THE GOOD: Thanks to an unusually stellar mix of sketches including timely nods to Christine O’Donnell, Katy Perry’s boobs, and the controversy surrounding the Mosque at Ground Zero, last night’s 36th SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE season premiere opened on an undeniable high note. The highlight of which — aside of course from host Amy Poehler reuniting with Seth Meyers on the Weekend Update Desk — was the much-needed addition of African American actor Jay Pharaoh, who delivered both hilarious and dead-on impersonations of both Will Smith and Chris Tucker. Also falling under the category of “good” was the show’s less-is-more approach that featured a bevy of sketches that actually left us wanting more, including “The Unwatchables,” Actor II Actor” and “Ground Zero Mosque.”
THE BAD: Despite cameos by Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Justin Timberlake, Poehler’s real-life husband Will Arnett — whose new FOX show RUNNING WILDE could certainly have used the exposure — was mysteriously M.I.A. Worse still, we find ourselves forced to contemplate flip-flopping on our well-established anti-Armisen agenda, who generated big laughs as both Governor David Paterson and the slightly less-than-helpful advice expert in “Maternity Matters.”
THE UGLY: As expected, the always adorable Amy Poehler did a bang-up job in her first (of what will surely be many) outings as SNL host. Too bad her NBC show PARKS AND RECREATION — which has yet to be given a premiere date — won’t be benefiting from the added exposure. #CorporateSynergyFail 
