Saturday Night Live
- thirtyframesasecond
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm
Re: Saturday Night Live
Given Damon's selective blindness towards his best bud Weinstein, having him rip the piss out of an alleged sexual assaulter is a bit rich.
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
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Re: Saturday Night Live
I just don’t see what one thing has to do with the other.
- Andre Jurieu
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:38 pm
- Location: Back in Milan (Ind.)
Re: Saturday Night Live
I think Thompson's longevity is mostly a function of his adaptability. I think the multiple SNL writers (or maybe just head-writers) have mentioned how willing Thompson has been to deliver whatever material the writers comes up with for sketch, no matter how absurd it seems during the initial pitch. Apparently, he rarely complains and does his best to make the material work. I think they even started making fun of his willingness a little bit in last year's "Baby Steps" sketch during the Larry David episode.flyonthewall2983 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:54 pmI think Thompson's got a sitcom set up at NBC, so he might be out soon. I still can't quite get over the fact that he's the longest-tenured member of the show, remembering him still mostly from All That.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: Saturday Night Live
Wonder if that's a holdover from being a child actor and getting used to just doing whatever you're told to do?
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
He's also stated in interviews I've heard that he's a performer first and foremost, and doesn't have any particular illusions about beginning to write or direct. I'm sure the urge to take control of sketches from a conceptual standpoint is quite common, and Thompson doesn't seem to have that facet to his personality.
- flyonthewall2983
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
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Re: Saturday Night Live
What seems a little different about the trajectory of former cast members now is that they seemingly more and more want to do their own things instead of living up to the expectations of the huge success of people who came before them. It also could be that there's a much more narrow place in Hollywood for the mid-sized budget comedies that made people like Mike Myers or Sandler stars.
- movielocke
- Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am
Re: Saturday Night Live
It’s mostly about money. Keenan was probably pretty thrilled to get his dream job paying him 90 grand at eighteen years old. Now he maybe makes 250, and clearly is probably still pretty happy with that since he’s still on the show. And there aren’t a lot sitcoms or films starring twenty something black men, so he gets commensurately fewer opportunities to cash in because of his race, in other words he knows he’s not Eddie Murphy and he doesn’t put in the writing and standup work chris rock did, so his stature isn’t like theirs.
Most cast members who join in their later twenties or thirties find the opening salary pretty paltry, so they immediately try to supplement it and make ends meet with the $5000 bonus for getting a sketch they come up with on the air. This means they are constantly writing and that leads to making connections and doing other shows or films—particularly the video shorts.
Since most cast members can’t make ends meet in NYC on the wages they get in their first years on the show they obviously will try to aggressively cash in the celebrity and name recognition the show gives them with more lucrative film and tv options. String several together over a few years and you’re not coming back to the show.
Most cast members who join in their later twenties or thirties find the opening salary pretty paltry, so they immediately try to supplement it and make ends meet with the $5000 bonus for getting a sketch they come up with on the air. This means they are constantly writing and that leads to making connections and doing other shows or films—particularly the video shorts.
Since most cast members can’t make ends meet in NYC on the wages they get in their first years on the show they obviously will try to aggressively cash in the celebrity and name recognition the show gives them with more lucrative film and tv options. String several together over a few years and you’re not coming back to the show.
- thirtyframesasecond
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm
Re: Saturday Night Live
Given that he weighed in poorly with his definition of what sexual misconduct was a few months back, I'd have thought he'd have steered clear on parodying someone accused of the very same. He's hardly above criticism. He might be squeaky clean but if he says he knew nothing about how HW operated, he is clearly, clearly lying.
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Saturday Night Live
A pretty mediocre episode last night. I'm not terribly familiar with Awkwafina, but she wasn't given a whole lot to do and didn't have much of a presence on the show for the most part. The GOP-locker room celebration was executed just OK, but at least was conceptually on-point in a way that SNL's political humor only occasionally musters. Even the Trump sons bit felt pretty routine, and they've always been hilarious in the past.
Davidson's Kanye commentary killed, though. I enjoyed Travis Scott's performances. But the show was pretty sleepy overall.
On a side note, NBC replayed the Christopher Walken episode from 1992 in the "SNL Vintage" time slot, and boy, what an odd episode to choose to spotlight. It's hard to think of two bits that have aged worse than 1) trashing Sinead O'Connor in the wake of her photo-ripping appearance, and 2) having Walken commit suicide because he's distraught by Pat's gender ambiguity. Or Pat generally. But Walken's song-and-dance monologue was really wonderful.
Davidson's Kanye commentary killed, though. I enjoyed Travis Scott's performances. But the show was pretty sleepy overall.
On a side note, NBC replayed the Christopher Walken episode from 1992 in the "SNL Vintage" time slot, and boy, what an odd episode to choose to spotlight. It's hard to think of two bits that have aged worse than 1) trashing Sinead O'Connor in the wake of her photo-ripping appearance, and 2) having Walken commit suicide because he's distraught by Pat's gender ambiguity. Or Pat generally. But Walken's song-and-dance monologue was really wonderful.
- flyonthewall2983
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
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- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
Well, that might have been the worst episode of SNL I've ever seen. Davidson (minus the hat gag at the end, which is the sort of joke your 'hip' aunt might make about Kanye West - there's no way Davidson himself agrees with that sentiment so it fell flat after a really funny monologue) and the Ted Cruz prerecorded bit were the only funny bits in a sea of massive cringe. Bennett was hilarious in that latter sketch, though, making the case for having, you know, the cast, play notable political figures in sketches instead of stunt cast non-comedians.
I guess the only other thing I'd add is that the show has become such an echo chamber of the same 2 or 3 topics that are discussed ad nauseum on Twitter (Trump, #MeToo, Trump, #MeToo, and repeat) that there are diminishing returns by mere virtue of variety. It's become very far from a reflection of day to day life's oddities and just a series of cultural touchpoints, like stretching out Weekend Update for the duration of the hour and a half in some form. I realize this is a very strange time in history from a sociological standpoint, but how many #MeToo and streaming TV sketches can you fit into one season of the show before everyone is sort of wasting their time?
I guess the only other thing I'd add is that the show has become such an echo chamber of the same 2 or 3 topics that are discussed ad nauseum on Twitter (Trump, #MeToo, Trump, #MeToo, and repeat) that there are diminishing returns by mere virtue of variety. It's become very far from a reflection of day to day life's oddities and just a series of cultural touchpoints, like stretching out Weekend Update for the duration of the hour and a half in some form. I realize this is a very strange time in history from a sociological standpoint, but how many #MeToo and streaming TV sketches can you fit into one season of the show before everyone is sort of wasting their time?
- Boosmahn
- Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm
Re: Saturday Night Live
I thought that the Cricket Wireless bit was pretty funny.
Next week's episode should be good. There's no way they'll fumble Seth Meyers and Paul Simon, right?
Next week's episode should be good. There's no way they'll fumble Seth Meyers and Paul Simon, right?
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
I suppose that fell flat for me because at least half of the incoming texts weren't either good jokes or something Trump would say at all. It's tough to get into a sketch about something that occurred days ago (I know, different attention span in 2018) if it isn't written very well.
- Boosmahn
- Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm
Re: Saturday Night Live
I can see where you're coming from. Since the sketch is so short, I only remember the parts I like, such as Jones and McKinnon's responses and the Cricket parody. Other sketches, though (e.g. the baby shower, dance-off, Cleopatra skits), didn't make me laugh at all.
- Andre Jurieu
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:38 pm
- Location: Back in Milan (Ind.)
Re: Saturday Night Live
Overall, I agree the episode was kind of bland. I felt like some of it was because Awkwafina didn't really seem to be totally committed to some of the sketches. Maybe the pitches this week didn't really suit her. It just seemed like the material didn't really synch up well with her vibe, other than maybe the game-show theme song dance-battle, which actually made Travis Scott the MVP of the sketch.
However, I actually thought the Trump Sons Weekend Update bit started slow, but ended up decent (granted it's a repetitive concept). I thought the highlight of the Davidson commentary on Kanye was the mock-disclosure of SNL debating whether Davidson or Che best represented Kanye's current perspective (second place was Davidson making fun of his own recent wardrobe choices). Also enjoyed the Cricket ad.
Meanwhile, I thought the pre-recorded Ted Cruz sketch was kind of lame, just because it re-hashed the same joke/perspective on Cruz that we've been hearing forever. Besides, nothing can really compare to the video clip Sam Bee keeps showing of Cruz performing on stage in high school, cause the reality of Cruz is far more ridiculous than almost any parody. Plus, as lame as he is ... he'll still likely win, which is horrifying and automatically reduces the chances of comedy.
However, I actually thought the Trump Sons Weekend Update bit started slow, but ended up decent (granted it's a repetitive concept). I thought the highlight of the Davidson commentary on Kanye was the mock-disclosure of SNL debating whether Davidson or Che best represented Kanye's current perspective (second place was Davidson making fun of his own recent wardrobe choices). Also enjoyed the Cricket ad.
Meanwhile, I thought the pre-recorded Ted Cruz sketch was kind of lame, just because it re-hashed the same joke/perspective on Cruz that we've been hearing forever. Besides, nothing can really compare to the video clip Sam Bee keeps showing of Cruz performing on stage in high school, cause the reality of Cruz is far more ridiculous than almost any parody. Plus, as lame as he is ... he'll still likely win, which is horrifying and automatically reduces the chances of comedy.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
Maybe I just like Bennett a disproportionate amount. It seemed as though he came out swinging as one of the big stars of the show and then was quickly buried (well, not buried, but you seem to see less of him now than in his first couple years)
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Saturday Night Live
Another lackluster episode last night, although still a step up from last week.
Among the lowlights was that they managed to make what was very likely the worst possible sketch about the Trump-Kanye meeting. At this point, any Baldwin/Trump sketch idea just needs to be metaphorically drowned in the bathwater. Baldwin isn't helped by the absolutely terrible writing in these sketches, but it's just a big-time downer every time he makes an appearance. It's not working. Please just stop.
Meyers seemed ill at ease all night. I know he wasn't in many sketches once he took over "Update", but he was a cast member for several years before that, so I expected a little more life out of him. You'd have thought he was new to sketch comedy if you didn't know better.
I really liked Davidson's and Redd's "Trees" video, even though my local NBC affiliate showed commercials over most of it. Redd has a comedy space that's unique to him that is very adaptable to different material and always funny to me. Bennett's "Liberal Lagniappe" bit had a funny concept but was just OK in execution; still, I could see it evolving into something good if he gets a shot to refine it. I liked Gardner in the Cuba sketch, and the filmed campfire-story segment was a solid 7.5/10; it cracked me up that Mooney's dialogue could have been lifted line-for-line from some threads here. The "Thirsty Cops" sketch could have been funny but it either didn't occur to anyone to take it into edgier territory or they weren't willing to do it, and it just ended up being off-key and a little puzzling. I liked the idea of the post-film Q&A sketch but it was written as if no one involved had ever actually been to one of those things and was just lame.
Three episodes into the season, and it feels like the writing's simply been too slack. Gotta pick it up a little, guys.
Among the lowlights was that they managed to make what was very likely the worst possible sketch about the Trump-Kanye meeting. At this point, any Baldwin/Trump sketch idea just needs to be metaphorically drowned in the bathwater. Baldwin isn't helped by the absolutely terrible writing in these sketches, but it's just a big-time downer every time he makes an appearance. It's not working. Please just stop.
Meyers seemed ill at ease all night. I know he wasn't in many sketches once he took over "Update", but he was a cast member for several years before that, so I expected a little more life out of him. You'd have thought he was new to sketch comedy if you didn't know better.
I really liked Davidson's and Redd's "Trees" video, even though my local NBC affiliate showed commercials over most of it. Redd has a comedy space that's unique to him that is very adaptable to different material and always funny to me. Bennett's "Liberal Lagniappe" bit had a funny concept but was just OK in execution; still, I could see it evolving into something good if he gets a shot to refine it. I liked Gardner in the Cuba sketch, and the filmed campfire-story segment was a solid 7.5/10; it cracked me up that Mooney's dialogue could have been lifted line-for-line from some threads here. The "Thirsty Cops" sketch could have been funny but it either didn't occur to anyone to take it into edgier territory or they weren't willing to do it, and it just ended up being off-key and a little puzzling. I liked the idea of the post-film Q&A sketch but it was written as if no one involved had ever actually been to one of those things and was just lame.
Three episodes into the season, and it feels like the writing's simply been too slack. Gotta pick it up a little, guys.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
Haven’t gotten to the end of the episode yet but worth pausing to say I LOVED this recorded bit and found it very forum appropriate
- Boosmahn
- Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: Saturday Night Live
Hopefully the people in his life are keeping an eye on him. He’s obviously got quite a troubled past and doesn’t seem like somebody who’s been playing the long game lately.
Ep was fine. Liked the IFC Center sketch and the one I linked above, as well as the first Paul Simon performance (someone needs to remind him he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for Artie) and the new Goop character.
Ep was fine. Liked the IFC Center sketch and the one I linked above, as well as the first Paul Simon performance (someone needs to remind him he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for Artie) and the new Goop character.
- flyonthewall2983
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
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- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Saturday Night Live
That’s huge news obviously, but I’m really shocked that they announced that with so many months between now and then. I don’t remember SNL ever announcing a host more than maybe a month or so in advance, and I have to think that there’s a substantial chance that Murphy backs out and it’ll never happen.
- flyonthewall2983
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
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Re: Saturday Night Live
I think he's going to do it. Rumors are going around that he signed a huge deal with Netflix, with the possibility of his first stand-up special in over 30 years. Going back to SNL for one night could be a way for him to charge the creative batteries.
- flyonthewall2983
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Re: Saturday Night Live
I watched the Hulu doc on The Dana Carvey Show last night. I must have watched the skit of him as Clinton with the nipples since it was the opening of the show, but have vague memories of it at the time the show otherwise stirred up. The filmmakers kind of threw Louis C.K. under the bus (and why not), not interviewing him (or perhaps he refused) and the only clip of him talking about the show at all is the time he threatened to quit if they cast Jimmy Fallon, solely because he felt sexually threatened by this younger, talented guy coming in.
- aox
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
- Location: nYc
Re: Saturday Night Live
It was released on: October 21, 2017flyonthewall2983 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 2:20 pmI watched the Hulu doc on The Dana Carvey Show last night. I must have watched the skit of him as Clinton with the nipples since it was the opening of the show, but have vague memories of it at the time the show otherwise stirred up. The filmmakers kind of threw Louis C.K. under the bus (and why not), not interviewing him (or perhaps he refused) and the only clip of him talking about the show at all is the time he threatened to quit if they cast Jimmy Fallon, solely because he felt sexually threatened by this younger, talented guy coming in.
Didn't the Louis CK stuff break in November 2017 (with a few hints from individuals in the press before that)?