Minding the P’s and Q’s of SNL
QUALITY: If you haven’t updated your iTunes subscription to enjoy 100% of our Deep Thoughts on SNL podcast, you really should. Yes, like every other major player in the podcast game, we wanted to give each of our podcasts a home of its own. So subscribe, listen, enjoy!
PROBLEMATIC: Scarlett Johansson wasn’t given a lot to do for
the first half hour of the show. From a weak opening monologue (really, more
musical numbers?), to throw away rolls within the sketches, you have to wonder if Black
Widow: Age of Me is as much a commentary on how SNL is able to use strong
female performers, as Marvel.
QUALITY: Speaking of Black Widow: Age of Me! There’s your
highlight sketch of the night, with some amazing details (Thor’s bow-tie, and
“I’m sorry” written in fire on the side of a building, the trailer’s
soundtrack), to help drive home just how unsubtle a romcom could be.
QUALITY: Weekend Update is rounding into shape, in these
last few episodes of the season. Che and Jost are not only working together,
but even Jost has found more dimension as a performer. Che still seems a season
out at least, however, it terms of being comfortable or relatable as a
performer.
PROBLEMATIC: With two black women on the cast, and only one
of them in ONE sketch appearance, you have to wonder if either scheduling got
in the way (Sasheer didn’t appear to be in attendance) or sketches are being
maneuvered for the final two shows of the season.
PROBLEMATIC: Scarlett Johansson didn’t really make an impact
on this show, on a night that belonged more to Taran Killam then any other
performer. She didn’t do poorly, there just wasn’t anything memorable, in
hindsight. Her high point performance-wise, was likely the Virgin Atlantic
sketch. So on the Unofficial Host Power Rankings, she falls somewhere below
Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey.
REPERTORY CAST
Taran Killam, 69 points
- 3 points - promos V/O
- 7 points - cold open
- 10 points - monologue
- 5 points - sketch (Right Side of the Bed)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Cory)
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
- 5 points - kiss
- 2 points - jumps through window
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
- 3 points - post-songs sketch (Elite Advertising Agency)
Kate McKinnon, 61 points
- 7 points - cold open
- 5 points - reoccurring (Justin Beiber)
- 5 points - sketch (Right Side of the Bed)
- 5 points - singing
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 7 points - Weekend Update
- 5 points - reoccurring (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
- 5 points - singing/dancing
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
- 5 points - kiss
- 3 points - post-songs sketch (Elite Advertising Agency)
Kenan Thompson, 61 points
- 5 points - promos
- 7 points - cold open
- 10 points - monologue
- 5 points - dancing
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 7 points - Weekend Update
- 5 points - reoccurring (Charles Barkley)
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
Jay Pharoah, 53 points
- 7 points - cold open
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Nick Fury)
- 7 points - Weekend Update
- 5 points - reoccurring (Shaq)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
- 5 points - host hug
Bobby Moynihan, 44 points
- 3 points - sketch V/O (Right Side of the Bed)
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Hulk)
- 7 points - Weekend Update
- 5 points - crying
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
Aidy Bryant, 42 points
- 7 points - cold open
- 10 points - "LIVE FROM NEW YORK..."
- 5 points - sketch (Girlfriends Talk Show)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Morgan)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
- 3 points - post-songs sketch (Elite Advertising Agency)
- 2 points - swearing ("... ass for dinner")
- 5 points - singing
Cecily Strong, 41 points
- 5 points - promos
- 5 points - sketch (Right Side of the Bed)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Gracelynn)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 5 points - sketch (Girlfriends Talk Show)
- 5 points - reoccurring (Kirah)
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 4 points - swearing ("bitch")
Vanessa Bayer, 22 points
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 7 points - Weekend Update
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
FEATURED CAST
Beck Bennett, 32 points
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 5 points - kiss
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 3 points - sketch V/O
- 5 points - reoccurring (Captain America)
- 7 points - pre-taped sketch (Blazer)
Pete Davidson, 20 points
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 5 points - kiss
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
Leslie Jones, 7 points
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
- 2 points - swearing ("ass")
Kyle Mooney, 3 points
- 3 points - post-songs sketch (Elite Advertising Agency)
Sasheer Zamata, Did Not Participate
HOST
Scarlett Johansson, 62 points
- 5 points - singing/dancing
- 5 points - sketch (Right Side of the Bed)
- 5 points - sketch (Baltimore Special Report)
- 10 points - pre-taped sketch (Black Widow: Age of Me)
- 5 points - kiss
- 5 points - crying
- 5 points - sketch (Girlfriends Talk Show)
- 5 points - sketch (Random)
- 5 points - sketch (Virgin Atlantic)
- 5 points - sketch (Elite Advertising Agency)
- 5 points - singing
- 2 points - embraces guest first
REPERTORY LEAGUE
PARDO GROUP
ISOLATED ARCHIPELAGO - Rob
Taran Killam - 69
Kenan Thompson - 61
Pete Davidson - 20
Scarlett Johansson - 62
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Go Hard or Go Home
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 217
THE NOT READY FOR FIRST PLACE PLAYERS - Kevin M
Jay Pharoah - 53
Cecily Strong - 41
Beck Bennett - 32
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Go Hard or Go Home
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 131
THE IGNORANT SLUTS - Matt
Kate McKinnon - 61
Vanessa Bayer - 22
Beck Bennett - 32
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Go Hard or Go Home
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 120
THE TEAM YOU WISH YOU HADN'T STARTED A CONVERSATION WITH AT
A PARTY - Brian
Jay Pharoah - 53
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Pete Davidson - 20
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 117
THE FUTURE MRS. RANDY GOLDMAN - Leah
Taran Killam - 69
Sasheer Zamata - 0
Aidy Bryant - 42
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 111
BILLION DOLLAR MURRAYS - Russel
Cecily Strong - 41
Kenan Thompson - 61
Leslie Jones - 7
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) Go Hard or Go Home & 2) See You Again
2 points - song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 111
NATALIE PORTMAN'S DRY CLEANING - Sarah R
Kate McKinnon - 61
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Kyle Mooney - 3
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) Go Hard or Go Home & 2) See You Again
2 points - song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 110
KEYROCK, KHAN, & ASSOCIATES - Saad
Vanessa Bayer - 22
Aidy Bryant - 42
Kyle Mooney - 3
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 67
FEATURED LEAGUE
MCKAY GROUP
THE NIGHT CRAWLERZ - Kevin K
Taran Killam - 69
Jay Pharoah - 53
Beck Bennett - 32
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Good For Us
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 159
DAMIAN AND THE FELINE SOCIOPATHS - Andrew
Kate McKinnon - 61
Vanessa Bayer - 22
Kenan Thompson - 61
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Good For Us
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 149
DAN AKROYD RAGE - Mark
Kate McKinnon - 61
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Beck Bennett - 32
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 137
FALLON IN LOVE - Johnny
Kenan Thompson - 61
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Pete Davidson - 20
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 125
PARDO ME - Hannah
Taran Killam - 69
Aidy Bryant - 42
Kyle Mooney - 3
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 114
THE VONDRUKES - Samantha
Jay Pharoah - 53
Leslie Jones - 7
Cecily Strong - 41
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 101
SKANKY LITTLE PROSTITUTES - Mike
Aidy Bryant - 42
Cecily Strong - 41
Sasheer Zamata - 0
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) So High
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 83
FEY GROUP
SANTA'S MY BOYFRIEND - Megan
Taran Killam - 69
Cecily Strong - 41
Aidy Bryant - 42
Scarlett Johansson - 62
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Go Hard or Go Home
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 219
THREE LEGGED JEANS - Lori
Kate McKinnon - 61
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Kenan Thompson - 61
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Talk About It In The Morning
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 171
SUCK IT TREBEK - Sarah C
Jay Pharoah - 53
Cecily Strong - 41
Beck Bennett - 32
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 126
THE LAND SHARKS - Jason
Kate McKinnon - 61
Kyle Mooney - 3
Aidy Bryant - 42
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 106
MARTHA STEWART'S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: TOPLESS CHRISTMAS
SPECIAL - Robb
Taran Killam - 69
Vanessa Bayer - 22
Sasheer Zamata - 0
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: No songs chosen.
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 91
MY DOLL'S NAME IS JENNY - Doug
Vanessa Bayer - 22
Bobby Moynihan - 44
Kyle Mooney - 3
MUSICAL GUEST - Wiz Khalifa - SONGS: 1) See You Again &
2) Talk About It In The Morning
5 points - first song
EPISODE NINETEEN TOTAL 74
PHIL HARTMAN TROPHY STANDINGS (after Episode 40x19)
- The Ignorant Sluts - 2, 453
- Isolated Archipelago - 2, 449
- Natalie Portman's Dry Cleaning - 2, 417
- Billion Dollar Murrays - 2, 335
- The Future Mrs. Randy Goldman - 2, 275
- The Team You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party - 2, 173
- The Not Ready For First Place Players - 2, 164
- Keyrock, Khan, & Associates - 1, 797
FEATURED LEAGUE STANDINGS for the GILDED RADNER
- Three Legged Jeans - 2, 746
- Santa's My Boyfriend - 2, 479
- Damian and the Feline Sociopaths - 2, 459
- Dan Akroyd Rage - 2, 415
- The Night Crawlerz - 2, 353
- Martha Stewat's Home for the Holidays: Topless Christmas Special - 2, 282
- The Land Sharks - 2, 248
- Fallon In Love - 2, 229
- Pardo Me - 2, 178
- Suck It Trebek - 2, 120
- The Vondrukes - 2, 103
- Skanky Little Prostitutes - 2, 099
- My Doll's Name is Jenny - 2, 000
Yes, The Ignorant Sluts are STILL in first place. I don’t
know about you kids, but I think Matt could still walk away with the Phil
Hartman Trophy. The Isolated Archipelago did make some big moves in the right
direction however with a strong performance from his cast, as well as host
points from ScarJo. It wasn’t enough to bring IA into first place, but the riff
on the Lonely Island did jump from fourth place to within four points of the top
spot.
Speaking of jumping into that runner-up spot, Santa’s My
Boyfriend DID regain familiar footing, passing Damian and the Feline
Sociopaths, moving within the 300 point range of Three Legged Jeans and there
iron-fist reign atop the Feature League.
NEXT WEEK, however, Damian and the Feline Sociopaths have drafted
Reese Witherspoon in the Prospectus Host Draft, and thus are within range to
retake the number two spot if not more, before the end of the season! And speaking
of making a run for the top, current fifth place in the Rep League, The Future
Mrs. Randy Goldman has ALSO drafted Reese Witherspoon and with 175 points to
make up for, has an outside chance at taking the lead as well!
And that isn’t all, as the FINALE has been announced as
well, and bringing the 40th season of Saturday Night Live to a close
will be Louis C.K. who is ALSO a host that the SNL Fantasy League chose,
bringing points home on the finale night to the Billion Dollar Murrays,
currently fourth place for the Hartman!
While on the topic of the finale, and yes the race in the
Rep League at least is far far far from over, it’s a pleasure to announce our
first LIVE VIEWING PARTY in TORONTO! We welcome out all of you who are
following along with the Fantasy League, and also everyone who enjoys watching
SNL, to come out to HITCH (at 1216 Queen St E), and enjoy themed drinks, live
scoring, and an awards ceremony and after party RIGHT AFTER the show, along
with a live recording of the Deep Thoughts podcast and so much more!
It’s happening, May 16th, LIVE at Hitch, we look
forward to seeing you in person for a change, on Saturday Night! And we’ll see
you on this blog next week, when Reese Witherspoon hosts with musical guest
Florence + The Machine.
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| Hurray for Oscar-winners in mid-level buddy comedies! |
Stay in the conversation! Trivia Club would LOVE to hear feedback on the Saturday Night Live Fantasy League and how we could even improve on it all! Comment in the blog's comment section, on Trivia Club's facebook page or in our twitter feed. We want YOU to get involved in SEASON 41! LISTEN TO THE PODCAST! Subscribe to us on iTUNES! Do the same on YouTube!
Russel Harder hosts Trivia Club at Cardinal Rule (5 Roncesvalles Ave) every WEDNESDAY, at Hitch (1216 Queen St East) every other MONDAY of the month, and Lou Dawg's Ryerson (76 Gerrard St E) on every other TUESDAY!