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SNL with Pete Davidson.

Brandywine

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Brandywine

Brandywine 1316

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I watched SNL come back last night with Pete Davidson as the host. It was by far the worst SNL I think I’ve ever seen. And why is Davidson so popular? He was not funny and I’m as tired of him as I am of Taylor Swift news. The skits were lame and unimaginative and the musical guest was the same. Come on Lorne, you’ve done better than this, or, are you just worn out?

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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I think Pete did a pretty good job.  But that was overall a terrible episode.  One of the worst of the last few years.  Weekend Update had five months of material that could have been the stuff of legend, and it fell completely flat.  Yang as Columbus was the lone bright spot.  
 

I know the writers couldn’t technically meet and collaborate, but they still come up with ideas over the break.  And that was shit static.  Heidi in the pencil skirt and bra was hot though.  
 

but yeah, awful.  Maybe mailing it in to save up for the 50th this season?  I dunno.  

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Brandywine

Brandywine 1316

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I did miss the intro before the  beginning credits and I watched the replay this morning. I thought Davidson did a good job on that with the tragedy going on in Israel. One thing about it is he knows who he is and what appeals to a group of people. But the skits overall were awful. I stopped watching when the musical guest came on so I didn’t see the last of it. 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

It has always been hit or miss, and you’re way older now.

Yeah, I know.  But I've never been a "SNL hasn't funny in decades" kinda person.  Like Lt. Hauk, I know what's funny and not funny.  And I know that SNL still serves, for better or worse, as a mirror to contemporary America.  I think it's actually been pretty damn good for the last several years.  It had suffered for many, many years between a vicious ebb and flow of great writing/shitty cast and shitty writing/great cast.  

Last night was just a disappointing jump outta the gate considering all the stuff that transpired this summer/early Autumn.  But hey, can take a while to get your sea legs.  I had long suspected that Season 49 would of course weigh in on current events, but hold it back with regard to recurring characters, cameos, trying out new impressions, etc.  I think that will hold true in anticipation of Season 50 when they throw in the kitchen sink.  But look as last night, love her or hate her-Melissa McCarthy is a great impressionist.  And she got what?  Two lines in as Terry Bradshaw?  Travis guy from football was barely utilized.  As stated upthread, W/U had the one funny exchange with Che surprise jokes but that was about it.  Pete did okay, IMO.  Please don't destroy was funny.  I had the unsettling feeling that they had lifted the idea from Mulaney who does a standup bit about being a young Def Comedy Jam comic back in his youth to tear apart "Home Alone 2."  But they brought it home brilliantly with an actual Mulaney reference.  But that was craptastic all the way around otherwise.  I enjoy these threads because I like seeing what other people think was funny about episodes and pointing out subtle performances and callbacks that others may have missed.  I still like the show even though I'm older for the very simple reason it makes other older people i know much more uncomfortable.  Whatever I lose comedically in my life, I make up for by laughing at myself even harder.  So hard, I double over in pain, mainly due to my sore body.  

Is next week gonna be the "halloween" episode or do they also have one slated for Oct. 28th?  They don't usually do three in a row in October, but we're in rare waters with the long strike/extended summer break.  

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billfromlaketravis

billfromlaketravis 11519

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So are they going to bring back Jennifer Coolidge and Kieran Culkin? Both had their host spots canceled because of the strike. Both would be much better hosts than Davidson.

I think Pete’s stand up is OK to sort of good. His Peacock show is excellent due to cast around him. Brad Garrett, Joe Pesci, and Carmela. 
 

SNL is what it is. I miss when it is was Hulu with no ads. A zippy 45 minutes. It could be terrible and you didn’t care because it was so short. 

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Parliament

Parliament 14263

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4 hours ago, Brandywine said:

I watched SNL come back last night with Pete Davidson as the host. It was by far the worst SNL I think I’ve ever seen. And why is Davidson so popular? He was not funny and I’m as tired of him as I am of Taylor Swift news. The skits were lame and unimaginative and the musical guest was the same. Come on Lorne, you’ve done better than this, or, are you just worn out?

OK Boomer

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C-Man

C-Man 27235

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Yeah, I know.  But I've never been a "SNL hasn't funny in decades" kinda person.  Like Lt. Hauk, I know what's funny and not funny.  And I know that SNL still serves, for better or worse, as a mirror to contemporary America.  I think it's actually been pretty damn good for the last several years.  It had suffered for many, many years between a vicious ebb and flow of great writing/shitty cast and shitty writing/great cast.  
Last night was just a disappointing jump outta the gate considering all the stuff that transpired this summer/early Autumn.  But hey, can take a while to get your sea legs.  I had long suspected that Season 49 would of course weigh in on current events, but hold it back with regard to recurring characters, cameos, trying out new impressions, etc.  I think that will hold true in anticipation of Season 50 when they throw in the kitchen sink.  But look as last night, love her or hate her-Melissa McCarthy is a great impressionist.  And she got what?  Two lines in as Terry Bradshaw?  Travis guy from football was barely utilized.  As stated upthread, W/U had the one funny exchange with Che surprise jokes but that was about it.  Pete did okay, IMO.  Please don't destroy was funny.  I had the unsettling feeling that they had lifted the idea from Mulaney who does a standup bit about being a young Def Comedy Jam comic back in his youth to tear apart "Home Alone 2."  But they brought it home brilliantly with an actual Mulaney reference.  But that was craptastic all the way around otherwise.  I enjoy these threads because I like seeing what other people think was funny about episodes and pointing out subtle performances and callbacks that others may have missed.  I still like the show even though I'm older for the very simple reason it makes other older people i know much more uncomfortable.  Whatever I lose comedically in my life, I make up for by laughing at myself even harder.  So hard, I double over in pain, mainly due to my sore body.  
Is next week gonna be the "halloween" episode or do they also have one slated for Oct. 28th?  They don't usually do three in a row in October, but we're in rare waters with the long strike/extended summer break.  

It was not very memorable — highlights (as always) were Jost/Che on Update and the pre-recorded weekly bit with the three writers. Didn’t know who Ice Spice was going in but immediately recognized her from the Dunkin commercials with Affleck. Was surprised to learn that she’s not the complete vegetable that comes across in the commercials. (Not a fan of her “talent” either.)
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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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Oh shit, the was the new featured player from last season.  My bad.  Thought it was Melissa McCarthy.  Well Molly Kearney would make an excellent Melissa McCarthy if they ever need a host at the last minute.  

Also, the dude in glasses at the Princes of Comedy Def Jam...the Prairie View A&M sweatshirt was a very nice, subtle touch. 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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14 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

I'm a big fan of Heidi.  

Seconded.  She has gotten much more attractive and much better as a cast member as the years have gone on.  FWIW-Both Dismukes and recently departed cast member, Alex Moffat, have both said that she is extremely down to earth and kind, and off-camera is the most effortlessly funny female writer or cast member in an organic/natural setting.  I know it's not PC to delineate male v. female cast/writers, but the show has always embraced that.  Tina and Amy will be the first to tell you that they all prefer it that way, it elevates everyone's game and plus-on a show built around impressions---sorry but males and females are gonna eventually come up.  And when it doesn't, it's usually lightning in a bottle like Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer or John Goodman as Linda Tripp.  Chloe and Ego also make a very strong case, just IMO, as hottest cast members.  Sarah Sherman is going to be the next breakout star though from this cast, and they all know it.  She needs to hone her chops a little bit more on the show, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if she's gone in 3-5 years as the next Wiig or McKinnon.  

AnywAy, Heidi kicks ass all the way around it would seem.  I can tell I already hate her husband like I do Brad Hall.  

 

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chainsaw

chainsaw 9872

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28 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Seconded.  She has gotten much more attractive and much better as a cast member as the years have gone on.  FWIW-Both Dismukes and recently departed cast member, Alex Moffat, have both said that she is extremely down to earth and kind, and off-camera is the most effortlessly funny female writer or cast member in an organic/natural setting.  I know it's not PC to delineate male v. female cast/writers, but the show has always embraced that.  Tina and Amy will be the first to tell you that they all prefer it that way, it elevates everyone's game and plus-on a show built around impressions---sorry but males and females are gonna eventually come up.  And when it doesn't, it's usually lightning in a bottle like Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer or John Goodman as Linda Tripp.  Chloe and Ego also make a very strong case, just IMO, as hottest cast members.  Sarah Sherman is going to be the next breakout star though from this cast, and they all know it.  She needs to hone her chops a little bit more on the show, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if she's gone in 3-5 years as the next Wiig or McKinnon.  

AnywAy, Heidi kicks ass all the way around it would seem.  I can tell I already hate her husband like I do Brad Hall.  

 

If only going on looks it's Ego and it's not even close.

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mdleast

mdleast 8295

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I really don’t get people who routinely bitch about SNL (other than I get that there is some perceived “currency” in always bitching about everything) as I routinely and actually “LOL” when watching SNL. Is every segment the greatest and is every show gonna end up on a highlight reel? Well, no…but that’s been the case since the 70s. I think it’s AMAZING that it’s not only stayed on the air that long but also remained an institution that long.

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bernorange

bernorange 8362

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13 hours ago, mdleast said:

I really don’t get people who routinely bitch about SNL ...

I don't routinely bitch about SNL, but I used to watch the show every week (during a season when new episodes aired), but have largely not bothered too much in the last few years - just catching parts of an episode here or there.  The show took two massive hits when Conan O'Brian and later, Tina Fey moved on from writing for the show.  On top of that, the show got way too pushy with their left wing political advocacy.  It wasn't funny or clever like the political commentary they had back when former Senator Al Franken was a writer.  $.02

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'stache

'stache 21824

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I'm old so I don't judge the musical acts. I rarely know who they are, and that's okay. I also only watch youtube clips after airing. Weekend Update is still great, the Princes of Comedy is one of the funniest non-live things I've seen from the show in a while, probably since Pedro Pascal played HBO's version of the Mario Movie. 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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1 hour ago, bernorange said:

I don't routinely bitch about SNL, but I used to watch the show every week (during a season when new episodes aired), but have largely not bothered too much in the last few years - just catching parts of an episode here or there.  The show took two massive hits when Conan O'Brian and later, Tina Fey moved on from writing for the show.  On top of that, the show got way too pushy with their left wing political advocacy.  It wasn't funny or clever like the political commentary they had back when former Senator Al Franken was a writer.  $.02

The political sketches have gotten to be too much caricature and not enough erudite pithiness.  They realized that and kinda dialed it back the last 1-2 seasons and let W/U do the heavy lifting on the political commentary.  I don't know that it was too much left wing political advocacy so much as they just picked on the lowest hanging fruit, but I can see both points.  I think they still weight in as appropriate, but a lot of "trying too hard" flops over the last several years.  

And as we've discussed, then comes along James Austin Johnson.  There's no "going big", no cartoonish satire, no buffoonery.  He's so eerily spot-on at parodying Trump and saying shit, almost verbatim that Trump has said, with frightening accuracy in terms of tone and body language.  2+ years in, we're all (including Lorne) still looking at the guy like, "This is fucking creepy.  It's brilliant and I'm kinda chuckling, but like this isn't even sketch comedy.  This is like watching a chatbot recreate your grandparents in real time."  I could watch him do 100 of those FoxNews rundown spoofs and be very entertained but I could also see them just pulling the plug on the impression altogether because it's so fucking dead-on that even ardent pro-Trump and anti-Trump viewers alike are just left stunned after each appearance like, "Yeah, that was uh...that was the stuff alright.  Yep, mmmkay.  How's the ass on the musical guest tonight?"  

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HRSchenker

HRSchenker 2271

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6 hours ago, bernorange said:

I don't routinely bitch about SNL, but I used to watch the show every week (during a season when new episodes aired), but have largely not bothered too much in the last few years - just catching parts of an episode here or there.  The show took two massive hits when Conan O'Brian and later, Tina Fey moved on from writing for the show.  On top of that, the show got way too pushy with their left wing political advocacy.  It wasn't funny or clever like the political commentary they had back when former Senator Al Franken was a writer.  $.02

Yeah I think Trump ruined SNL for me. I just don't find the humor in the parody of absurdity. No CR pleeeeease

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Hermanator

Hermanator 7119

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19 hours ago, bernorange said:

  On top of that, the show got way too pushy with their left wing political advocacy. 

Before reading a word of this just seeing the username I knew this bullshit would be in there. 

To people like this chump insulting an insurrectionist who attempted to overthrow an election is out of bounds. You're the problem mother fucker. 

Also, I don't get Pete Davidson but I think he's meant to be an East Coast thing and not meant for me to "get" him. 

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rage-a-holic

rage-a-holic 4407

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1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

Before reading a word of this just seeing the username I knew this bullshit would be in there. 

To people like this chump insulting an insurrectionist who attempted to overthrow an election is out of bounds. You're the problem mother fucker. 

Also, I don't get Pete Davidson but I think he's meant to be an East Coast thing and not meant for me to "get" him. 

Oh shut the fuck up. You have to be one of the dumbest fuckers on this site.

SNL had Baldwin doing Trump before he was even elected and has been staffed with liberal writers since its inception.

 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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Yeah, "SNL is getting political" is a super-fresh take.  Congrats on everybody for noticing.  If you want to say the mainstream media/legacy newspapers have a political bent, I'll agree in part.  But to suddenly get religion and notice that after 5 decades, SNL may have an easier and commercially viable time poking fun at certain elected officials, wow...welcome to the party, pal.  

Let's run through it chronologically since we have too many snowflakes on here that may melt before we get to the end of the 49th season.

-Chase does Ford.  No real attempt at impression.  He's so damn famous on the show at that point, they just let him do whatever.  It's not even really a caricature of Ford, just Chase being silly.  They're in uncharted waters, so not much to see here. 

-Dan does Carter.  Makes him out to be a stuffy nerd.  Other than the acid trip sketch, not much sticks out because again---they were making it up as they went along.  

-Reagan was a tough one.  They are hitting their stride on socio-political commentary.  But literally FOUR cast members try the impression and none stick.  Plus most of the viewers that came up with the show in their 20's are now in their 30's and even 40's and love Reagan.  So they can't be too scathing.  Even if they wanted to be, nobody in the cast can him properly.  Fucking Randy Quaid was probably the best of the bunch and he fucking sucked.  

-But it all comes together with H.W. Bush and Dana Carvey.  Nothing needs to be said, it sets the benchmark for all future Presidential impressions.  They become good friends in real life. 

-Clinton was fairly lambasted by the show, IMO.  Hammond and Hartman (RIP) do a brilliant job with this parody.  It puts Hartman on the comedic map forever. 

-Will as George W.  Even Will admits it got beyond stale.  Bush had a good sense of humor about in real life.  There were some great moments early on but it got beyond cliche later on and everybody knew it, especially Lorne.  

-Obama is the puzzler.  Obviously the writing staff was infatuated with him.  And they didn't have much to work with impression wise outside of Fred Arminsen who did what he could.  But Obama was kind of black, kind of a nerd, kind of controversial, but there was nothing like hitting on women or word-fumbling to poke fun at.  You can't really make a multi-season arc out of Jay Pharoah's bungling health care minutia.  Barack is ripe for satire, and maybe SNL kept the kids glove son, but even in hindsight-I just don't see much to work with.  There's a reason to this day, there isn't a lineup of Obama impressionists at CPAC cashing 5-figure checks to make folks crack up at Obama.  Sidenote-if we can take off our blinders here---SNL really let Hillary have it on a few occasions but "both sides" couldn't see it for the comedic brilliance it was.  

-Yes, Trump was being impersonated before he was elected.  How awful the pain must have been for some of you soldiering on through the comedic fog.  But they grill lots and lots of people before they become president.  They have elaborate sketches dedicated to lambasting entire debate stages full of Democrats and Republicans.  They grill has-beens, also-rans, and never-was'.  Baldwin got beyond cartoonish with it.  As stated above, James Austin Johnson is doing something completely vanguard with it now and we'll unpack that over the season.  

I'm no Democrat but SNL picks the low hanging fruit and shines a light on it.  That's how mainstream comedy works.  Dennis Miller and Norm MacDonald and Colin Quinnn weren't exactly flaming liberals but they brought the funnies to all sides political on W/U.  What some people choose not to recognize is it's just a mirror to our politics with a giggle thrown in.  Most of the show sucks, but SNL stays politically relevant PRECISELY because so many people bitch about how unfair and unbalanced it is.  50 fucking years later, and elected officials, senators, european royalty, and former Presidents still weigh in on how much they dislike SNL, how nobody watches it, and how irrelevant it's become.  Meanwhile, all they do with that snowflake whining is feed the beast and make Lorne and NBC more money.  It's like the Forbes 500 list.  You can't wait until they acknowledge you.  And then when they do, you complain about how they treated you.  And then when they drop you, it's all decrying how they are a relic that nobody watches anymore.  

Trump's opinions on SNL are a great Yogi Berra-ism, "Nobody watches SNL anymore, it's too relevant."  

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C-Man

C-Man 27235

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56 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

-Reagan was a tough one.  They are hitting their stride on socio-political commentary.  But literally FOUR cast members try the impression and none stick.  Plus most of the viewers that came up with the show in their 20's are now in their 30's and even 40's and love Reagan.  So they can't be too scathing.  Even if they wanted to be, nobody in the cast can him properly.  Fucking Randy Quaid was probably the best of the bunch and he fucking sucked.  

This is an all-time great SNL skit: 

 

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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That was an all-time great.  I forget that Hartman took a crack at post-Presidency Reagan a few times early on in his SNL tenure before the Clinton thing really took off.  Good callback.  Pos rep.  Again, we may be upsetting some folks who are just now, in real time, finding out that SNL gets political.  I'm really worried what happens when somebody starts posting standup clips from Carlin and Chapelle.  I guess when you find Larry the Cable Guy, and to give him credit-he rarely gets political if ever, you find most other comedy rather confusing, even anger-inducing.  

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rage-a-holic

rage-a-holic 4407

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40 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

That was an all-time great.  I forget that Hartman took a crack at post-Presidency Reagan a few times early on in his SNL tenure before the Clinton thing really took off.  Good callback.  Pos rep.  Again, we may be upsetting some folks who are just now, in real time, finding out that SNL gets political.  I'm really worried what happens when somebody starts posting standup clips from Carlin and Chapelle.  I guess when you find Larry the Cable Guy, and to give him credit-he rarely gets political if ever, you find most other comedy rather confusing, even anger-inducing.  

Exactly zero posters on this thread are just now finding out SNL is political. Maybe you need to go re-read all the comments.

Most people are saying the quality of the political humor writing on SNL has declined significantly in recent years. Nobody is the least bit surprised SNL gets political.

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bernorange

bernorange 8362

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3 minutes ago, rage-a-holic said:

Exactly zero posters on this thread are just now finding out SNL is political. Maybe you need to go re-read all the comments. ...

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@Hermanator - I suspect you have me confused with someone else.  Not only did you not understand my comment, but you projected a political viewpoint onto me that I have never held.  Good job keeping that shit in the CR, idoit.

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19452

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Yeah, the sketch/cold opening political stuff has gotten stale.  Which I also wrote upthread in the midst of all this Pete Davidson talk (Pete spurring this kind of conversation, I did not see that coming).  I think they've dialed it back sufficiently on the sketch/host side and are letting W/U do the heavy lifting on it all.  With the exception again of James Austin Johnson who is just too fucking brilliant to not put front 'n center.  His Biden is pretty damn good, too.  But not in the same stratosphere as his Trump, which isn't even 'Uncanny Valley' at this point-it's something altogether different.  They'll probably roll out the 'too many loud people on the dais' GOP primary debate trope again.  But they seem to also just do that to pass out cameo candies to friends of the show.  They also are in an ebb-n-flow of avoiding recurring characters, and right now it's in a lull.  Maybe for the best.  

Anyway, I rise now to inquire...you think the Saturday before Halloween, we see a new episode or they roll out a "best of/David F. Pumpkins" kinda deal?  

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DixonHur

DixonHur 11342

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6 hours ago, usmc0331horn said:

I actually get Pete Davidson

What does "get" even mean?  You're either funny or you're not and he's definitely in the "not" category.  

Post one funny Pete Davidson skit.

He's basically famous for dating hot chicks and allegedly having a big hog.

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