Everyone got airtime this week, but Jason Sudeikis got the most However, he didn’t run for a touchdown, (if I were to try to mangle a football metaphor) only punted. In fact, it seemed like he was assuming hosting duties and not this week's guest, Ben Stiller. Sadly, Fred Armisen, always a joy to watch, was regulated to a few short stints. Overall Grade: C+
Opening Skit: Mitt Romney Press Conference. On CSPAN, Sudeikis sends up the bland white Mormon candidate while fielding top Republican fundraisers played by Bill Hader, Nasim Pedrad, Taran Killam, Paul Brittain, Kristen Wiig and Vanessa Bayer. They all want New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Bobby Moynihan) to run, who upstages Romney. Many think SNL needs to turn to politics in the high season for inspiration, but they doesn’t always hit homeruns, sometimes not even base hits. D-
Opening Monologue Ben Stiller. The host talks about Yom Kippur and feeling light-headed from fasting when Andy Samberg shows up as Jewish Willy Wonka (aka Gene Wilder) to sing about enticing kosher food, portrayed in life-size version by various SNL players. Like last week’s monologue with Melissa McCarthy, it was very cute and the best and only good thing for the night. B
Lincoln Financial Commercial: Part I. Sudeikis plays opposite himself as a much older man. B-
Fox & Friends: Steve Doocy (Killam), Gretchen Carlson (Bayer) and Brian Kilmeade (Moynihan) deride Occupy Wall Street. Armisen plays fact-checker Lou. Sudeikis plays Hank Williams, Jr. with a media representative Chris Brooks (Ben Stiller). B-
Lincoln Financial Commercial: Part II. The second visit presents Hader cast against his older, fatter and suicidal self. B-
SNL Digital Short: Samberg and Stiller square off in front of Pedrad, Bayer in a battle of who can wear cutting-edge V-necks the best. It starts with the “Double DV” from the store’s “out of bounds collection” and turns into a plunging V-neck line contest. When we get to Stiller asking his assistant (Killam) to “open the veh-vault,” you know that, yeah, they’re gonna go there. Cute, silly. B-
Foster the People, “Pumped Up Kicks.”
Weekend Update with Seth Meyers features Nan Washington (Kristen Wiig), event planner. Dressed in a poofy black and grey striped shirt with a short, flat black do, she speaks like she just got off her shift at public radio’s Delicious Dish. I wasn’t digging it, but I’m glad Wiig tried something new. She talks about a pancake game, which gets slightly funnier as the skit goes on. City correspondent Stefon makes a return with his new friend Derek Zoolander (Stiller reprising his cult classic film role). Weekend Update: C. Nan Washington: C- Stefon: B-
Shanna & the Halloween Party: Kenan Thompson, Kellam, Samberg and Stiller drool over Marilyn Monroe-fart joke, Shanna (Wiig), while Abby Elliott looks on. C+
Lincoln Financial Commercial: Ben Stiller, Abby Elliott. C
Under Underground Records “Columbus Day Assblast!” DJ Supersoak (Sudeikis) and Lil Blaster (Pedrad) return with perpetually short-lived Ass Dan (Moynihan). McGeorge Constanza (Jay Pharoah) and Eckhart Tolle (Stiller) also show up. The writing on this skit is pretty much the same style as Stefon, but stupider. C-
Bruce Springsteen DVD Set: Just the Stories. All about the stories Springsteen (Stiller) tells between songs. A dud, but mercifully short. Armisen appears as Little Stevie. D
Foster the People, “Houdini,” featuring Kenny G. Yes, Kenny G.
Tinyballs Trailer: Lampoon on the recent hit Moneyball, featuring Killam as Brad Pitt. Armisen, Moynihan, Pharoah support. Instead of sabremetrics, Stiller plays a greasy Italian who offers steroids to help improve the team’s performance. B-
The Best of Both Worlds with Hugh Jackman: Samberg does an unconvincing impersonation as a host of this fictitious show. Abby Elliott does a slightly better Nancy Grace as his backup dancer. Stiller plays Mandy Patinkin. Hader does Clint Eastwood looking like John Lithgow (though there’s a funny gag with his high-waisted pants). Hugh Jackman plays Daniel Radcliffe, where it then turns into poking fun at minor gossip about the real Jackman (suspiciously not addressing the Big Rumor about the celebrity, but, whatever). Moynihan also appears. The problem with the whole skit is that it plays like it was written by a bunch of straight guys with no appreciation for musical theatre.
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