There was a time not so long ago when I was convinced that Anne Hathaway was the WORST. Sure, her willingness to get naked at the drop of a hat has always been a reason not to entirely write her off, but all the while she was dating that shady hedge fund con man dude there was something totally off-putting emanating from her. (Plus, I saw her on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards a few years back and she was kind of acting like a huge you-know-what). It wasn’t until she hosted SNL for the first time two years ago that I actually realized that she had a personality, good comedic timing and some pipes to boot.
So, natch, it was with great anticipation that I watched this weekend’s episode. Based on the hilarious previews, I figured that the show would be pretty good, but I had no idea that it would turn out as well as it did. During her two appearances on the show, Hathaway has, dare I say, established herself as the best young female host* that has graced the stage of Studio 8H in some time. Her Katie Holmes impression ALONE earned her the right to come back and host again; hope you were taking notes, Emma Stone. Additionally, she showed off her impressive vocal prowess with a knock ‘em down take on “Over The Rainbow,” and her work as a stressed (and meth’d?) housewive in the MegaMart Black Friday sketch was perfectly manic. Hey Lorne, think there’s any chance we can have Hathaway back to host again this season?
So, we’re all agreed that Hathaway rules, but what about the rest of the cast? Follow along for our weekly look at who’s in and out of Dr. Evil Lorne’s doghouse, Bwe.tv’s SNL Power Rankings.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE POWER RANKINGS: 11/20/10 (Host: Anne Hathaway; Musical Guest: Florence & The Machine)
1. Bill Hader (44 points): Hader’s chameleon-like abilities played to everyone’s advantage this week, as evidenced by his varied turns as a vaguely predatory TSA agent, a well-past-his-prime TV reporter and, of all things, the Cowardly Lion. However, we really love the comedic chemistry that he’s developed with Fred Armisen over the years (see also: “Clearing The Air”, directed by Noah Baumbach). The cockney swagger they injected into their skit about the Royals was certainly the highlight of the evening.
2. Kristin Wiig (38 points): While it cannot be argued that Kristen Wiig has managed to run many of the characters she launched into the ground, for this viewer, Penelope is NOT one of them. Her desperate games of oneupmanship (is that even a word?) still have some spark left in them after all these years. Wiig’s Dolores O’Riordan impression, though, could use some work.
3. Bobby Moynihan (36 points): BRING BACK MARK PAYNE! You know me, had to get that in there. Anyhoo, this week marked Moynihan’s best on the show since, well, the two times he got to play Mark Payne. His animated performance in the MegaMart commercial really sold what otherwise could’ve been a flat skit, and his Guy Fieri — a repeat performance — was suitably nutso. All in all, a strong week for one of UCB NY’s finest alums.
4. Jason Sudeikis (33 points): It’s kind of been an off-year for Jason Sudeikis. It’s tough to explain what’s been missing from his game most of this season, but he really made the most of his opportunities this week. He made the creative decision to play Billy Ray Cyrus as if he were soaked in pathos, which substantially improved the character that Bryan Cranston pioneered in the season’s second episode. Hopefully this week means great things are to come for the 35 year-old Kansas native.
5. Kenan Thompson (27 points): He was there, he hit his cues, he went home. Not much else to say about Kenan’s work this week.
6. Fred Armisen (25 points): I’ve already lauded his hilariously aggressive turn as the Queen of England, but it was his work as neurotic “New York actor” Lon Donsen that had me ROTFLing on Saturday night. Who else in the cast is capable of bringing a character like this to life? Answer: No one.
7. Andy Samberg (22 points): There was no Digital Short this week! What gives, Lonely Island?
8. Nasim Pedrad (20 points): Nasim continues to outshine her other Featured Player peers, but she didn’t get much of a chance to strut her stuff this week. She played supporting characters in all four of the sketches she appeared in on this episode.
9. Abby Elliott (14 points): Her Rachel Maddow was serviceable, I suppose, but where, I ask, are the LULZ? Unless she makes some dramatic improvement during the second two-thirds of this season, this weak link of the Repertory Player chain might find herself with a lot more time to go on auditions at this time next year.
10. (tie) Vanessa Bayer, Taran Killam (11 points): How cool is Bayer’s Miley Cyrus? PRETTY COOL. Not only does she absolutely nail the general lack of familiarity with history and thinly veiled contempt for elders that many of today’s Millenials possess, but her command over Miley’s lexicon is quite staggering. I really like Bayer’s future on the show. If she’s this good as a Featured Player, imagine how strong she’ll get once Wiig cedes the spotlight!
12. Jay Pharoah (7 points): Jay, you’re impression of Jay-Z was the toppermost, but your Drake and Biggie were definitely not as strong. Also, as my old buddy Nummer first pointed out to me, why in tarnation — yes, apparently I’m Foghorn Leghorn all of a sudden — were you wearing a “Jay Pharoah” t-shirt during your Weekend Update bit? You do realize that you get your very own chyron when you wheel out on stage, don’t you? Lose the ‘tude!
13. Paul Brittain (6 points): I’m sure the potential is there, but the results so far this season for both Brittain and Taran Killam have been a smidge on the disappointing side.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE POWER RANKINGS: SEASON 36 TOTALS
1. Kristin Wiig (226 points; Last Week: #1)
2. ⇑ Bill Hader (218 points; Last Week: #3)
3. ⇓ Fred Armisen (207 points; Last Week: #2)
4. Andy Samberg (192 points; Last Week: #4)
5. Kenan Thompson (167 points; Last Week: #5)
6. Jason Sudeikis (139 points; Last Week: #6)
7. Bobby Moynihan (131 points; Last Week: #7)
8. Nasim Pedrad (118 points; Last Week: #8)
9. Taran Killam (100 points; Last Week: #9)
10. ⇑ Vanessa Bayer (96 points; Last Week: #10)
11. ⇑ Abby Elliott (85 points; Last Week: #13)
12. ⇓ Jay Pharoah (84 points; Last Week: #11)
13. ⇓ Paul Brittain (78 points; Last Week: #12)
*Of course, we are immediately excluding former stars of the show, like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, from our considerations because DUH. Apples, oranges, yada yadds.
Reference Materials:
Need a refresher on the Scoring System?
Here’s this week’s sketch-by-sketch breakdown:
Also, did you know that we’re showing classic episodes of SNL every night on VH1? It’s true!
