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November 25, 2008 | Comments (68)
After being on the air now for 33 years, “SNL” has had a lot of ebb and flow, though mostly it’s been ebb since the original cast left. What’s been sort of amusing, however, is that few people ever appreciate the existing cast of the show. It’s almost always on a downturn, but a few years removed from a previous cast, and they start looking good to you by comparison (the 1985 Robert Downey, Jr. season and the 1995 season which had Kevin Nealon hosting “Weekend Update,” notwithstanding). It probably has a little something to do with the reruns of the show, which are abridged, and have the effect of making previous seasons look a little better. Or just because it’s fun to hate on the current cast, especially when it’s warranted (the Jimmy Fallon/Horatio Sanz years.)
But now, everyone is talking about the resurgence of “SNL,” but as someone who is married, with child, and who falls asleep in front of “SNL” more times than should be mentioned, it’s still pretty goddamn hit and miss, even if the hits are slightly more frequent than the misses (many of the latter which will be edited out in reruns). The election had a lot to do with the resurgence. But a few years ago, Adam Samberg actually managed to make the show somewhat relevant again with his Digital Shorts, even though Samberg is otherwise a complete waste of space. Everyone on the show, Keenan Thompson included, deserves to live more than he does. Samberg makes me miss Fallon sometimes. That said, there have been some pretty decent Digital Shorts, though not so much lately (is it just me, or have they been pushed farther back into the last half hour of the show?).
Here are the best five, not including the two everyone has already seen four million times, “Lazy Sunday” and “Dick in a Box.”
Iran So Far is probably one of my favorites...but I'm perplexed by the exclusion of Body Fusion, aka, the only thing Drew Barrymore has ever been intentionally funny in.
Posted by: citizen_cris at November 25, 2008 11:08 AM
Hey, the link on the front page is broken. I had to click on "comments" to find this.
I love all of these, but would also add The Mirror. Call me retarded, but I cracked up when I saw this.
Posted by: jelinas at November 25, 2008 11:10 AM
You mean Andy Samberg? For some reason I still don't hate him as much as Jimmy Fallon. And his Ras-Trent short a couple weeks ago actually kept me awake AND made me laugh. It's rare that anyone from SNL other than Amy Poehler does that for me nowadays.
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at November 25, 2008 11:12 AM
Awesome stuff.
Posted by: Snath at November 25, 2008 11:14 AM
umm...a little off subject, but is anyone else weirded out by thinking Horatio Sanz is hot now?
Posted by: bj at November 25, 2008 11:16 AM
I LOVE the Natalie Portman rap...it killed me the first time I saw it
Posted by: CJ at November 25, 2008 11:18 AM
I haven't seen Horatio Sanz in a while...Googling him now...
Looks the same as he always has, I guess.
Posted by: Snath at November 25, 2008 11:22 AM
"I bust in dudes mouths like Gushers, mothafucka."
Natalie Portman is the baddest bitch on the cul-de-sac.
Posted by: jM at November 25, 2008 11:28 AM
Yeah, the digital shorts are good.
Perhaps inspired by the recent clever election humor and looking for that "resurgence," I watched the first half hour of SNL this past Saturday, which is the longest consecutive stretch of a single episode I've watched in over ten years. I reached the conclusion that I can comfortably go another ten years without watching the show.
Posted by: DarthCorleone at November 25, 2008 11:31 AM
Natalie Raps is awesome.
And my WHERE is Body Fusion!? You can use penciws! Or air.
Posted by: tt_marie at November 25, 2008 11:36 AM
SNL is always hit or miss for my tastes. But the Jon Hamm a few weeks ago was solid. I'm pretty sure I liked every sketch in that show, especially Vincent Price's Halloween Special.
Whereas the Michael Phelps trainwreck was horrible. Lazy writing in that one, too, considering they carbon copied a couple of the skecthes from the Peyton Manning episode.
Posted by: JH at November 25, 2008 11:38 AM
The best part of that video might be Portman's spastic elf dancing. And am I the only one to catch the Sir-Mix-A-Lot reference?
Posted by: Tracer Bullet at November 25, 2008 11:43 AM
Missing Dear Sister on this list yet including mediocrity like Andy's Dad and Iran So Far is just plain lazy. What about Punching People in the Face where it ended with zombies? Now that's brilliant.
Iran so far is pretty amazing. But nothing can ever top Dick in a Box.
Posted by: dylanj at November 25, 2008 11:55 AM
JH, I agree the Jon Hamm episode was totally solid, especially the Vincent Price skit. I kept reading stuff about people creaming over the Paul Rudd one saying it was the best episode in a long time, and I'm like "Jon Hamm! Come on!"
Posted by: Michellery at November 25, 2008 12:00 PM
Natalie Portmans bit was the first time I wanted to have horribly demeaning sex with that woman. I'm talking shit that would make Dr. Dre blush like a preteen girl in a class about her womanly bits.
Posted by: The_wakeful at November 25, 2008 12:02 PM
That Natalie Portman sketch is what convinced me that Natalie Portman might be a cool person to know rather than the slightly smug, cooler than thou persona I had gotten from her previously.
Dick in a Box is genius though, and Justin Timberland always does a great job when he's on the show.
Natalie Portmans bit was the first time I wanted to have horribly demeaning sex with that woman. I'm talking shit that would make Dr. Dre blush like a preteen girl in a class about her womanly bits.
Exactly. I cannot watch that vid in mixed company.
Or any company.
Or pants.
Damn, I can't even look at the preview capture.
I am going to go now.
Posted by: Vermillion at November 25, 2008 12:13 PM
I'm glad someone else mentioned "people getting punched before eating."
Thought it might have been too lowbrow for Pajiba, but good to know others have appreciation for "ZOMBIE DANCE!"
What was the name of the one he did with Shia? It was like a parody of the OC where they kept playing the same Imogen Heap song when somebody died. That was pretty funny.
Posted by: Jim at November 25, 2008 12:50 PM
The 5 Best SNL Digital Shorts...and 3 out of 5 include Andy Samberg?
The dude is the Anti Funny. I demand a recount, Franken/Coleman style!
WAIT, 4! 4 out of 5! I forgot he was in the Natalie Rap because...well it's the Natalie Rap, there's only one thing you have to focus on and that's Natalie.
(Also, I second the Jon Hamm love. What I saw of him on the show was pretty funny.)
I'll take Samberg over that waste of fucking space Keenan Thompson ANY day. Grr, that guys makes watching SNL so embarrassing and awkward. His idea of keeping a straight face is looking like he's two seconds away from farting while keeping his eyes fixed somewhere in the distance and that shit-eating smile permanently plastered on his face.
I hate that guy.
Posted by: figgy at November 25, 2008 1:02 PM
That shit is a whole boatload of unfunny.
Posted by: Cindy at November 25, 2008 1:10 PM
I cannot be the only one who found "Space Olympics" hysterical. Please tell me there are kindred spirits out there who keep their ass at the minibar and understand the many problems of hosting a sporting event in space.
Posted by: abby at November 25, 2008 1:14 PM
I will not apologize for loving every minute of Hot Rod.
Where are Laser Cats 1, 2, and 3D? Bill Heder and Andy together is a thing of beauty.
Posted by: tdehr at November 25, 2008 1:17 PM
And fuck. None of those videos work for me.
FUCK YOU AND YOUR ANTI-FOREIGNERS POLICY, HULU! UP THE BUTTHOLE!
Posted by: figgy at November 25, 2008 1:17 PM
I like Roy Rules and Space Olympics!!
Posted by: manda at November 25, 2008 1:25 PM
What about the original Digital Short THE HEAT IS ON. When Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell hadnt played themselves out yet. Maybe it wasnt a digital short but it was a short on SNL.
Posted by: MIjo Gonzales at November 25, 2008 1:35 PM
I totally forgot about Roy Rules! That one was pretty kick-ass, too.
Second on the Laser Cats series... And Natalie Raps is the sexiest thing I've ever seen with clothes on.
I think Keenan gets cred because of his Nickelodeon days... and he personifies the child-actor epidemic; no talent because he could get away with it when it was cute. Plus his sketch shows back in the day always had him breaking the 4th wall or hamming it up to his audience (a bunch of 8 year olds who thought women were strange and fart jokes were the end all be all of comedy).
Posted by: Beauregard at November 25, 2008 1:55 PM
Figgy, I feel your pain. I say we express our outrage by hablando español mientras estos gringos se regocijan en su SNLalismo.
No sé por qué, pero escribir en español en Pajiba me da unas ganas enormes de decir groserías mexicanas. Pinche cabrones!
I had no idea Hulu wasn't friendly to outsiders. That site is the bee's knees
Posted by: dylanj at November 25, 2008 2:41 PM
2 words: ROY RULES!
Posted by: jmurae at November 25, 2008 3:03 PM
Ugh, fucking Hulu, really?
Those giggle-jockeying swamp-donkeys have crossed me for the last time.
To my non-American brethren, let us stand at our full heights and...I don't know, walk to the library?
I guess if you're in the States, Hulu is the cat's ass, but for anyone else, it's the tortures of the damned. EVERYTHING seems to be on that site, to the point where it destroys my days and haunts my nights, because I'm a big f-ing baby. Myriad times have I scoped a link thinking 'Please, don't be Hulu, please don't...augh, Satan's Spit!'
So, I guess I have to talk to people, now? Hmmm, thank-you, Life.
Posted by: Jo 'Mama' Besser at November 25, 2008 3:19 PM
For some reason, I seem to find the Space Olympics short bizarre, but funny. I think it is the line "the muthafuckin space olympics" that makes it a fav.
Posted by: rose at November 25, 2008 3:26 PM
Jo Mamma, Sofia, Figgy, anybody else
You might already know about it but www.alluc.org usually has links to TV shows + Movies. That might be worth a shot if Hulu won't work.
Posted by: dylanj at November 25, 2008 3:30 PM
Hulu sucks! does anyone know when they are going to open it up? I watched Dr Evil's sing a long blog on it way over here in NZ, so am baffled as to why it wont play nice now......
Posted by: I hate hulu at November 25, 2008 3:30 PM
Alright, good list. I was happy to see Iran So Far which is brilliant. I had never seen Lettuce before, but I still think that 'Dear Sister' was much funnier than all of them and then come on, Space Olympics is fucking classic! Natalie Portman's cool and all, but as far as funny... eh.
Posted by: Ryan at November 25, 2008 3:32 PM
@macafee: i was going to post about doppleganger, but i'm delighted to see you beat me to it. that's always been my favorite digital short.
Though it PAINS me greatly to admit this, because I loathe anything attached to Ashton Kutcher -- I thought "Death By Chocolate" last season was f---ing hilarity.
Hope it works out, because no-one should be banned from Hulu. No one, not even foreigners.
Posted by: Alon at November 25, 2008 4:40 PM
tdehr, I loved Hot Rod too. It was so fucking stupid but I loved it anyway.
Posted by: Snath at November 25, 2008 4:40 PM
First thing: I don't get Natalie Raps. It's cute and weird that she's rapping but I couldn't understand about 90% of what she was rapping therefore it was all visual gags to me and she's so adorable that she really isn't funny to me.
Second: I despise people who say "SNL hasn't been funny for years" or "It was only good with the original cast" or "God the last few years of SNL have sucked" or "I don't watch SNL anymore, I only watch the old episodes with the original cast". Those phrases are most annoying when uttered by people under the age of 30 who weren't even living when the original cast was on SNL.
My mom (who is 52) told me that Saturday Night Live has ALWAYS been hit-or-miss, as is the case with comedy shows. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. My mom's favorite seasons were the ones with (varying cast members, I realize they weren't all on at the same time) Sheri O'Teri, Will Farrell, Maya Rudolph, Jimmy Fallon (he's annoying, but I liked most of the bits he was in) and Molly Shannon.
I understand that my mom's opinion is my mom's opinion but she thinks it's stupid for people to say SNL hasn't been good since the original cast when the original cast sucked as much as any other (except for the 80s, even my mom says that SNL got really stupid in the 80s), they just get major props for being the first.
Posted by: NotBlonde at November 25, 2008 5:19 PM
And just so you know I'm not a complete asshole: I looooove "Lettuce". I have no idea why and it's quite silly, but for whatever reason, I find it funny.
And the Laser Cats. I literally laughed until I cried at that ridiculousness. And People Getting Punched Before Eating. The music in that one just adds the perfect amount of goofiness.
Posted by: Lizzie (greeneyed fem) at November 25, 2008 5:43 PM
Also, 'Natalie Portman Raps' makes me miss Chris Parnell. Anyone else remember his rap about Britney Spears when she was still a sweet, stupid little pop tart? I laughed till it hurt, and my college roommate posted the lyrics on our door so we could sing it to each other at random moments.
I always suspected that he wrote the Natalie rap.
Posted by: Lizzie (greeneyed fem) at November 25, 2008 6:03 PM
Andy Punches! Andy Punches! Come on, people! I am not an across-the-board Samberg lovah but I just can't resist his MURDER!!! dance towards the end. And then, of course, Zombies, and then of course, "Follow your dreams."
It is a gem. Jovi punch!
Posted by: Cara at November 25, 2008 7:15 PM
*LOVE* the Natalie Rap. I think it's funny if you are, like me and Natalie, a super-straight good Jewish girl who was/is vegetarian and went to Harvard...and probably even if you're not.
Also really enjoyed People Getting Punched Before Eating, so I'm kind of sad not to see it here. And even though it's not a digital short, the Chris Parnell rap about Kirsten Dunst from Weekend Update like, years ago was hi-larious!
Posted by: Ariel at November 25, 2008 7:19 PM
Laser Cats. Enough said.
Posted by: Felicia at November 25, 2008 8:03 PM
My Fav is the Natalie rap.I remember when I first saw it I thought it was flawless, except Sandberg was in it. The lettuce one is terrible though. Also Haratio Sanz used to crack me up too with his laughing and forgetting his lines. He actually doen't look the same. He lost 100 lbs.
Posted by: ms shai at November 25, 2008 9:06 PM
"I Ran" is hysterical.
Posted by: samantha t at November 25, 2008 9:11 PM
holy crap, people getting punched before eating wins every time. it has everything- the foo fighters and bon jovi getting punched, murder dance! zombies, and believing in dreams! not gonna lie, it makes me cackle.
i ran is also epic hilarity. esp jake g popping up at the end. bwahah.
I do not generally like Shia, but "The Best Look in the World" always cracks me up, and I sing it at work sometimes. I am super popular.
I don't really enjoy the Natalie Portman rap either, although Laser Cats and Andy Punches are also really funny.
Speaking of Portman, Revenge of the Sith is on right now. Who is worse: Portman/Christensen or Pattinson/Whatsherpickle?
Posted by: llp at November 25, 2008 9:47 PM
I know you said there are no gays in Iran,
but you're in N.Y. now baby!
Classic Ahmadinejad
Posted by: spacey23 at November 25, 2008 10:21 PM
WHOA, where are Roy Rules and Punching People Before Eating?!?!?!?! Those are possibly the best Digital Shorts period, including Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box. For shame.
Posted by: Audiosuede at November 25, 2008 11:42 PM
Uuuf, Sofia. Talvez sea un poco tarde pero...PINCHES pendejos!
Hmm...cual es una buena groseria en Chile? Por estos lados se prefiere "HIJOEPUTA!"
Posted by: figgy at November 26, 2008 1:38 AM
Spacey 23 - I was just reflecting on how funny that line is.
Posted by: samantha t at November 26, 2008 6:34 AM
i only checked to see if you included "the H is O". you didn't. that's nuts.
"the H is O" was ben stiller getting picked up by glen fry (will ferrell) at a bar. it's horrible & awesome!
go find it, pretty please. i've been reading this damn website for 2 years and commenting and i know no one cares, but pretty please!!!!!!!
Posted by: glittergirl at November 26, 2008 3:07 PM
GIRAFFES! but that may have been a sketch, not a short. I pissed myself.
I love getting punched in the face before eating. hilarious. believe in your dreams!!
i loved hot rod. i love andy sandberg. and i really really love bill hader.
Posted by: laurie at November 26, 2008 11:43 PM
Y'know, no matter what, whenever people trash Natalie Portman, I just defend her primarily on instinct. I've just heard people criticize her to some caliber, but I guess the sole reason I absolutely adore her to the very end is because: She was in V For Vendetta.
Now, I have two reasons to love her even more :D
I still hate SNL, quite a fuckload, but that was just awesome.
Posted by: Riley at November 27, 2008 8:55 PM
Am I the only one who thinks "Extreme Activities" is downright hilarious? I also loved "Office Meeting" and didn't get the hoopla over the "Natalie Raps".
Though nothing beats "People getting punched before eating". Nothing.
Posted by: BMG at November 30, 2008 11:53 PM
What's really sad is that there is NO difference between Natalie Raps and everything on MTV.
Ice Ice Baby was, in fact, prophetic.
Posted by: Rick at December 7, 2008 12:52 AM
I love the one they just showed this past weekend, "Jizz in my pants". Haha, that one's halarious.
And I couldn't stop laughing at people getting punched right before eating. So funny.
Posted by: Justin at December 8, 2008 2:58 AM
Natalie Portman's short hair turns me gay everytime I see her.
Iran So Far is probably one of my favorites...but I'm perplexed by the exclusion of Body Fusion, aka, the only thing Drew Barrymore has ever been intentionally funny in.