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S50.E15: Lady Gaga

Galileo908

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JeanJean

JeanJean

(edited)
20 minutes ago, buttersister said:

I’ll record and use ff. Tuned in to see tfg, the Nazi and Spineless Marco. Don’t care what they were saying it was like seeing Adolf, Goerring and Eichmann. Hard pass.

They do them way too benignly. At this point, it just makes me feel bad.

I remember when Phil Hartman played Reagan as truly evil. They need that kind of bite, and more.

Edited by JeanJean
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Lantern7

Lantern7

(edited)

Well, at least we got a pug. I don't think it was the same one as the Trump Dog sketches. Remembering his fur pattern, I think that one is no longer with us.

Just now, buttersister said:

I’ll record and use ff. Tuned in to see tfg, the Nazi and Spineless Marco. Don’t care what they were saying it was like seeing Adolf, Goerring and Eichmann. Hard pass.

Eh. Marcello plays Marco as out of his depth, Mike Myers plays Elon as a maniac, JAJ plays Trump well  . . . but like I've said, even a well-played Trump is still a Trump, and therefore detestable. At least they didn't recreate the State of the Union.

Edited by Lantern7
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Galileo908

Galileo908

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Cold Open: Starting with last week's original cold open. Not much really happened in this one. Okay, Marco Rubio Mark Ruby staring off into space while the Curb theme played was great. Mike Meyers came back as Elon, and he had to give a Dr. Evil finger (it was inevitable). He has his cringe energy down pat. I would still like to see cold opens about literally anything else.

Monologue: And now a host with actual talent. "There's no need to google SNL 2013 Lady Gaga featuring R Kelly" got me. 

Alicia: And here I thought the sketch was gonna revolve around the dog. Nope! Dumb sketch about riding luggage like a scooter! Loved the fourth wall break of the chase through the studio hallway. And how the obvious dog puppet had its own scooter.

Midnight Matinee: Lady Gaga singing a song to a Stuart Little parody was also not on the bingo card tonight. That was great, hell of a payoff. You'd think Pip was gonna get crushed, only for Marcello to get it instead was fun.

Wine: Bowen got to sing a duet with Lady Gaga. Between that and Wicked, I know his life is complete now. That was real fun. "A man of fine tastes. "Yes. In wine, niche anime, and women."

Funeral Planning: This was an excuse to get Lady Gaga into flapper gear, wasn't it? (Holy quick change!) I wish the throughline of Ego's father's murder was played into more, but I thought this one was delightfully silly.

Loreal Easy Run Mascara: This was a fun one.

Lady Gaga 1: I got mesmerized by this.

WU: "American comedy jobs are being stolen by filthy Canadians!" (pic of Mike Meyers as White Kanye Elon Musk). That Cookie Monster joke made me gasp, and Update rarely does that for me.

And how long was this show sitting on a Lord Gaga sketch? It was silly. And he was the latest in Update characters to just twist the knife into Colin about Scarlett being more successful.

Friendly's: Holy crap, of all the product placement! "It feels wrong to lie at Friendly's." And somehow the waiters know and they go all Indiana Jones on liars lol. Someone in the subreddit went on the NBC tour today and saw them rehearsing this sketch and only described this as "Indiana Jones punch ice cream thing." But MAN, the whole sketch was building to the staff going Kalima on Heidi's heart and something missed its cue and the whole sketch fizzled out. We'll probably get the dress version uploaded tomorrow.

Lady Gaga 2: Ooh, musical performance using the hallway. No showgirls or Lincoln? Boo. But that was still a great performance. That was an all timer, and that's not saying it lightly.

Little Red Glasses: Such a hilariously specific observation. I can picture all these characters wearing those glasses. Love how the styles came in Chuck Schumer and Mom From Bob's Burgers (Love the shout out to Linda! She's 100% a little red glasses type!)

No More Slay: Another Bowen/Gaga duet! And it's about stopping cringey slang! "Am I delulu?" "You're not delulu, you're 32!" Silly, but man, you could tell they only had three minutes for this.

Between last week and this week? Like night and DAY. God DAMN, was this a fun one. Everyone was just having fun and being silly. You know when a host is comfortable on SNL, and Lady Gaga is as comfortable as they come.

5 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

I remember when Phil Hartman played Reagan as truly evil. They need that kind of bite, and more.

Ironically, portraying them as true evil would play well with them. Portraying them as the pathetic shlubs they are is the better route. Unfortunately, you run the risk of humanizing them in the process.

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Slade347

Slade347

 

Were there any cast members (besides Che & Jost) who were not in the Friendly's sketch? I thought last week's show was better. That one had at least a couple of funny sketches. This one just seemed to have one unfunny mess after another. The only laugh out loud moments I can remember having during a sketch in this episode were Pip's ending and the Curb music playing while focusing in on Rubio in the cold open. 

I do agree that Weekend Update was great.l, though. And I appreciated Lady Gaga's willingness to mix in the goofiness in her musical performances to go along with her obvious talent. 

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iarwain

iarwain

I thought it was a better than average show.  I actually laughed out loud several times.  Sometimes I can sit through the whole show without laughing.  

Lady Gaga sure earned her money.  I think she was in every sketch, aside from the open and Weekend Update.  Speaking of which, WU seemed especially "dirty" this week.  

Liked how Mike Myers threw in the Lorne Michaels/Dr. Evil gesture.

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Ottis

Ottis

(edited)

Humor is so interesting. What's viewed as "funny" is different to different people, and varies over time. Still, there are some aspects of humor, or lack of humor, that are consistent.

For instance, the bit featuring Big Perk on WU. I watch sports shows and am familiar with Perk. Nothing about that skit had anything to do with how Perk is viewed. He does have a beard, as does James Harden and others. But his defining characteristic is that he can glower and be intimidating, especially when he is "debating" on TV. I don't know who that Big Perk was, he made up out of whole cloth and none of the humor worked.

Then, take the Pip film. For most of that skit I was bored and ready to call it unimaginative and cliched (yes, Stuart Little, etc.). And truthfully, they would have been smarter to pick a different, small animal than a mouse and a different name than Pip. And the singing bits were too many. But ... that ending, where exactly 2 ounces of strength were needed, and then the bite with "it was an accident, right?" was very good. The pacing was off, but the humor was on target.

"Vibe" funeral had a chance but didn't really go anywhere after setting up the concept.

The Alicia/riding suitcase skit was one note and boring.

The running mascara commercial was also one-note, and an odd choice for Int'l Women's Day.

I can't even remember the wine skit and I just watched it 30 minutes ago.

WU was OK, not a lot of cleverness. The Honey Smacks joke was good a good visual.

Friendlies was classic SNL, mixing real life and absurdist humor. Lots of chuckles, especially the way the other people at the table speak the demon names so casually.

Little Red Glasses ... I can't get past the NY/NJ accents.

8 hours ago, JeanJean said:

They do them way too benignly. At this point, it just makes me feel bad.

Yeah, the Trump "humor" is a struggle, and when they do things like sarcastically voice over that Trump's presidency is off to a smooth start you just know Trump will take that literally. They need to be far more clear on the ridiculousness of Trump.

4 hours ago, iarwain said:

Liked how Mike Myers threw in the Lorne Michaels/Dr. Evil gesture.

When that's the funniest line in your opening (and I agree, it was), you know you're in trouble.

Gaga isn't a particularly good singer (she always makes me think of Cher, the totality of her image outshines her singing) but man, she works hard in her numbers. Love that she was willing to be whatever was needed in every sketch as well.

Edited by Ottis
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MediaZone4K

MediaZone4K

(edited)

This week wasn't all THAT funny. I did like SNL acknowledging (again) the R Kelly episode head on instead of acting like it didn't exist. 

Loved the lighting in the restaurant sketch where gaga wore red with Bowen. Loved the trip through the hallways in the musical act.

13 hours ago, buttersister said:

I’ll record and use ff. Tuned in to see tfg, the Nazi and Spineless Marco. Don’t care what they were saying it was like seeing Adolf, Goerring and Eichmann. Hard pass.

Regarding SNL's portrayal of Trump. I don't see what they could/should do differently.

Most programs portray him as a cartoonish bumbling idiot--not far off from the real thing. Even if you hate Trump, you cant help but think this must me a satirical comedy looking at his behavior.

Plus the show isn't a drama so we wont feel serious after watching his performances...thats where the HBOs or the FXs come in.

It's the same way SNL made Bush, Gadaffi and Saddam funny. Satire strips leaders of their seriousness and breaks them down.

Edited by MediaZone4K
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peeayebee

peeayebee

I didn't think this was a great show. There were some laughs from me, or maybe smiles. Nothing really stood out.

First off, the CO. I'm surprised I hadn't heard about Rubio and Musk having a big argument. Anyway, I wish the writers would do a better job portraying the true evil that's happening. 

Did not like the monologue. The main thing that bugged was all the shimmying Lady Gaga was doing. Looked like nerves to me, which seems weird because she's obviously a very confident performer.

The riding-luggage sketch was weird, but oddly not weird enough. I did like some of the silly dialog. Oh, and I loved when it looked like they were going to kiss, and the dog kept looking from one to the other. Best part of the entire show.

I figured the Pip sketch would end in a bloodbath, but I thought it would involve Pip getting crushed. Of course that wouldn't really be a blood bath. I liked the lines others cited: the fallen ceiling being 2 ounces too heavy, and LGG questioning Pip that he dropped the ceiling on accident.

I liked a lot of the lines in the LGG/Bowen sketch in the restaurant. It reminded me of the dialog from those bar sketches with Kate McKinnon. However, I had a hard time understanding some of what was said. For instance, there was a big laugh when Bowen said something about Italians and twice. What was that?

The funeral home sketch had potential but was so-so. The show often does that. They come up with funny ideas but don't execute them well.

The L'Oreal commercial was a good idea, but... whatever.

WU - I loved the line about Daylight Savings Time, where we set the clocks ahead, ideally 4 years. Yes! I also liked Che's joke about Trump bragging that nobody changed the government faster than him, just like nobody changed airport security faster than Bin Laden. I liked Musk being called White Kanye. Another bit from the news I had missed was that Trump had made fun of Musk's clothes, and that was why Musk wore a suit. I had thought he wore a suit because Zelensky was criticized by right-wingers for not ever wearing a suit, and then people brought up Musk's attire.

I don't know Kendrick Perkins, but I liked this bit whether or not it was accurate. 

I just didn't like the Friendly's sketch, though it did make me wonder if they double-check when people claim it's their birthday. Again, this was a good idea for a sketch, but I didn't find it funny, except for Bowen's character.

Little Red Glasses was ok. Best part was when they showed pics of people who wear red glasses.

I kind of liked the anti-slang sketch. I had to googled what 'reheating nachos' means. The first thing that popped up was a Vulture article from 3 days ago where LGG says she knows about the term. I wonder if she brought it to the show or if she knew it from working on the show.

When Mike Myers walked out at the end, it struck me that he looks like David Byrne.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

9 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Midnight Matinee: Lady Gaga singing a song to a Stuart Little parody was also not on the bingo card tonight. That was great, hell of a payoff. You'd think Pip was gonna get crushed, only for Marcello to get it instead was fun.

I feel like this is the third or so time they've done this type of sketch, i.e. take a familiar movie with the twist being that it now has a bloody ending.  The Dead Poet's Society one was the best, I think.

52 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

The L'Oreal commercial was a good idea, but... whatever.

I just remember it from the Mean Girls musical.  Regina was soaked at homecoming, which left her mascara running and everyone suddenly wanted that look.  They took it in a slightly different direction, but I thought that was where whoever wrote the sketch got the idea.   

 

48 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

The funeral home sketch had potential but was so-so. The show often does that. They come up with funny ideas but don't execute them well.

This.  There was a funny idea there, but they lost the thread around mid-sketch.

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The Solution

The Solution

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

However, I had a hard time understanding some of what was said. For instance, there was a big laugh when Bowen said something about Italians and twice. What was that?

"Italians aren't white."  It's something WASPs used to say about us that only an Italian like Lady Gaga could get away with. For me, this and WU were the only funny parts of the show, although Lady Gaga is a very talented performer, unlike last week's lapdancer.

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SomeTameGazelle

SomeTameGazelle

11 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Funeral Planning: This was an excuse to get Lady Gaga into flapper gear, wasn't it? (Holy quick change!) I wish the throughline of Ego's father's murder was played into more, but I thought this one was delightfully silly.

Yes, I thought there was more room for clues regarding whether Dismukes had or had not committed the murder that could have been very funny. 

I liked the Friendly's sketch because I thought it was about catastrophizing what if you try lying to get the birthday treat. I might have preferred someone other than Heidi as the victim though.

WU went a bit too far for me in spots but I enjoyed Lord Gaga and laughed at Che's joke about needing extra training to teach special ed.

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ahisma

ahisma

It was an enjoyable night overall and Gaga’s musical numbers were FANTASTIC.

Weekend Update was on fire, and I did laugh out loud at Lord Gaga. Mikey really gave it his all. 
 

My favorite sketches were Little Red Glasses and L’Oreal. During the latter, though, I kept waiting for them to market it to YouTubers who need to film an apology or make current events all about themselves—first thing I think of when I think of performative crying. 

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Thalia

Thalia

4 hours ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

But Gaga kicked ass in the musical numbers. She's an incredible singer. And I like how she clearly is a hard worker who threw herself into every sketch.

She's my favorite kind of host -- like Emma Stone, Timothee Chalomet, and (surprisingly to me, Ariana Grande this season) etc.  -- talented performers/actors who give everything to the show and aren't afraid to look stupid.  

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Crashcourse

Crashcourse

9 hours ago, Ottis said:

For instance, the bit featuring Big Perk on WU. I watch sports shows and am familiar with Perk. Nothing about that skit had anything to do with how Perk is viewed. He does have a beard, as does James Harden and others. But his defining characteristic is that he can glower and be intimidating, especially when he is "debating" on TV. I don't know who that Big Perk was, he made up out of whole cloth and none of the humor worked.

I was surprised to see the Big Perk bit and I thought Kenan was much too gentle with it.  I change the channel every time Big Perk is on because he's a big embarrassment with the awful grammar.   

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iarwain

iarwain

13 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Regarding SNL's portrayal of Trump. I don't see what they could/should do differently.

Agreed, frankly those kind of comments are ridiculous.  I'm surprised anyone even watches this show anymore.  The right doesn't like the show because it clearly leans to the left.  And the left doesn't like it because it doesn't vilify Trump enough.  Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun - not.  This is a comedy show, not a hardcore political show.

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Joimiaroxeu

Joimiaroxeu

Cold Open
Adrien Brody deservedly catching strays.
Pretty sure Stephen Colbert did the Elon shops at Jos. A. Bank joke last week.
Did they put some kind of prosthetic on Mike Myers face? Something was different besides the pale makeup.

Opening Monologue
At least I knew who the host was this time. Lady Gaga's PR team is on fire because she's been everywhere lately.
EGORT. Like an EGOT but hurtful.
Lady Gaga seemed a tad nervous but it was fine.

Poor Pip getting dissed by his classmates. Don't cry, Pip! All you have to do is try! A kid lifted 500 lbs? That was a joke, right? Whatever, Pip gave 2 ounces of FAFO.

I actually gasped out loud at "I came into some money." Not sure how that got past the censors.

L'Oréal Easy Run mascara was insane. They should've gotten Drew Barrymore to do a cameo, ha ha.

First musical number: now Gaga has to try to outdo all the pop princesses who've been biting on her act. Looking at you in particular, Chappel Roan. (Madonna sends her regards.)

Weekend Update
40 lbs or two buttfuls of fentanyl. Yikes either way.
The Cookie Monster joke was 100% wrong, Che. For shame.
Lord Gaga has a smaller waist than the Lady.
WU was actually pretty funny this week I thought.

I knew there was a reason why I don't want to go in Friendly's restaurants. They're satanic. Kali ma!

Didn't care for Lady Gaga's second performance. Wandering around the backstage and office areas has been done enough. Wow on the finish though. She is extraordinarily agile.

Little red glasses are a fashion don't. Good to know.

"Blowing into the slay shots and vomiting into the mother bag." What does that even mean?

Lady Gaga brought tons energy and was totally game. She can host again when she has another album to promote.

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Ottis

Ottis

On 3/9/2025 at 6:06 PM, Crashcourse said:

I was surprised to see the Big Perk bit and I thought Kenan was much too gentle with it.  I change the channel every time Big Perk is on because he's a big embarrassment with the awful grammar.   

You must change the channel a lot during the daytime sports shows, LOL. Poor grammar is standard.

On 3/9/2025 at 11:58 PM, iarwain said:

Agreed, frankly those kind of comments are ridiculous.  I'm surprised anyone even watches this show anymore.  The right doesn't like the show because it clearly leans to the left.  And the left doesn't like it because it doesn't vilify Trump enough.  Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun - not.  This is a comedy show, not a hardcore political show.

Then they shouldn't do political sketches. Gerald Ford falling down is one thing, trying to make Trump and Musk funny is another. The right will figure it out in oh, about a year.

 

MediaZone4K

MediaZone4K

On 3/11/2025 at 6:22 PM, Ottis said:

 

Then they shouldn't do political sketches. Gerald Ford falling down is one thing, trying to make Trump and Musk funny is another. The right will figure it out in oh, about a year.

 

there's a saying in journalism that goes if both sides are offended then you know you've done something right, I think this applies to SNL's portrayal of Trump.

On 3/11/2025 at 7:42 PM, iarwain said:

I find this approach much better than they did in 2020, where they often forewent the jokes in favor of straight up campaigning for Biden.

totally agree, I think there's a way to do political comedy that eviscerates a terrible/easy to make fun of figure, without actively campaigning for the other side. Mad Tv was great at that during the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Irlandesa

Irlandesa

7 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Pronouncing Lady Gaga's name as Lady GaGA (emphasis on 2nd syllable) is stuck in my head. I can't remember where I heard this said. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I do it sometimes.   I don't know where it comes from but I've seen people do it when being playful with the name.   Sort of like when people refer to Target as Tarjay (faux French).

JeanJean

JeanJean

(edited)
On 3/9/2025 at 1:02 AM, Galileo908 said:

Ironically, portraying them as true evil would play well with them. Portraying them as the pathetic shlubs they are is the better route. Unfortunately, you run the risk of humanizing them in the process.

I think, though, we've now reached the point where they can't be portrayed as just benign buffoons. 

"Springtime for Hitler" worked great in "The Producers," but not while it's Germany 1939 again.

Make them irrational and evil and the butt of jokes, just not benign. I believe there are sketches that could be written to do it.

Weekend Update does it.

Edited by JeanJean
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possibilities

possibilities

(edited)

Journalism's job is not "to offend everybody equally". Its job is to inform people of the truth. And truth does exist. Not everything is a mere question of taste.

You can make even-handed jokes about people who prefer apples over oranges and vice versa.

You cannot make even-handed jokes about matters of fact, or the tangible effects of policies.

 

Edited by possibilities
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iarwain

iarwain

On 3/15/2025 at 6:44 PM, possibilities said:

Journalism's job is not "to offend everybody equally". Its job is to inform people of the truth. And truth does exist. Not everything is a mere question of taste.

SNL is a comedy, not a journalism show.  It is not required to send political messages that match yours to your satisfaction.  As far as "truth", quite obviously there are a lot of people in the US who disagree about what is good and what is bad policy.

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