tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1311636027577632125..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: Saturday Night Live: Lady GagaAustin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-7783697330683381082013-12-27T23:06:02.410-06:002013-12-27T23:06:02.410-06:00I still think Kerry Washington outranks Lady Gaga ...<br>I still think Kerry Washington outranks Lady Gaga in terms of what the host brought to the table, but this was probably the best episode yet this season from the point of view of <i>SNL</i>'s own creativity. One thing that made it stand out for me was the way her song "Applause" was used in the monologue and the final sketch of an elderly, forgotten Gaga to cap the show; <i>SNL</i> rarely uses recurring gags within a single episode and even less often has any kind of narrative through-line (although despite the fact that two points does technically establish a line, in geometry anyway, it's really more of a bookend than a through-line). While I've heard it since then, I actually didn't know back when the episode aired if the song was an album cut of hers or written for the monologue to make light of her attention-getting shtick.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-238800895849487152013-11-20T12:53:37.748-06:002013-11-20T12:53:37.748-06:00@Dobson: I have to say I was shocked how much I en...@Dobson: <i>I have to say I was shocked how much I enjoyed this.</i><br /><br />Ditto. I even had a hard time coming up with a "least favorite sketch" (and that's rarely difficult), because even the stuff that I didn't enjoy as much still had something working in its favor,<br /><br /><i> I think the key was just the build. Too many "strange character" sketches just get stuck at that same level and don't really have anything to end on.</i><br /><br />I think you're right. Too often the sketch ends up being the strange character hitting the same beat over and over, then ending. <br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-92103297923863064902013-11-18T16:45:57.157-06:002013-11-18T16:45:57.157-06:00Right there with Kerry Washington for my favorite ...Right there with Kerry Washington for my favorite show of the season, I have to say I was shocked how much I enjoyed this. It was everything I wish the Miley show had been. Jebediah Atkinson made me laugh enough that I had to pause it, something that doesn't happen outside of Stefan. I'd be shocked if they don't find a way to bring the character back. The cover songs and co-op boards sketches didn't really work for me, although both still had funny moments. <br /><br />I loved the acting camp bit, although maybe it's my own acting background. I remember in college working with a freshman who had done some camps like this and thinking "Jesus, this guy's awful. He's going to have to un-learn all of this" (he did get better, in case anyone was worried). That said, I loved all the parodies, and would watch a variation of this every week at 12:50 (EST) for the foreseeable future. My favorite quote that you left off:<br /><br />Gaga (as child actor): Who do you think you're fiddlin' with I'm the mother-fiddlin' po-lice King Kong ain't got doody on me!<br /><br />The talent show sketch was a great example of a simple one-joke premise actually working. I think the key was just the build. Too many "strange character" sketches just get stuck at that same level and don't really have anything to end on.<br /><br />I also enjoyed the blockbuster sketch, mostly because any sketch that showcases Mike O'Brien, my favorite of the 15 new white guys, is okay in my book. <br /><br />The 2063 sketch was a great mix of humor and pathos, with a really dark end that I loved. I liked most of Kenan's "the future" lines, too.Dobsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08884152078310514684noreply@blogger.com