Reverend Al Sharpton / Pink
December 6, 2003
(COLD OPENING) A Message from Jeff Zucker
Highlights:
-- All the previews of the shows with politician appearances.
-- Good to see Jimmy saying the opening line.
Lowlights:
-- None.
Grade: A
(MONOLOGUE) The new Al Sharpton meets the old Al Sharpton
Highlights:
-- Tracy Morgan's cameo as the old Al Sharpton.
-- Sharpton's James Brown dancing at the end.
Lowlights:
-- None
Grade: A-
(COMMERCIAL) "Mom Jeans"
-- A rerun, and from last season, oddly enough.
(SKETCH) "Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster"
Highlights:
-- Horatio as the stranger in the background.
Lowlights:
-- I hated the Michael Jackson in a Tree sketch from last season, and this was almost as bad. And what was this doing as the first sketch of the night?
Grade: D-
Anyone notice Johnny Cochran in the audience when they showed the next sketch being set up? Weird that he was there, after Sharpton played him in the previous sketch.
(SKETCH) "Brian Fellow's Safari Planet"
Highlights:
-- I usually don't like this sketch much and was mad at first that they wasted Tracy's cameo with this, but this turned out better than usual.
-- Sharpton was a good addition as Brian Fellow's brother.
-- The Frosty the Snowman talk between Tracy and Sharpton.
Lowlights:
-- None.
Grade: B
(NEXT WEEK) December 13, 2003: Elijah Wood
-- Should be good.
(SKETCH) The Three Wise Men get pulled over
Highlights:
-- A clever concept and a lot of good laughs.
-- The phone number in roman numerals at the end.
Lowlights:
-- None.
Grade: B+
(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)
-- No comment.
(WEEKEND UPDATE) Fallon & Fey, Paris Hilton
Highlights:
-- Jimmy's Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey joke.
-- Tina's panda joke.
-- Jimmy's slavery joke.
-- 'Jimmy and Tina Yelling at Cities that Refuse to Show Saturday Night Live Tonight'.
-- Tina's monkey hospital joke.
-- The Paris Hilton bit turned out better than I thought.
Lowlights:
-- Tina's opening Michael Jackson joke.
-- Jimmy's Mick Jagger joke.
Misc. Comments & Observations:
-- Did anyone notice Jimmy mouthing Don Pardo's lines?
Grade: B+
(SKETCH) Stereotypes in old movie
Highlights:
-- A very funny sketch.
-- Tracy was hilarious and it was good to see him saying "HiLARious" again.
-- The line about "36 children".
-- The ending.
Lowlights:
-- None.
Misc. Comments & Observations:
-- For some reason, they flashed the "Paris Hilton" sign from Weekend Update at the bottom of the screen at the beginning.
Grade: A-
(SKETCH) Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi
Highlights:
-- A couple of funny lines.
Lowlights:
-- The constant singing got annoying, and this reminded me of that terrible Derek Jeter's Taco Hole sketch.
Misc. Comments & Observations:
-- Horatio falling on the table and breaking it reminded me of Chris Farley.
Grade: C
(SKETCH) Presidential candidates eat & chat
Highlights:
-- A nice sketch and the impressions were good.
-- Forte as John Edwards.
-- The David Spade joke.
Lowlights:
-- None.
Grade: B
(MUSICAL PERFORMANCE)
-- No comment.
(SKETCH) "The LaToya Jackson Show"
Highlights:
-- Kenan as Chaka Khan.
-- Fred as the Michael Jackson impersonator.
Lowlights:
-- The rest of this was very weak.
Grade: D-
(SKETCH) Vasquez the cab driver
Highlights:
-- Horatio as Vasquez always cracks me up.
-- Fred as the transvestite.
Lowlights:
-- Pretty disappointing for a Vasquez sketch. This was dead in a lot of spots and the writing could've been better.
Misc. Comments & Observations:
-- I think that song Horatio was listening to on the radio was the same song they used as the theme song in the Vasquez talk show sketch from last season.
Grade: C
(COMMERCIAL) "Cryogenix"
-- Yet another repeated commercial. We haven't had a new one in quite a while.
(SKETCH) Johnny Cash in heaven
Highlights:
-- None.
Lowlights:
-- This was really boring and there were no laughs. So much for this season's streak of good closing sketches.
Misc. Comments & Observations:
-- Why did Darrell pause for so long after looking at the flying DVD box?
-- This has nothing to do with this sketch in particular, but I'm disappointed that the Hardball sketch, which I was looking forward to after reading it in the spoilers, got cut. A Wake Up Wakefield sketch also was supposedly cut, too, but I don't care about that.
Grade: F
(GOODNIGHTS)
-- I really liked Sharpton's closing speech. Very touching.
_________________________________________________
Overall Episode Grade: B-
Overall Highlights:
-- A Message from Jeff Zucker.
-- Monologue.
-- Tracy Morgan's appearances. It felt like he was a castmember again or the co-host with all these appearances he made tonight.
-- Jimmy and Tina Yelling at Cities that Refuseoh, you know the rest of the title.
-- Stereotypes in old movie.
-- Horatio as Vasquez.
Overall Lowlights:
-- Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster.
-- The singing in Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi.
-- The LaToya Jackson Show.
-- Johnny Cash in heaven.
Funniest Single Moment:
-- Al Sharpton's dancing in the monologue
Best Lines:
-- Jimmy Fallon as Jeff Zucker: "I knew he [Al Sharpton] hosting tonight's show would get millions of African-Americans to tune into NBC for the first time."
-- Jimmy Fallon: "Actress Gwyneth Paltrow announced on Wednesday that she and her boyfriend Chris Martin from Coldplay are expecting a baby. Also, Jessica Simpson announced that she and her husband Nick Lachey have been putting it in the wrong place all the time."
-- Tina Fey: "Shuan Shuan, a female giant panda, was flown to Japan this week in hopes that she will mate with Ling Ling, the male panda at the Tokyo zoo. Biologists are optimistic because it's well-known that Shuan Shuan is a slut. The mating of Ling Ling and Shuan Shuan was brokered by their friend, Pimp Pimp."
-- Jimmy Fallon: "Ground was broken in Fredericksburg, Virginia this week for the National Slavery Museum. For the punchline of this joke, tune in next week when we have a different host."
-- Don Pardo: "This is Don Pardo saying 'Suck it, Des Moines'."
-- Al Shaprton as actor: "We shouldn't be perpetrating these stereotypes! It's 1935!"
Finesse Mitchell as actor: "Well, I need this job. I have 36 children to feed."
-- Al Sharpton: "I wish you would think about what you've just seen. Not just the watermelon or the fried chicken part."
Tracy Morgan: "...and how all blacks only smoke Newports, eat barbequed potato chips, and drink grape Kool-Aid."
Al Sharpton: "We never mentioned that..."
Tracy Morgan: "Oh, I'm sorry."
-- Al Sharpton: "People ask me 'Al, why open a sushi restaurant?' Well, presidential campaigns don't finance themselves, people."
-- Chris Parnell as Joe Lieberman: "(to Dick Gephart) You're like David Spade in a Hollywood comedy. It makes sense on paper, but the people just aren't going for it."
-- Horatio Sanz as Vasquez: "I'm filling in for my cousin Hector. They caught him on the Westside highway with a transvestite. Silly Hector, tricks are for kids!"
-- Horatio Sanz as Vasquez: "Ruben Studdard beat that albino transvestite."
CASTMEMBER COUNT DOWN
DRATCH: 2 sketches (1: Mom Jeans; 2: Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster)
FALLON: 5 sketches (1: A Message from Jeff Zucker; 2: The Three Wise Men get pulled over; 3: Weekend Update; 4: Stereotypes in old movie; 5: Presidential candidates eat & chat)
FEY: 3 sketches (1: Mom Jeans; 2: Brian Fellow's Safari Planet; 3: Weekend Update)
FORTE: 3 sketches (1: Stereotypes in old movie; 2: Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi; 3: Presidential candidates eat & chat)
HAMMOND: 3 sketches (1: The Three Wise Men get pulled over; 2: Presidential candidates eat & chat; 3: Johnny Cash in heaven)
MEYERS: 2 sketches (1: Presidential candidates eat & chat; 2: Cryogenix)
PARNELL: 5 sketches (1: Mom Jeans; 2: Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster; 3: Brian Fellow's Safari Planet; 4: Presidential candidates eat & chat; 5: Cryogenix)
POEHLER: 5 sketches (1: Mom Jeans; 2: Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster; 3: Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi; 4: The LaToya Jackson Show; 5: Cryogenix)
RICHARDS: 3 sketches (1: The Three Wise Men get pulled over; 2: Presidential candidates eat & chat; 3: Cryogenix)
RUDOLPH: 6 sketches (1: Mom Jeans; 2: Stereotypes in old movie; 3: Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi; 4: The LaToya Jackson Show; 5: Vasquez the cab driver; 6: Cryogenix)
SANZ: 4 sketches (1: Michael Jackson in a Roller Coaster; 2: Stereotypes in old movie; 3: Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi; 4: Vasquez the cab driver)
ARMISEN: 2 sketches (1: The LaToya Jackson Show; 2: Vasquez the cab driver)
MITCHELL: 1 sketch (1: Stereotypes in old movie)
THOMPSON: 4 sketches (1: The Three Wise Men get pulled over; 2: Stereotypes in old movie; 3: Reverend Al Sharpton's Casa de Sushi; 4: The LaToya Jackson Show)
Jimmy was the star of the night.
FIN.