SNL: Melissa McCarthy

I was pretty pumped to see funny lady Melissa McCarthy host her first (and I hope not her last) Saturday Night Live, especially after seeing her win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy this year.

The front end of the episode was essentially the Melissa & Kristen Show, which was fun because it's easy to tell how much these two Bridesmaids stars love working together. The Lawrence Welk cold open added a couple of new layers to the otherwise overdone (but still beloved) Merrill Sisters bit; I thought Taran Killam was hilarious playing the super-cheesy crooner to perfection.

Sister Act
"Why do I hate crows? Just...CAWS!"



The Melissa & Kristen combination continued in the monologue, which was probably my favorite part of the show. The duo pulled off a rather lyrically and logistically complicated routine, and the best part is that by the end of the number you can see how much fun they're having together.

Let's Dance!
"Hey, Kristenin'!"
"I'm listenin'!"



Several of the bits featuring McCarthy centered around her lack of fear for doing broad, physical comedy -- she doused herself in Ranch dressing, got punched in the gut, made out with a balloon pony, slid down a staircase, and sexually harassed Jason Sudekis. But where I find McCarthy funniest is when she stays in the pocket using her unique comedic voice and physical nuances to create a joke, and she somehow manages to do that in this sketch underneath a bad perm and a thick coating of Hidden Valley dressing:

Taste Test
"That cash could really get me out of a coupla jams."



Though Weekend Update has yet to be blessed with a visit from Stefon this season (and I know it's still early), I thought the segment was solid this week. I do love Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armisan as the gossipy BFFs of Ghaddafi, and Seth Meyers had an accidentally adorable moment when he failed to make it through one of his jokes without giggling.

Ghaddafi's Two Best Friends From Growing Up
"He comes to this party and he's like, 'Why did you drag me out here...I'm supposed to be in hiding...' PS, I'm wearing a dress, so like, you can say I look nice."



Next week SNL will be hosted by Ben Stiller! Stay tuned.

Lisa ;)