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S44.E09: Matt Damon / Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus


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I loved the cold open.  From Justice Kavanaugh: "Here's a calendar for you."  Eric (I'm taking adult education classes) Trump: "Feliz, NastyDad".   Angel Clarence: "NO. THAT IS NOT THE LESSON."

I am amazed the Matt Damon only hosted once before, sixteen years ago!  That was a sweet opening monologue.  "If you had told me back then that Ben Affleck and I would be washing cars in Somerville, Massachusetts, today, I'd have believed that, too." 

"Best Christmas Ever" -- the show has gone all squishy and sentimental -- with an edge (kids, in-laws, farts), but ending with "Even when it's the Worst, it's the Best".  Awww. 

Edited by freddi
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21 minutes ago, Alexis2291 said:

They were doing so well tonight up until this skit with Cecily Strong doing the Jingle Bells thing. It was... eh. 

That skit was too reminiscent of the classic Sweeney Sisters Christmas skit and it just left me feeling sad about Jan Hooks being gone.

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22 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

I love Miley Cyrus' voice. But the star of her song was her double stick tape.

 

23 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

I love Miley Cyrus' voice. But the star of her song was her double stick tape.

You beat me to it

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31 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

I love Miley Cyrus' voice. But the star of her song was her double stick tape.

I stared for a few seconds, grumbled that Miley needed to put a shirt, and muted the TV. I find her voice unpleasant just because she annoys me so much.

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For the most part, I really liked this one. Liked Eric Trump being smart in the cold open, liked Matt's monologue, liked the SNL Christmas message (Matt Damon can really do anything, be handsome and suave, be the frustrated swearing bleary-eyed dad, be the Best Dad in Show), LOVED the back-of-the-tree ornaments. Up to and including the angel with half of her face burned off.

Christmas at the Carnegie Lounge made me remember Jan Hooks and the Sweeney Sisters and their episode of Christmas songs, with Carol of the Bells. Speaking of music, I listened to Mark and Miley's first song for a minute and then FFd. That was some family-friendly holiday outfit she was wearing! 

WU wasn't the best, but I loved Angel's kids and their Gronk jerseys and their house on Donnie Wahlberg Way. I can't believe I didn't see Matt Damon as her husband coming. I also liked Matt as David Cameron. Voldemort's nose is going to keep me up nights. 

I didn't care for the "bustin' your balls" sketch or Miley's "So this is Christmas." But I was glad to see Pete. I assumed they'd have him on for at least a second, as proof of life. I didn't see him onstage at the end. 

So: a holiday show that made me laugh and made me remember good times and absent friends and family. There's not much more I could ask. 

Oh and I already know that "No offense, but burn in hell" will be heard many times at my family's holiday parties this year. (Frankly, I don't see "drink my blood" catching on with us, though.)

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4 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

The jokes they read cold were fantastic. Hell, probably better than anything up to this point. They really need to do this more often.

Definitely the highlight of the SNL year for me.

Just now, freddi said:

The ending was cut off very abruptly in my area (Seattle).  I think Matt was in the middle of a sentence.  But we get to see it all again at 11:35 PM.

Always wondered, why isn’t SNL allowed to run a little long?

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2 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Westminster Daddy Show: Such a great premise alone. I can listen to Kenan saying "Tweedy Daddy, come here!" for hours, not to mention I could watch Matt Damon prance around for as long as he wanted to. Loved Tweedy Daddy demanding to debate (and getting disqualified), and the twist of Matt Damon not only getting entered in the show, but winning.

Diane: I really liked Matt and Cecily's chemistry in this. And Matt's mustache was probably the MVP here. By the way, that's Barbara Streisand's cover of Jingle Bells that Cecily was singing, and it's super weird.

 

I've been forced to listen to that on my job's Christmas mix every December for years, and tonight I finally learned who sang that.

Wow, I had no idea. 

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11 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

Man, this was a fantastic episode. I don't know whether they saved the good stuff for the Christmas show or what, but overall I loved it. 

Agree with all of this.  Thoroughly enjoyed this episode, even the silly stuff.  And I love that you couldn't tell that the Google phone ad was actually an ad. 

I recognized the Streisand Jingle Bells immediately, being a Jewish girl who loves Christmas songs! 

I think my favorite sketch tonight was Westminster Daddy Show.  It started the show off on a high note, and fortunately, the show didn't let up.

ETA:  Mr ebk said something about double stick tape, then thought perhaps it was a hot glue gun since they work so much better... 

 

Merry Christmas everyone!! And thanks for doing these recaps every week @Galileo908 - they are much appreciated!!

Edited by ebk57
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4 minutes ago, freddi said:

The ending was cut off very abruptly in my area (Seattle).  I think Matt was in the middle of a sentence.  But we get to see it all again at 11:35 PM.

I always have my Tivo go an extra few minutes on SNL, and it was cut off by the show. I don't think the later rerun will have it. But we'll see I guess!

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Just now, ebk57 said:

Merry Christmas everyone!! And thanks for doing these recaps every week @Galileo908 - they are much appreciated!!

You're welcome! Back when everyone posted on TWoP, I wasn't the only one who did these. I was like one of four, and sometimes it felt like a race to see who could post it first.

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1 minute ago, Galileo908 said:

You're welcome! Back when everyone posted on TWoP, I wasn't the only one who did these. I was like one of four, and sometimes it felt like a race to see who could post it first.

I've always enjoyed yours, and in my head, I still looks forward to "InvaderNorbert's" recaps!  :-) 

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I actually teared up at Matt’s monologue and even the tag on the pretaped Christmas skit when it flashed, “Even when it’s the worst, it’s the best.” I’m such a sap :-)

Loved Leslie’s and Matt’s commitment to the Weezer sketch.  They were both great in it.

I really liked Mark and Miley’s first song:  I already downloaded that to my December playlist on Spotify. 

Really strong episode all the way through.  And finally, best wishes to Pete and his loved ones as they help him at this time:  I hope he’s getting the best help possible.

Edited by Peace 47
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So why hasn't Matt hosted in 16 freaking years?  He really is great at it. Talk about somebody who should be a Five Timer.

Loved his monologue. True it wasn't exactly funny, but it was so sincere and you could see how in the moment he was right there. And I agree with him. In my experience life does occur in little circles like he was describing with his dad and now his child.

I couldn't tell if one of the writers was getting back at their "Daddy" or telling him they loved him. Could work for either.

Best Christmas Ever.... yeah we've all had one or several like that. If you haven't, just wait.

Really liked the ornaments sketch and the callback to Good Will Hunting and "How do you like them Apples???". Was not expecting Matt to go there with Weinstein , either. That was a bit of a surprise.

Here I was thinking that Angel and her sistah routine  was already a bit flat when we actually get to meet Tommy for a nice switch.

Loved Che's glee at Colin having to read his increasingly worse jokes. 

If I had one compliant, they didn't go to the ice rink at the end. That may had been hard with Pete. It was good to see him live. Not gonna lie. I was a little tense seeing the news brief.

But please Matt, come back soon!

ETA:

Quote

Loved Leslie’s and Matt’s commitment to the Weezer sketch.  They were both great in it.

 Oh yeah, I know this one seemed like it was pushing it, but I have witnessed people who have almost come to blows over the "best" Seinfeld episode. So people (especially friends of friends) can get carried away like that.

Merry Christmas everyone! thanks for making this thread great! :)

Edited by vb68
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Westminster Daddy Show was fantastic. If you have never watched the Westminster Dog Show, it was funny. But if you have? Even better.

I liked Weezer and Cecily's Jingle Bells. Also, Aidy as Hannah Gadsby during the Oscars auditions-- fantastic. A lot of the impressions were surprising and excellent, but HG was my favorite.

I don't really like Matt Damon, but he did a good job. The show seemed very dude-heavy, though, which seems odd and was disappointing, when the female cast is so strong. I feel like blaming Damon, for some reason.

When I heard Mark Ronson was sharing an act with Miley Cyrus, I subbed Jon Ronson in what I was picturing in my head-- I knew it had to be a mistake, because he's not a musician. But it gave me some really funny moments.

The thing I like about Miley Cyrus is that she's one of the minority of singers who, when they sing, I can actually make out what the words are. Most of the time I have to look up the lyrics to any song because either singers don't enunciate or my hearing is crap.

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1 hour ago, BigPaul25 said:

 

You beat me to it

 

1 hour ago, BigPaul25 said:

 

You beat me to it

 

1 hour ago, dbell1 said:

I love Miley Cyrus' voice. But the star of her song was her double stick tape.

You know those kayak travel commercials where they’re confident but not Kayak confident? Well there’s Kayak Confident and Miley Cyrus and her double-sided breast tape confident

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Most consistent show of the season. Even the weak links (lounge sketch, bar sketch) would've been the highlights of some other episodes this season. Matt Damon even made the boxer's girlfriend character tolerable.

Where did THAT Leslie Jones come from? Usually if she has more than two lines, she falters. She was spitting out some detailed dialogue without missing a beat or timing.

Edited by SHD
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Cold open reminded me of something similiar from the Nineties, with Chris Farley as Newt Gingrich in the Scrooge role, and the recently-passed Richard Nixon filling in for Clarence. I liked the twist on that memorable line: "Every time a bell rings, I get stabbed in the ass with a pitchfork." I lost track on how many It's a Wonderful Life parodies have been done on SNL. The one with Old Man Potter getting curbstomped has to be the favorite, right? It was one of about eight sketches Dennis Miller appeared in!

"Best Christmas Ever" was an improvement on Amy Schumer's "Best Day Ever" sketch, mostly through adding more types of dysfunction. I've blocked out any misbehavior on my part as a child on that day. Well, I do remember unwrapping my presents before my parents got up.

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

Dinner: I was wondering where this was going, but they went into a Weezer debate and I got on board quick. I'm with Leslie, you do NOT insult Buddy Holly.

"Who is this homie dissing the song? Why does he got to front?"

2 hours ago, dbell1 said:

I love Miley Cyrus' voice. But the star of her song was her double stick tape.

I know, right? Like you were expecting those to come at you like a wrecking ball or something . . .

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34 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

 The one with Old Man Potter getting curbstomped has to be the favorite, right? It was one of about eight sketches Dennis Miller appeared in!.

It's *my* favorite, anyway; I was thinking of it during tonight's sketch. "You're not even a cripple!" 

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2 hours ago, vb68 said:

Oh yeah, I know this one seemed like it was pushing it, but I have witnessed people who have almost come to blows over the "best" Seinfeld episode. So people (especially friends of friends) can get carried away like that.

It sounds ridiculous to me, and then I remember my brother saying that Rachel Green from "Friends" is not a good person and I practically turn psycho

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Also, Aidy as Hannah Gadsby during the Oscars auditions-- fantastic. A lot of the impressions were surprising and excellent, but HG was my favorite.

Agree.  That was an amazing use of Aidy and her impression was great.  It was like she came alive again.

1 hour ago, SHD said:

Where did THAT Leslie Jones come from? Usually if she has more than two lines, she falters. She was spitting out some detailed dialogue without missing a beat or timing.

Totally.  I thought the same.  The passion was very believable, even though you could tell both Leslie and Matt had to sneak a look at the cue cards.  It's so relatable because there are definitely Weezer fans who felt like that after the Green album.  1994 is the year where all my pop culture likes were crystalized (see Rachel Green mention above).  It's hard to see these amazing bands from the 90s change their music so drastically, but then I just have to remember the alternative is one of the bandmembers dying (like my heroes Kurt and Dolores, then we have Biggie and 2Pac and on and on) and I'd vastly prefer the sell out and continue to live thing.

I cannot believe Alec is still on this freaking show.  I feel like I'm barely a fan of the show these days,  especially if you combine my hate of Alec with my feelings on Jost and Che lately.  The best part of the show was that I watched it late and I could fast forward through the cold open, the Cecily sketch, and that sketch at the end with Alec and the bar.  Ugh.  

At least this episode was pretty good.  I'm no Matt Damon fan but this episode was better than Jason Momoa's and Momoa's was better than Claire Foy's.

Edited by Ms Blue Jay
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If the show was running so long that they had to cut the funny British chat show and the goodbyes, maybe they should have just ditched the boring bar sketch that didn't go anywhere.

This was a generally funny episode. Matt Damon was a good mix of funny and sincere.

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6 hours ago, Crankybroad said:

Did something happen to Pete? I seem to have missed something since several of you have mentioned being concerned for him

A day ago he posted on Instagram that he "didn't want to be on this Earth anymore."  The next day I came across a recent Leslie Jones post about being worried that she was going to "die alone."  Starting to feel like the John Belushi/Chris Farley "SNL Curse" days all over again.  Except in this age of social media, tragedy can be avoided.  These folks are crying out for help.

Edited by Winston Wolfe
Corrected timeline on LJ's post
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The cold open missed the very obvious joke about how a President Hilary Clinton would have resulted in the Dems being wiped out in this year's midterms along with a very dreary outlook for 2020.  The GOP would have been partying because of that, not because they didn't have to deal with the Trump White House.

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I liked the Ornaments sketch, but I felt like something was majorly missing from it and like Pete had been written out. I didn't understand why Keenan's ornament didn't have legs and why they kept calling the Santa ornament "Fish." It's like dialog was cut from the script.

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What an outstanding episode this was, especially after last week's borefest. Mr Strudel commented that the writers created a bunch of holiday skits, and gave the worst ones to Momoa.

Matt Damon is an outstanding actor, and he really showed it last night. All his lines sounded totally natural, he's a master of micro-expressions, and he sure handled a heavy load. He was absolutely perfect. DeNiro should take lessons from him on cue card reading... lesson 1, don't wait 10 minutes to start reading your 3-word line and make the show end late!

The opening monologue wasn't the usual singing, or standup comedy one might expect, but Matt knocked out of the park his childhood stories about staying up late to watch SNL. He just drew me in. That's good acting for you. Great understated charisma.

Did I mention how good the host was? BRING HIM BACK!  And often!

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2 hours ago, Crankybroad said:

Did something happen to Pete? I seem to have missed something since several of you have mentioned being concerned for him. 

He posted a suicidal Instagram then deleted his post. Hopefully he's getting some help. 

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The Weezer sketch was brilliant. A sign of a great sketch because you didn’t have to know a single thing about Weezer besides that they are a band, but you still get on board with it. 

 

And I’ll vouch for Make Believe actually being a good album. 

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Enjoyed seeing Sean Ono Lennon singing with Miley. I think she’s very talented but even as a straight old woman, I admit to being totally distracted by the fate of those seemingly unanchored breasts. I forgot  about the existence of double stick tape.

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That was really good. I struggle with Matt Damon and his innate Matt Damon-ness these days (it might be for the best if he just stop giving interviews for a while where he waxes poetic about diversity and education), but he was really fantastic from start to finish in this. His monologue was lovely, and it was JUST the right amount of Brett Kavanaugh in the cold open. 

I guess reading all those Bop magazines back in the late 1980s paid off, because I knew that was Sean Ono/Lennon right away.

Quote

I didn't understand why Keenan's ornament didn't have legs and why they kept calling the Santa ornament "Fish."

I am not sure about the pants, other than it feels like those Hudson News tchotchkes are usually just shirts, but I assumed "Fish" was because he was a drunk Santa (i.e., he drinks like a fish). 

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6 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

The next day Leslie Jones had a post about being worried that she was going to "die alone." 

That was a few weeks ago.

3 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:
Quote

 

I am not sure about the pants, other than it feels like those Hudson News tchotchkes are usually just shirts, but I assumed "Fish" was because he was a drunk Santa (i.e., he drinks like a fish). 

It's a reference to The Shawshank Redemption.

4 hours ago, Samsnee said:

The Weezer sketch was brilliant. A sign of a great sketch because you didn’t have to know a single thing about Weezer besides that they are a band, but you still get on board with it. 

 

Agreed. I only know the songs "Buddy Holly" and "Beverly Hills" but anyone who's passionate about a singer or group can relate to having strong opinions about what their best album is and has gotten into arguments with other die-hard fans. And not just music but it can be about movies, TV shows, books and sports. Leslie Jones and Matt Damon's performances really make that sketch. Not only did Leslie not flub a line but in that skit you really believe she feels so strongly about Weezer!

Loved seeing Damon as "Tommy" Angel's boyfriend!

 

4 hours ago, Aileen said:

I didn't understand why Keenan's ornament didn't have legs and why they kept calling the Santa ornament "Fish." It's like dialog was cut from the script.

It's a reference to Shawshank Redemption. New prisoners are called "fresh fish" by the inmates because they try to fish for the one who will crack first their first night.

Edited by VCRTracking
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 I'm so worried about Pete.   I'm glad he seems to have a good support system in place. 

Michael making Collin read increasingly racist jokes was hilarious.

I'm low key very jealous of Mark Ronson's glittery cardigan.   

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 I usually don't stay up to watch live. I come here the next day to read @Galileo908's recap and see what others have to say, then watch the best sketches online. (Or skip watching altogether.) Doing it that way saves time and cuts out about an hour of commercials. But last night I stayed up, and IMO this was the best SNL all season if not for several seasons. Damon was THE BEST and really brought it. He was like just a normal guy standing there talking during the (fabulous) monologue (which showed how good he is), and he became every character in every sketch he was in. He carried this show, and it seems like the rest of the cast came up to his level. It was a fantastic episode IMO.

I also loved the cold open. For once it was fun, and funny, and all of the characters worked.

Best.Episode.Evah. Thanks Matt.

Oh: I like Miley Cyrus, I like her singing and personality. But I have to admit the boobage turned me off so I turned her off too. Sorry Miley. I guess there are some things about you I don't like.

ETA: Fans of the old Prison Break show would have caught (and understood) the "fish" reference. Just sayin'.

Edited by saber5055
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No, I did NOT start tearing up during the monologue because I was remembering being little and my mom letting me stay up to watch SNL WHY DO YOU ASK?!

Best Christmas Ever was pretty much just a rework of the Mother's Day sketch from Amy Schumer's last episode but I enjoyed it all the same.

It's been said before but Heidi's Allison Janney is something else. It's an impression that I don't think anybody realized they wanted and then she just showed up with it and it was like, oh that's what's been missing in my life.

"Denies Been Removed." Come on, Show.

Anybody else here who is alternative rock trash like me has been in the room for one of these Weezer arguments. I have never participated in one (hot take: Weezer is ok) but there is something very specific about the variety of opinions people have on them. The venn diagram of people who hate Weezer and people who would consider themselves diehard Weezer fans is a circle.

Miley was really flirting with a Janet Jackson moment there, wasn't she? Never needed or wanted to see that much of your breasts, girl!

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2 hours ago, VCRTracking said:
6 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

The next day Leslie Jones had a post about being worried that she was going to "die alone." 

That was a few weeks ago.

Thanks for that, VCRTRACKING.  I corrected my last post.  I didn't see her comments until yesterday.

It seems like Donald caught last night's opening and wants the law to make sketches like that stop:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-news-saturday-night-live-trump-courts-legal-20181216-story.html

God in Heaven it really feels like we're living in some kind of bizzaro-world, alternate reality now.

19 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

Miley was really flirting with a Janet Jackson moment there, wasn't she? Never needed or wanted to see that much of your breasts, girl!

I read an article the other day stating that Miley was done with that kind of exhibitionism.  Apparently the author was mistaken.  Sad thing is, Miley's actually getting prettier as she ages, starting to look like a young Madonna, kind of.  No need for her to try so hard.  And her singing was actually good.

Edited by Winston Wolfe
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Wonderful show. Very strong and funny. Not only was Damon great in in, but the writing was good.

The Cold Open was great. Feliz Nasty Dad, smocking hot, Trump's wife Hernia... Wonderful. Of course Trump wouldn't get what the real message was.  I just wish Kavanaugh had walked in with a beer in his hand.

The monologue was perfect. 

The Westminister Daddy Show was a strange and wonderful idea and worked great. Loved Aidy. She was perfect as one of those judges. Beck's smug smile and Kenan's commands to Tweedy Dad cracked me up, but best of all was Matt Damon prancing around.

Best Christmas Ever was great, too. 

The Ornaments at the Back of the Tree was fantastic! When I help my sister decorate her tree, I put ornaments I don't like at the back, like a Dallas Cowboy player. Macaroni Turd was great. All of them were. What an inspired idea.

 

13 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

Loved Leslie’s and Matt’s commitment to the Weezer sketch.  They were both great in it.

I was thinking the same thing. They were both committed, funny, and believable. I don't know much about Weezer, but this was great.

 

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also, Aidy as Hannah Gadsby during the Oscars auditions-- fantastic. A lot of the impressions were surprising and excellent, but HG was my favorite.

I was surprised when Aidy popped up as Gadsby, and she was so good. It also may be my favorite of the group, though there's lots of competition. Rachel Brosnahan (or Mrs Maisal) and Amy Sherman-Palladino were fantastic. And, of course, Amy's hat. I thought all the impressions were good and fun.

I liked the Carnegie Lounge sketch. It wasn't hilarious -- and I recognized Streisand's Jingle Bells version -- but it was just a nice character bit, for both Cecily and Matt.

I liked Frankie's Ale House. Funny but sweet.

I'm not completely sold on Kate's Theresa May impression, but that's ok. At least we got Matt as David Cameron.

As for Myley Cyrus, I started to listen to each of her songs and then just FF'd. 

But all in all, an outstanding show. Damon was awesome.

Edited by peeayebee
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Nothing against Miley, but wow she totally shouted her way through Happy Xmas (War is Over).  Nice to see Sean Ono Lennon there providing backups.

Mark Ronson is an example of the current trend of producers getting records named after them.

Miley doesn't strike me as the type who would worry about her double sided sticky tape failing, probably SNL execs were more concerned about that than she was.  She played a wholesome character during her childhood, so of course now she has to show off her sexuality to prove how grown up and edgy she is.

Pretty strong show overall, I liked most of the comedy bits.  I'll mention that I liked Cecily Strong's JIngle Bells, since some people didn't - just to provide balance and all.

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