SNL Season 29 – REVEALED!
Episode 9: Jennifer Aniston/Black Eyed Peas
(1/10/04)
The Rating System:
4 Coneys – Best Ever
0 Coneys – Worst Ever
Totals:
0-10 Coneys – Garbage
11-20 Coneys – Needs
Improvement
21-30 Coneys – Average
31-40 Coneys – Above
Average
41-51 Coneys - Instant Classic
55+ Coneys - Unparalleled
SNL Genius
Pre-show Comments
(1/8/04):
Jason: Jennifer Aniston. This will
be her second time hosting - the last was back in 1999 with musical guest
Sting. That episode was pretty good and is now notable for the first appearance
of Fallon's Nick Burns
character. Will Burns make a return for this episode? Who knows. Burns has been
missing for awhile now.
As
for Aniston, I say
buzz. She's promoting the dull looking Along Came Polly. However, since she is
a comedy actress, I'm keeping my expectations a little high this time around.
SNL is coming off two pretty lousy episodes (Sharpton and Wood),
so they really need to kick in the high gear this week.
Black Eyed Peas? Don't know a ton of their songs. I really like that song they used in the pilot episode of The OC back in the summer, but I'm in the dark when it comes to the rest of their material.
Heather: I've always found Jennifer Aniston to be highly
entertaining. I'll admit it....I love Friends and Aniston is one of the biggest
reasons why I watch it week in and week out. She's funny and wacky and I'm sure
she'll do another fantastic job at hosting SNL.
I wish I was more familiar with Black Eyed Peas but I never really took the time to listen to their stuff. However, I do know a lot people who do like them, so I'm looking forward to some decent performances.
1. Cold Opening: Donald Trump/NBC President Jeff Zucker
Premise: Trump hypes up “The Apprentice”
Jason: Hammond as Trump and the impression was
pretty dead on.
Here we saw Trump
shamelessly promote his new show by talking about how “classy” it is. Hammond brings a good angle to Trump by
focusing mostly on his libido while using as many sexist comments. I also liked how dumb they made him – for
example, Hammond’s Trump has just learned that his Taj Mahal is not the actual
Taj Mahal.
The opener was going good
until Fallon came out with his stupid NBC President Jeff Zucker impression
(last seen Sharpton/Pink). Way to ruin
it!
1.5 Coneys
Heather: Up until this opener, I was close to losing
all interest in Hammond. His recent
impressions of George Bush have really left a lot to be desired, and other than
some decent Schwartzenegger spots, I haven’t really seen much from Hammond
lately. His excellent attempt at
portraying Trump, however, seemed to boost my confidence in him again. 40 foot TV’s!! I was pretty entertained throughout this opener, although it did
get to be a bit too long, especially when Fallon stepped in.
1 ˝ Coneys
Jason: HOLY NIPPLES!! Was that a joke? I do not
recall it being THAT cold in the SNL studio.
I honestly can’t recall any of her opening lines due to this
distraction.
From there, the monologue
led into a “clip” of a possible ending for “Friends”. Basically Aniston’s character chooses one of the guys to be with
and the other one commits suicide. You
actually saw the suicide joke coming a mile away, so all laugh factor went out
the window.
Other than that, she
seemed very on edge and nervous. I have
to say I expected more.
1.5 Coneys
Heather: For reals, what was up with Aniston’s
nips?! (No pun intended). Wowie!!
This monologue definitely
wasn’t the best, but I have seen much worse.
The Friends spoof ending was decent.
I thought Sanz as Joey was funny, although the suicide jab was
completely predictable. Aniston did
seem a little jumpy, especially when she realized she forgot to take her jacket
off after the Friends bit. But at least
she didn’t look like she was reading straight from the cue cards. It was an ok monologue.
2 Coneys
Premise: Photographers compete for
celebrity photos
Jason: This was obviously an attempt by Poehler to
establish another recurring character for herself. The idea was pretty clever – she plays one of two Paparazzi
photographers (the second played by Aniston) – who basically namedrops and
gossips. Some of the celebrity jokes
were funny, but a few too many of them focused on Verne Troyer (Mini-Me). Who makes Mini-Me jokes in 2004? So 1998!
1.5 Coneys
Heather: This sketch was cute, mostly because it was
finally something different! I loved
Poehler and Aniston’s NY accents.
Poehler’s “Beyonce Boosh” comment had me chuckling. Again though, this could’ve been shorter.
1 Coney
4. Sketch:
Britney Spears gets Married
Premise: Re-enactment of
the NYE 2003 Spears/Alexander Wedding
Jason: This played off a little too much like the
Fallon/Timberlake impression of Jessica Simpson and Nick LaChey. Fallon basically played the same character
and Aniston simply didn’t seem into her Spears impression. The voice and all the “y’alls” she used were
funny, but the constants cuts to the clock and rushed feeling of the whole
thing really made the sketch suffer.
1 Coney
Heather: I thought this skit was highly amusing. I could totally see Britney Spears acting
like this when she’s had a little too much to drink, although I’m sure there
would’ve been much more making out involved.
I agree it would’ve flowed much better without all of those clock/song
segments, but it still got a few good laughs.
I hope I never have to say, “ Awww…you burped on my weddin’ kiss,” to my
future husband!
2 ˝ Coneys
5.
Commercial Parody: Gaystrogen
Premise: Pill that helps you recapture your
gay habits if you suffer from “Queer Loss”
OAD:
10/18/03
Jason: See Berry/Spears Review
4 Coneys
Heather: See Berry/Spears Review
3 Coneys
6. Sketch:
Democratic National Committee
Premise: The Democratic Presidential candidates
speculate how Howard Dean has become the front runner
Jason: Get used to these Democratic candidate
sketches. Since the Presidential
election is this Fall, they will be doing many of these over the next 10
months.
We last saw this in the
Sharpton/Pink episode. I gave it 2
Coneys then, and I’m giving it 2 Coneys now.
Everyone has really nailed the mannerisms and overall feel of their characters,
but they haven’t written them into a truly funny situation yet. The Republican/Democratic sketches back
during the 2000 Presidential campaign were gold and so far these are falling
short. Time will tell if they improve.
On another note: Why the HELL has Fallon been in basically
every sketch so far?
2 Coneys
Heather: Ok, about the funniest thing in this sketch
was the background music. Yes, everyone
has their specific characters down pat, but the material was rather boring.
1 Coney
7. Music – Black Eyed Peas #1
Jason: Why aren’t they doing that song they did on
The OC’s pilot episode. I’m pretty sure
it’s called “Hand’s Up”. They really
should do that one for their second song because this was flat out GARBAGE! That girl is really cute though – I didn’t
even know there was a female in the group!
0 Coneys
Heather: Ugh.
Had I known that they were the ones that sing this horrible horrible
song, I would have NEVER said that I wish I were more familiar with this group. Worst.
0 Coneys
8.
Weekend Update
Jason: Not a solid WU in my opinion.
There were a string of
good jokes to start it off:
Yes, the jokes were on par
with the rest of Season 29’s Update offerings, but it was the guests that
really killed this installment. Jeff
Richards as Steve Irwin made Kattan’s old impression seem genius, as did
Finesse Mitchell’s take on OJ when compared to Tim Meadows. Armisen’s Phil Spectre was pretty good and
so was Hamond’s Robert Blake – but all of it as a whole didn’t work.
After that, I was glad to see Al Franken’s one man
mobile unit character return. I really
liked this bit back during the Dennis Miller Updates when Franken would find
himself forced to drink his own urine while fighting off vultures. However, this new 2004 version kind of
sucked in comparison. I’d recommend
fast forwarding.
2 Coneys
Heather: To me, Weekend Update this week was pretty
funny. I laughed at A LOT of Fey’s and
Fallon’s jokes: Bush sending man to a
full moon, Christina Aguilera 69ing with Newman, the 1st Christian
Nudist colony motto – “Jesus, look at those jugs,” David Gest thinking a vagina
was a medical condition, Jackson’s letter to Penthouse and finally the New
Yorkie eating your child’s face. Good
stuff!
Richards impression of the
Crocodile Hunter was nothing special, but I did get a kick out of him saying,
“I know how to feed crocs AND I know how to take care of me baby.”
Mitchell completely sucked
ass as OJ Simpson. Are we looking at
another Jerry Minor here?? I did giggle
at Armisen’s appearance as Phil Spectre.
Franken’s one man mobile
unit in Baghdad was alright, but kind of hokey.
3 Coneys
9. Sketch:
Osama/Saddam Phone Call
Premise: Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein catch up
Jason: Hmmm.
Didn’t expect to see this one back.
We last saw Fallon and Sanz calling each other like this back on 2/15/03
for the Jennifer Garner/Beck episode.
It was OK then, but this one (thankfully) improved on it. Sanz is still doing his Ferey Muhtar voice
and Fallon still giggles through the whole thing, but this was the first sketch
tonight that actually had me laughing out loud. It is really funny to see these two terrorists get so off topic
while talking that things like Tom Hanks and Hot Pockets come up in the
conversation. This sketch is easily the
stand out of the episode.
3 Coneys
Heather: This was weird, and by that I mean weird at
how much I was laughing at a Fallon and Sanz skit. I’m just wondering how much of this was ad-libbed. It seemed at some points that Sanz was
legitimately laughing as if Fallon was just making stuff up as he went
along. This was most noticeable to me
when Fallon referred to Sanz as “Ron Jeremy in an orange suit.” Sanz started looking off camera as if
realizing Fallon could really see him.
And while the constant giggling would normally bum me out, it seemed to
make me laugh more, as it did with the Over Here guys.
3 Coneys
10.
Commercial Parody: Country Roses
Premise: A take on how silly country song lyrics can be
Jason: Basically this was a long joke about how
silly the inspirations for country music lyrics are. It was pretty low on the laugh factor and basically served as an
excuse to get 90% of the female cast members in one sketch. The only standout was Dratch’s comment about
why there are snowflakes.
1 Coney
Heather: Maybe it was simply from laughing so much at
the last sketch, but I continued to chuckle throughout this one as well. I mean, you’ve got Poehler singing about
nothin’ being cuter than a baby eatin’ peaches off a hardwood floor and Dratch
saying snowflakes are because of yoooouu in this totally creepy country
voice. Who couldn’t laugh just a little
bit?!
2 Coneys
11.
Sketch: Coco and Maisui Super
Show
Premise: Japanese talk show with emotional hosts
Jason: Now we know what would happen if Armisen
and Maya did Club Traxx in Japanese.
Aniston plays herself on this talkshow and is pretty much forced to take
over the interview since the hosts can’t stop gawking and crying over her. Armisen’s line “My English, not so happy”
earned a laugh, but the rest was just a trip through Aniston’s ego.
1 Coney
Heather: On the whole, this sketch pretty much
flopped. Armisen’s gruff Japanese
accent and wide-eyed stare were the best things about it.
1 Coney
12. Music:
Black Eyed Peas #2
Jason: Man that girl is cute! Allmusicguide.com reveals her name is
“Fergie”. Usually I think rap/urban
alter-ego names are pretty stupid, but I’m willing to overlook it due to her A+
stomach. I’m throwing this song a Coney
simply on Fergie belly envy.
1 Coney
Heather: Yeah, I really don’t like these guys at
all. And what the hell was on the girl
dancer’s face?!
0 Coneys
13. Sketch:
Appalachian Emergency Room
Premise: White trash visit the hospital
Jason: At first this seemed like Kattan/Poehler’s
COPS characters in a different setting.
Fortunately, I love Poehler’s hillbilly character impression. Fallon and Parnell added some laughs too,
but Sanz stole the show! He played a
guy who got his tongue cut off by letting a pitbull eat out of his mouth. He then proceeded to get his own severed
tongue confused with a piece of ham.
Totally best.
2.5 Coneys
Heather: This was a surprisingly hilarious
sketch. Poehler and Aniston had great
hillbilly impressions. Fallon,
unfortunately, brought the sketch down temporarily with his stupid flailing
arms and legs. But Sanz immediately had
me laughing again with his “bitten-off tongue” injury. “I hord my tonge.” I seriously rewound his explanation of why his tongue was bitten
off by his pitbull about 10 times and laughed just as hard every time. I wouldn’t want to see this as a recurring
sketch, though, because it’ll never be as good as this.
2 ˝ Coneys
14. Phone Sex Line
Premise: A phone sex operator has trouble talking
“raw” enough
Jason: This one came as a surprise since I didn’t
think there was time enough for another sketch! However, I went into it with high hopes because usually the 12:55
AM sketches are the most experimental and weird. Sadly, this one did not fit that mold at all. Aniston basically played a shy phone sex
operator who isn’t comfortable talking dirty.
I know I’ve seen this routine before, I just can’t place where. Not a good way to end this average at best
episode.
0 Coneys
Heather: It’s too bad they couldn’t have just ended
with the last sketch. This was
disappointing to say the least. Aniston
was unexpectedly lame and Keenan was just plain weird with his shifty
eyes. Forte and Armisen were slightly
amusing, but this was definitely not a strong ending.
˝ Coney
Closing Comments:
Jason: This season is officially starting to let
me down. Apart from the promotion of
Will Forte and the kick ass new opening sequence, Season 29 hasn’t given us
many 4 Coney “Instant Classic” sketches.
The last three episodes have totally been forgettable. What gives?
Sadly, I don’t see next week’s episode (Jessica Simpson/Nick LaChey and
G-Unit) being any better. It will be
another Timberlake type episode completely filled with MTV audience style
humor. Timberlake was able to pull of a
decent show thanks to the cast really bringing out some strong material, but
with two hosts next week – will there be enough room for a repeat save?
I honestly expected more
out of Aniston too. While her last
episode back in 1999 was by no means comedy gold – it was years beyond this
showing. Aniston. Some say overrated.
22 out of 56 Coneys
Heather: I can’t believe this episode wasn’t
better. I thought for sure Aniston
would deliver, which she did at times, but nothing seemed to follow through to
anything truly funny. However, I can’t
blame the whole show on her. While at
least we’re seeing something different from Jarrett’s Room and Wakeup Wakefield,
the sketch ideas this week weren’t all that inspired. That combined with the Black Eyed Peas made for a rather weak
show.
23 out of 56 Coneys
SNL Coney Rankings: Season 29 – REVEALED!
Andy Roddick/Dave Matthews
– 41.5
Jack Black/John Mayer –
34.5
Justin Timberlake - 30
Alec Baldwin/Missy Elliot
– 28.5
Halle Berry/Britney Spears
– 27
Jennifer Aniston/Black
Eyed Peas - 22
Al Sharpton/Pink – 21.5
Kelly Ripa/Outkast – 19
Elijah Wood/Jet – 16.5
Heather:
Jack Black/John Mayer –
34.5
Andy Roddick/Dave Matthews
– 28.5
Justin Timberlake – 26.5
Halle Berry/Britney Spears
– 24
Alec Baldwin/Missy Elliot
– 24
Jennifer Aniston/Black
Eyed Peas - 23
Kelly Ripa/Outkast – 20
Elijah Wood/Jet – 18.5
Al Sharpton/Pink – 17.5