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Saturday Night Live Season 32 Episode 7

Matthew Fox/Tenacious D

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 12/2/06

Live from New York (in English and Arabic), it's... Will Forte!

Sketches include "Bush and al-Maliki," "Sale-Mart," "Nancy Grace," "Deep House Dish," "Lost Fans," "Crazy Mountain Man," "Math vs. History Buffs," and "The Mayan Empire."

Tenacious D performed "Kickapoo" and "The Metal."

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (11)

A bit of a letdown from Fox.

5.5

By FarleyRules, Nov 09, 2008

Bush Opening - These openings are just tired. Back when Ferrell used to do Bush, I'd perk up every time I'd see that seal knowing that something good was going to follow. Now I just groan and wait for the pain to begin. And different situations would be a great way to improve the Bush skits. How about a presidential dinner party?

Monologue - Fox is no comedian so it was wise to keep it short. Great impression of Kramer by Hader.

Sale*Mart - I thought it was the best sketch of the night. And it was taped! I thought this sketch was right on the mark. Too many people get so indignant over human rights abuses but continue to support one of the largest abusers of all.

Nancy Grace - I don't think this could have been made funny with any change in the premise. These types of cable show parodies often fall flat and this is no exception.

Deep House Dish - Deep House Dish should have been retired after the first episode. Why is this supposed to be funny? Certainly the host and co-host were never funny. I guess the point is we get to see vaguely funny techno acts in crazy costumes. OK, that might be funnier if techno was actually relevant in the U.S. How about a twisted take on CMT? Now that could be funny!

Lost in an Elevator - I liked it, but mostly because I am a fan of Lost. Other than the Lost jokes, the only thing that remains is a celebrity trapped in an elevator with obnoxious fans. Carvey and Nealon used to do those bits where they would sing theme songs from shows and movies that the star was in. Now that was funny.

Weekend update - The jokes in Weekend Update are getting better. I don't thing we need anymore editorials from Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton. Nor anymore Whitney Houston impressions.

Mountain Man - I was pretty bored with the "Matthew Fox is irresistible to women" premise by this time. It's obvious that Fox does not have any comedy chops. But that's OK. There are tons of straight roles he could do. That's what Alec does nearly every time. Maya's Lorne was funny. That's about it.

Not a History Buff - Original, but not executed or developed very well. They missed the whole gay son" thing. There should have been more of a "coming out" feel to it.

Mayan Hot Chocolate - I thought this was going to be great when I saw the set and costumes. "Alright, a highly thought out period piece" I thought to myself. Not to be though. The discovery of hot chocolate could have been funnier if done by females. Females generally have a stronger love for chocolate, right? As is, this sketch went nowhere and was highly disappointing.moreless
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Who wants an underforest that is bigger than a New York Pizza!

5.0

By Darth-Revan45, Dec 12, 2006

[NOTE: I will cease using numbers and rounding them out, sicne it was annoying to add them up, so I will just rounf out what I felt the show deserved in my head]

[NEW NOTE: I will keep numbering the skits, but I will round them out to what I feel it deserved instead]

This one was just all over the place. We got a host from a show that I don't remotley care about, but in hand we got a kick ass metal band :). The Skits seemed like they were quickly written and only a few stood out for me in this mediocore episode. Looks like we are back in Season 30 teritiory. The newbies are doing okay, but Hader is looking stiff and not good enough to carry a skit, Samberg is doing better, Sudekis is a little bland, but Wigg is doing the best in my mind. But the only cast member that stands out for me is Amy Poehler.

COLD OPENING: In this skit we see Nouri al-Maliki and his Translator go into overt detail about excesive car and camel bombings, and we see that Hader has kept the Dubya impression and Forte aint gona do it anymore. It was a one joke premise and I was just annoyed after a while. 4

MONOLOGUE: Fox admits he wants to host and Hader pops out as Kramer as a high point of a wastefull monologe, and it was so short it felt like the writers just gave up.

6

“Sale-Mart”: Havent we seen this crap before on "The Simpsons" and "South Park"? It was just a satire of how crappy the big box mart stores are to their employees, I have already seen this on Jib-Jab, buh bye.

6

“Nancy Grace”: Nancy Grace had a funny voice but nothing funny to say. We also got more on the O.J. and Kramer stuff, heard it. Amy had fun doing the voice but thta wasnt enough for me.

4

“Deep House Dish”: As you all know, I hate MTV, and I hate people like these uber dorks in this show. It was just to painful to watch for me. This has ran its course, kill it.

2

“‘Lost’ Fans”: We just hear conspiracy theroms about "Lost", heard it all before and I don't care, it was entertaining to see how obsessed these losers are though [though you could say the same about me and "Perfect Dark"].

6

WEEKEND UPDATE: This was so stupid, yet I was cracking a grin. I was annoyed by the stuff between Jesse "Himey Town" Jackson and Al "**** it I'm not electing you" Jackson discussing how Kramer is the new N word. Then it went downhill with Witney Houston and Aunt Linda giving me a hemorage, but I must say I did enjoy Amys little beav editiorial.

7

“Crazy Mountain Man”: There wasnt much to this skit except breaking the 4th wall, it did remind me of "Operation Bear Shark" and that water jug thing from the Dane Cook episode though. I got annoyed after a while though.

5

“History vs. Math Buffs”: Forte saved this one with his acting, it was just a stupid ass skit about a rivaly between to geek major lords. I didnt really give a hoot.

3

“The Mayan Empire”: What a lazy theroy about the death of the Mayans, CHOCOLATE! Whoever wrote this one has a love for this kinda stuff, it was mediocore at best though.

4

Overall, SNL is falling back down after a few heavy punches.moreless
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A standard SNL, which is a major improvement this season

8.2

By furiousfunk, Dec 05, 2006

Lots of funny stuff here. The opener was stupid(again)and the new guy doing the Bush Impression is very weak, they should let Will do it again. Matthew Fox did a good job hosting, his monologue was a normal disaster(like most)but he did well in all the skits. Sale Mart commercial was funny and a very realistic portrayal of Walmart. The Nancy Grace bit is funny, Amy does a good impersonation but you can tell she cracks herself up when she overdoes it. Deep House Dish is and was a disaster, I really wish they'd stop doing that stupid bit. Deep House Dish is overplayed as much as they did game show parodies in the 90's. The Lost Fans thing was the best bit of the night. I said after watching one show of Lost that they were in Purgatory and glad to see others think the same. Weekend Update was good even though Seth ruins the comedy with his smarmy delivery. Remove Seth and bring back ANYONE, I hear Colin Quinn is available! That's how bad Seth is!

The rest of the show was filler with not much comedy worth mentioning. I love Tenacious D but am not loving the new stuff, still they are better than most musical guests. 2nd best show of the year and a major improvement over the first 4 which were total disasters.moreless
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It's not Purgatory, unless Purgatory is a beautiful island with good looking people and Others and a smoke monster.

8.9

By TheDiamondDog, Dec 03, 2006

Here we see an episode I was looking forward to. The main character from one of my favorite shows was the host. I didn’t care about the musical guest, but I was glad to see the host. I was hoping for a parody of this show, but many agreed that that may not happen. Well, I can’t say any more like that, so I’ll start my review.

HOST:

This week’s host is Dr. Jack Shepard from LOST, aka, Matthew Fox. I was looking forward to seeing a LOST cast member host the show, though I pry would have preferred Dom Monaghan. But I was glad to see someone from the show on. Matthew, who plays a serious role on LOST, did quite well I thought. He didn’t mess up his lines at all, and seemed prepared for the show. His monologue was short. He explained that after Party Of Five ended, his life went downhill. He started drinking and stabbed a few people. Now he is doing well though. He has quite a high salary and won an Emmy. It was a pretty good monologue, and Foxy was a pretty good host. A-

MUSICAL GUEST:

This week’s musical guest is Tenacious D. I’m not a fan, though did like the song “Tribute.” They performed “Kickapoo” and “Metal.” Their performance of “Metal” included the SNL cast. I do have a complaint to make. Okay, for the punk people, those outfits didn’t even seem punk. The punk guy had on what appeared to be a kilt. I know punk guys, and they don’t dress like that. They weren’t too entertaining to me, though I was bored either. I was glad when the performances ended though. C+

THE SKETCHES:

Cold Opening: Bush and al-Maliki – All I can say is that in al-Maliki’s country, they have car bombs like crazy. Plus, horse bombs, camel bombs, and mouse bombs. This skit was pretty funny, since all it was was al-Maliki discussing those car bombs. A-

Sale-mart – Take off of Wal*Mart. Here is a store that denies their employees benefits and health care and good pay and forces them to work harder to save you money. Funny skit. True too. A-

Nancy Grace – Nancy freaks out about the littlest things, doesn’t she? I loved the part in here where Nancy said to Kenan’s character, after discussing the Michael Richards’ incident, “The only N word I would call you is nice.” This skit was pretty funny. I don’t watch the show, but if Nancy, the real one, is close to this, I could catch an ep I suppose. B+

Deep House Dish – Andy is now the new co-host of this show. Yay! His hair though was very dinosaur like. His character was funny, and did seem familiar to me. I always love Kenan’s character, who gets so annoyed by his co-host. The best part of this skit was seeing dr. Jack Shepard in the role of a DJ. I loved how he kept saying it was about to get started, and then he dropped the mic. And Amy’s character’s song, about wanting cologne for Xmas sounded like it’d be in a Target commercial. This was a funny skit. I hope Andy stays as co-host too. A-

LOST Fans – OMFG! This was by far the best skit of the night! Matthew Fox is on an elevator with all these LOST viewers. I wonder if he did any writing on this himself, considering this is how the fans are. I should know, I’m one of em. My favorite part was when Andy’s character got on the elevator, looked at Matthew, and went, “Purgatory.” And Kenan complaining about the lack of black characters and complaining about Eko’s death was funny. Fred’s character was like a few on the LOST forums here, saying how we learn nothing, but more builds up. And of course, there were the women who loved him. Amy and Maya, who freaked out if anything was revealed, flirted with him and kind of threw themselves at him. If it were Sawyer, they might have jumped him. This skit was hilarious! It was funny and true. Love it! A++

Crazy Mountain Man – Here is a funny idea. I had my suspicions about this skit from the start. I know that the ladies of SNL always have that one male host they want, as Amy said about Jude Law for the 04/05 season, but this really played it. The skit started with Matthew playing a Mountain Man in need of pie, then asked for a kiss. It turns out that this skit was only a ploy for the women to get to make out with Matthew. If there is a reason to get on the show, this is it. For Andy I mean. I wonder what they would have done if it was Josh Holloway? B+

Math vs. History Buffs – Andy! (In tight jeans too.) Man, I thought some of the guys in the theatre department were attractive, but if they look like Andy in math, I gotta hang out there more. This skit is about a math whiz in a family of history buffs. Andy changes his major to math, and his parents mostly disown him. But the day is saved after a mysterious scholarly gentleman enters the house and gives them advice. I love the part where the math history professor disappears, and Andy goes, “Who was that strange man?” and the father, Will, goes, “I don’t know. But he stole our television.” Pretty funny skit. I give it a bit of a + for Andy. A+

The Mayan Empire – The mystery might have been solved! The Mayan Empire disappeared after too much of a love of chocolate. My favorite part was when Bill came in, dying, and as he was dying, gave a recipe for making brownies. During a battle, a crucial battle, they focused on chocolate. I was glad Andy was in it too. Funny idea. A-

BEST MOMENT:

Andy was in five out of the 8 skits. Doesn’t get any better than that.

WORST MOMENT:

I’m not a Tenacious D fan, so maybe the music.

SURPRISING MOMENT:

Andy was in more than half the skits. That never happens. But, what also surprised me was that Matthew was very good in the comedic roles, and that Deep House Dish character.

SKIT AVERAGE – 3.9/4 A

SHOW RATING: 8.9/10 Sparkling Diamonds (If the music were better, it’d have a higher grade)

Next week is Annette Bening and Gwen Stefani and Akon. Gwen has one song out, Akon has like 50, but with guests. So, will they be performing together by any chance? I know he produced her album. We’ll see. I like Gwen, so I’ll be glad to see her performance.moreless
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“The only N-word I would call you... is nice”

4.0

By HelloStuart, Dec 03, 2006

A Review by “HelloStuart,” the Castaway Amateur Critic

This week’s host is Matthew Fox, the veteran television actor currently starring in the hit ABC series “Lost.” Though it’s nice to see that the enigmatic ABC hit is finally being represented on SNL, it’s actually taking a backseat to the musical guest: Tenacious D. Yes, Jack Black and Kyle Gass have brought their kick-ass blend of folk and death metal back to the Studio 8H stage. As far as I know, this is the second time ever in SNL history that a comedy act has been selected as musical guest (the first, of course, being Ashlee Simpson).

And now, the sketch-by-sketch analysis:

COLD OPENING: In an NBC Special Report, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (FA) and his translator (WF) go into great, almost excruciating detail over soldiers with missing limbs in front of an uncomfortable Dubya (JS). If Fred’s pseudo-Arabic gibberish was intended to be wacky, it certainly didn’t make the sketch any funnier.

MONOLOGUE: Dr. Jack admits that he’s wanted to host for nearly a decade now, but he’s relieved that he finally earned his shot. Even when Michael Richards (BH) dropped by to show of his “new material,” this wasn’t really going anywhere.

“Sale-Mart”: The employees of a presumably evil big-box store don’t benefit from low prices in several ungainly ways. This is a good commentary on the slow death of the valued employee, but couldn’t they have done this sooner, since every other TV show that’s latently critical towards society (“The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “South Park”) has already ventured into this territory? Someone was clearly sleeping at the wheel here…

“Nancy Grace”: Tonight, Her Graceless (AP) unwittingly race-baits college professor Dr. Albert Edwards (KT) on the Michael Richards commentary, reacts to the aborted OJ Simpson press junket, then grills Officer Greg Tanner (Fox) over a parking ticket. Though you can tell Amy has a lot of fun impersonating Grace, and her impression in return is spot-on right down to the exaggerated Southern accent, you can’t help but wish she was given something funny to say.

“Deep House Dish”: So DJ Dynasty Handbag dumped Tiara Z and replaced her with the not-quite-as-dense T’Shane (AS), it’s still the same Dish. One rising star of the House music world (MR) struts her glass eye, while another (AP) leaps out of her 43rd-story apartment for the shear thrill of it. I really don’t know what to make of all of this, but would it be safe to say that this recurring sketch has officially run its course?

“‘Lost’ Fans”: A hodgepodge of Matthew’s fans grill him on a lengthy elevator ride in some attempt to dehumanize people that get too caught up in their favorite TV shows; outside of Fred’s Jersey boy and Maya’s emotionally unstable office drone, the characters in this sketch weren’t terribly fleshed out.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: JB and KG go back and forth on lead vocals for “Kickapoo,” the song that leads off the “Pick of Destiny” soundtrack.

WEEKEND UPDATE: In what has to be single stupidest Update commentary I’ve seen since I’ve been watching the show, “Kramer” has become the new N-word, or so Jesse Jackson (DH) and Reverend Al Sharpton (KT) declare. Granted, both activists have become self-caricatures, but I’m not going to dwell on that, nor that does that have anything to do with the weakest crop of Update editorials so far this season. Amy’s Aunt Linda (KW) comes back to review movies in what is essentially a carbon copy of her first appearance last month, while Whitney Houston’s (MR) lamenting her mansion was essentially three minutes of rambling alleviated only by a one-sided phone conversation with her ex-husband. If there was one highlight, though, it was Amy’s longwinded editorial on Britney Spears’ inability to wear panties; the euphemisms ran rampant, but it was almost akin to a stand-up comedy riff.

“Crazy Mountain Man”: A sketch about two sisters (AP, KW) and their puppy love for a pie-obsessed Blue Ridge hermit (Fox) turns into a fourth-wall smorgasbord, complete with Maya pretending to be Lorne and a pointless romp to the tune of “Yakkity Sax.” This was insane, sloppy, yet… strangely likable.

“History vs. Math Buffs”: Two history-loving marrieds (WF, KW) are shocked and appalled when their prodigal college-age son (AS) switches his major to mathematics, which results in a random appearance by a math history professor (Fox) and some deliriously hammy, Movie-of-the-Week acting by Forte, who happened to be the solitary saving grace of this undercooked vignette.

“The Mayan Empire”: With bloodthirsty European explorers ready to crush their isolated existence, what does their beloved emperor (FA) want to focus on? Why, a heavenly invention called chocolate! Yeah, it’s a lazy theory (as the announcer, played by DH, admits), whoever wrote this has a love for life’s most minuscule foibles and it shows.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Several cast members recreate past musical trends that all failed to usurp “The Metal.”

Right now, it seems that the show and all its life forms are aware of its strengths but keep obsessing over its weaknesses. It was interesting to see Matthew Fox immerse himself into his roles (something that hasn’t been of late), but an A for effort couldn’t salvage a really weak broadcast. It’s safe to assume that Bill Hader is a decent character actor, but can’t carry a sketch for his dear life, and as much as I like Jason Sudeikis, he keeps getting more bland and flavorless as time passes on. Andy Samberg was in nearly every sketch this evening, and though he may not be my first choice for a clutch hitter, at least he’s in better shape than when I all but dismissed him at this point last season. This season, however, is roughly one-third over and already it’s one of the most enigmatic periods in SNL history that I’ve had to sit through.

Sketches/Segments That Will Probably Be Removed in Repeats: Weekend Update and everything after the “Crazy Mountain Man” sketch.

Next Week: Two-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening hosts, while musical guest Gwen Stefani makes her fourth scheduled appearance on the show with some assistance from Nigerian-born R&B crooner Akon.

Feel free to contact “HelloStuart” at sma17kc@aim.com.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Amy Poehler	Herself
Andy Samberg	Himself
Bill Hader	Himself
Darrell Hammond	Himself
Don Pardo	Announcer
Fred Armisen	Himself

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Matthew Fox	Himself	Guest Star
Tenacious D	Themselves	Guest Star
Emily Spivey	Herself	Guest Star
Lorne Michaels	Himself	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- In the monologue, Matthew Fox claims that Neve Campbell was the first Party of Five cast member to host SNL, followed by Jennifer Love Hewitt, then Scott Wolf. Though Neve did host first in Year 22, Wolf hosted next in Year 23, followed by Hewitt in Year 24.
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QUOTES (5)
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- Amy Poehler: It was reported that not only has Britney Spears been partying too much with Paris Hilton, but she has stopped work on her new album. Oh yeah, also, you have a one-month old baby at home.
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- Seth Meyers: The World Chess Federation announced plans to conduct drug testing at this year's Asian Games, where chess is one of the sports. In case you're wondering what drug they're testing for, it's the one that makes you so high you think chess is a sport.
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- (The Math History Professor disappears from the History Buffs' house as the family was about to thank him for the help)
  Son: Who was that strange man?
  Father: I don't know, but he stole our television.
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- (A bike messenger gets on an elevator where LOST's Matthew Fox is with a few other LOST viewers, and glances at Fox)
  Bike Messenger: Purgatory.
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- Nancy Grace: (to Dr. Edwards) The only N-word I would call you... is nice.
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NOTES (3)
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- Sketches cut after dress rehearsal include: two Digital Shorts, one about a boss giving a pep talk to his employees (as it featured Matthew Fox, would air awkwardly the following week in the Annette Bening episode), the other about a movie star playing muliple characters in a movie (would air a month later in the Jeremy Piven episode); a sketch featuring Jack Black, as himself, while in a recording session constantly distracted by thoughts of his 'cool' van; a sketch where contestants on a game show must show willpower when told about tear-jerking moments; a commercial where soap actors Michael Park and Kim Zimmer advertise their condom of choice; a sketch where neighbors (Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph) host a consumer affairs show telling viewers what products not to buy; a sketch about an 1920's investor singing the stock market's praises the day before the crash that led to the Great Depression; a sketch where a couple of shoppers (Jason Sudiekis, Kenan Thompson) test out chairs in a Brookstones.
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- The ad spoof "Sale Mart" had been cut from three previous dress rehearsals.
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- Matthew Fox is the first cast member from Lost and fourth cast member from Party of Five to host SNL.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- During the "Nancy Grace" sketch, Amy Poehler refers to the Michael Richards controversy as Kramer vs. Kramer. Kramer vs. Kramer was a 1979 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, as Kramer, of course, was Richard's character's name on Seinfeld.
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