Taylor Swift on Saturday Night Live

Country Music Superstar Hosts And Performs on SNL: How Did She Do?

Nov 11, 2009

Taylor Swift, the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year, admirably hosted and performed during the 5th episode of SNL's 35th season.

Saturday Night Live, better known as SNL, celebrated its unbelievable 35th season in 2009, with episodes commencing in late September. Nowadays, the show is admittedly hit or miss. Last year’s presidential election gave the show an unexpected boost in ratings, and the election brought SNL’s biting political satire to front and center.

Changes In SNL's 35th Season, Featuring New Female Comics

The 35th season of SNL has suffered considerably with the loss of Amy Poehler, currently starring in her own mockumentary on NBC, Parks and Recreation.

Unfortunately, Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson were also both dropped in early September, prior to the 35th season kick-off, for reasons known only to SNL’s producers. Watkins in particular will be missed, and her impressions of Barbara Walters and Hoda Kotb always shined.

Along with the gifted Kristen Wiig and Abby Elliott, a one-year veteran, SNL is slowly developing a strong showcase once again for its female comics. As they say, the show must go on, and it is has taken a step in the right direction by hiring new featured players Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad.

Enter Taylor Swift

In January 2009, Taylor Swift appeared as the musical guest with host Neil Patrick Harris. In one short but memorable skit, Taylor portrayed Little Orphan Annie. It was certainly obvious even then that she had comedic timing and talent as an actress.

Fast forward to November 7th, the live broadcast of the 5th episode of the 35th season. Taylor (age 19) pulled double duty, acting as host and musical guest, becoming the second youngest individual to host and perform, behind Britney Spears, who was 18 when she hosted on May 13th, 2000.

Taylor proved to be a willing and game host, and her episode should be applauded, though it was not quite as good as the previous episode hosted by actor Gerard Butler with musical guest Shakira.

Fox News: The Cold Opening

The cold opening sketch was well-crafted with strong performances. A parody of Fox News, Kristen Wiig debuted a new, dead-on impression of Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, going so far as to mumble out of the side of her mouth, later alternating to the other side with hilarious results.

Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Bobby Moynihan, Bill Hader, and Kenan Thompson also appeared in the cold opening. Jason’s impression of Fox News host Glenn Beck was also fresh, and hopefully SNL will utilize the Glenn Beck characterization in future sketches.

Monologue Song (La-La-La)

After the credits rolled, Taylor came out to applause, playing “Monologue Song (La-La-La),” one of the better opening monologues in some time.

Lampooning her recent break-up with Joe Jonas and awards show incident with Kanye West among others, Taylor’s charm, talent, and self-deprecation were in full-force. If a smile did not cross viewers’ faces during this catchy song, something is surely amiss, and “Monologue Song (La-La-La)” was clearly one of the best sketches of the evening.

Without interruption, a short pre-filmed sketch followed, centering on a swine fever commercial. The skit was amusing, but nothing more. Jason Sudeikis debuted his characterization of an Elvis impersonator, lasting mere seconds.

Following a commercial, a sketch about The View followed. Unfortunately, this performance was not as inspired as earlier View parodies from last season. Taylor appeared as reality star Kate Gosselin, providing a listless, cue-card dependent performance.

Fred Armisen, portraying Joy Behar, and Kenan Thompson, as Whoopi Goldberg, are always funny and dependable during this sketch. Kristen Wiig is good, too, yet her characterization of View co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck tended to drag in places.

Nasim Pedrad portrayed Barbara Walters, replacing Michaela Watkins’ dead-on impersonation from last season. Nasim should be commended for getting Walters’ voice, though.

Andy Samberg’s digital short followed, a parody of the recent Twilight movie box office phenomenon, instead using Frankenstein monsters and a beautiful princess played by Taylor.

The best moment was Bill Hader, (portraying one of the Frankenstein monsters), reacting to fire. Production values were above average and Taylor’s acting was commendable, but the digital short was only mildly interesting and best suited to Twilight fans.

Taylor played herself in an interview sketch, Hollywood Dish, featuring Kristen and Bill as eager-to-please anchors. Throughout the evening, Kristen and Bill were used in the majority of sketches.

Taylor’s extended ha-ha-ha’s, Bill spitting his drink on Kristen and saying Taylor would never win any Country Music Association (CMA) awards were the best moments, yet the sketch was largely filler.

Driving While Texting: Outta My Way, Nimrods!

The “driving while texting” sketch appeared next. Playing a teen with braces extending around her head, Taylor showed short videos about teens raising awareness about awful parent drivers. Featuring Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig as her parents, the short videos were generally funny.

Some of the best short videos were Kristen yelling, “Out of my way, nimrods!” and the birds and the bees video. When Kristen told Taylor that her father was married to a Korean woman before her, that was the best moment of the sketch by far. Not surprisingly, Taylor plays an aggravated teenager very well, since she’s only 19.

Taylor Swift Sings "You Belong With Me"

For Taylor’s first musical number, she proved once again why she is the most popular singer on the planet right now. Singing “You Belong With Me,” fans of her country pop sound were definitely left satisfied. Musically, the song was a tight band performance, with Taylor delivering a sassy, confident vocal sans guitar, although she sometimes seemed out of breath due to that song’s breakneck speed.

On the photo bumper immediately preceding her performance, Taylor was pictured with her full band, acknowledging their contributions. Indeed, a rare feat for a country music performer today, yet she is as much a pop performer as she is a country singer.

To read more on Taylor Swift's notable Saturday Night Live appearance, including some of her funniest sketches, please click here.

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