Yes, it’s Tuesday, but folks throughout EW HQ are still talking about this past weekend’s Alec Baldwin-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live, saying it was the funniest episode in recent memory. (And we’re not the only ones still talking about it. NBC has some of the highlights streaming here.) Give some credit to the unusually sharp writing (the Britney-and-her-divorce-lawyer vignette, the carpool sketch). Props also to the surprise celebrity guests — a smug Steve Martin, a dazed Paul McCartney, and an extremely game Tony Bennett (pictured, right, alongside Baldwin impersonating the crooner), who also sang a lively duet with Christina Aguilera. But give most of the credit to Baldwin, who’s become our favorite comedy cleanup hitter, and whose practiced deadpan managed to sell lines like "Bobby McFerrin raped my grandmother." (Trust us, that was a really funny punchline.) Can he please host every week?
OMG, 'SNL' was actually funny!
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Comments (1-30) of 35
So glad to see I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it so much. I truly do not remember the last time I laughed that hard watching SNL. Besides the funny, Tony Bennett and Christina Aguliera at the end was really great and Alec’s reaction to Paul McCartney’s obviously surprise appearance was priceless. Alec Baldwin is really becoming my favorite comic actor. He is reinventing himself and it is fun to watch.
seriously…EW, who else could be entertainer of the year BUT Alec Baldwin?
Baldwin for President!
I miss Schweaty Balls!
I agree with Will. He is so funny on “30 Rock”. Was perfect in “The Departed” and now he made “SNL” funny again. Alec Baldwin is an acting genuis. You should put him as Entertainer of the Year for your year-end magazine. Come on, you can do it. Just try to detox yourselves (like Issac from Heroes) from putting “Lost”, “Jon Stewart” or “Stephen Colbert”. He deserves it. Period.
This past episode of SNL was just one more reason people need to jump on the 30 ROCK bandwagon — BALDWIN IS PERFECTION! His comedic timing on 30 ROCK is unbelievable, and he is surrounded by talent which makes him even better! This Thursday – supersized Baldwin – what more could you ask for?!??
The best SNL in years. The two best lines of the night was the stomping on Steve Martin while yelling “I was in schwetty balls” and of course,” Bobby Mcfarrin raped my grandmother”.
If Alec Baldwin was the star of the night, Kristen Wiig was second. From her wide-eyed Nancy Pelosi, to the driver of the car who was rescued by Celine Dion, she was great.
In third place was Tony Bennett. SNL uses the subject of a parody alot. Janet Reno, Judge Judy and Alex Trebek have come on the show. Tony Bennett was very game because Baldwin takes his act to an R rated level.
Amy Poehler does a great Britney.
I’m jumping on Will and Lorenzo’s bandwagon…Baldwin IS the Entertainer of the Year. He’s had 3 stellar SNL appearances since last December (including a cameo when Steve Martin hosted), he’s in 3 movies this year, he’s consistently hilarious on 30 Rock, and he’s a standout guest on Bill Maher’s HBO show–funny, attentive, articulate, and actually willing to LISTEN to opposing viewpoints before tearing them apart. The last Alec this good was Guinness. Let the campaign begin!
I agree, best episode since Will Ferrel left. This cast has a lot of potential and SNL should be consistently back on track in the near future.
Word! We’ve been talking about it at work, too, these past few days. Y’all, that carpool sketch was just excellent and had me rolling on the floor y’all. But I think the best sketch Baldwin has ever done was the Glengarry Glen Ross parody with Santa’s elves – priceless.
Agreed, Alec Baldwin is hilarious! When did that happen?! LOL Loved the carpool sketch, as well as the one with Steve Martin and Martin Short (who totally stole my attention every time he popped up). Good show!
Alec Baldwin is brilliant and fearless – an unbeatable combination.
Yup, best show this season! I’ve loved Alec since he was nekkid in “Working Girl”, but he’s really come into his own the past few years.
And hellz yes, he gets my vote for Entertainer of the Year! Let the evidence speak for itself:
30 Rock
SNL
The Departed
Running With Scissors
Real Time With Bill Mahr
Wow, I tape SNL every weekend (cause I’m lame and fall asleep by about 11:45 every Saturday night) and get around to watching it when I have time. I’m making a date with the VCR (yes I’m a dinosaur) tonight. Woo hoo! That said, I love Alec too and 30 Rock rocks hard.
I know I couldn’t have been the only viewer on Saturday night who thought, “Wow, this is the first funny episode this season!” Every time Alec Baldwin is on SNL, I know there will be at least one sketch that I will actually remember come Sunday morning. My favorite all-time Baldwin skit is still the one where everybody threw up after seeing someone else throw up; this was several years ago when Chris Farley was on. And Schwetty Balls is definitely a classic!
The only other episode I’ve seen this season was the premiere with Dane Cook, and it was AWFUL. So though I don’t have all the eps for comparison, this definitely was the funniest I’ve seen in awhile.
I love how I wrote a damn near identical article two days ago on my blog. It simply proves that I correctly have my finger on the pulse of popular culture, after all. Kudos to EW for picking up on it, too.
http://www.xanga.com/archeravenue
It was one of the funniest episodes I’d seen in a long time.
Tony Bennett was a good sport. He enjoyed lampooning himself.
The ‘Bobby McFerrin raped my grandmother’ line was out of left field and great.
I blogged about it as well on Sunday, the funniest episode in years. Here comes the shameless plug
http://talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com/2006/11/saturday-night-live-best-episode-of.html
The real star, after Baldwin, was Kristen Wiig. The funniest new cast member. Her Nancy Pelosi opening, and the carpool sketch were just brilliant.
And as funny as the Bobby McFerrin line was, how about the pickup line “You know what my favorite part of a woman is?”.
Can you get Emmys for hosting SNL? Because Baldwin deserves one. Great great episode. I don’t think I will be able to delete it from Tivo.
Loved the episode. Was I the only one who loved Aunt Linda’s movie reviews on weekend update? I’ll give it a “gah!” and a “whaaaat?” Alec Baldwin makes everything he’s in better.
Wild, I never watch SNL but caught this one on a fluke. IT WAS AWESOME. The Kevin Federline “cameo” on the Tony Bennet show was so incredibly funny that I too have been laughing about it for several days. However, Weekend update seems to have hit another lull. I’m missing the days of Tina Fey and whats his face.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
ALEC BALDWIN: ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Are you listening EW?
Hopefully, Lorne Michaels is already preparing a feature film spinoff of Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisan’s Brazilian musical duo. I can’t get their song out of my head.
“I was in Schwetty Balls!” had me rolling…I was so happy that it was actually a funny episode. SNL has been struggling, but if they can keep that up, then they may recover.
I heart Alec.
That carpool sketch was an instant classic. Kristen Wiig and Jim Cashman wrote it and performed it at the Groundlings. Thats where I first saw it. As soon as it started I got all excited and yelled to my boyfriend “It’s the carpool sketch! Bobby McFerrin! Bobby McFerrin!” I wondered how she could use something on SNL that she wrote with someone else, but during the credits it said “Additional Sketch by Jim Cashman.” So hopefully he got paid, because that was totally the best sketch of the show. We love the Groundlings so we were so excited when we saw Kristen Wiig on SNL this year.
Also that Valtrex commercial had me rolling. “But then that was the end of it, and there was no need to discuss it anymore.” Baldwin is a comedy god.
I haven’t watched SNL consistently in years and its been a while since I’ve caught one. I am so glad I tuned in for this one! It was a riot. The carpool sketch and the valtrex commercial were the best!
I know this sounds dated, but a heavy set Alec with grey hair looks more like Joey Battafucco than Tony Bennett.
Anyway, FINALLY SNL is back! Thank heavens!
LOVED the Tony/Christina duet. AMAZING.
The best for me was Aunt Linda on Weekend update reviewing the movies. Her take on Flushed Away (she gave it an “oh boy” and a “ghaa!”) was so funny I had to pause my tivo. And don’t get me started on the icons that went with the critiques! Kristen Wiig is so hilarious, and she needs to do Judy Garland again!
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