Jay Pharoah is Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas (SNL)

Show - Our Time!

Miley Cyrus ... Fergie
Abby Elliott ... Khloé Kardashian
Jay Pharoah ... Will.i.am
Jay Pharoah ... announcer (voice)
Andy Samberg ... Taboo
Kenan Thompson ... apl.de.ap

You've seen those other two guys from the Black Eyed Peas, and now they have their own show.



Hahahaha. These are new impressions. Kenan's first time as apl.de.ap, but Finesse Mitchell did him once. Andy's first time as Taboo, but Jon Heder played him once on SNL. Jay Pharoah's first time as Will.i.am, but Kenan played him once. And Amy Poehler played Fergie last time (it was on 10/8/05).

Abby has done Khloe 4 times now, but this is the first time without her sisters. I think Abby can definitely hold her own without the Kardashian sisters.

I didn't find Jay's dancing particularly funny.
At one point, Jay said something random and the audience laughed. He should have said something random each time before he left.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah as Eddie Murphy in Teen Crisis Hotline (SNL)

Commercial - Celebrity Teen Crisis Center

Dana Carvey ... Mickey Rooney
Fred Armisen ... Ice-T
Paul Brittain ... caller
Abby Elliott ... Anna Faris
Bill Hader ... Alan Alda
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... caller
Nasim Pedrad ... caller
Jay Pharoah ... Eddie Murphy
Kenan Thompson ... caller
Kristen Wiig ... caller

A new VH1 show features celebrities who answer calls for a teen crisis line and attempt to offer help.



Hahahaha. The crew take turns slamming their impressions in. Billy's Alan Alda was #1 (maybe #2 behind Jon Hamm's Robin Williams) in the Back to the Future DVD gauntlet of impressions, but here Bill's Alda doesn't stack up to the humor of the others.

Likewise, Dana Carvey's Mickey Roony just isn't all that funny in comparison to these other impressions. Of course, Jay Pharoah's Murphy stands out the most.

Here's how I'd rank them (just in how entertaining they are):
1. Jay Pharoah - Eddie Murphy
2. Abby Elliott - Anna Farris
3. Fred Armisen - Ice T
4. Dana Carvey - Mickey Roony
5. Bill Hader - Alan Alda

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is the scientist in Bride of Blackenstein (SNL)

Show - The Essentials: Bride of Blackenstein

Jesse Eisenberg ... Igor
Nicki Minaj ... bride
Bill Hader ... townsperson
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Jay Pharoah ... scientist
Jason Sudeikis ... Robert Osborne
Kenan Thompson ... Blackenstein
Kristen Wiig ... townsperson

Everyone is familiar with 'Frankenstein' - but you probably never saw the tale of 'Bride of Blackenstein.'



Jay's pretty funny here as the scientist. Kristen's got a nice straight and flat joke.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in ESPN Deportes (SNL)

Just because it's in Spanish doesn't mean you can't understand the classic SportsCenter catch phrases!



Hahahaha. Paul Britain makes a case for staying around next season! Also, what a hilarious bit from Bobby Moynihan! Not to mention that Taran nailed that look at the camera!

Jay is a little confused by this Spanish news show. =^)

I like how they have Jay elevated to make him look like he's towering over Fred.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Will Smith - Fresh Prince of Bel Air (SNL)

This 20th Anniversary box set has some great clips and commentary from Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro.

Featuring Will Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kenan Thompson.



So Jay makes another great use of his Will Smith impression (his second go on SNL). This one is probably the best use of it. This video also seems to be in the "DVD commercials" series that SNL is doing now (including Back to the Future and last week's Soul Train).

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is MC George Castanza on SNL

Commercial - Crunkmas Karnival!

Bobby Moynihan ... Ass Dan
Nasim Pedrad ... Lil Blaster
Jay Pharoah ... MC George Castanza
Jason Sudeikis ... DJ Super Soak

Underground Holiday Event

If there’s one holiday part you need to attend, it’s this one.



This is the fourth skit in this "world," but it's Jay's first appearance.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Principal Daniel Frey - Jay's first character! (SNL)

Sketch - Holiday Jam

Paul Rudd ... Mr. Griggs
Jay Pharoah ... Daniel Frey
Kenan Thompson ... Steve Kane

A school's "Holiday Jam" is riddled with announcements from the very breathy principal.



This is significant, because it's Jay's first character to lead a skit. Kenan also had a nice interruption, but the crowd basically wanted to applaud after Jay's first interruption. So that's quite an accomplishment.

I think this character is very interesting, but he's not exactly going to cause much buzz. But kudos go to Jay for not relying only on his amazing impressions!

This was also Jay's only appearance this week. I like Jay's plan. He just tries to get a starring role in every other week (at the least) and then fills in when needed. That will keep him in the audience's mind as the season progresses.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in Party at Mr. Bernard's (SNL)

Devin and Rocky are in for a surprise when they show up to party at their boss's house, Mr. Bernard.

Film - SNL Digital Short: Party at Mr. Bernard's

Robert DeNiro ... Mr. Bernard
Vanessa Bayer ... guest
Paul Brittain ... witness
Bill Hader ... Ricky
Taran Killam ... attorney
Bobby Moynihan ... judge
Nasim Pedrad ... guest
Jay Pharoah ... guest
Andy Samberg ... Devon
Jason Sudeikis ... attorney
Kristen Wiig ... guest



Hahahaha. I love this! What a nice nod to the 80s and Weekend at Bernie's!

Jay has a small bit at the party.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in the SNL Cold Opening - WikiLeaks: TMZ

Cold Opening - WikiLeaks: TMZ

Robert DeNiro ... Hamid Karzai
Fred Armisen ... Barack Obama
Fred Armisen ... Muammer Kaddafi
Vanessa Bayer ... Hillary Clinton
Paul Brittain ... writer
Bill Hader ... Julian Assange
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Bobby Moynihan ... writer
Nasim Pedrad ... writer
Jay Pharoah ... writer
Andy Samberg ... writer
Jason Sudeikis ... Joseph Biden
Kenan Thompson ... waiter
Kristen Wiig ... nurse

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is using a TMZ format share his organization's latest findings.



Jay Pharoah is a writer and has some nice hair and facial expressions, but no lines.

This is hilarious!

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah's Thanksgiving Songs on Weekend Update (SNL)

Jay Pharoah performs some Thankgiving rap songs as Jay-Z, Drake and Notorious BIG.



Jay Pharoah knocks it out of the park once again!

I think Jay's got the right idea... knock one skit out of the park in every episode. We haven't heard songs like this since Adam Sandler and Jimmy Fallon (and this is very different).

This was Jay's only skit last Saturday night, but it really doesn't matter. He just needs to get one big one each week, and appearing on Weekend Update like this works very well.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Nick Cannon in MTV Pregnancy Shows (SNL)

MTV, the network that brought you '16 and Pregnant', has a new maternity-inspired lineup of shows.



So Jay busts out another impression... Nick Cannon. A good impression, but not overly amusing.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Kanye West on Weekend Update (SNL)

The former president and rapper let bygones be bygones.



Jay's got a nice Kanye impression, and he got the crowd over with the singing and attitude a bit. Not super impressive, but it was definitely enjoyable.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Denzel Washington in the "Unstoppable" Trailer (SNL)

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine work through an age difference to thwart a speeding train the size of the Chrysler Building.



Hahahaha. So in Jay's fifth episode, he continues the pattern of leading a skit every other episode. He also delivers the best skit of the night in this fake trailer. He also brings back his Denzel Washington impression in a different way. I'm still waiting to see his Eddie Murphy being put to better use than the Back to the Future DVD skit from last episode. Plus his Obama. Plus he needs some original characters. But headlining the best skit of the night really makes him look good and helps cement my belief that they'll make him regular next season, which hasn't been done (going regular after only one season) since Bill, Andy, and Kristen did it after their first season in 05-06.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah's amazing Eddie Murphy in "Back To The Future DVD" (SNL)

Commercial - Back To The Future 25th Anniversary DVD

Jon Hamm ... Robin Williams
Paul Brittain ... director (voice)
Bill Hader ... Al Pacino
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Bobby Moynihan ... Sam Kinison
Jay Pharoah ... Eddie Murphy
Kristen Wiig ... Jennifer Tilly

Okay so the video clip isn't available by itself, but you can watch it in the full episode at 18 minutes:



If it wasn't for Jon Hamm's amazing Robin Williams impression, Jay's Murphy would have stolen the show here. It was spot on, but it could have used more jokes (which is what Hamm's Williams does so well).

Eddie Murphy has also been portrayed by Chris Rock (04.10.1993) and Tim Meadows (05.10.1997 in "Eddie Murphy, Good Samaritan"). Both only did the impression once, so it wasn't overly successful. I'm hoping that Jay can lead a skit with this impression (or show him off better on Weekend Update like he did with his Will Smith).

As far as these impressions go, Jon Hamm takes the cake. Here's how I'd rank them...

1. Jon Hamm ... Robin Williams
2. Jay Pharoah ... Eddie Murphy
3. Kristen Wiig ... Jennifer Tilly
4. Bill Hader ... Al Pacino
5. Bobby Moynihan ... Sam Kinison

Don't get me wrong, Bill also did great. But you've got to do more than nail the voice and mannerisms. You've got to make the performance funny, and Jon and Jay did that the best. And Kristen was amazing and hilarious (but it was only one joke, really).

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah - Wrangler Jeans Commercial (SNL)

Commercial - Wrangler Open Fly Jeans

Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... guy
Bobby Moynihan ... guy
Jay Pharoah ... guy
Jason Sudeikis ... Brett Favre

Brett Favre tells us about the new Wrangler jean: the open fly.



Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in Reid Rally Cold Opening (SNL)

Cold Opening - Reid Rally

Fred Armisen ... Barack Obama
Vanessa Bayer ... supporter
Paul Brittain ... Harry Reid
Jim Downey ... announcer (voice)
Jay Pharoah ... supporter

The president stops at a Nevada rally for a Sen. Harry Reid.



Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in Grape Jelly (SNL Digital Short)

Film - SNL Digital Short

Emma Stone ... student
Vanessa Bayer ... student
Paul Brittain ... student
Abby Elliott ... student
Taran Killam ... student
Bobby Moynihan ... student
Jay Pharoah ... student
Andy Samberg ... jelly

The cool girl in school is having a run of bad luck in the cafeteria.



It's also Andy's voice singing the chorus before he comes on as Jelly! I loved it!

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah naked in Dream Home Extreme! (SNL)

Dream Home Extreme

Emma Stone ... Lita Mill-Douglas
Paul Brittain ... neighbor
Bill Hader ... Rudy Plank
Nasim Pedrad ... Laverne Terms
Jay Pharoah ... Syd Awnit
Kristen Wiig ... Cheryl Bryant

Lita-Mill Douglas has an unusual reaction to winning a $2 million home.



This is Kristen's second run at this Cheryl Bryant character. First time was 11.03.2007 with Brian Williams for the Publishers Clearing House.

Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah is Denzel Washington in Returns & Exchanges (SNL)

Jay's one skit this week, and he KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK by busting out his Denzel impression.

Sketch - Returns & Exchanges

Jane Lynch ... customer
Vanessa Bayer ... customer
Bobby Moynihan ... employee
Jay Pharoah ... Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington takes a job at a department store to prepare for his next role.



Jay Pharoah is amazing and Bobby supports him well!

I can see this as a recurring skit as Denzel does research in all sorts of jobs (like a taxi driver for example).

Also, Jay has gotten to headline two skits in his first three episodes, and he has busted out his perfect Denzel and Will Smith impressions. Next he's gotta bust out his Eddie Murphy impression. After that, he's gotta come up with new impressions (he'll eventually take over Obama) and some original characters before he can be the next Eddie Murphy. So far Eddie's the only #1 breakout black SNL star (SNL has always had black stars, but he was the only one to break out like tha).

Also, this clearly puts Jay into the second MVP spot for Featured Players. I think it currently stands...

(1) Nasim Pedrad - only because she's had a full season on Jay and has a few characters(like Bedelia) in addition to impressions like Kim Kardashian.

(2) Jay Pharoah - perfect Will Smith and Denzel Washington.

(3) Vanessa Bayer - perfect Miley Cyrus.

(4) Taran Killam - nothing yet, but he's filling in Will Forte's roles as the every-man. Taran needs a reason to come back next season. I'm a little disappointed that he hasn't headlined anything yet, but we'll see.

(5) Paul Brittain - nothing that would bring him back next season.



Enjoy!

Jay Pharoah in i-Sleep Pro (SNL) - Tyler Perry and Chris Tucker

Having trouble sleeping? There's a new alternative.

Commercial - i-sleep PRO
Jay Pharoah ... recorded voices (voice)
Kenan Thompson ... guy



Jay busts out his Tyler Perry and Chris Tucker in this voice work. Very creative.

Jay wasn't in this episode much this week, but after the Will Smith bit last week, he pretty much instantly became a valuable member of the show. Can't wait to see what he's got next.

Enjoy!