SNL -- Saturday Night Live -- a Sketch by Sketch Review -- Alec Baldwin & Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- 5/15/10

For once, an opening that isn't political, with Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Fred Armisen playing heads of BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, proposing their new plans for containing the oil spill, including Dolphins with Mops, club soda, The Oil Whisperer, and blaming the French. Silly, but funny.

MONOLOGUE -- ALEC BALDWIN -- 6

It's Alec Baldwin's 15th time hosting, "15 shows ahead of Betty White". He has hosted as much as Steve Martin at this point, so he brings on Steve Martin via satellite. Alec then delivers the SNL Commencement Speech, which is mildly amusing.

SNL DIGITAL SHORT -- GREAT DAY -- 8

Andy Samburg does what looks like a sweet comedic musical number, except he's a coke addicted loser. Another loopy Lonely Island song and video. Funny.

ARIZONA EVENINGS -- 0

Kristin Wiig plays Starfish, a script supervisor for a soap opera, who has big false teeth, talks with a strange voice, and walks into the camera when she shouldn't. Haven't we seen this bit about 500 times so far with Kristin? There's not a damned thing funny here, even the studio audience seems to agree. Could be the worst sketch all year.

HUDSON VALLEY SPORTS AWARDS -- 7

Alec Baldwin appears as a swim coach in a hysterical wig. He's angry at his kids, insulting his lousy kids as he hands them awards, calling one "Titanic", saying another one was told to pee in the pool to help propel him forward. Funny.

BELINDA COOKOUT -- 3

Nasim Pedrad returns as an annoying teenager who's a bit TOO into her parents and too adult with her conversations. Yawn.

PRENIVA -- 8

Abby Elliott does a great Sally Field, advertising a pill that you have to take when you're scared. Tagline, "Your weakness is our strength."

GRADY WILSON -- INTIMATE AND INTERNATIONAL -- 2

The first time it wasn't funny, the fiftieth, it still isn't. Kenan Thompson does more goofy sexual positions, and Alec Baldwin does a few more. Yawn.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS -- LAST TIME YOU'RE GONNA HURT ME (?) -- 7

Looking like Johnny Fever from WKRP and sounding like a parody of himself, Tom Petty sings a new song. It's not bad, but Petty looks like he's just goofing off instead of singing.

WEEKEND UPDATE -- 5

The jokes this week are uniformly lame, and the emphasis is on the "guests". Bobby Moynihan returns to play Snooki, complete with orange tan, talking about being mistaken for a pumpkin, eating her own finger, thinking it was a Cheeto, and the bit is surprisingly funny. Bill Hader returns as the gay Stefan, whose description of the club scene is so over the top you have to laugh. Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig return as terrible singing duo Garth And Kat and it appears as though they are actually doing some Improv as they try and figure out each song and performing venue as they go.

TIMECROWAVE INFOMERCIAL -- 9

Alec Baldwin plays an inventor who invented a microwave that uses time travel to cook. The time travel creates some absolutely hysterical problems for both him and his host, played by Kristen Wiig. Funny!

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES -- WHISTLE IF YOU CAN -- 7

Jenny Slate plays a hooker and Alec Baldwin a businessman in a fake old movie. Alec wants to know why she's in this job, and convinces her to call her mom, after which it is clear she's turned a corner in her life. Alec Baldwin's punchline is R-rated and completely out of the blue. Crude, but funny payoff.

SCOUT SNIPER SCHOOL -- 4

Jason Sudekis, and Kenan Thompson play recruits in sniper school, and Alec Baldwin plays an out of control officer who keeps telling them to "Tay the sha!" which they don't understand. Lots of energy, few laughs, but probably played well among drunk college students.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS -- SECOND SONG -- 9

A nice bluesy number whose title escapes me, sounds exactly like Tom Petty should.

OVERALL -- 6

Alec Baldwin's heart doesn't seem to be in it anymore when he hosts, and the last few times he's done it, the laughs haven't been there like they were the first five or ten times he hosted. The show tonight was pretty much par for the course this season, too much reliance on unfunny recurring bits, and some occasional flashes of comedy gold. Standout sketches were the Timecrowave commercial and "Great Day" song from the Lonely Island crew. Worst sketch was the Arizona Evenings bit which was done in by Kristen Wiig's increasingly lazy comedy.