SNL: Hamm & Buble, together at last

Haven't written about "Saturday Night Live" for most of this season because, frankly, most of the episodes have been so terrible that it hasn't been worth the effort. But Jon Hamm's second appearance last night was in some ways even funnier than his first. Some thoughts on it (along with plenty of video links) coming up just as soon as I feel the wind blowing...

There was the requisite Don Draper parody (this time as part of a monologue depicting some his pre-Draper roles), and of course a sketch playing off his handsomeness Hamm as Scott Brown). But there were also weirder turns, like his work as the symbol of a gypsy curse in the Digital Short, or his random, disturbing testimonial in the middle of the already bizarre Closet Organizer ad. (I also liked the very low-key, late-in-the-show sketch where Hamm played a guy meeting the star of that ad.)

Not everything worked. The first post-monologue sketch was another one where they rode a Kristin Wiig tic into the ground, and I really wish they had left the "Greg is not an alien" sports talk show as a one-time thing. (Though Hamm did a decent Bill Hader impression in this one.)

The Digital Short's climax was the night's comic highlight for me, but a very close second was the inevitable sequel to Jon Hamm's John Ham, here with Hamm and musical guest Michael Buble opening the Hamm & Buble restaurant.

"SNL" is often only as good as its host, and in Hamm they've found a guy who's game for anything. Here's hoping his stints become an annual event.

What did everybody else think?

SNL: A new Slate?

I haven't written about "Saturday Night Live" this season because I tend not to get to the show for a day or two, and very little of it is good enough to be worth writing about. ("SNL" can be funny during non-election seasons; this one just hasn't been.)

I did watch a little of the January Jones episode last night, though, and other than noticing how much trouble she was having in the early sketches both reading the cue cards and keeping a straight face, the thing that struck me the most was that they did another Kathie Lee/Hoda "Today" sketch, with Jenny Slate replacing the fired Michaela Watkins as Hoda.

Now, I didn't like this particular recurring sketch - like much of the show these days, it leans too heavily on Kristen Wiig, who more and more seems like she's a perfect second banana being asked to carry a cast with no real alpha dog - nor was I incredibly broken up when Watkins got fired, but it seems like a major party foul to keep doing it without her. Actors leave the show and then other people succeed them as certain celebrity characters that the show has to do (presidents, movie stars), and sometimes we'll see a recurring sketch modified if somebody leaves (Rachel Dratch replaced Molly Shannon on "Delicious Dish," but playing a different character), but this is different. Hoda Kotb is too D-list for the show to need someone to play her; the point was that Wiig and Watkins had started doing this together, as these two women. Just plugging Slate into the same role Watkins used to play both says that the show felt the fourth hour of "Today" was important enough to keep doing, and that Watkins' contribution to the sketch was so minor that anyone could play the part.

"SNL" has been on so long, and replaced so many actors, that I'm sure there's been a similar circumstance to this over the years. But none are coming to mind at the moment, and I feel oddly put out by what they did here.

What do you think? Fair or foul? And has anyone been enjoying the show this season more than I have?

Taylor Swift Experiencing SNL Jitters

Taylor Swift is said to be very nervous about her first foray into hosting the Saturday Night Live (SNL) on November 7. The 19 year old country singer has been brewing up some ideas for the show and she's all worried that she might have "a heart attack". Her anxiousness is even publicized in her Twitter page: "Starting the SNL process I kinda feel like I might have a heart attack or pass out in the pitch meeting. I'm that excited (sic)." Taylor, who's rumored to be dating Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner, is said to be getting back at Kanye West, just for laughs, for that controversial interruption he made during her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Despite all the jitters, Taylor Swift is taking up the task seriously as she is preparing for her gig like a pro. Taylor informed: "I try to prepare for everything beyond the extent of preparation. So I have all these ideas for skits. I'm probably gonna walk in there with 35 ideas." Right now, we're excited how she will handle the hilarious skits about that Kanye thing and of course the Taylor Lautner dating thing. Although Taylor Swift is maintaining a "clean-cut" image, she voiced out she's just a regular person: "Sometimes people are fascinated by the fact that I don't care about partying, almost to the point where they think it's weird. I think when we get to the point where it's strange for you not to be stumbling around high on something at 19, it's a warped world." Will Taylor Lautner make a special appearance in this SNL episode? We’ll see that on Saturday!