More of The Best Things Ever: Saturday Night Live’s ‘What Up With That’

I am a comedy nerd. I love stand-up, sketch, movies and TV shows. I like dry, highbrow, lowbrow, silly, and goofy comedy. And I've really enjoyed Saturday Night Live for the last few years. Sometimes loudmouths like to shout about how the olde tyme SNL from the 70's is still the best. But, I don't think they've really ever watched those shows, because if they did they'd still be asleep. Those sketches were long, slow and out of the 1970s context not all that funny. A greatest hits collection from that time is all you need to see. I think the SNL of the last decade has been far more consistent, stronger and overall funnier.

One of the best things to come out of the modern era of SNL is the silliness explosion that is the What Up With That series of sketches. All of the sketches have the same basic structure. Kenan Thompson stars as talk show host DeAndre Cole, a man always on the verge of breaking into song. Whether he's trying to talk to political figures or acting greats he can't help but burst forth with a tune. Eventually the interview is forgotten and the show becomes a full on goofball musical.

What takes the sketches from good to great are the background Easter eggs. There's Fred Armisen in a Kenny G wig with a sax. Jason Sudeikis in a track suit dancing, surprise goofball guest dancers and singers and as always Lindsey Buckingham suffering in silence.

Here are three great editions of What Up, but I suggest blocking of an afternoon and watching as many as you can find. Oh, and yea that theme song is going to get stuck in your head.