November 15, 2009 By: Roberta Lipp Category: Actors & Crew, Media-Web-News
Some highlights, folks!
Monologue– perhaps a bit insulting to Basketcases? Naaahh!!! (the theme song is adorable)
Party planning:
Rear Window (get it? Rear Window)
Dairy Queen:
Today Show:
Mrs. Hyde:
January is the date who doesn’t get it:
clips via NBC.com
Basket of Kisses: The unofficial blog of AMC's Mad Men. Where all the cool kids meet & greet to talk about Don Draper, Janie Bryant, Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, Matthew Weiner, & subtexty things.Columnist Froma Harrop talks about the series appeal viewed through today’s society and values
Scholar Jason Mitchell thoughtfully presents his reasons for disliking Mad Men (even though he’s dead wrong; plus, he’s a fan of the sci-fi Christian melodrama Lost).
Is Danny a young Matt Weiner?
High praise for Elisabeth Moss’s lovely gown
Shockingly, the Fug Girls like what January wore to the Emmys.
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November 15th, 2009 at 5:21 am
I loved the Party Planning and Rear Window skits. And whoever plays Joan in the opening was genius…that walk! LOL
November 15th, 2009 at 6:43 am
I have to say, it was not a good showing for the SNL writers last night, and January seemed reaaaally nervous. She's getting a bit of a raking over on the Internets, which is a little unfair. The skits were just … soggy, and I don't think she felt all that comfortable with live comedy.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Best inside joke: Fred Armisen saying "I like Peggy."
November 15th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Mel, that cracked me up!
November 15th, 2009 at 7:04 am
I thought the writing was meh…certainly not as good the Jon Hamm skits. JJ played a supporting role in a lot of the skit. She certainly was nervous and couldn't help laughing much of the time.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:09 am
I like her monologue. It was so adorable the way Fred Armisen said, “I like Peggy.†However on average, "Mad Men" fans tend to come from a higher income bracket than other shows, so the line about living in parents' basements fell kind of flat to me. I thought they lyrics were funny. Could that be an off-season basketcase challenge (come up with lyrics for the theme song)?
Party planning was my favorite sketch that she was in all night. They nailed the look of the era, and it was a great way for her to make fun of Betty without having to do a "Mad Men" sketch.
I thought the Rear Window sketch was stupid. I understand the desire to have her play a Hitchcock blonde in a sketch, and that "Rear Window" is one of his more famous films. I just think they could have come up with something better that fart jokes.
The Today Show sketch was okay. It went on too long, but January was pretty good in it.
I thought Mrs. Hyde was pretty funny. Granted she didn't have much to do in sketch, but it was one of the better ones of the night.
The date who doesn't get it was kind of stupid. I'm sure it sounded great in the pitch meeting and looked great on paper, but it kind of fell flat in execution.
I was hoping for Elizabeth Moss to pop up at some point, but she didn't.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Dairy Queen was also too long, but January Jones was okay in it.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:42 am
I thought that the Rear Window skit was hilarious but I do have an eighth grade level sense of humor.
But, c'mon, Jimmy Stewart waving that aerosol spray around?
Funny.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:46 am
No SNL guest can hold a candle to Kristin Wiig — wouldn't it be fun to see her in a cameo as a batty secretary at SCDP?
November 15th, 2009 at 7:50 am
*You took the worst day of my life, put it in a waffle cone and dumped creep sprinkles all over it*
And I'm with you Sweet Sue, I think the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles is inspired! My wife, who usually gives me that "what are you an eighth-grade boy" look, was also LAUGHING at the thought of Grace Kelly letting one rip…
November 15th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I was appalled at the Rear Window skit. Why would January Jones allow herself to be used to showcase the most crass and juvenile bathroom humor? Couldn't the writers on a legendary show like SNL come up with anything better than that? Given all of the comparisons between her looks and Grace Kelly's the Rear Window premise was promising — then to see it devolve — ugh. Totally classless.
It really makes me wonder if she's as … lacking in intellect … as people say. She stumbled over the monologue and seemed really uncomfortable in the party planning skit (which I note also had a reference to diarrhea, that's when the TV went off)
I don't think any of these sketches did much to showcase any talent on her part or will be seen as a milestone in her career — i.e. breaking out to a wider audience. She came across as dumb and/or passive in most of them. What a shame.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:26 am
OK, it won't be one of the Top 10 SNL shows ever, but it was far from the worst. The party planning sketch was probably my favorite. I'm not a fan of the flatulence jokes that overpopulate adolescent frat-boy movies, but the Rear Window sketch made me chuckle anyway.
The cast member who played Joan in the monologue appeared to me to be Abby Elliott, daughter of Chris Elliott and granddaughter of Bob Elliott from the legendary comedy duo Bob & Ray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abby_Elliott
November 15th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Ah Millicent, welcome to the world of SNL. They're legendary in how moronic some skits can be. Last night's Digital Short for example.Comedy Shakespeare it ain't. JJ doesn't write the skits. And MANY guest hosts stumble and seem nervous…it's live TV and that's daunting to actors that are used to rehearsing over and over to get it right.
Different people find humor in different things; was the Rear Window skit classless? Yes. Juvenile? Yes. Funny? YES. To me, but not to you.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:32 am
If Tina Fey was still head writer for SNL, the sketches for a female host would be stronger. Post-SNL interviews with former female and black cast members are quite revealing.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I feel bad for January because her performance was always going to be compared unfairly to her co-star's. Jon Hamm's hosting stint was lauded last year, but SNL works a very specific set of acting muscles (you could tell Hamm had some theater experience). But it doesn't mean JJ is a worse actor than he is, although some people will claim that – which sucks.
Ah wells. The "I like Peggy" inside joke was stellar.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I love January. I want to stress that. However, that was really hard to watch. Live comedy is obviously something she's not used to, and the writing was awful. And last week Taylor Swift set the bar pretty high. (Seriously.)
November 15th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I thought the Today Show sketch was amazing, and all thanks to Kristen Wiig. If you've seen more than a minute of that last hour of the Today Show, you know how spot on her impression is. I've pretty much all but decided to go to New York, kidnap her, and force her to do that, Elisabeth Hasslebeck, and her character from Knocked Up.
I really stopped watching after that, and when I came back to see that Digital Short, I was glad I had. SNL has been pretty uniformly awful since the Will Ferrell/Tina Fey era, with the exception of Ms. Wiig and a few others.
Pretty much agree that, while January was wooden and stumbled a lot, it doesn't indict her acting ability or anything. Live television is hard, especially when you're used to doing tightly scripted, endlessly rehearsed television/movies.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Jon had a whole perfect storm in his appearance, since he brought along Elisabeth and John, since Amy Poehler gave birth that night, since it was when Elisabeth and Fred Armisen first met, and since SNL was riding the Palin/election bump at the time. Plus January also came on the week after Taylor Swift got raves for her hosting gig, so it was almost a no-win situation – much like Betty usually faces in the show and in the fanbase.
I was surprised that I could guess the joke of the "Rear Window" bit well before it actually got started- some way to have her actually play a Hitchcock blonde after being compared to them for three years.
I wonder if Basket of Kisses was mentioned in the SNL writers room when they were coming up with their "Mad Mennies" routine- Fred Armisen had probably heard of us through Elisabeth, at least. But I brought up the site in my recap of the show for Associated Content, to make the comparison.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
#13: Being in my mid-40s and watching SNL since teen years I actually can recall when Saturday Night Live was a showcase for real writing & acting talent and sophisticated satire of society, politics, pop culture, etc. — I've been vaguely aware that the standards have been slipping for many years but honestly the one-note juvenile frat-boy slapstick nature of the show is even grimmer than anticipated. (I've watched a few episodes besides this one recently.)
At any rate, guest hosts have quite a measure of control over how they are portrayed on SNL and for JJ to decide that she wants her first wide exposure to America to be that of a flatulent blonde bimbo says a lot about her.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am
@ 11 Millicent-It's not January's fault she was in bad sketches. Blame the writers, not the actress. She read the cue-cards they put in front her. My understanding is that hosts have very little control of the sketches. They are asked if there is anything they are really uncomfortable with; they wouldn't make a host with claustrophobia sit in a box for half a sketch, or make a host with arachnophobia do a sketch where there's a spider on them, but past that sort of thing, anything is fair game.
I know not everyone on this blog is a Sorkin fan, but if anyone saw the pilot of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," last night's episode was exactly what Wes's rant was about. It made me sad. A small segment of the rant: "This show used to be cutting edge political and social satire, but it's gotten lobotomized by a candy-ass broadcast network hell-bent on doing nothing that might challenge their audience…e're all being lobotomized by the country's most influential industry which has thrown in the towel on any endeavor that does not include the courting of 12-year-old boys…And not event the smart 12-year-olds, the stupid ones"
SNL is amazing during an election year, not even an election year, just once the primaries start, the political sketches are great. What happens is that election ends, and they stop doing political sketches. It's sad. I used to love SNL. Do you think Fred Armisen will ever do a guest appearance on "Mad Men?"
November 15th, 2009 at 10:13 am
I was very disappointed that the writers portrayed January Jones in almost every sketch as just a dumb blonde. Especially the Hitchcock sketch – what a waste. And the final sketch (dumb blonde who didn't "get" it with the clouds) The best sketch – Mr. Hyde – was one where she said nothing and just sat there. I don't know if anything could have been done if she'd made a fuss about it, but I'm sure she didn't want to. She was just being a good sport and going along with this stuff the best she could manage. Very, very poor writing. The writers obviously weren't very interested in having her on (maybe she was "foisted" on them by the producers and/or industry people) and just didn't try very hard or use their imaginations.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:17 am
@ 23 berkowit28- You may be onto something. I have no idea what her background is, but it's possible she doesn't have much experience with comedy. If she's used to drama, I could easily see her trusting the writers. One of those, "I don't totally understand how this is going to work/why it's funny, but these are professionals and I'm going to trust them."
November 15th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Yeah January!
I loved the Mad Men-er's in the opener. Funny. Conception of skits was hit and miss. JJ seemed nervous, as most newbies are on live TV, but she got less so throughout the night.
My husband is normally an intelligent man, but he laughed like a teenager at the Rear Window skit. When Jimmy Stewart said "would someone open the FRONT window" he was doubled over. When Jimmy Stewart said "there's something wrong with you" and January laughed, I thought it was adorable and only made the skit funnier.
JJ worked at DQ growing up.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Tuned in to see JJ — hoped she might show more range, but she did ok. As usual, the writers missed every opportunity to cull comedy from the right places. Man is it hard to see just how far this show has fallen! It's like the people who write this show haven't got the first clue about comedy. The Dick Ebersole years were pure genius compared to this stuff. It's like watching high schoolers put on a show. Lorne Michaels obviously doesn't give a crap anymore.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:11 am
berkowit28: You said it — lack of imagination. It's what's killing this show. It seems that nothing inspires the writers. I get the feeling they spend a lot of time watching Keeping up with the Kardashians and reading the TMZ website. Those seem to be the only kinds of topics SNL writers bother to spoof these days.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:21 am
berkowit28: Yeah, casting JJ as the dumb blond who didn't "get it" in the last skit bugged me too. I didn't know if I was being too sensitive (for her).
November 15th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Is she trying to get Matt Weiner to ditch Betty when he writes season 4?
November 15th, 2009 at 11:55 am
JJ's acting has always had a stiff/wooden quality to it – but in playing a repressed housewife like Betty, it actually enhances her performance. Not the case here, unfortunately.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:57 am
25frames, excellent recall of the Deniro debacle. I'd actually put Deniro third worst ahead of Nancy Kerrigan and Wayne Gretzky.
The attacks on the writing are all off the mark. There was some funny stuff in there and some not funny stuff and that's what happens in a live comedy show that goes from blank page to show in 5 days. They were especially hampered by a host with limited range.
The show hasn't gone downhill. The Wiig-Armisen-Sudeikis crew is as strong as the Ferrell-Fey crew, which people said couldn't hold a candle to the Hartman-Carvey-Mike Myers crew, which people said couldn't touch the Eddie Murphy years, which of course weren't in league with Bill Murray, who of course couldn't possibly replace the likes of Chevy Chase.
Nothing novel there.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
No woman of any couth whatsoever would have consented to the Rear Window sketch. Trust me, the guest hosts do have veto power. And the power to back out of the gig if it turns out to be as mindless, vapid and crude as this one did. It really bodes ill for JJ that she couldn't see the harm to her image from this succession of passive/dumb blonde sketches. An extremely unfortunate career move.
Elizabeth Moss or Christina Hendricks would've made such better guest hosts — even Allison Brie. Does General Electric own an stake in JJ's upcoming movie? That's the only motivation I could undertand for them bringing her on to SNL.
November 15th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
That reminds me, you’d have to search for “January Jones SNL” on Google News to find my recap, since my profile page on my name has been screwy lately.
November 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
They'd have had a funnier sketch if Betty had gotten totally run over by a lawn mower if she came to tell Don to see a divorce lawyer…and Hamm could look right at the camera and say…"oh.no. how awful." with a wink…
November 15th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Saturday Night Live is NOT a good show. It’s awful and they threw JJ to the wolves. The predominately male writing group did not understand her; I’ve seen a lot worse in hosting — the all time worst host was Robert DeNiro. She was pretty good in some of the sketches but was everyone under-rehearsed? I fail to see anything of value in the one-note Christine Wig or whatever her name is. The second sketch was the same as the Kathy Lee;
Betty Draper’s childhood rearing hints posted on this site was much better and needed. Where are the women and the African Americans on this show? Lorne Michaels should retire and count his millions.
November 15th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I thought it was really sweet how nervous January Jones was. She seemed more….genuine? than other SNL hosts. However, it was an awful show. I keep watching because there is usually a sketch or two that I find funny, but if I didn't have a DVR I wouldn't be able to make it through the show.
November 15th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I thought she did a good job considering what she had to work with. This isn't one of SNL better seasons writing-wise, but I've seen worse. I hate the Hoda/Kathie Lee skits not matter who's in them and agree that the party planner sketch was the best. At any rate, she was more entertaining that the Black Eyed Peas… talk about bad writing! Who writes those stupid lyrics?
November 15th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
5 great sketchs were put under the trap because January Jones couldn't remember her lines. It didn't change anything as she only read the teleprompter during the whole show.
November 15th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
That was a painful episode. Gawker has a post asking if it was the worst episode ever. I think it's certainly a candidate. Oh , and I thought they were going to bring her on as Jill Biden in the opening
November 15th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I started watching SNL last night around 30 minutes in. It was NOT good. I'm getting the impression that Jones' detached, even monotone portrayal of Betty on Mad Men is not all in the writing or directing, but rather that they're making the best of what they've got. I know it shouldn't, but it detracts from the show a bit. It makes me wonder if sometimes Betty's reactions really should be more multidimensional but aren't because she can't pull it off.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
#39, Betty Basher: You totally lifted that graf from Television Without Pity; and I know the person who wrote it! You might at least give attribution where it's due.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I was mortified at the "Rear Window" skit. Stupid, idiotic bathroom humor . . . is this what SNL has sunk to? I, too, was surprised that JJ allowed herself to be demeaned this way. I have always been a Betty supporter and think JJ is superb in the role. She doesn't have any formal acting training, and nobody is suggesting that she's the next Meryl Streep, but in this role, she's perfect.
I think that Matt Weiner has a soft spot for JJ (and for Betty, too) and I cannot imagine that he's writing her off the show. I'm sure that Betty's storyline will be continued in Season 4. We'll see her interact with Don when it comes to co-parenting the kids.
I have felt from Season 1 that Betty has the most potential of all the female characters. I hope that Henry will turn out to be a stand-up guy and a good stepfather to the kids.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I saw some of the clips today. Meh. Not especially funny. But then again, Jon Hamm's stint on SNL wasn't a laugh riot either.
I don't blame January or Jon for the so-so quality of their hosting gigs. Quite frankly, SNL's writing is a lot like NBC itself — treading water and riding past success. I think the writing has been pretty inconsistent for years and the cultural references cheap and obvious. The only thing SNL has going for it a lot of the time is the cast, which deserves a lot better material than it is given.
The problem with shows like SNL (and the now not-so-dearly departed MAD TV) is that they're a relic of a past age. They have roots in a time when network television wasn't as accountable to corporate masters and didn't play it as safe as they did do today. I'd never go to SNL for edgy humour today, not a chance. I have HBO Canada for that. It's funny how SNL only became relevant and interesting again when it involved something — the 2008 Presidential election — that had nothing to do with the originality of the writing staff.
Personally, I think the biggest potential moves in revolutionizing SNL as relevant again would be this:
A) Get rid of Lorne Michaels
B) Stop beating successful skits to death (Justin Timberlake, we're looking at you)
C) Quite frankly, hire better writers.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
You take the skyway, high above the busy little one-way
In my stupid hat and gloves, at night I lie awake
Wonderin' if I'll sleep
Wonderin' if we'll meet out in the street
To take the skyway
It don't move at all like a subway
It's got bums when it's cold like any other place
It's warm up inside
Sittin' down and waitin' for a ride
Beneath the skyway
Oh, then one day, I saw you walkin' down that little one-way
Where, the place I'd catch my ride most everyday
There wasn't a damn thing I could do or say
Up in the skyway
November 15th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I taped the show and ff'd through much of it. My summary
Opening skit with 'Joe Biden' was pretty funny.
Opening monologue got better once the SNL ' mad fans' came in (loved Armisen's "I like Peggy" (wink-wink) I think it would have sunk without them. January was clearly nervous and flubbing her lines.
I don't watch Today or any of those morning news shows, so I FF'd through the Today skit–Can't stand Kathie Lee, and this parody, although accurate, I couldn't stomach for more than a minute.
Rear Window could have been a great skit– maybe portraying Grace Kelly as a spoiled princess (I know she wasn't really)–but after one fart (which was more than enough) it devolved into fart humor and wasn't funny at all.
Ladies guide to parties was the best of all the skits January did — of course that one was filmed! But it was pretty funny – this is the kind of thing that SNL does (did) best.
Dairy Queen – I wasn't patient through this one either– just not too funny.
Weekend Update was pretty funny, until "Jon Bovi". The Kardashian skit had me laughing because even though I've never watched a single episode of "Keeping up with the Kardashians" the whiny portrayal of the young woman struck me as probably very accurate!
In the Mrs. Hyde sketch, I was hoping that Dr. Jekyll would turn into Don Draper! But it was just a prolonged one-note gay joke. Zzzzzzzzzz
January as the clueless date was fair, but alas, her constant glancing at the cue cards made me think that poor January Never would have been an actress in the Golden Age of live TV.
I admit, I haven't watched SNL regularly in over 20 years. I know it can be better than this (Jon Hamm's show was funny) but I was dissapointed in its base humor. I know that SNL has always majored in skits that put its characters in uncomfortable positions with odd characters, but most of these skits just dragged.
Here's some great SNL:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clip...
November 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
#40 Millicent. If you would be kind enough to provide a link to the "lifted" paragraph so that we can corroborate, I will remove the offending comment. Otherwise, don't snipe.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I am breathless with the fever of Top Ten nominations. So much to consider and so much to suggest. And also, it is Sunday night. The first week in months without our beloved MM.
There is, perhaps, a certain silence. Which…I champion. One of Matthew Weiner's brilliances is allowing for dramatic pause and silences. And so it goes on a Sunday night.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
#45 Deborah: I don't see how alerting a board to plagiarism and suggesting proper attribution can be construed as sniping unless there's an Internet-lingo connotation to the verb "snipe" that I'm unaware of. Sorry about that.
Here's the link to the page where that graf was previously posted; I noted it early today:
http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php...
November 15th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Sorry, everyone. I meant my previous comment to go with B. Cooper's Top Ten—not a response to SNL reviews.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
It was awful. Plain awful and January shoulders some of the responsibility. There is a trick to doing well on SNL, and that is to come prepared with material that will showcase you to the best of your abilities. The best hosts – JT, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin and presumably Jon Hamm – arrive with skits already sketched out and then the writers lobby for their work. Taylor Swift tweeted that she arrived with 100 ideas. You do not rely on writers that do not know you to write for you. There's only a week.
Also, the first rule of comedy is that you stay in character, you do not break up. If you can't keep a straight face, stick to drama. Comedy is serious – read Steve Martin's Born Standing Up for more. January sounds like she was ill prepared and ill served and that equals what we got.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Very nice. Seems like it's going to be alot of January Jones bashing until season 4 premieres. Fabulous site. I'm glad that others realize that she's a talented hack, who's just pretty.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Millicent, there is no way of knowing if "jasunshine" is the same person as "Concerned," and there is no rule against copying oneself. "Sniping" is making accusations without evidence.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
lighten up – jeez-louise.
SNL is missed a great opportunity with January – she is a good actress. I thought she did an adequate job considering the material she had to work with. The Rear Window scene was difficult and she held her own and pulled it off – she proved herself a trooper. I liked the way she laughed through the scenes. She was having a good time. The purpose of the show is to have fun!
November 15th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
As a serious fan of MM, I wasn’t in the least insulted by the opening “Mad Menniesâ€monologue; on the contrary I felt it was a nice little personal “shout-out†to me and my mom. I jumped up, spilling my whiskey, neat, and thumped on the ceiling with my rifle but I think she was already asleep.
I got the feeling the audience didn’t get the gag though. You know, there aren’t a large number of people that watch the show regularly. 2.6 million on AMC maybe triple that online. I wonder if the crowd was completely tuned into our sense of enthusiasm for all things Mad Men.
I don’t watch that much SNL anymore, but as far as the five minute fart joke goes, that’s fairly standard fare isn’t it? (The good old days of SNL was what? the first two years had some edge, then? We may be over-sentimentalizing how sharp the show was.)
I think they were trying to save the sketch by going way over the rainbow with the sound effects, but it was a distance to go for the punch line, “Hitch, I’m a celebrity judge at a chili cook-off tomorrow. “ Jason Sudekis nailed his Jimmy Stewart though.
January stepped on a few of her lines, appeared nervous, but I don’t think it’s any negative indication of her acting chops; performing anything in front of a life audience involves a special skill set. And after all, the past thirteen weeks wasn’t just some elaborate illusion; we all witnessed; she definitely was Betty Draper.
Come on now! The Black Eyed Peas are fun, and Fergie has an awesome set of pipes, no?
****Wait! I just rewatched and have changed my mind. January’s image is definitely permanently disgracefully irredeemably tarnished. How can she seriously run for vice-president in 2012? Harrumph. I’ll have no choice but to vote for the other ticket. Shame, shame Ms. Jones. You’ve let America down, show some scrap of dignity please and just disappear.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
#52 I also liked her laughing; it was real and goofy. I was reading about other SNL debacles that were worse: the aforementioned DeNiro, Elaine Page, Nancy Kerrigan, Wayne Gretsky, Val Kilmer (who read other people's lines on the cue cards), Peter Sarsgaard. Rudy Guliani (who I loathe) was our mayor at the time, and he was great! I think JJ is a good actress, and it's funny, but her performances look great in the stills at the head of this thread.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
January Jones is talentless and should be fired for the extensive damage that she has done to Mad Men's reputation and legacy.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I hadn't watched SNL in years. I watched last night because I'm a Mad Men fan and January Jones was hosting. I really wished that I hadn't watched. I was appalled at how far downhill SNL has gone. Also, Jones showed that those who said she isn't a good actress were correct. It is only with the incredibly good writing and directing on Mad Men that she can be considered in any way a good actress. This morning, when I told my wife about how awful SNL has become, she reminded me that I was still watching SNL long after he had given up on it. So many people have no idea how good SNL used to be in "the good old days."
November 16th, 2009 at 5:02 am
I think some people are better suited to doing live comedy, and others are not. JJ seems to feel a bit uncomfortable in doing comedy. The laughing got to be a bit old for me, and her nervousness was apparent. Maybe it was just a case of her wanting to try hosting SNL like her costar, and it wasn't her strong suit.
I don't think JJ is the strongest actress on MM, but I also think she is the most under developed character on the show.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Deborah, the Cinder63 quote that was lifted from Television Without Pity (the page I sent you the link for) by Betty Basher was written by me, and unless I am losing my mind I am not logged in here as Betty Basher, so I know for a fact it's plagiarism. Not earth-shattering but I find it strange that people are cutting and pasting from other sites rather than sharing their own thoughts here. And as a journalist I'm kind of picky about receiving credit where credit is due.
Thanks.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Here's the deal.
Comedy has no couth; it didn't in Ancient Rome and it doesn't now.
Why do you think obnoxious types like the late John Belushi say that women aren't funny? Besides the obvious and odious sexism, it's because too many actresses are worried about couth.
Jones got into the comedy trenches with the Rear Window skit and good for her.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Okay, if it was written by you, that's different. I wish you'd said that to start! I've deleted it.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I think January probably wanted this opportunity to show the world that she is not as stiff as Betty Draper and unfortunately, that didn’t go so well. But she didn’t suck either. It was a suckful episode, and to blame her for not providing her own sketches is unfair. Maybe that’s the way to really shine on SNL, but it shouldn’t be considered her failure.
And @55, Skyway, I don’t know what you’re talking about regarding “the extensive damage that she has done to Mad Men’s reputation and legacyâ€. Talentless? She has given amazing performances, and strongly deserved Emmy consideration for season two, which I consider to be her season.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I think we now see the justification for all of Don Draper's affairs. Matt Weiner was auditioning new actresses for the role of Don's wife.
January Jones was exceptionally good in Mad Men. The role was complimentary to her talents. She has three looks – angry, quizzical & beatific.
Now that her role in that show is done, this was an excellent opportunity to show that she's not a one-dimensional actress. Her debut was in 1999 and she's mostly had roles as "Girl #2". Mad Men gave her huge visibility and some directors may have been interested in using that buzz to promote their next movies. But she needed to show that she can do different voices, different looks, different characters. She didn't vary her appearance much on SNL and showed made little attempt to affect a different dialect. Most were variations of Betty Draper.
SNL is as good as it ever was. Episodes with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift show that non-comedians can excel. Even on a good night, at least a third of the sketches fall flat. This past Saturday, they all did.
I had hope at the beginning of the the Diary Queen sketch, she showed excitement and playfulness. Unfortunately, it was poorly written, went on too long, and she had very few lines.
The Rear Window sketch repeated the same premise until it became uncomfortable. Anyone could have taken her place in the Kathy Lee sketch. The Party Planner sketch may have been better if the topic was parenting tips, as had been suggested on this blog.
I got the impression that she brought no suggestions to the table and showed limited ability to go out of character. The writers seemed to have prolonged every sketch because they couldn't find anything else that she could do.
I feel badly that she tanked on SNL. Perhaps she's an outstanding actress and just had a bad night. Not everyone can do comedy well, maybe those skills elude her. Maybe her limited visibility in other roles meant that the writers had little to work with.
In any case, she came off looking very poorly, and I hate to see that happen to anyone.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Deborah, I'm sorry; at first I was trying to maintain some measure of anonymity (don't know why, really) and again it's not a huge deal, just odd. Thanks for your attention at this busy time.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:38 am
@60 Roberta "..unfortunately, that didn’t go so well. But she didn’t suck either."
Actually, as much as it pains me to say it, I thought JJ sucked big time. She has no stage presence, whatsoever, which is amazing, considering her physical beauty. It was if SNL had run another contest to select a host from the viewing audience, and selected, as winner, some thirty-something housewife from South Dakota. (The only skit where JJ was convincing was in the DQ skit — I could see JJ working in a Pierre, SD DQ!)
But, her failure at SNL has no bearing on her work in front of the camera. As mentioned, Robert DiNiro was also lost when asked to perform in a half dozen sketches in 90 minutes time, and with only 5 days to prepare. Jones showed some serious acting chops in S3. Weiner has commented how the role of Betty was originally not envisioned to be a large part of MM, but that Betty became an integral part after JJ's reading for the role.'
Oh well.. she was cute, anyway.
btw, Roberta… thanks so much to you and Deborah for this site. Excellent fun!
November 16th, 2009 at 11:34 am
"If Tina Fey was still head writer for SNL, the sketches for a female host would be stronger. Post-SNL interviews with former female and black cast members are quite revealing"
I have to agree, especially this season…it has been a disaster. The hired talent isn't cutting it…
November 16th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I love how most people on this site are rushing to JJ's defense, as if their gesture will salvage anything. If you go to any forum, you'll see what people who aren't so biased really think. Matt Weiner now has no other choice but to demote her role to that of a secondary character who'll make only a handful of appearances in season 4 (i.e. McNulty's ex-wife in The Wire).
November 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
"Matt Weiner now has no choice" because people on the Internet are bitching? Whoa. Grow up.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Agree with Deb. Whoah.
Ogilvy, thanks!
November 16th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I didn't see SNL this week because I think it is an un-funny show that passed its prime in around 1978. I don't know why anyone agrees to be on it, to tell the truth. I'm sure it will have no effect on January Jones' role on the show or her career. I have to comment, however,on the post above that says we will see Don and Betty "co-parenting." I don't think so! That is a distinctly modern concept. If true to the times, Don might visit the kids once in awhile or have them over on a weekend, but it won't be like it is now, where divorced parents try to divide up the time equally and participate equally in child-rearing. There was even a thought, expressed to me as late as the 70s, that it was better for the kids for the absent father to withdraw from the kids' lives completely! I don't think the show will go in that direction. but I don't think Don is going to be having the kids every other weekend or that there will be much of a role for JJ as Betty on the show after they are divorced.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
@#66 and #67–
Agreed. What, is MM now American Idol? Oh, please.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
"Agreed. What, is MM now American Idol? Oh, please."
OMG…that is exactly what I was thinking! This is definitely weird to see, I don't know where all the JJ hate came from.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I don't hate her at all, but man, I thought she absolutely reeked. Worse than her Grace Kelly character. Worse than the (admittedly awful) writing.
She looked like she had absolutely no idea what she was doing at all, with the exception of the entertaining film – not what you'd expect from an experienced actress. A number of people thought her laughing was sweet or real – I thought it was painful to watch and horribly unprofessional.
I've been listening to the season 1 dvd commentaries – I've come to the conclusion that Betty's wooden "of course" and narrow affect isn't acting – it's January.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
@ 68 Annie R- I disagree with you. Don loves his kids. Without thinking it through, he wanted full custody. He is not going to withdraw from their lives. They are going to be spending part of the weekend with him, and maybe the occasional dinner in the city.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
In general I think SNL has been lacking for years. All the skits are way too long. Haven't they ever heard of "leave 'em wanting more"? Something is only funny the first few times, but then it gets tired, just like the Rear Window skit. If they would make shorter skits they would have time for MORE skits. But, I guess maybe they don't have enough talent for that? Who knows.
I love JJ, but I thought she was flat throughout the show, and I can even see how/why Ashton said what he said to her about her acting career. I think she is just very self concious, though, and with time and experience, she will become more comfortable in her skin. I think she has potential.
Keep working, JJ!
Love ya!
November 17th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
#71 Artemisia: "I don’t hate her at all, but man, I thought she absolutely reeked. Worse than her Grace Kelly character. Worse than the (admittedly awful) writing.
She looked like she had absolutely no idea what she was doing at all, with the exception of the entertaining film – not what you’d expect from an experienced actress. A number of people thought her laughing was sweet or real – I thought it was painful to watch and horribly unprofessional.
I’ve been listening to the season 1 dvd commentaries – I’ve come to the conclusion that Betty’s wooden “of course†and narrow affect isn’t acting – it’s January."
I just read what you wrote Artemisia. I have to agree 100%.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Without thinking it through, he wanted full custody. He is not going to withdraw from their lives.
Don might even be spending MORE time with his kids than he did before, which let's face it, seemed to be very little. Now that he doesn't have to avoid Betty (and think about it- even discounting the considerable time he spent with his mistresses, how much of his after-hours "work time" was just finding something else to do besides go back to Ossining) , he wont need to run away. How many nights did he come home after they were in already bed, even when he did come home?
Yes, he might only see them on the weekends but he'll spend more time with them on the weekends than he ever did while he was married.
Or at least, that's what I hope.
Sally & Bobby could have a blast with Daddy in Manhattan.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I don't see what the big deal is. I wonder why so much Betty hate. I wonder why so much January hate. Is she a bad person or is something expected of her because she's really pretty or something else? I find myself defending her all the time and I can't figure out why I see the positive and others see glaring negative.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:49 am
#76 What? Really? You think people are critical because she is pretty? There are pretty girls aplenty in the acting world who are great at what they do. I don’t see anyone “hating†on them unjustly because they are pretty.
How about we reverse this idea and ask, "Because she is pretty, we can't critique her work?"
Certainly, JJ wouldn’t want us to patronize her.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hi Just as a follow-up, Millicent noted that an earlier comment was lifted from TWOP. It was signed "concerned" and it's comment 38. She was right. I post on TWOP under my screen name, Jasunshine and pretty much use the same screen name everywhere – Twitter, TWOP, EW, etc. I definitely did not post the comment here, so it was plagiarized. And really odd. Although I guess I could be flattered. I hope it's not read as Betty bashing though. That's not the intent. Thanks.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Hi here is the link to the Mad Men forum on TWOP where I posted the comment that “Concerned” reposted here – comment # 38 on this site (I guess the numbering changed after you removed a previous post): http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3157633&st=270
If you want to confirm my profile I have the same user name on my twitter pg:
http://twitter.com/jasunshine
Thanks