SNL Review -- Ellen Page (from Juno) and Wilco -- 3/1/08

Opening

Rating -- 7

After hearing Hillary mention last week's debate sketch in the Ohio debate, SNL decided to follow up with another debate sketch in which Clinton gets the short end of the stick once again while Obama gets softball questions. Extra points for sticking a pin in Hillary and her shrill demeanor in the beginning of the sketch, and Vincent D'Onofrio's appearance briefly as his Law and Order character.

When Hillary appears, it was genuinely a shock, although maybe not as much as it was when Obama appeared in an earlier show. Seeing Amy Poehler and Hillary Clinton side by side calls attention to just how massive Hillary's face is. I'm taking off a point for letting her say, "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night".

Monologue

Rating - 5

Is it just me or does Ellen Page look like Linda Blair and Nancy McKeon had a kid? And about 12? Andy Samberg as Diablo Cody was amusing, but probably would be better if I'd seen Juno. The "I was a stripper" line was quite funny.

Dakota Fanning Show

Rating - 6

This is the only thing that Amy Poehler does that I find amusing everytime she does it. She captures everything both creepy and endearing about Dakota. Dakota's kid on the street interviews were quite funny. Kenan Thompson's reactions to Dakota's insults are quite amusing. Ellen Page seems to be substituting energy for humor. In the end, the skit wasn't long enough.

The Obama Files -- TV Funhouse

Rating - 9

Didn't get a lot of laughs, but a very funny slam of Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's ego and their irrelevance. The whole idea of Obama sending them out on fishing expeditions was quite funny. The cameos of Clinton and Chuck Norris were quite funny as well.

College for Excellence

Rating - 3

Less than a half hour in and they're already dumping crap. This is a 12:55 sketch, not an 11:55 one. Maybe I missed the joke, or maybe it's funny in New York, but I wasn't laughing.

The Other Boleyn Girls

Rating - 6