SNL Review: Anna Faris (spoiler summary)

Anna Faris had the unenviable task of hosting SNL this week two weeks after she opened her latest movie to commercial and critical cold shoulders.  It had to have hurt, as she doesn't even acknowledge its failure.  She also doesn't seem to acknowledge that she's at 30 Rock.  The episodes continue to slide downward this season.  Overall Grade: C-



A Message from the Major of New York City: Michael Bloomberg (Fred Armisen) arrogantly addresses recent natural disasters and Occupy Wall Street, turning it into an opportunity to pimp for tourism.  He also tries to deflect attention off of himself by bringing attention to other notable people more well off than him.  C

Opening Monologue: Faris walks onstage in a black dress and a blond bob.  Her second time hosting, she cops out and takes questions from the audience including Andy Samberg, Nasim Pedrad, Bill Hader and Abby Elliott.  Hader elicits some giggles, but it’s Abby Elliott who shows up in the same outfit as Faris and does an impersonation of her as Hanna Garris and shows more energy than the host.  Faris looks either bored or out of energy.  C-

Television Dominica presents The Manuel Ortiz Show: Armisen hosts and does the whole quick synchronized dance whenever a guest comes on.  He interviews various family members about some soap opera antics going through their blood line involving sexting.  You can’t say Kristen Wiig and Hader aren’t game.  Vanessa Bayer, Kenan Thompson, Faris, Paul Brittain and Bobby Moynihan also join in the stale proceedings.  A fire alarm doesn’t ends things soon enough.  D+

Lifetime Original Movies presents What’s Wrong with Tanya?  Vince Blake (Hader) hosts Lifetime’s first original game show.  Bayer, Wiig and Faris are the blonde contestants wearing bland pink and beige outfits who all look like they’re from the suburbs.  Wiig acts like her Broadway actress character.  Elliott and Andy Samberg enter as “Tanya’s,” and the questions must decide what’s wrong with her.  C

SNL Digital Short A Brief Interview with Drake: Samberg conducts various short nonsensical interviews with Drake.  Wiig makes a brief appearance.  Was it actually funny or funny because it was sandwiched between a bunch of subpar comedy?  B+

Marriott TV Yet Another GOP Debate: Bayer hosts as Sandy Schaub.  Thompson plays Herman Cain, Jason Sudeikis plays Mitt Romney, Hader plays Rick Perry, Wiig plays Michelle Bachman, Moynihan plays Newt Gingrich, Brittain plays Ron Paul and Samberg plays Rick Santorum.  Considering this was a political sketch pushed to the second half hour, it doesn’t deliver as expected.  C-

Drake, “Headlines.”

Weekend Update with Seth Meyers: Secondhand news correspondent Anthony Crispino (Moynihan) does a report, as well as two teenagers dressed as werewolves (Jay Pharoah and Drake) rap.  Worst Update of the new season thus far.  D+

A sketch featuring all the women on the show set at a 1950’s malt shop Sip n Soda.  They sing “Tell Him” with different lyrics informing Bayer how a woman needs to act in front of a man in order to keep him.  Cute, but bland.  B-

Michigan State Campus TV J Pop America Fun Time Now: Taran Killam hosts with Bayer.  It’s a Japanese pop show!  They sing, have trendy hairstyles and quick, airy laughs.  They acknowledge that they’re actually white college students, much in the way those Goth kids Chris Kattan and Molly Shannon were from suburban Florida.  Sudeikis plays their professor.  If I were Japanese, I think I would be offended.  Not because it’s full of cliques, but because it’s not funny.  Faris enters as a guest and things lighten up a bit before Fred Armisen provides the biggest laugh and he doesn’t even have to say anything.  You know they’re going to do this skit again.  Ugh.  C+

Drake with Nicki Minaj, “Made Me Proud.”

Cecil: Faris plays a daughter bringing home her boyfriend Cecil (Brittain), with his buddy (Hader), to show off to her family (Sudeikis, Wiig, Samberg).  He appears to have fell off the Renaissance truck and constantly requests sweets, confounding her mother and brother.  Perhaps it’s in anticipation of the new movie Anonymous.  It gets a huge WTF?!  D

Wiig and Faris play Jersey girls looking for a Ferrari calendar at a bookstore attended by Hader, as their asses are about to explode.  They make fun of our obsession with very particular features we find attractive in men.  Faris: “No nose, just holes.”  Wiig: “Spaghetti legs and wizard shoes.”  The night ends on a positive note.  B