Here's hoping that SNL is entertaining tonight! For a history of the Cowbell skit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_cowbell :)

I would like to see him do "The Continental," based on a real show from the 1950's.

Thanks for the heads up! I love, no, I need MORE COWBELL! What a great episode that was. I'll DVR this one in hopes of something good.

Colonel Angus!

I would like to see him do "The Continental," based on a real show from the 1950's.

How about a glass of fine champagna.

Wonder if Ferrell will do a walk-on cameo....

I picked up the "SNL: The Best Of Christopher Walken" DVD time back (real cheap at WalMart). Love it!

What an awful show tonight! Oh wait...it hasn't aired yet! :)

How was the show? I tuned in and saw a laser fight between cats & dogs that was somewhat amusing for 29 seconds, but not for the 3 minutes it kept going & going & going so I watched something else & never returned.

i thought the only good skit was the walken family, they all did pretty good impressions...

why do they always make kristen wiig look as ugly as possible? she's really good looking without the terrible hair and clothes...

I agree that was the best skit.

Walken was reading the telepromp all the time.
very bad acting by Walken because of this.


i thought the only good skit was the walken family, they all did pretty good impressions...

why do they always make kristen wiig look as ugly as possible? she's really good looking without the terrible hair and clothes...

Walken was reading the telepromp all the time.
very bad acting by Walken because of this.
I quit watching before that skit (15 minutes in) was over it was so bad.

He said in the opening Q&A piece that all hosting SNL consisted of was reading cards, little did we know he wasn't kidding. Painful to watch.

He said in the opening Q&A piece that all hosting SNL consisted of was reading cards, little did we know he wasn't kidding. Painful to watch.

The one thing about HD... now you can see the host's eyes move back and forth as they read the cards. Some hosts can hide this but Walken didn't even try to break his glassy stare at the card as he read the lines.

I watched it in SD (bedroom tv) and even with that the cue card reading was pathetic. It looked like he was seeing his lines for the very first time as he read them. Disappointment.

What an awful show tonight! Oh wait...it hasn't aired yet! :)

You must be psychotic, because it was awful.

psychotic

Main Entry:
psy·chot·ic
Pronunciation:
Function:
adjective
Date:
circa 1890
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis <a psychotic patient> <psychotic behavior>
— psychotic noun
— psy·chot·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychotic

psychosis

Main Entry:
psy·cho·sis
Pronunciation:
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural psy·cho·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology:
New Latin
Date:
1847
: fundamental derangement of the mind (as in schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality especially as evidenced by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychosis

Very disappointing (coming from someone with the "Best of Walken on SNL" DVD). Thought the monologue was funny, but downhill from there.

Teleprompter use was very exaggerated, they should have positioned the other characters better after rehearsal.

psychotic

Main Entry:
psy·chot·ic
Pronunciation:
Function:
adjective
Date:
circa 1890
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected with psychosis <a psychotic patient> <psychotic behavior>
— psychotic noun
— psy·chot·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychotic

psychosis

Main Entry:
psy·cho·sis
Pronunciation:
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural psy·cho·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology:
New Latin
Date:
1847
: fundamental derangement of the mind (as in schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality especially as evidenced by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychosis
Gee eddie, thanks.......

It's an old joke. Psychic, psychotic, get it?

Very disappointing (coming from someone with the "Best of Walken on SNL" DVD). Thought the monologue was funny, but downhill from there.

Have to disagree with everyone. For the most part I enjoyed this weeks show, but maybe I'm subconciously comparing it with the other shows this season that totally sucked (with the exception of their openings).

I thought Christopher Walken relied on the cue cards on all of his previous appearances on SNL too. He always looked stiff, never looked natural to me. I never understood why so many people thought he was great. BTW, I never thought the cowbell skit was funny either.

I agree that was the best skit.

Walken was reading the telepromp all the time.
very bad acting by Walken because of this.


IIRC, Walken has always done this on SNL. And, I think it adds to the humor, in his case. Just something "Ha! Ha!" funny about him looking offstage and saying his lines.

Almost everyone does it on SNL. Problem this week was how they had him positioned the other actors. (or the fact that many scenes showed multiple actors instead of closeups)

IIRC, Walken has always done this on SNL. And, I think it adds to the humor, in his case.

I think it's pretty much a running gag at this point. ... as the opening monologue ('just read the cards ... simple!') was meant to convey. ;)

I think it's pretty much a running gag at this point. ... as the opening monologue ('just read the cards ... simple!') was meant to convey. ;)

Yeah, it's definitely a running gag w/ Walken. The whole reason he's funny on the show, is because he reads the cards. He's, without a doubt, one of the best guests.....ever.

And Cowbell is THE GREATEST SNL skit ever done.....period. I was glad they didn't try to do another one. I was a little worried w/ the Grease skit. It came close to the whole Cowbell-type of skit, but thankfully it didn't go all the way.

Looks like having great guest hosts will be the only way to save this season. I'll bet Alec Baldwin will be back in a couple of weeks, too....

Very disappointed here overall which seems to be the weekly concensus for the most part. A few weeks back they had that guy from Superbad, and he was pretty good, I thought. Ashton Kutcher up next - wonder if its a re-run...

I love the "Cowbell" skit, but thought Walken exaggerated his cue-card reading even in that. As he is a good actor, I assumed the blatant nature of his card reading was part of his SNL routine.

And Cowbell is THE GREATEST SNL skit ever done.....period. I was glad they didn't try to do another one.


Good grief, how old are you? :eek:

I know it's hard to believe, but there were a few seasons stretching back to the 70's where SNL was actually funny, mostly because of the immense on-air talent. The vastly overrated Cowbell skit would not even have made the final cut back then, but it passes for comedy gold these days. Whatever. This show has totally lost its relevance but just keeps lurching along. As long as it draws a relatively decent audience, it can't be killed, no matter how much it deserves that fate. :rolleyes:

I know it's hard to believe, but there were a few seasons stretching back to the 70's where SNL was actually funny, mostly because of the immense on-air talent.
Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child – a classic. Also, when SNL first aired, it appeared they were going to commercial break when you realized THEY were doing their own commercial parody. Anyone for a Bass-O-Matic? :D

I rarely watch SNL anymore, because they just aren't funny enough overall. But I did catch a part of this one.

I agree that the card-reading by Walken is now so legendary that I assumed it was part of the gag. It's like an inside joke so we expect him to do it. Frankly, while it would be awful with most people, with him I think it is better. It sort of fits his deadpan style well.

I sort of liked Laser Cats. Not exactly a classic, but just stupid enough to get some chuckles out of me.

I rarely watch SNL anymore, because they just aren't funny enough overall...

I record the show, pause for a bit at each skit and fast forward to the next one if it's bad. Once in awhile there's still a gem.

Good grief, how old are you? :eek:

I know it's hard to believe, but there were a few seasons stretching back to the 70's where SNL was actually funny, mostly because of the immense on-air talent.

I've noticed that there is much less actual "Live" material these days (compared to the original show.)

The name of the show is Saturday Night Live not Saturday Night "Digital Shorts." ;)

Good grief, how old are you? :eek:

I know it's hard to believe, but there were a few seasons stretching back to the 70's where SNL was actually funny, mostly because of the immense on-air talent. The vastly overrated Cowbell skit would not even have made the final cut back then, but it passes for comedy gold these days. Whatever. This show has totally lost its relevance but just keeps lurching along. As long as it draws a relatively decent audience, it can't be killed, no matter how much it deserves that fate. :rolleyes:

For the record, I'm 34.....and I've been watching SNL so long, I can remember when Eddie Murphy was funny! :rolleyes:

While the original cast, along w/ some other casts that followed through the years, was funny, I also thought it was a bit overrated. It was great for the time, but many of the skits don't hold up, IMHO. I always felt Belushi was overrated, I was never a big fan. Akroyd was great, especially the Toy maker (Johnny Switchblade, Bag O' Glass, Bag O' Nails....:D) And Eddie Murphy's Mr. Robinson was awesome. I was never a big Gilda Radner or Steve Martin fan, and Chevy Chase was good in the news, but I don't care too much for physical comedy.

While many of the old skits are classics, for me, Cowbell just sticks out as laugh out loud funny. I do agree that it wouldn't have made the final cut back "in the day", but Walken and Ferrell are just hilarious in their delivery. It wasn't so much the content, but the actors. Stick two other actors in their place, and it would have been jst another skit. I think [I]that's[I] why it wouldn't have worked at any time before.

Agree, the show has lost it's relevance, but I think that happened a long, long time ago, long before Ferrell and Walken.

My wife and I try to catch SNL every Saturday just to see if there are any laughs. We usually cue up the DVR for about 45 minutes to forward through commercials and the terrible sketches, but overall there still is some great talent on the show.

I was really excited for the Christopher Walken show, but felt disappointed. It doesn't live up to his previous work. That and it was funny making my wife watch it because for some reason she is scared to death of that man! And come to think about it, most everyone I've ever dated has been scared of Walken. Anyone else experience the same thing?

Here's hoping for a good show with Ashton, but I'm not holding my breath.

My favorite Walken SNL sketch is the "Census" sketch with Tim Meadows. I LMAO non-stop throughout that sketch even after dozens of viewings.

Almost everyone does it on SNL. Problem this week was how they had him positioned the other actors. (or the fact that many scenes showed multiple actors instead of closeups)

It's a matter of how well they hide it. It looked like Ellen Page memorized almost every line when she hosted, although she did blow one line that made it sound like she was for female circumcision! Yikes, sometimes it's best to read off the cards! :eek:

I've noticed that there is much less actual "Live" material these days (compared to the original show.)

The name of the show is Saturday Night Live not Saturday Night "Digital Shorts." ;)

I wouldn't say much. In the old days there were just as many commercial parodies and Albert Brooks' shorts (which sometimes weren't short at all) and Schiller's Reels, and who could forget Mr. Bill? Even one Conehead sketch had a filmed segment.

My favorite Walken SNL sketch is the "Census" sketch with Tim Meadows. I LMAO non-stop throughout that sketch even after dozens of viewings.Tim Meadows was one of the most underrated cast members ever on that show if you ask me. He literally had me rolling on the floor through the whole O.J. thing. Michael Jackson, Johnny Cochran, The Ladies Man, Taxicab Confessions (another of his all-time greatest bits) and all the other offbeat roles and bits he did.

I mean, how could a skit with those two not work, know what I mean? I totally crack up just looking at Walken and hearing him stiltedly recite his lines, especially when he's always looking to the side at the cue cards and never directly at the other actor in the scene. And it always helps when he's got that hair sticking straight up. The guy is just naturally hilarious, whether he's even fully aware of it or not (although I'm pretty sure he is).

What a wasteful shame it was having him on that show Saturday, though. Still, I just focused on him through the whole thing, so I was able to enjoy his presence thoroughly.

It's a shame when they still have guys like Baldwin and Hanks on from time to time. What a complete waste. I can imagine how hard it's got to be for them, not having all the good writing and the other great cast members to feed off of and bring out their best. They don't have the luxury of having Walken's idiosyncrasies to overcome the show's weaknesses otherwise. But all they're ever really there for now is to just plug something anyway, so I don't know how much they really even care anymore.

I thought this SNL hosted by Walken was hilarious. I definitely agree with those who think the blatant cue-card reading added to the Walken humor.

His standard "Walken" demeanor (stilted, disconnected emotionally from everyone else, halted speech & mannerisms, etc.) coupled with the "never once do I deliver a line without reading from the cue cards, never making eye contact with the other characters until after I've read my lines", well, I just found the absurdity of it pretty hysterical.

He makes absolutely no effort whatsoever in hiding his cue card line readings. He's either totally oblivious to how bad it looks, or he doesn't care, or it's part of his schtick. I don't know what it is, but I can't help but laugh when witnessing it. This heightened the humor of the sketches for me.

Oh, and the best skit of the night was the going away party for the office co-worker. All of it came together for me with that one. :D

One of my favorite fake commercials, and I want to say its from the early early 90s, is called the "yard-apult". I can't find it on youtube, but basically it consisted of a backyard catapult that would send your trash into someone else's backyard. Hysterical.

I thought the Walken family reunion was funny, too. "Are you driving?" "Driving? I'm Walken!"

Alec Baldwin has been in some funny sketches, too. His impression of Saddam back several years ago (after they found Saddam in the spider-hole, with beard and suit and everything) was great, and Scweddy Balls/Schweddy Weiner were two of the best NPR sketches that Gastyr/Shannon ever did. I don't particularly care for Alec Baldwin otherwise, but he has been cast in some funny sketches.

Alec Baldwin has been in some funny sketches, too. His impression of Saddam back several years ago (after they found Saddam in the spider-hole, with beard and suit and everything) was great, and Scweddy Balls/Schweddy Weiner were two of the best NPR sketches that Gastyr/Shannon ever did. I don't particularly care for Alec Baldwin otherwise, but he has been cast in some funny sketches.
If you liked him in those you should check out "30 Rock." He leaves me in stitches sometimes. It's back from the strike tonight.

I thought Christopher Walken relied on the cue cards on all of his previous appearances on SNL too. He always looked stiff, never looked natural to me. I never understood why so many people thought he was great. BTW, I never thought the cowbell skit was funny either.

Your opinion means nothing. The cowbell skit is a classic.

This past week's SNL was one of the worst I've ever seen. And I've enjoyed many this season. Tina Fey's was great.

Your opinion means nothing.

So then put me on your ignore list, your comment just put you on mine.

My favorite Walken SNL sketch is the "Census" sketch with Tim Meadows. I LMAO non-stop throughout that sketch even after dozens of viewings.Meadows: Alright...lemme go over this again, then...you are convicted criminal, living alone in an apartment with a bobcat...and you work 56 hours a week as a street performer.

Walken: When you say it like that, my life sounds pretty damned good.

He makes absolutely no effort whatsoever in hiding his cue card line readings. He's either totally oblivious to how bad it looks, or he doesn't care, or it's part of his schtick.
Maybe they needed to move the cards around, or put more of them around so he could look in other directions once in a while.

They must have had a cue card hanging from a boom for his "trivial psychic" character in the "Dead Zone" sketch years ago. :)

Alec Baldwin has been in some funny sketches, too.

My all-time favorite was the Family Feud spoof with the whole Baldwin family.

"Name something you woud find in a BATHroom"
"The Hollywood Reporter"

Classic.

I thought the Walken family reunion was funny, too.

It was alternating between hysterical and downright painful, depending on who was doing the impersonation at any given moment. But I loved the concept, and Walken certainly seemed to be having fun with it.

i thought the only good skit was the walken family, they all did pretty good impressions...

why do they always make kristen wiig look as ugly as possible? she's really good looking without the terrible hair and clothes...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/16389/saturday-night-live-meet-the-family