American Idol has become such a ratings juggernaut that it’s always a little surprising when something actually tops it. The Grammy Awards were able to do just that last week, thanks to the best ratings for the show since 2004. The other big event for the week was the return of Lost on ABC. It didn’t approach the Idol or Grammy numbers, but it did finish the week as the number one scripted show in the adult demo. Granted, it was the season premiere, but knocking off Grey’s, House, 2 ½ Men, and Big Bang Theory is always worth noting. On cable, the big surprise was probably the performance from USA’s White Collar and Psych. Both were well down from last week. Read the rest of this entry »

These days I’m not all that surprised when SNL doesn’t capitalize on what the guest host is most known for, but in this case I’m actually a little surprised we saw really nothing about Ashton Kutcher’s “fame” on Twitter. It was a little surreal seeing Ashton Kutcher broadcast on Ustream before he went on, then left the camera on throughout the episode in his dressing room. Anyway, it looks like we’re off until the 2th.

Cold Open: On the Record with Greta Van Susteren — I loved that the FOX News correspondent was simple “an attractive blond lady.” This sketch had me wondering how often the guest host appeared in the cold open. So far, at least this season, it doesn’t seem it’s that often, probably because the sketch is most times limited to politics and not every host can fit in.
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It seems like only last season that Jon Hamm hosted SNL for the first time. Oh wait, it was last year. It feels a little desperate when this show can’t fit enough unique guests that they already dip into the repeat drawer so quickly.

Cold Open: State of the Union Address – I loved the inclusion of footage from the actual State of the Union address … and the Golden Globes! Seriously, the amount of not only applause, but STANDING applause during these speeches is ridiculous.

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I know a few people were hoping for Sigourney Weaver to do a skit around her role on Ghost Busters. Well, may have not gotten that one, but she at least made reference to two others. Definitely a good sport all around, an OK performance, but not the most memorable guest.

Cold Open: Larry King Live — Nice to see a cold open that’s hitting the topic we all want to see and is NOT a political theme. Also, Jason Sudeikis was pretty damn funny as Letterman. On the other hand, the guy playing Leno (who was that?) was as annoying as … as … well, Leno. So, hey, I guess he did a bang up job.
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Dear lord, the casting folks for SNL must have really been scrounging for someone to host this week to have Charles Barkley on. If someone’s not on to promote something, shouldn’t they at least be able to act somewhat or at least not miss lines? It gets distracting and unfunny when you’ve got someone like that. And no, I definitely don’t lump Christopher Walken into that category!

This was one of my least favorite episodes of the season, for sure. I really hope they step it up a bit next week.

Cold Open: The Situation Room — Put a mustache on Fred Armisen and I guess that’s all the disguise he needs to become the people he’s portraying.

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Got a bunch of holiday cash burning a hole in your pocket? Now, you don’t want to go an spend it all on something silly like clothes, food or bills, do you? NAH! Amazon.com still has you covered with their post-holidays DVD deals. Most of these deals last through at least the next couple of weeks. You can see a more complete list or check out some of our picks below:

• Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series: 50% off (single seasons are also at least 50% off each!)
• Saturday Night Live – The Complete Fourth Season: 71% off ($19.99) — seasons one, two and three are also highly discounted
• Psych: The Complete Third Season: 55% off
• The Complete Monty Python’s 16 Ton Megaset: Flying Circus: 57% off
• Arrested Development – The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3): 55% off

We all wanted to do something festive for the 2009 holiday season, but we didn’t want to do the same thing as we did last year. No, this holiday season we give you our own rendition of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, in our own not-really-twelve and not-at-all-sing-songy way. Enjoy and happy holidays!

On the FIRST day of Christmas, CliqueClack gave to me: one year of witty posts and awesome commenters. Or, one legitimate Heroes death, if you’re not all that jazzed up about us as we are.

On the FIRST DAY AND A HALF of Christmas, NBC gave to me: 1.5 hours of SNL that we wish we could take back from almost every Saturday night.

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