lordwow

She was lip-synching. You could hear them flip on the mic right after the song. Talk about poor production.

lotsofdvds

Tonight's Saturday Night Live featured Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite) and the return of Ashlee Simpson. Here are some sporatic thoughts:

* I've never seen Napolean Dynamite, as I'm still waiting for that "OMG! It's SO funny you HAVE to see it!" vibe to go away so I can take it in with a fresh perspective. My bet is this show won't help me there. And also that I won't get 97% of the jokes in the monologue.

* Why did the opening sketch look like community theater? And also, why did it suck?

* Hey neat... in the middle of the commercial parody they cut to something else entirely. Remind me why this show HAS to be live again?

* There was no enthusiastic applause when Amy Poehler's little spastic kid sketch started. This is the sign that this recurring character has worn out its welcome. So be prepared to see it 12 more times this season.

* That werewolf sketch might have worked better on tape... everyone's timing was way off. Then again, nah, it probably sucks no matter what.

* Two live shows, time for a much needed break! Next week, The Best of David Spade. In two weeks they're back, and the host is Catherine Zeta-Jones. I don't think the show will be any better, but at least there'll be something to look at.

* 30 minutes in and I've yet to crack a smile. Thelma & Louise references? Christ!

* Hooray! Showbiz Grande Explosion! I know this bit just keeps recycling jokes, but it does make me laugh. It wasn't as good as the Colin Ferrell one, though I did laugh several times.

* I don't get bringing Ashlee Simpson back. There are so many bands out there who actually sing that deserve a shot on SNL. Who the hell likes Ashlee Simpson? She can't sing live and just proved it again. And was her second song about the joys of being a whore? Get off my TV.

* Dammit, they're not rotating cast members in Tina Fey's chair on Weekend Update. Will Forte's thing was amusing. Lorne's bit was good too. "They should get chemo." LOL.

* The less said about everything after WU, the better.

* The show had such a white guy overload that Seth Meyers was only in one sketch and Chris Parnell wasn't even there. Overall a below average effort.

Cameron

who got the bright idea to let her back on the show....

i wonder how much lorne got for that...

Ranger

Yeah, wasn't she just on last year? What, SNL is having that hard of a time finding music guests?

nightwing82

I don't think she was lipsynching, she kept going flat though. Not a good singer at all.

cornflakeguy

For the past 10-12 years I have been a SNl apologist, but no more.

Tonights episode was the most boring, uninspired piece of garbage they have aired yet.

I'll bet Lorne just made the desicion to do a Best Of show next week half way through watching tonights show.

Anyone else's HD have audio popping in and out of commercials? THAT sucks.

CFG

DRG

She has a new album out, plus I figure SNL did it as a cheap tactic to bring in viewers (as in, "I'd better tune in to see another trainwreck!")

Charlie Goose

Going with a on this one. Heder was a lousy host, stumbling over lines and almost no acting skill. I hope he capitalized on the success of Napoleon Dynamite by signing on for a lot of movies, because I’m thinking those offers are going to be drying up real soon. Save your money, it’s a short trip. Plus, he’s ugly. Which fit for the show, because Ashlee Simpson has a face that could haunt a house.

White House
Bush & Cheney discuss cronyism when it comes to the selection of Harriet Myers for the Supreme Court. At least it wasn’t another Bush press conference bit.

Monologue
Heder takes questions from the audience, and denies that Napoleon Dynamite was based on anyone he knew. Until a college buddy, Leopold Samsonite, stands up. Very good impression by one of the new SNL guys. He comes on stage and they dance. Armisen as Pedro and Forte as the brother. This probably would’ve been funnier right after the movie was released.

Taco Town
Recorded ad with all three new guys eating a taco wrapped in a soft taco, wrapped in a chalupa, wrapped in a quesadilla, in a deep dish pizza, in a pancake, etc. It actually sounded kind of tasty. As for the new SNL guys, the only one I can recognize right away is Samberg, and that’s because his hairstyle could’ve been worn by an extra on the set of The Partridge Family.

Kaitlyn
The hyperactive child. She’s presenting a science project with her partner Heder. He dances again until he bites his tongue and rips his pants. I usually like this character, but it didn’t do it for me this time. Heder dances again.

Werewolf
Heder confesses to his girlfriend that he was bitten by a wolf and will turn into one. However, it was just a small bite because all he gets is a mustache during the full moon. Heder thrashes dramatically as he’s chained to a chair, to the amusement of his girl and the cops he called to protect her. A few chuckles at Heder’s antics.

The Misadventures of Tom Delay and Bill Frist
The two outlaws on the run, Thelma & Louise style. I think the audience was on the run too. Hammond stops in as Clinton. The sketch ended exactly as you figured it would, holding hands and driving off a cliff. Bad, and a T&L parody? Was one of the writers in cryogenic sleep for the last 15 years?

Fericito
Ay dios mio! Fericito interviews Heder playing himself, asking mostly about Pedro. Okay, and yep, he danced again.

Weekend Update
Best line was about the new Jefferson nickel. Jefferson is facing forward with a small smile on his face, saying “See that slave over there? I tapped that ass.” Other than that, not much going on. Poehler had a weak & lazy line, pointing to a shot of Bush and saying, “…on a new episode of Lost.” Is that even a joke? Slow speaking politician Tim Calhoun comes on. Forte does a good job with this, but damn, it’s endless.

Funeral Home
A large group of old friends reunite at a wake. Two days later, another member of the group dies and they meet again. Repeat half a dozen times. In a shocking and insulting display of lazy writing, the whole bit turns out to be a commercial for the funeral home. That doesn’t even make sense. The only laugh came from Dratch as she was half a second too late laying down in her coffin and the camera caught her.

Corporate Meeting
During the previous night’s company party, several pranks were played on employees; eyebrows shaved, heads shaved, etc. One of the new guys who isn’t Samberg was pretty funny here.

Blind Date
Heder goes out with Dratch. She works as a customer service recording voice, so she speaks to him in that stilted, perky way we’ve all heard during automated service. Short and okay.

Black Eyed Peas
Now hiring out for store openings and bar mitzvahs. 25 thou for the hot chick, 10 thou for the two black guys, and they’ll throw in the creepy dancing guy for free. Yes, someone is obsessed with making Heder dance.

invisiblegt

I also got a good laugh out of the "Proving that laughter really is the best medicine. Unless you have cancer... Then you need to get chemo."

nazz

Isn't that one just an old line with a slight change?

"Laughter is the best medicine unless you're a diabetic. Then insulin is the best medicine."

Tommy Ceez

Now SNL is ripping off the jokes in DVDTalk signatures

matta

She sounded terrible. Luckily I watched it on the TiVO after the fact so I could fast forward after 30 seconds of that crap.

nazz

That's where I saw it before!

nazz

That's what I don't get. How can you sound that bad and be lip-synching?

THX7966

Absolutely pitiful show. And was there even ONE genuine laugh from the studio audience? Seemed mostly like that nervous, forced, I-waited-10-years-for- tickets-guess-I-should-laugh-at-something laughter. If this is their best material, I would hate to see the sketches that get cut.

MvRojo

I thought the Black Eyed Peas thing was funny just because they annoy the hell out of me.

Ketamine

She 100% was not lip-synching IMHO. The first song sucked (and she sounded really bad) but I really like the 2nd one. There is no way that they would have her lip-synch to a version of the song where she sounded horrible.

tcoursen

Well, if you suck when they record the song, it is gonna suck when they play it back.

Goldberg74

I hated the movie "Napolean Dynamite" but that opening monlogue had to be one of the funniest in recent memory. "Leopold Samsonite"

I must be in the minority (or have been really, really tired) but I laughed at just about every skit (except the blind date one and the funeral home one).

I would have give this ep a : While Heder is not a good actor, he at least delivered his lines and did his best... and almost all of the skits included the new guys.

Seth Myers was only in one skit. Darrell Hammond popped up twice. Chris Parnell was noticably absent, as was Maya Rudolph (but she has a reason). Heck, even the FAN was only in two skits and with Finese Mitchell showing his mug in the funeral sketch and as a BEP. Andy Samberg, Bill "Not Samberg" Hader and the other guy were everywhere.

Goldberg74

I can't stand her... skipped through it. Thank the heavens for TiVo.

tommyp007

looks like I made the right choice to skip it this week.

SMB-IL

Was it only NBC in Chicago that ran a Best Buy commercial featuring The Black Eyed Peas immediately after the Black Eyed Peas bit on the show? THAT was the funniest moment of the night for me!

Ketamine

Agreed, but they do some things with it in the studio to make it sound better. That wasn't the case this time though it is possible that it was recorded and not mixed to sound better in order to make it sound "live" though I see no benefit of doing that. There is no way that they would risk another situation like the last time on SNL. They were going to have her sing on stage no matter what. As a result, we got the "opportunity" to hear her real voice last night.

LorenzoL

I laughed only twice throughout the whole show.

Snowmaker

Sounds like I didn't miss anything by falling asleep soon after the werewolf skit.