VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 4/23/11

“Big Bang” reminded me of the Joe Don Baker-starring Final Justice.

Original Version
1. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
2. Sara Bareilles – “Uncharted”
3. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
4. Hanson – “Give a Little”
5. Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
6. Cee-Lo Green – “F*** You”
7. Ke$ha – “Blow”
8. Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
9. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
10. Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”
11. Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
12. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
13. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
14. Jennifer Hudson – “Where You At”
15. Colbie Caillat – “I Do”
16. Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”
17. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Closer to the Edge”
18. The Script – “For the First Time”
19. Rock Mafia – “Big Bang”
20. Maroon 5 – “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Rope
3. Blow
4. The Cave
5. F*** You
6. Barton Hollow
7. Big Bang
8. Born This Way
9. What You Know
10. Give a Little
11. E.T.
12. Uncharted
13. The Lazy Song
14. Till the World Ends
15. Closer to the Edge
16. Never Gonna Leave This Bed
17. Where You At
18. F****** Perfect
19. For the First Time
20. I Do

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 4/16/11

Teenage Dream is an album with four hit singles, but I hear the rest of it is crap. Also, my number 1 matches up with the original number 1.

Original Version
1. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
2. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
3. Sara Bareilles – “Uncharted”
4. Cee-Lo Green – “F*** You”
5. Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
6. Ke$ha – “Blow”
7. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
8. Jennifer Hudson – “Where You At”
9. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
10. Hanson – “Give a Little”
11. Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
12. Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”
13. Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”
14. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Closer to the Edge”
15. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
16. Colbie Caillat – “I Do”
17. Maroon 5 – “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”
18. Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start”
19. The Script – “For the First Time”
20. Freelance Whales – “Hannah”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Ready to Start
3. Rope
4. Blow
5. The Cave
6. F*** You
7. Barton Hollow
8. Born This Way
9. What You Know
10. Give a Little
11. E.T.
12. Uncharted
13. Hannah
14. Till the World Ends
15. Closer to the Edge
16. Never Gonna Leave This Bed
17. Where You At
18. F****** Perfect
19. For the First Time
20. I Do

SNL Recap April 9, 2011: Helen Mirren/Foo Fighters

Cold Opening – A Message from the President of the United States
There were several jokes that worked in this opening, even if it wasn’t clear how accurate the jibes were.  (Is Dale Humphries really trapped in a loveless marriage?   Perhaps, perhaps not.  Either way, I laughed).   But then it was so short.   It was as if everyone was so pleased that a positive percentage of the jokes worked that they didn’t want to ruin it by taking a chance on having any more jokes at all. B

Helen Mirren’s Monologue
This wasn’t exactly funny, but it did perfectly capture Dame Helen’s uncanny ability to remain classy while showing off her unbelievably-sexy-for-her-age side. B

Mort Mort Feingold: Accountant for the Stars
The impressions were nothing to write home about, and the jokes were second-rate versions of those from the first Mort Mort sketch. C+

Digital Short: Helen Mirren’s Magical Bosom
Helen Mirren does look great at 65.   And that’s all there is to say about this. B-

Fox and Friends
I’ve never watched this show, but the clips I have seen of it and its ilk make such shows look so pathetic that they are not even worth making fun of.  Perhaps my opinion of this sketch will change slightly once I review the list of corrections. B

Mary Shelley
References to Frankenstein these days generally have more to do with the adaptations than the original novel.   It seemed like this sketch was actually going in the direction of familiarity with the novel, but it ended up being a conflation of the novel and the adaptations.   Of course, we all know that “fire bad” comes from Phil Hartman’s portrayal of Frankenstein.   Fred’s vocal tics were obviously perfect, and I loved how none of the guests were freaked out by such a grotesque landlord. B

Foo Fighters perform “Rope”
We have here a great live band, and a great new single, so I feel that my standard for judging this performance may be unfairly high, so let’s just say this: a B+ for the Foo Fighters is probably as good as an A for any number of lesser acts. B+

Weekend Update
-The Jokes: The bluebird hairstylist and giving priests a slightly better name gags made this one a winner. B
-The Segments: -James Carville: Is there no end to Hader’s deranged observations, real and imagined, about Carville? B+
-Shelly Elaine: When I saw Kristen roll out with the shot-out hair and the oxygen mask, I thought, oh boy, here comes another notoriously annoying Kristen Wiig bit where a bludgeoningly obvious joke is driven into the ground before it is even delivered for a first time.   I am one of Kristen’s biggest apologists, but as this bit was about to begin, I thought, I can’t defend her anymore.   But, Shelly Elaine was quite the character.   I’m sorry I doubted you, Kristen. B+
-Jean K. Jean: It is important to keep in mind that when you compare this to an actual Def Comedy Jam, this is avant-garde. B-

The Best of Both Worlds
Keen observation.  Well, not really.  This is something everyone has noticed.   But good job turning that observation into a sketch.   Having Gerard Butler as a guest was nothing more than a repeat of the jokes aimed at Hugh, so things didn’t get cooking until Ice Cube showed up.   (Another accurate impression from Kenan!  What does that make, four?) B

Underunderground Records: Crunk-Ass Easter Festival
All right, Mrs. Potato Dick are still kicking it!   This felt like a bit too much of a retread, as it very closely followed the template of the Crunkmas Karnival bit.  How was Gross-Ass Crap for Orphans any different than Wack-Ass Junk for Immigrants?   But then the hits just kept on coming, and I thought, “Okay, this one can stand on its own.”   And the Ass Dan death bit was different, and clever, this time around. B+

The Roosevelts
This sketch could have been hacky and it could have coasted along on all the things the pundits have been saying about The Kennedys, but instead, it succeeded, thanks to Fred’s portrayal of Joel Surnow as a sleazy hotshot and its willingness to go the extra ridiculous mile. B

Perspectives Photo Studio
At first it seemed as though Nasim and Kristen were reprising their characters form the corn syrup commercial.   Is this, like, the tenth sketch this season about cell phone penis pictures? B

Foo Fighters perform “Walk”
This sounded like “She’s So High” by Tal Bachman.  A lot.  I initially thought this might be a cover of that song (which I wasn’t able to identify until later). B+

Bongo’s Clown Room
Was the point of this sketch the shock value of seeing Dame Helen get down on the pole?   If so, she should have been featured more prominently.   Not that that necessarily would have been a good idea. C-

Overall
After the Russell Brand disaster and the Elton John disappointment, I was worried that the writers would yet again think, “Hey, the host is British” and use that “joke” as the entirety of the night’s comedy.   Dame Helen did play a Brit in four sketches (one was herself), but in only one case – the Mary Shelley backstory – could the entire sketch have been considered British.   This episode instead followed the strange trend from last season in which capable hosts (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Blake Lively) were underutilized and mainly reserved for supporting roles.   Why, oh why, would a dame ever be given a back seat?

VH1 Top 20 Countdown 4/9/11

It’s another case of an indie band’s song debuting on the countdown a year or so after it’s been released!

Original Version
1. Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
2. Cee-Lo Green – “F*** You”
3. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
4. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
5. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
6. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
7. Ke$ha – “Blow”
8. Sara Bareilles – “Uncharted”
9. Jennifer Hudson – “Where You At”
10. Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”
11. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Closer to the Edge”
12. Avril Lavigne – “What the Hell”
13. Hanson – “Give a Little”
14. Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris and DJ Frank E – “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)”
15. The Script – “For the First Time”
16. Maroon 5 – “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”
17. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
18. Colbie Caillat – “I Do”
19. My Chemical Romance – “SING”
20. Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Ready to Start
3. Rope
4. Blow
5. The Cave
6. F*** You
7. SING
8. What the Hell
9. Barton Hollow
10. Born This Way
11. What You Know
12. Give a Little
13. Uncharted
14. Closer to the Edge
15. Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)
16. Never Gonna Leave This Bed
17. Where You At
18. F****** Perfect
19. For the First Time
20. I Do

SNL Recap April 2, 2011: Elton John/…and Leon Russell

It combines time travel with screaming.

Cold Opening – The Lawrence Welk Show
Lawrence Welk Show sketches are generally successful according to how funkily outrageous Dooneese’s confessions are, and this time, unfortunately, she flailed around a bit.  The guest can add an important element, as Will Ferrell and Betty White did particularly, but Elton did not have much to offer other than his piano skills.  But let’s not forget Lawrence himself.  With everyone else disappointing, this sketch served to emphasize that Fred is quite valuable as Mr. Welk, with his bit about seasons pulling it off this time. B-

Elton John’s Monologue
Elton talks about being a new father, and we are happy to have him show off his personality by way of his home life, and we are confident that he understands that he is responsible for putting on a show. B

ESPN Classic: Ladies’ Shot Put
“…or if she’s at a movie, behind someone wearing an Abraham Lincoln hat.”  Gotta love those Greg Stink-isms.  Anyway, Elton John is not the sort of host who I would have expected to be absent from a leadoff sketch to make room for other guests.  Honestly, I thought that Hanks was – must have been – Elton.  I said to myself, “Wow, Elton really looks like Tom Hanks in that getup.”  Then I realized what was going on. B+

BBC News Special Report: Dragon Attack
With all the guest appearances in this episode, I wondered why Darrell didn’t return as Sir Connery.  Funny that Ringo, the only non-knight, was the only good impression.  I suppose that Michael Caine talks slowly, but not as slowly as Hanks had him go.  That impression was, shall we say, indulgent. Andy’s Bono was purposely amateurish, and Taran’s Ian McKellen was inexcusable. B-

Digital Short – Laser Cats: The Musical
I would think that the purposeful cheapness of Laser Cats would get old, but they keep on coming up with clever and plainly unique gags.  It seems that they refashioned Dr. Oz as “Droz” just because they felt like it. B+

Elton John and Leon Russell perform “Hey Ahab”
This is one of those songs in which you cannot help but be taken by the music.  The filled-to-capacity stage illustrated that idea.  I just wish that Leon Russell’s voice hadn’t been drowned out by everyone else. B+

Weekend Update
-The Jokes: That Celebrity Apprentice contestants/Republican presidential candidates comparison was memorable enough. B
-The Segments: -Moammar Gadhafi: There was plenty worth saying, and the one who said it made it a joke. B
-Bronx Zoo Trainer Barry Lewis: That was so Kenan. B+
-Get in the Cage: Andy’s Cage is not exactly technically accurate, but it does cut to Cage’s current essence, never more so than in this bit. B+

Elton’s Meeting with the Royal Family
Fred plays a drummer for the second time tonight. Again, this is not Queen Elizabeth. This is not Prince Philip. This is just Fred and Bill goofing around. It appeared that they were actually playing, which was nice, except that the acoustics were rather garbled. C+

The Silver Screen
I understood that the point of this sketch was more about the relationship between the hosts as opposed to the ostensible point of the cinema. But I think that they should have focused more on that ostensible point. It would have given them more material to make fun of. C+

Someone New in the Old West
Did Elton decide that this should be the Logo version of SNL? I found myself in agreement with Jason’s character: what?  Not as in, what is homosexuality, but rather, what is the point of this sketch? C

Elton John and Leon Russell perform “Monkey Suit”
Oh good, we can actually hear Leon this time.  Now tell me, how does it work having two lead singers – each with two (huge) pianos, four backup singers, a guitarist, a bassist, two drummers, and a keyboardist?!  There’s already two pianos!  How could a keyboard manage to add anything?  Anyway, this song was sillier than the first, and not silly in that great a way. B

Overall
Jeez, Tom Hanks, why don’t you just host again?  And you can host too, Will Forte.  Carmelo Anthony – maybe not.  A couple of cameos is probably all we want from you.  But thankfully none of you got in Elton’s way, as the Rocket Man was game for anything.  He was occasionally flamboyant – though not as colorful as he was in the seventies - but unfortunately sometimes that flamboyance tried – and failed – to take the place of comedy.

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 4/2/11

Hey, remember the nineties?  Remember that magical time?

Original Version
1. Cee-Lo Green – “F*** You”
2. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
3. Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
4. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
5. Avril Lavigne – “What the Hell”
6. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
7. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
8. Ke$ha – “Blow”
9. Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”
10. Sara Bareilles – “Uncharted”
11. Jennifer Hudson – “Where You At”
12. The Script – “For the First Time”
13. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Closer to the Edge”
14. My Chemical Romance – “SING”
15. Hanson – “Give a Little”
16. Maroon 5 – “Never Gonna Leave This Bed”
17. Britney Spears – “Hold It Against Me”
18. Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris and DJ Frank E – “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)”
19. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
20. Colbie Caillat – “I Do”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Rope
3. Blow
4. The Cave
5. F*** You
6. SING
7. What the Hell
8. Born This Way
9. What You Know
10. Give a Little
11. Grenade
12. Uncharted
13. Hold It Against Me
14. Closer to the Edge
15. Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)
16. Never Gonna Leave This Bed
17. Where You At
18. F****** Perfect
19. For the First Time
20. I Do