RIP Saturday Night Live Live

I've discontinued watching Saturday Night Live live these days.  Sad but true, I don't have a recorder of any kind.  I've also stopped blogging regularly on the new episodes.  While there is some worthwhile content every now and again, it just isn't worth staying up (or home) for.  What has been an on-again-off-again staple over the decades for me is now fading to black.  I still may catch clips off the NBC website (I imagine there will be a weening off period, as I'm never good with going cold turkey) as I did this morning while exercising.  They usually post all but one or two skits and I never paid close enough attention to discern their methodology behind what makes it on the site and what doesn't. 

From what I saw of last night's episode, the multi-talented Jamie Foxx (whom I've never been too crazy about) was game for putting on a great show.  In his opening monologue, he told a lot of jokes (mostly about race) and then sang while playing the piano.  You can tell he was probably full of ideas and contributed to the content, because he was in practically every skit, including the prerecorded sketch AND a special correspondent spot on Weekend Update (as a Hostess Ding Dong--props to the costumer).  The non-live portion of the show was the best, which had Foxx playing Tyler Perry as Alex Cross AND Madea in one body (in another costuming stroke of genius, which looked like a higher-budget version of Horazio Sanz as Elton John/Rosie O'Donnell singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," back in the day).  Kate McKinnon was nowhere to be seen, so I only can assume that she was too under the weather to perform.  Nasim Pedrad only made one bit.  Bill Hader and Fred Armisen completely broke character multiple times while playing valets, due to perhaps some off-camera antics.  The writing wasn't anything special and it was actually funnier to watch them try to maintain composure, which is great in the moment, but, in retrospect, doesn't really speak to the quality of the show.  Dermot Mulroney made a cameo appearance during a game show segment poking fun at the name similarities between himself and Dylan McDermott (did I get the spelling right, LOL?), while three black contestants (a record for SNL?) try to guess which one is which. 

In one segment called "Maine Justice," white residents with money affected by Hurricane Katrina have relocated or spend half their time in the most Northeastern state.  The courtroom skit has Jason Sudeikis as a New Englander judge with a Southern accent and Foxx as his bailiff.  At one point, their characters share an uproarious laugh and Sudeikis leans over to Foxx and randomly kisses his arm.  Did you catch that?  Not a big deal, of course, but just so inexplicably random.  Haven't seen anything on the internet yet. 

There was a bit involving Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong (who gets an abnormal amount of airtime as one of the new kids on the block) playing former prostitutes pushing Swarvoski crystals.  Their characters are pretty braindead and possess no self-respect, but are easily distracted by big, sparkly cut-rate diamonds.  While they were mildly amusing, sometimes I wonder if the SNL writing staff views their audience the same way.