Topher Grace / The Killers
January 15, 2005
[COLD OPENING] Bush Press Conference
Highlights:
· Will as Bush's line about the War on Weather.
· Bush rambling about America's giant heart coming to get Iraq.
· Darrell as Clinton, of course.
· Clinton explaining what Bush is trying to say.
· Clinton flirting with the female reporter.
Lowlights:
· None.
Miscellaneous:
· It was weird seeing someone play Bush Sr. on SNL other than Dana Carvey, but Fred's impression was pretty accurate and the make-up was really convincing.
Grade: B+
[MONOLOGUE] Topher Grace takes questions from the audience
Highlights:
· The first audience member talking about rumors on the internet about Ben Affleck giving Jennifer Garner syphilis, which is why she had to drop out of hosting tonight.
· Topher explaining why he doesn't use the name Chris.
· JB Smoove is always funny as the audience member Terrell.
Lowlights:
· A few of the questions were weak.
Grade: B-
[SKETCH] Trucker Talk
Highlights:
· Skeeter! I always like when Darrell appears as this character and he had a lot of funny lines here.
· The trucks crashing into Fred's house at the end.
Lowlights:
· They could've done a funnier sketch parodying the Brad/Jen break-up and this really didn't deserve to be the first sketch of the night.
Miscellaneous:
· Did anyone notice that at one point, Darrell accidentally read Topher's line off the cue card? That's a pretty bad mistake for someone who's supposed to be a 10-year veteran of SNL.
Grade: C
[NEXT WEEK] January 22, 2005: Paul Giamatti
· I'm really surprised he hosting since he's not really that well-known, but SNL seems to get one host like that every season. I like most of the movies he's been in and I can see him being a very funny host.
[SKETCH] No Working on MLK Day
Highlights:
· Kenan and Finesse showing that they know nothing about what MLK day is about.
· Horatio saying he's not working on Cesar Chavez day.
· Kenan and Finesse wanting to go to the strip club at the end.
Lowlights:
· None.
Grade: B
[SKETCH] CBS Evening Fraudulent Document Update
Highlights:
· Darrell's Dan Rather impression.
· Several funny lines.
· The bikini inspector part.
· Andy Rooney being the one who issued the bikini inspector license.
Lowlights:
· Dragged during a few parts here and there and this wasn't nearly as funny as all the other classic Dan Rather sketches.
Grade: B
[SKETCH] Dot the old prostitute
Highlights:
· Rachel was hilarious as the old prostitute and Topher's straight man reactions were very funny as well.
Lowlights:
· None.
Miscellaneous:
· Did anyone notice that Will's name was "Thew"? Obviously a reference to the monologue.
Grade: B+
[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]
[WEEKEND UPDATE] Fey & Poehler, Cliff & Claire Huxtable
Highlights:
· Amy's gay marriage joke.
· Tina's Knicks joke.
· Tina's insemination joke.
· The Huxtables segment was pretty funny and I always love Kenan's dead-on Cosby impression.
Lowlights:
· Tina's Bush jokes.
· The Prince Harry footage.
· Amy's exercise-flavored pizza joke.
Grade: B
[SKETCH] Bizarre Art Dealers Apartment
Highlights:
· Fred and Maya's characters.
· All the strange furniture and appliances and Topher and Rachel trying to adapt to it.
· Parnell as the "shy" butler.
Lowlights:
· None.
Miscellaneous:
· Did anyone notice that Fred and Maya's accents sounded exactly like their voices in the Club Traxx sketches? This was way funnier than those sketches, though.
Grade: B
[SKETCH] Hardball with Chris Matthews
Highlights:
· HARDBALL!!! What the heck is this doing on so late in the show?
· Rob's Howard Dean impression.
· Kenan shilling all those products.
· Will's Zell Miller impression always has me rolling.
Lowlights:
· None.
Grade: A-
[SKETCH] The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar
Highlights:
· I usually don't like cutesy sketches like this, but this was actually entertaining and all the performances were very good.
· Horatio as the Mexican peso.
· Will as the Canadian loony at the end.
Lowlights:
· Still could've maybe been a little funnier.
Grade: B
[MUSICAL PERFORMANCE]
________________________________________
Overall Episode Grade: B
Overall Highlights:
· Bush Press Conference
· Dot the old prostitute
· Kenan's Bill Cosby impression
· Hardball with Chris Matthews
Overall Lowlights:
· Trucker Talk being the first sketch of the night.
· The Prince Harry mini-film on Weekend Update
CASTMEMBER COUNT DOWN:
ARMISEN: 4 sketches (Bush Press Conference / Trucker Talk / No Working on MLK Day / Bizarre Art Dealers Apartment)
DRATCH: 3 sketches (Bush Press Conference / Dot the old prostitute / Bizarre Art Dealers Apartment)
FEY: 1 sketch (Weekend Update)
FORTE: 4 sketches (Bush Press Conference/ Dot the old prostitute / Hardball with Chris Matthews / The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar)
HAMMOND: 4 sketches (Bush Press Conference / Trucker Talk / CBS Evening Fraudulent Document Update / Hardball with Chris Matthews)
MEYERS: 4 sketches (Bush Press Conference / No Working on MLK Day / Dot the old prostitute / The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar)
PARNELL: 3 sketches (Bush Press Conference / Trucker Talk / Bizarre Art Dealers Apartment)
POEHLER: 5 sketches (Bush Press Conference / No Working on MLK Day / Dot the old prostitute / Weekend Update / The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar)
RUDOLPH: 5 sketches (Bush Press Conference / Dot the old prostitute / Weekend Update / Bizarre Art Dealers Apartment / The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar)
SANZ: 2 sketches (No Working on MLK Day / The Not Incredible Adventures Of The Down And Out Dollar)
MITCHELL: 2 sketch (Bush Press Conference / No Working on MLK Day)
RIGGLE: 3 sketches (Trucker Talk / No Working on MLK Day / Hardball with Chris Matthews)
THOMPSON: 3 sketches (No Working on MLK Day / Weekend Update / Hardball with Chris Matthews)
Darrell stood out the most tonight. The overall best performers of the night were Darrell and Will.
THE END