Ray Romano / Zwan
April 12, 2003
(COLD OPENING) A Message from Saddam Hussein
Highlights:
- None.
Lowlights:
- This was too similar to the Kim Jong Il opening in the Jeff Gordon episode. And I’m getting tired of these “translator openings”. This is about the 3rd or 4th one this season.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(MONOLOGUE) Ray Romano
Highlights:
- The usual good stand-up monologue, and I’m glad to see one for the second week in a row.
Lowlights:
- None.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(SKETCH) “What’s the Rush?”
Highlights:
- A good premise for a talk show sketch, and very funny.
- Amy & Seth are always good when teamed up.
- Ray’s character was great.
- Seth pouring water on himself.
Lowlights:
- None.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(NEXT LIVE EPISODE) May 3, 2003: Ashton Kutcher
I think he’ll be pretty good. I’m kinda pissed that I didn’t put him on my Guess the Hosts list, since I was thinking about doing that as I was making the list, but decided not to at the last minute. Same with Bernie Mac.
(SKETCH) “Wake Up Wakefield”
Highlights:
- Horatio’s usual funny cameo as the teacher.
Lowlights:
- The rest.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)
No comment.
(WEEKEND UPDATE) Fallon & Fey, Seth Meyers, Iraqi minister of information
Highlights:
- Jimmy’s Michael Moore joke.
- Tina’s Darryl Strawberry joke.
- Jimmy’s turnstile joke.
Lowlights:
- Tina’s looting joke.
- Tina’s Bush joke.
- Seth was really annoying. I usually love his Update bits, but tonight’s was a big miss.
- The bits with Jimmy punching Tina fell flat, mostly due to the lack of sound effects for the first few punches.
- The Iraqi minister of information segment was weak.
- Tina’s Wayne Brady joke.
Additional Notes:
- Seth’s voice in this reminded me Will Ferrell’s voice in the T.G.I.Fridays sketch with Charlie Sheen.
- Is there a boner theme tonight or something? First Ray’s character in “What’s the Rush?”, then the Tromboner joke in Wakefield, now Jimmy’s short shorts joke here.
- Who was the end-of-Update cameo guy supposed to be this time? I couldn’t tell.
(SKETCH) The Rialto Grande Casino
Highlights:
- Fred’s usual funny part as Mackey the drummer.
- Ray’s “Hold…hold…hold…and release.”
Lowlights:
- The waitresses looking at the camera is kind of annoying and has gotten old.
- The song-and-dance ending. That kind of stuff only works with Christopher Walken.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(MISCELLANEOUS) Aaron Brown comments on previous sketch
Highlights:
- This was a creative bit, and a nice change of pace.
- Darrell’s Aaron Brown impression.
- The ticker at the bottom of the screen was a good touch, and they even threw in a couple of jokes about Tracy and Horatio.
Lowlights:
- None.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(SKETCH) Walter’s phone call
Highlights:
- A funny “Phone Booth” parody.
- Tracy’s usual funny delivery, especially his “What’d you say, bitch?” and “That’s why he hate us” lines.
- The ending.
Lowlights:
- Why was the audience not laughing much during this?
Additional Notes:
- Dean gets in his patented useless bit part of the night.
(SKETCH) “Access Hollywood”
Highlights:
- The return of Ray’s “Sweet sassy molassey” guy. I usually don’t like when they do sequels to classic sketches (I hated Schwetty Wieners except for the “piener” mishap), but this was still good and Ray’s lines were funny.
- Ray dressed up as Nia Vardalos.
Lowlights:
- As expected, not as good as the original.
- The lines for Pat O’Brien were pretty weak.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)
No comment.
(SKETCH) “Club Traxx”
Highlights:
- None.
Lowlights:
- Damn, not this again! This wasn’t funny the first time, and even worse this time around. Not even Ray or Fred could save this.
- The audience was again silent, but I can see why this time.
Additional Notes:
- Ray’s voice reminded me of his Roberto Benigni impression. They should’ve brought that back again instead of this trash.
(COMMERCIAL) Uday Hussein - A name you can trust
Highlights:
- At first, I was wondering where this was going, but Fred’s line at the end was hilarious and saved this.
Lowlights:
- None.
Additional Notes:
- None.
(GOODNIGHTS)
I noticed Darrell was still dressed as Aaron Brown, even though that sketch was done long before the end of this episode. I wonder if they were going to do another Aaron Brown bit at the end, but ran out of time.
_______________________________________________________
Overall Highlights of Tonight’s Episode:
- Ray Romano did another great job hosting.
- Monologue.
- What’s the Rush?
- Aaron Brown commentary.
- Walter’s Phone Call.
- Ray in Access Hollywood.
Overall Lowlights:
- Tonight’s episode didn’t live up to Ray’s great episode from 98-99.
- A Message from Saddam Hussein.
- Wake Up Wakefield.
- Weekend Update.
- The studio audience during Walter’s Phone Call.
- Club Traxx.
Funniest Moment:
- Ray dressed up as Nia Vardalos.
Best Lines:
- Ray Romano: “You can’t [think about candy] as an adult. There’s too much going on. Try it; you don’t get far. ‘Candy -- Cavities. Cavities -- No money. Who am I? Why am I here? Am I gay?!’ It always ends up ‘Am I gay?!’”
- Jimmy Fallon: “U.S. soldiers were given playing cards with pictures of leaders that the Bush administration wants them to kill or capture. They include Saddam Hussein, Tariq Aziz, and Michael Moore.”
- Jimmy Fallon: “For those who miss the sensation of putting your mouth on a subway turnstile, the MTA suggests making out with Mickey Rourke.”
- Ray Romano as Marv: “Hold…hold…hold…release!”
- Ray Romano as Marv: “The only water spectacle I got in my act is when my catheter slips out.”
- Darrell Hammond as voice of caller: “Walter, don’t be a douchebag.”
Ray Romano as Walter: “Wow. ‘Douchebag’?! What are we, on FOX?”
- Fred Armisen as Uday Hussein: “I know what you’re saying. Why elect the less-competent son of a former president? Well, you guys did it…”
CASTMEMBER COUNT DOWN:
DRATCH: 3 sketches (Wake Up Wakefield; The Rialto Grande Casino; Club Traxx)
FALLON: 3 sketches (Weekend Update; The Rialto Grande Casino; Access Hollywood)
FEY: 2 sketches (Weekend Update; The Rialto Grande Casino)
HAMMOND: 3 sketches (Weekend Update; Aaron Brown comments on previous sketch; Walter’s phone call)
KATTAN: 2 sketches (The Rialto Grande Casino; Aaron Brown comments on previous sketch)
MORGAN: 2 sketches (Walter’s phone call; Club Traxx)
PARNELL: 0 sketches
POEHLER: 3 sketches (What’s the Rush?; The Rialto Grande Casino; Access Hollywood)
RUDOLPH: 4 sketches (A Message from Saddam Hussein; Wake Up Wakefield; The Rialto Grande Casino; Club Traxx)
SANZ: 3 sketches (A Message from Saddam Hussein; Wake Up Wakefield; Walter’s phone call)
ARMISEN: 4 sketches (Weekend Update; The Rialto Grande Casino; Club Traxx; Uday Hussein)
EDWARDS: 1 sketch (Walter’s phone call)
FORTE: 0 sketches
MEYERS: 2 sketches (What’s the Rush?; Weekend Update)
RICHARDS: 1 sketches (Weekend Update)
Fred, Maya, and Darrell were the stars of the night.
Thanks for reading. ARRIVEDERCI.