Category Archives: Laughter

Kellyanne, Liz Warren and Carol

Posted on by
Reply

I haven’t always been a fan of Saturday Night Live, but the current political climate has not only given the show fantastic material, but made it into one of the biggest thorns sticking in the rump of the Trump administration. (You know when the Prez issues a middle-of-the-night tweet lambasting you, you must be doing something right.) More than just entertainment, the show is now one of the foremost media entities speaking truth to power.

For me, in the current crop of SNL-ers, the number one comic talent is Kate McKinnon. Love her. In addition to her pitch-perfect comic timing, McKinnon has a great ear for voices, flawlessly imitating everyone from Hillary Clinton to Kellyanne Conway and Elizabeth Warren. Another reason to love her? She’s been an out-and-proud lesbian “since I was twelve years old,” she has said: there’s even a YouTube video titled Kate McKinnon gay moments.

Whatever the character she’s playing, McKinnon goes for it full-throttle, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye–but she can be heartbreaking too, as in her simple and beautiful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah as Hillary Clinton after the 2016 presidential election.

Here are three sketches that showcase her versatility and comic talent.

“Jake Tapper”

Weekend Update: Elizabeth Warren

Carol parody (it helps to have seen the movie)

Love Kernels

Posted on by
Reply

I love Rachel Bloom. She’s outrageously clever, creative and talented as a singer, dancer and comedian, and if you haven’t come across her yet, you should get on that now.

Bloom started off as a YouTube phenomenon on her channel Rachel Does Stuff, which became so popular that she parlayed it into a pilot for a one-hour comedy-drama. After this was rejected by almost every major network (yes, a real J.K. Rowling story), it was picked up at the eleventh hour by the CW. And thank goodness for that. Bloom won a Golden Globe for the first season and the show became hugely popular, which must have made those other network executives gnash their teeth.

I’ll admit that the title, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, was off-putting to me at first. It sounded like a show about a stalker with boundary issues, and as such, profoundly un-feminist. But after a friend urged me to check it out, I dove in, and was thrilled I did. While Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does put its main character through some humiliations, it also allows her to excel as a Harvard-trained, sharp-tack lawyer–and Bloom’s acting is good enough to give the character many layers. The two male love interests, played by Vincent Rodriguez III and Santino Fontana, are both triple threats extraordinaire, and so enjoyable to watch (as are other members of the excellent supporting cast).

Bloom’s songs tend to be raunchy, and I had a bit of trouble finding one clean enough to post here. But I think this one does the job nicely, and expresses sentiments that most women (and a lot of men) can relate to. Enjoy.

PoP!

Posted on by
Reply

Hugh Grant has had a spotty career, but when he’s at his best, he can be a comic genius. My favorite of his films are About a Boy and Music & Lyrics, a rom-com with Drew Barrymore that I think deserves more credit than it got.

Granted, Barrymore’s daffy girl is a bit outmatched by Grant, who is hilarious as Alex Fletcher, a washed-up middle-aged man who was once half of an ‘80s boy band called PoP!, very clearly based on Wham! Fletcher wasn’t the glamorous, George Michael icon of the band’s power duo, but rather his sidekick. (How many of us remember Andrew Ridgeley’s name? Exactly.)

I happen to have grown up in the 80s, and Wham! was a part of my cultural landscape. So if you’re of a younger or older generation, I can promise you that this parody song, from the movie’s opening credits, is perfect in every detail. It just makes me very happy every time I see it.