I think pretty much everyone was waiting to see how many times Kanye West (who infamously and very rudely interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards back in September and ignited a firestorm of controversy in the process) would be mentioned or parodied but the Kanye talk was almost nonexistent. SNL referenced the incident in Taylor’s opening monologue and it got another nod in the Hollywood Dish skit but that was pretty much it. To be honest, I’m glad that last night wasn’t at all about Kanye … the less said about that a-hole, the better. After the jump, watch video of Taylor’s opening SNL monologue (and hear her performance of The Monologue Song) and watch a few of my fave SNL skits featuring Swift as featured last night in full …

Taylor Swift’s monologue:

While the skit wasn’t all that funny, particularly because it looked as if neither Gaga or Madonna were properly prepared to deliver their lines (it was clear that Madonna messed up a few times), I’m impressed that Madge deigned to participate in the skit. While it’s true that it’s not difficult for Madonna to want to be included in all the fun at all times, it was nice of her to play along with Lady Gaga and the rest of the SNL kids on last night’s ep. After the jump, check out the skit in full …

At least Ryan looked good and did his best with the skits that they came up with for the show … he even brought along his wife Scarlett Johansson to do a little cameo in one of his skits:

If you would like to see a sampling of Ryan’s appearance on SNL last night, you can check out his monologue, his skit with Scarlett and a digital short that featured Andy Samburg and Elijah Wood — after the jump …

LMAO! This new digital short is freakin’ hilarious … and is not to be missed. Are you a motherlover? Is your friend a motherlover? Have you ever dreamed of f*cking your motherlovin’ friend’s mother? Then this video is for you — check it out after the jump …

In Zac’s defense, tho, I have to place part of the blame for all the unfunniness on the writing/skits. There were a couple of skits that I felt had a lot of potential but kinda fell flat for me. In particular, the skit about the science fair and the clip from High School Musical 4. Each of these skits could’ve been really funny but none of the jokes really resonated. In these, I felt that Zac did the best he could with what he was given. While I wasn’t too impressed with his performance, I felt that he did the best that he could. After the jump, check out a few of Zac’s SNL skits in full after the jump in case you missed them the first time or just want to give them another look …

Zac’s opening monologue:

And, if there is that special someone that you prolly should be wishing a Happy VD but you find that you kinda, sorta forgot … then have no fear — Saturday Night Live to the rescue. The folks at SNL have taken their funniest commodity, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, and turned her a Valentine’s Day ecard that you can send to your special loved one … at the last minute since, you know, it’s already Valentine’s Day:

Click HERE to send this Sarah Palin VD card to someone in cyberspace or you can click HERE to see NBC’s full array of ecards (from all of their TV programs) to send fun VD cheer to any and everyone you know! It’s not too late :)

PS: Just for yuks, click HERE to watch the now classic first Tina Fey as Sarah Palin SNL video :)

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At #10 is The Incredible Hulk:

This movie may not have been the best superhero film of all time but it beat the hell out of Ang Lee’s Hulk and really did a service to both the comic book series and the TV series from the ’70s. This film really paid homage to the beloved TV series for the first half of the film and then represented the comic books very well in the second half of the film. All I know is that I had a really good time at the movies watching this film … and isn’t that what’s most important?

At #9 is W.:

Oliver Stone films are really hit or miss and this one was a pretty nice hit. Josh Brolin played a superb GWB and managed to put our soon-to-be ex-president in real context. I am no GWB fan by any stretch of the imagination but this film actually made him a sympathetic character. Props to Oliver Stone for actually doing the impossible.

In the #8 position is Doubt:

This film is all about the acting. And among the amazing acting performances, Meryl Streep far outshines everyone else in this film. She absolutely turned in the most powerful acting performance this year … she absolutely deserves all the Best Actress awards and, IMHO, the Best Actor awards as well — she is that good in this film. I feel bad for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, who both turned in exceptional performances, cuz Streep just steals the spotlight. She made this movie such a delight for me to watch.

At #7 is Milk:

At long last, the story of Harvey Milk’s life made it to the big screen … and Sean Penn did his memory a great service. Milk may not have been a blockbuster but it is a very important story that is told so expertly that I wish it had made more money at the box office. Penn’s cast of supporting actors were also pretty phenomenal … as a whole they told a tale that an entire generation of people were hearing for the first time — which was eerily similar to the events that were playing out on the streets of SoCal this past November.

At #6 is WALL•E:

OMG … what can I say about WALL•E that hasn’t been said a million times before? The movie is just cute as hell and actually caused kids and grown adults alike to fall in love with a sweet little animated trash compactor. I had my doubts about this film before I saw it for myself … but man, once I saw it — I was hooked. WALL•E is absolutely the Best Animated Film of 2008.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Films of 2008 as well as my list of my Fave TV Shows of the Year …

My #5 pick is The Dark Knight:

Don’t get me wrong … I love The Dark Knight but I really felt that, for me, there were a few movies that were better this year in terms of overall entertainment value. That said, Chris Nolan gave us a Batman that is worthy of the top awards that are handed out for outstanding achievement in film making. Heath Ledger was just stunning as The Joker … I absolutely contend that he would still be getting Oscar buzz if he hadn’t passed away last January. He is deffo my pick for Best Supporting Actor at the coming Academy Awards.

At #4 is Iron Man:

THE best superhero film of the year … funny and action-packed with loads of amazing special effects and a great story — this film had it all. The casting was pretty perfect … except for Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes (who I did not care for at all) … especially Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Robert Downey, Jr. is just the man … there ain’t anyone else who could play playboy millionaire Tony Stark. It’s too bad he won’t win any awards for his work on Iron Man cuz he really deserves one.

My #3 is Slumdog Millionaire:

The perfect rags to riches story with a great modern twist. I laughed, I cried, I actually stood up and cheered at this movie. The youngest actors were BY FAR the best thing about this film. Believe the hype, Slumdog Millionaire is really as good as everyone says.

My second fave movie of the year is Sex and the City:

At long last, the Sex and the City Movie made it to the big screen and it did NOT disappoint. The movie was the perfect length to feel like a mini-season of the show. The fabulous clothes, the steamy sex scenes and the camaraderie between Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda all conspired to make a far too entertaining movie. I saw this film 3 times in the theaters … and 3 more times since it came out on DVD. I just can’t get enough!

And my #1 fave movie of the year is Cloverfield:

OK … I’m sure a lot of y’all will not agree with me on this one but, in all honesty, this was my fave film of the year. Since it came out last January it really set the benchmark for me and, truth be told, I wasn’t as thoroughly entertained by anything else as much as I was by Cloverfield. I’m not saying it is the best movie of all time but for 2008, it was the perfect marriage of viral marketing, Internet savvy and fun movie-making that all came together IMHO perfectly. I still contend that it was as “real” as a monster invasion movie could be. It really had that Blair Witch Project magic that grabbed me entirely. I was actually surprised that so many people hated this film (mostly because of the shaky camerawork) because I loved it so entirely. While there were some pretty amazing films released this year, I have to say that my fave of the bunch was the one that made me believe the most.

Here are my Top TV Shows of 2008:

1. Skins
2. In Treatment
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Gossip Girl
5. Project Runway (both seasons)
6. 90210
7. Breaking Bad
8. Torchwood
9. Saturday Night Live (mainly for the Tina Fey as Sarah Palin skits)
10. All the election coverage on CNN and MSNBC

Which films and TV shows were YOUR faves in 2008? Is anyone with me on Team Cloverfield?

Justin threw in a bunch of funny SNL references and even gave a tiny shout-out to his girlfriend Jessica Biel. BUT … if these caps aren’t enough to pique your interest … check out this screencap from a skit that JT cameoed in with Beyoncé:

LOL! You know you want to see this. After the jump, check out both video SNL segments in full …

First, Justin Timberlake does an entire episode of Saturday Night Live in just 2 minutes:

Tina Fey’s hilarious turn as Sarah Palin put Saturday Night Live on the electoral map like nothing else in recent memory — viewership is up nearly 70 percent this season. But will Fey continue to moonlight as the gorgeous governor, who could be a parody-worthy public figure for years to come? “I have to retire just because I have to do my day job,” reveals the creator and star of NBC’s 30 Rock (which experienced a 20 percent ratings uptick for its Oct. 30 season premiere). “I think [Kristen] Wiig would do a really good job.” As for whether there’ll be an official Palin torch passing, she says, “Maybe we could get a real torch. Or I could give Wiig the Palin wig.”

While saddened by this news (I would *love* to see just one more SNL skit of Tina’s Palin reacting to the election outcome this week) I can absolutely understand Tina’s position. It prolly ate at her soul a bit every time she put that wig and those glasses on. And, to be honest, I’m really looking forward to not having to deal with anything Palin-related for a very long time or, you know, FOREVER. No offense to the fine folks in Alaska but, y’all can have that entire family. Please keep them up there … or sell them to the Russians, whatevs ;) Tina Fey is a genius … much love, props and kudos to her for giving us such comedic gold during this presidential campaign. I’d deffo vote Fey for VP once Obama completes his two terms in office. Wouldn’t a Hillary Clinton/Tina Fey 2016 campaign be awesome?!

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