SNL - DANA CARVEY & LINKIN PARK

Dana Carvey did a decent job of hosting. He had brief visits from old friends Mike Myers and Jon Lovitz; and not a bad appearance by Justin Bieber (as Justin Bieber) on The Church Lady sketch (but punches were pulled... not even close to Skins). I liked the look of the B&W start of Linkin Park's 2nd set, and the music 'til they started singing -- I've never liked the SNL mix of vocals.

Here's some more notes on the highlights (and the echh-y sketches).

In reverse order, from end to beginning of the show:

=>Wrap-up - Not a bad show tonight, not a great one either.

=>Wrap-up - Dana Carvey has two great looking kids.

=>Embrace Me... by the fingerlings (??? - 4 fingers?) ... echh. Pointless. (YES. BAD AND ANNOYING IS BAD AND ANNOYING. So what. )

=>Promo for Celebrity Apprentice... that was a sketch, right?

=>Wurtz is a character with character. A winner, consoling losers.

=>Pageant -- Wiig's one word ... "Me!" was the funniest moment in the whole sketch. But the sketch has a real kick. Satire with an edge. Not funny, but edgy.

=>Live with Regis & Kelly ... Not so funny.

=>Bieber & SNL generating about 1000 tweets or more per half hour.

=>Weekend Update - Egypt Winners and Losers, James Franco & Disco Weather rocked on the mark.

=>THE ROOMMATE - Better than the real thing! NOT! Maybe scarier than the real thing in a different way?

=>Celebrity Crisis Center -- Great concept, limp writing, lousy impersonations, except for Eddie Murphy. That man's GOOD!

=>Church Lady. The voice is a little out of practice, but... Still funny, after all these years. Decades, actually.

=>Black Noise commercial. I'll buy it.

=>Monologue... ecch. I don't care for "I'm the best" monologues. This one was especially flat.

=>OMG! it's Wayne's World, back like were all back at 9 yrs old.


LINKS:

Here's the SNL web site -- It should keep up with the show. It seems kind of lazy, with a confusing design besides.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/index.shtml


Here's the SNL Twitter site. It's also kind of lazy.
http://twitter.com/nbcsnl

Pop Blitz 1/22/10

Goldfrapp - Rocket
This is better than I dared hope Goldfrapp would come back with, especially after their left-turn of a folk-pop album. Bright, summery synths never sounded better. It's like they studied this blog and constructed something to appeal especially to me. A

Young Money - BedRock
I remember when the whole Cash Money brand produced some decent (if incredibly stupid and easily mocked) rap music. I like Lil' Wayne when he was a teenager, or Juvenile's dumb singles, or even the ridiculous "Hot Boys." This is garbage. They took out all of the fun. F

Taylor Swift - Today Was A Fairytale
Let the overexposure begin. How long can she write about fairytales and princes and crap like that? I don't buy that she's always the great lyricist people claim she is. This is sub-par Hallmark card material. Her last one was heaps better. C-

Orianthi - According To You
The guitar is fantastic. Unfortunately, the song's an absolute bore. And, oh my god, who approved of that video? Why the hell is there the neck of a guitar covering the screen half of the time? C

Example - Won't Go Quietly
This could definitely use a stronger chorus. The verses are definitely the best part, but all in all it's pretty forgettable. A time-passer, though I doubt I'll remember it in a few months. B-

Justin Bieber - Baby (ft. Ludacris)
How lucky is this kid? Right place, right time. Like his past singles, it's certainly catchy. I actually kind of like the chorus a lot more than I should. Guilty pleasure, for sure.B

Marianas Trench - Beside You
An emo rock worth noting, especially since I usually hate emo rock. The African elements to this are gorgeous and add an interesting texture to what could've been a boring ballad. A-

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber
NYC, NY
Tuesday, ‎August 28, ‎2009