Justin Timberlake was the host of last night’s season finale of “Saturday Night Live,” but it was musical guest Lady Gaga who, not surprisingly, grabbed the spotlight.
With her outrageous attire and superstar charisma, the diva dominated the night both on the musical stage and in the comedy sketches.
Sitting behind the piano and wearing a metallic-looking headdress, black shiny top and knee-high boots, Gaga performed a soulful “Edge of Glory” that later morphed into the energetic dance song “Judas." Then later in the program, the singer emerged from what looked like a capsule and performed “Born This Way,” the title track from her upcoming new album. (Her long ponytail evoked early ‘90s “Blonde Ambition”-era Madonna). After being crowded around her dancers at one point during the number, she reemerged with this big bulge in her midsection—or, as <a href="http://">Billboard noted, a "baby bump."
Gaga’s appearance on "SNL" wasn’t relegated to the music. She first appeared in a sketch as a wine mascot, wearing a large cork on her head and carrying two gigantic wine glasses. In that skit, she also duetted with Timberlake, who dressed as a beer mascot, in a number that was a parody of the Diana Ross-Lionel Richie ballad “Endless Love.”
The singer also appeared as herself on the “What’s That Name” game show in which Gaga confidently guessed the names of actor Wallace Shawn and a middle-aged fan of her music. On the other hand, her fellow contestant Timberlake had trouble guessing the names of a woman he met at a hotel and his former N’SYNC colleague Chris Kirkpatrick.
On last night’s show was the SNL Digital short, “3-Way (The Golden Rule)” in which Timberlake and cast member Andy Samberg reprised their roles as the ultra romantic, rapping dudes from the “(expletive) in a Box” and “Motherlover” shorts. In this new short (which also feature cameos by Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson), the guys compete for the attention of a woman (played also by Gaga) and come to the realization that “it’s okay when it’s in a three-way.”
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Like Gaga, Timberlake was no slouch in his appearance as he turned up the comedic charm. He played a robotic mannequin in a malfunctioning tunnel of love ride who steals another guy’s girlfriend; an art teacher who is interviewed by senile TV reporter Herb Welch (Bill Hader); and again reprised his role as Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, appearing alongside with his brother Barry (played by Jimmy Fallon) on “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.”
In his opening monologue, Timberlake, dressed in a sharp suit, ironically sang a swinging-sounding song about him not singing tonight on "SNL"—complete with indoor rain and Timberlake crooning to a female audience member.
“Weekend Update” presented the “Get in the Cage” segment with Nicolas Cage (Samberg) and his guest, the real Bradley Cooper, star of the upcoming “The Hangover Part 2.” It prompted Cage to ask: “Why am I not in this movie? I am the human hangover.”
The opening sketch of last night of course referenced the recent troubles of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, as Kahn (Taran Killam) is depicted in a jail cell surrounded by two other inmates (Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson) who commented on the economic situation of Europe.
Selected Sources: "Saturday Night Live" broadcast May 21, 2011, NBC.com, Billboard, Wall Street Journal, Hulu.com
