(S34E10) The majority of this episode was pretty good. John Malkovich didn't contain the same contagious energy as other hosts this season, like Anne Hathaway or Tim McGraw, but infused the episode with his own... Malkovich-ness. Anyone that has seen his work knows what I'm talking about. I especially liked it when he introduced the musical guest(s), because it was hilariously obvious that he's never heard of any of these guys. Speaking of the musical guests, does T.I. really have a song about waving Gucci scarves in the air instead of dancing at the club? I feel like that's more of a surefire way to get shot at a club than carrying a gun in your sweatpants.


Cold Open: Amy Poehler is back as Hillary Clinton! This also gave an excuse for Darrell Hammond to wander around in front of the camera again. Seriously, won't someone please let this man go home? I hope someone new plays Hillary Clinton soon, because A) Amy deserves a baby break and B) her Hillary impression is terrible. I've complained about it before, so I'll spare you, but if there is still any doubt, just try listening to her without the visual next time.



Monologue: They did a fine job taking advantage of the tone inherent to everything John Malkovich does. Also, the tech geek in me couldn't help but marvel at the speed and elegance with which they prepared that Christmas set. This bit dragged on a bit long, but it was cute.



"La Rivista Della Televisione con Vinny Vedecci": This was one of the better Vinny Vedecci sketches we have seen. They broke slightly from the normal formula, and I think it really worked this time. Plus, Bill Hader's Malkovich impression and Bobby Moynihan's smoking kid were pretty wonderful.



"Cool": This is probably the best that Fred Armisen has ever sounded as Barack Obama. I spent this whole sketch trying to figure out if it was because they took advantage of this pre-taped nature and pitched him down.



Digital Short: "Virgania Horsen's Pony Express": Virgania Horsen's Balloon Rides ad was absolutely hilarious and this almost hit the same mark, but fell just short. I suppose it had a lot to live up to.



"Weekend Update": Amy! Good to see her again. I wonder what they've contractually worked out with her, because from everything I heard after she had her baby, she wasn't coming back, and I thought her "Cold Open" was just a special appearance. I was briefly weirded out that the fellow on TV playing Boy George was also probably going to play Barack Obama for the next four years. The Plaxico Burress bit was too easy, because the original situation is brilliance that not even the greatest comedy writer can create. Come on! A gun in sweat pants. Already hilarious. The 9 year-old's advice was all right as well.







Digital Short: "J*** in My Pants": I almost hurt myself, I was laughing so hard. The special apperance by Justin Timberlake was absolutely marvelous, and Molly SIms and Jamie-Lynn Sigler were fun surprises. I was also thrilled -- probably too thrilled -- to see Jorma Taccone, long-time collaborator with Andy Samberg and SNL writer, play such a prominent role in this sketch. Akiva Schaffer was also part of the Lonely Island group with the boys and he played the silent DJ in this sketch. I have my fingers crossed that this means Jorma will be doing more things in front of the camera and this was just a slight testing of the waters.



"Calculator": Everyone watching with me sat through this sketch with a furrowed brow, totally confused. I was waiting for a horrible Se7en-like twist, honestly.



After finishing this review, I poked around the Internetz for a decent MP3 of "J*** in My Pants" and I'm suddenly seeing all this stuff about the song being the first single off the Lonely Island's debut album, "INCREDIBAD", coming out in February. The sources are sketchy at best and I haven't heard anything else about it, but I would keep an eye out anyway.