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See Miley Cyrus Dodge Another Twerk-pocalypse on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Miley Cyrus, 'Saturday Night Live,' "Wrecking Ball," "We Can't Stop," video, government shutdown

Saturday Night Live isn’t the MTV Video Music Awards. Miley Cyrus’ return to live TV after the tongue- and twerk-filled VMA performance that still somehow dominates the discourse mostly shied away from creating a similar ruckus. There were some laughs, especially when she portrayed Michele Bachmann in a government shutdown parody recasting the Bangerz hit “We Can’t Stop” as “We Did Stop.” But her actual performance of that song was straight-faced and backed with three acoustic guitarists (one of whom appeared to be one of the “little people” Miley, as Hillary Clinton in another sketch, said her 2016 presidency would help). And an emotional take on “Wrecking Ball,” too, stayed clear of additional door-to-door nudity. Cyrus’ opening monologue took care of “Wrecking Ball” video spoof ideas and also, amusingly, killed off Hannah Montana. The show wasn’t always that successful — the sketch that had Billy Ray’s child meeting “old Miley” as part of a post-apocalyptic scenario that recalled Maureen Dowd’s latest column recalling The Road was pretty awkward, for one — but like a football team with a big lead, Cyrus maintained. Cyrus on the VMA show launched a million think pieces; Cyrus on SNL cemented her pop stardom.