I wasn’t going to post anything today but seeing these pictures gave me a sense of urgency not seen since Lord of the Rings nerds tried to explain why the eagles don’t just fly the ring to Mount Doom themselves. Pictures from the set of MacGruber!
I mean, do we live in some sort of bizarro world where MacGruber skits are funny? Has SNL become so bad that the worst skits somehow circle the spectrum from bad back into good again? It’s the only thing that could explain the existence of this movie and the fact that Gilly (Kristen Wiig’s worst character by far) hosted the SNL Christmas special. And really, Ryan Phillippe? Really?
I have been saying for years that SNL’s biggest weakness is that they force feed us characters and tell us it’s funny. Don’t get me wrong, some great characters have come out of SNL, but not for a long time. I still think the worst had to be “Debbie Downer”.
When they first aired Debbie Downer, all of the actors laughed through the skit and the writers thought the skit was a hit. It wasn’t. Sure enough the repeated the bad skit. I blame Jimmy Fallon. No professionalism laughing through skits.
I used to blame Tina Fey, but after the 2008 election and 30 Rock, I now love her.
john: I don’t get why Jimmy Fallon hasn’t been buried alive by the sands of time and eaten by the ants of failure.
I thought the first Debbie Downer skit WAS funny, but only because everyone was cracking up. I normally loathe when they laugh at themselves (ugh, Jimmy Fallon) but it actually worked in that instance. Subsequent Debbie Downer skits just went down the pooper.
What’s MacGruber?
I echo Dave.
Oh, if Mark stops by today …. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HON!!!!
Never heard of MacGruber. It sounds like ‘booger’ though. Unfortunate.
Sigh, what’s a boy to do with his pop culture unsavvy readers?
http://www.hulu.com/search?query=Macgruber&st=0
It could be worse, it could be another 30-minute marathon “What Up With That” skit.
If I have the awful “What Up With That” theme song stuck in my head for the rest of the day I’m hunting you down and killing you.
Ha. I *loved* Jimmy Fallon and his inability to keep himself from laughing during skits. It was fantastic in the “More cow bell” skit. I loved his goofy Christmas song every year. And I love when he does Andy Gibb
.
I enjoyed the first Debbie Downer. Maybe the first two. But they did too many.
I enjoyed the first MacGruber ok. That was more than enough. They have overplayed that a billion times over. The only one they’ve done since the first that was worth anything was when Richard Dean Anderson guest-starred in them.
For those who don’t get it, MacGruber is a very stupid repeating skit based on the old (stupid) MacGyver TV show, which starred Richard Dean Anderson (later of Stargate SG1 fame), and which was famous for the way the title character got himself out of every possible jam with whatever he could find on hand. Like he could build a bomb out of a toothpick and a length of dental floss. That sort of thing. The SNL skit by contrast has the MacGruber character rattling on so long about something stupid, instead of using his incredible skills, that the characters get blown up by the end of the skit while he is in mid-sentence.
MacGyver (and Richard Dean Anderson) are often also credited for the popularization of the Mullet. For which (even if true) I forgive RDA, despite the horror which is the mullet. He was super cool in SG1.
Why Craig, are you particularly prone to getting songs stuck in your head? One could use that to one’s advantage
Ummm, they don’t let us subversive Canadians (or those saucy Brits – sorry Milo) watch hulu. We are banned baby, banned.
I do however think RDA is hot, even when he had a mullet. But then who didn’t at that time?
Me. I hated mullets then. Just like I hated everything about the 70s when it still was the 70s. The hair, the clothes, the decor. The polyester, the browns, the oranges, the yellows. The browns. The beiges. The browns. The handlebar moustaches. The mutton-chop sideburns. Not that I’ve ever had the *remotest* fashion-sense. I just hated the way everything looked, smelled, and sounded, pretty much. I didn’t get into music or popular culture until the very end of the 70s / beginning of the 80s.
I didn’t think RDA was good-looking when he was younger. I thought he was *HOT* in SG1. And it’s rare for me to be attracted to a man over 40, let alone over 50.
I have no clue what MacGruber is…but I LOVE Kristen Wiig! Yay! Virgania Horsen: Pony Exxxxxxpressssss!
Craig: Exactly my point, it was only funny because they laughed, the skit itself wasn’t funny. They thought it was and continued to bring the character back for subsequent skits. Awful stuff.
Cupcake: I’m totally confused as well.
Justin: Sorry but I hated that he laughed through every skit, I found it completely unprofessional. When it happened genuinely to other cast members, that was fine, because it was rare. He did it all the time and it always felt like an attention getting scheme to me. I will couch this by saying that I may be biased as I have a complete irrational hatred for Jimmy Fallon (along with nickles and coat hangers).
Mark: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Tam: You are soo sweet for remembering everyone’s birthday. If I were in Canada, I might have to stop by and kiss you.
Tam: *kiss kiss* in a totally platonic and friendly way.
Unless…..
Haha
Do only the straight boys get to give you smooches, Tam? 
Nope, I’ll take them anyway they come Justin. *smooch* (No tongue for you though.)
I enjoy MacGruber but can’t stand Gilly. Kristin Wigg in any other skit is usually very funny.
I haven’t liked anything on SNL since “Dick in a Box” wait, was that SNL?
The cracking up during the Debbie Downer skit amused me too. And Will Forte or Bill Hader (I never bothered to learn which is which) trying so hard not to laugh in the Kenan Scared Straight skits is funny. Also, Harvey Korman breaking up over Tim Conway’s antics during the Carol Burnett show. Old school, baby!
So, I take it that someone is making a movie based on an SNL skit.
When I was a kid I had acquaintances that would regurgitate in-jokes from SNL. I didn’t watch SNL much. It just seemed to have a zany = funny mentality that I didn’t care for. Absurdity in and of itself was not usually enough for me to find funny.
I can’t stand Gilly, or the character in the Target store she also plays, or the stupid aunt that gives movie reviews that go “Oh Brother”.
“Dick in a Box” was great. Their follow-up to it, last year, “Jizzed in my pants”, was also a riot, though not as great as “Dick in a Box”.
Tam — thanks for the smooch. And thanks for the “no tongues” part — I do appreciate it. My days of trying my best to be straight and sleeping with women are long past
I agree with Justin. The first Macgruber was funny. But as I recall, they showed four like three minutes skits of Macgruber spaced throughout the one show, each one getting more ridiculous and less funny.
Not really a fan of Gilly, but I think Kristen Wiig can do no wrong, generally.
Debbie Downer I thought was pretty funny. Especailly the one with Lindsay Lohan when they were in Disneyworld. ALL of them laughed, even Debbie Downer herself.
I don’t have too much of a problem with SNL now. I remember how HORRIBLE it was in the mid to late 80′s, after Eddie Murphy, before Phil Hartman. Those were just painful to wach.
HUGS>..
Oh, SNL has gone through many horrible parts since then. Remember the low point when Mark from Kids in the Hall was in the show? (And he’s great in Kids and in Slings and Arrows!)
The new Kids in the Hall shows starts here tomorrow night I think. To be honest I’ve never seen their show. That’s probably some kind of Canadian sin.
Tam, firstly, I NEED to know when it airs in the states and on what channel and at what time!! And secondly, if you Canadian but never seen the Kids In The Hall, that may not be a Canadian sin, but it DAMN sure is a mortal sin!
HUGS…
Polt — agreed.
Tam — please tell me you at least saw Slings and Arrows. Some of the most brilliant, witty, glorious tv not just to come out of Canada but out of anywhere ever!
I would watch a 30 minute “What Up With That?” marathon just to watch Jason Sudeikis crumble into a red track suited heap around the 25 minute mark. I seriously can’t take my eyes off of his carrying on in that skit.
If they include MacGruber’s descent into ping pong ball antics, this movie might be worth a Netflix…