SNL 10/03/09 - Ryan Reynolds & Lady Gaga

Updated: Added the Ryan Reynolds SNL promos (one with Fred and one with Kenan) and updated the full episode vid with one that works. Originally posted 10/4/09.
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Wow! Special guest appearances by Madonna, Scarlett Johansen, Elijah Wood, and Darrell Hammond (as Arnold Schwarteneger)! Plus Lady Gaga busts out two skits for us!
And to top it all off, Andy gives us 6 appearances and a new musical digital short! This epiosde is Andy-tastic!!!


Full episode:



Check out the closing credits in the full episode to see Andy giving Lady Gaga another bubble hug. Also, Bobby Moynihan has a passionate discussion with Scarlett Johansson, and Ryan Reynolds gives out a ton of high-fives.



Promo: Ryan Reynolds, Lady Gaga, & Fred Armisen



It's not overly funny, but you do get some great Ryan Reynold expressions here, especially his awkward laugh at the end.



Promo: Ryan Reynolds & Kenan Thompson



I'm notoriously not a fan of Kenan's humor, and these gags are no exception. (That said, Kenan's Deep House Dish in this episode was an exception, but mostly due to Andy Samberg, Madonna, and Lady Gaga.)



Cold Open: Obama Address

The President is giving away t-shirts.

Fred Armisen ... Barack Obama



This was pretty funny. This is the closest SNL has gotten to actually making fun of Obama. It was Obama telling people they're wrong (that he's not a socialist), but at least he's admitting that he hasn't truly done anything. Good point. If he actually made good on a few of his specific goals/promises... then he'd be a socialist. Until that happens, the right wing has no reason to say he is a socialist (and the communist and nazi comparisons are just ridiculous).

Fred is also changing his impression here. He's playing Obama as a lot more relaxed and "normal" than usual. Probably a good thing.



Ryan Reynolds Monologue

Action movies and romantic comedies have a lot in common.

Ryan Reynolds - Himself



Ryan was able to hold our interest in a monologue without a song and without any cast members. Kudos to Ryan. He was hilarious, and he did a good job reminding us that he was burning up the romantic comedy scene and the super hero scene. In addition to Green Lantern, he also has a Deadpool movie coming (one from Marvel and one from DC). Of course, he's already done Blade 3 (Marvel). So far, he's got 2 super hero movies under his belt (Blade 3 and Wolverine) with 2 more coming (Deadpool and Green Lantern). And if Wolverine or Green Lantern get sequels, then he's got even more coming. Go Ryan go!



Commercial: Mostly Garbage Dog Food

Jason Sudeikis reminds us that they're just dogs, and garbage is okay.

Jason Sudeikis ... owner





Game Show: Celebrity Family Feud

One of these families has a skeleton in the closet. John Phillips' family VS Donny Osmond's family.

Ryan Reynolds ... Donny Osmond
Fred Armisen ... The other Osmond
Abby Elliott ... Marie Osmond
Bill Hader ... Announcer (voice)
Bill Hader ... John Phillips
Bobby Moynihan ... Wayne Osmond
Nasim Pedrad ... Genevieve Phillips
Andy Samberg ... Jeff Sessler
Jason Sudeikis ... Richard Dawson
Kristen Wiig ... Mackenzie Phillips



Good contrast between the two families. Abby knocks out a great Marie Osmond (not to mention Ryan's fantastic Donny Osmond).

Andy Samberg ruins it for the show. =^)



Digital Short: On The Ground

Alternate Title: "I'm An Adult"

Andy throws things on the ground and meets a shocking end.

Ryan Reynolds ... Himself
Elijah Wood ... Himself
Bobby Moynihan ... Salesman
Andy Samberg ... Singer
Jenny Slate ... Girlfriend
Bryan Tucker ... Salesman



Musically, the song sounds like "Like a Boss." However, this is an original piece that is unique and hilarious. They are constantly taking you in a new direction with the same "ground" gag. This is also a great use of Ryan Reynolds (and Elijah Wood) to get him involved in a digital short song in a humorous way. Elijah's expression when they're tasing Andy is HILARIOUS!!!

Also, Bryan Tucker (an SNL writer) appears as the hot dog man. Bryan is known for playing Roy in "Roy Rules." Good to see Jenny Slate in an SNL Digital Short (she knows what's up), and Bobby Moynihan also has a strong role (as the energy drink guy).



Commercial: Porcelain Fountains

Nothing says 'you've arrived' like a porcelain fountain.

Ryan Reynolds ... Nick
Scarlett Johansson ... Lexi
Fred Armisen ... Mike
Nasim Pedrad ... Girl
Jason Sudeikis ... Guy
Kenan Thompson ... Guy



This is a skit commercial (usually they're pretaped). Also, this is a recurring sketch. Mike and Lexi (Fred Armisen and Scarlett Johansson) have done this a total of three times now...
01.14.06 - Mike & Toni's Chandelier Galaxy
04.21.07 - Mike's Marbleopolis
10.03.09 - Mike's Fountainry

This is also very appropriate because Scarlett Johansson is married to Ryan Reynolds. So the whole "bringing on the flame" thing is traditional (Ashton and Demi, Timberlake & Cameron Diaz, Timberlake & Jessica Biel, etc.).

And since I'm talking about Scarlett and Ryan and mentioning all of Ryan's super hero movies, Scarlett is actually going to appear in Iron Man 2 (and Avengers) as Black Widow. Apparently, she won't show her catsuit costume to her hubby, Ryan Reynolds:
http://www.newspostonline.com/entertainment/scarlett-johansson-scarlett-johansson-keeping-iron-man-2-catsuit-as-sexy-treat-for-hubby-2009100570469



Deep House Dish

Madonna and Lady Gaga face-off.

Ryan Reynolds ... Danny McCooz
Lady Gaga ... Herself
Madonna ... Herself
Andy Samberg ... T'Shane
Kenan Thompson ... D.J. Dynasty Handbag
Kristen Wiig ... Miss Ice Tia
Kristen Wiig ... Announcer (voice)



Andy and Kenan rock the house! Hilarious ending with Madonna and Lady Gaga getting Kenan and Andy on them!



Musical Performance "Paparazzi"

Lady Gaga



Weekend Update

Seth Meyers - Himself

For all the Weekend Update jokes, see the full episode at the top of this post.



Weekend Update: Gov. Schwarzenegger

The Governor would like to sell you some fires.

Darrell Hammond ... Arnold Schwarzenegger





Weekend Update: Charles Barkley

Sir Charles weighs in on China's birthday.

Kenan Thompson ... Charles Barkley





Weekend Update: Mrs. Ahmadinejad

Mrs. Ahmadinejad makes a rare public appearance.

Fred Armisen ... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Nasim Pedrad ... Mrs. Ahmadinejad



Nasim breaks out one of the characters that got her on the show as she does her Iranian woman shtick (the main attraction of her one-woman show). Funny, and added to her Cathy Griffin impression, she's headed in the right direction. She'll need some funny characters (non impressions) too though.



TV Show: So You Committed A Crime & You Think You Can Dance

This new show has a built-in jailhouse audience.

Ryan Reynolds ... Dixon Carrothers
Fred Armisen ... Owen Schecter
Abby Elliott ... Nancy Grace
Will Forte ... Joseph Corey Wayne
Bill Hader ... Phil Spector
Bobby Moynihan ... Nathan Lane
Nasim Pedrad ... Lea
Andy Samberg ... Kevin Federline
Jenny Slate ... Rebecca
Jason Sudeikis ... Sergeant Tim Grasser
Kenan Thompson ... Mike Potts
Kristen Wiig ... Cassie



Andy gets to host a show as the now fat Kevin Federline!

Literally every cast member was in this skit! Great combination of a live skit with video footage. Bobby Moynihan knocked his Nathan Lane out of the park! The boy has pipes. We need a Nathan Lane show! At least bring Nathan Lane to Weekend Update to see if we like him enough (he just got lost here in all of this)! Plus Abby Elliott pulled out a fantastic Nancy Grace.



International Masterworks: Norweigan Actors' Playhouse

Their accent is virtually undetectable.

Ryan Reynolds ... actor
Fred Armisen ... actor
Bill Hader ... host
Andy Samberg ... actor
Kristen Wiig ... Nina Medbow





Musical Performance

Lady Gaga



Andy Samberg & Lady Gaga Backstage

Andy and Lady Gaga share an awkward fashion moment.

Lady Gaga - Herself
Lorne Michaels - Himself
Andy Samberg - Himself
Kristen Wiig - Herself



Hilarious! Andy and Lady Gaga don't quite make out! Andy has all the best make out sequences on SNL! He made out with Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansen (as Total Recall Quattos) and he got to do a frisky dance with Natalie Portman. And now this attempted make out session with Lady Gaga!

Check out the closing credits in the full episode to see Andy giving Lady Gaga another bubble hug. Also, Bobby Moynihan has a passionate discussion with Scarlett Johansson, and Ryan Reynolds gives out a ton of high-fives.



Closing Thoughts: This is an Andy-tastic episode! While I don't think "On the Ground" will be as successful as Ji## In My Pants, I'm On a Boat, or Mother Lover from last season, it is definitely better than any of the other shorts from last season and certainly a classic in its own right.

SNL puts the main digital short back in the first half (and Ryan C rejoices).

Andy was in 6 sketches tonight, tying first place with Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.



Appearance Statistics:

Ryan Reynolds 7
Fred Armisen 6
Andy Samberg 6
Kristen Wiig 6
Lady Gaga 4
Bill Hader 4
Nasim Pedrad 4
Jason Sudeikis 4
Kenan Thompson 4
Bobby Moynihan 3
Jenny Slate 2
Abby Elliott 2
Will Forte 1
Seth Meyers 1
Lorne Michaels 1
Bryan Tucker 1
Scarlett Johansson 1
Madonna 1
Darrell Hammond 1
Elijah Wood 1

Overall, this was not a good night for Jenny Slate and Will Forte.

I would say the same about Abby Elliott, but as Marie Osmond and Nancy Grace, she had a memorable evening.

Likewise, Bobby Moynihan had a solid performance in the digital short and a stellar Nathan Lane. So for only two sketches, he made them count.

Nasim Pedrad did a great job as Mrs. Ahmadinejad and filled in some needed roles.

Kristen Wiig appeared a lot, but all her appearances were supporting roles for the other cast memebers. This proves that she is truly a team player, which is important after headlining four skits last week. Kristen's Whip It is open now! Go see it!

Enjoy!