Paul Simon, Chris Colfer and Lindsey Buckingham Kill on SNL

Another Day Late Dollar Short Hulu Review by Christiana Gaudet

When I was a teenager, staying up to watch the Belushi-Aykroyd-Radner-Newman Saturday Night Live cast of the Seventies was one of my greatest privileges and pleasures.  Many of us remember Mr, Bill, The Nuclear Family, The Lubners, Killer Bees, Land Shark and the Ex-Police as the best SNL bits of all time.

As my friends and I gathered at school on Monday to discuss the wickedly funny skits, I don’t think any of us thought Saturday Night Live would become the longstanding institution that it has.  In fact, many of us didn’t imagine we would still be alive some thirty years later, let alone our favorite television show!

Over the years, there have been better casts and worse casts.  Some years my life didn’t allow me to watch television from 11:30 PM to 1 AM, or to watch TV at all.  I loved Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey in the Wayne’s World bit, and took my kids to see the movies.  Ditto Austin Powers, and every Adam Sandler movie ever made.  SNL has become the proving ground for some of our nation’s best comics, from Steve Martin to Chris Rock to Tina Fey.

I am loyal to original casts.  I hate it when my entertainers change faces.  I resist the new Dr. Who every time.  Nonetheless, I have to say that watching classic SNL clips can be a bit boring.  What we think is funny changes decade to decade.  Humor that is culturally current goes stale with the passage of time.

The basic format of SNL has remained comfortingly consistent over the years.  I love the train station set, where I can see the very train I would often ride.  I love the guest hosts, Weekend Update, and the two musical numbers.

There is one compelling difference between modern SNL and the SNL of my high school years.  The SNL of today has real political power, in the nation and in the entertainment world.  I don’t remember politicians appearing on SNL back in the Seventies, but they do now.  Some political pundits suggest that Tina Fey singlehandedly cost John McCain the 2008 presidential race with her spot-on impersonations of his running mate, Sarah Palin.

Back in the day, we just didn’t see as many A-list celebs on SNL, other than the guest hosts and the musical guests.  Now, part of the fun of watching SNL is to see who might show up unannounced.  It’s like rock shows of a certain era, you would never know what luminary giants might sit in for a few numbers.

Andy Samberg’s digital shorts, often with “The Lonely Island,” featuring superstars like Justin Timberlake, Susan Sarandon, T-Pain and, most recently, Michael Bolton, are hilarious, and a testament to both SNL’s talent and clout.

New York’s Governor Patterson packed a punch as a guest on Weekend Update not too long ago.

That’s why you may not be surprised when I say that, as awesome as he was, Paul Simon was not the hottest musical guest on the 5/14/11 Ed Helms SNL- Lindsey Buckingham was!

That’s right, the show-stopping, spotlight-stealing bit was “What Up With That.”

You may know the premise of this recurring bit.  It’s a BET talk show that features Kenan Thompson as Deandre Cole, a host who just can’t stop singing.  He always runs out of time, and never gets a chance to interview his guests.  The last of the three guests is always Bill Hader as Lindsey Buckingham.  Hader’s Buckingham never, ever gets a chance to speak, but always comes back for the next show.

The skit featured musical guest Paul Simon in the hot seat, Glee’s Chris Colfer (OMG) in the second seat, and, as usual, Bill Hader as Buckingham in the last seat.

Paul Simon’s sense of humor shone.  Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt on Glee, had no real lines, but was a luminous presence on the set.

When Deandre turned to Lindsey Buckingham, I thought Hader’s Buckingham would finally get a chance to speak.  I was excited that one of my favorite Glee stars was there.  I thought either he, or Paul Simon, might accompany Deandre in his endless singing.  I was completely unprepared for really happened.

The real Lindsey Buckingham, dressed exactly as Hader’s Buckingham, joined the set with his guitar.  He proceeded to show his chops, jamming mightily.  As much as I love Fleetwood Mac, I never really considered Buckingham one of the great guitar gods.  I do now.

Watching Kenan Thompson always makes me a little wistful, he was my family’s essential Saturday night companion on “All That.”  Even now, seeing him makes me want to hang out with a nine year old and eat popcorn.  That nine year old is now twenty-six.  SNL has stood the test of time, perhaps better than I have.

Paul Simon has stood the test of time as well.  He is without question an old man now.  Nonetheless, his songs made me want the new album, which was the whole point of the exercise.  He is still viable after all these years.

For me, the star-studded “What Up With That” skit was the highlight of SNL this week, and highlights how far SNL has come over the years. 

Glee’s Sleaze: My Take on the "Rumours" Episode

Even though I don’t own a television, I am an unabashed Gleek.  I’m currently watching Season One on Netflix, and keeping up with Season Two on Hulu.  Having graduated from high school in 1980, I am the target demographic for this larger-than-life cartoony series about the struggles of a high school show choir in Lima, Ohio.

This week’s episode featured the classic Fleetwood Mac album, “Rumours.”  The album came out in 1977, making it another favorite of my demographic, and, I daresay, one of the defining albums of my generation.

I woke up Tuesday morning to see myself tagged in a friend’s Facebook status.  Knowing what a huge Fleetwood Mac and Glee fan I am, he couldn’t wait to hear my review of the “Rumours”  episode.  When I sat down to watch it last night, armed with wine, ice cream and a very patient husband, I was  looking forward to  what I thought might be the best Glee episode ever.  When the hour was over, I was underwhelmed.

Mature Stevie Nicks disappoints me.  If only the Unintentional Godmother of Goth loved herself as much as we love her!  I cringed at her silly duet with the  off-key Taylor Swift at the Grammys.  It feels manipulative that Stevie’s first album in a decade, “In Your Dreams,” dropped on the same day the Glee “Rumours” episode aired.  Stevie was even quoted calling her new album her “own little ‘Rumours’.”  

“In Your Dreams” is getting great reviews.  Stevie should know that greatness doesn’t need cheap tricks to be heard and appreciated.

I believed that Glee was going to give tribute to something that deserves tribute.  Instead, it was simply a platform to sell a new album based not on that album’s merit, but on the merit of an album thirty years old. 

In the “Rumours” episode, Sue uses the school’s newspaper to spread gossip in an effort to tear the Glee Club apart.  Will enlists April Rhodes to help him teach the kids that great music can come from their internal struggles, just as Fleetwood Mac’s best album came from the breakup of the two couples who comprised the band.  The assignment: pick a song off the “Rumours” album and give it your own spin. 

Kristin Chenoweth, in her role as the alcohol-soaked April Rhodes, shows the kids how it’s done with “Dreams.”  She really nailed Stevie with her amazing vocals.  If I had kept my eyes closed, I would have loved this number.  Problem is, Kristin Chenoweth is a great actor.  Her portrayal of the alcoholic April is so on target that it turned this darkly mystical song into a cheesy, flirty pop tune sung by a barfly.  In the Seventies, Stevie made drug addiction look sexy.  Today, Kristin makes addiction appear to be exactly what it is: pathetic.

Even though we all know the things that happen at McKinley High can never happen in real life, Glee still manages to discuss important issues.  While this episode was about conflicts between the glee club members, there is always a subtext of personal internal conflict.  Nowhere do we see that more than in the character of Santana as she struggles with her feelings for Brittany and her fear of the social repercussions.  Santana’s rendition of “Songbird,” sung privately to Brittany, was stunning.  Santana’s refusal to be the now-single Brittany’s prom date was as poignant as Brittany’s inability to understand her friend’s fears.  Brittany, in her simplicity, is often the wisest kid in the club.

Artie’s decision to break up with Brittany for hooking up with Santana surprised me.  I thought he knew and accepted their relationship.  Wasn’t that why he gave Sam a funny look in the “Sexy” episode when Sam wished that he and Artie could be as close as their girlfriends were?

Artie’s vocals on the song “Never Going Back Again” were great, but he should have done it without a parade of ten million guitarists backing him up. 

Quinn is one of the most complex characters in Glee club.  She shows both her crazy and her compassionate side in this episode.  Her duet with Finn, “I Don’t Want to Know,” could have been called “I Don’t Want to Hear,” as in, I personally didn’t want to hear or see Quinn and Finn angrily singing this song to each other.  They both looked bipolar.

Equally irritating was Rachel’s rendition of “Go Your Own Way,” sung to Finn.  Sure, she has a terrific voice.  But the smile on her face suggested she lacked the real pain and raw emotion that make this song what it is.

 She referred to the song as her “favorite Fleetwood Mac song.”  Um, I know Glee always pushes the boundaries on believable, but this is too much.  In 2011, what sixteen-year-old has a favorite Fleetwood Mac song?

The finally number, “Don’t Stop” was a tear-jerking show-stopper.  Sam’s family has gone homeless, and the Glee kids put aside their differences and pull together to support him.  It was a sobering plot twist that shows, once again, Glee is not afraid to take on some serious issues.

What they were afraid to take on, however, was arguably the best song on the Rumours album, “The Chain.”  How do you tribute “Rumours” and leave off “The Chain?”

Ultimately, I think the Glee club failed miserably at this week’s assignment.  None of the songs felt like a new spin, or an inspired rendition.  Neither did they manage to capture the feel of Seventies music. 

“Rumours” typified the sound of the decade by being both powerful and understated.  By trying too hard and emoting too much, the Glee kids failed to portray the real power of the music.  But perhaps they succeeded at helping Stevie sell some new albums, and that was what it was all about anyway.

As far as paying tribute to one of the greatest albums of all time is concerned, I think the Simpsons did it better.