SNL - TINA FEY & ELLIE GOULDING FOR MOTHER'S DAY - MAY 7, 2011

This was (disappointingly) one of the poorer SNL's. While nothing was especially terrible, there was little that was especially funny. I liked the Fetal Quartet during the monolog, some of the jokes on Weekend Update, Fey as Palin - briefly (see the GOP debate below), and the Natural Childbirth sketch. (See below!)

Here are some real time comments (in reverse chronological order -- the first ones are at the bottom).

- Bland, boring, waste of time. One of the poorer shows. "Natural Childbirth" the only sketch with any zing.

- Mother Collection -- WTF???

- Slightly Damaged Prom Wear Barn - Not funny & made no sense.

- Pregnant in Heels on Bravo - The Celebrity in the ultrasound. -- The concept is a joke, but the execution... missing

- Sleepover - Stupid premise. Boring.

- Ads - B & N is promoting current Nook like mad, but a new one is to be announced very soon.

- Natural childbirth - At last... some zenned out energy!

- Weekend Update - Jokes funny; devil not so much; Gaddafi's friends quiet humor; Stefan I just don't get; At all;

- 12:09 and so far it's been especially bland.

- Klondike Bar Ad --- WTF???

- Digital short - OK. So what?

- Mermaid & Crabby - Very lame

- Google Chrome Ad is way sentimental and doesn't make any sense.

- GOP Debate - Fey/Palin is still the winner of any debate.

- Opening Monolog - a fetal quartet

- Opening Monolog - Tina Fey & Maya Rudolph with baby bumps bump babies

- Opening - Kind of lame.

Tina Fey host on SNL w/ Ellie Goulding. Now!

Here's the GOP Debate with Tina Fey briefly as Sarah Palin (or maybe that really is the true, the essential Sarah Palin?)

Here's the Childbirth Class:

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Pop Blitz 3/4/10

Taio Cruz (ft. Ludacris) - Break Your Heart
What a pleasant surprise to see this sitting atop American itunes. This is the best r&b/dance/pop single of this style that we'll probably hear this year. The beat, the melody... everything. The prospect of this being a hit over here is exhilarating, even with Ludacris tacked on (and btw, he nearly ruins it). Get the original version. A

Daisy Dares You (ft. Chipmunk) - Number One Enemy
While I like the electro blips thrown together with the rockier sound of the track, I wish that this was a stronger single. It's certainly not bad, but nothing terribly original, either. Daisy's voice has the potential to grate and the Chipmunk part is just weird. B-

Kevin Rudolf (ft. a bunch of douches) - I Made It
Rudolf's debut was a pleasant surprise, but this feels like a step backward. The guest artists drag him down and the melody plods. I hope the next single's better. C-

Jay Sean, Sean Paul & Lil' Jon - Do You Remember
The "chorus" sounds like a child's hissy fit. If this was just Jay Sean, it might be alright. But why all of the angry screaming in the background? It sounds more like a parody than a serious track. C

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
Much has been made of Goulding (what's with all these female singers from the UK with strange voices?) and this is a big single right now. It's alright. Nothing that I'm going crazy over, but it's a nice little catchy track. B

The Script - Breakeven
Though I'm not a huge fan of this group, I've been happily watching this song's slow and steady climb on the charts. The melody in the chorus is addictive. B+

Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You
The latest dance track to come out of Europe, it's built around a not particularly interesting big band/loungey sample that doesn't mix well at all with the dance beats. Very strange, and completely unnecessary. D+