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Yes, tonight’s Julia Stiles-hosted episode is said to be the 500th new show aired since the series replaced Johnny Carson reruns more than 25 years ago. (Who remembers that genius comedy writer Michael O’Donoghue and ubiquitous character actor George Coe (yes, the same guy who played “West Wing’s” filibustering Sen. Stackhouse this week) were billed alongside John Belushi and Jane Curtain as “Not Ready For Prime-Time Players” in the first episode’s opening credits?)
I love “Saturday Night Live,” enough to have stuck with it though its most troubled eras. (Remember the year Lorne Michaels left and Joe Piscopo and Denny Dillon were recruited to replace Bill Murray and Gilda Radner? Great Jesus on His Throne in Heaven!)
Hey, while we’re waiting for the East Coast feed to kick on, here’s a little off-topic advice on how to fix the XFL. Keep the players and cheerleaders sequestered in co-ed dorms. For the week leading up to each big big game, let documentary crews follow everybody around. Run highlights between plays. Force the players to engage in intellectual contests for extra points. At the end of every game, have Vince McMahon hold a team meeting and force the losing team to kick one player and one cheerleader off. Sit back and watch the ratings skyrocket.
Well, it's time for another peek at perhaps the most seminal comedy show in history. Our spoiler-happy live review of the March 17, 2001 edition of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live":
11:30 PM COLD OPENING: MARTHA STEWART LIVING.
Wow, familiar in SO MANY ways! This does not augur well for the balance of the episode. Title credits are used to prepare more sour apple martinis!
11:35 MONOLOGUE.
Julia Stiles IS tall! “Tracy, you’re smarter than that!” “No, I’m not!” Failed to bowl me over!
11:38 HOMOCIL.
500th episode! Let’s trot out a repeat of a commercial parody! Gotta love Will’s forced smile though...
11:41 WAKE UP WAKEFIELD.
Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph make such convincing youngsters that 19-year-old Julia Stiles looks like their mom. Liked the stuff about Maya's crush and Rachel's complaints about the pushing-kids-into-lockers problem. A good example of a good sketch made better by great performances. I like this way better than "Goth Talk" OR "Wayne's World."
11:51 POST OFFICE.
Did this sketch strike anyone as being similar to the "Simma Don Na" bits? Ah well, they got 90 minutes to kill twice a month. Julia maybe wanted to do some 'hood dialog, so they wrote a sketch, right?
11:59 AEROSMITH.
SNL, like most late-night shows, has been running its musical segments later and later. The reason: research figured out that there's a lot more consensus on what's funny than on what's good music. But they put Aerosmith on early tonight; maybe because its appeal is wider than that of most artists? I liked the song; it had kind of a Dinosaur Jr. vibe.
12:05 UPDATE.
I make no secret of my lust for Tina Fey! I'd like to lick her glasses! And Tom Brokaw will soon be adopting Jimmy's haircut! Darrell Hammond's Schwarzenegger impression is not his best. "It really teaches the baby who's boss!" was a decent closer, but I remain underwhelmed!
12:15. SUEL FORRESTER, MOVIE DIRECTOR.
For me, Chris Kattan remains the show's weak link (unless he's doing Mango!). The gibberish guy never made me laugh. Is there a reason, I ask you, Kattan is the focus of so many sketches in which he can't talk? The other Chris, Parnell, meanwhile, remains one of the show's more dependable elements. "Sirrrr, I am not a Jewwww! Anymorrrre!"
12:25. WORKPLACE TALES.
Two office workers feel bad about their lot in life until they hear the tales of immigrant cleaning ladies. Funny and pointed. But the original ending (see talkback) would have VASTLY improved it!! In fact, it's a little criminal they didn't use it! Did standards and practices decide you can't use the word "ass" while referring to someone's hinder? Or does the joke not work without a blackout? (Talkback tidbits like the one supplied by BrooksMarlin are the reason Herc loves AICN above all other sites!)
12:29. THE DOBERMAN!
Will Ferrell is money in the bank; point a camera at him and get comedy! The "He's good" didn't work, but the dog leaping down after Ferrell was inspired. "Oh! Oh no! Oh my God!"
12:32. WHITE TIME AT THE APOLLO.
A Wisconsin girl tries to woo Harlem's toughest audience with cheerleader moves. The Apollo crowd likes her better when she teams with an African-American from back home! Wow, what the hell was that?
12:40 WILLY SLUGGS' EYEPOPPERS.
Silly yet cutting infomercial parody. "Do I have evil powers?" "How did you do that, Willy?" "I ain't tellin' you!" Funny!
12:46 MORE AEROSMITH.
I liked their song about Janie or Jamie or someone getting a gun. They didn't do that one.
12:52 THE SMILEMASTERS.
What if "Sprockets" mastermind Deiter produced a kiddie show for Nickelodeon? The title credits alone made me spit martini! "Nein! We haff coffee and radishes!!!" "I'm inside every one of you!!!" "Now you wear the armor of knowledge!!" "It's time to learn how to behave at funerals!!!" "Schnell!!! Schnell!!! Schnell!!!" This was BY FAR the best sketch of the night, and redeems the whole damn 90 minutes! Genius!!
12:55 ST. PADDY'S CONCERT.
Jimmy again demonstrates his superior musical parody abilities by doing some Van Morrison. Too bad they couldn't also actually write something...
SNL classic tonight is host Catherine O'Hara with musical guest REM. It helpfully includes a "Sprockets" segment for comparison/contrast purposes.
HERC’S RATING FOR “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” 3/17/01?
*** (mostly because of "Smilemasters!")
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
**** better than most motion pictures
*** actually worth your valuable time
** as horrible as most stuff on TV
* makes you quietly pray for bulletins
I have a fever – and the only prescription that can cure me is more cowbell!!
I am – Hercules!!
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