Review of 12-16-2000 episode (MD-610; some spoilers) This review can also be found at: http://www.nic0lesullivan.org/md610.txt ========================================================================== N'Sync: Justin Timberlake (Nicole Sullivan) introduces a new video from the surprisingly lame N'Sync (Sullivan, Nelson Ascencio, Michael McDonald, Will Sasso, Christian Duguay), "This We Promise You" off of "No Balls Attached" on MTV's "Total Request Live." The video parody is shown in letter box format for some reason; it is interspersed with "fans" commenting on how much they love N'Sync (one pre-pubescent girl says that she wants to have N'Sync's baby, and a bunch of gay men send a shout out - yet one teenage girl, apparently having passed through puberty, voices disapproval). Overall I liked this parody; few groups are more deserving of being lambasted in a parody like this more than N'Sync, which in my opinion is little more than modern-day bubblegum music. And while we're at it we might as well make fun of "Total Request Live;" by playing the most requested videos and showing video clips of fans while the video plays makes it seem more interactive, yet the very same videos would be shown even if they weren't requested because they are invariably the most popular videos from the most popular groups anyway. The production values were as good as I could have expected, and the performances, especially from Sullivan, were good. Ed: This is a parody of the new NBC drama "Ed." Most of the segment consists of Ed (Michael McDonald) stalking a girl (Nicole Sullivan) on whom he has a crush. Laudatory comments from the critics flash up on the left half of the screen ("Hurray for Ed!" and "Another NBC show without black people"). Overall, this segment wasn't that funny - it didn't go beyond the idea of Ed going to this girl's house repeatedly, though it's possible that the real show doesn't go beyond this, either; I don't watch the show so I don't know one way or another. But if it is a little thin on substance, this was a triumph of form; their skills at doing movie and TV parodies have been honed almost to perfection, and this one was fairly slick and professional. E! Celebrity Profile: Randy Newman (Will Sasso), last seen working on the soundtrack of the latest Star Wars movie ("Star Wars/Oh, Star Wars/Space is the place for Star Wars") is now seen writing Christmas songs that pretty much sound like his other songs. He writes a song for Madonna (Mo Collins), who's dressed like she is on the cover of "Music," and then goes back to writing songs for movies. When I saw the beginning of the segment and saw Sasso's Newman, I thought this was going to be good; it wasn't as good as the original parody; it was still good, but it wasn't outrageously funny. Alex Borstein Christmas: In a somewhat quirky segment, Alex Borstein doesn't want to go to the "Mad TV" Christmas party because she can't fit into leather pants or miniskirts; she wishes that she lived in the 1940's, when full-figured women were accepted and even admired - or so she thinks. Then she dreams that she is back in the 1940's, and is quickly mocked by other men as fat - and wishes she was back in 2000, where at least she was considered cute. The segment is based on an interesting pop culture observation - I never really noticed this before, but I suppose she is right (Mae West, for one, was fairly chunkified). As a period piece, something which "Mad TV" excels in, this was quite good; it's also a good parody of crappy Christmas specials a la "It's a Wonderful Life" in which the protagonist wishes for an alternative to the current state of things only to realize that he/she should be happy the way things are. How the Grinch Stole Christ: The Grinch (Aries Spears) kidnaps the baby Jesus, only to discover the inhabitants of Bethlehem are happier with the toys which they have purchased to fill the void left by the absence of a Christmas with any spiritual significance. Grinch parodies are not particularly original, especially now that "The Grinch" has been turned into a feature-length film starring Jim Carrey: in fact, a few weeks ago "Hype" featured a parody called "How the Grinch Stole the Election" which was essentially a political parody about the Florida recounts. Still, this was a refreshing twist on the "commercialization-has-ruined- Christmas" theme, and it was not only well-executed but short; it didn't last any longer than was necessary in order to make its point. Dolemite: It's Christmas, and once again Dolemite (Aries Spears) is engrossed in the interminable quest for his pimping cane. In order to regain possession of the magical cane, he must do battle with a shark, of course the sheriff (Will Sasso), and the Candy Cane Killer (Michael McDonald), as well as the sheriff's new deputy (Nelson Ascencio). The Dolemite segments have never been my favorites, but this one was surprisingly funny. The poor production values of blaxploitation films, always a target of these parodies, are now emphasized to the hilt: we see boom microphones, part of the set, poor editing, as well as poor acting and lame fight sequences. Common sense goes out the window: what is so magical about the pimping cane anyway, and if the sheriff is so intent on keeping it out of the hands of Dolemite, then why does he give him repeated opportunities to regain the pimping cane? [Answer: So they can have a sequel in which the sheriff once again steals the pimping cane.] Arguably, this was the best of the "Dolemite" parodies. Mad TV at the 2000 Billboard Music Awards: Question: What is more lame than Billboard magazine lambasting Night Ranger as a generic arena rock band, then turning around and lavishing praise on the virtually unlistenable Britney Spears? Answer: The same magazine hosting an awards ceremony. In this segment, we get a glimpse of what it was like backstage at the 2000 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson and Michael McDonald appeared on the show (presumably Nicole Sullivan appeared because she is essentially the star of "Mad TV;" Michael McDonald was there, I suppose, because they wanted to have three people from the show), and here we see all three of them, along with various celebrities (such as Mandy Moore, Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, Patrick Fugit and Toni Braxton). It's unlikely to stand the test of time - unlike "Raging Rudolph," few people will likely remember this segment in five years - but it does have its moments. Favorite ad-lib - Nicole Sullivan: "The only thing more annoying than eight thousand Greg Bradys is Debra saying goodbye to all of them." A Funky Christmas Story: James Brown (Aries Spears) runs over Santa Claus (Michael McDonald) with his van, and then has to take his place; otherwise Santa will turn him in for DUI. He doles out presents wrapped up in newspapers and electrical tape and threatens the children, who in any case are Jewish and therefore don't celebrate Christmas. I have never been a big fan of this James Brown impression - this impression helped drive a pretty big nail into Cabana Chat's coffin - and there was little here to endear me to it. Still, it had its moments, like the big production number right after Brown hit Santa and he's singing about how he can't believe he hit Santa; Santa, in turn, delivers his lines Rex Harrison-style (spoken, not sung). Everclear: Christian Duguay introduces Everclear, who performs "When It All Goes Wrong Again," and we are treated to about four minutes of rather generic (but heavy), repetitive post-alternative rock. As far as current bands go, this was OK, although I would have rather seen a sketch filling this time. Raging Rudolph: This is the first installment of the Rudolph trilogy, and it's as funny now as it was when it first aired five years ago. "Raging Rudolph" is a crossover between the Rankin/Bass Christmas classic and a Martin Scorsesse film; Rudolph, shunned by the other reindeer, conspires, along with the dentist elf and the Abominable Snowman to take over Santa's operation. I'm not sure who did all the voices, but I clearly recognize Bryan Callen as the voice of the snowman originally voiced by Burl Ives, Phil LaMarr is the voice of Santa (and possibly also of Yukon Corteleone/Jack); I think Debra Wilson was Rudolph and Dave Herman was the elf. Overall I rather would have seen a show of all-new material, but if they're going to rerun segments, especially around Christmas time, they couldn't have picked a better segment. Optimistically, I might hope that the re-airing of this segment will cut down on the number of postings in Usenet and elsewhere requesting the "Raging Rudolph" segment, but it probably won't happen. Closing Segment: The cast doesn't come out; instead, Christian Duguay introduces Everclear again, who performs as the closing credits are displayed. This was OK. ========================================================================== This episode was the last show of the year 2000, and "Mad TV" went out on a positive note with a show that was a notch better than last week's show. Per usual, we get the annual Christmas-themed episode, and this one was more or less on par with the last couple of Christmas shows, with the ones from seasons one and two still standing out as notably superior [I give the edge to season one for the original Rudolph parody, the first Joel and Connie sketch, Orlando's monologue, and for relying one hundred percent on comedy as opposed to the season two show in which Harry Connick, Jr. appeared as a musical guest.] There doesn't really seem to be any one segment that stands out in my mind as markedly superior to the rest (with the exception of "Raging Rudolph," but that doesn't really count); the N'Sync segment I think was the best but only marginally so. Still, nothing really bombed and on the whole this was a good show. [6/10] ========================================================================== Number Six | http://www.nic0lesullivan.org dzien@nic.com | (The Unofficial Nicole Sullivan Tribute Page) ==========================================================================