Another big show, coming off of the inauguration. How would Aziz do his first time hosting? Onto the review
Vladimir Putin Cold Open: A bit of a surprising cold open, with Beck Bennett as Putin talking to America following Trump's inauguration. He tries to assure that everything will be fine, while also trolling Trump for his inauguration crowd size and the women's march the following day. There was also a nice cameo by Kate McKinnon's Olya, who has her eyes on Putin and Trump. SNL continues to find inventive ways to cover Trump without having to always use Alec Baldwin. (9.0)
Monologue: Much like Dave Chappelle's stand-up following the election, this was an important opening for Aziz Ansari. He discussed the rise of the "lower case kkk" following Trump's candidacy, and the amount of people resisting Trump. (9.4)
La La Land Interrogation: Beck and Cecily Strong play police officers interrogating Aziz over his indifference to La La Land. This was a good twist, getting to fandoms and how defensive they can get when the movie or show that they like gets critiqued. They closed with defending 'Westworld'. As a fan of La La Land, even I'll admit that this sketch was pretty perfect. (8.5)
Kellyanne Conway (short): We get Kate's Kellyanne Conway back, where she performs 'Chicago' style of why she joined Trump's campaign. The production value (along with the performance itself) was fantastic. SNL finally moved on from their portrayal of a Conway that was reluctant being connected to Trump to what she's really after, name recognition. I mean, why else does she constantly go on the main news shows despite her supposed distaste of the media? (8.8)
Attorney Ad: (7.3)
(Big Sean): (5.5)
Weekend Update: Another solid Update. It seems the new Trump administration will be causing Update to be more politically front-loaded long past the election.
Leslie Jones appeared to talk about her fascination with "Hidden Figures". She goes on to talk about a few other notable African-American figures and inventors in history that aren't as known. This was one of the best Leslie features I thought. It was both informative, along with her typical solid lines.
The second guest saw "Jake Rocheck" (Mikey Day) talk about being friend-zoned. Don't think this will be a recurring guest, really forgettable. (8.0)
Bedroom: Melissa Villasenor finally gets a starring sketch, and she showed why she was hired. She tries to talk dirty to her boyfriend Aziz, but struggles to find the right lines. Her delivery makes this work so well, from her "6th grader" line to her Owen Wilson impersonation.The audience was eating this up, so here's hoping for more big roles for Melissa. (8.9)
Five Stars (short): A more topical piece, dealing with Aziz and Bobby Moynihan both struggling to obtain five stars on Uber as a passenger and driver (respectively). They come to bond with one another, moving past stereotypes. The closing gag is the typical twist, but this was a well put together short. (8.0)
Pizza Town: (7.5)
(Big Sean): (6.7)
To Sir With Love: This was a nice tribute to outgoing President Obama. Cecily Strong sings "To sir with love", joined later by Sasheer Zamata. (8.5)
The back half original work lifted this show to one of the season's best. It was benefited from strong political pieces, including the Putin cold open (which was a pretty genius way of handling the heavy news-filled weekend). (7.82)
SNL returned for their first show of 2017. The last show before the inauguration, how would their political coverage evolve into the new year and administration? Onto the review.
Donald Trump Press Conference - Cold Open: What a wild week in politics. An unverified dossier on Russia and Trump was released by Buzzfeed in whole, and reported by CNN. It included some wild accusations.....such as,,,well....."golden showers". Lets just say this has been a gold-mind for comedy, SNL included. The lines were "flowing" so to speak, as it dominated the Trump presser in this cold open. There were some other good lines as well, including how he'll replace "obamacare" with "The Affordable Care Act", and how healthcare doesn't matter because we're all doomed under Trump. But maybe the most underrated portion of this cold open was Cecily Strong who played Trump's lawyer who was present. Her dead-pan delivery was spot on. (8.5)
Monologue: The monologue was fairly standard. Felicity played off her nervousness on her hosting gig, and then we got a hologram Tina Fey to guide her along. She brought along such messages, including how SNL is reviewed "far too much"........sorry I guess? Haha. (6.7)
Beard Hunk: Another Bachelor parody. Seems the formula for these sketches are the same, with the women of SNL just cycling through with awkward one-liners. Never really hits home. (5.0)
Shondra & Malik (short): Leslie Jones and Kenan Thompson had great chemistry in this short. They played rivals, but car trouble brought them together. Maybe it didn't provide laugh out loud moments, but it was just well made (with a particular dark ending. Think "Farewell Mr. Bunting" a bit). (8.1)
Theater Donor: Mikey Day made this work. He plays an elderly man who's a top donor to a theater. Sitting through a play (featuring Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon), he constantly gets attended to by his nurse (Felicity). This was great physical comedy. A stand-out moment for Day. (8.3)
Weekend Update: Update has been on a roll in regard to political coverage. Its when Colin Jost and Michael Che shine the brightest. Che in particular had a pretty good moment when talking about the Jeff Sessions confirmation hearing.
The first guest was Pete Davidson, providing his first impressions on Trump's cabinet picks. I'll admit, he made some good observations.
Beck Bennett then saw a guest spot, trying out his pop vocal abilities. (8.4)
Movie Interview: This was a good take on how pretentious directors and the like can get with trying to make political points in promotion for movies that really don't have anything to do with anything. That was the case here, as Felicity, Beck and Kyle Mooney did a faux interview for "Hot Robot 3: Journey To Boob Mountain". The seriousness they take in this makes this work.
SNL did relatively well getting back into the swing of things for the new year. It'll be interesting going forward to see how they handle the new administration. As far as this show goes, Felicity Jones did a decent job. I think her nerves did show however throughout the episode. Sturgill Simpson on the other hand was an amazing music act. (7.62)
Awards season is upon us, with this Sunday's Golden Globes. One of the more fun and easy-going award shows with drinks abound; but the awards themselves could give us a glimpse into how the Oscars will shape up. And with that, here's my best take (accuracy not included).....
Best Supporting Actor, Limited Series, or Motion Picture for TV:
Sterling K. Brown - The People v. O.J Simpson
Hugh Laurie - The Night Manager
John Lithgow - The Crown
Christian Slater - Mr. Robot
John Travolta - The People v. O.J Simpson
As visually striking as Travolta's performance was, I think this goes to Sterling K. Brown. He really shined as Christopher Darden and brought him to the forefront.
Best Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Motion Picture for TV:
Olivia Colman - The Night Manager
Lena Headey - Game Of Thrones
Chrissy Metz - This Is Us
Mandy Moore - This Is Us
Thandie Newton - Westworld
This could easily go to Lena Headey, but I'm going out on a limb with Chrissy Metz. She burst onto the scene on NBC's new hit This Is Us, portraying real-life struggles.
Best Actor, Limited Series or Motion Picture made for TV:
Riz Ahmed - The Night Of
Bryan Cranston - All The Way
Tom Hiddleston - The Night Manager
John Turturro - The Night Of
Courtney B. Vance - The People v. O.J Simpson
Gotta give this one to Courtney B. Vance. He really brought Johnnie Cochran back to life in this astounding performance.
Best Actress, Limited Series or Motion Picture made for TV:
Riley Keough - The Girlfriend Experience
Sarah Paulson - The People v. O.J Simpson
Charlotte Rampling - London Spy
Kerry Washington - Confirmation
Felicity Huffman - American Crime
Another TV category, another People v. O.J win. Sarah Paulson brought out a side of Marcia Clark than we didn't know.
Best TV Limited Series or Motion Picture made for TV:
American Crime
The Dresser
The Night Manager
The Night Of
The People v. O.J Simpson: American Crime Story
I don't think there's any doubt, in a year of looking back at the O.J Simpson case, The People v. O.J Simpson brought us a look inside it all (along with the ESPN documentary). I wasn't sure how this series would play out leading up to it, but it was truly must-see TV.
Best Actor Television Series, Musical or Comedy:
Anthony Anderson - Black-ish
Gael B. Bernal - Mozart In The Jungle
Donald Glover - Atlanta
Nick Nolte - Graves
Jeffrey Tambor - Transparent
The Globes love new TV, so last year's winner Bernal may already be an old thing in the HFPA's eyes. I think they're going to go with Donald Glover and his new FX hit.
Best Actress Television Series, Musical or Comedy:
Rachel Bloom - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Sarah Jessica Parker - Divorce
Issa Rae - Insecure
Gina Rodriguez - Jane The Virgin
Not sure Bloom will repeat here. I'm going with another rising star in Issa Rae.
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy:
Atlanta
Black-ish
Mozart In The Jungle
Transparent
Veep
Could easily go Veep (especially with the 2016 election making it seem more fact than fiction), but I'm going with the hot new FX show Atlanta.
Best Actor Television Series, Drama:
Rami Malek - Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys - The Americans
Liev Schreiber - Ray Donovan
Billy Bob Thornton - Goliath
I was leaning towards Thornton, but with The Americans winding down, I think they give it its due with Matthew Rhys. Seems to be a show that gets under-appreciated when it comes to awards.
Best Actress Television Series, Drama:
Caitriona Balfe - Outlander
Claire Foy - The Crown
Keri Russell - The Americans
Winona Ryder - Stranger Things
Evan Rachel Wood - Westworld
Could see this going to either Foy or Wood, but I think they recognize a familiar name in Winona Ryder for the Netflix hit Stranger Things.
Best Television Series, Drama:
Game Of Thrones
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
The Crown
I'd love for This Is Us to take this, but I think Stranger Things is going to win. It just burst out there, becoming a major hit for Netflix and a buzz-worthy show.
Best Original Song, Motion Picture:
"Can't Stop The Feeling" - Trolls
"City Of Stars" - La La Land
"Faith" - Sing
"Gold" - Gold
"How Far I'll Go" - Moana
This could go a number of ways. While "Can't Stop The Feeling" was the song of the summer, and "How Far I'll Go" produced another top Disney song, I'm going with "City Of Stars". The musical of the group gets recognized.
Best Original Score, Motion Picture:
Nicholas Britell - Moonlight
Justin Hurwitz - La La Land
Johann Johannsson - Arrival
Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka - Lion
Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Benjamin Wallfisch - Hidden Figures
Could go a number of ways here. Some major players in this field from Zimmer to Johannsson. But I'm going with the musical here and Justin Hurwitz.
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture:
Damien Chazelle - La La Land
Tom Ford - Nocturnal Animals
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea
Taylor Sheridan - Hell Or High Water
Could be a fierce battle, and a tell for how the best picture race will shape up (among other categories). I'm going with Kenneth Lonergan.
Best Director, Motion Picture:
Damien Chazelle - La La Land
Tom Ford - Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea
Much like Screenplay, this field could be unpredictable. Hedging my bets a bit, I'm going with Barry Jenkins. This would make the race between Manchester By The Sea and Moonlight fairly even, no matter who takes Best Picture Drama, leading towards the Oscars (both will rival La La Land of course).
Best Supporting Actor, any Motion Picture:
Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
Jeff Bridges - Hell Or High Water
Simon Helberg - Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel - Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals
This seems fairly locked in. I'm going Mahershala Ali.
Best Supporting Actress, any Motion Picture:
Viola Davis - Fences
Naomie Harries - Moonlight
Nicole Kidman - Lion
Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams - Manchester By The Sea
Another acting category that seems fairly settled, a win for Viola Davis, hopefully on her way towards an Oscar.
Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language:
Divines
Elle
Neruda
The Salesman
Toni Erdmann
The only thing I know here is that it'll probably come down to Elle or Toni Erdmann. So with a wild guess, I'm going Toni Erdmann.
Best Motion Picture, Animated:
Kubo And The Two Strings
Moana
My Life As A Zucchini
Sing
Zootopia
What a year it was for animated movies. You had all of these, along with Finding Dory which didn't get nominated. I'm going with the film that came out of the gate as a favorite, Zootopia. There were so many good lessons in there, with a unique way in showing them.
Best Actor Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:
Colin Farrell - The Lobster
Ryan Gosling - La La Land
Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill - War Dogs
Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool
Writing here seems to be pointing towards Ryan Gosling
Best Actress Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:
Annette Bening - 20th Century Woman
Lily Collins - Rules Don't Apply
Hailee Steinfeld - The Edge Of Seventeen
Emma Stone - La La Land
Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins
A little more unpredictable now. This seems to be down to Bening, Stone and Streep. If this ends up being a big night for La La Land, then I think it goes to Emma Stone, and that's what I'm going with.
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:
20th Century Woman
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Sing Street
As close as Best Drama could be, this seems like it should be a runaway win for La La Land, propelling it towards the Oscars.
Best Actor Motion Picture, Drama:
Casey Affleck - Manchester By The Sea
Joel Edgerton - Loving
Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington - Fences
Maybe Denzel pulls off an upset, but I'm going with Casey Affleck.
Best Actress Motion Picture, Drama:
Amy Adams - Arrival
Jessica Chastain - Miss Sloan
Isabelle Huppert - Elle
Ruth Negga - Loving
Natalie Portman - Jackie
This could go to Huppert or Negga, but I think they won't be able to resist going with Natalie Portman for the biographical piece Jackie. Much like Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, the awards circuit seems to love roles like that, no matter how deserving or undeserving they may seem.
Best Motion Picture, Drama:
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell Or High Water
Lion
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight
Looking like this will go down towards Manchester By The Sea or Moonlight. I've been going back and forth on this one. Initially leaning towards Manchester, I'm going to ultimately pick Moonlight. It has a growing buzz, plus its content is something that the movie landscape needs.
