Review of SNL episode 12/17/2011: Jimmy Fallon/Michael Buble This was the first episode Id seen in a long time

that left me with something to say, so I felt like Id write a response to it and post for all those to see. First and foremost, to Jimmy: It seems like every time a cast member hosts the show, their opening monologue always seems to revolve around how they loved being on the show and what a journey its been to the homecoming. Granted, the better shows these days are when alumni host, which is screaming how the writers (and possibly Lorne) are scared to have the show progress and essentially wish to reminisce about the better days. However, theres no denying that the nostalgia of your days on the cast still warms the hearts of many. The magic of the alum monologue still seems to be in supply, but it worked most when you were performing with your guitar, not talking about other stuff that happened on SNL Christmas specials, the token joke with Lorne, and especially the stuff from the 80s that had nothing to do with you. Your individual music made the monologue what it was, so embrace it. The Beethoven skit was fantastic, and it shows how the show still has potential. Obviously the writers didnt care that LVB died before the premiere of his ninth, but to be honest I didnt either. Two TBridden thumbs up, guys. War Horse blew. I dont even know what the fuck that was. Weekend Update disappointed me. Everyone was looking forward to WU given that Jimmy hosted, and what was there was fantastic, but its ending right after the joke-off was akin to leaving the table after crackers and a caviar appetizer. By the crackers I mean while Get In The Cage is amusing, I dont believe that it deserved to be on WU at all last night, especially when an acclaimed past anchor was hosting. (Also, its essentially the same skit every time, with whichever boyish actor accompanying Samberg simply serving as a straight man.) It ate up time that could have been given to Jimmy, as well as Tina and Amy. Its good whenever the episode is airing on the slapstick side with a crappy host such as Katy Perry, but not when the show actually had potential, like last night. The four-anchor reunion was great, as were the usual shots at the GOP and other stories, but there was so little offered. I personally would have preferred a Jimmy/Seth combo introd from the beginning, and then adding Amy and Tina individually at intervals throughout WU, finally culminating in the joke-off. Now that would have been an Update worthy of an SNL Christmas episode. Michael Buble: as my father put it, it seems like youre trying too hard to be Perry Como. I wasnt feeling it; it seemed almost fake. You should go back to being the shy, albeit confident flirty white guy. Youre the only singer in recent history who actually got that image to work, so dont ditch it by biting off more than you can chew come the holidays. Jude Law: you are not the first actor who is outgrowing his youth and tries to reclaim it with the beardblazer-fedora combo. You are very talented and should embrace your coming 40s with dignity, grace,

and maybe a nice sweater now and again. You could very well be the Liam Neeson of the 2020s if you put in some effort nowadays. Horatio Sanz: props on losing all that weight! You have always been the heart and soul of the SNL Christmastime quartet but it was nice seeing all four of you again regardless. Jimmy, the additional piano sound effects were a bit off-putting; I feel like this was meant to be the one direct, unaltered link to SNLs past which would have been on the good side of nostalgia. Chris Kattan: stay classy. We all need some more Mango in our lives. Kristin Wiig: you keep holding the show together, but you need better writers. Your characters are revolving around the same core foibles, and some variance would be nice. However, the Kathie Lee Gifford impression was long missed and much appreciated. Kenan Thomson: GTFO. Just leave. Just because youre in your 30s and look like youre 17 doesnt mean you can still act like it. Your All That! days are over and you really should retire from acting; its a miracle you didnt ruin the Beethoven skit as it was. In conclusion, it was a B+ episode that still could have used some tweaking, but all in all it was a refreshing blast of Christmas shtick. Well done Jimmy.