Review of 1-30-1999 episode (MD-414; some spoilers) This week marks the one-year anniversary of my posting these reviews on alt.tv.mad-tv! I'm thinking of setting up an archive of these on my website, if I have the time. But anyway, on with the review: ============================== =============================================================== Opening Segment: With Keanu Reeves (Andrew Bowen). This is one of my favorite of the new characters, and it's especially funny when he shows pride over his Southern accent, and when he can't say "circumnavigate." And if nothing else, they at least made an effort with these opening segments. Nicole Sullivan, Celebrity Spokesperson: This was one of the ones taped at the end of last year (December 18?). Nicole Sullivan, star of Mad TV ("it's a show...on Fox") pitches a new long distance carrier to Phil LaMarr and Debra Wilson ("What are you doing in out house"). She tells them to dial a slew of numbers, which they can use to save 10 percent on their long distance phone bills ("LaMarr: 10 percent of what? Sullivan: Of more! 10 percent."). Although they may have copied this from a recent Saturday Night Live episode, it differs from the aforementioned in at least one respect: when it becomes apparent that Sullivan doesn't really know what she's talking about, LaMarr and Wilson kick her out of the house. This was funny if for no other reason than the fact that now the obscurity of the show is so well-established that they worked it into a segment. This was pretty funny. Antonia Super Bowl Sketch: Antonia gets to toss the coin at the beginning of the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, she does not even know what a coin is. We get to see C.C. (sitting at home). It was OK, though not the best Antonia segment. Latrice and Vicki: An African-American girl Latrice (Debra Wilson) and a preppie girl named Vicki (Mo Collins) go to a club, where Latrice wants to hook up with some guy (Aries Spears). The joke here is that Vicki really knows her ebonics because she watched UPN. After Latrice and Aries Spears leave, Vicki stays and starts dancing with some rather dorky white guy (Pat Kilbane). Probably not everyone's cup of tea here, but I liked it. Antonia #2: This time, an unusually loquacious Antonia ("unsportsmanlike conduct...15 yards") tosses the coin; it flies up into the air, but she pulls out another one from behind the referee's ear. This was also somewhat funny. The Riverboy: This is a parody of "The Waterboy," only here Adam Sandler (Michael McDonald) is the waterboy for a troupe of riverdancers who has to replace the head dancer (Andrew Bowen) after he physically attacks and injures him. Also starring Drew Barrymore (Nicole Sullivan, in yet another reprise of this characterization) as a member of the troupe who apparently has a thing for half-wits. This was pretty funny if you saw "The Waterboy" (which was OK I guess even though Sandler played the same moron he always plays), and was carried off pretty well by the cast. Antonia #3: The final segment of this little trilogy concludes with a blimp crashing into the stadium. This was OK. Vancome Lady: This time, she's the snacks lady at the Super Bowl. She insults a father and his son, insinuating that he is a homosexual (cruel, but funny!); she insults a besotted fan (Michael McDonald), and insults the players' wives (Mo Collins and others). Then - guess what - she's fired by the team's owner (Aries Spears). The Vancome Lady and I are so sympatico now that I easily anticipate many of the jokes ("Player's Wife: Do you know who we are? Vancome Lady: You're either the players' wives, or hookers. But then again, what's the difference...where did he take you on your first date rape?" The part about the cheese was a little wierd, but overall the sketch was funny, especially when the boy's father was talking about how this is his first time at a football game, and then the Vancome Lady starts talking about her "first time": "San Diego Chargers defensive line...but that was a different kind of first time." Kenny Rogers Halftime Show: Another Super Bowl-related sketch. Kenny Rogers (Will Sasso) hosts the halftime show with his guests Garth Brooks (Andrew Bowen), Lyle Lovitt (Pat Kilbane), and the teenaged Leann Rimes (Nicole Sullivan). This was funnier than most of the segments with this recurring character, mainly because we get to see him interact with other country music singers (e.g. he doesn't know that Lovitt's famous duet was with K.D. Lang, and he keeps thinking that Lovitt is K.D. Lang, and he keeps pushing over Garth Brooks). Also we get Aries Spears' cruel characterization of Magic Johnson, this time trying to read the Declaration (Declamation) of Independence (extremely funny!). Overall, it wasn't bad. Troll Sketch: Alex Borstein plays a troll who stands guard in front of The Gap. Pat Kilbane and Mo Collins are a married couple who have to solve riddles or she won't let them into the store. This was probably the wierdest segment of the show, and it was kind of funny. Spy vs. Spy: The black spy shoots a missile at the white spy, but the white spy redirects the missile so that the black spy gets obliterated. Even though this was an old cartoon, it's good to see that "Mad TV" hasn't completely eliminated all tie-ins with the magazine. (Imagine how much funnier the show could be with an animated "Melvin and Jenkins" or "Monroe" or something?) Mad TV Classic?: This was from the Super Bowl show two years ago (MD-211). It's a Charlie's Angels parody about a madman (Dave Herman, no less) who attempts to plant a bomb at the Super Bowl. Obviously they have the idea of parodying 1970's crime dramas down to a science (Herman's character is described as a Vietnam vet with serious problems - and many TV shows and movies from the 1970's, starting with "Dirty Harry," portrayed Vietnam vets as villians. Then "Magnum P.I." came along in 1980, in which the hero was a Vietnam vet, ushering in a new era in pop culture... But I digress.) This was pretty good, although there were better segments they could have used from that Super Bowl show. (Since they don't do much animation anymore, maybe they could have used Vud Bowl, where all the beer bottles crash into each other and shatter.) ================================================================= =============================== Overall, this was a good show. The sketches and segments were good, although few I suspect would be on anyone's A-list of sketches (with the exception, perhaps, of the Vancome sketch). Still, this episode wraps up a month of solid shows, and for the first time all season there has been some consistency in the show's quality. Viewers (or more accurately Nielson families), perhaps agreeing with this analysis, have rewarded "Mad TV" with solid ratings for the last four weeks or so (ratings for the month of January, not including last night, were 4.9, 5.1, 5.3, and 5.0 - the show's best month ratings-wise in quite some time). The show still has some weaknesses, including the lack of location filming, fewer animated segments, and sometimes uneven writing. And although the "Mad TV" prides itself on not needing guest hosts to carry the show, if they had guest hosts (even if they didn't do it every week), they would probably be able to compete better with SNL. ======================= ============================================== Number Six | http://www.nic.com/~ dzien/nicolesullivan/ dzien@nic.com | (The Unofficial Nicole Sullivan Tribute Page) ================================================================== === ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ