I'm persuadable, but a little more skeptical than you, Adam. Now, I say this as someone who thinks that "Motherlover" is possibly the most inspired bit of television he saw this decade. But every week? I fear that it wouldn't work as well.
Either it becomes the "Justin Timberlake Show (and the rest of the cast)", or they waste him as they try and write stuff for the guest of the week.
Don't see him being just another guy in the ensemble.
Though that does suggest a different way of doing the hosting that might shake things up some.
Have a 'guest in residence' for 3-4 weeks at a time, and have other guests too. Having a Hamm month, or an Alec Baldwin month, or a Timberlake month might be the just the right amount before it becoming too much of a good thing. They could be featured players during that month, and they could still bring in the usual 'star promoting their film coming out that week' thing that they usually do, in addition.
After his one season on the show, Billy Crystal was asked by Brandon Tartikoff if he wanted to be the show's permanent guest host. He was interested, but then Lorne took over again and nixed the idea.
I recognize that there's a danger that the show becomes The JT Show, but it also (I think) would force them to raise their game a bit. And I also think he'd be a team player.
The flipside question is this: even if it's good for us, is it the best use of JT's time? Should he be, um, recording an album again already?
Would be easy enough for him to record an album--SNL only does 22 live shows a year, and the other 30 weeks are basically dead/production shutdown. (Scripted shows are a little different, since there's more lead time/schedule.) He could readily do albums on his time off.
But then, what's the point of having him on the show if he's just going to be slightly hotter Andy Sanberg?
My point about not seeing him as 'another guy in the ensemble' has more to do with how the writers would feel compelled to write to him and his talents too often, think it'd unbalance the show in a bad way over the course of one or two seasons.
As far as how best to utilize Justin Timberlake in all his Justin Timberlakeness, another album might be good, or maybe the moment for his sound has already passed by, not sure, pop stars don't have much longevity as pop singers at the moment, and he's been smart in how he's diversified his appeal.
His best strength, I think, is 2nd or 3rd lead in a movie, or compelling supporting actor like his bit in The Social Network.
He's better when he's intense or goofy, but that intensity and/or goofiness doesn't seem like the best fit for a lead character.
They have been dominated by one performer during periods before -- by Eddie Murphy, by Crystal, by Mike Myers, Will Ferrell and lately Kristen Wiig. Sometimes it works.
Counterpoint: Kenan Thompson. Big freakin' star, working in an ensemble with SNL.
I know I can be sarcastic -- I'm not right now. Kenan Thompson may not be the all-singing, all-dancing shinebot that JT is, but he's got star cred on his side. I was worried when I saw he was joining the cast that he might stick out, that too much experience being a lead might affect him when in this kind of environment where he has to fight for time.... Instead, he's doing great at it! (I could do with never seeing another What's Up With That, but that turn as Norman the Doorman was one of my favorite things on SNL in a while, because it was so perfect with its notes of anger -- awesome.)
1 to 2 years. Let the boy fit in with the group, see if we can get used to him on-screen with others and not be completely focused on him. It's actually a master stroke for his career if it works, because casting agents will then see that he doesn't need the whole screen, and if it doesn't, well, he has his fallback, and SNL can weather this kind of experiment.
And I've always thought the Billy Crystal season was the best one ever. I'm not sure whether a full year of JT would work, but I wish they'd give it a try.
I suspect that SNL would almost completely become the JT show. Which might not be such a bad thing if it gets the writers to up their game. But if the writing could be so dreadfully bad for hosts Bryan Cranston and Jane Lynch, would JT as a castmember result in anything other than a couple of unfunny JT characters endlessly recycled?
It would be awesome if it used JT both as a sketch performer, but also to have him curate the music for his time on the show, so that it could be him debuting new songs or collaborating with guest performers (or simply picking performers that he likes). In the same way that having The Roots as collaborators has helped Jimmy Fallon's Late Night to have mad game, JT could help make SNL's musical guest performances more interesting. Or at least might help figure out why SNL's musical guest performances are always so dreadfully mixed. (e.g. Paul McCartney last week.) (The single exception in the last couple of years: Phoenix)
JT as cast member + music curator and performer might be a great thing. Or it might be terrible. Or like SNL in general, it will have a few great moments amidst the usual mediocre to had sketch comedy that will make us nostalgic for the nonexistent time when the show was consistently good.
Kenan and Anthony Michael Hall were unquestionably bigger names than the average cast member is when they joined the cast, but neither is a star on the level of Timberlake. Admittedly, certainly for Hall, the peak of fame was pre-Us-Weekly/Perez Hilton, but before they joined the cast, both were on a prolonged downswing in their career and weren't in the public spotlight nearly as much as Timberlake is.
I'm persuadable, but a little more skeptical than you, Adam. Now, I say this as someone who thinks that "Motherlover" is possibly the most inspired bit of television he saw this decade. But every week? I fear that it wouldn't work as well.
ReplyDeleteEither it becomes the "Justin Timberlake Show (and the rest of the cast)", or they waste him as they try and write stuff for the guest of the week.
ReplyDeleteDon't see him being just another guy in the ensemble.
Though that does suggest a different way of doing the hosting that might shake things up some.
Have a 'guest in residence' for 3-4 weeks at a time, and have other guests too. Having a Hamm month, or an Alec Baldwin month, or a Timberlake month might be the just the right amount before it becoming too much of a good thing. They could be featured players during that month, and they could still bring in the usual 'star promoting their film coming out that week' thing that they usually do, in addition.
After his one season on the show, Billy Crystal was asked by Brandon Tartikoff if he wanted to be the show's permanent guest host. He was interested, but then Lorne took over again and nixed the idea.
ReplyDeleteI recognize that there's a danger that the show becomes The JT Show, but it also (I think) would force them to raise their game a bit. And I also think he'd be a team player.
The flipside question is this: even if it's good for us, is it the best use of JT's time? Should he be, um, recording an album again already?
Would be easy enough for him to record an album--SNL only does 22 live shows a year, and the other 30 weeks are basically dead/production shutdown. (Scripted shows are a little different, since there's more lead time/schedule.) He could readily do albums on his time off.
ReplyDeleteI can see him being a team player, too.
ReplyDeleteBut then, what's the point of having him on the show if he's just going to be slightly hotter Andy Sanberg?
My point about not seeing him as 'another guy in the ensemble' has more to do with how the writers would feel compelled to write to him and his talents too often, think it'd unbalance the show in a bad way over the course of one or two seasons.
As far as how best to utilize Justin Timberlake in all his Justin Timberlakeness, another album might be good, or maybe the moment for his sound has already passed by, not sure, pop stars don't have much longevity as pop singers at the moment, and he's been smart in how he's diversified his appeal.
His best strength, I think, is 2nd or 3rd lead in a movie, or compelling supporting actor like his bit in The Social Network.
He's better when he's intense or goofy, but that intensity and/or goofiness doesn't seem like the best fit for a lead character.
Also, speaking of popular pop stars, I doubt we'll be having a similar discussion about Justin Bieber 10 years from now, but you never know...
ReplyDeleteThey have been dominated by one performer during periods before -- by Eddie Murphy, by Crystal, by Mike Myers, Will Ferrell and lately Kristen Wiig. Sometimes it works.
ReplyDeleteI'm just skeptical he'd do it for SNL money.
ReplyDeleteCounterpoint: Kenan Thompson. Big freakin' star, working in an ensemble with SNL.
ReplyDeleteI know I can be sarcastic -- I'm not right now. Kenan Thompson may not be the all-singing, all-dancing shinebot that JT is, but he's got star cred on his side. I was worried when I saw he was joining the cast that he might stick out, that too much experience being a lead might affect him when in this kind of environment where he has to fight for time.... Instead, he's doing great at it! (I could do with never seeing another What's Up With That, but that turn as Norman the Doorman was one of my favorite things on SNL in a while, because it was so perfect with its notes of anger -- awesome.)
1 to 2 years. Let the boy fit in with the group, see if we can get used to him on-screen with others and not be completely focused on him. It's actually a master stroke for his career if it works, because casting agents will then see that he doesn't need the whole screen, and if it doesn't, well, he has his fallback, and SNL can weather this kind of experiment.
And I've always thought the Billy Crystal season was the best one ever. I'm not sure whether a full year of JT would work, but I wish they'd give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that SNL would almost completely become the JT show. Which might not be such a bad thing if it gets the writers to up their game. But if the writing could be so dreadfully bad for hosts Bryan Cranston and Jane Lynch, would JT as a castmember result in anything other than a couple of unfunny JT characters endlessly recycled?
ReplyDeleteIt would be awesome if it used JT both as a sketch performer, but also to have him curate the music for his time on the show, so that it could be him debuting new songs or collaborating with guest performers (or simply picking performers that he likes). In the same way that having The Roots as collaborators has helped Jimmy Fallon's Late Night to have mad game, JT could help make SNL's musical guest performances more interesting. Or at least might help figure out why SNL's musical guest performances are always so dreadfully mixed. (e.g. Paul McCartney last week.) (The single exception in the last couple of years: Phoenix)
JT as cast member + music curator and performer might be a great thing. Or it might be terrible. Or like SNL in general, it will have a few great moments amidst the usual mediocre to had sketch comedy that will make us nostalgic for the nonexistent time when the show was consistently good.
Kenan and Anthony Michael Hall were unquestionably bigger names than the average cast member is when they joined the cast, but neither is a star on the level of Timberlake. Admittedly, certainly for Hall, the peak of fame was pre-Us-Weekly/Perez Hilton, but before they joined the cast, both were on a prolonged downswing in their career and weren't in the public spotlight nearly as much as Timberlake is.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty interesting list to compile: people who were stars before joining the cast. Post-1980, top of my head:
ReplyDeleteSuccesses:
Crystal
Guest
Short
Mixed:
Thompson
Failed
Quaid
Downey Jr
A.M. Hall
Garofalo
McKean
Sorry, but in what parallel universe is Kenan Thompson a 'big freakin star'?
ReplyDeleteAlso mixed, Mark McKinney from Kids in the Hall.
ReplyDelete