As hoped by millions, after famous-for-almost-no-reason Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump for president, Saturday Night Live alum returned as everyone's least favorite hockey mom. Needless to say, Fey was terrific. And Darrell Hammond seems to have taken over the Trump role from Taran Killam for good.
[Excerpt] Tina Fey Returns As Sarah Palin to Endorse Donald Trump in SNL Cold Open . . .Shining comedy star and SNL alum Tina Fey returned to send up former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s endorsement of Donald Trump earlier this week. . .
It would be almost unthinkable to have Amy Poehler and Tina Fey back to host Saturday Night Live without revisiting one of their funniest sketches. Back during the 2008 campaign, Sarah Palin had been added to John McCain's GOP ticket, and Barack Obama won a brutal primary against Hillary Clinton. The SNL version of this eventuality was a classic, that lives on as a highlight in SNL history.
Eight years later, with Hillary running again, SNL finds her dreaming about meeting her former self. . .and her former competition!
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey cohosted this weekend's Saturday Night Live, and it was frankly one of the best episodes of the past several seasons. SNL continues to attract nay-sayers, people who are fond of saying "Saturday Night DEAD," or that it hasn't been funny in decades. Of course, they've been accusing it of being cursed with suck since John Belushi left. As a regular watcher, through thick and thin, I think the cast has gelled, and is currently very good. And when they've got stellar guest hosts, they get a dynamite show.
The cold opening actually followed a real Democratic presidential debate, by spoofing the most recent Republican one. And it was a hoot. Darrell Hammond was back as Donald Trump, since current "leading man" Taran Killam was serving as Ted Cruz. That's unfortunate, because Killam's Trump is better than his Cruz. Otherwise, the bit was a home run.
Seth Meyers is leaving Saturday Night Live to take over Late Night (whose star, Jimmy Fallon, is taking over The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), and this weekend's show was his last. I would argue that this is a good thing, since he was head writer of Saturday Night Live. The show has frankly gotten a bit stale, and pretty much everybody thinks the writing is the biggest part of the problem. That's not to say that Meyers' tenure as host and writer of Weekend Update hasn't been great. It's usually the best part of the show.
Though Weekend Update has been the linchpin of SNL for most of its run, it has been since 2000 that it's had its most successful (and longest) stretch. It began with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon replacing the brusque Colin Quinn (who replaced the way too deadpan Norm Macdonald), totally rejuvenating the bit. When Fallon left, he handed off to Amy Poehler, who was arguably even more popular. When Fey left, Seth Meyers seamlessly filled in, and then finally flew solo. Meyers could sometimes seem adrift solo, but it was still a 13-year stretch with a lot of continuity.
Poehler came back for Meyers' swan song, for a reprise of their popular bit, Really!?! With Seth & Amy.
And Meyers put a button on a long-running bit with the Bill Hader (who is also leaving SNL) "Stefan" character. It was one of a series of gay-related skits in the Ben Affleck-hosted finale, a subject Meyers is often criticized for using gratuitously. These were mostly benign and funny though, I have to admit.
Hmmm. I love 30 Rock. It's one of the funniest shows on television. But Tracy Morgan (who plays Tracy Jordan, the star of the show-within-the-show) is by no means the funniest part, or even a necessary part. Cut him loose, the show will survive. Not as sure about what will happen when Alec Baldwin leaves, however. . .
FOX "News" is legendary for mislabelling, distorting and misattributing things. They'll call a scandal plagued Republican a Democrat. They'll use PhotoShopped pictures to make people look dumb, without acknowledging it. But it is rare indeed for them to get it so wrong on one of their own!
[Excerpt]
Oops! Fox News Uses Tina Fey Graphic In Sarah Palin Story
No doubt 30 Rock's Tina Fey does a great impression of Sarah Palin. But surely she's not such a dead ringer for the former Alaska governor and current One Nation bus touring non-candidate that she'd ever be confused for the real thing in a news story-and if, somehow, she was, you can bet it wouldn't happen at Fox. I mean, she works there, so you'd assume they have a pretty good idea what the lady looks like. Right? Um, right? . . .
Okay, okay. Technically, Andrea Mitchell called Liz Lemon a slut on 30 Rock on Thursday night's rerun. But, if the word is so offensive, how was that allowed? She's an employee of MSNBC, right? As is Ed Schultz, who was suspended for a week for calling Laura Ingraham a slut. Does Liz Lemon being a fictional character make it okay? Because, I assure you "Laura Ingraham" on the radio is a fictional creation too. No way anybody's like that in real life. I hope.
[Excerpt]
WATCH: Andrea Mitchell Calls Liz Lemon “Slut” During 30 Rock Cameo
. . . But the funniest bit came when he threw to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, who walked on camera just in time to call Lemon “slut. . .”
This weekend--while I was away at Mt. Charleston--Tina Fey appeared Saturday Night Live's Mother's Day episode for the second year in a row. Sadly, it wasn't quite as funny as her last gig helping Betty White, or as good as the last time she hosted solo either. I'm always a little puzzled when SNL is off the air for a couple of weeks, comes back after some major news stories hit, and then delivers a lackluster episode. But other than a slightly above average Weekend Update, and the skit below, there wasn't much to laugh about. And even this skit isn't the laugh riot it shouldhave been. They got in some good digs at FOX "News", and the roster of cartoon characters of potential GOP candidates, especially Fey's Sarah Palin impression. Shepard Smith probably gets the best ribbing.
Though I don't usually watch it when it airs--preferring to catch up on the DVR or online--30 Rock is one of the most consistently funny sitcoms on the air. The snappy patter, quick cutaways and subtle jokes stuffed between the big ones provide more laughs per episode than some shows produce in a whole season. On Thursday night, the show was performed live. A few other shows, notably The West Wing have done this in the past, but 30 Rock has something going for it that made the episode more than just a ratings-grabbing stunt.
Writer and lead actress Tina Fey is of course an alum of Saturday Night Live, and several of the other performers in this episode have either SNL or Broadway experience. So acting live comes naturally to them. The result was a very, very funny program, with a couple of great cameos. An unusual treat for us Pacific Time Zone watchers was that the show was performed live twice, with a few tweaks and changes in the second airing. The east coast performance was quite a bit smoother, and more like an ordinary episode. The west coast version comes off shakier, a little more like SNL, but features enough differences (particularly in the Jon Hamm commercial parody, which was much funnier in the second try) to make it worth viewing too. Whether you're a fan of 30 Rock or a casual viewer, I highly recommend watching. East Coast Version
Sure, this post is kind of a cheat. But I'm a big fan of SNL--since the live airing of episode 1--through the (many) lows, and (less frequent) highs. So this hits my pop-culture sweet spot. My personal list of favorite funny females of Saturday Night Live would have to be:
- Gilda Radner (Roseanne Roseannadana, Emily Litella, Baba Wawa)
- Jan Hooks (Tammy Faye Bakker, Jessica Hahn, Sweeney Sisters)
- Amy Poehler (Weekend Update, Amber, Bronx Beat)
- Tina Fey (Weekend Update, Sarah Palin)
- Julia Sweeney (Pat)
- Maya Rudolph (Bronx Beat, Noony)
- Jane Curtin (Weekend Update, Coneheads)
- Robin Duke (Wendy Whiner)
[Excerpt]
The 11 Funniest Ladies In 'Saturday Night Live' History
With Betty White hosting SNL's "Women Of Comedy" this weekend, we got to thinking about the myriad ladies that have been cast members of the legendary program. While the ratio of men to women on SNL has always been skewed, there have been a select few ladies who broke through the boy's club and brought their own brand of comedy to Studio 8H. . .
Yeah, three SNL posts in a row is a stretch. Please excuse me, I accidentally saw Liz Cheney on FOX "News" Sunday, and foolishly washed my eyes out with bleach. So, the screen is a little fuzzy. In the meantime, here is a "best of" from Weekend Update, including a segment with classic Update anchor, Tina Fey.
Though I had to read portions of the post excerpted below a couple of times to get it, apparently Betty White--the object of a Facebook campaign to host Saturday Night Live--will at least get to co-host the show. Which is probably better than White hosting it solo. I mean at 88, and given the rigors of the show. . .well. . .read on.
[Excerpt]
Why Betty White Shouldn't Host a Full 'SNL'
The word on the street is that Betty White will, at least partially, be on 'Saturday Night Live' ... though not in the hosting role that many had hoped. With a major Facebook push to thank, the concept of Betty White hosting 'SNL' is a great one on paper, but the logistics of it actually happening are a little more complicated. While we're confident she's enough of a consummate pro to pull off a full show -- and she's certainly funny/cool/hip enough, as well -- it's just better off that she isn't hosting a full episode. . .
This is good news. For many, many years, the gauge of a good Saturday Night Live episode depended upon three things: a good "cold open," a good monologue, and a good Weekend Update segment. If they miss on one or more of those, the episode stinks, by and large.
So, expanding Weekend Update into prime time could be a real shot in the arm to the 34-year old show. Or, it could stretch the writers too far, and ensure a bad show on Saturday night. Who knows? Unfortunately, this announcement comes at a time when Amy Poehler has her own sitcom, as does Tina Fey. Seth Meyers is good as the anchor, but the format works much better as a team: Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon, Fey and Poehler, Poehler and Meyers. It always feels like Meyers is waiting for the hand off for his jokes.
Anyway, as a fan, I'll look forward to the new Weekend Update episodes. And then, as usual, I'll probably offer my savage review (and watch anyway).
[Excerpt]
NBC’s ‘Weekend Update’ to Expand
“Weekend Update,” the satirical television news segment, worked during the presidential election year, and now NBC will again try to capitalize on interest in the news by producing it as half-hour specials during its next prime-time season, as well as the usual segments in “Saturday Night Live. . .”
Keith Olbermann is at his best when one of his favorite targets says something stupid. And Sarah Palin can always be counted on to say something stupid. Lots of somethings. Almost every time she speaks. Check this out. It's loaded with laffs, no kidding.
I am watching Saturday Night's Presidential Bash as I write this. As I've said before, I've watched SNL since episode one in 1975, when it was still called NBC's Saturday Night, and the cast was called "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players."
Well, tonight's episode was in prime time. It was a compilation of political clips, past and present (mostly present), and of course was quite funny, given the number of episodes they could draw from. I was surprised to see that the tone of the current stuff was largely negative toward Democrats in general, and toward Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Joe Biden in particular. For all those who claim that SNL is "in the tank" for Obama, they really ought to watch this episode on NBC.com.
Of course, there were several jabs at John McCain and Sarah Palin too. Mostly Palin, she's just so easy, and Tina Fey is so good at the part. But the real life cameos of McCain and Palin (separately) were the most newsworthy bits. What they weren't was funny. Particularly Palin, who showed no sense of fun or comedic timing whatsoever.
I've got to admit, it was funny. Though I do wonder if any of this skit was kept from John McCain until the live show. If he was in on the whole bit, he's an exceptionally good sport. I still wouldn't vote for him, but the bit was great.
Dang it! I forgot that Saturday Night Live's Thursday night Weekend Update special was on last night! I'm glad that the internet age has fixed that problem, to a large extent. NBC has SaturdayNightLive.com, with lots of videos and whole episodes, which is where I got this. . .
