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