EW's Must: Debbie Downer

So Entertainment Weekly decided to change its annual it list to a must list. Whatever. The names on both their must list and my it list are Bryce Dallas Howard, Lindsay Lohan, Emmy Rossum, Mark Ruffalo and Kate Winslet. Others on their list of note include Wes Anderson, Christian Bale (obligatory cover boy! Really, EW, stop putting next year's superhero on this year's cover,) Cate Blanchett, Rachel Dratch, Will Ferrell, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Jude Law, Heath Ledger, Heather Locklear, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, Megan Mullally, Brittany Murphy, Chad Michael Murray, Mary Louise Parker, Alexander Payne, Julia Roberts, James Spader, Kevin Weisman, Dominic West and Reese Witherspoon. The less said about almost every other name on the list the better. Anyways, I'd have to give props to them for their #126. Here's what they said.



126 - SNL's Debbie Downer

Name: Rachel Dratch

Age: 38

Mustworthiness: For giving us the funniest TV moment all year with the May 1 SNL skit "Debbie Downer," about a frowny frump who ruins her family's trip to Disney World with an impressive array of conversation-killing asides (i.e. "Did you guys hear about that train explosion in northern Korea?" - punctuated by wah-wah trumpet refrains. But what elevated Debbie from funny to you-gotta-see-this-classic was the inability of the cast (Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Fred Armisen and host Lindsay Lohan) to keep a straight face; it started as a tiny lip quiver from Dratch and devolved into a tear-spouting, shoulder-shaking riot.

Seriously, What happened? "I don't really know," admits Dratch, who cowrote the sketch with Paul Pell. "I was freaking out in my head, like, Get it together! The worst was when I had to say, 'It's official - I can't have children.' I was like, Stick the landing! But, I just couldn't. It was looking at Jimmy like, 'Help me!'"

Debbie Downer: The Movie. Discuss: "Of course I'd want to be in a movie," jokes Dratch. "I'll start thinking about it."

Next: Both Dratch and Ms. Downer return to SNL next season. "Hopefully I'll be able to keep a straight face this time." Wah-wah!



I've seen that sketch about 20 times now, and the part that caused everyone to laugh was an off-cue trumpet "wah-wah!" It did it in the middle of Dratch's line, and after that, everyone lost it. If you have yet to see that one, I have it on tape. (If i haven't made you watch it already.) Also, look carefully in the sketch to see Lohan throw a piece of her waffle she was cutting up at Dratch to get her back on track.



Here's a New York Daily News article about Debbie.