Saturday Night Live

..and why not?
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bobzilla77
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby bobzilla77 » 08 Oct 2012, 17:57

I just thought she was smart enough to not go down the obvious root


:lol:
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 08 Oct 2012, 18:32

tut tut tut tut :lol: but still tut tut tut tut. :P
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 05 Nov 2012, 13:45

Ok i'll have to admit i'm a fan. I've watch the 2000 - 2001 season and why it works it does leaving me laughing. Though i will say that's there's not much middle ground, it's either class or shite. I kinda feel sorry for them when they don't get a laugh. Rachael dratch should be more famous that she is, she's funny. Jimmy fallon, not so much. Also what's the story with black male comedians on this show, aside from morgan they don't seem to get much time. Even Morgan doesn't get much time.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby nathan » 05 Nov 2012, 15:17

Dr Markus wrote:Ok i'll have to admit i'm a fan. I've watch the 2000 - 2001 season and why it works it does leaving me laughing. Though i will say that's there's not much middle ground, it's either class or shite. I kinda feel sorry for them when they don't get a laugh. Rachael dratch should be more famous that she is, she's funny. Jimmy fallon, not so much. Also what's the story with black male comedians on this show, aside from morgan they don't seem to get much time. Even Morgan doesn't get much time.

Even Jimmy admits that he was a little green in his early years. He has really come into his own with his late night talk show.

But yeah, they have taken a lot of criticism over the years for not having many black cast members or hosts. But what do you do? As far as screen time, each cast member is allowed to write their own material. It is a very cutthroat enviroment where they rehearse more sketches than they need and cut some right before showtime. The people that are great writers and performers tend to get a lot more airtime.

I would also recommend the book Live From New York that is an oral history of the show. It's a great read and it gives you a lot of insight into the behind the scenes aspect.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-New-York-Tom-Shales/dp/0316735655/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352128526&sr=1-1

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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 06 Nov 2012, 12:41

I can’t help but feel there’s a few comedy actors on the shows that I am watching rather than writers if you know what I mean. They rely on other people on the show to write for them. I could be wrong, Chris Katan seems to be a comedy actor rather than writer but I could be wrong. While Tina fey looked to be a writer who’s not a very comedy actor. Thank god that changed, she brilliant in 30 rock. I can see while Ferrel was one of the highest paid ever though I’d love to know if he wrote much. Myer is another example I think of a writer with not much comedy acting skill.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Limpin' Jez McKenzie » 06 Nov 2012, 13:46

nathan wrote:
Dr Markus wrote:Billy crystal was on SNL? I always think of him as…..i don’t know…..primetime….all the family can watch……type comedy. I’d thought he was too old fashioned or thinks he too high brow for this kinda stuff. Obviously I’m wrong, but that’s mad.

Yeah, the last year Dick Ebersol was the producer in the mid-80's (before Lorne Michaels returned) he just went all out and hired people like Jim Belushi, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall and Martin Short. It was actually pretty good. Billy Crystal has never been 'edgy' but he was pretty damn funny in the 80's.

The next year Lorne Michaels returned. He got rid of everybody and added Joan Cusack, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Randy Quaid. That was the start of the modern era of SNL and has continued in that mold ever since.


Billy Crystal was in the TV show "Soap".
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 06 Nov 2012, 13:53

nathan wrote: He got rid of everybody and added Joan Cusack, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Randy Quaid. That was the start of the modern era of SNL and has continued in that mold ever since.


I’m not too well up on the careers to know what they were doing at the time, but with benefit of hindsight and their careers at the minute, that seems a sorry ass bunch for a comedy show.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby bobzilla77 » 07 Nov 2012, 00:18

Rachel Dratch is an interesting one. She was sometimes funny.

But she had that particular humor that relies on being incredibly annoying. And for some reason that doesn't play well in anything other than small doses.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 07 Nov 2012, 11:16

I don’t know, I think she’s class in the over anxious lovers sketches with Ferrel. Sanz is another funny guy, he puts so much effort in even if the material isn’t working. He’s turn as the unfashionable shopper in the too hip for anyone clothes shop that has Fallon and the guest host working as shop assistants is always funny. I can see why Fallon can’t keep a straight face. In other news, I’m falling more and more in love with Tina fey every time I watch her. Even is there’s so crazy lego type thing happening with her hair.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby The Write Profile » 13 Mar 2013, 07:35

I've been reading Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Even if you're not a fan of the show, it's a rollicking good read, not least the sections dealing with the early years, because everyone interviewed is so candid. It's a bit dated-the book finishes in 2000, and was published in 2002, so obviously it misses out the last decade or so- but you get the impression the most interesting stories have already occurred.

It really boggles the mind how many massive egos and personalities were brought together completely by chance in those early years, and how they all come across as distinctive voices even in their recollections. Chevy Chase comes across as both a massive, self-absorbed jerk and surprisingly apologetic and repentant for his past behaviour (sometimes within the same paragraph), Jane Curtin is awesomely grounded, Akroyd is rueful but insightful, Bill Murray seems to have been the same guy all this time, and Lorne Michaels is strangely above it all. Crystal, Martin and Hanks (none of whom were full-time cast, but all of whom shaped the show in their different ways) are professionals and clear-headed, while the writers and producers are almost all different shades of bitter and by turns, misanthropic. And the drugs! Even Al Franken was in on it ("I was taking cocaine so I could keep an eye on everyone else taking cocaine"). John Belushi was a mess of contradictions, as you would expect too. But also a force to be reckoned with.

The trouble is the back-stage accounts of the mid-80s onwards are clearly more interesting and funny than what was happening in front of the screen (the fall-out of the 1980 and 1985 seasons are just riveting reading)- and I really got the impression that many of the talents did much better work elsewhere- Phil Hartman and Chris Rock especially (although Hartman, in everything he did, was the consummate professional). The other cast members' veneration of David Spade and Chris Farley is just weird, too.

Yet there's an unspoken subtext that even the books' authors are afraid to admit outright (except by inference)- by the early 90s, the show was getting its ass kicked in the political, social and satirical relevance stakes by comedies such as the Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld and (of course) the Simpsons- all of which relied heavily on former SNL writers. If the book was updated you could also add others such as the Daily Show or 30 Rock to that. It's pretty clear these days that it's more successful as a launching pad for better things. That always was the case, I guess. But damn, this show has been more interesting to read about than watch for years.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Six String » 25 Mar 2013, 22:26

I watched it regularly from it's beginning until sometime in the early or mid 1980s I think but it's been years since I've seen even
a few minutes of it. Although they always had their up and down shows/years I sort of lost patience with the show and found other things to do on Saturday nights (like sleep ;) ) Even now I'd be more likely to read this book mentioned than watch the tv show.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby bobzilla77 » 27 Mar 2013, 17:43

I've started watching again with some interest, the TImberlake episode a few weeks ago was funny.
Jimbo wrote:I guess I am over Graham Nash's politics. Hopelessly naive by the standards I've molded for myself these days.

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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby sloopjohnc » 28 Mar 2013, 14:25

For the last 10 years, I think the comedians/actors have almost been as good as they've ever been.

While the writing has always been sketchy, pun intended, that's the part that's gone downhill for me in the last few years. It doesn't seem like they know how to tie up a bit.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 09 May 2013, 10:45

Do youse think that post saturday night live success can be used (in some way, without being 100% true) as a way do judge how good the comedians were or how much input they had in the show?
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby sloopjohnc » 09 May 2013, 14:09

Dr Markus wrote:Do youse think that post saturday night live success can be used (in some way, without being 100% true) as a way do judge how good the comedians were or how much input they had in the show?


Somewhat and somenot. Chris Rock was on the show for a year and his abilities were never utilized.

Some of the women have had steady if not spectacular careers, while others, like Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig have done well so far. The one cast member who I thought would do very well, Cheri Oteri, has done nothing to speak of.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 13 May 2013, 12:19

There are those who you just knew would just struggle after SNL, the likes of Kantan and Sanz. You just knew. Then there were other who you thought were't writers but were talented.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 13 May 2013, 17:46

Meyers is leaving SNL. Taking over for Fallon as he replaces Leno. That aside, just how powerful is lorne Michaels?
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 29 Oct 2013, 10:06

Emile Hirsch is to play Blues Brothers star John Belushi in a film biopic based on the legendary comic's life.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24724689
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Dr Markus » 17 Oct 2016, 13:01

Watching it regularly now, outside the election, not very good at all.
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Re: Saturday Night Live

Postby Charlie O. » 17 Oct 2016, 20:58

I watch YouTube clips now and again. This one cracked me up:


Image


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