Like an obese friend who swears "Oh, yeah...I could totally run a 5K" or that borderline alcoholic chum who promises that he won't be drinking at tonight's party of the year, telling anyone that you plan to watch all 90 minutes of "Saturday Night Live" these days may very well be biting off more than you can chew. Unless you're simply a compulsive sadist (and I know that some of you are), sitting through four MacGruber sketches, any of the fifteen eerily-similar Kristen Wiig characters, and virtually any skit that involves the loveable but mostly unamusing Kenan Thompson is enough to make more than a few people opt to watch "The Human Centipede" rather than "SNL".
Sure the show has had highlights in recent years: Tina Fey's dead-on Sarah Palin impression. Will Ferrell's immortal George W. Bush. Roughly one in five "Digital Shorts" are actually pretty funny. But, in general, the show no longer seems to try the way it once did. Premises and characters are constantly recycled, regardless of how many chuckles they elicited the first time (read: "Target Lady", "Gilly", "Hota and Kathie Lee", "What Up With That?", "The Lawrence Welk Show", etc.), and seldom do the actors even seem to bother learning their lines or even determining exactly how they plan to make the sketch memorable. A painful lack of the show's classic originality and genuine social/entertainment observations only round out the show's 21st Century decline. On the plus side, "SNL" has hit rock-bottom before and I hope that there will always be a future for the show.
Accordingly, I was perusing the "Internets" and found several lists of "Dream Hosts" that a few bloggers hoped would rejuvenate Saturday Night Live. Most of them were just plain awful. For example, one guy listed "Benjamin Franklin", as if it would be a good idea to take one of history's most reputable statesmen and quick wits and subject him to the hit-and-miss labors of sketch comedy. Another person listed "Katt Williams" as their NUMBER ONE pick for stars who need to host SNL. Against the vast wealth of thespians and comedians from which to choose, this person chose the veritable offspring of D.L. Hughley and Lil' Wayne. I'm not saying Katt Williams doesn't make me chuckle on occasion, but THAT'S YOUR NUMBER ONE?? But I digress.
The following...is my dream list.
15. Johnny Depp - Would probably be a bit of a heavyweight for the current cast of the show, but then the same could be said of almost everyone on my list. As much as I would love to see Depp host, I simply cannot imagine it. What kind of sketch would they put him in, aside from the inevitable "Pirates" rip-off? I'd love to see him host, but only if he was allowed to pick the musical act that accompanies him, as well.
14. Sam Rockwell - This seems like a more feasible pick. Rockwell's proven his range in everything from "Choke" to "Moon" and "Iron Man 2", as well as his comedy chops in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Galaxy Quest". He's a real talent. Too good to waste on "SNL", in fact, but I'd still watch it. Sounds like he'd be a good guest for "Laser Cats: Part 11", or whatever the hell they're on.
13. John Cusack - His sister was on the show, but I was surprised to discover that Mr. Cusack has never hosted. I imagine that, like all John Cusack films, any episode he hosted would be "So-so, but John Cusack was good in it". Seems appropriate for Saturday Night Live.
12. Cloris Leachman - Forget Betty White. This is the host I'd suffer 90 minutes of "SNL" to see, but only if she gets to host with "Bone Thugs N Harmony".
11. David Beckham & Brett Favre - Doing double-duty. I imagine they would host at least once and then swear never to do it again, only to host the following season. Also, Beckham would sprain his ankle halfway through the show...and choke on the final sketch.
10. Samuel L. Jackson - The man only hosted once in 1998 with Ben Folds Five. That should tell you just how long it's been. The song "Brick" was a chart-topper. Also, Samuel L. Jackson had yet to complete some of his best work to date, including "Snakes on a Plane" and "Deep Blue Sea". How can you not make a good episode out of a universally-beloved star who is practically a caricature of himself??
9. John Cleese - Eric Idle and Michael Palin were regular hosts back in "SNL"'s early years, but John Cleese never made more than a cameo somewhere in the 90s, at least to my knowledge. He's not exactly in prime form nowadays, but I'd still love to see him pop in for a night.
8. Leonardo DiCaprio - Here's someone who has plenty of room to laugh at himself, while also being a hugely talented actor. Say what you will, you know it's true.
7. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Seems like a no-brainer. The man can do anything.
6. Harrison Ford - As bad as "Saturday Night Live" is, it would still be among the most watchable things Harrison Ford has been a part of in years. He seems a bit grumbly now in his old years, but it blows my mind that he never hosted. I'm not sure he has a penchant for comedy, but it would still be nice to see him take a swing at "SNL" to promote "Cowboys and Aliens". At the very least, I would watch it just for how surreal it would be to see him host.
5. Brad PItt - Again, seems like a no brainer. Brad Pitt can be absolutely hilarious (read: "Inglourious Basterds") and he has no trouble being the butt of a joke. If "Saturday Night Live" had better writers, I'd rank this potential host even higher.
4. Meryl Streep - By herself. Lose the rest of the cast for a night. I want Meryl Streep and only Meryl Streep carrying the entire show. With musical guest: Seal...played by Meryl Streep (WHAT?!?).
3. Christoph Waltz - This must happen.
2. Stephen Colbert - A consistent contributor to the show for years, it's time he finally got his due. This is among the few hosts who simply could not be unfunny, regardless of the material.
1. Robert Downey Jr. - Okay, I know he already hosted in 1996 with Fiona Apple, but here's another example (like Samuel L. Jackson...hey! He was Nick Fury!) of someone whose musical guest accompaniment should tell you just how long it's been since he last took the stage at "SNL". Since Robert Downey Jr. hosted, he has been busted and arrested for drugs countless times, served a year in prison, made a couple of botched attempts to save his career, been widely frowned upon by the entire country, released a poorly-received musical album (look it up if you don't believe me), and climbed forth from the refuse of his own mistakes to become one of the world's most beloved leading men. He has been perfect in two "Iron Man" films and earned an Oscar nod for "Tropic Thunder", a movie that didn't exactly scream Oscar contender at the time of its relase. If "Saturday Night Live" is to be revived, who better than a former SNL alum and someone who has finally revived his own career and become a veritable superstar? This one just makes sense.
No comments:
Post a Comment