More of Taylor Swift's Stint on SNL
Reigning Pop and Country Queen Hosts SNL: Did She Pass The Audition?
Nov 12, 2009
Taylor Swift appeared on the November 7th episode of Saturday Night Live, taking double duties as host and musical guest. A previous article on Suite101 reviewed the show up to the conclusion of her first musical number, "You Belong With Me." The review continues below.
"Weekend Update": Featuring Seth Meyers and a Surprise Cameo
“Weekend Update With Seth Meyers” came midway. When Amy Poehler left SNL in May, there was some trepidation as to the future of “Weekend Update,” yet head writer Meyers has done a brilliant job in making the update desk a solo gig again, not seen since 2000. That was the year the insanely talented Tina Fey first anchored the news desk along with Jimmy Fallon.
Amy has appeared on the Weekend Update Thursday specials this season, co-anchoring with Seth, and she made a surprise cameo appearance at the very end of “Weekend Update,” participating in the “Really!?! with Seth and Amy” skit that poked fun at Goldman Sachs receiving the Swine Flu vaccine before schools and hospitals.
Amy’s presence is always welcome, yet it is mystifying why she did not co-anchor the complete update sketch, since she already does it when the Thursday editions air.
Fred Armisen made another appearance as Nicholas Fain, a political comedian who thinks he knows about current events but actually has no clue. Some viewers may find the character pointless and drawn out, but the characterization is ok when used sparingly.
Abby Elliott also appeared during Update, portraying Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Abby is finally getting to show her comedic abilities, and hearing her croon like McLachlan was laugh-out-loud funny. Hopefully her impression will occur in a future episode.
Kristen Wiig and Kenan Thompson: The Wildest Sketch
After the break, Kristen Wiig made another appearance as Penelope, the guest who always feels the need to impress with outrageous feats. Kristen is the most talented woman in the cast, yet Penelope has made a number of appearances on SNL, and the sketch was only ok, nothing memorable, with a “seen it all before” sensibility.
The wildest sketch of the night for Taylor was the Mackintosh skit, where supposedly convicts try to teach wayward youths the error of their ways. Seeing Taylor dressed as a hardened criminal was beyond belief, yet she did have the defiant attitude down pat, but Kenan completely overshadowed her.
It is always funny seeing Kenan yell at the wayward youths, with the guest star always serving as his prison mate, and the viewer is always waiting for Kenan to make Bill Hader break character and crack up, always a highlight.
A special shout-out goes to Jason Sudeikis for his portrayal of the dedicated police sergeant. When he lands hard on the police desk, even he cracks up, causing Bill, Andy Samberg, and Bobby Moynihan to laugh harder. This sketch was one of the definitive highlights of the evening.
Spotlight on Nasim Pedrad
The next-to-last sketch of the evening was very straight-forward and surprisingly amusing, since most show this late in the show tend to be at the bottom of the creative barrel.
Nasim Pedrad was given the opportunity to shine for one of the first times this season as a roommate who loves her best friend (Taylor) much more than her exasperated boyfriend, played by Andy. Taylor seems less nervous during this sketch, not relying on the cue cards so much as she tended to do earlier in the show.
The sketch seems a throwback to the early 1960s in a way, before innocence was lost on television. Don’t miss the scenes where Taylor and Nasim cluck and crow about President Obama, and later when Taylor drags Nasim on the floor, clinging onto an Afghan blanket.
"Untouchable:" Taylor's Second Performance
For Taylor’s final number of the evening, it was hilarious hearing Amy Poehler spontaneously yell Taylor’s name to the crowd. It sounded as if the producers grabbed Amy at the last minute and told her she had to announce Taylor’s name to the audience.
“Untouchable,” a new song, featured Taylor on acoustic guitar along with her band. Much more subdued and atmospheric with the fog machines, the beauty of Taylor’s voice, as well as her background singers, rose front and center. She will have a long and rewarding career, and she has only released two albums thus far.
Eddie Vedder: Singing on Bunny Business?
The final sketch of the evening revolved around “Bunny Business,” a cartoon soundtrack. Impressions included Fred Armisen as Randy Newman, Kristen as Natalie Merchant, Taylor as Shakira, Andy as Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows, Abby as Christina Aguilera, Bill Hader as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and Kenan as Jennifer Hudson.
During this traditionally wasteland portion of the show, where throwaway sketches are often reserved, that was not the case for this show. It was obvious that each cast member, including Taylor, spent time rehearsing their respective characterizations, and the audience benefitted greatly from the decision to include this sketch.
Please refrain from changing the channel until this final sketch is over. Listen as audience members howl in laughter. Kudos should be given for Bill’s outrageous warbling as Eddie Vedder and Taylor’s Shakira sound-alike performance, but all the participants did admirable jobs.
Best Ratings of the 35th Season of SNL
Taylor Swift’s SNL episode was watched by 6.8 million total viewers, the highest ratest episode of SNL’s 35th season so far. Although far from perfect, SNL can still rise to the occasion and deliver laughs in some sketches along with satisfying music. Taylor’s episode proved this, demonstrating that Taylor may have an acting career in the foreseeable future with additional training if she decides to quit her day job.
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