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Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Friday, March 7, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
'SNL' recap: 'Big Bang' host and Colin Jost
Now that the Olympics are over, NBC has finally returned to its normal programming, which means that Saturday Night Live is back…with a bazinga! Emmy winner Jim Parsons, best known for playing practical jokes on The Big Bang Theory, tried to trade away his nerdy persona to host the show for the first time with musical guest Beck returning for his seventh time on the SNL stage. The show’s return also marked the debut of new Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost, who replaces current Late Night host Seth Meyers.
Well, actually I guess NBC is still obsessed with winter sports, because a hockey game delayed the start of the show. Rude. Anyway, the opening featured Kate McKinnon as this year’s Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres and made some uncomfortably dark jokes about her constant dancing and 12 Years a Slave. And that was just the first reference to the film of the night. Actually, there were a lot, maybe too many, sketches and jokes about the Oscars and this year’s nominated films (mocking Barkhad Abdi’s Captain Phillips character twice in one episode is a little much). Also, why are more and more hosts appearing in the opening now? Melissa McCarthy did in her latest outing as host, and Parsons’ first appearance of the night was as flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir. Is it just me or is something lost in seeing the host before the monologue? It seemed like a weird sketch to open with anyway.
Parsons’ main issue in hosting would be whether he could break out of his Big Bang character Sheldon’s shell. He even addressed the elephant in the room right away with a funny enough song in his monologue appropriately titled “I’m Not That Guy.” Any opportunity to see Kenan Thompson as Bill Cosby is fine by me. You can’t say he wasn’t trying, but Parsons isn’t a great voice actor, meaning that he pretty much uses the same voice for all his characters. Even when he played a straight man on a murder mystery date, it seemed like he may have tried to use a deeper voice in the beginning of the sketch, but it quickly got away from him. But there’s always pressure for any celeb to host the show, and for a first go-round, Parsons did a respectable job.
Best Sketch
Can Aidy Bryant do no wrong? Not in my opinion, as she absolutely killed it as Tonker Bell, Tinker Bell’s half sister. You barely even notice Parsons as Peter Pan in the sketch with Bryant’s great one-liners, like “For lost boys, they sure are good at finding my a–.” Also, does anyone else want a “You just got TONKED!” shirt too?
Honorable Mention
Though they weren’t all the best, the “Spotlightz: Acting Camp for Serious Kids” sketch, again about the Oscars, had some great moments, mostly from Vanessa Bayer. Though no child should ever play Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street, Bayer does it with just enough unnecessary spunk that you can’t help but love it.
Worst Sketch
Though it had some nice ’80s flashback moments, “The Killer Files” sketch with Parsons as a “dance floor” killer felt a little flat. The joke can get old pretty fast when you kind of reveal the punch line right away. Parsons barely spoke at all in the sketch too and kind of just made me uncomfortable. Or maybe that was the point.
Best Musical Moment
Beck performed two songs from his new album Morning Phase, and his experience definitely showed in both. His second song, “Wave,” accompanied with a full string orchestra behind him, was a beautiful highlight of the night.
What Your DVR Missed
If you’re too cool to stay home on a Saturday night and watch the show live, your DVR may have missed the last sketch of the night because the hockey game on NBC before ran late and the show didn’t actually start till 11:41 p.m. ET. Well, you didn’t miss much except for this cowboy birthday party debate.
WTF Award
Ever since I saw 12 Years a Slave for the first time in movie theaters in the fall, I was curious if Taran Killam would ever get a chance to reprise his role from the film on SNL, though that would probably be too inappropriate. But this mock behind-the-scenes look at the casting process of the film’s smaller roles could have been a great opportunity for a meta-moment with Killam. In my opinion, missed opportunity. Also in my opinion, Saturday Night Live should stay away from any slavery-related sketches from now on.
Cast MVP
OK, so he may have been looking at the wrong camera in the beginning, but Colin Jost definitely deserves the MVP of the night. New to the camera, the head writer is not new to the show in any way, so he seemed to get pretty comfortable behind the desk with Cecily Strong pretty quickly. There was one awkward moment with Jay Pharaoh as Shaquille O’Neal maybe forgetting a line, but overall it was a great Update debut.
Girls creator and star Lena Dunham hosts next week with musical guest The National.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
'New Girl' recap: 'Exes'
Can’t say this episode did a lot to move sitcom gender politics forward, folks. As we have long known, women only have two modes: adorably naïve or vengeful psychopath. Men, meanwhile, are just out to bone. Feel free to disagree with me (and all respect to Adam Brody and Mary Elizabeth Ellis), but this ep felt like a bit of a letdown after Sunday’s genuinely hilarious, plot-advancing post-Super Bowl episode. Sure, it exposed an emotional side to Nick we rarely see (albeit one even Jess didn’t fully buy), but it also lost some ground — for me at least — with a reliance on clichéd ”big concepts” rather than small-scale character comedy. The latter is where New Girl thrives. So, shall we?
Nick ran into his ex Caroline (Ellis) at a farmer’s market. You might wonder, Since when is Nick at a farmer’s market? Since he got into a relationship with Jess, of course. Though Nick panicked at the encounter, actually taking out at least a few carts, Jess was living in a self-propagated illusion that exes could be friends just like she was with her former beau and current super-stay-at-home dad Berkley (Brody), i.e. the “most emotionally evolved person I know.” She encouraged Nick to try to smooth things over with Caroline (as you’ll recall he walked out on her right after they’d moved in together in the season 1 finale). Though Nick worried Caroline might hurt him physically… or “with words!” he set up a mercilessly booze-free coffee date. What followed was Nick babbling for 30 minutes — sometimes in a quasi-Cockney accent! — with the highlight of Jake Johnson’s improvisation being, “I think a guy died in the building ’cause one day in the dumpster there was a bunch of clothes that just fit me.”
What didn’t happen during Nick and Caroline’s “friendly” meet-up? Two things: First, he didn’t mention Jess in any way, shape, or form — even after Caroline asked if there had been someone else (and, even though we know Jess and Nick didn’t get together for months, this omission still made him look like a liar). Second, they clearly did not resolve their issues and/or become actual friends. The nail in the coffin? When Caroline spotted Nick kissing Jess on the street just minutes later.
Caroline began to send Nick a string of righteously indignant texts about his presumed cheating, and Jess suggested they call Berkley for advice since he’d written an e-book on befriending exes. Let’s just overlook that this would be a completely absurd idea under any circumstances, let’s scoot right past Jess’s completely inappropriate text inviting Berkley over (“Babe”? “XOXOXO”?), and let’s put a pin in Nick’s assumption Berkley had only clung to his friendship with Jess in hopes they’d reunite (or at least have sex). Instead, let’s just recall how we welcomed Adam Brody and his adorable baby-actor scene partner onto our screens.
Once together, Jess and Berkley were super-annoying. Between inside jokes, talk of bamboo high chairs, and self-satisfied fatherhood metaphors, they were the kind of sanctimonious couple (broken up or not) you’d be slugging down bellinis at Sunday brunch to forget you’d ever become yoked to in the first place. As such, their advice was pretty useless. And, since this is Nick Miller, he ignored it anyway and sent Caroline a terse text: “My bad. Let’s be friends, k?”
Nick’s disregard for the woman he left (for still unexplained reasons) was enough to send his jilted ex over the edge. She showed up on the street below the loft, caterwauling and shattering the windshield of a car she thought was Nick’s with cinder blocks and 2×4's. Inadvertently let into the building by one of Schmidt’s tricks (more on that later), she arrived at apartment 4D and began pounding on the door. And that wasn’t even the most insane part of this whole quadrangle…
NEXT: Nick admits why he left Caroline (prepare to swoon)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
'Sing-Off' recap: And the winner is...
Holiday songs! Pentatonix! Benatar! GLITTER BLAZERS! The Sing-Off finale was everything I needed it to be and, yes, I did need it to be something. I needed it to be something my whole family could watch together while I’m home for the holidays. I needed it to be fun and exciting enough to make me think thoughts worthy of writing down later for fellow a cappella knuckleheads to read (“worthy” might be an overstatement, but where better for hyperbole than The Sing-Off?). And I needed it to be, as I think Nick Lachey once said, some damn fine music. And damn fine, it was.
It’s going to be really difficult not to just make this whole thing a Blazer Watch. I seriously couldn’t stop watching the blazers. There was gold and platinum, plaid and tartan, skinny ties and wide lapels, double-breasted and slim-fit; at one point I didn’t think Nick’s had any buttons at all. This is a quote from my notes: “Nick is in maroon! THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!” Again, hyperbole (barely).
EW debuted the opening group performance of “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson last week, and I think it’s only gotten better with multiple viewings. It’s the very best kind of group number: One focused song with simple arm-movement-choreography and, of course, a minor and major key change (“Make a change/WHOO!/Make a change/WHOO!”) . Before I’ve even recovered from Elgin’s final whisper, Nick has transitioned from introducing the judges to singing “It Had to Be You” to Jewel, and then *BAM* she’s up there too, reciting lines from my diary: “There’s lots of television hosts out there and there’s even lots of television hosts named Nick, but for my money, the hardest working dimples in show business, I only have one thought…it had to be you!”
It was the first of a lineup of fun performances throughout the two-hour finale. Pentatonix returned to their mother ship to offer the three finalists some finale advice and show them how the pros do it on Calvin Harris’ “I Need Your Love.” The passion, the percussions, the harmonies; it just doesn’t get much better than them. Also there to show the kids the ropes were Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, just crushing “We Belong.” Although I don’t know how they got past security with both a guitar and not a stitch of glitter. Finally, the littlest boy band, 98 Degrees, stopped by to harmonize the mess out of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and Nick Lachey was really feeling his oats, making his fellow man band members stand there while he lobbed puns at the judges – “Did 98 Degrees heat it up for you?” – in return for compliments. I can’t believe it’s all over! On to the finalists…
Ten: “Love on Top” by Beyoncé
A Look Back: “Skyfall” has to be my favorite performance, but “Proud Mary” was probably more quintessential Ten.
Blazer Watch: Ten is a back-to-basics tutorial in Sing-Off blazer-ography tonight and, oh, it is luxe. They’re like an upscale jazz club meets Austin Powers up on that stage with every metallic in every variation you can imagine and, perhaps for the first time in Sing-Off history, A CORSET. That’s some next level scherzo.
One Last Shot: I think Jewel speaks for all of us when she tells Emoni, “I kind of want to spank you tonight, that was so good.” Corporal punishment due to divatude aside, this was a great and modern song choice for Ten and their growth as a group has been tremendous. They didn’t come in as a cappella aficionados, but multiple strong leads proved to offer harmonious variety rather than a battle to be heard.
Home Free: “Crazy” by Hunter Hayes
A Look Back: For me, “Ring of Fire” changed everything, but, with an assist from The Filharmonic, “I’m Alright” was certainly the most fun performance we saw from the country gents.
Blazer Watch: Oh, it is a feast. Austin is in a velvet paisley blazer with the collar popped and the most bejeweled leather cuff I’ve ever seen; there are cowboy hats and coordinating floral ties on Chris and Rob; Tim is wearing a belt that simply says, “TEXAS”; and I don’t know if Adam has always been “the dad on a CW show” levels of studly, but he’s really working that all-black suit tonight.
One Last Shot: Austin knocked what I’m sure was a very challenging lead out of the park. The guys somehow gave their most definitive performance yet, while being more natural than we’ve ever seen them. Ben compliments their groove and Jewel thinks that, most importantly, they’ve shown their star quality. And what are we looking for here, if not stars?
Vocal Rush: “Roar” by Katy Perry
A Look Back: Their half of the “Survivor” Ultimate Sing-Off was just about as fierce a performance as this season ever saw, but “Bottom of the River” was also quite the debut.
Blazer Watch: A diva-regulation combination of black, red and gems culminates in Sydney, who is wearing a bedazzled red fitted blazer, bow tie necklace and loose jewels in her hair. If she had on hipster glasses, she would be catering 100% to all of the judges/host’s tastes.
One Last Shot: This song can already feel a little young, so it wasn’t my favorite choice at first, but as Ben said, they can make anything sound smart and their arrangement brought out an unexpected lyrical depth. Usually high school groups seem so temporary that it’s difficult to consider them serious contenders; but each of these students were so passionate and talented that they really came together as one of the most cohesive groups of the season.
Finally, Nick Lachey “has the judges’ final decision right here…HOME FREE!” The winner is, all at once, deserving, expected, exciting and, if YouTube views are any indication, the right choice. The thing about The Sing-Off is that it provides one of the most diverse lineup of singers on television, but the fact that they’re already taking the risk of giving a recording contract to an a cappella group means that they’ve got to go for a similar, sure-thing type of winner every time. And that’s fine. Because it’s a fun ride along the way to the good looking, ready-to-record group taking home the final crown, isn’t it? Speaking of…where IS that Sing-Off crown you promised us, Lachey?! Austin, Adam, Tim, Rob and Chris surely earned it.
Tidbits with Nick & Co.
- The finale featured a lot more audience shots than usual, which made it even more glaringly obvious that all of the bubble-letter neon poster board “fan signs” we see in the audience are being made by the same P.A.
- It was fun to see all of the previously eliminated groups back in their boxes. I was particularly charmed by The Filharmonic looking all grown up in their tuxes, The Princeton Footnotes’ sneaky-good “Deck the Halls,” and Street Corner Renaissance because, duh, Street Corner Renaissance in platinum blazers.
- I really love that to 15-18 year old Vocal Rush, Pentatonix are probably one of the most successful U.S. singing show competition winners they’ve seen come to be. The Sing-Off: making dreams come true since 2009.
- I know it’s ridiculous that Shawn Stockman didn’t get his own Blazer Watch every week, but he just carries his pizazz off so casually. Tonight he’s sporting a crushed velvet crimson jacket, paisley ruffled-tuxedo shirt, lion-door-knocker brooch and striped bowtie. While performing, he wears a scarf that’s been fashioned into a vest with a strap around the back. Like I said, casual.
- Why is Jewel not singing, like, all the time?
- A brief scene outside with Vocal Rush proves what my heart has always known to be true: Ben Folds wears transitions lenses.
- There was simply too much going on tonight to cover it all, but the judges all gave great holiday song performances with the final groups: Ben + Vocal Rush, Shawn + Ten and Jewel + Home Free.
Well, it’s been a fun and silly ride, and I’m dying to know – what did you think of this season? Did the right group take home the “crown?” Will we be seeing more from Home Free soon? And most importantly, will it be two more years before season 5 of The Sing-Off?
Sunday, September 22, 2013
'Project Runway' recap: Got 2B 'Real'
In partnership with CNNCopyright © 2013 Entertainment Weekly Inc. All rights reserved.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
'Project Runway' recap: The Glam-ping trip
In partnership with CNNCopyright © 2013 Entertainment Weekly Inc. All rights reserved.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
'New Girl' recap: 'Oil up or get out'
Image Credit: Jennifer Clasen/FoxWith the exception of Schmidt’s ex-girlfriend, almost nobody got what they wanted tonight, Newbies. I personally could have done with a little bit more Alfredo, but we can’t have it all, can we? That seems to be the overarching message as the season winds down. That and the fact that what we want is not always right for us. This notion came starkly into play as Cece continued to force a marriage to Shivrang — a man whose name she doesn’t even know how to pronounce. Indeed, Cece’s butchering of her fiancé’s name was just one of the things that went wrong during a surprise bachelorette party thrown by Jess. Others included the dissemination of a picture of Nick’s penis, Winston’s overzealous attitude toward a kidnapping scheme, and Schmidt’s spitefully foolhardy attempt to make Cece jealous by lining up a date to Cece’s wedding. So let’s begin, shall we?
Before news of the nuptials had reached the loft, Nick was lording his ”dead dad card” over the roommates by wearing one of Walt’s tracksuits (this one in a particularly horrific shade of marigold), washing his feet in the kitchen sink, and tap dancing — or at least that’s what he was calling his ungainly flailing. Schmidt, dressed in his own workout gear for a booty burn boot camp class, took issue with Nick’s duds, and the guys started to squabble.
Winston broke up the fracas by arriving in with a fancy invitation. He hoped he’d be able to check “gala event” off his bucket list, but it was only Cece’s wedding — set for three weeks later. Jess was startled by the haste, but Schmidt focused his complex feelings on anger that Cece hadn’t allowed for him to bring a date. “You can’t invite an ex to a wedding and not give him the dignity of consolation sex. Girl better recognize: Schmidt-y gonna go get his plus-one!”
And that would happen as Cece planned seating arrangements under the silent, judgmental watch of Shivrang’s female family members. Shiv took his bride-to-be aside for talk of their impending marital consummation, but Schmidt interrupted by banging on the door. Shivrang’s relatives spoke for their steamrolled boy, asking, “Who’s this?” Schmidt spat back, “I’m Gerard Depardieu. Who do you think I am, lady? I’m Schmidt!” Cece pulled Schmidt out of the room and quietly read him the riot act about everything from her budget to his not-a-relationship-guy ways. He shot back, “I can do anything I set my mind to. I once figured out Alyssa Milano’s phone number just by choosing random numbers.” And so the gauntlet was thrown: Schmidt would procure a serious girlfriend in three weeks’ time. He walked out, declaring, “Time to make some dreams come true.”
Back at the loft, Jess assumed Maid of Honor duties, even though Cece hadn’t technically asked her yet. The first duty was to planning Cece’s bachelorette party. Jess believed she knew exactly what Cece wanted because tween Cece had once told her she wanted “the dirtiest bachelorette party of all time… strippers and a mechanical bull and balloons in the shape of ding-dongs. And I want to wear the kind of underwear that goes between your cheeks!” Cut back to the present, when Jess told Nick and Winston, ”The only males invited are strippers, so oil up or get out, guys!” They barely had a chance to stir, though, before she enlisted them to help her by kidnapping Shivrang. Winston was a little too excited, wondering if Jess’s plan allowed them room to “roughhouse him a little bit — drop him in the desert ’til he don’t breathe no more.” (Looks like someone spent a little too much time in the clubs with Latvian gangsters.)
NEXT: Ding dongs
Monday, March 18, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
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