Saturday Night Live w/ January Jones

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:32pm

I can't believe nobody's commented on how unbelievably horrible last nights show was. I think I cracked a smile with Kathie Lee but MY GOD, January Jones was awful and as someone who tries really hard to find something good in every episode of this show, for the first time I thought it might be time to say goodbye to SNL.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:37pm

What's a January Jones? Being really horny in the Winter?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:39pm

That's right, Bobby. You'd better do some breathing exercises because I'm gonna January Jones you AAAAAALL night long!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:41pm

This seems to be the general consensus. I have heard the phrase "worst SNL ever" but it was not, by far. The only people who could say that are people who never saw the Louise Lasser episode. Or the last time the wasted and painfully unfunny Chevy Chase walked through hosting duties.

The show is made or broken by the host. And whoever that woman is was certainly not among the greats. However, the How to Host a Cocktail Party film was hilarious. And I am just juvenile enough to laugh endlessly at the Rear Window sketch.

No SNL that included that vivacious Black Eyed Peas performance of "I Gotta Feeling" could ever possibly be the worst episode ever.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:41pm

That comment was funnier than anything last night.

And I thought Taylor Swift was bad...

And what PLANET are the Black Eyed Peas from/on?! I'll have one of whatever the heck they're having!

A new low. Jekyll & Hyde? REAR WINDOW? It felt like some bad variety sketch show from the 60s, I mean, seriously WTF?!

And January Jones makes Megan Fox look like Lauren f*cking Bacall in the acting department!

Just terrible.

P

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:42pm

No need to comment. It just goes without saying these days that SNL is horrible.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:42pm

I'm hoping that what I saw Saturday night was just a nightmare because it was the worst garbage I've ever seen. A whole skit where the punchline is farting? We all know that SNL writes dozens of skits and we only see the best each week. If that was the best, I wonder how bad the others were.

Unfortunately with SNL, the host drives the material. If you have a strong host, they demand the skits be rewritten until they have something good. Obviously January Jones didn't have enough clout to push back.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:47pm

Just watched the Today Show sketch. Especially loved January Jones mouthing "which camera?", not realizing she was being filmed.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 7:49pm

Dear Goth, you don't really know anything, but you present it as if you do. Remember when you were complaining about how awful The Simpsons is and how they had such a truncated season because they were working on the movie and I pointed out you were wrong and that there were the exact same number of episodes of the series the season before the movie and the season after?

It's not the host's demanding sketches be rewritten, it's the host's ability to ACT. Which, whoever that woman is, doesn't have.

The Gerard Butler episode was funny from beginning to end. But there's no point in telling people who watch ten minutes of every third episode to reconsider their critiques because, like Goth, they tend to proceed as if they know what they are talking about.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 9:24pm

It definitely is one of the worst episodes I've seen in the past few seasons, and easily the worst one of the season. January Jones was even more dreadful than Gerard Butler which I thought was impossible.
I already knew when we were in trouble when all of her jokes fell flat during the monologue (though the writing was horrendous). But oh God, that first sketch, I couldn't believe that they did that and that she agreed to do that. I mean, it wasn't only absurd that they thought the only thing they did with her was put her in "period" sketches, but that she agreed to do a REAR WINDOW sketch where THAT was the punch line! Seriously? They couldn't come up with anything else but that?
The period sketches got old from the second that REAR WINDOW sketch started, it reminded me of a few weeks ago when all the jokes the painfully unfunny Gerard Butler had where about him being Scottish.
Last week's episode with Taylor Swift was so terrific (Swift in particular, whom I didn't have an opinion about before that, was a natural from the second she started singing the Monologue Song) that I was hoping they'd be on a roll. But I don't think there's an excuse for the terrible job that January Jones and the writers did last night.
The only sketch that was funny was the Today show sketch. That's my favorite Kristen Wiig impression and it never gets old, she's a comic genius. Unfortunately, they fired Michaela Watkins whose Hoda was hilarious, so now we're stuck with that other girl who couldn't keep up with Wiig. They had no chemistry so the sketch didn't work the way the ones with Bradley Cooper and Neil Patrick Harris did. Still, it was the only sketch I didn't fast-forward through after 5 minutes.

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 9:29pm

Oh I thought it was far from the worst. I didn't know who that woman was who hosted, but so what. I laughed at things she wasn't in. Like Kathy Lee and Hoda, Rear Window, how to host a party. and I enjoyed the Black Eyed Peas.

Namo, I'm not sure it matters so much about the host, if they aren't in every skit.

[jasonf]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 9:47pm

Ray, you kind of lost a lot of clout in your opinion with this: "Wiig is a comedic genius." She is the same in EVERY skit - just nervous twitches and spasms - not funny in the least.

The only part of last night I found funny was the host a party skit. The Black Eyed Peas were by far the best part of the show.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 9:54pm

I agree that the Black Eyed Peas were really on. Highlight(s) of the night.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:01pm

My bad, I forgot about the Black Eyed Peas, they were indeed rocking it.
Sorry, I still think Kristen Wiig is SNL's only asset and they seem to know it since they put her in just about everything. She's also the only one of them getting constant film work (and few people mention KNOCKED UP without talking about her 5 minute appearance), so I guess I'm not in the minority.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:07pm

Kristen is great. And jason, no offense, but you do have a track record of some major perceptions that have been, um, a little off.

[picturetaker9211]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:50pm

She was so boring! I don't watch Mad Men, but still. I barely laughed. I laughed at Kathie Lee & at the Kim Kardashian bit on World Update. How to host a party was funny, I'll give her that much. Nothing else. Good thing she's pretty.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 10:57pm

Kathie Lee and Hoda was much better with Michaela Watkins playing Hoda last season. She held her own better with Wiig than Jenny Slate did last night.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/15/09 at 11:16pm

Couldn't agree more. Watkins' reactions to Wiig's Kathie Lee's jabs were priceless and added so much to the sketches. It really was a two person sketch with Watkins as Hoda. Now, it's yet another sketch where Wiig is required to do all the work.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 12:15am

I can't imagine Lorne Michaels isn't seeing that.

Watkins said in an interview he told her (as he was dismissing her) that she was more of a star and a headliner than an ensemble member. Well, yeah, and that "it" factor brought a level of confidence I have yet to see Jenny Slate exhibit.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 12:29am

I think that sketch proved that Wiig and Watkins together made that sketch so funny. I hope she goes on to bigger and better things.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 1:27am

January Jones as Betty on Mad Men

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 01:27 AM

Posted: 11/16/09 at 1:27pm

I thought the flatulent Grace Kelly sketch was wonderful- but I did waste a few moments wondering why in the world they'd even think to do a sketch about a film that old. I guess it's something about classy, icy Grace Kelly letting them rip that got me roaring.

And put me in the column of people who do not "get" Wiig. She does seem to strike the exact same note in sketch after sketch.

Yes, yes go ahead and launch the "old guy like fart jokes better than the comic genius" remarks.

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 1:56pm

Joe, I'm with you. The very first time I saw Wiig do her shtick, I thought "Mo Collins wannabe." Mo was doing that stuff way before Wiig, and much better. IMO, Mo's the comic genius.

I'm waiting to see a skit where Wiig does something different and funny.

And yeah, I think farts are are hilarious!

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 2:26pm

It would have been funnier if her big flouncey dress billowed every time she let one loose.

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 2:30pm

Haha, SNAFU. Definitely