Plus, “SNL” alum Mike Myers returns as Elon Musk.
Tonights column marks the glorious return ofLady Gaga, who is pullingdouble duty as host and musical guest.
She previouslyhosted and performed back in season 39!
Lady Gaga performs ‘Abracadabra’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’.Credit:Will Heath/NBC via Getty
I was like, Wow!
There’s the woman behind the mask, the big sunglasses, the wild costumes.
She’s a real person, without the pageantry.
Lady Gaga performs ‘Killah’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’.Will Heath/NBC via Getty
Since then, she has blossomed into a great actor, following in the footsteps of Cher.
Milhiser recently attended theSNL50anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall, where seeing Gaga perform live was a highlight.
So, themcollaborating together [with Gaga]was pretty epic.
(He also says he was so lucky to be blessed to see Cher in person.)
Back in season 39, he notes Gaga was collaborative and down to Earth, and intuitively understood comedy.
I mean, she’s from New York.
She’s a performer through and through.
She was able to riff.
He also adds: She was very open to ideas people were throwing at her.
She wanted to be goofy, she wanted to play characters, she wanted to do every element.
And she did it.
Her latest album,Mayhem, came out yesterday.
At theSNLOval Office,James Austin JohsnonsDonald Trumptries to broker a truce.
(Johnsons stream-of-consciousness approach to Trump is incredible, says Milhiser.)
Marcello Hernandezplays the long suffering Rubio, complete with music fromCurb Your Enthusiasm.
Both men experience internal monologues.Mike Myers returnsas very cringe Musk.
he shouts whenever Trump utters the name “Marco,” with his little dance.
Myers also calls out his own Dr.
Evil during his internal monologue.
Trump takes turns insulting the men.
(Though: Where does itendwith Myers' cameo?
At 38 now, she makes a few jokes about how old that is for a pop star.
And asks us to not Google herR.
Kelly duet from 2013.
She notesBowen Yangis a super fan, and he will be introducing her.
We cut to a very nervous Yang.
She was very in charge - a great leader to her fellow dancers.
Jeremy regrets letting her go.
Jeremy is on her trail (through the audience), before catching her at the airport.
I like that this is multi-scene, and has an arc.
“Pip”
Johnson is a teacher telling his class about the schools weight lifting competition.
Anyone has a chance to win - besides Pip, a small mouse a la Stuart Little.
A fellow classmate played by Gaga serenades him through song.
She encourages him to train and get ready for the competition.
Various students lift in front of the school - Brad (Hernandez) lifts 500 pounds!
The CGI mouse starts with one ounce, then two ounces.
Thats when things take a scary turn!
I wont spoil Dan Bullas ending.
(One more season 39 flashback to when Milhiser appeared in theBlockbusters short filmwith Gaga.
He says: She actually came in for that shot later.
That was a shoot through the middle of the night.
So, she wasn’t there for 90% of it.)
I like the whimsy, absurd tone here.
Its similarly romantic and strange, like the previous one with the luggage.
Theres been a lot of Marcello so far tonight, so seeing Bowen opposite Gaga is refreshing.
(Bowen’s killing it fantastic, Milhiser told me earlier.)
“Funeral Home”
Lady Gaga andHeidi Gardnerare consoling a grievingEgo Nwodimat a funeral home.
Her dad has passed away (its an unsolved murder actually).
Gaga and Gardner double down on the deranged and inappropriate 1920s idea, reappearing as flappers in bobs.
And Nwodim’s boyfriend played byAndrew Dismukesgets into it as well, asking if he can dress like Gatsby.
Ego is always killing it.
Anytime I see Heidi or Ego in a sketch, I’m excited, says Milhiser.
He also wants to shout outHeidi Gardner’s secretarywho falls over her desk.
Nwodim did UCB L.A. as did he.
And I feel like Egos ball is going fast, and she’s like, Here’s another character.
Here’s another character.
She’s knows what to do right away to make a successful character.
Its also the simplicity of it.
Her biggest thing: Her characters aren’t wearing too many hats.
So it’s just like that’s it, that’s all.
He also loves her Dionne Warwick.
This is a commercial parody for really really low run mascara - combined with printer ink.
Be a total mess, offers Gaga.
Lady Gaga performs “Abracadabra”
Yang expertly introduces this pulsing performance of Abracadabra.
Themusic videofor this electro dance anthem premiered during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony last month.
Arguably, to me anyway, shes simply transcended those times - shes a superstar who can win Oscars!
Milhiser is a fan ofGagasArt Popera.
Not a lot of people agree with me.
But I love Art Pop!
It spoke to me.
Monster Ball was pretty fun, Fame Monster, but every Gaga era is good in its own way.
“Weekend Update”
Colin Jostjokes we will ideally set the clocks ahead four years.
He goes after filthy Canadians stealing AmericanSNLjobs - like Mike Myers!
(He also refers to Elon Musk as the white Kanye.)
Kendrick Perkins (Kenan Thompson) comes out to discuss the Mavericks-Lakers trade, among other NBA topics.
He just says things.
Thompson previously played the former basketball star a few times including inthis cut-for-time.
In a rare public appearance: Lady Gagas husband, Lord Gaga (Mikey Day).
How do you think she was made a Lady?
She married a Lord!
Meanwhile, he winks, he wasborn this way.
More puns: their relationship is not abad romance.
They have kids - seven little monsters."
I like when the show goes meta about how big their hosts are.
This turns into a diss against Jost, whose wifes income dwarfs his own, without actually namedroppingScarlett Johansson.
Great pitch Colin!)
He wants the song and ice cream.
Her colleagues, including Lady Gaga and Kenan Thompson, want her assurance this is actually her birthday.
they scream, before tribal drumming begins and the room goes red.
Chanting about sin commences.
The mother of beasts Lamashtu is summoned - they demand Jenny drink the monsters blood.
This has the wild energy of something from a John Mulaney episode!
Love how everything tonight felt like the 10-to-1.
This lets them use security camera footage during the chorus!
Gaga goes full bore here, playing the drums and screaming on the stage floor.
Previously, Milhiser saw Gaga during the Chromatica Ball tour in L.A. sharing: She’s an incredible performer.
Great concert, amazing songs.
She doesn’t get tired - she’s never out of breath.
Thats definitely true in the case of this performance.
“Little Red Glasses”
Are you a woman who is into books?
Sherman, Gaga, and Nwodim introduce Little Red Glasses - they help you read!
All my dress-up clothes are a little bit Asian, confirms Sherman, who wants tapas.
I was ahead of the curve on gay marriage and thats where it stopped!
Is your profession very bad therapist?
This is the look for you!
This is a sister sketch to"Big Dumb Hat."
“Slay Song”
SNLtakes on the overuse of “slay”!
Yang and Gaga sing a musical plea to stop just repeating the same slang words over and over.
This is so true and clever.
This is incisive and great, getting at uninteresting people misappropriating culture and being lame ironists.
Hopefully this song does some good in the world.
Let’s retire Michael Scott gifs while we are at it, people.
What did you think?Vote here!
Wow theShane Gillis episode last weekwas divisive, check out thepoll results.
