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whatevs.org presents... by Jason Nummer Episode 16 - Peyton Manning / Carrie Underwood (3/24/07) | ||
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CONEY RATING SYSTEM |
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0-10 Coneys – Garbage OAD = Original Air Date* (*To be fair, coneys will be awarded the same as they were the first time they aired) |
| PRE-SHOW COMMENTS |
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Sooner or later, virtually every season gets a host from the world of Professional Sports. When it was first announced the job was going to Peyton Manning, most media outlets (especially ESPN) used it as a chance to further compare him to Tom Brady. This is fine in sports where they've both won a Super Bowl and SB MVPs, but I seriously hope Manning can do a better job than Brady when it comes to live sketch comedy. In a word, Brady's 2005 episode was pretty lackluster. If it wasn't for two solid Guero-era performances from musical guest Beck and a great installment of The Falconer, some say it was downright junk*.
Be prepared for tons of cue card help and the inevitable next sketch in the tradition of Derek Jeter’s Taco Hole (12/1/01) and Tom Brady’s Falafel City (4/16/05). It is also interesting to note this episode falls on Manning's 31st birthday. I'm guessing this equals a monologue joke or two.
When Keith Urban was musical guest last month, it was the first country musical act SNL had seen since the Dixie Chicks in 2003. Just over a month later, we're already getting the second this season with Miss Carrie Underwood. I'm guessing the 24-year-old American Idol winner will do a pretty good job. Jenn and I saw her back in 2005 and she definitely proved her worth. Buzz.
*Junk for me, but the Grizz still swears by Brady's "Behind the Music - The Super Bowl Shuffle" sketch. |
| THE GOOD | THE BAD |
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For an athletic host, Peyton Manning wasn’t half bad. He didn’t look nearly as awkward as certain sports superstars of the past (cough, cough, Andy Roddick), and I’d even venture to say he was comfortable with the whole live TV idea. The only thing that kept him from being one of this season’s standout hosts was the material he had to work through. While he was at his best in sketches like “Coffee in the Spring”, “NCAA Tournament Pool Party” and “Half Time Pep Song”, the rest of the time had him doing things like throwing balls at kids (ala Billy Madison), playing a confused actor around green screens (see “Air Commander” sketch from 10/24/04) or using the monologue to introduce his family (I still think Fred Savage’s 1990 monologue did the family angle best). Summed up, Manning was good when the material was, but not good enough to save sketches that were already bad. Something other first time hosts this season like Jeremy Piven, Jamie Pressley or even John C. Reilly had no trouble doing. Then again, those three are actually actors, so I guess I can’t be too shocked.
Tonight’s other guest, Carrie Underwood, was also worth noting. Besides having the best legs SNL’s music stage has seen since Beyonce’s visits during the 2002-2003 season, the combination of her vocals and a not half-bad country band proved American Idol can get it right sometimes. Does anyone else wonder if she really took a Louisville Slugger to her boyfriend’s headlights though?
As for laughs, the biggest ones came from Poehler’s clueless Mandy Jensen in “NCAA Tournament Pool Party”, the return of Tim Calhoun in Weekend Update and, once again, Kristin Wiig. Wiig’s latest creation, an annoying party guest named Penelope always looking to upstage everyone, belongs with her growing list of great characters and the return of her “Cider in the Fall” sketch (see Pressly/Rae 10/7/06) was a nice out of nowhere surprise as well.
Smigel’s Dora the Explorer spoof and Forte’s “Half Time Pep Song” dance routine were also good, but a tad too long. Still, I’ll take either over more Deep House Dish or 10+ minute Weekend Updates. For anyone interested, Wikipedia claims the music used by Forte during “Half Time Pep Song” was actually Burt Baccarach's theme from 1967’s Casino Royale. Might be worth adding to the iPod in Damore’s mind. |
Recycled ideas, recycled ideas, recycled ideas! Besides material reminiscent of Billy Madison and past Jude Law episodes, tonight also spit out two commercial parodies that weren’t exactly the freshest things to come out of Studio 8H. The first was for the Mercedes 550 – a car featuring a meat loaf oven built into the dash. While I’m struggling to remember another food-based car parody off the top of my head, I was still reminded of the 1998 Mercury Mistress commercial (an automobile marketed as “the first car you can actually have sex with”). Car commercial spoofs have been done to death on SNL (who can forget the classic Adobe with its $179 sticker price, the thief-proof Chameleon XLE, the world’s most expensive AND cheapest car ever - The Paradox or even the circumcision friendly Royal Deluxe II) but something like this, a car with a meat loaf oven? It might be good for a sight gag, but probably doesn’t deserve to go down in the record books as one of the best.
Following the Mercedes 550 was a quick bit about Nike’s other customer base – uncoordinated men playing basketball in gyms all over the country. I’ll admit seeing Hader and Keenan yell “FOUL” was funny, but by the time everyone was just tripping all over each other, we definitely weren’t seeing anything new in terms of sports comedy. I’ve read this had been cut from the past three dress rehearsals, and I can’t say I’m surprised.
Lastly we have the third appearance of Bronx Beat, which has now been seen once a month since its January debut. In the Forest Whitaker episode, I praised Poehler and Maya’s nags about home brewing, bugs and absentee husbands. Unfortunately, tonight we were given essentially the same sketch just three episodes later. Get used to it though. Even USA Today in a 3/23/07 article about Poehler and her husband introduced Amy as, among other things, “half of the Bronx Beat duo”. Really? After just a few appearances Bronx Beat is already up there with her most familiar work to America?
Finally, and I can’t really strike this against the live show, but Ain’t It Cool News reported that an Appalachian Emergency Room sketch was rehearsed at Dress. It has been over one year since the last time this was rolled, and I still say it hasn’t been long enough. Hopefully this doesn’t resurface anytime soon. |
| THE BOTTOM LINE! |
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Manning swept the floor with Tom Brady as far as athletic hosts go, but he fell short of matching the greats: Wayne Gretzky (Waikiki Hockey!), Joe Montana (“I’ll be upstairs masturbating”) or even Michael Jordan in that unforgettable grass skirt during Swerski’s Superfans.
Also worth pointing out was the fact Darrell Hammond now hasn’t been seen for two complete episodes. Some say phasing out? |
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CONEY COUNT |
| SKETCH | RATING |
1. Cold Opening: The President of the United States |  |
2. Monologue: Manning |  |
3. Filmed Segment: Manning the Mentor | |
4. Commercial Parody: Bronx Beat | |
5. Sketch: NCAA Tournament Pool Party |  |
6. Sketch: Penelope | |
7. Cartoon by Robert Smigel: Maraka |  |
8. Sketch: Half Time Pep Song | |
9. Music: Carrie Underwood “Before he Cheats” | |
10. Weekend Update | |
11. Sketch: Making “300” | |
12. Music: Carrie Underwood “Wasted” | |
13. Sketch: Coffee in the Spring | |
14. Commercial Parody: Mercedes 550 | |
15. Commercial Parody: Nike Air Force One | |
TOTALS | 35 / 60 Coneys |
= John Belushi
= Amy Poehler
= Tim Meadows
= Melanie Hutzel
= Self-Explanatory