There are so many photos I’m splitting it up in two posts.
Thoughts on Justin Timberlake hosting the season finale for Saturday Night Live? It was very, very good. As always. He’s great on the show, there was never any doubt. He’s great being Justin Timberlake f-cking around for four minutes at a time. Because at no point does have to deviate from being Justin Timberlake f-cking around for four minutes at a time. It’s when you ask Justin Timberlake to NOT be Justin Timberlake, to portray someone entirely NOT Justin Timberlake – ie acting in a movie – where you run into problems, seen?
Thankfully, when on SNL, this is not an issue.
I liked almost all of it. I especially liked the fact that he’s willing to go there. A lot of guests, they are afraid to offend, they have rules, too many rules – I won’t do this, I won’t do that – and the result is that the writers have nothing to work with. Justin went there with Chris Kirkpatrick. It was Brilliant. It was almost my favourite part. What was my favourite part was his generosity – Lady Gaga stole the show, and he was ok with it. That works for me. And of course the Dick Box Boys work for me too but maybe not so much for the actual content than for how they so accurately and hilariously capture, over and over again, the spirit of the Colour Me Badd era. I’m not actually listening to the lyrics. I’m watching their clothes, the hair, the shot selections, the camera angles, and it’s 1990 all over again.
As for that unaired “Mozart” sketch that everyone keeps talking about – they cut it after dress – insisting it should have made it onto the show, see here’s where I disagree. It was exactly the same but not as funny as Immigrant’s Tale from two years ago. Remember that? They were all on a steamship headed for America? And he talked about f-cking Britney? I can’t find the clip online that isn’t Hulu and fyi for you Americans, Hulu is not available outside the US. Below is a small taste if you don’t remember the original:
Now I know that the whole show was virtually a replay of his best of sketches but this Mozart one didn’t play because it was less funny than it was smug. It was a giant f-ck you to the people who’d rather him sing and not act, who criticised his performance in The Social Network, and laughed at his shameless campaigning during award season. Kinda came off bitter, and not funny bitter. Totally agree with Lorne Michaels’s decision not to run it. There was no value to add.
What was best? For me, definitely the opening monologue. He killed. Isn’t he great to watch? When he’s singing? Why can’t he JUST do this?
Here’s the Mozart sketch if you missed it. Next post: this girl situation.
Photos from Wenn.com
