Admit it. If you watched Saturday Night Live last night with an eye to Taylor Swift, you most likely fell into one of two camps. Either you wanted Tay to milk the Kanye/VMAs incident for all it was worth, or you preferred a more tasteful "move on" approach.
I'll own up to the fact that I fell into the first camp. Sure--I've defended Taylor's artistry, talent, and wealth of things to discuss besides her run-in with Kanye. And I admire the way she's moved past the issue; breaking records and leaving a trail of sold-out tour dust in her wake. Ho-hum, no time to dwell on Kanye, I'm off to the afterparty with a hot Twilight star.
But. For some reason, I wanted her to be not-so-nice on SNL. I wanted to see her grab the mic (so to speak) and go for the jugular. In a funny way, of course. But there you have it.
I didn't quite get my wish. Tay did mention Kanye in her opener, which was a little tune she sang about all the things "I'm not gonna talk about." Mr. West was serenaded with "There's nothing more to say, 'cause everything's OK, I've got security lining the stage."
Which was a rather mild sting compared to her stanza about a certain famous ex: "Hey Joe, I'm doing real well! Tonight I'm hosting SNL." The second half of the lyric was nearly drowned out by the audience's cheers. Take that, Jonas boy!
Taylor also gave a nod to her rumored new flame, Taylor Lautner, in the song--mentioning "the werewolf from Twilight," then mouthing, "Hi Taylor," winking, and blowing a campy kiss.
Tay's other sketches on the show involved donning a wig--you know, the wig, it was all over Halloween shelves this season--and spoofing reality TV supermom Kate Gosselin, which was funny but mildly odd. I would never have thought of the 19-year-old Taylor as Kate material, but I suppose that was part of the humor.
Ironically, what struck me most about the skit was how much the crazy "Kate" hairstyle flattered Taylor--I honestly think it looked great on her--which I suppose is as good a testimony as any to the flexibility of youth and beauty.
Taylor put on another wig--this time a brown one not unlike the one she wore in her "You Belong With Me" video--to play the lead in a hysterically overdramatic parody of Twilight, in which she falls for a green Frankenstein character.
The singer's acting chops are still in development, but she's got a natural flair for comedy which I hope she'll be able to cultivate in the future. Overall, SNL was a good show.
I'll admit it one more time, though. It wasn't the Kanye banquet I was secretly hoping for. I'm bad, aren't I?
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