SNL returned with its first show of the new year. Onto the review
Morning Joe Michael Wolff Cold Open: Ever since "Fire & Fury" dropped, everyone has been saying how Wolff seems like a Fred Armisen character. Well that's exactly what we got, with a guest appearance by none other than Armisen himself. But as an added bonus, we got Bill Murray as Bannon revealed, pitching his future plans. And let me just say, Kate McKinnon and Alex Moffat play up Mika and Joe pretty perfectly. (7.3)
Monologue: (8.0)
Science Show: A sketch that was decent on its own got a bit of an added bonus when Rockwell let an f-bomb drop live. The thing is, it actually fit in with the sketch, so it took me a moment to realize what had actually been said. Cecily Strong and Mikey Day's reactions were pretty priceless. (7.4)
Tucci Gang (short): Who knew we needed a rap song about Stanley Tucci? This was so out of left-field, but the song itself was actually pretty catchy. (8.3)
Fashion Panel: SNL took on the Golden Globes amidst the #MeToo/#TimesUp movement with this fashion review show, parodying how unprepared E! personalities were in addressing it on the red carpet. (7.5)
My Drunk Boyfriend (ad): (5.9)
(Halsey): (7.2)
Weekend Update: Being off for a few weeks can feel like nearly a year in Trump time, but Colin Jost and Michael Che didn't miss a beat. Jost played up how some stations are censoring the President's own "shit-hole" words.
Leslie Jones and Chris Reddappeared as Oprah and Stedman, addressing 2020 rumors. I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll see Leslie on Oprah on Update.
Aidy Bryant spoke about the pay disparity with Michelle Williams during the "All The Money In the World" re-shoots. I hope we see more of Aidy on Update.
Finally, Kenan appeared as Lavar Ball. He seems to have the same cadence as his David Ortiz character, but his Lavar Ball is quickly becoming a favorite. You can tell he just loves being this character. (7.7)
Captain Hook: (6.3)
ATM (short): While not the funniest part of the night, I think this short was really well written. Sam and Kenan are at an atm at night, and we see Sam a little cautious. However, they go on to bond, but then Kenan is the one that runs into trouble. With its twists and turns, this short was pretty well made. (8.4)
(Halsey): (7.4)
Marcus Comes To Dinner: Speaking of twists and turns, this one went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Not to spoil it, but lets just say that monologue towards the end by Rockwell was well sold, closing out with a farewell to his family. (8.6) Genetics Lab: In these troubled times, why not have a sketch about a "dog-head guy". This was a wacky 10 to 1 sketch done right. (8.2) Chantix (ad): For a basic concept (an actress in a pharmaceutical ad over-selling it), Cecily and Kate as the voice-over solid this just right to make it work. (7.5)
SNL started off the year fairly strong. The first half of this season has been a bit uneven, but if they can build off of this episode, then they should have a strong second half. I'll admit, I wasn't that familiar with Sam Rockwell, but he was pretty perfect host. (7.55)
An era of Doctor Who has ended, with the 12th doctor regenerating and show-runner Stephen Moffat departing. Before Chris Chibnall takes over, starting fresh, I thought I'd take a look back on Peter Capaldi and the 12th doctor.
The 12th doctor felt very different than his predecessors among new Who. For one, it felt like he had an actual character arc. I'm not talking about a specific arc related to a story or plot, but in terms of the doctor's character evolution.
From his main debut in "Deep Breath", the doctor started thinking about his overall purpose. What were his main missions and goals? And why was he the way he was?
This drastic turn for the Doctor impacted his companion at the time, Clara. She was feeling unsure if this was truly the same person she had known up until this point. It left her wondering if she wanted to continue on this journey.
The Doctor was facing a similar dilemma though along with Clara and his connection to humanity in general. This was evident throughout the 8th season, with the doctor having difficulty with the ability to read a room and process how others would react to his actions.
The Doctor, throughout his travels, would eventually find his way towards a solution, but often without thorough communication with those surrounding him. While this is common among earlier iterations of the Doctor, it became more apparent with the 12th given his stated character evolution.
A key component to 12th's character arc was his companion, Clara. She was able to act like a teacher in a way, a guide for the Doctor. She provided both a sense of stability, while also challenging 12. The bond between the two would help the Doctor find his way around humanity, and also discovering who he truly was about.
This bond would become too close however. Throughout their time together, they became much alike (evidenced in the 9th season). In "face the raven", initially dealing with the thought of losing Clara, we see the doctor regressing, not knowing how to respond.
This chapter of the 12th Doctor helped lead him in dealing with loss, that of both Clara and River Song.
And in terms of Clara and her arc, the doctor ultimately makes the ultimate sacrifice of losing her in his memories.
It's his time with Clara that allows 12 to become a teacher in his own way towards new companion Bill. The Doctor is properly able to show her around the universe.
Beyond just the doctor's connection to humanity though, there is one main point that fuels his character arc.....the question of what makes up a good man?
The doctor finds himself asking and debating with himself this question, and it drives him in the end to define the very qualities of a good man.
All in all, the 12th Doctor was one that gave the viewing public words to live by and how to act, through arc on what makes a good person, and especially his rousing speech on the perils of war in the "Zygon Inversion".
Everyone has their own preference, but I'll always consider Peter Capaldi as my doctor. It has been exhilarating watching Doctor Who give this sort of character evolution to the Doctor that I don't think was as prevalent with 10 or 11. It brought you closer to the show, and opened up your eyes through its connection to the world.
I'm excited to see what show runner Chris Chibnall will do with the 13th Doctor; Jodie Whittaker in the new season.
But for now, farewell 12th Doctor, we'll never forget you or what you taught us.
Its that time of the year again, with the awards season starting to get into gear, The Golden Globes. In what has been an unpredictable and wide open Oscars field, this year's Globes really could be a bellwether for the upcoming awards season. Here are my "well thought out" predictions on how I think it'll play out.
TV:
Best Supporting Actress:
Laura Dern - Big Little Lies
Ann Dowd - The Handmaid's Tale
Chrissy Metz - This Is Us
Michelle Pfeiffer - The Wizard Of Lies
Shailene Woodley - Big Little Lies
Tough call on whether to go with a Big Little Lies actress, or Ann Dowd...but I'm going to go with Ann Dowd.
Best Supporting Actor: Alfred Molina - Feud Alexander Skarsgard - Big Little Lies David Thewlis - Fargo David Harbour - Stranger Things Christian Slater - Mr. Robot
This seems like an easier call, Alexander Skarsgard.
Best Actress - Limited Series/TV Movie: Jessica Biel - The Sinner Nicole Kidman - Big Little Lies Jessica Lange - Feud Susan Sarandon - Feud Reese Witherspoon - Big Little Lies
At times the Globes can go against the grain, but I'm playing it safe with Nicole Kidman.
Best Actor - Limited Series/TV Movie: Robert De Niro - The Wizard Of Lies Jude Law - The Young Pope Kyle MacLachlan - Twin Peaks Ewan McGregor - Fargo Geoffrey Rush - Genius
This category seems fairly wide open. Twin Peaks was acclaimed in its return, so I'm going with Kyle MacLachlan.
Best Limited Series or TV Movie: Big Little Lies Fargo Feud The Sinner Top Of The Lake: China Girl
Its won big so far over the past year, so I'm going with Big Little Lies.
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy: Pamela Adlon - Better Things Alison Brie - Glow Issa Rae - Insecure Rachel Brosnahan - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Frankie Shaw - SMILF
The Globes tend to prefer fresh TV. I could see them going Alison Brie or Issa Rae, but I'm going with Rachel Brosnahan. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has been a buzzed about show since its release.
Best Actress - Drama: Caitriona Balfe - Outlander Claire Foy - The Crown Maggie Gyllenhaal - The Deuce Katharine Langford - 13 Reasons Why Elisabeth Moss - The Handmaid's Tale
Maybe there's an upset here, but the cards seem to pointing towards Elisabeth Moss.
Best Actor - Musical or Comedy: Anthony Anderson - Black-ish Aziz Ansari - Master Of None Kevin Bacon - I Love Dick William H. Macy - Shameless Eric McCormack - Will And Grace
This seems like another wide open field. I'd really like to see Anthony Anderson win here, but I'm going with Aziz Ansari.
Best Actor - Drama: Sterling K. Brown - This Is Us Freddie Highmore - The Good Doctor Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul Liev Schreiber - Ray Donovan Jason Bateman - Ozark
Maybe I'm going with my own preference here, but I'm calling it for Sterling K. Brown. Maybe it goes again the "new TV grain" (even though This Is Us is only in its 2nd season), but quite frankly, I don't care.
Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Black-ish The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Master Of None SMILF Will & Grace
A number of ways this could go. I could see The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel winning, but I'm going with Master Of None.
Best TV Series - Drama: The Crown Game Of Thrones The Handmaid's Tale Stranger Things This Is Us
This seems like a bit of a safer bet. It cleaned up fairly well at the Emmy's, and I see a similar pattern here with The Handmaid's Tale.
Film:
Best Music - Original Song: "Home" by Nick Jonas, Justin Tranter & Nick Monson, Ferdinand "Mighty River" by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq & Taura Stinson, Mudbound "Remember Me" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, Coco "The Star" by Mariah Carey & Marc Shalman, The Star "This Is Me" by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman
I think this comes down to Coco and the musical The Greatest Showman. I'm leaning towards "Remember Me". Its tough to top the great Kristen-Anderson & Robert Lopez.
Best Music - Original Score: Three Billboards - Carter Burwell The Shape Of Water - Alexandre Desplat Phantom Thread - Jonny Greenwood The Post - John Williams Dunkirk - Hans Zimmer
Certainly some big names up for original score. I'm going with Alexandre Desplat.
Best Supporting Actress: Mary J. Blige - Mudbound Hong Chau - Downsizing Alison Janney - I, Tonya Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird Octavia Spencer - Shape Of Water
This is likely down to Alison Janney and Laurie Metcalf. They've been going back and forth early on this awards season, but I'm leaning towards Laurie Metcalf.
Best Supporting Actor: William Dafoe - The Florida Project Armie Hammer - Call me By Your Name Richard Jenkins - The Shape Of Water Christopher Plummer - All The Money In the World Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards
This is a completely wide open field. Its the one where we could see multiple winners across the Globes, SAG's, etc. I'm going with William Dafoe.
Best Animated Feature: The Boss Baby The Breadwinner Coco Ferdinand Loving Vincent
It seems best animated film is always a runaway....and that looks to be the case here with Coco.
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy: Judi Dench - Victoria & Abdul Margot Robbie - I, Tonya Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird Emma Stone - Battle Of The Sexes Helen Mirren - The Leisure Seeker
Margot Robbie could take this, but I'm going with Saoirse Ronanin the much acclaimed Lady Bird.
Best Actress- Drama: Jessica Chastain - Molly's Game Sally Hawkins - The Shape Of Water Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Meryl Streep - The Post Michelle Williams - Three Billboards
Possibly a 2 person battle with Sally Hawkins and Frances McDormand. I had been leaning towards McDormand, but with something of a late push I'm calling for a Sally Hawkins win.
Best Actor - Musical or Comedy: Steve Carell - Battle Of The Sexes Ansel Elgort - Baby Driver James Franco - The Disaster Artist Hugh Jackman - The Greatest Showman Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out
Signs are pointing towards James Franco, but with Get Out's awards haul thus far, I'm going with Daniel Kaluuya.
Best Actor - Drama: Timothee Chalamet - Call Me By Your Name Daniel Day-Lewis - Phantom Thread Tom Hanks - The Post Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour Denzel Washington - Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Gary Oldman seems like a slight favorite, but as stated, in an unpredictable awards season I'm going with Timothee Chalamet. I think he takes this for his breakthrough role.
Best Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman (Chile) First They Killed My Father (Cambodia) In the Fade (Germany, France) Loveless (Russia) The Square (Sweden, Germany, France)
Ahh....foreign language film....the one category that I have absolutely no incite on. With a pure guess, I'm going with The Square.
Best Screenplay: The Shape Of Water - Guillermo Del Toro & Vanessa Taylor Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig The Post - Liz Hannah & Josh Singer Three Billboards - Martin McDonagh Molly's Game - Aaron Sorkin
I'm going with Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird. With how she got snubbed for Best Director, I think she rightfully gets recognized.
Best Director: Guillermo del Toro - The Shape Of Water Martin McDonagh - Three Billboards Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk Ridley Scott - All The Money In The World Steven Spielberg - The Post
I sound like a broken record, but again, a fairly wide open field. There were plenty of snubs, but with what we've got with this field, I'm going with Guillermo del Torofor his incredible vision of Shape Of Water.
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy: The Disaster Artist Get Out The Greatest Showman I, Tonya Lady Bird
This comes down to Get Out and Lady Bird, both not only contenders here but for the Oscars as well. With its impressive haul already in best picture wins, I'm calling it for Get Out.
Best Picture - Drama: Call me By Your Name Dunkirk The Post The Shape Of Water Three Billboards
Even more wide open than comedy/musical, a win here will propel one of these films to the top of the best picture field (along with Get Out/Lady Bird). I'm predicting a win for The Shape Of Water. I wouldn't be shocked if Call me By Your Name or The Post pull it off, but I just have a feeling with Shape Of Water.
With 2017 coming to a close, its time to look back at some of the best sketches of this past year on SNL. The year was of course chock full of political pieces, though somewhat surprisingly in my ranking, there are only a select few of them (maybe due in part to this current season's weak political writing). Onto my personal top 15.
15) "Enhancement Drug"
This ad parody is pretty much all Dwayne Johnson. If he wanted, he could perfectly fit in among the cast.
14) "Come Back Barack"
Featuring Chance The Rapper, this wasn't necessarily among the funniest pieces of the year, but just the production/nostalgia factor, and the catchiness of the song put it on this list.
13) "Sean Spicer Returns"
Melissa McCarthy's take on Sean Spicer was among the top characters on SNL in this past year. This sketch was the final time Spicer was seen on SNL, as he would exit the White House over the summer.
12) "Translator"
This was one of those sketches that on paper shouldn't work...Scarlett Johansson's dog expresses its support of Trump in a lab experiment. But they somehow pulled it off.
11) "Girl At A Bar"
This sketch occurred before the #MeToo movement started up en masse, but it could easily fit into it. Its actually fairly sad how accurate this sketch can be.
10) "Republican Movie Trailer"
This turned out to be more true than we thought during the time of its airing. Sure, we've had Jeff Flake and Bob Corker make some symbolic gestures against Trumpism, but in a way those actions still seem a little hollow.
9) "Kellywise"
Probably the perfect take on Kellyanne Conway(and can we talk about Kate McKinnon's amazing year, she just ran the gambit among trump admin official impersonations).
8) "Gift Wrap"
This was among the shock-value genre of sketches, but James Franco played it up perfectly to make it work and keep the momentum going.
7) "Bedroom"
This was a breakout moment for Melissa Villasenor last season.
6) "Spelling Bee"
This was a sketch where it took the right host to make it work, and that's just what James Franco did with terrific character work.
5) "Beers"
Larry David in a Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett short was just what we needed in this sitcom spoof.
4) "Sean Spicer Press Conference"
The debut of Melissa McCarthy as Spicer, this was quite a moment. She just fit in perfectly to the role.
3) "Papyrus"
An entire short on a font type shouldn't have worked, or even made sense. Yet here we are, with great work by Ryan Gosling.
2) "Totinos With Kristen Stewart"
A fitting end to the run on the totinos ads (given Vanessa Bayer's final season). This played out like a short film.
1) "World's Most Evil Invention"
Dwayne Johnson takes the top spot in this sketch (that I still can't believe made the air). What made this work was how Dwayne just keeps it cool throughout while everyone else freaks out.
SNL closed off its 1st half run with Kevin Hart. Onto the review
White House Tree Trimming Cold Open: This cold open reverted back to what hasn't worked with SNL's political cold opens. Baldwin's Trump is just sort of there, and it was more of a hodge-podge of lines (decorating the tree with ornaments of the fallen in trump's 1st year). (5.5)
Holiday Jewelry (ad): This parody of Pandora bracelets was pretty spot on. Get a bracelet, and then every occasion just add a vague charm that sort of resembles the person. (7.5)
Office phone Call: (7.0)
Captain Shadow and Cardinal (short): This was a fairly good realistic take on superheros, as Kevin Hart gets pulled over speeding in his bat-like mobile. Chris Redd really stood out as his robin-esque sidekick. (7.8)
Inside The NBA: Jay Pharoah had a good Shaq impression....and so did Kevin Hart. He perfectly portrayed Shaq's, shall we say, oddball nature. (8.1)
(Foo Fighters): (8.2)
Weekend Update: We saw a brief appearance by Omarosa (Leslie Jones).
Alex Moffat returned with his character "Guy who just bought a boat". This character is really starting to come along. It won't reach Stefon heights of course, but i'm interested to see where its going to go. (7.2) Nativity Play: (5.4)
Christmas Party: (5.1)
Active Jack: (7.4)
(Foo Fighters): Let me just say, what a great Christmas medley to close out the show. (9.2)
Like of much of this season, this show had its moments, but not a whole lot showed out overall. Although the Kevin Hart goodnights were pretty cool, with the classic skating scene. (7.20)
James Franco made his 4th stop as a SNL host. Onto the review.
Visit With Santa (Cold Open): SNL has had some rough cold opens this season, often times unable to coalesce around a single subject. That wasn't the case this week, with a change of pace. We see a bunch of kid actors asking "Santa" tough real-world questions from Roy Moore to opioids. (8.0)
Monologue: (6.8)
Sexual Harassment Charlie: (7.0)
Gift Wrap: Some of the best SNL sketches involve shock moments and over the top antics that work. This was one of those. James Franco just owns this, with blood continuing to spurt from his finger. Things even got a little haywire, like Leslie Jones not expecting a mouthful of blood from Franco to go into her mouth. From that, along with Kate Mckinnon's reactions, this was just fantastic. (9.4) Scrudge (short): (7.1)
Spelling Bee: This was a sketch that just fit Franco like a glove. I'm sure some other host could have had a decent job with it, but Franco was totally into the character as this disturbed host. Just the way he delivers makes it all click. (9.3) (Sza): (7.3)
Weekend Update: The first guest saw Cathy Anne return (Cecily). As usual, Cathy always speaks the truth. Throughout her appearances, this character just keeps growing.
Next saw a rarity, a genuine field piece. Michael Che "disguised" himself as Gretchen, a liberal white woman. I hope they do more of these style of pieces. (7.2) Za: (6.5)
Christmas Charity (short): This short was a pleasant surprise. You think you know where its going, and then there comes the twist. (7.3)
(Sza): (6.4)
Reunion: (5.0)
James Franco brought it to this week's SNL. He at times can be a wildcard, but he was fully invested. (7.28)
Just dropping this out of the blue, but I decided to do a Top 10 singles list for Fall Out Boy. This list is subjective (yada, yada). Anyway, here's my take on their top 10 singles.
(all music video rights to Fall Out Boy, Fueled By Ramen/Island Records)
10) "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
from Infinity On High (2007)
9) "Champion"
from Mania (2018)
8) "Young And Menace"
from Mania (2018)
7) "Irresistible" ft/ Demi Lovato
from American Beauty/American Psycho (2015)
6) "Thnks fr th Mmrs"
from Infinity On High (2007)
5) "Centuries"
from American Beauty/American Psycho (2015)
4) "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)"
