This is a little off topic, but I hate the fact that SNL has me hoping one of their most talented people (Fred Armisen) leaves, so they can have Jay Pharoah play Obama. He is just better at it, and is the best impressionist they have had the last few years.
iont watch SNL cuz of how non funny it is but Jay had some hilarious impersonations those skits when does Denzel nd Will Smith were classic too lol
Yeah, unfortunately, that is all he does right now. I am not sure if it is SNL politics, or if he really is that one-dimensional, but I have seen some of his standup stuff, and it seems like they are really missing out on some real talent. Unfortunately, SNL is a tough place to get much air-time at first, unless you are a great writer.
I watch SNL every single week. This skit didn't make it onto the live episode... it was just made available as a web exclusive.
I had high hopes for Jay, but I think the more I watch him the more I think he's just really raw right now. He can do great impersonations, but beyond that I don't think he really has the timing or comedic sensibilities yet. He might grow into it, though. I've seen a lot of cast members vastly improve while they were on the show. Keenan for example... despite the fact that he was on "All That!" as a kid, he was HORRIBLE when he first showed up on SNL. I hated him. These days, though... he's actually got some funny characters. Bobby Monihan (the obligatory fat dude) has been starting to slowly nail some of his characters too. I just don't think it's Jay's time yet. Honestly, Taran Killam came on at the same time as Jay and he's an absolute BEAST. That guy is probably going to be the top star of the show in a couple years. But to be fair to Jay, Taran Killam has a FAR more elaborate background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taran_Killam ... Killam has been in movies, tv shows... he's been trained as part of "The Groundlings"...etc. As far as I know, Jay's only background is the ability to do funny voices on youtube.
I'm fascinated by SNL, because it's so much like following a sports team. There are good eras and bad eras. Guys come on as "featured players" a lot like drafted rookies that sit on a bench until it's their time. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader were the franchise players this year... but it's constantly changing. Wiig just "retired" after 7 years after essentially being the "top star"... and that will open up things for someone else. If you were to compare Jay to an NBA rookie it would be someone like Gerald Green when he was drafted... crazy athleticism... silky smooth jump shot. All the makings of being a star player... aside from the fact he sucks at basketball. Jay's got the raw talent, but doesn't know how to use it yet. He could probably benefit from being sent to the D-League (or in this case... I'd suggest they send him over to the Upright Citizen Brigade theater in New York so he can improve on his improv skills. That theater is a breeding ground for future SNL cast members... tons of them have come from there). Taran Killam would be someone like Blake Griffin when he was drafted... all of the offensive tools, more experience, clearly ready for the next level, but still room to improve.
Also I watched a documentary about SNL and the thing people don't realize is that a lot of what dictates who makes the show is who puts forth the effort behind the scenes. The cast members who are there every day working with the host helping to hammer out sketches and making themselves 100% available are usually the ones who get on the air. Those who don't invest all of their time into it often get overlooked. A lot of big names have failed on SNL for that reason... Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Ben Stiller, Julie Louis Dreyfus, etc... The cast members who make it are the ones who are working their asses off, basically. So clearly Fred Armison must have a ton of respect over there and probably rightfully so. He's got his own sketch comedy show (Portlandia... which is awesome, btw), but he still seems to be dedicating himself to SNL. Behind the scenes, he's probably crucial to the show. Makes sense, because Armison seems to be by far one of the most creative cast members there (as evidence by his off-the-wall Andy Kaufman-esque standup and his hit TV show).
Wiig (and Sandberg, supposedly) are leaving the show... so maybe we'll see more Jay... but more likely we'll just see more of Taran Killam and Vanessa Bayer... who have both proven to be far more ready than Jay of the young cast members.
Topic: SNL makin fun of Stephen A Smith (Read 8555 times)