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Videos: Michael Keaton Brings Showtime To <em>Saturday Night Live</em>
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 5, 2015
Modified Apr 5, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 5, 2015
Modified Apr 5, 2015
Share
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After last week's fun episode with The Rock, Michael Keaton returned to Saturday Night Live last night for his third time hosting (and first since 1992). He brought a raised eyebrow and devilish grin to a very good episode that included some Batman/Beetlejuice references, the best monologue of the year, a Mike O'Brien joint, Jebediah Atkinson, and a classic 10-to-1 weirdo sketch. Click through for some awards.
Best Sketch Of The Night: There were a lot of solid candidates for this one (including the Monologue, Prom Queen, Easter Candy) but we're giving it to the period-piece (period='90s) perfect Neurotology Music Video, a send-up of Scientology...err, Neurotology, that happens to look a lot like Scientology, not that is IS Scientology, it just resembles it, if you squint.
Best Eyebrow Raise Of The Season: Keaton was one of the best hosts of the entire season, even making the weaker material (Smart House, CEO Lunch) tolerable with his gung-ho delivery. The Monologue was hilarious, catchy, oddly sentimental but not too sweet; having Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan as audience-surrogates who just want to play Batman with Keaton really hit the spot. And the 10-to-1 sketch Easter Candy (a pseudo-sequel to Edward Norton's Halloween sketch last season) let Keaton go full weirdo, aided by hilarious cameos by Moynihan and Kate McKinnon (who had a somewhat quiet night otherwise).
Worst Sketch Of The Night: We have a three-way tie this week (although none of the three sketches were bad compared to similarly weak ones from earlier this season). Smart House was intolerably awkward (unlike the magnificent Easter Candy one later in the episode), CEO Lunch never quite took off (despite Keaton really elevating the boner jokes with his teeth-gnashing delivery), and the cold open (which was just a bit boring, rather than bad).
Best CNN Parody Of Forever: SNL likes skewering cable news, but they rarely reach the heights of Daily Show in doing so. They nailed it tonight though by focusing on the ridiculous ways CNN tries to pad out their programs with reenactments and recreations, including the graphics from the "Money For Nothing" music video, puppetry, and the laugh-out-loud funny Keaton dance routine.
Mike O'Brien Award For Most Mike O'Brien-ish Sketch Of The Night: Despite being demoted back to the writers room, O'Brien got his fourth sketch on air last night (once again with his own imprint, "A Mike O'Brien Picture"). This time he puts his unique spin on the classic prom bet storyline (see: 10 Things I Hate About You), only with his signature blend of surreal humor and deep-rooted sadness.
The Three Questions Of The Week: Will Mike O'Brien be brought back to the cast next season? Has SNL tired of Kyle Mooney/Beck Bennett joints? And who is better at eyebrow raising: The Rock or Keaton?
The Stefon Award For Most Welcome Recurring Character: Not too many recurring characters/sketches this episode, so it's an easy win for Jebediah Atkinson, who has some polarizing views on the golden age of television.
The Honorary Really? What The Hell Is Going On With Weekend Update? Award: Weekend Update hit a seeming peak of the Jost/Che era two episodes ago, but it seems things are still a bit shaky. Atkinson was great as always and resident young person Pete Davidson had some fun with Norman Reedus. Jost and Che seem like they're friend in real life—at the very least, they seem like they're the biggest fans of each other—but they still feel disjointed delivering one-liners.
Click through for all those sketches plus music from Carly Rae Jepsen. Taraji P. Henson will host next week with musical guest Mumford & Sons.
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michael keaton
saturday night live
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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