whatevs.org presents...

"SNL - SEASON 31 REVEALED"

by Nummer and H-Bomb

Episode 1: Steve Carell / Kanye West (10/1/05)

CONEY RATING SYSTEM
= John Belushi
= Amy Poehler
= Tim Meadows
= Melanie Hutzel
= Charles Rocket
= Self-Explanatory

0-10 Coneys – Garbage
11-20 Coneys – Needs Improvement
21-30 Coneys – Average
31-40 Coneys – Above Average
41-50 Coneys - Instant Classic
51+ Coneys - Unparalleled Comic Genius

OAD = Original Air Date*

(*To be fair, coneys will be awarded the same as they were the first time they aired)

Widescreen SNL! So best.

HD aside, I'll remember this episode as my first positive impression of new featured player Bill Hader. The impersonations he brought to the table (James Mason and Al Pacino especially) were excellent. Still too early to tell on Andy Samberg , although a co-worker did sum him up as Jason Biggs in a wig. Regardless, it appears Lorne has hired two capable guys.

The best bit of the night was Forte, Poehler, Armisen and Samberg's Morgan Stanley commercial parody. Loved that twist ending. Much better than the Dr. Porkenheimer Boner Juice that kicked off the ad parodies last season.

Other strong performances came from Sanz dusting off the Aaron Neville character (gotta love that cocoa butter), Poehler's Granny Crabtree (awwwww nuts) and Mike Meyers acting nervous around Kayne.

Speaking of Kayne West, I have to say he did an exceptional job. I may question his politics, but both of his performances were solid. Best over abundance of musicians onstage since Gwen Stefani back in March.

First and foremost, I couldn’t have been happier with new featured players, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg. Hader was especially impressive with his uncanny impersonations; his Al Pacino was unnervingly good. It was hard to see exactly what Samberg had to offer yet as he was only on the show for about 2 minutes tops, but I liked what I did see and hopefully that will only get better. Best moments of the night: The Morgan Stanley spoof (“You dress like a total whore, by the way.”), Horatio Sanz as Aaron Neville in Anderson Cooper 360 (“My hammer flew out of my hand because of too much co-coa bu-uu-ut-ter.”) and Mike Meyers mini-appearance before Kayne West’s first performance of “Gold Digger.” And what about that Kayne West, huh?! He not only managed to deliver two great sets amidst an entire string section and DJ’s, but could’ve obviously cared less about ANY of the controversy surrounding his comments made on that Hurricane Katrina public service announcement. Plus, he wears really cool jackets. This premiere was also the first to be aired in High Definition format, which was kinda neat. It’s good to see that SNL can at least make advances in the technological department, even if they are going to continue with the same old has-been cast members. I mean, they need to do something to make Hammond look good when he’s 80 and still trying to pull off Clinton impressions, right?

It was clear that sketch inspiration was absent during the writing week. I counted three sketches regarding the recent hurricanes and one of them (Anderson Cooper 360) was basically a melting pot of recycled celebrity impressions. This especially raises a red flag since rumor has it there were significant changes in the writing staff over the summer. I'm also curious why things like The Needlers (who for some reason were known as the Hendersons during the Knoxville episode) and Lundford Twins Variety Hour are passing for recurring material. With this stuff making the cut, there seriously has to be a recurring material quota Lorne holds over every episode and it doesn't matter what the sketch is.

I was actually also surprised Carell wasn't used that effectively. Apart from his role of Bob Bummer on the useless Debbie Downer, all he did was play a straight man on the Jet Blue and Needlers sketch, Ray Romano in Anderson 360 and a singer for Lundford Twins. I expected it to be a bit more like Will Ferrell's hosting spot back in May where the host was a central role in each sketch. Given Carell's improv and comedy background, this should have been the case.

Well, with the good comes the bad and with SNL, it’s the same old story. Despite an entire 4 months of downtime, Lorne and the gang still insist on bringing back crappy recurring skits. Premiere or not, The Needlers (inexplicably changed from last season’s “The Harrisons”), The Lundford Twins Feel Good Variety Hour and Debbie Downer do not make for fresh, exciting sketch comedy. Not to mention that the rest of the night consisted of THREE Hurricane Katrina bits and one dedicated to the Jet Blue Flight #292 fiasco. Guys, I’m pretty sure that there were other things going on in the world besides those two events. Come on.

CONEY COUNT

1. Cold Opening: NBC Special Report
Premise: George W. Bush addresses hurricane aftermath

2. Monologue: Carell

3. Commercial: Morgan Stanley
Premise: A Morgan Stanley agent takes on a fatherly role

4. Sketch: Jet Blue Flight #292
Premise: Airline passengers watch live news coverage of their plane while still in flight

5. Sketch: Anderson Cooper 360
Premise: Celebrities help out hurricane victims

6. Sketch: The Needlers
Premise: Recurring sketch about a couple that should be divorced

7. Commercial: Girls Gone Wild – Hurricane Katrina

8. Music: Kayne backstage / Kayne West performs “Gold Digger”
Guests: Mike Myers

9. Weekend Update
Guests: Sanz (filling in for Fey), Mitchell, Hader, Samberg

10. Sketch: The Lundford Twins Feel Good Variety Hour
Premise: TV Land presents a variety show that was never aired

11. A Cartoon by Robert Smigel: Fun With Real Audio
Premise: John Roberts confirmation hearings

12. Music: Kayne West “Heard ‘em Say” – featuring Adam Levine

13. 13. Sketch: Debbie Downer Premise: A wedding guest brings down the good moods of others

TOTALS

22 / 52 Coneys

21 / 52 Coneys