NPH on SNL

Last night’s Saturday Night Live was one of the few episodes where I enjoyed it immensely. Huge props go to nineties teen icon (well, to me, at least) Neil Patrick Harris.


I’m so proud of Neil Patrick Harris. I grew up on “Doogie Howser, MD”. He kind of taught me an efficient, and more thoughtful way to maintain a journal. With his short but sweet entries, he sort of blazed the trail for all PC bloggers out there. His character was smart and yet incredibly flawed by youth – which everyone who were in his or her teens at the time could definitely relate to. His character basically defined youth life in the nineties for me. Not “Beverly Hills 90210” or “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”. It was Doogie himself.

I was also proud of the name he carved for himself. He tried the stage, which I hadn’t known until I saw him perform during the Tony Awards. He was one of the characters on “Assassins”, and I remembered just feeling awed by how incredible he sounded. He really is an amazingly well-rounded and gifted performer.

“How I Met Your Mother” is basically the Barney Stinson Show. But I loved how incredibly tight and clever the writing is. It’s not just funny – it’s CLEVER. You rarely see that kind of sitcom on TV these days. Probably the only other funny show that comes close to clever is “Pushing Daisies”. HIMYM made me fall in love with Neil Patrick Harris all over again. He might never get industry recognition, but he will always get ours, the fans’.

His hosting SNL was a long time coming. I hadn’t realize that he was almost up to it when Doogie Howser was still hot then (although I thought Fred Savage was a good enough pick – he was popular back then, too – and he’s still another 90s teen icon that’s slowly making his own good way in the business). But his episode last night was just that rare SNL episode. It garnered laughs off of the HOST and not off of some returning former cast member (see Tina Fey’s Palin skits, or Will Ferrell’s Dubya). The writing was really good, and successfully straddled the line between deliciously obscure (Paul Lynde, all the zingers in the Save Broadway sketch – especially the snark at “Stomp!” being relevant), nostalgic (the digital short on the Doogie Howser theme), and irreverently current (Frost/Other People). Neil Patrick Harris was just awesome. From his self-deprecating intro, to his first skit as a hilarious thrusting fitness trainer (spoofing Bob Harper much?), to his other turns, including his Mark Cohen-with-the-theatrical-arms and his David Frost with the eyebrow and the hair... it was a FANTASTIC episode, a great way to open 2009.

Taylor Swift was surprisingly good, too. One can imagine the feeling of being a teenager and being asked to be the musical guest AND to perform on one of the SNL skits. She gave this unabashed joy at the end of her first number, like she was overwhelmed and it was honestly a sincere and cute emotion. Loved that.

I also found it somewhat sad that Seth Meyers was hosting Weekend Update all alone, but then you recall all those years when that portion of the show has always been hosted by a single person beginning with Chevy Chase. Watching Seth Meyers handle the news by his lonesome kind of filled me with a sense of pride, knowing that he was fantastically funny enough to handle this (and he was!). Great job, Seth.

But of course, the whole show was definitely anchored on Neil Patrick Harris’ shoulders. And he was such a great sport and gifted comic. I loved him on it, as I have with his other projects. Here is hoping for more success for him!