S44.E18: Emma Stone / BTS

[sempervivum]

Well, I was disappointed in the audience! What kind of camps-outside-for-a-week-on-the-sidewalk preteen girl doesn't shriek like a maniac throughout their idols' performance*?

At least if they had been drowned out by screaming I might have thought I was missing something; as it is, I was mostly wondering 1)why did a group of 7 vocalists need 3 back up singers and 2)how do they decide who colors their hair and who gets to wear the black (vs. giant white) sneakers?

*And I say this as an old lady who saw the Stones in 1965, before they were really big, and who was disgusted that I couldn't hear them AT ALL over the girls' howling, even though the venue was only half full.

[helenamonster]

I mean, would it have killed Michael Keaton to at least attempt an Australian accent?

I knew we'd seen that "posters come to life" sketch before, thank you to whoever above confirmed that.

I'll try not to take offense to this show raiding my closet and using my clothes for the Fashion Coward sketch, but I gotta admit, it's not easy.

Aidy as Megan McCain worked for me on a surface level and also because Aidy herself grew up in Phoenix, so that "Princess of Arizona" line had some extra oomph, I thought.

If "Hobbies" is the type of Melissa-centric content we've been missing out on these past few years...I don't think we've been missing out on much.

14 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I was in NYC and saw the line up going down the street on Thursday afternoon.  I had to appreciate the general organization and lack of garbage. 

Having done the camping out for tickets thing once before, the staff/security that they dispatch to the line is really on top of their shit. When I did it, the line went the other way (started on the opposite side of the 48th Street Today Show Plaza entrance and went towards 5th Avenue, now it starts at the Nintendo Store and goes towards 6th Avenue) and cut in front of the entrance to an apartment building. They were really strict about us not blocking that entrance and causing issues for the tenants, which I respected. Food was provided for us a couple times and they went around with trash bags to make sure nobody left any garbage. It's something that should, in theory, be a total headache every week but they've made it as seamless a process as possible.

10 hours ago, vb68 said:

Gotta be honest. Kate was a misfire for me as Lori Loughlin. 

I agree with this and your other assessments of the situation further downthread. First of all, I think the voice was all wrong (Loughlin's voice isn't that deep, is it?) but it's also important to note that based on her recent public appearances, she doesn't seem to think of herself as some crazy criminal mastermind because she doesn't seem to think she did anything criminal. The charges against her are continuing to mount and she doesn't give even the slightest hint of a fuck.

However, I don't think a Felicity Huffman impression would have worked either because, well, she took a plea deal and apologized. Whether that was a sincere acknowledgement of guilt or she's smart enough to know the score/listened to good advice from the people around her, she's not about to brag about her master plan to anybody right now.

9 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Royal baby shower - Another one that went on forever. The elephant in the room is Meghan Markle - if they know they have no one who can play her, then how about a) casting an actress who can or b) just stop doing these sketches? I did laugh at Emma Stone as the drunken ex, and when Beck's Prince Charles eagerly arrived after his mother fell, hoping she'd died and he'd now get to be King. 

I assumed they'd use Ego since she's the closest they've got (while not looking a thing like Meghan Markle at all) but then she showed up as a cousin and it was like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think now would be a really good time for them to invest in a biracial female cast member, especially if Kamala Harris ends up being a real contender for the Dem nomination (I know Harris is Jamaican/Indian). Also having grown up with Maya who was able to play such a diverse array of characters and impressions (it helps that she was also crazy talented), just a really valuable type of player to have that the show is missing out on.

[SHD]

At this point I’m starting to feel like SNL should cut down to half an hour and just be WU plus a couple of filmed pieces. What a waste of Emma Stone.

This is the second time in recent memory that they’ve parodied a semi-obscure 80’s video (the other was when Donald Glover hosted). I think it’s funny if you remember the video but just seems weird if you don’t know the source material.

[VCRTracking]

Yep, Julio Torres co-wrote "The Actress". He is a gift:

[Joimiaroxeu]

Someone at SNL is still nostalgic for Klymaxx, huh? They did a Klymaxx skit back when Halle Berry hosted in 2003.

https://vimeo.com/136270432

[Ms Blue Jay]

Bowen Yang and Julio Torres discussing how the skit would play out.

[Irlandesa]

The Lori Loughlin impression was a big miss for me as well.  It's almost to the point that I'm weirdly mad about it.  The lines were funny enough but the personality and even the look were way off.  It was also a waste because perky and delusional would have offered a different shade to the characters in that skit.

So K-pop is a thing I don't get.  I did find it kind of cute at the end of the goodbyes where BTS mostly hugged one another and seemed a little confused about how to hug cast members.

[Mystery]

6 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

At first I thought she was supposed to be Felicity Huffman.

Unluckily for the show, Felicity chose to plead guilty and therefore isn't being charged with the additional money laundering charge that Aunt Becky got. William H. Macy was so lucky; all of *his* communications with the shady outfit were about their second daughter, and they decided that the scheme wouldn't work for her because she'd want to keep taking the tests over and over. I'm sure he's just as guilty with the first daughter, though. 

Writer Anna Drezan tweeted that she, Alison Gates, and Bowen Yang wrote Fashion Coward as "a hit piece on ourselves!" 

[Thumper]

LOL  I definitely saw myself in the "Fashion Coward" video.  Love my sweatshirts!

[Fostersmom]

14 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

It was so nice of the show to write a sketch especially for me.  I am Fashion Coward.

It was a throwaway line, but when Carrie Krum said, “Say aloha to the beaches of western PA ... go ankle deep in this ice-cold water that stinks,” I got a laugh.  I’m originally from said beaches [sheds a tear of fond remembrance].  I should mention that I don’t remember it stinking, but I do remember those flies!

“Princess of Arizona” made me genuinely lol.  Too bad the rest of the sketch fell just short of being hilarious.

I live right on Lake Erie, but in Ohio. The parking lot for the apartment complex basically ends in the lake. I haven't touched lake water in a decade, but yeah, it was always freezing cold water. I have always lived just minutes away, but not quite this close. Until I moved here, I never noticed a smell. But let me tell you, if it gets a long freeze and then a really hot summer, the lake "turns" and does really smell. 

6 hours ago, helenamonster said:

If "Hobbies" is the type of Melissa-centric content we've been missing out on these past few years...I don't think we've been missing out on much.

I just can't get into Melissa's "comedy" or impressions. I watched this episode thinking they were really trying to make her happen, but it was't working. 

[rmontro]

I'd never heard of BTS, but with their different colored hair, they looked like a bunch of Easter eggs.  Good timing for the season.

Emma did a good job, but I didn't think the sketches were memorable. 

I didn't think the "Hobbies" rap was funny, but I related to it because I also have several goofy hobbies.

[Pete Martell]

6 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Someone at SNL is still nostalgic for Klymaxx, huh? They did a Klymaxx skit back when Halle Berry hosted in 2003.

https://vimeo.com/136270432

I saw that yesterday. Halle Berry is fun (and looks gorgeous), and Amy Poehler is fun, but the rest...eesh. I don't want to say wow SNL has come a long way!! because in many ways it hasn't, but I did a double take at Rachel Dratch in what looks like brownface, trying to make what I assume are meant to be stereotypical faces. I didn't register or mind the men in drag stuff at the time (it helped that I thought Tracy Morgan was pretty funny in drag), but looking back I can see why that eventually had to go. 

Seeing that also reinforces the seismic changes in production values at SNL in the last 5-10 years. It feels much older than 2003, even though in my head, I know that was what 2003 looked like. Sometimes I think I underestimate just how different SNL started to become in the back half of the '00s. 

[BookThief]

15 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

It was a throwaway line, but when Carrie Krum said, “Say aloha to the beaches of western PA ... go ankle deep in this ice-cold water that stinks,” I got a laugh.  I’m originally from said beaches [sheds a tear of fond remembrance].  I should mention that I don’t remember it stinking, but I do remember those flies!

I am born and raised from there as well! And they really don't smell more than just normal lakes smell. Presque Isle is a jewel of the state!

[Pete Martell]

7 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I mean, would it have killed Michael Keaton to at least attempt an Australian accent?

I knew we'd seen that "posters come to life" sketch before, thank you to whoever above confirmed that.

I'll try not to take offense to this show raiding my closet and using my clothes for the Fashion Coward sketch, but I gotta admit, it's not easy.

Aidy as Megan McCain worked for me on a surface level and also because Aidy herself grew up in Phoenix, so that "Princess of Arizona" line had some extra oomph, I thought.

If "Hobbies" is the type of Melissa-centric content we've been missing out on these past few years...I don't think we've been missing out on much.

Having done the camping out for tickets thing once before, the staff/security that they dispatch to the line is really on top of their shit. When I did it, the line went the other way (started on the opposite side of the 48th Street Today Show Plaza entrance and went towards 5th Avenue, now it starts at the Nintendo Store and goes towards 6th Avenue) and cut in front of the entrance to an apartment building. They were really strict about us not blocking that entrance and causing issues for the tenants, which I respected. Food was provided for us a couple times and they went around with trash bags to make sure nobody left any garbage. It's something that should, in theory, be a total headache every week but they've made it as seamless a process as possible.

I agree with this and your other assessments of the situation further downthread. First of all, I think the voice was all wrong (Loughlin's voice isn't that deep, is it?) but it's also important to note that based on her recent public appearances, she doesn't seem to think of herself as some crazy criminal mastermind because she doesn't seem to think she did anything criminal. The charges against her are continuing to mount and she doesn't give even the slightest hint of a fuck.

However, I don't think a Felicity Huffman impression would have worked either because, well, she took a plea deal and apologized. Whether that was a sincere acknowledgement of guilt or she's smart enough to know the score/listened to good advice from the people around her, she's not about to brag about her master plan to anybody right now.

I assumed they'd use Ego since she's the closest they've got (while not looking a thing like Meghan Markle at all) but then she showed up as a cousin and it was like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think now would be a really good time for them to invest in a biracial female cast member, especially if Kamala Harris ends up being a real contender for the Dem nomination (I know Harris is Jamaican/Indian). Also having grown up with Maya who was able to play such a diverse array of characters and impressions (it helps that she was also crazy talented), just a really valuable type of player to have that the show is missing out on.

In past years, if Maya wasn't there, they likely would have just had Fred Armisen as Meghan and Fred Armisen as Kamala (I'm not even joking) or put Ego or Leslie Jones in the roles. Clearly someone knows that is a bad idea, and they're right. They really need to add a biracial woman to the cast. Maya was such a great utility player as she could play so many different roles and backgrounds. 

Lori Loughlin is one of those people who, to my ear anyway, has a somewhat deep voice and talks perky to try to hide it. 

I think Kate McKinnon's performances in impersonations are less about the imitation and more the quirkiness she likes to add. Like her Glenn Close impression a few months ago. That's one of the reasons I never understood why they started giving her so many political impressions, male and female, in the Trump sketches. I did enjoy this one somewhat, more just for the ridiculous tough persona than because she was like Loughlin.

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

The Lori Loughlin impression was a big miss for me as well.  It's almost to the point that I'm weirdly mad about it.  The lines were funny enough but the personality and even the look were way off.  It was also a waste because perky and delusional would have offered a different shade to the characters in that skit.

So K-pop is a thing I don't get.  I did find it kind of cute at the end of the goodbyes where BTS mostly hugged one another and seemed a little confused about how to hug cast members.

The whole bit with everyone being tough and trying to out-tough each other worked for me until it just ran too long (as per usual). I would have cut out Avenatti entirely. 

McKinnon's delivery of all the Full House lines was enough to entertain me. I can see what people mean now about other ways to play it though.

I thought it was kind of cute that Alex Moffat so wanted to hug everyone. Some of their fans on Twitter were upset about this (I guess because they see the show or the cast as horribly exploitative of their boys) and kept calling him Kyle Mooney. Cracked me up.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Pete Martell

[VCRTracking]

28 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Seeing that also reinforces the seismic changes in production values at SNL in the last 5-10 years. It feels much older than 2003, even though in my head, I know that was what 2003 looked like. Sometimes I think I underestimate just how different SNL started to become in the back half of the '00s

I think the digital shorts by Andy Samberg and Lonely Island coming along in '05 caused them to step up their game. Plus advancements in digital cinematography and special effects.

Edited April 15, 2019 by VCRTracking

[BoogieBurns]

18 hours ago, Mystery said:

I forgot to ask; what was the website that Emma said to go to, at the end of the show? I rewound a few times but couldn't tell. Thanks in advance. 

omaze.com/girlpower

[vb68]

12 hours ago, helenamonster said:

First of all, I think the voice was all wrong (Loughlin's voice isn't that deep, is it?)

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

The Lori Loughlin impression was a big miss for me as well.  It's almost to the point that I'm weirdly mad about it.  The lines were funny enough but the personality and even the look were way off.  It was also a waste because perky and delusional would have offered a different shade to the characters in that skit.

I absolutely agree about the voice and look being completely off, which were big reasons I had trouble getting into it. I need to watch the whole sketch again because it kinda threw the whole thing for me.  I think perky might be the keyword. Loughlin always seems so perky, like on a Mary Hart level, that it can come off obnoxious. I still think Emma or Heidi could have brought that out.  And it would had fine for Emma to do as I don't think they will need to repeat it much at all.

Did Pete's Avenatti say he's going to run with Alec Baldwin?

I think I enjoyed the Royals sketch more than most. It was just a good excuse for everyone to be silly for a few minutes. (And for Alex to show off again for the third or fourth time in recent weeks that he's pretty buff.)

Edited April 15, 2019 by vb68

[VCRTracking]

[OpalNightstream]

It is my understanding that BTS is a manufactured band that is part of the Korean government’s efforts to promote a “cool Korea” marketing campaign. 

I like Emma Stone but about 30 sec into the posters sketch I was done. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard—Paris Hilton on helium. 

Pete doing avenatti was way off. His voice and appearance wasn’t even close. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by OpalNightstream

[wknt3]

7 minutes ago, OpalNightstream said:

It is my understanding that BTS is a manufactured band that is part of the Korean government’s efforts to promote a “cool Korea” marketing campaign.

"Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?" says their manager LT Kim...

[OpalNightstream]

1 minute ago, wknt3 said:

"Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?" says their manager LT Kim...

I should have clarified SOUTH Korean. 

[xander874]

On 4/14/2019 at 3:31 AM, VCRTracking said:

Okay, I am not familiar with gay porn so my thought "man that one actor is OLD".

As someone who maybe has seen one or two similar adult films, I agree. The "dad" in those is often hotter than the son, so it was weird to me. Emma was amazing in it though. "I forgive you".

Quote

I mean, would it have killed Michael Keaton to at least attempt an Australian accent?

I was second guessing myself if Assange was American because of that. I knew he wasn't but I had to think for a second. I guess Michael knew better than to try (assuming he can't do that accent). I don't think the Batman reference went over well, but I guess that's because 90% of the audience weren't even alive when that movie came out.

I liked the View okay and did really laugh at Joy's reaction to Megan's scolding. However, even though I'm not the biggest Fred Armisen fan, I really prefer his Joy. Kate wasn't as whiny as the real Joy to me.

And I didn't love Hobbies, but glad that Melissa seems to be getting more screen time. When she first came on, I wasn't impressed, as all she did were a few (good) impressions. But she's grown on me.

[Pete Martell]

31 minutes ago, xander874 said:

As someone who maybe has seen one or two similar adult films, I agree. The "dad" in those is often hotter than the son, so it was weird to me. Emma was amazing in it though. "I forgive you".

They cast a real porn actor as the godson so I wonder why they didn't do the same for the husband. I agree he did look a bit old, although I guess that is a fetish for some...

The short was one of those where I would realize new things each time I watched it. Like the flashbacks where he would say, "I will love you, a woman, for the rest of my life." I didn't get that he was calling her "a woman" because they hadn't even bothered to give her a name. 

[cpcathy]

4 hours ago, OpalNightstream said:

Pete doing avenatti was way off. His voice and appearance wasn’t even close. 

IMO, Kate's Queen Elizabeth is totally wrong, does she not know how the Queen speaks?

[Traveller519]

While watching Nico and Brie, I came to the realization that I am ready for Brie to ditch Nico and end up with Guy Who Just Bought a Boat for the all-time worst couple on the planet. Nico will be forced to counter with Divorcee Who Just Bought a Miata (This has to be Cecily, right?) to it's own disastrous effects.

[peeayebee]

On 4/13/2019 at 10:23 PM, vb68 said:

Kate was a misfire for me as Lori Loughlin.  I actually thought Emma would be a better choice for that.

Kate didn't work for me either. As someone else said, either Emma or Heidi would have been much better. I can picture Heidi doing it really well.

On 4/14/2019 at 12:55 AM, VCRTracking said:

That would make her completely delusional about her present situation. Maybe she'll get off light but if not she's going to have a rude awakening when reality hits.

I'd heard that Loughlin has already had a rude awakening. She thought the DA (or whoever) was bluffing, and that's why she didn't make a deal like Huffman did.

On 4/14/2019 at 10:33 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Bowen Yang and Julio Torres discussing how the skit would play out.

4 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

They cast a real porn actor as the godson so I wonder why they didn't do the same for the husband. I agree he did look a bit old, although I guess that is a fetish for some...

Is Ty Mitchell a porn actor? On IMDB I see he has credits in a few regular films movies. Also, in the message that Ms Blue Jay posted, the writers said they wanted someone named Doug to be in the sketch. I don't know why, but since they wanted him specifically, the age was not an issue.

I had forgotten about the audience being full of BTS fans. I was wondering why people weren't laughing at parts that I was.

I loved Fashion Coward because, like others here and writing for the show, I would shop there. "If you take more than 30 seconds to decide if you want something, the fitting room emits a mercy gas that knocks you out. Then you're carried home by a big strong man who'll shop for you."

I don't watch The View, but I enjoyed this sketch. I thought Leslie did great as Whoopi, and I loved the sniping betw Behar and McCain. Aidy was terrific as her.

I wish I liked the Hobby Rap more. There wasn't much funny to it.

Ladies Room was hysterical. I had no idea that was from a real song and video. 

I also liked the Prince Harry et al sketch. At first I didn't really like Beck as Prince Charles -- too short and not lean enuf -- but he made up for it when he popped his head in to ask if he was king now. I liked Ringo just walking by. Kate needs to work on her Queen Elizabeth impression, though I did get a laugh out her saying that since Meghan is American, the baby will be half traitor.

The Actress was great. Really well done and funny.

The Chalmers Wine commercial was also funny. I was a little bothered by Emma and Kyle's offensive Italian accents, so I was glad they turned out to be fake. Cecily was the standout for me. "I think my hair is on fire." I also liked Kenan's line, "I must have mis-tasted this."

[AriAu]

Quote

I like Emma Stone but about 30 sec into the posters sketch I was done. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard—Paris Hilton on helium. \

Quote

I'd never heard of BTS, but with their different colored hair, they looked like a bunch of Easter eggs.  Good timing for the season

LOL.

I hated her voice and the bad overacting from Emma Stone-really annoying and not a good sketch.

Quote

I didn't think the "Hobbies" rap was funny, but I related to it because I also have several goofy hobbies.

The lines in Lazy Sunday are not hysterically funny, but the whole premise is and this was trying to do that as well.....but just not nearly as well.

Edited April 15, 2019 by AriAu

[Phishbulb]

4 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

While watching Nico and Brie, I came to the realization that I am ready for Brie to ditch Nico and end up with Guy Who Just Bought a Boat for the all-time worst couple on the planet. Nico will be forced to counter with Divorcee Who Just Bought a Miata (This has to be Cecily, right?) to it's own disastrous effects.

I have to say I do really like the name "Brie Bacardi", it's like branding has taken over this woman's life to the point that she's renamed herself after a product. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

7 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

The short was one of those where I would realize new things each time I watched it. Like the flashbacks where he would say, "I will love you, a woman, for the rest of my life." I didn't get that he was calling her "a woman" because they hadn't even bothered to give her a name. 

He could have stopped at "I love you" in that case. I assumed that it was to emphasize his pose of heterosexuality.

[lou ann b]

I enjoyed it,largely because of Emma Stone.She is just so darned appealing,and made any character she played entertaining.

Highlights for me were the Fashion Coward video;because I have a friend that needs to see it, Hobbies,because I like Melissa because she's,well..different and quirky,and I could see her smelling books, the Instagram couple on WU, cause I lol'd several times, and Ladies Room,cause I remember the song from my youth, and it was silly,plus Kenan and his reactions.The Actress? Sublime.

Was there a musical guest?

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, AriAu said:

The lines in Lazy Sunday are not hysterically funny, but the whole premise is and this was trying to do that as well.....but just not nearly as well.

I always figured the idea of Lazy Sunday is that viewers (who either had only seen Chris Parnell rap about how much he wanted to nail women or were new and had no idea he could flow) would do a double take at two white guys rapping, rapping pretty decently, and then instead of "hard" rap, mostly just talking about basic stuff.

They've done so many of these rapping sketches over the last decade that the surprise factor is mostly gone. Now it seems like they mostly just use rap as some kind of catch-all hook for their videos. And she was rapping about how she found self-acceptance in her boring hobbies. Yet when Emma Stone tried to do the same, she had no real interest, because she only really cared about herself. 

I thought it was a good fit for Melissa's unique talents, but I thought it was more of a character piece than a comic moment.

(I wonder how that writer who complained about how mocking and faux-"woke" SNL's raps of recent years felt about this one - https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/snls-rbg-and-other-rap-parodies-highs-and-lows/576247/)

2 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

He could have stopped at "I love you" in that case. I assumed that it was to emphasize his pose of heterosexuality.

I figure it was that too, but the number of times she kept saying "Godson" rather than ever using his name made me think they were also joking about how neither of them had an actual name.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Pete Martell

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 4/15/2019 at 10:02 PM, Pete Martell said:

I figure it was that too, but the number of times she kept saying "Godson" rather than ever using his name made me think they were also joking about how neither of them had an actual name.

Oh, true. Addressing him as "godson" made me laugh. Jared rated a name, though.

ETA: I would love to see a version in which the actors get into a bitter argument because their individually-imagined backstories are incompatible. Obviously in this version Jared and Godson have never thought of such a thing.

Edited April 17, 2019 by SomeTameGazelle
And another thing!

[GabbyG]

On 4/15/2019 at 12:43 PM, peeayebee said:

Hobby

[ombelico]

On 4/15/2019 at 10:39 AM, cpcathy said:

IMO, Kate's Queen Elizabeth is totally wrong, does she not know how the Queen speaks?

Kate's Queen Elizabeth = Kate's Theresa May = Kate's random-British-woman

Edited April 18, 2019 by ombelico

[LuvMyShows]

On 4/14/2019 at 12:22 PM, SHD said:

This is the second time in recent memory that they’ve parodied a semi-obscure 80’s video (the other was when Donald Glover hosted). I think it’s funny if you remember the video but just seems weird if you don’t know the source material.

The video parodies are funny enough, but I just don't understand why SNL is choosing videos that are more than 30 years old, and weren't majorly popular videos in the first place.  I'm sure there are old R&B videos to parody that way more people would recognize.

On 4/14/2019 at 1:23 AM, vb68 said:

I was also embarrassed how dead silent it was when Michael Keaton was doing his lines and then I remembered ... BTS crowd.  Better writing would had helped, too.

On 4/15/2019 at 10:08 AM, xander874 said:

I was second guessing myself if Assange was American because of that. I knew he wasn't but I had to think for a second. I guess Michael knew better than to try (assuming he can't do that accent). I don't think the Batman reference went over well, but I guess that's because 90% of the audience weren't even alive when that movie came out.

I just thought that it wasn't a very good performance by Keaton.  The multi-countries thing should have come off funnier than it did.  And even though I was alive when his Batman came out, and saw the movie, I don't have any recollection of specific lines, to have recognized that they were spoofing.

On 4/15/2019 at 10:08 AM, xander874 said:

However, even though I'm not the biggest Fred Armisen fan, I really prefer his Joy. Kate wasn't as whiny as the real Joy to me.

Much prefer Armisen's Joy...Kate's had no oomph to it.

On 4/14/2019 at 9:33 AM, Ottis said:

I was aware of BTS, and for the first time watched a performance. They are OK, I guess? Not sure what is behind the fanaticism. They seem very manufactured. 

I had never heard of them before, or seen them.  And although I enjoy a good boy band dance as much as anybody, I couldn't get into theirs because it seemed like they were shoe-horning dance steps into a song, regardless of whether the steps actually went with the music or not..  It almost looked like a men's gymnastics floor routine with the number of moves they were trying to pack in to the song.

[Ottis]

12 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I had never heard of them before, or seen them.  And although I enjoy a good boy band dance as much as anybody, I couldn't get into theirs because it seemed like they were shoe-horning dance steps into a song, regardless of whether the steps actually went with the music or not..  It almost looked like a men's gymnastics floor routine with the number of moves they were trying to pack in to the song.

That's a good description. It was definitely dance first, music later. It felt a lot like a group managed by someone who could and would replace any member with interchangeable parts, if someone missed a dance step or two. I imagine members age out as well? There is certainly room for all kinds of musical acts, so whatever. Don't get the cult following though.

[helenamonster]

23 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

The video parodies are funny enough, but I just don't understand why SNL is choosing videos that are more than 30 years old, and weren't majorly popular videos in the first place.  I'm sure there are old R&B videos to parody that way more people would recognize.

Cecily was on with Seth Meyers awhile ago and talked about an idea for a sketch she'd had when she first came on (and Seth was still head writer) where she'd play Nancy Reagan hosting one of those late-night call-in talk shows and Seth was basically like "Yeah we're not doing a Nancy Reagan sketch in the 2010s." I know not everybody is a fan of Seth but he seemed to know where to draw the line on relevance.

I think the video parodies are funny enough (I thought the Donald Glover one was better but this one was just fine) but both times I had no idea they were based on real songs/videos. I'm also not really up on my '80s deep cuts, though--the '90s are My Era so if they ever want to pull from the back catalog there I'd could be into it.

[Pete Martell]

10 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

Cecily was on with Seth Meyers awhile ago and talked about an idea for a sketch she'd had when she first came on (and Seth was still head writer) where she'd play Nancy Reagan hosting one of those late-night call-in talk shows and Seth was basically like "Yeah we're not doing a Nancy Reagan sketch in the 2010s." I know not everybody is a fan of Seth but he seemed to know where to draw the line on relevance.

I think the video parodies are funny enough (I thought the Donald Glover one was better but this one was just fine) but both times I had no idea they were based on real songs/videos. I'm also not really up on my '80s deep cuts, though--the '90s are My Era so if they ever want to pull from the back catalog there I'd could be into it.

I think with the video parodies they know people can go find them on Youtube if they want to do so, and it gets a bit of publicity for the show as the sites can write about the song as well as the sketch. 

I'm sorry they never did the Nancy Reagan sketch - it probably would have gotten no real reaction, but as a last sketch of the night it could have been fun. I guess the only real Nancy Reagan SNL will have is Terry Sweeney, so maybe it's for the best. 

[possibilities]

Maybe they could do a "ghosts of presidencies past" sketch sometime, and have old politicians show up there.

But what would Nancy Reagan say? Would she tell Melania to stare more adoringly at her man? Would she advise "Just say no" to someone? Now I'm curious.

[vb68]

17 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I think the video parodies are funny enough (I thought the Donald Glover one was better but this one was just fine) but both times I had no idea they were based on real songs/videos.

I think that might be somewhat the point though. It's obscure enough that people don't scream "NOT relevant!"  I didn't recognize the song and I was very much alive and kicking in the 80s.

I kinda roll my eyes a bit at Seth vetoing a Nancy Reagan parody.  Kristin Wiig had a recurring  character/sketch based around The Lawrence Welk Show for goodness sake. At least Nancy Reagan is a character people could still identify.  (And also noting how people always loved Bill Hader's Alan Alda impression, too.)  So it's all in your perspective.

17 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I guess the only real Nancy Reagan SNL will have is Terry Sweeney, so maybe it's for the best. 

Hey don't forget Jan Hooks! Remember her sketch blending Nancy with Mrs Robinson?

Edited April 19, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

7 hours ago, vb68 said:

Hey don't forget Jan Hooks! Remember her sketch blending Nancy with Mrs Robinson?

She had some fun sketches as Nancy - the one where Barbara Bush had her kicked out of the White House was an all time classic. I guess I just always think of Terry when I think of Nancy Reagan. 

[vb68]

One week later and the beginning of the cold open saying it was back to prison shows for cable news seems horribly dated.

[VCRTracking]

From Reddit:

Wow, they really weren't even exaggerating

[JAYJAY1979]

I don't get the love for Kate Mckinnon...she isnt funny..she almost is painful to watch.  I kind of wish a guy had played Joy on the View sketch...couldn't have been any worse than Kate was.