Ariana Grande aces her musical impressions on ‘SNL’ — especially Celine Dion
As a film enthusiast with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Ariana Grande‘s recent performance on Saturday Night Live was nothing short of spectacular! I’ve seen countless stars grace the stage, but few can match her versatility and talent.
In the March episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Ariana Grande made a musical appearance, and it was clear to many that she’d return in the fall to publicize her November movie release titled “Wicked.” Unlike Bad Bunny who hosted and performed last season, Grande opted for a more subdued approach during her opening monologue, expressing this choice through song.
Thank goodness she was joking.
In the monologue, Grande, who had convincingly mimicked the voices of Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Gwen Stefani, informed Yang (dressed in a gown reminiscent of “Wicked”) that their planned sketch about the movie had been cancelled. Later, she performed a kick-line dance with other dancers and playfully declared that she wouldn’t collaborate with Nicks (“That could be interesting!”).
On the show, Grande, potentially a Grammy nominee soon, didn’t perform musically, but she had numerous opportunities to display her robust vocals through her songs. Moreover, her skits showcased her exceptional comedic timing and impressive mimicking skills, which are on par with the show’s own talented cast members.
The guest host expertly spoofed Celine Dion’s recent NFL appearance with a UFC-themed version of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” and in a sketch that required Grande to do an impression of Jennifer Coolidge in a Maybelline commercial opposite current “SNL” impressionist Chloe Fineman and “SNL” legend Dana Carvey doing their own Coolidge takes, the pop star’s sounded most like “The White Lotus” Emmy winner.
Grande additionally sang in an incredibly high pitch, emulating the role of a castrated boy from the Italian Renaissance, whose parents (played by Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg) explained the term “Castrato.” In a pre-recorded video, she sung a song about the peculiar odors of her best friend’s residence (with a twist that becomes dark), and in a skit about a pushy mom meeting her son’s boyfriend for the first time, she quarreled with, and kissed, fellow “Wicked” cast member Bowen Yang. She also took on the roles of a deceitful hotel detective inspector and a wedding party attendee who intentionally sang off-key lyrics, reminiscent of “Espresso,” to uncover unsavory actions at the bachelorette party.
On one occasion, the stand-in host momentarily deviated from her role, yet she swiftly regained composure and delivered an exceptional act. The show began five minutes later than scheduled due to college football broadcasts. Stevie Nicks graced us with two of her songs, including a fresh pro-choice tune titled “The Lighthouse” and the classic hit “Edge of Seventeen.” For the third consecutive week, there was no Please Don’t Destroy video; however, the boys seem to be busy these days, as evidenced by their recent Instagram video shot at the SNL office, where they appear to be creating an advertisement for Allstate.
× “SNL” knows how to capitalize on a winning formula, as seen in the season premiere’s cold open where Rudolph portrayed Vice President Kamala Harris and Dana Carvey played President Joe Biden. The success of this sketch led to their return for the vice presidential debate reenactment. This week, SNL chose to present a fictional episode of “Family Feud” broadcast on CNN, with Democrats versus Republicans in a competition hosted by Steve Harvey (portrayed by Kenan Thompson).
As a cinephile, I’ve been swamped this week with interviews and talk shows – you know, the usual Hollywood hustle. I even had a chat on Howard Stern’s show, trying to connect with those late-night cab drivers who seem to love radio shows as much as I do.
The format was fun but the comedic beats were almost identical to the previous two cold opens, with a confused Biden, the bombastic dad-energy of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan) and second gentleman Doug Emhoff (Samberg). The only new wrinkle was including Mikey Day as Donald Trump, Jr., who laments about Vance, “It’s almost like my dad picked me to be vice president…. But he didn’t.”
The impressions were still solid, but triple dipping bled a lot of the humor from the piece.
× Back when I last hosted in 2016, America was poised to elect its first female president. Guess we’ll see if luck is on my side again this time around!
Best sketch of the night: Celine Dion makes broken bones sound beautiful
× After Celine Dion’s unexpected appearance in an NFL commercial, Ariana Grande recreated the scene, but for the UFC this time. Her version of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” highlighted the intense nature of UFC, with lyrics like “There were fractured bones / and kicks to the groin,” praising the sport’s roughness, from athletes with cauliflower ears to massive Bosnian fighters retching out their own teeth. Ariana Grande as Celine Dion hinted at seeing fans in The Octagon.
Also good: Do you like Jennifer Coolidge? How about three of her?
× Previously noted, Grande excelled in her Jennifer Coolidge Impersonation Academy test, alongside Fineman who has portrayed the actress before on the show. They conversed casually about various topics like lemons until Carvey appeared, as their mirror shifted to uncover a third depiction of Coolidge. The surprising twist was that it was Carvey sitting there rather than Jennifer Coolidge herself.
‘Weekend Update’ winner: Amazon employee Monica is a bit overworked
× James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman portrayed the feuding Gallagher brothers from Oasis, Noel and Liam, while Ego Nwodim stood out as Monica, an Amazon worker who’s been on her feet for eight consecutive days due to the company’s recent two-day sales event. She even had to invent a new day of the week, “Fluesday.” Monica shared her unusual workplace romance with a drone and even dozed off with her eyes open. Michael Che, co-hosting “Weekend Update,” commented on the seemingly inhumane conditions but remained speechless when asked if he’d stop shopping from Amazon. That certainly resonates!
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2024-10-13 10:01