I don't get the Cult of Betty White. I like the 88-year-old. I think she's done some great starring work and some hilarious cameo/guest stints, but I wasn't a member of the half million-plus strong group on Facebook calling for her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig.
However, because of this fervor, I was sufficiently intrigued to watch "SNL" last week.
I was a little disappointed, though -- not with Betty, but with the "SNL" writers. The majority of the skits they wrote for her were of the "old lady saying something crude for shock value" variety.
I have absolutely nothing against crude humor; in fact, I generally find it hilarious. However, it just seemed a shame here to waste Betty White's formidable comedic skill on something so unimaginative.
The show started great, with a very solid monologue that included some real zingers, but then it descended into skits with her saying "lesbian" repeatedly or mentioning her "crotch massager." In the digital short, she gleefully declared, "Happy Mother's Day, motherf*****s."
There were some inspired moments in the raunch, though. The biggest hit of the night was "SNL" alums Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon reviving their "Delicious Dish" sketch, with Betty appearing as a baker peddling her dusty muffin.
This recurring sketch most notably produced Alec Baldwin's classic, "Schweddy Balls." (Baldwin, by the way, hosts this week, his 15th time helming the show). For me, Betty's wasn't as funny as that, but then again, that's one of my favorite "SNL" skits. In this instance, Betty's grandmotherly appearance worked with the crudeness. The character was clueless to the double meaning of her words, so she wasn't an old woman being purposely crass, as in other skits.
Then there was "Scared Straight." It was a crude sketch, but most of the vulgarity fell to Keenan Thompson, who was an inmate turning children's stories into hilariously bawdy cautionary tales about prison. Betty was his inmate grandma, and her job was to set up and punctuate Kennan's jokes. The writers still had her curse, but it fit the context of the skit and didn't feel thrown in just for shock value.
Overall, the episode was much better than other recent ones I've seen, and I'd agree with the consensus that it was a hit. It certainly was for NBC and "SNL," scoring the show its biggest audience in 18 months and outdrawing even the primetime programming on all the networks that night.
Lorne Michaels would be wise to bring her back in the future. If he does, maybe the writers can broaden the scope of her material a little.
And for those of you who can't get enough Betty, she appears on Wednesday's season finale of "The Middle" (8:30 p.m., ABC).
nn
I don't get the Cult of Betty White. I like the 88-year-old. I think she's done some great starring work and some hilarious cameo/guest stints, but I wasn't a member of the half million-plus strong group on Facebook calling for her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig.
However, because of this fervor, I was sufficiently intrigued to watch "SNL" last week.
I was a little disappointed, though -- not with Betty, but with the "SNL" writers. The majority of the skits they wrote for her were of the "old lady saying something crude for shock value" variety.
I have absolutely nothing against crude humor; in fact, I generally find it hilarious. However, it just seemed a shame here to waste Betty White's formidable comedic skill on something so unimaginative.
The show started great, with a very solid monologue that included some real zingers, but then it descended into skits with her saying "lesbian" repeatedly or mentioning her "crotch massager." In the digital short, she gleefully declared, "Happy Mother's Day, motherf*****s."
There were some inspired moments in the raunch, though. The biggest hit of the night was "SNL" alums Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon reviving their "Delicious Dish" sketch, with Betty appearing as a baker peddling her dusty muffin.
This recurring sketch most notably produced Alec Baldwin's classic, "Schweddy Balls." (Baldwin, by the way, hosts this week, his 15th time helming the show). For me, Betty's wasn't as funny as that, but then again, that's one of my favorite "SNL" skits. In this instance, Betty's grandmotherly appearance worked with the crudeness. The character was clueless to the double meaning of her words, so she wasn't an old woman being purposely crass, as in other skits.
Then there was "Scared Straight." It was a crude sketch, but most of the vulgarity fell to Keenan Thompson, who was an inmate turning children's stories into hilariously bawdy cautionary tales about prison. Betty was his inmate grandma, and her job was to set up and punctuate Kennan's jokes. The writers still had her curse, but it fit the context of the skit and didn't feel thrown in just for shock value.
Overall, the episode was much better than other recent ones I've seen, and I'd agree with the consensus that it was a hit. It certainly was for NBC and "SNL," scoring the show its biggest audience in 18 months and outdrawing even the primetime programming on all the networks that night.
Lorne Michaels would be wise to bring her back in the future. If he does, maybe the writers can broaden the scope of her material a little.
And for those of you who can't get enough Betty, she appears on Wednesday's season finale of "The Middle" (8:30 p.m., ABC).
nnSeason finales
Thursday: "The Vampire Diaries," 8 p.m., and "Supernatural," 9 p.m., CW;"CSI," 9 p.m., CBS; "Fringe," 9 p.m., Fox (both part one of two); "Private Practice," 10 p.m., ABC.
Friday: "Smallville," 8 p.m., CW.
Saturday: "Saturday Night Live" (with Alec Baldwin and Tom Petty), 11:30 p.m., NBC.
Sunday: "Survivor," 8 p.m., CBS; "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 8 p.m., "Desperate Housewives," 9 p.m., and "Brothers & Sisters," 10 p.m., ABC; "Celebrity Apprentice," 9 p.m., NBC (part one); "American Dad," 9:30 p.m., Fox.
Monday: "House," 8 p.m., Fox; "One Tree Hill," 8 p.m. (possible series finale) and "Gossip Girl," 9 p.m., CW; "Castle," 10 p.m., ABC.
Tuesday: "NCIS," 8 p.m. (part one); "90210," 8 p.m., CW; "V," 10 p.m., ABC.
Wednesday: "The Middle," 8:30 p.m., "Modern Family," 9 p.m., and "Cougar Town," 9:30 p.m. ABC; "Law & Order: SVU," 10 p.m., NBC
nnSeries preview: "Good Guys," 8 p.m. Wednesday (comedic buddy cop show). Premieres in regular slot June 7.
Specials: "Miss USA Pageant," 7 p.m. Sunday, NBC; "I Get That A Lot" (celebrity prank show), 8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS.
Guest stars: Rob Lowe, "Parks & Recreation," 8:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC; Marion Ross and Demi Lovato, "Grey's Anatomy," 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC; Wynonna Judd and Five For Fighting, "Army Wives," 10 p.m. Sunday, Lifetime; Scott Bakula, "Chuck," 8 p.m. Monday, NBC; ZZ Top, "Two and a Half Men," 9 p.m. Monday, CBS (cameo); Neil Patrick Harris, "Glee," 9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox.
Reach Amy Robinson at flips...@wvgazette.com.
