"I like the meat of young Hispanic men"
Cold Open: Breakfast in New Hampshire
2 Stars
The presidential candidates discuss issues at their hotel
Will's George W. Bush and Darrell's Al Gore are back and joined by Parnell as John McCain and Jimmy as Bill Bradley. Not much to say about this except that you can see Will's characterization of the future president get more defined. This was pretty dull and in a little bit of bad taste when John McCain gets a Vietnam flashback at the end and sees his political competition as his captors.
Alan Cumming Monologue
Will's George W. Bush and Darrell's Al Gore are back and joined by Parnell as John McCain and Jimmy as Bill Bradley. Not much to say about this except that you can see Will's characterization of the future president get more defined. This was pretty dull and in a little bit of bad taste when John McCain gets a Vietnam flashback at the end and sees his political competition as his captors.
Alan Cumming Monologue
2 Stars
The cast shows off their love of musical theater
With a Tony winner as the host, the cast reveals themselves to be a collection of theater nerds. Cheri and Kattan show off their jazz hands, Ana and Parnell come out as Annie and The Phantom Of The Opera, respectively. Tracy jumps on Alan as a jellicle cat and everybody sings 'Willkommen' from Cabaret with the host. Light on laughs but passable.
Uncle Jemima's Down Home Mash Liquor
With a Tony winner as the host, the cast reveals themselves to be a collection of theater nerds. Cheri and Kattan show off their jazz hands, Ana and Parnell come out as Annie and The Phantom Of The Opera, respectively. Tracy jumps on Alan as a jellicle cat and everybody sings 'Willkommen' from Cabaret with the host. Light on laughs but passable.
Uncle Jemima's Down Home Mash Liquor
4 Stars
Pancakes ain't the only thing the Jemima family sells
Uncle Jemima wants to get you fucked up for less money, which is why his pure mash liquor is 90% alcohol per volume. It appears to be effective as Uncle Jemima keeps swatting at imaginary cartoon birds. Tracy is great here, he's much better in the pre-filmed bits, as both Uncle and Aunt Jemima.
Fried Chicken Fields Forever
Uncle Jemima wants to get you fucked up for less money, which is why his pure mash liquor is 90% alcohol per volume. It appears to be effective as Uncle Jemima keeps swatting at imaginary cartoon birds. Tracy is great here, he's much better in the pre-filmed bits, as both Uncle and Aunt Jemima.
Fried Chicken Fields Forever
2 Stars
John Lennon and Paul McCartney reunite and open a restaurant in a new biopic
This is a parody of a real movie that VH1 did about a fictionalized meeting between John and Paul as they watched SNL on the day Lorne Michaels offered them $500 to reunite. The movie was criticized for not being able to get the rights to any Beatles songs. This sketch takes that idea a step further and ponders what would happen if they opened a fried chicken restaurant. Jimmy and Alan play John and Paul, respectively, and Cheri comes in as Yoko Ono who breaks them up by wanting to change the menu. There were a few technical snafus here, not sure if Alan missed an entrance or a cue was missed but it got sloppy in the middle. This should have been pre-filmed and edited anyway. Making this shorter and tighter would have given it some energy.
Tandem Hearts
This is a parody of a real movie that VH1 did about a fictionalized meeting between John and Paul as they watched SNL on the day Lorne Michaels offered them $500 to reunite. The movie was criticized for not being able to get the rights to any Beatles songs. This sketch takes that idea a step further and ponders what would happen if they opened a fried chicken restaurant. Jimmy and Alan play John and Paul, respectively, and Cheri comes in as Yoko Ono who breaks them up by wanting to change the menu. There were a few technical snafus here, not sure if Alan missed an entrance or a cue was missed but it got sloppy in the middle. This should have been pre-filmed and edited anyway. Making this shorter and tighter would have given it some energy.
Tandem Hearts
1 Star
The Culps sing at a couples counseling seminar
Alan joins Marty and Bobbi Culp to sing a medley for the 13th time. They sing Tell Me Something Good, Love Is A Battlefield, Genie In A Bottle, She's So High, Nookie, You're The One That I Want and In Your Eyes. Am I wrong or is the original joke completely missing? The song choice used to be inappropriate, right? I seem to remember them singing White Lines to a group of recovering addicts. Now they're just doing whatever pop songs they want.
Dog Show
Alan joins Marty and Bobbi Culp to sing a medley for the 13th time. They sing Tell Me Something Good, Love Is A Battlefield, Genie In A Bottle, She's So High, Nookie, You're The One That I Want and In Your Eyes. Am I wrong or is the original joke completely missing? The song choice used to be inappropriate, right? I seem to remember them singing White Lines to a group of recovering addicts. Now they're just doing whatever pop songs they want.
Dog Show
1 Star
A doggy intervention is held
Speaking of sketches I never wanted to see again... I never liked this and a 5th helping was way too much. Will's dog has its little doggy tongue hanging out of its mouth the entire sketch, and that is the only redeeming thing that happened.
A Short film by Adam McKay
Speaking of sketches I never wanted to see again... I never liked this and a 5th helping was way too much. Will's dog has its little doggy tongue hanging out of its mouth the entire sketch, and that is the only redeeming thing that happened.
A Short film by Adam McKay
The Heat Is On
3 Stars
A ladies man accepts a challenge
Ben Stiller, Jimmy and Horatio are at a bar when Glenn Frey from The Eagles walks in. Ben claims to be able to pick up any woman in 5 lines or less and his friends dare him to pick up Glenn. He tells the musician that he's better than Joe Walsh, he should act more often and that he wants to be with him. And just like that, Glenn Frey is making passionate love to him. We get a montage of the two in bed together, Ben crying, Glenn making him eat like a dog and letting another random man join in. It's basically a sketch that utilizes the ickiness of two boys kissing. It's entertaining enough but I found it interesting that they put this in the one episode this season with an openly gay host.
Jennifer Lopez
Ben Stiller, Jimmy and Horatio are at a bar when Glenn Frey from The Eagles walks in. Ben claims to be able to pick up any woman in 5 lines or less and his friends dare him to pick up Glenn. He tells the musician that he's better than Joe Walsh, he should act more often and that he wants to be with him. And just like that, Glenn Frey is making passionate love to him. We get a montage of the two in bed together, Ben crying, Glenn making him eat like a dog and letting another random man join in. It's basically a sketch that utilizes the ickiness of two boys kissing. It's entertaining enough but I found it interesting that they put this in the one episode this season with an openly gay host.
Jennifer Lopez
"Feelin' So Good"
A jolt of energy in a very slow episode. Could have done without the Fat Joe cameo, but this was fun enough.
Weekend Update
"The NFL is proud to announce that none of its players committed murder today"
Bill Clinton shows up to give his thoughts on the presidential candidates, or as I call it, the cold open from a couple of episodes ago. He thinks all the candidates are boring since they are free of scandals and tells the American people that they are gonna miss him and all of his shenanigans.
Siegfried and Roy's Night of 1000 Tigers
1 Star
Siegfried and Roy have a talk show
So, Chris Kattan is definitely not gay, right? I mean, there is absolutely nothing wrong with whatever sexual preference you have, but, come on now. Alan and Chris play Siegfried and Roy as they host a talk show and interview a woman who got plastic surgery to resemble a tiger. They also do a hidden camera prank in the middle, which isn't fun. This sketch, hell, this whole episode is a real dud.
Hello Dolly
So, Chris Kattan is definitely not gay, right? I mean, there is absolutely nothing wrong with whatever sexual preference you have, but, come on now. Alan and Chris play Siegfried and Roy as they host a talk show and interview a woman who got plastic surgery to resemble a tiger. They also do a hidden camera prank in the middle, which isn't fun. This sketch, hell, this whole episode is a real dud.
Hello Dolly
1 Star
Dolls for sale on the Home Shopping Network
I had no idea what the joke was for this sketch. There's a little bit of character for Ana as she hints at her unhappy life and recent divorce but not much. Most of the "jokes" come from Alan talking about his pec and calf implants. Unless the dolls are supposed to be funny? I really have no idea what they were going for with this one.
Addendum: Since I skip around in seasons, I didn't realize this was a recurring sketch until about a month after writing this. Either I have never seen the 5(!?) incarnations of this sketch or have seen them and forgotten all about them. So I'm probably missing some of the characterization for this but I still didn't like it.
Jennifer Lopez ends the show with "Waiting For Tonight" and it's a sad state of affairs when the musical guest is the highlight of an episode.
FINAL ANALYSIS
I had no idea what the joke was for this sketch. There's a little bit of character for Ana as she hints at her unhappy life and recent divorce but not much. Most of the "jokes" come from Alan talking about his pec and calf implants. Unless the dolls are supposed to be funny? I really have no idea what they were going for with this one.
Addendum: Since I skip around in seasons, I didn't realize this was a recurring sketch until about a month after writing this. Either I have never seen the 5(!?) incarnations of this sketch or have seen them and forgotten all about them. So I'm probably missing some of the characterization for this but I still didn't like it.
Jennifer Lopez ends the show with "Waiting For Tonight" and it's a sad state of affairs when the musical guest is the highlight of an episode.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Walk downstage left with me"
Average
1.9 Stars
MVP
Tracy Morgan
Monologue, Uncle Jemima's Down Home Mash Liquor, Weekend Update
Monologue, Uncle Jemima's Down Home Mash Liquor, Weekend Update
Best Sketch
The Heat Is On
Worst Sketch
Dog Show
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
I guess, take the week off and throw on The Best Of David Spade instead?
Host Analysis
Alan Cumming was pretty bad, honestly. I hate to blame the quality of an episode on the host because there are so many other factors at play, but he had a lot to do with the weakness of this. The sketches were are bad, but what really stung was the effort he seemed to be putting into them. I was watching a guy try his hardest in really weak material. It was a little sad. I'm not sure what a better host could have done though, but I can't point to anything in this episode which would make me want to see him return.
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
After a solid start to the season, the beginning of the new year has not been very good. Two stinkers in a row following the enjoyable but weak Jamie Foxx episode. This was exceptionally dull and gets one of my lowest sketch averages ever, inflated by the commercial parody, without it it gets a 1.6 which approaching season 20 Deion Sanders level. That episode was a train wreck but this is almost worse since it's technically better but just boring as all hell. Raises the question, what's worse, watching a car crash or watching a car run out of gas?
Up Next
Up Next
Hopefully ER's Julianna Margulies and DMX can get us out of this funk.
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