The Wall: Live in Berlin differences (Part 2)

 "Hey You": Graffiti is overlaid on top of the Wall during the opening shot in the home release.

Other than that, the rest of the song uses exactly the same footage in both versions.

"Is There Anybody Out There?": Mostly the same in both versions, except for additional footage overlaid in a few spots.

"Nobody Home": The live airing actually shows us what's on the "thirteen channels of shit" that Roger sings about. I assume this had to be removed from the home release due to rights issues?

The echo on "fly to" seems to be missing from the live version.

"Vera": The home release mostly focuses on an impressive panning shot of the entire Wall.

"Bring The Boys Back Home": The title of the song is projected on the Wall in the home release, while the live version only has the words in a few shots.

"Comfortably Dumb": There's a part during the second chorus that had to be replaced in the home release because the stage smoke ended up blocking Van Morrison and The Band from view.

The live feed goes out again during the final chorus.

"In the Flesh": When the limousine arrives, the pyrotechnics go off once in the live version, but twice in the home release.

More transmission issues occur during the intro. The home release replaces this with alternate angles.

Roger's vocals seem to be unchanged in the home release.

"Run Like Hell": The arrival of the pig balloon is spoiled a bit in the live version, as it can briefly be seen at the end of "In the Flesh".

During the keyboard solo, the home release has a lot more shots of skinheads coming down the Wall on ropes. One of these shots is also slowed down in the home release.

"Waiting For The Worms": An odd bit of audio interference occurs twice during the song. Since the home release uses a different take, this is not an issue there.

"Stop": The live version has more audio interference during this song.

The home release cuts to a closeup of Roger when he shouts "STOP!!!"

"The Trial": Probably the highlight of this version of the show. All of the characters in the song are played by special guests, such as Albert Finney as the Judge, Thomas Dolby as the Schoolmaster, German singer Ute Lemper as the Wife, Marianne Faithfull as Pink’s Mother, and, best of all, Tim Curry as the Prosecutor!!!

While the vocals are the same in both versions, some kind of technical glitch happened during the Wife's part where she isn't on screen for the first part of her verse. As a result, they had Lemper reshoot her scene at Brixton Academy in London for the home release. The difference in image quality is rather obvious.

The home release is missing a rather funny shot of Roger putting his face right up in front of the camera before the Judge's verse begins.

When the Wall first starts to fall apart, I like how the live version shows an angle where we can see the technicians pushing the bricks down. The upshot shown in the home release is more dramatic, and I can see why they used this angle instead.

A lot of unimportant far shots are cut from the home release before the start of the next song.

"The Tide Is Turning": This song was added to the setlist for this concert only. It was originally on the Radio KAOS album.

Only some of the singers (such as Cyndi Lauper) appear to utilize alternate vocal takes in the home release. The rest are all the same.

There's not a lot of alternate angles in this song. Those that do appear aren't during any of the vocal parts.

"Outside The Wall": The album that was released of this show cuts this song for some reason. To be fair, "The Tide Is Turning" does make a better finale for this particular iteration of The Wall. 

The credits font is different in the home release. Some of the names have been switched around, and the live credits are a little slower.

Rather amusingly, you can barely hear the song in the live copy that's currently available, as the Italian commentators talk over pretty much the whole thing.

The Wall: Live in Berlin differences (Part 1)

 In 1990, Roger Waters came up with a brilliant idea to hold a performance of his masterpiece The Wall in Berlin, on the former site of the Berlin Wall. He quickly gathered an all-star cast of performers, including Cyndi Lauper, Sinead O'Connor, Thomas Dolby, Van Morrison, etc. The concert was held on July 21, 1990, and was aired live on TV in some countries. An album of the performance was later released, along with a VHS tape. However, these later releases contain several differences to what was seen in that live airing. Luckily, an Italian broadcast of the concert has surfaced, so we can use that for comparison...

Some common changes include different vocal takes for most songs, different camera angles, and the removal of all technical difficulties. I'll bring these up when I find them interesting.

"In the Flesh?": The concert starts with WWII veteran Leonard Cheshire blowing into a whistle, cueing the arrival of skinheads on motorcycles and limousines. 

The home release of this concert removes Cheshire's bit at the beginning, fading in just after he blows the whistle. The show's logo fades up differently between the two versions. During the performance, the home release tends to favor close up shots of the band, while the live version mostly sticks to wider shots.

"The Thin Ice": Removed entirely. This is because the band started to play the song despite Roger not arriving on stage yet.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1": During the sax break, the live version chooses to focus on the giant Schoolmaster puppet instead of, you know, the guy playing the sax. The live version fades out at the end, while the home release shows the arrival of the helicopter that signals the beginning of the next song.

"The Happiest Days Of Our Lives": The live version rejoins the show in the middle of the Schoolmaster's opening shouts. The home release favors disturbing close up shots of the Schoolmaster's eyes, while the live version stays far away for the most part. There's also some nice shots of the drummer in the home release.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2": The home release features a shot of Cyndi Lauper running onstage to begin the song. Some of the same shots are used in both versions, but one shot of Lauper running around has its frame rate halved in the home release.

"Mother": Some major alterations occur here, as technical difficulties plagued the live broadcast. The solution was to insert scenes from the flawless rehearsal take. 

The first major difference is when O'Connor sings the "break my balls" part. In the rehearsal take, she's holding the mike when she says this, while in the live version, she's not. 

Something seems to go wrong when the second verse starts. Rich Danko and Levon Helm (of The Band) come in too early with their vocals, and they have to start the second verse all over again. It's also at this point that the transmission gets really staticky. To cover all this up, the home release skips right ahead to the instrumental portion.

During the instrumental part, the live version shows a bizarre film of some kid wearing the faceless mask seen in the theatrical version of The Wall. The home release instead shows shots of the stage, including a giant piece of the Wall with Pink's Mother on it.

"Goodbye Blue Sky": The live version shows a film of a kid looking up at the sky as we hear Harry Waters' "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky". The home release replaces this with a shot of the crowd.

The live transmission briefly cuts out after the second verse, so the home release inserts different footage from the rehearsal at this part.

Very different takes are also used of Joni Mitchell's performance. 

"What Shall We Do Now?": The live version cuts away to a different angle about halfway through the "fucking flowers" animation, while the home release shows the whole thing.

A different closeup angle of Roger is used in the home release where he isn't wearing his usual shades. While this is going on, they also use different shots of the audience holding up two-sided masks.

Different takes are used of Bryan Adams' performance. In the live performance, he's holding the mike as he sings, while he doesn't in the version on home video.

"Young Lust": About 85% of this song uses the same shots in both versions.

"One Of My Turns": Jerry Hall's lines as the groupie are timed differently between the two versions, though they are the same takes.

When Roger is throwing various items out of the room, the live version focuses on him, while the home release intercuts this with shots of the guitarists.

"Don't Leave Me Now": The home release mainly focuses on shots of people putting the Wall together.

I'm not sure, but I think the vocals are untouched on this song.

"Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3": There's a major lyrical difference between the two versions. In the live take, Roger says "I don't need no arms around me", like on the record, while in the other take, he says "I don't need your arms around me."

"The Last Few Bricks": This song is not on the original album, as it was meant to fill time for the technicians to finish building the Wall. Anyway, the live feed cuts out again during this song, so a shot of the drummer is inserted to cover this up.

"Goodbye Cruel World": Roger can be heard muttering something before starting the song in the live take. This is absent from the take used in the home release.

The live airing stays on the same shot of Roger for the entire song, while the home release inserts some close ups.

SNL Reviews: Shane Gillis/Tate McRae (3/1/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“Who’s the black lady sitting next to Ego in the audience? I thought it was Michael Che in drag at first.” (from Jake Gyllenhaal/Camilla Cabello, 2022)

Cold Open

Trump’s meeting with the president of Ukraine is a disaster.

• Great, more unfunny Trump antics. The actual meeting that this is “parodying” was already a joke. We don’t need SNL making it worse!

• Bowen’s JD Vance is still horrible. Whoever thought it was a good idea to portray him as a sassy queer needs to be fired.

• Elon Musk is back, and thankfully, it isn’t Dana Carvey this time. Unfortunately, it’s now the corpse of Mike Myers who is playing him. 

• This impression is exactly what you would expect from modern Mike Myers. Loads of unfunny mugging, inconsistent British accents, you name it.

• SNL’s political writing continues to flounder in this era. Luckily, I’ve got only eight more cold opens to look at before I’m done with this shit for good.

Monologue

Gillis talks about Trump, Biden, dating, and historical documentaries.

• Starting off with his political material this time.

• I like how the audience starts laughing before he even gets to his dating jokes.

• The run of jokes about his friend Jamal are pretty great.

• Great jabs at Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary, which he calls “Kryptonite for women” and goes on about how boring it is having to watch the camera zoom in on old photos.

• Particularly great part when he makes fun of an old historian in the documentary who’s clearly bitter about the South losing.

• While not as consistent as his previous monologue, the whole Civil War part at the end made it worth the watch.

Sketch: Winery Tour

A woman tries to get the perfect picture while touring a winery with her new boyfriend.

• Man, Ashley’s airtime seems to have exploded lately. I like to see it!

• There’s a strange rustling sound throughout this sketch which is honestly kind of annoying. Is it something on the set or are their microphones malfunctioning?

• Speaking of annoying, Heidi’s character is her typical, air headed millennial type that we’re all sick of.

• Oh, and I definitely didn’t need to hear Heidi speaking in baby talk.

Fake Ad: CouplaBeers

The new product that’s just what you need to get through a stressful day.

• Nice to see Shane as the spokesman, just like that gambling ad in his last episode.

• The writer’s guide credits this to a guest writer named John McKeever, who I’m guessing is a friend of Shane’s because of how different this feels to SNL’s usual fake ads.

• I like how the beer cans are designed to look like medicine bottles.

• Nice disclaimer at the bottom: “A COUPLE OF BEERS COULD MEAN TWO, OR TEN, DEPENDING ON DOSE SIZE”

• Heidi: “Honey, can you come sit down? We need to talk.” *brief silence* Shane: “No.” *end of sketch*

Sketch: WANU Mid-Day News

White & black anchors use news stories to make points.

• Random return of this sketch from the Phoebe Waller-Bridge episode in Season 45? Why do they keep bringing back all of these old-ass sketches?!???

• I didn’t even like the original, mostly due to an allergy to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, so I imagine I’m gonna like this one even less.

• Baltimore native Ego sneaks in a reference to Reiserstown Road, which is a major road in that area.

• I kinda like Ego and Kenan whispering to each other about “hwite” people.

• Nice suspect photo of a Walter White-esque man.

• More Baltimore references with a mention of Hunt Valley.

• Call me crazy, but this isn’t too bad so far.

• I like the story about the barber shop shooting having started over an argument about Drake and Kendrick.

• Kenan: “Who the heck is Shaboozey?!?”

• Ego, complaining about an underage girl in a relationship with her teacher: “LaKeesha, girl, what is you doin’???”

• Nice awkward moment when Shane refers to his black co-anchors as “chicken people”. 

• Overall, I thought that was a lot better than the first incarnation of this sketch. Maybe I’d like that one better if I watched it again? Then again, maybe not, because Phoebe Waller-Bridge is in it.

Sketch: Dad’s House

A divorced dad attempts to host his children’s television show while his kids are visiting for the weekend.

• “You’re watching PBS Kids!” Stop doing that!!!! TV channels don’t work like that anymore!!!!

• Shane is doing a really good job at subverting your typical kiddie show host portrayal. This is a guy who just wants to die.

• His unenthusiastic mail song got a good laugh from me.

• Nice running gag where he can’t remember his son’s name.

• Man, that is some nasty-ass food.

• Another big role for Ashley!

• I love the look of JAJ as Ashley’s new boyfriend.

• This sketch is a perfect example of how to do cringe comedy properly. Shane’s character is rightfully painted in a negative light for his horrible actions, whereas if this were a show like Family Guy, we would be expected to laugh and agree with him.

Please Don’t Destroy: The Sound

On a knockoff of The Voice, contestants are judged based only on their voices.

• Interesting to see the guys playing actual characters instead of themselves for a change.

• Great name for Ben’s character, “Cody Swiggums”.

• Priceless reveal that the person who is singing so beautifully looks like a child molester, complete with Bruce Vilanch’s hairstyle, and creepy glasses.

• I love the bit about how his greatest influence is Chris Brown. 

• Is that Shane’s actual voice doing the singing, or is it someone else?

• Great twist where it’s revealed that he doesn’t actually need the wheelchair, and is only using it to get laid. I half expected him to pull a Guy Caballero and say he uses it for respect.

• I absolutely love the ending with him releasing a duet with Tate McRae, which is an “Otaku Style” version of “Amazing Grace”.

• Nice to see that Please Don’t Destroy can still give us a great short when they switch things up. Of course, the real star here is Shane’s hilarious character.

Musical Performance: “Sports Car”

Weekend Update (featuring The Movie Guy and Jane Wickline)

• Like I said, trying to mine jokes from the Trump/Zelenskyy meeting is impossible when the actual meeting was already a joke.

• They’re still doing “seen here” jokes.

• The Andrew Cuomo joke is pretty good. 

• Che has a pretty good joke about how he’s the only black anchor left at NBC.

• Now we get a commentary from Marcello as “The Movie Guy”. Who’s that, you may ask? It’s a guy in an old-timey usher’s uniform who speaks in a thick Hispanic accent.

• Man, even by Marcello standards, this is pretty bad. How many times are we supposed to laugh because he has a thick accent and speaks in lame one-liners? I’ve brought up this comparison before, but he reminds me of an unironic Fericito. He even says “I’m just keeding!” at one point.

• Some hacky-ass shit regarding his opinions on “‘Punbob” (SpongeBob) and “Po-Pye-Yay” (Popeye), where the only joke is that Hispanic people talk funny.

• To make matters worse, Marcello starts cracking up at himself. He’s clearly more amused at this than I am.

• I loved Colin’s jab at Captain America: Brave New World.

• Again with the 90’s, Che? You’re the only one who finds that “running gag” funny. Stop doing it!

• Yawn, another unfunny Jane Wickline song. I wish they’d get the hint and stop trying make her a thing.

Sketch: Wedding Interruption

Coupons reveal an ex-boyfriend’s broken offers in the past.

• The beginning had me worried that Garrett from Hinge was going to appear, but thankfully it’s just Shane playing a different ex-boyfriend character.

• I’m getting several laughs from all this talk about an “open eyes hand job” coupon. It reminds me of that sketch from Shane’s last episode where he ordered the Green Bay Packers buttplug.

• Shane: “I thought being with you meant ‘handies’ would never go away.” This is the first time I have ever heard someone refer to hand jobs as “handies”, but I think I like it.

• Devon’s “Butt Stuff” coupon is also pretty funny.

• I like the implication that Kenan’s minister character has a dark past when he says, “I can’t be a judge with the record that I have.”

• This is also one of Sarah’s best performances in a while.

• I find it hard to believe that Michael Che wrote this sketch, because it’s actually funny, and there’s no anti-white jokes in it.

Musical Performance: “Dear God”

Sketch: Doctor’s Visit

A patient recognizes his doctor and takes him on a trip down memory lane.

• Holy crap, Emil finally gets a lead role for the first time in months!

• I don’t know what “beef to teeth” means, but it doesn’t sound pleasant.

• All of this self-fellatio talk is seriously disgusting, but I won’t pretend that it isn’t making me laugh.

• Someone in the comments said they couldn’t believe this made it on air. Where have you been the last few years, anonymous commenter? They talk about this kind of stuff all the time now!

• Shane: “So, can you still do it? You know…use your Slinky as a binky?” I want to use that phrase on my wife when I get married.

• Okay, that may have been the greatest sketch of the entire season right there. Props to whoever let it get past dress rehearsal.

Note: A memorial is shown for Buster Poindexter before the goodnights.

Final thoughts: While not as good as his first episode, this is easily a highlight of this troubled season. Shane was once again an amazing host. Can we start calling him a future Five-Timer yet?

Best sketches: Monologue, CouplaBeers, Dad’s House, The Sound, Doctor’s Visit

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Winery Tour, Movie Guy commentary

Next review: Lady Gaga

SNL Reviews: Timothee Chalamet (1/25/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“The only thing I laughed at was Kenan mistaking a poster of the musical Annie for a poster of JonBenet Ramsey.” (from Maya Rudolph/Jack Harlow, 2021)

Cold Open: Founding Fathers

The Declaration of Independence gets interrupted by Trump. Oh, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is there.

• Why are there female cast members in this sketch? Did they not have enough male extras or something?

• Pointless appearance from Lin-Manuel Miranda doing his Hamilton shtick. Reminds me of that awful cold open a few years ago where they had him playing Julien Castro for no reason other than “celebrity lol”.

• Aaaaaand we suddenly get interrupted by Trump. I’ve already said enough about him, so let’s move on.

Monologue

Timothee talks about his losing streak at award shows.

• Not a big fan of that montage of Timothee’s reactions at award shows. I almost expected them to throw in that old clip of Brendan Fraser laughing.

• The Curb Your Enthusiasm theme as a punchline? Really???

• Speaking of old-ass references, he just mentioned the Dune popcorn bucket. Ugh, I’m still trying to forget that awful song about it from last season.

Sketch: Bungee

Wacky shenanigans happen at a fitness class.

• I can’t imagine anyone who would want to go to this kind of place in real life. It looks so stupid.

• Oh my God at the wig Timothee is wearing. *checks notes* Yep, this is a Jimmy Fowlie sketch.

• Longfellow is a great straight man as usual.

• Yeah…this sketch is not for me. Maybe the TikTok sluts and camwhores will get a kick out of it?

• The only laugh I got was the Jimmy Carter move, in which they all lie down like they’re dead. Pretty ballsy moment, considering Carter had died only a few weeks before.

Film: Medcast

The doctor’s appointment that feels like a podcast.

• Interesting concept…

• There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it jab at Joe Rogan when Heidi talks about people getting their medical advice from social media.

• This looks like the same set as the “Banger Boyz” sketch from a few episodes ago.

• The slow-motion footage is making me laugh for some reason, especially when Ashley is shown checking Emil’s ears.

• JAJ’s scene, in which he is talking about apes taking mushrooms, is made infinitely funnier when it pans out to reveal that he is having a rectal exam.

• Great ending with the podcast thumbnails, which all have clickbaity titles like “WTF?! Virgin has herpes??”, complete with Andrew and Marcello soyfacing.

Sketch: New Barista Training

A new barista is bad at banter.

• Jane appears for like two seconds before leaving the sketch.

• Ashley Padilla has been getting a lot of airtime tonight. It’s kind of funny how this is her second lead role that involves her telling bad jokes.

• Hilarious sudden Def Jam-style delivery from Timothee’s character.

• Mikey, you don’t need to explain everything. Why don’t you understand that?

• This whole bit about big women is particularly hilarious.

• I like how Ashley’s jokes are always followed by Heidi feeling uncomfortable. The last time this happens, she even asks Ashley if everything is okay at home.

• Kenan’s appearance at the end was kind of pointless, but I still enjoyed it.

Film: Oedipal Arrangements

The new Valentine’s Day treats made just for mama’s boys.

• Funny disturbing concept.

• The various shots of Michael feeding his mother candy in a sexual manner are really creepy, but in a good way.

• Mikey is the eternal SNL cuck.

• Something odd, though. Where has Timothee been in these fake ads?

Sketch: AI Software

The AI is becoming self-aware.

• This Candy Crush bit at the beginning just feels weird to me.

• I like Ego mentioning that the school will be turned into a Target or a jail if her students’ grades don’t improve.

• “Bae”? Did Timothee really just say that? 

• Now Bowen just said it too?!?? Who wrote this?!? A teenager?

• All of the reacting and explaining is driving me crazy. We have eyes, SNL!

• The visual of Timothee and Bowen having six fingers on each hand is at least memorably bizarre.

• Sarah: “Trish sounds butch AF.” Nobody talks like this!

• No comment on the horrible ending where the AI characters start dancing.

Musical Performance: “Outlaw Blues”, “Three Angels”

• Pointless appearance from Adam Sandler at the beginning.

Weekend Update (featuring Giselle and Andrew Dismukes and his Puppet Dad)

• Starting off with a string of Trump jokes, none of which are funny.

• Did you know that all Catholic priests are pedophiles?!?? THAT’S THE JOKE!!!!

• Okay, I did get a chuckle from the spelling bee joke.

• Ego is here with a clapter inducing commentary about how “scary” things are now that Trump is back in office. Once you’ve seen one Ego commentary, you’ve pretty much seen them all.

• That pizza-flavored Cinnamon Toast Crunch sounds nasty.

• I loved the audience reaction to the story about there being no shootings in New York City for five whole days.

• Colin randomly shouting “NO!!!” in response to a story about oatmeal was actually pretty funny.

• Been a while since we had a Spirit Airlines joke.

• I love the part with Colin brandishing a gun and warning people not to tackle him on Pop Culture Jeopardy.

• Ah, now here’s Andrew with his “puppet dad”, a puppet designed to look like his father. I remember this being a pretty funny commentary.

• That voice he’s using is hilarious.

• Pretty funny how the puppet calls Andrew the seventh most famous cast member. Apparently, Colin is even lower on that list, only ranking as the sixteenth most famous cast member.

• My words can’t do this justice. Go watch it for yourself.

• Why is it that Andrew is the only cast member who consistently excels on Update? I’ve enjoyed every single one of his commentaries!

Sketch: Dog Run

Dogs interact with each other at the dog park.

• What the fuck is this?!? Am I watching a rejected All That sketch, or is this a routine from a furry convention?

• I guess the “joke” is supposed to be humans doing dog things, but I’m cringing more than I’m laughing. This is kinda creepy, to be honest. Is someone in the writing staff secretly a furry?

• Not even Andrew as an overdramatic Pomeranian was funny.

Musical Performance: “Tomorrow Is a Long Time”

Sketch: Grandma’s Birthday

Fun with CPR.

• Sarah seems to have usurped Kate McKinnon’s spot as the one who gets typecast as old women. Given how bad she’s been lately, I am dreading this sketch…

• As if things couldn’t get any weirder, Marcello’s character in this has the same name as me. When I first saw this, I had to do a double take.

• To her credit, Sarah’s pratfall as she suffers a heart attack is pretty well done.

• No comment on Timotheé reviving Sarah with an enormous fart. Hopefully this isn’t someone’s fetish.

• Bowen and James’ faces after this happens pretty much sum the whole thing up.

• I find it hard to believe that Sarah’s writing has deteriorated to this level. I honestly thought this was a Sublette sketch at first!

• I did like Mikey recoiling in horror at the thought of giving Sarah a kiss after what just happened. This has been one of his best episodes in a while.

• The sketch just kind of ends abruptly with Kenan suffering a heart attack and everyone forgetting about him so they can have cake.

Animation: God

Angels help create the world.

• “An SNL Animated Short”? This is new…

• When was the last time we even had an animated short on SNL? Was it that awful short with the Ninja Turtles as old men that aired during one of the At Home episodes?

• Man, this is one ugly cartoon. I’m not expecting Looney Tunes quality or anything, but couldn’t they have at least gotten someone with a unique style instead of this bootleg 70’s Hanna-Barbera shit?

• The “lolsorandom” humor doesn’t help things, either.

• While it is pretty novel to see animation on SNL again, would it have hurt them to actually make it, you know, funny?

Final thoughts: This episode was a little mixed. The first half had some pretty good stuff in it, but then we had that awful AI sketch and it never recovered after that, with the exception of the puppet on Update. Chalamet did his best as usual, though.

Best sketches: Medcast, New Barista Training, Oedipal Arrangements, Andrew’s Puppet Dad commentary 

Worst sketches: Cold Open, AI Software, Dog Run, Grandma’s Birthday

Next review: Shane Gillis/Tate McRae

This review is dedicated to my sweet kitty cat Cupcake. I’m gonna miss you.

SNL Reviews: Dave Chappelle/GloRilla (1/18/25)

 Today’s Retro Decimator Quote is…

“I’m rather ashamed to admit that I owned Bratz “Boyz” dolls when I was four years old. What? Why are you giving me those funny looks?” (from Selena Gomez/Post Malone, 2022)

Cold Open: MSNBC Report

The news keeps getting interrupted by ridiculous Trump stories.

• Sarah looks downright uncanny as Rachel Maddow. Her voice, however, sounds nothing like her, and the shitty dialogue doesn’t help, either.

• “Woke Sheldon”? Who writes this nonsense?!?

• Ha ha! They just cut to Andrew as Chris Hayes instead of Sarah! Get it? Because Rachel Maddow looks like a man!!!! Herp-a-derp!!!!

• The running “gag” with Marcello as Ari Melber responding with rap lyrics is awful.

• Another baffling attempt at a running gag is this bizarre thing with Stephanie Ruhle (Chloe) flirting with Maddow. I don’t know who this is for, but it certainly isn’t funny.

• Ha ha ha! Trump just mentioned…ugh, the “Rizzler”! It’s funny because he would never do that! Laugh, you sheeple! Laugh!!!!

• This is the only physical appearance JAJ makes in this entire episode! Why do you hate him so much?!??

• *Bowen enters as George Santos and I break into a million pieces* WHYYYYYYYYYYY?!!????????? WHY WHY WHY??!!!???????????? WHY HAVE THEY BROUGHT BACK THIS GODAWFUL “IMPRESSION” AGAIN????? HE’S NOT EVEN IN OFFICE ANYMORE!!!!!!!! I FUCKING HATE BOWEN YANG SO MUCH IT’S UNREAL AREJAUWGRKEJRVRVRBRRMRIEVRFWAL AS DVEJELENRRCRHEIEJEBEVEVEJWOWMWCJEYEUEDNRVEHROEIEVENEEKEU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• *deep breaths* I’m back…sorry about that. I promise not to do that again. It’s just that Bowen Yang really brings out the worst in me.

• TLDR: This show fucking sucks.

Monologue

Dave Chappelle does the longest monologue ever!

• Apparently Lorne wanted Chappelle to host the first episode after the election again, but he refused on the basis that it was “way too soon” to be making jokes about it. I don’t blame him, to be honest. I would have rejected that episode too if I saw that Godawful cold open!

• Dave takes the time to talk about some friends of his who were affected by the awful wildfires in LA, which is a really nice gesture. 

• I like the line about how West Hollywood was unaffected because you can’t burn what’s already flaming.

• I’d honestly forgotten about Luigi Mangione until now, and this episode aired only a few months ago! Just goes to show you how quickly the news changes.

• I even laughed at the line about Trump asking the Mexican relief workers to leave when they’re done putting out the fires.

Sketch: Immigrant Dad Talk Show

Yay! I love recycling!!!

• Was anybody asking for the return of this forgettable sketch from the Ramy Youssef episode? But we have to cater to Marcello’s camwhore fans, so let’s bring this back!!!

• I hadn’t yet reached my breaking point with Marcello when the original sketch aired. That moment is long past us now, and I’m finding his routine even worse in this one.

• That TikTok pun was so hacky.

• More recycling!!!! Mikey is the guest once again, and they do the same joke where he doesn’t know how to greet one of the hosts properly.

• Chappelle is at least having a great time, and he does have a couple funny lines here and there. 

• Are you shitting me? They even do the same overreaction to Mikey kissing his son?!??? This really is just a copy-and-paste sketch. 

• The addition of Chloe as the mother does nothing to help.

• Somehow, that was even worse than the first time they did this sketch. I’m hoping it doesn’t come back, but you never know with this era.

Sketch: Evacuation Alert

A family tries to evacuate during the LA wildfires.

• SNL’s getting good mileage out of the wildfires, I see.

• It saddens me that most of JAJ’s airtime lately has just been his voice or his Trump impression. Why are they so afraid of using this wonderful performer?

• Dave is giving this role his all! I was won over as soon as he smashed the wall containing his secret money vault open.

• Special credit must also go to Ego and Devon, especially Ego, who gives one of her best performances in a long time.

• Out of nowhere, this turns into a blood-spurting sketch when a Bosnian terrorist enters the house and gets shot by Chappelle.

• Chappelle, trying to get his wife to take a thumb drive: “Stick it in your cooch!”

• I like how he randomly has French people hidden in a cupboard.

• This sketch even manages to make Chappelle committing animal abuse funny.

• Ego: “I knew I should have stayed a lesbian like I was in college.”

Musical Performance: “Yeah Glo!”

Weekend Update (featuring Michael Longfellow and Nosferatu)

• That video of Joe Biden getting knocked off of his bike always makes me laugh.

• I don’t know why, but I thought the line about Mark Zuckerberg being a “Puerto Rican gigolo” was pretty funny.

• Che’s joke about a Bill Clinton airship being covered in seamen was juvenile but funny.

• First appearance of Longfellow at the desk in a long time. 

• Today, he’s here to talk about the impending ban of TikTok in America. I personally couldn’t care less because I don’t use TikTok, but let’s see if he can make this entertaining.

• Already a big laugh when he claims that Jesus came from China. As he says, “I thought he was Middle Eastern, but I saw it on a TikTok!”

• “Oh no! China knows I like thicc Latinas!”

• I love the part where he tries to “swipe” Che away like a TikTok video.

• Overall, I still don’t understand why SNL doesn’t give this guy more chances. He’s funnier than either of these bozos!

• Colin tries something different with a new segment called “Hear Me Out”, regarding his thoughts on AI-generated child p0rn. It’s pretty good, to be honest.

• Sarah shows up as Nosferatu. Gee, I wonder what’s gonna happen???

• Oh, wow! She just insulted Colin! What a twist!!!

• It’s official. I am completely over Sarah Sherman. What was once a daring, bizarre performer is now just a trend-chasing hack.

• Despite the horrible way it ended, this Update was pretty solid for the most part once they got away from the political jokes. They even end on a classy note by telling us where we can donate to the victims of the wildfires.

Sketch: Police Station

A man requires help in locating his missing girlfriend.

• Devon’s great night continues.

• Shockingly, this is the first we’ve seen of Kenan in this episode. I didn’t even realize it was him at first when I initially watched this episode. 

• This, in my opinion, is how to properly utilize Kenan at this point of his tenure. He doesn’t talk a whole lot and mostly spends the time making hilarious faces in reaction to what Devon says.

• I like when Devon says that his girlfriend has a beautiful soul in response to Kenan holding up a shoe.

• I like the artist’s depiction of his girlfriend that Bowen draws, looking more like a little girl instead of a presumably older woman.

• I honestly forgot how funny this sketch was. Not even Chappelle’s suspicious absence could ruin my enjoyment.

Musical Performance: “Watchu Kno About Me”, “Let Her Cook”

Film: Pop the Balloon

Silky and Beautiful attend a YouTube dating show.

• Nice use of pretty much the entire female cast. Plus it gives us some nice eye candy.

• Heidi, when discussing why she popped the balloon: “He said he likes to cook, and I really don’t like the smell of food.”

• I like Devon’s Instagram handle: “BigD - LittleP”

• Ashley’s airheaded portrayal of her character is brief, but funny.

• Chappelle and special guest Donnell Rawlings reprise their old Chappelle’s Show roles of Silky Johnson and Beautiful. I have no idea who these characters are, but the fact that one of them is named Silky is already making me laugh. 

• Jane: “I’m sorry, are you some sort of sex trafficker?” Silky Johnson: “I don’t do traffic. I take helicopters, bitch!”

• Great part where Silky hands GloRilla another balloon just so he can pop it in her face.

• Rawlings’ brief appearance as Ashy Larry at the end is a great way to end this sketch, and the episode.

Final thoughts: I really enjoyed that episode. While not as strong as the last time he hosted, this definitely stands out as a bright spot in this awful season. Also, there were surprisingly few sketches here, because of how astronomically long that monologue was.

Best sketches: Monologue, Evacuation Alert, Police Station, Pop the Balloon

Worst sketches: Cold Open, Immigrant Dad Talk Show, Nosferatu commentary 

Next review: Timothee Chalamet

The Beatles Cartoon: A Guide To The Mixes (Seasons 2 & 3)

 Since Seasons 2 & 3 are so short, I decided to put their mixes into one post.

Season 2

“Eight Days A Week”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is missing the intro.

“Girl”: Mono mix, fades early. This song never became an episode.

“I’m Looking Through You”: US mono mix, minus the false starts at the beginning. Once again, John is incorrectly depicted as the singer.

“Help!”: Stereo mix, uncut. The mono mix has sloppier vocals, and it was that version which appeared in the movie. The sing-a-long version seen in Season 1 has a small edit near the end. This song was used as the theme song for Season 2, complete with a bit of the James Bond parody that precedes it on the American release.

“The Night Before”: Mono mix, the guitar part at the beginning is cut, and so is the solo. This song never became an episode.

“We Can Work It Out”: Mono mix, uncut.

“I’m Down”: Bizarrely, this song is at a lower pitch than it should be. Other than that, it’s the normal mono mix. This song never got a sing-a-long segment.

“Run For Your Life”: Once again, this song is at a lower pitch than it should be. The sing-a-long version also chops off the intro.

“Drive My Car”: Mono mix, uncut. This song was never made into a sing-a-long.

“Yesterday”: Mono mix, intro slightly trimmed. This song was never made into an episode.

“Tell Me What You See”: Mono mix, uncut. This song never got a sing-a-long.

“I Call Your Name”: Mono mix. Note how the cowbell starts right away during the intro. Stereo mixes of this song also have a different guitar.

“She’s A Woman”: US mono mix with extra reverb, uncut. This song was never made into an episode, and later reruns replace it with a repeat of “I Feel Fine”.

“The Word”: Mono mix, shortened. This song was never made into a sing-a-long.

“All My Loving”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long that aired in Season 1 cuts the instrumental break.

“Day Tripper”: Mono mix, uncut. Note how the tambourine briefly goes quiet to hide tape problems. The sing-a-long version is missing the intro.

“Nowhere Man”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is shortened.

“And I Love Her”: US mono mix. Note how Paul’s vocals are single-tracked for most of this version. This song was never made into an episode.

“Michelle”: Mono mix, heavily shortened. This song never got an episode.

“Paperback Writer”: Mono mix, uncut. Note the different echo at the end of the last verse.

Season 3

“Penny Lane”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version cuts out the trumpet break and part of the final chorus.

“Rain”: Mono mix. The intro, the second chorus, and the backwards vocal part are cut. This song was never made into an episode.

“Strawberry Fields Forever”: Mono mix. The Mellotron intro is missing, and the song ends right before we hear John’s infamous “cranberry sauce”. The sing-a-long version is even shorter, ending before the final verse.

“And Your Bird Can Sing”: Mono mix, uncut. This song was used as the theme song for Season 3.

“Got To Get You Into My Life”: Mono mix, fades early. The sing-a-long version is even shorter.

“Good Day Sunshine”: Mono mix, uncut.

“Ticket To Ride”: Mono mix, uncut. The song can also be heard in several Season 1 episodes, such as “I’ll Be Back”, where the evil mountain men play a screwed up, distorted version of it on stage.

“Taxman”: Stereo mix, countdown cut. Note how the cowbell starts during the second chorus. It starts before that in the mono mix. This song was never made into a sing-a-long.

“Here, There, And Everywhere”: Mono mix, second verse cut. This song was never made into an episode.

“Eleanor Rigby”: Stereo mix, uncut. Note how the ADT accidentally continues into the first verse. Also, you have to laugh at the fact that the episode shows The Beatles playing along with their guitars, even though there is not a single guitar in the song.

“Tomorrow Never Knows”: Stereo mix, uncut. Note the feedback whistle after the backwards guitar break. Speaking of the guitar, the episode depicts it as someone blowing a giant horn, for some reason. This song was never made into a sing-a-long.

“She Said She Said”: Mono mix, shortened. This song was never made into an episode.

“I’ve Just Seen A Face”: Mono mix, uncut. This song was never made into a sing-a-long.

“Wait”: Mono mix, uncut.

“I’m Only Sleeping”: US mono mix. This version is missing a lot of the backwards guitar parts, and, in fact, was released before the song even came out in Britain. Since this is the last episode, there was no sing-a-long made for it.

The Beatles Cartoon: A Guide to the Mixes (Season 1)

 It’s been a long time since I made a post about this show, but I’m on a Beatles kick right now, so let’s do it.

Anyway, one unique thing about the Beatles cartoons is their unusual mixes of each song featured. While the show was in mono, a lot of the songs use their stereo mixes folded down to mono. Others were heavily chopped down for time.

“A Hard Day’s Night”: Mono mix. The instrumental break is missing, though it does appear in the intro for Season 1.

“I Want To Hold Your Hand”: Mono mix, uncut

“Do You Want To Know A Secret”: Mono mix, uncut 

“If I Fell”: Mono mix. Note how John’s intro is single-tracked instead of double-tracked like it is in the stereo version. Unfortunately, the song is heavily butchered, swapping the first and second verse for no apparent reason, and just repeating things willy-nilly.

“Please Mister Postman”: Mono mix, uncut

“Devil In Her Heart”: Mono mix, starts about a minute into the song. The sing-a-long version is uncut.

“Not A Second Time”: Mono mix, instrumental break cut. The sing-a-long version is uncut.

“Slow Down”: Mono mix, heavily shortened. The sing-a-long version is a little longer, but still missing several parts. The instrumental break also plays in the “Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand” episode.

“Baby’s In Black”: Mono mix, cuts off before the instrumental break. The sing-a-long version is uncut.

“Misery”: Mono mix, uncut

“You Really Got A Hold On Me”: Mono mix, mostly uncut. The sing-a-long version is much shorter.

“Chains”: Mono mix, missing the harmonica intro.

“I’ll Get You”: Mono mix, first verse is cut. The sing-a-long version is uncut.

“Honey Don’t”: Mono mix, shortened. The sing-a-long version is also heavily cut.

“Any Time At All”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is missing the instrumental break.

“Twist And Shout”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is heavily cut.

“Little Child”: Mono mix, cuts off early. The sing-a-long is uncut. A bit of this song is also played at the end of the “Good Day Sunshine” episode in Season 3.

“I’ll Be Back”: Mono mix, shortened. The sing-a-long version is longer, but still slightly edited.

“Long Tall Sally”: Mono mix, uncut

“I’ll Cry Instead”: US mono mix, which has an extra verse that doesn’t appear in the UK mixes.

“I’ll Follow The Sun”: Mono mix. The final “I’ll Follow The Sun” is repeated a few times for some reason, but is otherwise uncut. This happens in the sing-a-long version too.

“When I Get Home”: US mono mix, uncut. Note how the double-tracking briefly disappears in this version when John sings “til I walk out that door”.

“Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby”: Mono mix, starts about halfway through the song. The sing-a-long version is missing the instrumental break, which the version in the episode does include.

“I Should Have Known Better”: Mono mix, missing the instrumental break. The sing-a-long version is mostly the same, although it strangely edits a bit from later in the song at the very beginning.

“I’m A Loser”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version shortens the harmonica break.

“I Wanna Be Your Man”: Mono mix, uncut. A funny, sped-up version is also played at the end of the episode.

“Don’t Bother Me”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is missing the instrumental break.

“No Reply”: Mono mix. Only about half of the song is heard in the episode. The sing-a-long version is mostly intact, except the first instance of “I nearly died” is cut.

“I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”: Mono mix, uncut.

“Mr. Moonlight”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is missing the organ break. Amusingly, the episode depicts Paul singing instead of John.

“Can’t Buy Me Love”: Mono mix, heavily shortened. The sing-a-long version is mostly intact, except the guitar solo is cut in half.

“It Won’t Be Long”: Mono mix, shortened. The sing-a-long version is even more butchered.

“Anna (Go To Him)”: Mono mix, shortened. The sing-a-long version is missing a bit at the beginning, but is otherwise uncut.

“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”: Mono mix, first chorus removed.

“Matchbox”: Mono mix, which you can tell by the way Ringo mumbles “your puppy dog runs”. The version heard in the episode is heavily shortened, while the sing-a-long version is mostly intact.

“Thank You Girl”: Stereo mix, uncut. Note the harmonica which is missing from the mono mix.

“From Me To You”: Stereo mix, uncut. Note the harmonica is absent from the intro.

“Boys”: Mono mix, uncut. There was no sing-a-long made for this episode.

“Dizzy Miss Lizzy”: Mono mix, shortened.

“I Saw Her Standing There”: Mono mix. The guitar solo is mostly cut, while the sing-a-long version cuts it entirely.

“What You’re Doing”: Mono mix, shortened. The sing-a-long version is slightly longer.

“Money (That’s What I Want)”: Mono mix, uncut. There was no sing-a-long made for this episode.

“Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand”: Mono mix, uncut. For obvious reasons, there was no sing-a-long made for this episode.

“She Loves You”. Mono mix, uncut.

“Bad Boy”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is shortened.

“Tell Me Why”: US mono mix, as John’s vocals are single-tracked. The version in the episode starts abruptly at the vocals, while the sing-a-long version is uncut.

“I Feel Fine”: The US mixes of this song are infamous for their heavy reverb, and it is that version which appears here. The sing-a-long version is missing the feedback intro. A bit of this song is also played at the end of the “Eleanor Rigby” episode in Season 3.

“Hold Me Tight”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version features a unique musical introduction before the song starts.

“Please Please Me”: Stereo mix, uncut. Note John’s vocal fluff in the final chorus, which is unique to the stereo version.

“There’s A Place”: Mono mix, uncut. The sing-a-long version is missing the harmonica intro.

“Roll Over Beethoven”: Mono mix, uncut. Paul’s “1-2-3-4!!!” from the beginning of “I Saw Her Standing There” is added. George’s rocking guitar intro is missing from the sing-a-long. For some reason, John is depicted as the singer instead of George.

“Rock And Roll Music”: Mono mix, uncut.