SNL...Your Thoughts...
- Thread starter Laser Battle
- Start date
I think, like many long running shows, that SNL has it's ups and downs. The early-mid 80's cast wasn't as good as the late 80's early 90's cast and blah blah blah. I think the only real difference between now and way back then is that in the late 70's/early 80's they tended to take very partisan positions on things, whereas now, they're a little more cautious. I don't think they'd ever do something like the moon president reagan stunt they pulled in the 80's
As far as cancelling it goes....I don't think it will ever happen. NBC doesn't have many long time running shows left.
I watched this week's old SNL rerun @ 2 am, with Ron Reagan and The Nelson and an extremely young looking Penn and Teller. It was bad bad bad (except for Terry Sweeney's Nancy Regan) and extremely dated. Dennis Miller with all the Reagan jokes, Randy Quaid as Reagan...but Penn and Teller were decent. Anyway, if you compare then to now (and it WAS a Lorne show), it's not nearly as bad as it once was. I think what happens is that it gets good, people start loving it and then the successful actors and writers flee, leaving huge holes in the staff on screen and off. Then it takes awhile for the new guys to find thier feet and when they do, the cycle resumes. I can't speculate why the breaking up on stage is allowed or anything like that, since I do not work there. But that does piss me off.
I watched this week's old SNL rerun @ 2 am, with Ron Reagan and The Nelson and an extremely young looking Penn and Teller. It was bad bad bad (except for Terry Sweeney's Nancy Regan) and extremely dated. Dennis Miller with all the Reagan jokes, Randy Quaid as Reagan...but Penn and Teller were decent. Anyway, if you compare then to now (and it WAS a Lorne show), it's not nearly as bad as it once was. I think what happens is that it gets good, people start loving it and then the successful actors and writers flee, leaving huge holes in the staff on screen and off. Then it takes awhile for the new guys to find thier feet and when they do, the cycle resumes. I can't speculate why the breaking up on stage is allowed or anything like that, since I do not work there. But that does piss me off.
I always wonder if the show would exist if Lorne Micheals wasn't around anymore- he's like the fucking Willy Wonka of variety comedy- imagine a world without him. All your precious little Oopalumpas and Riggles of the world would be forced into club dwelling and sitcom slavery. I know there were other producers running the show in earlier years- but since he took SNL back Lorne Micheals has kept the show running strong- despite the dives of bad writing and shaky kneed players. The reason why we keep watching and why the show will run until LM dies is because we all desperately wish we had the balls to do what people on that show do- and do it well- because no one would ever want to work that hard to become the next Joe Piscopo. It's our meter by which the entire comedy community can gage the height the or level of jaw dropping content allowed by popular culture.
I have a theory that people "remember" this show wrong. They had some bad shows in the early days, but the stuff that doesn't work gets edited out of the reruns. People tend to remember Samurai Delicatessen and Bass-o-matic because they've seen it a lot. I remember a lot of sketches falling flat in any era of the show. I still love it and will never stop watching.
Jeff Richards played Drunk Girl, but he got fired/quit midway last season. He was on update? I must've missed him. I thought he was doing good so I wouldn't be surprised if they brought him back.
As for that Tim anecdote, I'm not surprised he said that. I think he was the wrong person to ask that question cz from what I read [I haven't had the privelage of meeting him], it seems he was one of the leading people who were saying "Hey if it's live, why not allow for chaos?" with the live monkey.
I read [also in "Live From New York"] that Dana Carvey said Lorne dislikes adlibbing, but doesn't mind it if the people are laughing. But still, it seems weird that you would set your show up to run as efficient as a taped show, but still add in the insane pressure of doing it live.
But perhaps that is what makes SNL unique. MADtv would be too much like it if weren't live.
But I'm also not denying they won't consider it. [Even though I think it's more likely they'll just let it retire with Lorne out of respect, like Captain Murphy on Sea Lab].
As for that Tim anecdote, I'm not surprised he said that. I think he was the wrong person to ask that question cz from what I read [I haven't had the privelage of meeting him], it seems he was one of the leading people who were saying "Hey if it's live, why not allow for chaos?" with the live monkey.
I read [also in "Live From New York"] that Dana Carvey said Lorne dislikes adlibbing, but doesn't mind it if the people are laughing. But still, it seems weird that you would set your show up to run as efficient as a taped show, but still add in the insane pressure of doing it live.
But perhaps that is what makes SNL unique. MADtv would be too much like it if weren't live.
But I'm also not denying they won't consider it. [Even though I think it's more likely they'll just let it retire with Lorne out of respect, like Captain Murphy on Sea Lab].
all problems would be solved by cutting the last 30 minutes and maybe even the musical guest's second performance
I still long for the days when guys like Harry Anderson would get a few minutes to do something, I think the last time something like that happened was the McKay-Ferrell baby/German philospher film
I still long for the days when guys like Harry Anderson would get a few minutes to do something, I think the last time something like that happened was the McKay-Ferrell baby/German philospher film
It's LIVE baby!
Yeah, it used to annoy me but now I kind of miss it. Just like having a live monkey in a sketch, the breaking up kind of made sketches have that live feel to it. It made that Debbie Downer sketch hilarious, she was suppose to be saying these horrible things but she was laughing hysterically.
"Well...it's official..."
[starts cracking up]
"...I can't have children..."
[huge burst of laughter]
As for the baby/German philosopher thing, I don't think I saw that, could someone please describe?
Yeah, it used to annoy me but now I kind of miss it. Just like having a live monkey in a sketch, the breaking up kind of made sketches have that live feel to it. It made that Debbie Downer sketch hilarious, she was suppose to be saying these horrible things but she was laughing hysterically.
"Well...it's official..."
[starts cracking up]
"...I can't have children..."
[huge burst of laughter]
As for the baby/German philosopher thing, I don't think I saw that, could someone please describe?
I remember a Dog Show sketch when Tom Green hosted. He had a little baby piglet that oiked hystewrically, ruining most of the sketch but no one laughed, they jsut went on, pausing when they needed to for oinking interruptions. Now that was funny because everyone was laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
Rachel laughing during Debbie Downer was funny because she never barely breaks up. People stopped laughing at Jimmy Fallon breaking up because, you know, once, and it's funny. Twice, it's funny. Every sketch? Just annoying.
Rachel laughing during Debbie Downer was funny because she never barely breaks up. People stopped laughing at Jimmy Fallon breaking up because, you know, once, and it's funny. Twice, it's funny. Every sketch? Just annoying.
The baby german philospher thing was one of Adam Mckay's short films. The story of why he got away with some of those cool short films is almost as funny as the films themselves as any one who saw "The Inside Joke" he was on at the UCB can attest.
But as for the movie itself it was Will Ferrell as a German philopher yelling at a baby if I remeber, and the baby was just gibbering like a baby contentidly. All of these short films by Adam Mckay were brilliant.
You might remember the one called Neil Armstrong: the Later Years, which depicts him living an embittered life where nothing he does matches up to going to the fucking moon.
There's also a short where Ben Stiller plays this really cocky guy in a bar who thinks he can get anyone to sleep with him within three lines of conversation, and then his friends challenge him to try on some celebrity whose name I can't remember (played by Willl Ferrell) He of course does seduce Will and then is sort of obligated to have sex with him.
There may have been a few other short films by Adam Mckay, but I can't remember any others off hand. Can anyone else remember if there were others or fill in the holes of my account of them?
