just to rub in Emma getting stuck with the tortoise.

The zombie sequence using Mama Cass's song really seemed like it would work in an actual movie.  It's such a familiar trope. Chloe Troast has a pretty decent singing voice.

That voice Emma does as the poster girl is annoyingly bad in my opinion and seems a bit mean to the women who model for a living.  

Emma Stone is 35?  JFC, I'm old, or just out of touch.

Not a bad show all in all.  Not great, but a few good moments.

Edited December 3, 2023 by cdnalor

[Kimmmmmm]

10 minutes ago, cdnalor said:

Loved the absurdity of Heidi's character winning three(!) cars just to rub in Emma getting stuck with the tortoise.

The zombie sequence using Mama Cass's song really seemed like it would work in an actual movie.  It's such a familiar trope. Chloe Troast has a pretty decent singing voice.

Emma Stone is 35?  JFC, I'm old, or just out of touch.

Not a bad show all in all.

I think she's a good enough singer, but all I could think of was how much better Cass was.

[xls]

13 minutes ago, cdnalor said:

The zombie sequence using Mama Cass's song really seemed like it would work in an actual movie.  It's such a familiar trope. Chloe Troast has a pretty decent singing voice.

I remember that song well & she nailed it! 

[peeayebee]

5 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Strangest thing in this episode? The repeated lyrics in the nudity song about Emma having a big ass.

Yeah. Obviously she doesn't have a big ass, so the line about it flapping in the breeze was a head scratcher.

3 minutes ago, cdnalor said:

Loved the absurdity of Heidi's character winning three(!) cars just to rub in Emma getting stuck with the tortoise.

I liked that as well. One of the good parts. Well, maybe there were more. I liked the idea of the host just wanting to get rid of his tortoise, but I didn't like Michael in that role. Generally I don't think he's very good or funny. In this sketch I did like Punkie's lines, but overall I thought this could have been better with a different person playing the host. Oh, I also liked Chloe as the model.

However, I DID like Michael as the cigarette. The costume was really good, and so was he. There have been a couple of times he was on WU where I thought he was funny.

OK, back to the CO. Sarah as Wolf Blitzer was a no-go for me. I guess it's my general dislike of how she performs. But yay for Bowen as Santos. Great lines. Also, in the song, I loved that they rhymed Forrest Gump with Donald Trump. 

The naked sketch was weird. Who thought that up? I often wonder how they come up with these ideas. It was a little funny at first, but then I got bored.

The Kenan lounge singer sketch -- whatever you call it -- was blah. I don't think there was anything there that made me laugh.

please don't destroy was another meh. 

What's In The Kiln was another bore. And I just knew someone would show their genitalia ceramic work. I also disliked seeing Chloe and Heidi trying to do a Kate and whoever impression.

WU. I never heard of rizz. I guess I have no charisma. I also think that people who use the word rizz have no charisma. I did like Colin's line about the Staten Island Ferry he bought.

Chloe was good as Mama Cass. I keep wondering who it is she reminds me of. Rachel Bloom? I'm not sure that's it. As for the sketch, it was ok.

I think I might have asked this question when the last posters-come-to-life sketch aired: I know David Beckham, but were the other poster people real?

Diet Coke as skin care. Yawn.

So, not a great show. I FF'd thru the musical performances. He sounded ok, but maybe I'll go back and listen.

[xls]

Not a fan of country music if that what that was. Wish they would get better musical acts.

SNL has gotten too tame over the years they need some hosts who are really out there! 

Would love to see Kiss, Alice Cooper, or Ozzy as host & musical guest -that would be a scream! 

[Red Bridey]

Well, it seems I am the only one who knows Noah Kahan! Finally, an SNL musical guest I've actually heard of. But I live in Vermont where he hails from and is HUGE, I'll tell you, HUGE. I enjoyed him. The rest: meh. 

[MrWhyt]

also: thanks NBC, I'm going to take up smoking to look cool.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

The naked sketch was weird. Who thought that up? I often wonder how they come up with these ideas. It was a little funny at first, but then I got bored.

I have to admit I started to compare it unfavourably to Everybody's Gotta Get Naked from Schmicago. "What if we meet in the middle and say clothing optional?"

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

What's In The Kiln was another bore. And I just knew someone would show their genitalia ceramic work. I also disliked seeing Chloe and Heidi trying to do a Kate and whoever impression.

My expectations were low going in so I actually was pleasantly surprised by Chloe and Heidi here.

2 hours ago, cdnalor said:

Loved the absurdity of Heidi's character winning three(!) cars just to rub in Emma getting stuck with the tortoise.

And that Punkie was utterly incapable of coming up with a correct response in order to win the tortoise from Emma. And that Longfellow's work was done once he had unloaded his tortoise and therefore there would be no future episodes.

 

[Not4Me]

13 hours ago, ahisma said:

Every other sketch I wish I had fast forwarded. (The only reason I didn’t fast forward the music studio was Troast’s Mama Cass was SO GOOD. I was just trying to listen to her and tried to tune out the sketch.)

The real criminal offense was not letting Chloe complete the rest of the Cass Elliot song. The few notes we heard from her was unexpected and a welcome departure from a mediocre sketch. 

Edit: I rewatched it and I saw the first minute I missed out on. Now having understood why the skit focused on this song since it’s been TikTok viral kind of brings more logic to the skit. Still would’ve preferred to hear Chloe do a full cover.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Not4Me

[heatherchandler]

4 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I knew this one would be a letdown when that unfunny lounge singer sketch was one of the first of the night. They used up their good material very, very quickly.

Strangest thing in this episode? The repeated lyrics in the nudity song about Emma having a big ass.

I too knew it would be a terrible show when that was up so early.  What’s going on with this show lately?  
 

I was also taken out of the song by the “big fat ass” lyric.  They should have changed that.

[BookThief]

2 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

Well, it seems I am the only one who knows Noah Kahan! Finally, an SNL musical guest I've actually heard of. But I live in Vermont where he hails from and is HUGE, I'll tell you, HUGE. I enjoyed him. The rest: meh. 

I'm not from Vermont, but I Shazam-ed him last winter when I first heard "Stick Season" on the local college radio station and needed to know who that was immediately and I've been obsessed since! He's so good. He has a different sound and I tend to be a sucker for a banjo. I was glad to see him on and agree that the rest was just meh.

[juno]

3 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

What’s going on with this show lately?  

I always thought that even though the writing remains weak, they used to have really good performers to make up for it. Beck, Aidy, Kate, Pete, Cecily and others could pull the mediocre writing out of the depths and help the skits succeed.

They are all gone now, and the show is left with cast members that are much less skilled and talented than those that left. I thing that we are left with a weaker show now.

[possibilities]

I felt bad for the tortoise. She looked uncomfortable, turning to the wall and also... don't break my heart. Unloved animals make me sad, even when it's fiction.

I thought naked in NYC was fun. Though, yeah, Emma's ass is not fat.

Pottery sketch lost a lot of its humor because they took out the lesbian aspect. They could have left it ambiguous but apparently it was really important to emphasize that the ladies have husbands. Pfeh.

WU was fun, about average for WU, I'd say.

Enjoyed the Mama Cass sketch. 

I thought Physics was going to be a take off on A Christmas Carol, with the visitations from physics past and future, and was wondering what that would look like, but I was fine with the direction they went with it. I do also wonder if the other ones (besides David Beckham) are real people I don't know about. I am assuming yes, and that they are well-known on TIkTok or Instagram or some other format I have no clue about.

Diet Coke Olay was funny. Cosmetic commercials (and cosmetics generally) are just about that stupid, in my opinion. 

I'm generally not a fan of Emma Stone, but she did seem willing to throw herself into everything she was given and did as good a job as could be done.

 

 

[Nellise]

20 minutes ago, juno said:

I always thought that even though the writing remains weak, they used to have really good performers to make up for it. Beck, Aidy, Kate, Pete, Cecily and others could pull the mediocre writing out of the depths and help the skits succeed.

They are all gone now, and the show is left with cast members that are much less skilled and talented than those that left. I thing that we are left with a weaker show now.

It feels like they're trying to bump Chloe Fineman up to a lead performer but it's just not there, and the only new person to make any impact the past few years is Sarah Sherman but her stuff is weird enough that it'll never be super popular. None of the new people have made any impact. The only one I remember the name of is Marcello and that's because I'm waiting to see if he'll ever do a joke that isn't just him speaking Spanish.

Bowen and Kenan are the only ones that seem to be top tier right now where I like almost everything they do.

[peeayebee]

I agree about Bowen and Kenan, but I would add Ego and Andrew Dismukes (autocorrected to Dislikes :D). Andrew has really surprised me. I'm not sure what happened, but I think he's consistently funny. Punkie also is pretty reliable. JAJ is another who delivers. The others are, I think, hit or miss.

[DanaMB]

8 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

Well, it seems I am the only one who knows Noah Kahan! Finally, an SNL musical guest I've actually heard of. But I live in Vermont where he hails from and is HUGE, I'll tell you, HUGE. I enjoyed him. The rest: meh. 

I knew who he was. Granted I only know those two songs but like both. Isn’t Post Malone on aversion of Dial Drunk? I wondered if he might show up, but of course he did not.

[Pete Martell]

On 12/3/2023 at 6:28 PM, juno said:

I always thought that even though the writing remains weak, they used to have really good performers to make up for it. Beck, Aidy, Kate, Pete, Cecily and others could pull the mediocre writing out of the depths and help the skits succeed.

They are all gone now, and the show is left with cast members that are much less skilled and talented than those that left. I thing that we are left with a weaker show now.

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.

 

[peeayebee]

The cut sketch with the snakes sounds funny. Too bad it was cut.

[proserpina65]

I didn't really find much in this episode funny at all.  I did like the musical guest, though.

On 12/3/2023 at 11:12 AM, peeayebee said:

WU. I never heard of rizz. I guess I have no charisma. I also think that people who use the word rizz have no charisma. I did like Colin's line about the Staten Island Ferry he bought.

I had heard of rizz but didn't know what it meant, so I guess I probably don't have any.

 

[Ottis]

On 12/3/2023 at 12:45 AM, Phebemarie said:

Yikes.  I must be in a grumpy mood tonight; I haven't found anything particularly funny at all.

I was talking to a neighbor this morning who randomly said this same thing, to which I agreed. That was one of the least funny eps of SNL I have watched, and I have been around for almost all 49+ years. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't funny. Emma Stone, who I at first didn't recognize, was fine.

On 12/3/2023 at 11:52 AM, Blakeston said:

Strangest thing in this episode? The repeated lyrics in the nudity song about Emma having a big ass.

That and the fact that they missed blurring one vast member partway through. She was visible in her flesh-colored wraps. The skit was one-note and dull, IMO.

I don't understand why they are struggling so much, given how few shows they do each year now (they did 24 the first season, they did 18 last season). Their best shot at being funny seems to come from parody skits of pop culture, but they seem to always choose politics now (which is rarely funny now, given reality) or weird trends that are mostly NYC. Most of the repeating characters are obnoxious.

I've always liked SNL's absurd skits that make you go, "What in the world?" But they do very few of those. The best skit they have done in years, IMO, is the George Washington "weights and measures" one from a few weeks ago.

We've seen Noah in concert. The female members of our family love him. I suspect it has, at least in part, something to do with his "Jason Momoa" look. He i talented, though, and far better than the "musical" acts we often see on SNL.

[lou ann b]

On 12/3/2023 at 12:06 PM, Kimmmmmm said:

I think she's a good enough singer, but all I could think of was how much better Cass was.

That's not fair disparaging Chloe in comparison to Cass. Cass has always been one of my favorites from that era.

Chloe has a great voice and is her own person.

 

[Ottis]

32 minutes ago, lou ann b said:

That's not fair disparaging Chloe in comparison to Cass. Cass has always been one of my favorites from that era.

Chloe has a great voice and is her own person.

 

And it is a comedy impression, for Pete’s sake. The point isn’t to sound as good as the original. If the poster meant that it just made them think of Cass, that’s fair. But most skits make viewers think of whoever they are parodying.

[Kimmmmmm]

1 hour ago, lou ann b said:

That's not fair disparaging Chloe in comparison to Cass. Cass has always been one of my favorites from that era.

Chloe has a great voice and is her own person.

 

Oh, well... I said what I said 😊  IMO, Chloe is good, not great.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Kimmmmmm

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, Ottis said:

I've always liked SNL's absurd skits that make you go, "What in the world?" But they do very few of those. 

I also love the absurd skits. I've complained before, and I'll complain again: I hate when a sketch goes for sexual or toilet humor, like with this ep's ceramics ep. Of course they went for the bowl-shaped-like-a-vagina joke. Well, I thought it was going to be a penis, so I was wrong there. But the writers seem to think that a sex-based punchline is always funny. It's not. The object could have been a small bust of the other cohost, and of course looking nothing like her. 

I'm not a prude, but when the default is penis or vagina or intercourse, it's a big disappointment. And it's not character-based either. I love when the humor comes from the characters and the performances.

[Tachi Rocinante]

6 hours ago, Ottis said:

I've always liked SNL's absurd skits that make you go, "What in the world?" But they do very few of those. The best skit they have done in years, IMO, is the George Washington "weights and measures" one from a few weeks ago.

I don't understand the love for that one.  It was funny, but nothing extraordinary.   And 1,000 pounds has been a half ton for a very long time.

For the absurd, I always go back to the baking contest skits. Predictable, but funny.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Arriving late to party:

Bowen was born to play Santos. Or Dr. Tony Goldman. Goodbye Congress Queen!

Emma Stone is married to Lorne Michaels. Figures. Maybe he'll quit and let her take over SNL. She could probably fit it in between her piddly Hollywood jobs.

So they give you a previously worn Five Timers jacket? I thought everyone got their own new one.

Adolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. No. Just no.

I did not have a music video about fully naked NYC public service workers on my Things That Will Render Me Speechless bingo card.

Oh noes, the Hermès suede scooter boots!

Wait, Emma and that guy Martin from Please Don't Destroy are in love? Wonder if her husband Lorne knows she's cheating on him with one of his employees?

The handmade pottery sketch was slightly reminiscent of Schweddy Balls. But then it took a turn.

WU:
Huh, I thought the orange jesus thing originated on reddit.
SNL left a joke on the table during the cigarette bit. It's been recently reported that scientists are on the verge of bringing back the dodo from extinction. So there's hope for cigarettes too.

I'll never forget the first time I heard David Beckham talk, years ago. I initially thought he was joking. But I heard him again recently and it sounded like he had gotten some voice training. SNL and Mikey did him kinda wrong.

Emma tried hard but it probably would've taken five five-timers to save this episode.

[Trini]

16 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I'll never forget the first time I heard David Beckham talk, years ago. I initially thought he was joking. But I heard him again recently and it sounded like he had gotten some voice training. SNL and Mikey did him kinda wrong.

I think some lines in the sketch were acknowledging that Mikey isn't convincing as Beckham.

[Pete Martell]

On 12/5/2023 at 7:04 PM, Trini said:

I think some lines in the sketch were acknowledging that Mikey isn't convincing as Beckham.

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.

 

On 12/5/2023 at 9:27 AM, Ottis said:

I don't understand why they are struggling so much, given how few shows they do each year now (they did 24 the first season, they did 18 last season). Their best shot at being funny seems to come from parody skits of pop culture, but they seem to always choose politics now (which is rarely funny now, given reality) or weird trends that are mostly NYC. Most of the repeating characters are obnoxious.

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.