Top Sketches To Get You In The Holiday Spirit by Katie Conway Saturday, December 24, 2016 - 0

It’s the most wonderful, holly jolly, and often stressful time of year. Between insane shopping sessions, ringing up those festive lights, preparing for obnoxious party guests, and posing for that uncomfortable sweater-filled family photo, we could all could use a laugh during the holiday season. So grab some eggnog and a gingerbread cookie (or two), ‘cause here are the best Saturday Night Live sketches sure to get you in a festive mood! 

Santa’s My Boyfriend (2006)

A classic cold open, featuring the talented vocals and comedic chops of legendary cast members Poehler, Wiig, and Rudolph. 

Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish (1991)

This sketch patiently builds up and only gets better as it goes along, rewarding us with a perfect bit about what we really want for Christmas. Peace and harmony for all the little children of the world? Forget it! Steve Martin wants money, power, sex, and revenge. 

NPR’s Delicious Dish Schweddy Balls (1998)

This NPR spoof is an SNL Holiday Special staple! The dry radio-broadcast humor of Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer with all-star Alec Baldwin always brings about a chuckle. I’m also pretty sure this could win an award for the most “ball” jokes stuffed into a 6-minute sketch. Be sure to order your Schweddy Balls from Season’s Eatings in time for your Christmas Eve Party today!

Adam Sandler and The Hanukkah Song (1994)

One of Adam Sandler’s most genuine and hilarious moments on Saturday Night Live. Since there wasn’t enough songs about Hanukkah growing up, Sandler poured his heart into a catchy, smart, and fun song for the next generation of Jewish kids who only hear Christmas tunes on the radio. And boy, has this jingle cemented itself in SNL History and pop culture! 

(Do It On My) Twin Bed (2013)

A revolutionary sketch about trying to get it on when you’re home for the holidays in your childhood bedroom. The concept may be ok, but it was a breath of fresh air to see every single female cast member in one digital short. I’m talking Kate, Cecily, Noel, Vanessa, Nasim, and your lil’ Baby Aidy. Highlights include yearbook photo throwbacks and Jimmy Fallon’s rap sequence. 

Dick in a Box (2009) 

This Lonely Island special featuring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake may be a bit ridiculous, but it’s only grown more and more popular over time. If anyone other than Samberg or Timberlake attempted this bit, it definitely wouldn’t have worked out. They embody everything that is smooth, fresh, and delightfully awkward. Follow these steps to show your loved ones how much you really care this year!  

St. Joseph’s Christmas Mass Spectacular (2014)

What do you get when you mix MTV with Christmas Mass? Something really awesome, dude! Join the cast of SNL at church (on a Thursday) with some of your favorite hardcore churchgoers - atheist teens, Mr. Drubbler and his sweaty palms, Linda the hot-mess organ player, and Colleen Chapin who can’t wait to speak at the podium. 

Christmas Time for the Jews (2005)

A claymation short that looks to be from the era of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Year Without a Santa Clause,” with a song about the time of year when those who celebrate Christmas are finally off the streets, and its time for the Jewish to have some fun and take on the town - seeing King Kong without a line, and eating in Chinatown while drinking sweet wine. 

Glengarry Glen Christmas (2005)

Alec Baldwin isn’t playing around as the manager in a sketch about Santa’s Elves and their very serious jobs. Also starring Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Seth Meyers, we can’t help but laugh when cute mixes with corporate. Note: Seth tries to hold back a giggle when Baldwin mispronounces “cobbling.”

The Christmas Candle (2016)

Ok, I know this one is very recent, but I think it deserves a place on the list! SNL shorts are usually hit or misses, and this one is a pretty big hit. 80’s music video vibes, Emma Stone, and a peach scented candle that unites us all - what more could you ask for?

Hillary Actually (2016)

Yes, we’re all still mourning Hillary Clinton’s presidential loss from this November. But maybe we can convince enough electoral voters to not vote for Trump if we just hold up a bunch of signs - Love Actually style - with reasons why they should become faithless electors. ’Tis the season for miracles, after all! Having Kate McKinnon do it as Hillary Clinton isn’t a bad idea either - take a look at her masterful performance below: 

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Women Take Over “Best Comedy Album” Grammy Nominations by Katie Conway Friday, December 23, 2016 - 0

The Grammys: A night of music appreciation and celebration, where we worship the likes of musical legends such as Beyoncé, Adele, Kanye, and…Amy Schumer? For those who are unfamiliar with this award show, The Grammys not only honor those who have contributed to the music industry, but for those who have recored comedy specials, too! And this year, The 59th Annual Grammy Awards are breaking a huge glass ceiling.

For the first time in Grammy history, women hold the majority for nominations in the ‘Best Comedy Album’ category. These women include Margret Cho for American Myth, Tig Notaro for Boyish Girl Interrupted, and Amy Schumer for Live At The Apollo - who also happens to be nominated for ‘Best Spoken Word Album’ for her memoir The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo. This is Cho’s 4th nomination following her recognition for 2011’s Cho Dependent, 2004’s Revolution, and 2002’s I’m the One that I Want. Notaro was also nominated previously in 2014 for her comedy album Live. This is Schumer’s first Comedy Album nomination, but you can read about her incredible journey on to becoming the highest paid female comedian here. Other nominees in this category include David Cross for America…Great… and Patton Oswalt’s Talking for Clapping. 

The award for ‘Best Comedy Album’ has been mainly male dominated in the past, which has been received at the Grammys from 1959-1993, then again from 2014 - present day. The category has been won by some of the most recognized names in comedy, such as George Carlin, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Louis C.K., etc. Many women have been nominated in this category before, but never have there been three women at once. In the show’s 59-year history, only 5 women have actually won the award. This includes Jo Stafford alongside Paul Weston in 1961, Elaine May with Mike Nichols in 1962, Lily Tomlin for This Is A Recording in 1972, Whoopi Goldberg for Whoopi Goldberg (Original Broadway Show Recording) in 1986, and most recently Kathy Griffin in 2014 for Calm Down Gurrl. Hopefully we’ll see another lovely lady take home the gold, proving yet again women are just as funny and just as deserving of the award as their male counterparts! 

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will be hosted by James Corden on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 11:00pm on CBS, LIVE from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Corden - known for Into the Woods, The Late Late Show, and hosting The 70th Annual Tony Awards - is clearly no stranger to music, comedy, or hosting gigs. The night is sure to be blast, so be sure to tune in! 

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SNL: Stone, Baldwin, and Anniston by Katie Conway Wednesday, December 07, 2016 - 0

Emma Stone - best known for her dramatic movie roles in The Help (2011), Birdman (2014), and the upcoming La La Land (out December 9th) - is in fact no stranger to comedy. On Saturday, December 3rd, Stone brought her talents to the table and delivered yet another hilarious night of hosting Saturday Night Live - her 3rd time, to be precise! Stone previously hosted way back in 2010 and 2011, and made memorable appearances as Gwen Stacy opposite her then-boyfriend Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man during his first time hosting, and again as Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna during SNL’s 40th Anniversary. Stone is only 2 hosting gigs away from The Five Timer’s Club! 

Emma’s night definitely delivered some highs and lows, but she proved yet again her talents lie in her love of character work and her exceptional comedic timing. She opened the night reminiscing about her time in Studio 8H, claiming coming back to SNL was almost like coming home for her high school reunion - which Stone never actually attended (cue Simple Mind’s “Don’t You Forget About Me”!)  

Some of Stone’s highlights include “High School Theater Show” and “The Christmas Candle.” “High School Theater Show” is about every stereotypical liberal drama student who wanted to make a statement about politics and social activism, but maybe wasn’t quite as educated on the subject matter as you would hope, and the parents who have to endure these artsy, mediocre productions. “The Christmas Candle” was one of my personal favorites - an 80’s music video about that $9 peach-scented candle we give to those on Christmas who we could really care less about. Please note the “We are the World” inspired ending and fade-away film editing. 

Aside from Emma, SNL scored big on another cold open staring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. This time, the focus was on Trump’s ridiculous tweeting habits. While he retweets random sixteen-year-olds and dudes with skulls as their profile pics, he refuses to be an actual adult and listen in on his intelligence briefings. To quote Kate McKinnon’s Kellyanne Conway, “He does it to distract the media from his business conflicts and very scary people in his cabinet.” One of those very scary people? Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, whose character makes an appearance in the sketch - appropriately dressed as the Grim Reaper. DUN-DUN-DAAA!

As art imitates life, so does life imitate art. The real Donald J. Trump continued his ridiculous tweet storm Sunday morning and bashed SNL for the umpteenth time, tweeting out “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad.” Sometimes the jokes just write themselves. Alec Baldwin responded to Trump, claiming he would drop the impersonation if the President-elect releases his tax returns. Want to see an even bigger drag? Check out Danielle Muscato’s epic take-down on Trump in a series of tweets you’ll need a glass of water for after such a lengthy burn. “Baldwin’s impression isn’t “Sad”. You know what’s sad? In 7 wks you’ll be responsible for 330m lives & you can’t think of anything better to do than tweet abt a comedy show.” You can catch up on the rest of the tweet attack here. 

Aside from Baldwin and Stone, SNL had one more trick up their sleeve: a surprise appearance from comedy legend Jennifer Anniston! During Weekend Update, Vanessa Bayer makes a special appearance with her on-point impression of Rachel from Friends. Anniston eventually slides on over to the desk, followed by massive applause. The two talk about how they became friends on the set of their new movie Office Christmas Party (in theaters December 9th), and engage in a hilarious back and forth of “What? Oh! Yeah. What?” that perfectly showcases just how good Bayer’s Anniston impression is. Bonus: Anniston sticks around for another sketch about a round-table of female actresses who discuss sexism in Hollywood. Emma Stone and Jennifer Anniston may be in the bit, but the real star of the show is Kate Mckinnon’s Debette Goldry.  

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Guys We F@#ked: The Experience by Katie Conway Saturday, December 03, 2016 - 0

GUYS WE F@#KED: THE EXPERIENCE

Like Guys We Fucked: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast? Ever thought what a dope-ass guest you would make? Well, you’re a narcissist, but you’re also going to LOVE Guys We Fucked: The Experience!

Coming to the Wilbur Theater on Thursday, April 13^th (just 6 days before the Women in Comedy Festival!) join co-hosts Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson as they bring their hit podcast to life through games, audience participation, rants, stories, stand-up comedy, and never before seen video. Buy a ticket. It’s gonna get weird.

The comedy duo of CORINNE FISHER & KRYSTYNA HUTCHINSON launched Guys We Fucked: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast in December of 2013. The podcast now boasts over half a million subscribers is one of the top downloaded weekly podcasts on iTunes and in the top 5 most downloaded comedy podcasts. With its positive feminist message, the show has been featured in The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Elle, Bust, Salon Shape, Glamour, on Sirius Radio, among many others. They have had on amazing guests such as AMBER ROSE, DAN SAVAGE, JIM NORTON, HORATIO SANZ, ANDY DICK, LIZZ WINSTEAD (Co-Creator of “The Daily Show”) among others.

Listen to the podcast here http://www.sorryaboutlastnightcomedy.com/guys-we-fucked/, and don’t forget to subscribe to Guys We F@#ked on iTunes.

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