Sketches include "Glory Days", "Highway Education", "White House", "Billy-Gram", "American Cancer Society", "What's It All About", "Foot Fetish", "At One With", "Heart To Heart", "SNL Sports", "The Date", "The Accordian Killer", "Gidgette Goes To Hell" and "Speed Listening". Kid Creole & The Coconuts perform "Mister Softee" and "There But For The Grace Of God Go I".
Read MoreThe ill-fated 1980-81 season is one shrouded in mystery and a negative reputation that grew bigger the less frequently reruns from that season appeared in syndication.Like with 1981-82, I will be doing sketch-by-sketch reviews of the episodes this season.If anyone has information to contribute about the episodes, such as who wrote what, writer cameos, etc., I welcome it and will acknowledge my source in the sketch review.
Read MoreI wrote last year about how SNL was showing signs of severe creative fatigue, with an over-reliance on recurring material, and a higher number of disappointing shows than in seasons past.I mentioned that unless the show took steps to fix some of these very noticeable signs of wear, the show is only going to get worse. SNL is still sick.I would argue it's a bit worse than last season, ever so subtly.There weren't any violently obvious symptoms like with last season, but the times when it appears to be firing on all cylinders are fewer and further between.
The staleness has been lingering for years now and the stench is starting to get pungent.At least when the show was at its worst they took quick emergency measures to fix the show.I do hope for next year that the creative powers-that-be realize they need to operate, or we're going to watch the show suffer and decay even further.
Read MoreSome final thoughts on the season.
Read MoreHere are the final results of the vote. I got a total of 11 responses from readers on the message boards, Facebook and e-mail submissions. Most of the submissions followed a set pattern, although a handful of wild cards deviated sharply from the rest of the group.
The 50 best episodes of SNL
-10 votes-
-8 votes-
-7 votes-
-6 votes-
-5 votes-
-4 votes-
-3 votes-
-also tied-
The 50 worst episodes of SNL
-9 votes-
-8 votes-
-7 votes-
-6 votes-
-5 votes-
-4 votes-
-3 votes-
-also tied-
Sketches include "The Pig Meets Olivia", "Ebony & Ivory", "I Married A Monkey IV", "Pearly Gates", "Not A Record Ad", "Buzz Words", "Sandy's Curse" and "Sports Organ Classics".Olivia Newton-John and the SNL Band perform "Physical", "Make A Move On Me", and "Landslide".Michael Davis also appears.
Read MoreSketches include "Taxi", "Whiners", "Stress Out", "Old Friends", "Enzo", "Table Talk", and "Looks At Books". Sparks perform "Mickey Mouse" and "I Predict". Andy Kaufman appears with footage of his wrestling match with Jerry Lawler.
Read MoreSketches include: "Tennis Club", "Middle Age of Aquarius", "Egg & Sperm", "Party Girl", "James Brown Is Annie", "Babies In Make-Up", "Happy's Mayonnaise Palace", and "Sunken Submarine". The Charlie Daniels Band performs "Still In Saigon" and "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".
Read MoreSorry I haven't been posting my SNL reviews, but I just wanted to make sure I put in a plug for my favorite SNL resource, The SNL Archives.
Read MoreSketches include The Honeyrooneys, Last Request, Hail To The Chief, Jay Clay Gets Depressed, Tegrim, Train Poet and Black Talk. Johnny Cash performs "Man In Black", "I Walk The Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", and "Sunday Morning Coming Down". Elton John performs "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" and "Ball and Chain".
Read MoreSketches include: "Ridealong", "Whiners", "The Merman Zone", "Hill Street Blues", "Bavarian Butterfly", "Career Corner" and "Reagan Brand Economics". A 1-900 number phone-in vote is held to determine the fate of Larry The Lobster. John Cougar performs "Hurt So Good" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night". Bruce Weitz also appears.
Read MoreSketches include "Lorne Greene: The Meat Dogs Love", "Come On Out America", "The New Celibacy", "20/20", "The Khaddaffi Look", "Poets", "Fab Fifties", "The Uncle Tom Show", "Meet The People" and "Blythe's Plea". Rickie Lee Jones performs "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)", "Lush Life", and "Woody & Dutch On The Slow Train To Peking". Juggler Michael Davis also appears.
Read MoreSketches include "Backstage", "Buh-Weet and De Dupreems", "Reach Out and Touch Someone", "Paul Harvey News & Comment", "Focus On Film", "Buy A Bullet For A Hungry Kid", "Hail To The Chief", "Fur: You Deserve It!", "Golden Age School of Obedience", "The Embryo", "Headline Challenge", "Low Class Italian Theatre" and "The Thing That Destroyed Tokyo". Mink DeVille performs "Maybe Tomorrow" and "Love & Emotion". Brian Doyle-Murray pays tribute to John Belushi.
Read MoreMy SNL reviews will begin again this week, and I will try to get Robert Urich, Blythe Danner and Daniel J. Travanti done as quickly as possible to make up for lost time. I'll give a few teasers for each:
I've been watching the new shows on the weekends, of course. I see a good amount of promise from the new castmembers, but the show still has a lot of the problems of last year. It's too early to write off the whole season, though, and they have been getting some good hosts (Jane Lynch was the best of the three), but I still see a lot of lame one-joke premises, unwelcome rehashes of previous sketches, lazy writing, and over-reliance on gross-out humor and using homosexuality as the joke. (Tangent: I know there've definitely been a few out SNL writers over the years, but it seems odd they've gone 25 years without an out gay cast member. I don't advocate they hire someone just because they're gay, and I recognize the trap of pigeonholing, but perhaps it is time again.) There's at least one good sketch per show, though, and even that Bjelland Brothers sketch from Bryan Cranston's show was so bad it was actually pretty funny.
I have to wonder what's dictating the direction the show's been going in the last year or so, though. I want to be reminded why I liked Kristen Wiig instead of gnashing my teeth every time I see her on screen, and I want to not predict how the sketch is going to go in the first 15 seconds. I doubt any of the SNL writers or cast will see this (they had to learn early on that us nerds on the Internet are nasty and don't like anything), and they're not writing or booking for my own personal "elitist fuck" tastes, but I really would like to know if the stronger material's just not playing with the right people or if, God forbid, this truly is the best they're capable of now.
I realize my blog's becoming nothing but SNL reviews and commentary so I'll just mention I've been watching Dollhouse season one on DVD. Good show: it did take a few episode to find its bearings but I've finished through "Omega", and look forward to "Epitaph One" and the second season when it comes out this week. Kind of a shame it didn't last but oh well, at least FOX didn't make Whedon retool it into Gleehouse or something like that.
Sorry I haven't posted the next review yet; I'm in the middle of packing and preparing for a move this weekend and the reviews are not a priority right now (and truth be told should be less a priority than the job hunt). I do prepare on finishing out the 1981-82 season as soon as possible though but there will be a delay before I post the review of the Robert Urich / Mink DeVille episode.
Sketches include: "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather", "Big Damn Plastic Bubble", "Speaking As A Woman", "The Party", "Hostage Audition", "Papal Tour" and "Lowembrau". Daryl Hall & John Oates perform "You Make My Dreams", "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Comedian Harry Anderson appears, Joseph Papp also cameos.
Read MoreSketches include "Backstage", "Ski Trip", "Who Do You Hate?", "Focus On Film", "The Bizarro World", "Songwriters", "The Mild One", "Fracas", "The Flight" and "Melina's Cafe". Luther Vandross performs "Never Too Much" and "A House Is Not A Home"
Read MoreSketches include: "The President's 71st Birthday", "Reach Out and Touch Someone", "I Married A Monkey", "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood", "Jesus In Blue Jeans", "Crazy Mary, Gay Jim", "Victims", "Magnificent Analyst", "The Khaddaffi Look", "Unique Perspectives" and "Those Crazy Taboosters". Lindsey Buckingham and The Cholos (an early version of Mick Fleetwood's Zoo) perform "Bwana" and "Trouble". Christine Ebersole performs "Don't Let It Show". Marc Weiner also appears.
Read MoreSketches include: "Loser's Locker Room", "The Johnny Carson School of Acting", "Jogger Motel", "Betty Beer", "Poetry Corner", "The Lou Grant Show", "Next Week", "SNL Newsbreak", "The Uncle Tom Show", "Madden Story", "Mafia Name Giver", "From Super Bowl to Saturday Night Live", "Old Friends". Jennifer Holliday performs "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "One Night Only". Comedian Andy Kaufman also appears.
Read MoreSketches include "The People's Court", "In The News", "Wild Wild Wild West", "Babies In Makeup", "Overexposure", "Battle Of The Week", "A Few Moments With Andy Rooney", "Nixon Vs. FDR", and "Sister". The Allman Brothers Band perform "Midnight Rider", "Southbound", and "Leavin'".
Read MorePersonal website of photographer and writer Bronwyn Douwsma.
I’m on the bus. It’s too early to be human and I haven’t had my coffee yet so I don’t really want to do much; maybe read or listen to music, things that help tune out the other people or the monotony of the commute. When I leave the suburbs, it's usually dark. I sometimes look out the windows, but more to see how far I’ve traveled than at anything interesting. By the time I arrive downtown, I can see the sun coming up over the harbour.
The year is winding down. I’m preparing to go to New Brunswick for my regular Christmas visit with the family; my travel arrangements up there have all been taken care of. I haven’t bothered with Christmas shopping yet; my cash flow was a little tight until my last paycheque came in, and my tolerance for the malls has dropped over the years. Everything costs too much money now.
“Midnight Express Special” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Basic Photography”, “Mamorex Video Tape”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: Tomorrow, Today, Tonight”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Message From Guy: Midnight Express Special”, and “Midnight Express Special”.
“Cookery Crock” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Disasters In The Home”, “Nasex Nasal Deodorant”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: The Freddie De Cordova Show”, “Cookery Crock” and “Quincy: Cartoon Coroner”.
“Two-Way TV” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Astrology”, “Promo: Monster Chiller Horror Theatre”, “Kanadian Korner”, “SCTV News”, “Comment with David Brinkley”, “Promo: Cruisin’ Gourmet”, “Two-Way TV”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Promo: Crazy Crafts”, and “Sermonette: Rabbi Karlov”.
“Alpha Channel” sketches include “Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written”, “Cooking With Marcello”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Crazy Crafts”, “Message From Guy: Alpha Channel”, “Promo: Alpha Channel”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, and “Dialing For Dollars”.
“The Irwin Allen Show” sketches include “Men On Women”, “Message From Guy: Men On Women”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Cooking With Marcello”, “Promo: Taxi Driver”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Message From Guy: The Irwin Allen Show”, and “The Irwin Allen Show”.
“Big Brother” sketches include “Got A Minute?”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Promo: Taxi Driver”, “Message From Guy: The New Year”, “Message From Prickley: The New Year”, “SCTV New Year’s Eve Party 1983”, “Komrade Kangaroo”, “Comrade Allen”, “Promo: Doublethink”, and “The Praise Big Brother Show”.
“Star Wars” sketches include “Sunrise Semester: Do-It-Yourself Advertising”, “Promo: Chick Monk: Roadie For The Defense”, “Kanadian Korner”, “SCTV News”, “Joni Mitchell’s For Dogs Only”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “SCTV Premiere: Star Wars”, and “Dialing For Dollars”.
“Hollywood Salutes Its Extras” sketches include “Message From Prickley: Extras”, “Mamorex Cassette Tape”, “Bill Needle’s Mailbag”, “Promo: Taxi Driver”, “Kanadian Korner”, “Howard’s Bristol Cream”, “Sneak Previews”, “Promo: Hawaii Five-Ho”, “Hollywood Salutes Its Extras”, and “Promo: White Man, Black Girl”.
There’s a podcast called The Loudest Girl In The World, hosted by Lauren Ober. The show concerns Ober’s autism diagnosis at 42, as well as her experience dealing with this information and opening up to others about it. When I listened to it last summer, I related pretty heavily to what she was talking about. I’ve also started to make peace with how my own brain works in the last few years. It’s been a rough road, though.