When given the chance to attend a live taping of Saturday Night Live, I jumped, even though Catherine Zeta-Jones (left, with the boys of musical guest Franz Ferdinand) was hosting. Stick with me, I retract my claws eventually. It helped that this particular episode of SNL also featured the aforementioned Scottish rockers and the return of Tina Fey to the Weekend Update desk after giving birth to baby Alice.
I gotta say: I was impressed with Mrs. Michael Douglas. Going in, I was not a fan. I know I’m not alone in thinking that comedy hasn’t been her forte (America’s Sweethearts, anyone?). But she won me over — starting with the moment when she ripped off her dress in the opening monologue to reveal a body suit and sang. It was then I remembered, oh right, she can sing and dance. She won an Oscar for Chicago. Also: Damn. The girl looks good. Even in skits that didn’t require singing or dancing, her movie-star presence, good comedic timing, and her overall game-ness made for an enjoyable, if not side-splitting, evening. Among other roles, she played an unknown Mexican bimbo/starlet with the ability to read Emily Dickinson in a flawless English accent, a CNN reporter live from Afghanistan, and a très sexy French teacher.
For me, she seemed to shed completely the persona my less charitable blogfather has dubbed "Catherine Ego Jones." Heck, she even thanked me when I congratulated her at the afterparty. We are THAT CLOSE, people.
What do you think of my BFF Cathy’s SNL debut? Be nice!
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I thought she did an awesome job on SNL. I didn’t realize that she was funny!
Sorry to say, Cat did not win me over. In fact, I was so bored with her that I turned the channel after Weekend Update was over.
Catherine Zeta Jones was a good host, however, the writers may have over exposed her Broadway roots a little, she sings and dances, ok we get it. Franz Ferdinand were great.
I am not an SNL fan, i think it is consistently annoying and unfunny. it used to be funny back in the day. but i must say that Catherine Zeta-Jones was awesome. I laughed through the whole episode. I hope the rest of the season is just as funny. (and as a note to the writer of this thing, I think CZJ was great in America’s Sweethearts, that movie is hysterical)
Well, I was not that impressed with this particular episode of Saturday Night Live. It had nothing to do with Catherine Zeta Jones though. I loved her CNN reporter getting progressively worse and I loved that she gave us a song and dance at the opening. Oh I almost forgot, I LOVED the Fosse party. Could’ve been a little shorter (and it wasn’t even that long) but brilliant concept.
However, I thought the episode itself was just OK. I’m glad Tina Fey was back in the news though and it was back in fine form the minute she opened her mouth.
I thought CZJ was very good but the writing could have been better. E! happened to run the Lucy Lawless show from Oct. 1998 today and it was amazing. If the writing were still that good this one would have been a classic on the level of Lucy Lawless. Stevie Nicks Tex-Mex, anyone?
I thought she was great. I am a huge fan of hers and the show (it sort of lost me over the years, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (UCB) have restored my faith.) It was awesome to see a host who didn’t have to check the cue cards every two seconds. Franz Ferdinand performed very well.
CZJ was amazing! I want her to do Broadway soon!
i thought the episode got off to a rocky start (Bush hasn’t been funny since Will Ferrel left) but once Catherine shed her clothing, and did a fantastic tap dance, it was back on top.
not so much the ugly reporter….
….but the Fosse party. HIL-arious.
She was like freakin’ Meryl Streep with the accents last night! French, Italian, English, American, Mexican…newscaster…Pretty impressive.
She was phenomenal…NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY HER OSCAR!!! HAHAHAHA!
Love the fact that she hardly looked at the cue cards all night. Now that’s class.
She was great…but SNL sucks.
they should throw everyone out and start over.
Catherine Zeta Jones was glorious on SNL – the party full of dancers skit was hilarious. The show as a whole is on a bit of a down swing though, I hope that it picks up over the next few weeks.
I fell asleep and missed most of it. But I wonder, I know she’s Welsh and has an accent anyway, but why was it a good thing to read Emily Dickinson with “a flawless English accent?” Dickinson was American. Read it with a flawless Amherst, Mass., accent!
Two saving graces this week: 1) Tina Fey returning. Horatio Sanz is simply NOT funny. He made Weekend Update nauseating. 2) Franz Ferdinand rocks.
damn. I missed it. When are they gonna show it again?
I felt like CZJ was trying too hard. I get it, you can dance and sing and act..what about being funny? The skits were too drawn out. I have yet to see something on SNL since Ferrell left that makes me truly laugh.
Does anyone agree that CZJ needs to get over herself? Pah-leez. When your acting can’t overshadow your love of yourself there’s a problem.
I was never under CZJ so I am way way over her.
She was excellent – can sing and dance live, was very funny, professional, no flubs. Impressive.
I thought she was fantastic and should be a frequent host. I agree, I think it should do wonders for her public persona.
I turned it off after the “Butt Cancer” commercial. Anyone else disturbed by that?
Thought she did surprisingly well. However, I laughed out loud when she sang about how she “gets to go home to Michael Douglas…” Yeah, I’d like to go home to a shriveled up botoxed geezer, too. Especially if I looked like her….
Am I the only one that thought her body looked…weird? When she stripped down in the opening monologue I didn’t think it did her any justice whatsoever. She had some sort of a strange belly going on.
Thought she did surprisingly well. However, I laughed out loud when she sang about how she “gets to go home to Michael Douglas…” Yeah, I’d like to go home to a shriveled up botoxed geezer, too. Especially if I looked like her….
Am I the only one that thought her body looked…weird? When she stripped down in the opening monologue I didn’t think it did her any justice whatsoever. She had some sort of a strange belly going on.
Am I the only one that thought her body looked…weird? When she stripped down in the opening monologue I didn’t think it did her any justice whatsoever. She had some sort of a strange belly going on.
I think the blogger loved CZJ so much because he was there LIVE! I’m always more forgiving or “taken in” when I get free tickets to something – especially if they’re hard to come by.
CZJ was just okay… not a standout in any area – sort of funny, sort of a good dancer, and the show overall was really lame, even the weekend update with Tina Fey. zzzzzz
I think the new guy (name? tall, skinny guy) might be someone interesting to watch if they give him enough to do.
I thought it was just more of the same from Zeta-Jones. It seemed the entire show revolved around her and how fabulous she was (she can dance! she can sing!). There was not a single hint of self-deprecation or humility. I agree with Diane, about the reviewer being won over because she was in attendence. Not that there weren’t a few funny sketches, but the CNN correspondent thing got old fast. She looked great, but it’s not like she’s actually ugly. I do like the new impressionist – that Italian Hotel Clerk impression was straight out of a Fellini film and was spot on Marcello Mastroianni. Thank God for Tina Fey.