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whatevs.org presents... by Nummer and H-Bomb Episode 12: Steve Martin / Prince (2/4/06) | ||
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CONEY RATING SYSTEM |
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0-10 Coneys – Garbage OAD = Original Air Date* (*To be fair, coneys will be awarded the same as they were the first time they aired) |
| NUMMER | H-BOMB |
| THE GOOD! | |
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Tonight Steve Martin once again proved why he is one of the definitive SNL hosts. At 60 years of age, his versatility, uncanny accents and natural talent for live sketch comedy hasn’t faded a bit. Don’t get me wrong, tonight’s show won’t go down in history as his best SNL moments, but over the course of 90 minutes, he never delivered a dull moment and always appeared comfortably in control. My favorite moments with him were: his oblivious character in “Don’t buy stuff you cannot afford”, Ted the Broham surfer, the backstage and monologue scenes and his portrayal of Prince’s personal chef. Watching all of this made the episode feel like it was from the one of the show’s “golden eras” and not early 2006.
The always reliable featured players also blended well with Martin. From Wiig’s Drew Barrymore to Samberg’s surfing brohams, they again demonstrated why the show is better in their hands. I dare say by throwing a few more Hader and Forte moments into the mix, we could of had something to threaten Baldwin or Black’s episode for the season’s best.
It was also nice to see Weekend Update (the season’s most consistent train wreck, next to Finesse) shortened to the point of no guests or cutaways. This gesture kept the show moving at a very brisk pace and made room for a whopping 18 segments.
On the music side, Price (at least his first song) kicked ass. It’s rare when SNL sees guitar playing similar to what he belted out during “A Woman Scroned”. Too bad his second song focused more on Tamar than him. |
Overall, I felt that Martin did a terrific job hosting this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live. While he wasn’t always laugh-out-loud funny, Martin’s comfort level on the set was one of the best I’ve ever seen, undoubtedly due to this being his 14th time hosting. He was relaxed yet very well-rehearsed, qualities that shined through even the dullest of sketches. Some of his better bits included his monologue, Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford, Close Talkers, Quick Zoom Theatre and his backstage stints with Baldwin and Lorne.
Besides Martin, Armisen and Forte really seemed to be the frontrunners of the show this week with The Tangent and Close Talkers, respectively. I do agree that if shown too frequently, these Digital Shorts will, indeed, start to lose their edge. However, I still found the footage to be quite enjoyable simply because you could see Forte’s and Armisen’s ideas of comedy (which usually mirror my own) so prominently displayed in each of them. It was a bit strange that they decided to use The Tangent this week when it was obviously filmed for Johansson’s episode two weeks back, but more Armisen definitely gets no complaints from me.
I also have to give an honorable mention to Wiig’s Drew Barrymore impression. I can’t express how great it is to have a female on the show with such a wide array of impersonation talent. I can’t wait to see more!
Finally, Prince pulled in both a perfect and a near-perfect performance with his songs, “A Woman Scorned,” and “Beautiful Love (3121).” From his amazing guitar playing to the flamed-out stage during his first set, Prince was certainly a sight to behold. And those suits? I mean, come on. Forget about it. |
| NUMMER | H-BOMB |
| THE BAD! | |
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I love the Digital Shorts as much as the next man, but did we really need three of them? Tonight Lorne rolled out not only a pre-filmed cold opener (the second of the season already), but also “Close Talkers” and “The Tangent”. Most of these were still pretty good, but one per episode is enough for me. Let’s not forget the show is called Saturday Night LIVE.
It had to happen sooner or later and tonight marked the return of Maya “Lorne, can I do another Versache sketch” Rudolph. If you’re looking for proof on how the show improved without her, look no further than the addition of Kristen Wiig. Most SNL sites report that it was in fact Maya’s maternity vacancy which opened the door for Wiig’s hire and if you look back at the first half of the season, it was Wiig’s first episode (Jason Lee/Foo Fighters) that began the show’s upward momentum. I’m not saying Wiig has been SNL’s sole saving grace, but having Maya gone opened up a few segments per episode that normally would have gone to Rudolph’s weak characters/impressions. Let’s hope she’s on track to make this last half of the season her final stretch of episodes.
Finally, I thought the cameos went a little overboard. Despite the biggest offender being “The Tangent” digital short which was actually supposed to air in the Johansson episode, of all the SNL alums to use in a backstage bit, why Jimmy Fallon? Couldn’t it have been Bill Murray or Christopher Walken or something? Lumping Fallon into a room with SNL greats like Martin and Baldwin felt a bit off. |
Shockingly, the return of Rudolph only spawned two recurring sketches that featured the 7-season cast member, Oprah and the Prince Show, as well as a couple more brief appearances during the monologue and Quick Zoom Theatre. However, just knowing that she was back on the set seemed to put an instant damper on the evening. Luckily, Rudolph’s performances were kept to a minimum, which I’m sure was due to the success that the show has achieved in her absence, thanks especially to the featured players. Let’s just hope that Lorne continues to recognize that fact as well and not turn SNL back into the “Maya Show.”
Worse than the return of Rudolph, however, was Jimmy Fallon’s pointless, albeit thankfully short, cameo spot during the backstage skit. Was it just me, or did Fallon’s desperation to be the next SNL host seemed a little too unrehearsed?
One more thing to note, the wittier sketch writing trend that we’ve seen over the last several episodes appeared to slide a bit this week, with the majority of the skits falling more into the average or below average range. If not for the higher amount of sketches aired, I doubt this episode would’ve ended up with such a high coney count. Hopefully we can count on the 4 week break for the Olympics to spruce up the writer’s sketch ideas. |
| NUMMER | H-BOMB |
| THE BOTTOM LINE! | |
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While it should come as no surprise, Steve Martin helped SNL deliver yet another episode to fall in the above average range. Let’s hope if he ever comes back to host for a 15th time, he doesn’t take so much time off in between.
SNL will be preempted due to the Olympics for the rest of the February, so next up is Natalie Portman and alternative radio darlings Fall Out Boy on 3/4/06. |
As predicted, Martin pulled off another enjoyable night of SNL comedy, with Prince proving yet again that an outstanding musical guest can really make or break a show. My only wishes at this point are that the writer’s regain their momentum, sketch writing-wise, and that Maya’s reemergence doesn’t completely ruin the wonderful dynamic that the show has been able to regain. |
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CONEY COUNT |
| SKETCH | NUMMER | H-BOMB |
1. Cold Opening: Steve Martin preserves his hosting record |  |
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2. Monologue: Martin | |
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3. Commercial Parody: Teddy Bear Holding a Heart | |
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4. Sketch: Oprah |  |
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5. Commerical: Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford | |
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6. Sketch: Hammas Victory Party | |
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7. SNL Digital Short: “Close Talkers” | |
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8. Sketch: Quick Zoom Theater | |
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9. Music: Prince “A Woman Scorned” | |
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10. Weekend Update | |
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11. Sketch: Super Bowl XL Rehearsals | |
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12. Sketch: Backstage with Steve and Lorne | |
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13. Sketch: The Prince Show | |
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14. Sketch: NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams 3000 | |
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15. SNL Digital Short “The Tangent” | |
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16. Sketch: Ted the Broham | |
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17. Prince “Beautiful Love (3121)” | |
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18. Sketch: Naturally Crafting | |
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TOTALS | 35 / 72 Coneys |
38 / 72 Coneys |
= John Belushi
= Amy Poehler
= Tim Meadows
= Melanie Hutzel
= Self-Explanatory