Documentary on the SNL Standby Line

I found this documentary interesting, so I wanted to share it. It's old, but Kristen was on during this season (Peyton Manning episode). No real mention of the current cast. It's more about the line.



Louise is quite a card!

New SNL tonight with Tina Fey!

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - the highlight of the Vincent Price show?

ZOË RICE: I give this another mediocre rating. Kristen Wiig’s Katherine Hepburn and James Franco’s James Dean (no doubt the impetus for this sketch was his award-nominated portrayal of Dean) were the highlights here. I liked it better than the frat boy sketch, but I’m getting a bit tired of SNL relying on gay jokes and gags.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Ah, I always love the Vincent Price stuff. And when does Wiig get her own variety show? She is Carol Burnett, people.

STEVE MURPHY: One of my favorite sketches, back after a pretty long break, and it was just as good as I remember it. I love how Price’s guests always completely ruin everything (though Franco as James Dean didn’t really cause any direct problems) and Liberace always ends up going way, way too far. Good for a laugh, though maybe not as huge as when, say, Alec Baldwin hosted and did this sketch as Richard Burton.


Excerpt from:
http://perpetualpost.com/?p=4130
===================

Should Kristen get her own show, like Carol Burnett?

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig's Dooneese - is it creepy in a good way?

ZOË RICE: SNL rarely opens with this type of recurring sketch–the Lawrence Welk show, with those 4 singing sisters–and the host, James Franco appeared in it, another rarity. I get the sense this skit might not have been the original opener, but I don’t care. I loved it. I laughed heartily. Eunice is so friggin’ funny. With those little mutant hands and all their hilarious antics! James Franco held his own and made me psyched for the rest of the show.

HOWARD MEGDAL: I have to say, I do enjoy this skit. Obviously, skewering Lawrence Welk isn’t particularly timely, and it does play oddly as the opener- but I’m glad for it, and James Franco announced his presence with authority.

STEVE MURPHY: I think the only reason this was so jarring is because the cold open is usually political and usually sucks. Overall this one was a success for me. I don’t understand why this sketch even needs a Lawrence Welk reference, really. I’m with Howard, the Lawrence Welk Show isn’t topical enough to lampoon. Luckily James Franco was fantastic, and Kristen Wiig was intensely creepy as usual as the mutant fourth sister (even if her lines weren’t as funny as usual). Franco’s gonna be a great host, I can feel it!


Excerpt from:
http://perpetualpost.com/?p=4130
===================

Happy new year!

Enjoy!

Critics loved Kristen Wiig and Fred's Garth and Kat

ZOË RICE: Seth was off his game tonight, with some of the weakest punchlines all season, but thankfully, the guest appearances were some of the best. Oh Garth and Kat. Please keep coming back! I haven’t laughed at anything all season like I did at Armisen and Wiig as the singing duo. Their songs seemed genuinely improvised, which is the key to the humor. When Wiig seemed surprised by “highways,” I just lost it. Man, I watched this 3 times and I want to watch one more before I delete it from DVR. Big kudos to Armisen and Wiig.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Really enjoyed Wiig/Armisen improv. Seeing Wiig break character was shocking- something she never does.

STEVE MURPHY: Loved the Sarah Palin joke, Seth. A real winner. Bobby Moynihan kicked some a$$ as Snookie, a really hilarious, spray-tanned impression. Plus… back-abs. Classic. But Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig cracking themselves up improvising Christmas songs was maybe my favorite part of the show so far. Too, too funny. I could watch them do that all night long. Hell, Fred’s hair was hilarious all on his own. The end though was the best for me, where they kept singing, “and mountains… and mountains…” I think Wiig really did not know what Armisen was going to be saying, and was really following along live. Seems like the kind of thing they did once just hanging out that turned into something hilarious.


Excerpt from:
http://perpetualpost.com/?p=4130
===================

What do you think?

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig's Kat - finally a new character?

This weekend's "Saturday Night Live" proved exactly what I've been saying for months -- when "SNL" allows Kristen Wiig to introduce a new character it's a million times better than forcing her to rehash Junice, Gilly or Target Lady for the umpteenth time.

And while the final episode of the decade opened up with another performance from the baby handed SIDS sister, we were introduced to the unprepared Garth & Kat during "Weekend Update" and I know this is a duo we'll be seeing again. For better or worse.

From:
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/fff_lTkAty7cErZcX51hBIkGaM



Personally, I think this wasn't as much of a Kristen Wiig character as Kristen (and later Seth) attempting to keep up with Fred's improv singing (and pretty bad singing at that). This might have actually been funnier with someone other than Fred leading it, but I'm sure this was Fred's idea in the first place.

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - got cut from the second "What Up With That"

Kristen Wiig in the dress rehearsal of the second "What Up With That?" with host Joseph Gordon-Levitt:



Bill Hader revealed in this interview that they pulled Mindy in during the live show...

Bill Hader:

“With James, he was originally in another sketch that got cut, so we just decided to stick him in ‘What Up With That,’ which started the whole visiting guest star thing,” he said. “Mindy Kaling we just grabbed on the way to the stage. She was just hanging out watching the show, and then she was sitting next to me asking me what to do.”

Excerpt from:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/12/01/snls-bill-hader-on-working-with-taylor-swift-on-firelight-scoring-james-franco/

So that would be why Kristen didn't make it in the final sketch:




Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - will host the `SNL' Christmas special as Gilly

"SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas" will air Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. The two-hour special, the first for "SNL" since 2002, will be led by Wiig's Gilly, an ever-smiling Annie-lookalike who delights in violent mischief.

The special will feature new sketches with Gilly and highlights of classic holiday "SNL" sketches.

Wiig, roundly considered a standout performer on the NBC sketch comedy show, has built Gilly into a popular character. In a phone interview Monday, she said part of the fun of Gilly hosting is in her slim vocabulary, which consists mainly of the simple catch-phrase "Sorry."



"That can be a tough one to work around," Wiig said. "There's going to be no long monologue. Maybe her five-word vocabulary will stretch to 10 or 11."

A Gilly sketch is a very structured thing. It's always set in a classroom where an uncertain teacher (Will Forte) questions his students (Kenan Thompson, Bobby Moynihan) on the source of some trouble making.



Wiig and Paula Pell, a writer on the show, came up with the sketch while writing something else, but the idea continued to stick.

"We just kept doing the smile and we did it for a couple weeks," said Wiig. "We were just like, `Let's write it.' Maybe she's this bad kid. We just started saying `Sorry,' and it came organically from there."



Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will also make guest appearances on the special to help introduce clips they've appeared in as hosts, including Baldwin in "NPR's Delicious Dish and the Schweddy Balls" and Martin in "A Holiday Wish."



If pressed for a holiday favorite, Wiig cites John Malkovich's maniacal reading of "`Twas the Night Before Christmas" last year.

"Since `SNL' has been on for so long, it's 35 years of at least two or three shows a year kind of based on Christmas stuff," said Wiig. "There's a lot of good material there."

From:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3Vz6MFu9L9LhvT7cxyHOFIdZCpAD9CF9T4O0
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Yes, Kristen. That's why they do Christmas specials almost every year. =^)

Glad that Alec and Steve will also show up. I'm curious what they will do with Gilly and still keep it fresh.

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - rehearsing the Family Feud sketch (photo)

From the Ryan Reynolds Family Feud sketch:



Enjoy!

Blake Lively SNL promo - with Jason

Jason is in good company.



Enjoy!

Amy liked Kristen Wiig in the Say Anything sketch

Say Anything - Another delightfully random sketch to close the show. Here JGL plays the John Cusack character from Say Anything and Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig play his ex's neighbours who are curious as to why he's standing on her front lawn playing Peter Gabriel. It was a nice premise and pretty well-executed. Jason did a great job.

Excerpt From:
http://livefromnewyorkitssaturdaynightlive.blogspot.com/2009/11/jgldmb-review.html

Disagree?

Kristen Wiig - in the Thanksgiving dinner SNL skit (photos)

This skit isn't online, but here are some photos:



enjoy!

Amy didn't like Secret Word

Secret Word - What, really? You had to go all SNL Season 35 on us again, and have a super lame game show sketch. Okay, it wasn't awful. Kristen Wiig's character did make me laugh, at least initially and I liked what Jenny Slate was doing. JGL's character was kinda creepy, and not in a funny way, just a South American way. The concept was two contestants didn't understand a game where people had to guess a word. Looks even worse when I see it written down.


Excerpt From:
http://livefromnewyorkitssaturdaynightlive.blogspot.com/2009/11/jgldmb-review.html

Disagree?

Blake Lively SNL promo

Hahahaha. Andy is hilarious.

Enjoy!

SNL Christmas special!

SNL gets more Emmy nominations (and money) when they do specials. So...


NBC has confirmed that they will air a new two-hour SNL Christmas special in primetime on Thursday December 17!



I'm not sure how much new material will be included in the special but it will feature clips from Christmases gone by!

Yet another reason to be thankful this holiday!

News from:
http://livefromnewyorkitssaturdaynightlive.blogspot.com/2009/11/nbc-to-air-snl-christmas-special.html

Enjoy!

Zoe and Steve review Kristen Wiig in Secret Word

ZOË RICE: Unfortunately neither JGL nor Kristen Wiig particularly impressed me here–both seemed to be trying too hard–and without them the skit doesn’t have much to offer. But Kristen did have some funny moments, especially her “Drape.” I think these retro game show send ups work better when the cast impersonates the real personalities who did them. I didn’t hate the sketch, but I didn’t love it.

STEVE MURPHY: Another terrific sketch! That’s four in a row! Kristen Wiig creates yet another hilarious character from nowhere, and completely steals the show. She’s the new Will Ferrell of this show. Everything she says makes me laugh. Seems like Zoe and I are having very, very different SNL experiences so far.

From:
http://perpetualpost.com/?p=3650

Enjoy!

Coming SNL hosts and musical guests

Dec 5- Blake Lively w/ Rihanna (music guest)
Dec 12- Taylor Lautner w/ Bon Jovi (music guest)
Dec 19- James Franco w/ Muse (music guest)




Has SNL been going too young lately? Will Blake be similar to Meagan Fox (just a pretty face playing off of SNL's zany characters, without adding much to the show herself)?



SNL should probably start pulling in more seasoned actors this season.

Enjoy!

Next SNL Host - Blake Lively

Lively will host "Saturday Night Live" on Dec. 5.

How will the prime-time vixen get along with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players?

She's already flirted shamelessly with David Letterman. And while Lively hasn't hosted the show before, she did appear recently alongside James Franco:

Here's that sketch:



Kristen Wiig is also in this skit.

Enjoy!

Is this Kenan's response to that "10 ways to fix SNL" article?

Film SNL Digital Short: Two Worlds Collide with Reba McEntire

Andy and Reba are an item.

Will Forte ... friend
Bobby Moynihan ... friend
Andy Samberg
Kenan Thompson ... Reba McEntire



Wow. This is gross and bizarrely funny.

I can't help but think that this is Kenan's response to the author of that "10 ways to fix SNL" article. That article was on EW, MSNBC, the IMDB forums, and comes up high in search results. I think Kenan read that people think he should stop playing women and then thought about how he could play a woman and get back at them.

Watch out the Internets! SNL bites back! You better stop before Lorne makes an "all Kristen Wiig" episode where Kristen plays every role... just to spite you haters!

Thoughts?

Steve and Howard love Kristen Wiig's Dairy Queen skit

STEVE MURPHY: Kristen Wiig is just too funny. I loved the incredibly awkward, lesbian sexual harassment, and January Jones barely had enough lines to ruin it (though she did try). Best sketch of the night for me so far!

HOWARD MEGDAL: When in doubt, have Kristen Wiig keep talking. Agree wholeheartedly. I will say this for SNL- they played to their strengths with a weak host and lack of material- Wiig and Sudeikis can do a lot with a little.

From:
http://perpetualpost.com/?p=3544

I agree with them. Kristen makes awkward hilarious!

Enjoy!

MSNBC has 10 ways to fix SNL (and one is less Kristen Wiig)

My comments are marked as "Editor"...

Update: Did Kenan create a response video to issue #7? He might have done that right here:
http://andysamberg.blogspot.com/2009/11/andy-samberg-serenades-reba-mcentire.html




Hot young hosts there mainly to plug failed movies?
(Editor: This must be Megan Fox and January Jones, because Ryan Reynolds is a hit maker, and Taylor Swift isn't in movies.)

An utter dearth of great pop-culture parody? No more!
(Editor: I actually love their pop-culture parodies, such as Scrooge McDuck and Beauty and the Beast.)

See our sure-fire ways to help NBC's weekend staple raise its game.
(Editor: After reading these, I think it's a joke. MSNBC and EW should change "our" in this sentence to "my" because they shouldn't want to support this rubbish.)

1. Enough with the parade of sexy young startlets!
(Editor: Is this a typo, or is it a pun on "starlets." Then I assume they are referring to Meagan, Taylor, and January. Since all those ladies are different ages, they are pretty much telling SNL to stop having women hosts. I think it's important to have women hosts. January's show won an Emmy (2 years in a row) and Taylor has won countless music awards. And Meagan has over a billion in Box Office value under her belt. What are the requirements they are looking for in women? SNL has always tried to mix it up with popular people and successful people. All three of those ladies are popular and successful.)

Buzzed-about twentysomethings with current projects to promote don't always make the best “SNL” hosts.
(Editor: January Jones is 31 years old, and Taylor Swift turns 20 in 4 weeks. MSNBC needs to do their homework.)

Instead of a tepid Megan Fox or an abysmal January Jones, why not try Jane Lynch, who's massively popular on “Glee,” or Mo'Nique, star of sleeper hit “Precious?” Throw Nathan Fillion in there for some geek cred. It'd be less work for the writing staff, too, because these people are...(gasp) actually funny!
(Editor: Who? Does anybody else know who these people are? After looking them up... For starters, sure Jane is older than these other ladies, but Glee is brand new. Mad Men proved itself for two years before the stars got on SNL. Second, "Precious" just came out and nobody is watching it. It is not a sleeper hit or any other kind of hit. Third, Nathan Fillion is from Castle, another brand new show. He hasn't proven himself, although I loved him Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. This is a clear case of the writer's personal opinions. The producers are bringing in real, proven stars. They are not pursuing personal opinions.)



2. Leave the policy dissections to ‘The Daily Show’: ‘SNL’ needs to go wacky and use its imagination in covering politics.
The great political sketches in “SNL’s” history have rarely been biting commentary; instead, they've been goofy send-ups (Clinton, anyone?), silly prat-falls (Ford, duh), and over-the-top parodies (Bush, Bush, Gore, and — flashback time! — Ross Perot). Let “The Daily Show” take jabs at Fox News and CNN and bring SNL's political focus back toward energetic absurdity.
(Editor: I totally agree. Finally some logic in this article. SNL had silly political impressions just this last year when they made fun of Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, and Hilary Clinton - and even Will Ferrell came back to do his George W. Bush. Also, Darrell Hammond's John Mccain and Jason's Biden both had their silly moments. However, this year it's mostly just Armisen's Obama and Jason's Biden, and they're trying to poke fun at little issues instead of turning the impressions into funny characters.)



3. There is, in fact, such a thing as too much Kristen Wiig.
We've enjoyed Gilly, Penelope, Suze Orman, Target lady, closeted field reporter, and many of Wiig's other characters over the years, but even her biggest fans must be hitting a wall of fatigue. How can we appreciate the woman if she never leaves the screen? Not every sketch needs to center around a neurotic character with a verbal or facial tic. “Sorry.”
(Editor: I love Kristen Wiig, and I have no problem with lots of her. I think they just need to mix it up more and team her up more. Even when Will Ferrell was on, he stole the show but he had a ton of team skits he'd do. We haven't had such a prolific scene stealer since Eddie Murphy, who summarized it well by profaning SNL by saying, "Live from New York, it's the Eddie Murphy Show" when he hosted the show while still being a member of the cast. It really was the Eddie Murphy show back then.)



4. Give us more frequent and more sharply focused pop-culture parodies.
Spoofs of popular shows and movies — those are the things that ought to be “SNL’s” bread and butter. It a way to tease and be part of the specific cultural moment, plus it's funnier than yet another Target Lady trainwreck. Exhibit A: That wicked “Twilight” spoof starring Taylor Swift!
(Editor: Typo in the third sentence (It's). So Firelight was a good spoof; agreed. I also liked Beauty and the Beast and Scrooge McDuck. Plus last season's Mary Poppins and Of Mice and Men were amazing! I think they're doing well. I thought this week's Mr. Hyde was too obvious and dragged on and that Rear Window was amusing just because I'm a huge Hitchcock fan, and Jason nailed his Jimmy Stewart impression. I think they're doing fine in this area. They certainly are nailing the pop culture parodies more than previous SNL generations. I don't remember Mike Meyers ever dressing up like Snagglepus, Cathy, or the Swedish Chef (Andy Samberg's Cathy and Swedish Chef started multiple sequel skits). However, I think Eddie Murphy started it all with Buckwheat and Gumby.)

5. A multiplatinum CD shouldn't be a requirement for musical guests.
We miss the days of having to Google the artists we'd never heard of until just before they started rocking the “SNL” stage. Be a tastemaker, not a follower! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Regina Spektor: Yeah. U2: Nah. Consider up-and-coming indie acts like Florence and the Machine instead of having the Black Eyed Peas perform three songs. Bonus: You won't have to fight with “Live With Regis & Kelly” to book the bulk of your bands.
(Editorial: I don't know. SNL is doing their thing. You really can't complain. They've done pop heroes and newbies. They've been doing it for over 30 years. Let them do their thing.)

6. Set Seth Meyers free!
The “Weekend Update” anchor and head writer has, in recent stand-up acts and late-night appearances, offered up would-be “SNL” lines that were too racy or strange to air. Guess what? They're hilarious. (“According to a new study, college students put on six to nine pounds during their freshman year because of dramatic increases in beer-drinking and decreases in physical activity ... which means the rest of your ‘freshman 15’ is probably a baby.”) When “Update”' gets aggressive, it's Meyers at his best. Unleash it! Let that jerk flag fly!
(Editorial: Oh, I thought they were going to say to put Meyers in the skits. He's much better behind the WU desk, and that's where he wants to be. I totally agree. They should let Meyers do whatever he wants. HOWEVER, they already do that. I think Meyers has chosen not to do his racier jokes on SNL. He's the head writer and the man in charge (except for Lorne). He pretty much does whatever he wants. So this really isn't an improvement.)

7. Not every black female character can be played by Kenan Thompson.
Ugh, do we even have to explain this one? We'd say the show's writers could have the guest host play, oh, Beyoncé or Michelle Obama, but only three black women have hosted the show in the last 10 years. Anyone spotting a ridiculous problem here?
(Editorial: Hahaha. But his Whoopi is hilarious! Maya did some black women and Ellen Cleghorne was on SNL 15 years ago. I suppose they can make up Nasim Pedrad to do the skinnier black women. This really isn't so bad. Some of the best women on SNL are the dudes. For example, Armisen's Joy Behar and when Samberg did Diablo Cody and Juliette Lewis. I think you're being nitpicky. I don't think Kenan has done Michelle Obama.)

Did Kenan create a response video to issue #7? He might have done that right here:
http://andysamberg.blogspot.com/2009/11/andy-samberg-serenades-reba-mcentire.html




8. More surprise guests during ‘Weekend Update,’ please!
Any time Amy Poehler can find time to leave her important post at the “Parks and Recreation” Dept. to drop in on her old co-host Seth Meyers, it's a hit — and “SNL” should pencil in honorary cast member Justin Timberlake whenever possible, too. We loved when “Star Trek” stars Leonard Nimoy, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto popped by to convince longtime hardcore fans that it was OK to go and see the reboot. More surprise guests = a livelier show.
(Editor: Whoa! Hold on! Every example you gave was of guest cameos. If they put a guest cameo in every single episode than #1 They'd run out of ideas and they wouldn't be funny and #2 They'd be taking up time away from the cast to show off their characters and impressions. Weekend Update is a necessary place for the new cast members to play guests and get out there and get a following. Abby Elliott did it with her Angelina Jolie impression (and her Sarah Mclachlan). Andy Samberg and Bill Hader came out in their first episode and did an "Impression Off." Andy has busted out Cathy and Scrooge McDuck. Bobby Moynihan busted out his amazing Snagglepuss. And Nasim Pedrad just used the forum to break out her Kim Kardashian impression. Plus Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, and Kenan Thompson use it to show off their characters. So we don't want SNL to take that opportunity away. Let's keep the guests as a fun surprise and save them for the GREAT ideas. Plus they already bring out Amy Poehler and Justin Timberlake as much as they're willing to come. So let's not imagine something that isn't possible.)



9. Easy does it on the ’90s nostalgia.
It's sort of funny sometimes, but surely there's a funnier bit than a Natalie Merchant impression, or a riff on Beauty and the Beast. Topical humor is “SNL’s” trademark; leave the “hey, do you guys remember this?” jokes to “Family Guy.”
(Editor: I completely disagree. That's like throwing Eddie Murphy's Gumby and Alfalfa skits "on the ground." These are hilarious bits, and some of them are from the 80s. Or what about Rear Window, Mary Poppins, Of Mice and Men, and Dr. Jekyl? Not all these references are from the 80s. I think this is my favorite new thing that the show is doing more of. Who cares what time the content was popular? If it's funny, then they should do it. Period.)



10. Whatever happened to your great commercials?
The days of Schmitts Gay, Woomba, and Bad Idea/Mom Jeans seem long gone. We would argue for one new commercial per episode, but the ones this season (Bunny Business?!) have been so not funny, we confused them with real commercials. Make some more. And make them good.
(Editor: You're criticizing Bunny Business? What? Every two seconds of that skit was hilarious! Taylor Swift nailed Shakira! Kristen Wiig's Natalie Merchant was amazing! And everybody else also nailed it. You need to watch more of the commercials. Jason did one about dog food garbage. There are some pretty funny ones out there. They are hilarious, but they can't all be as popular as "Happy Fun Ball.")

From:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34066795/ns/entertainment-television/


I don't know how this got on MSNBC and EW. It's kind of embarassing to true SNL enthusiasts.

Enjoy!