Drew Barrymore / Macy Gray

It's the third episode of the season already. I figured there may be a bit of tension in the studio after anthrax was discovered in the building just a day earlier, but it didn't seem to affect the show. I had pretty low expectations for this show, especially about Macy Gray as a musical guest, but I figured I'd just have to wait and see how the show turned out.

[ COLD OPENING ] Dick Cheney

Although this wasn't as good as a Bush opening would've been, this was a very clever idea and was written well. Darrell's impression gets better and better as the shows go on. I especially loved Dick's heart device that even brews his coffee. The razor and shaving cream added a nice touch to the end as well. A good opening.

RATING : 8/10

[ MONOLOGUE ] Drew Barrymore

Well, here's the mention of the anthrax. Thank god they didn't let Tom speak. I didn't really find this monologue funny or amusing at all. A real bore.

RATING : 4/10

[ SKETCH ] Crossing Over with John Edward

It's about time SNL pokes fun at those ridiculous psychics! "I'm seeing a J, or an R, K? Maybe a G or a P or an H. Am I sensing an S connection?" Hilarious! An excellent way to depict how dumb those call-in infomercials really are.

RATING : 9/10

[ SKETCH ] The Luvahs

I can't believe they're still trying to make this sketch funny. Although I do admit, this was easily the best of all of them. My favorite part was how everyone in the "hottub" cracked up at one point or another. And the back joke at the end was classic as well. Not nearly as bad as I expected when the sketch started.

RATING : 7.5/10

[ SKETCH ] Willy Wonka DVD

Dumb and pointless. This is definitely something I'd expect to see at the very end of the show. However, I really liked Maya's Nelly Furtado impression...maybe they can incorporate that into some other sketches. Hey, it would be better than those Gemini's Twin sketches over and over.

RATING : 5/10

[ CARTOON ] Fun With Real Audio : Emeril

This is one of the first Smigel pieces I've really enjoyed in a long time. It was just non stop laughter at the ridiculous ideas that the NBC executives come up with to improve the show. I found this very enjoyable and not even offensive. 

RATING : 7.5/10

[ SKETCH ] First Liberty Savings Bank

Another good idea, but I think it could probably have been funnier if the writers had spent more time writing it. Either way, the "oh and dad, I'm gay" bit at the end added a nice touch and caught you off guard.

RATING : 6/10

[ MUSIC ] Macy Gray

Ohhh, fun..... I think we've finally exceeded Radiohead's performance....

[ WEEKEND UPDATE ] With Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey

This was definitely the best Weekend Update yet this season, and quite possibly better than all others last season. The jokes were all hilarious, the Gay Hitler segment was incredibly funny, and there was even some commentary from former WU anchor Colin Quinn. The entire segment was a great piece of comedy, well worthy of the '10' I gave it.

RATING : 10/10

[ SKETCH ] Action Talk Show

Alright, I have no idea why, but I found the opening credits and the dance fight with the bear extremely hilarious. I laughed through the entire first bit of the sketch. But then it got really unfunny really fast. That really brought the rating down. Once again, I think this could've been a sketch that would have been very funny if more time was spent writing the jokes.

RATING : 6/10

[ SKETCH ] WUUB Prime Time Theater : King Kong

Ahh, this was a great sketch, especially since the show was winding down. I loved how everything was edited due to 'sensitive content'. "King Kong is going to climb the World Trad....CHRYSLER BUILDING..." It was also great how they used WUUB station employees to act out edited scenes from the movie, and how they edited in parts from other shows on the network. It seems like there's a lot of cracking up by the cast members tonight, I doubt Lorne will be thrilled about that.

RATING : 7/10

[ SKETCH ] Lesbian Singing Duo

This wasn't funny at all, and the whole "feminine river" bit was just disgusting.

RATING : 1/10

[ MUSIC ] Macy Gray

Oh good, she gets to sing (if you can call that singing) twice! Fun!

[ NOVEL ] My Big Thick Novel By Jack Handey

"I can see a world where dinosaurs have some say, but not ruling!" What can I say...a typical Handey I suppose!

RATING : 3/5*
* - not counted towards episode's final rating

   [ OVERALL RATING ] 65 / 100

   [ BEST SKETCH ] Crossing Over with John Edward ( 9 )

   [ BEST QUOTE ] "We should mention that although the waters above appear calm, below the surface there is frenzy of activity." - Will Ferrell as Roger, referring to the hot tub.

   [ POINTS OF INTEREST ] Tom Green makes a cameo appearance during the monologue. Colin Quinn returns to Weekend Update for a guest commentary. Jack Handey is back again with another entry to his "Big Thick Novel".

Well, with a final rating of 65, I can say that this show was just about average, maybe higher. There were some good sketches, but nothing too special. With two weeks off, I'm expecting big things from episode number four. Also, at the time that I'm writing this review, I know that Creed will be performing in a few weeks. I'm now super psyched because they're my favorite band. So, I suppose I have a lot to look forward to.