Lindsay Lohan is on her way to a Drew Barrymore-style reinvention. From bad behaviour, to substance abuse, whirlwind romances, and even a Playboy spread, Lohan is one David Letterman appearance away (or, one TV movie away — thanks Liz and Dick, her Lifetime Elizabeth Taylor biopic. Also, yikes, that name’s bound to change. Right?) from a full-blown comeback. … Once enough fans and allies get behind her and change the press’ narrative, of course.
As an avid Lindsay Lohan fan, my excitement for Lilo’s return to Saturday Night Live was well-documented. Yet, as Lohan made her NBC-based media rounds throughout the week, she was routinely scrutinized by the press for having nothing to promote, or failing to properly promote herself.
Read more: Stop The Linsanity! Why We’re Rooting For Lindsay Lohan’s SNL Comeback
When she popped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, Fallon asked Lohan how she booked her hosting gig. Lohan said she kept asking executive producer Lorne Michaels for a chance, and on a recent trip to LA, the timing seemed to match up.
“I kept asking him,” said Lohan. “I wasn’t giving up. You know Lorne, he’s very straight to the point. He was like, ‘What about March 3?’ I’m like, ‘I’m free!’”
This reveal, delivered with a youthful upspeak and spunk, reminiscent of the former child star’s glory days, was unfairly ridiculed.
To further my disappointment, when Lohan took the stage at Studio 8H on Saturday, save for her hilarious self-deprecating monologue, she took on a supporting role during her hosting gig, resulting in a mixed bag of sketches. Still, Lohan’s Saturday Night Live episode has been deemed a ratings smash – it was the second-highest rated episode of the season.
The show did give us this piece of brilliance:
A whole new world of drama, indeed.
Though she was not presented as the star of the show, given what she had to work with, Lohan was still one of this year’s better hosts. In spite of being pecked apart on Twitter for reading the cue cards, this has often been a point of contention for all SNL hosts. The show often has many last-minute changes, making it seemingly impossible for performers to memorize their lines. Even members of the SNL cast have been caught reading cue cards, they just have more experience.
Still, I’m on Team Lohan. Surprise. If the SNL good nights — when the cast waves goodbye at the end of the show — were any indication, Lohan seemed to be in great spirits, and she has more than a few famous friends in her corner, including the handsome Jon Hamm. He’s like, so fetch.
On her way to a Drew Barrymore-style reinvention, here are four takeaways from Lindsay Lohan’s NBC-mediated comeback:
1) She’s Young
At only 25, her face may look older, but Lohan talks like any 25-year-old girl. In fact, in her Matt Lauer interview on the Today Show, Lohan spoke with grace about her troubled past, without being overly apologetic like she has in the past. For the first time since her 2006 Vanity Fair interview, which she later denounced, Lohan was candid, refreshing, and spoke with a youthful, unbridled enthusiasm.
2) She’s Charming
Remember that loveable actress we all fell for back in the day? She’s still around. Check out Lohan playing Pictionary on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She’s a hopeless Pictionary player, and yet, you can’t look away.
3) She’s Focused and Poised
On the show, Lohan dressed modestly, in a blue sheath dress, to make sure attention was drawn solely to her talent.
In her Matt Lauer interview, Lohan talked about being distracted throughout her former foibles, saying she got ‘caught up’ with her romantic life, and in the Hollywood scene. Having booked her Lifetime movie lead, Lohan is on the prowl for her next big part, and with her legal troubles behind her, is hoping to be noticed for the right reasons. Her message is loud and clear, that she has moved on, and is ready for her (last?) second chance.
4) She Has Allies… In the Right Places
Not only were Lorne Michaels, the cast of Saturday Night Live, Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon in Lohan’s corner, but several famed members of Hollywood have been speaking up in support of Lohan, including Alec Baldwin. This buzz is only going to grow stronger as her comeback continues. With Hollywood on her side, it is only a matter of time before Lohan is able to land her next role, and silence (most) of her naysayers.
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Joanna Adams writes the Morning Cable, and lots more, for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at †@nowstarringTO.
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