Since I'm filled with the spirit of Christmas, and since I'm also tired of complaining about the same issue I have with SNL week after week, for the most part I'm just going to skip talking about the repeated sketches I didn't like and get to the parts that made me laugh. I had an inkling that James Franco would be a fun host: unlike many of the guests the show has had this season, he has background in comedy, seems quite comfortable making fun of himself, can do characters and just seems to be kind of a weirdo (plus, he has Gilbert Gottfried eyes.) In the monologue he acknowledged that he has no movie to promote and that it might be odd that he's doing General Hospital, but he also seems excited about it as well, which is endearing. (If you were wondering why he is on a soap, see a piece about it here).
I was ready to be crabby about the show running "What Up With That?" again: I've enjoyed how ridiculous it is, but was leery of the fact that this is the second time in two or three weeks that they've shown it. But what can I say? I started laughing when Andy Samberg came out as John Stockton. It's the randomness of the guests that amuses me despite myself. And I would like a .gif of Mike Tyson dancing to look at when I'm feeling blue.
I thought the Digital Short was one of the best pieces the show has done this season, the Jammy Party that turns into a glow-in-the-dark drug-fueled battle royale with knives. It was weird and funny and snappy and original and it reminded me that this is why I get so annoyed when the show is lazy, because it can turn out fresh stuff.
I liked Muse fine: they're one of those bands I always hear talked about but haven’t heard much. I heard them discussed on Sound Opinions and based on tonight's performances they sounded like a harder-rocking '80's-influenced Coldplay. However, the commercial I saw advertising their concert in Chicago labeled them the best live band ever and I didn't get much out of them onstage in terms of that, but they were quite fine.
My second-favorite favorite part of Weekend Update was Bobby Moynihan as Snooki from Jersey Shore. When he first appeared on SNL I thought he was going to be another big loud guy taking over for Horatio Sanz or Chris Farley but I've found that he doesn't seem to use his size very much at all (which is not to say that he's very large: just compared to the majority of the cast he's on the bigger side). In fact, when he's the lead in a bit he seems to add a bit of delicateness or surrealism that I find very appealing. In "Update" I realized that he hasn't been around much all season. There wasn't that much to his Snooki impression but he made it likable instead of obnoxious. And I liked The Situation's "back abs." My favorite part was Garth & Kat, although when Seth Meyers started introducing a musical group I thought it was going to be Jon Bovi again. Instead, it was Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig as a duo apparently making up songs as they went along. It was silly. I enjoyed it. Apparently Wiig did too, which was cute.