S40.E00: The 40th Anniversary Special

[Rickster]

Through the miracle of this thing called the internet, you can see the skit here.  :-)

 

A friend heard McCartney the night before at Irving Plaza, a small NYC venue where she sat 15 feet from the stage, and she said he sounded great.  Somehow, he always sounds awful on SNL.  I almost didn't go to his Wrigley Field concert a few years ago because of how bad he'd sounded on SNL a few months earlier, but that concert also turned out to be great and something I'm now really glad I did not miss.

The Irving Plaza show got a great review in the NY Times. I thought last night he should have picked a song that fit his current vocal range better.

I thought Simon sounded OK.

[Kromm]

Agreed. And like a regular episode, about 40 minutes of it could've been cut out with zero loss of value. Looking your way, Kanye and Miley.

It's true in so much as the musical performances often feel like a distraction.  

That said, Miley was in that rare mode when she actually shows she can sing.  The way she's built her pop career she does that about 5% of the time, so it was nice to see a reminder she can.  Maybe just not on this packed show where her doing a decent job singing is less important than showing more of the show's core premise (comedy). 

 

As for Kanye?  Every moment he's on TV is inherently a waste.

[AriAu]

Props to Dan Akroyd for reviving a bit. Would have liked to see more cast members do the same

 

.But I  would not have wanted to see them just re-do old skits....which would have gotten old fast. They do that at 2nd City sometimes and it gets depressing no matter how many times they say Van Camp's Pork and Beans.

 

Very disappointed with Eddie's time-expected something interesting or funny.Like no one wrote for him....including himself.

 

It became pretty clear that Steve Martin and Bill Murray are kinda the old guard leaders of the club (with Fallon, Timeberlake and Tina Fey, the newer guard), but what would have happened if Bill Murray had made the cut at Pebble Beach this weekend?

 

Sign me up for the I hate Garth and Kat club-why waste our time with that. Would rather have let Seinfeld ask questions to the crowd.

 

By the way, loved the random sightings in the crowd-Saw Spielberg and family and then spotted Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. Someone must have had a great time putting together that seating chart!-Nicholson was next to Lorne, and then there was Larry David between Kate McKinnon and Jim Carrey. I wish they would have panned the crowd more.

 

Seriously, was Chevy Chase drunk? Norm McDonald had to be wasted and what was up with John Goodman

[DeLurker]

Did they show a clip of Toonces the Driving Cat?

[blueray]

I liked it for the most part, though I missed like an hour in the middle. I liked Justin and Jimmy's opening, the weekend update, the new video short and Wayne's world. Oh and Betty White (the stuff she was in).

[Kromm]

Very disappointed with Eddie's time-expected something interesting or funny.Like no one wrote for him....including himself.

Well he also emoted a "don't care" attitude.

Here's a phrase back in the day I never thought I'd utter: "Compare Eddie to Jon Lovitz. Lovitz wins." In what was literally a single second appearance, Lovitz did more than Murphy did in like a minute and a half.

It became pretty clear that Steve Martin and Bill Murray are kinda the old guard leaders of the club (with Fallon, Timeberlake and Tina Fey, the newer guard), but what would have happened if Bill Murray had made the cut at Pebble Beach this weekend?

Especially in contrast to Ackroyd. Murray communicated giving a shit about what he was doing. Ackroyd didn't. It was as simple as that.

 

Would rather have let Seinfeld ask questions to the crowd.

Again, we agree. Seinfeld KILLED with that. As I said upthread it's actually a VERY hard bit to pull off (being the on-stage person throwing to the audience.

 

Seriously, was Chevy Chase drunk? Norm McDonald had to be wasted and what was up with John Goodman

The difference is that Norm was funny in that state and Chase wasn't.

As for Goodman? Yeah, it wasn't anything behavioral, but he's one of those guys who lost weight and just seems WEIRD in that new state.

[absnow54]

I have to say, Will Ferrell is still at the top of his game. He was great in the couple things he did.

The clutch performers really elevated last night's show. Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, and Dana Carvey are such amazing sketch performers, and it was really nice to see them shine in their bits. Dan Aykroyd recreating Bass-o-matic was fun too, although he's not quite as good at the fast talking as he used to be.

 

 

 

I still think if anybody won the show tonight, it was Jane Curtin.

I was so happy to see her at the update desk, because I think Tina and Amy unfairly get all the glory for breaking into the boy's club of the Weekend Update desk, when Jane was rocking it by herself in 1976. She's probably the best preserved of the original cast, which is probably a good commentary on her choice to abstain from the rest's rock and roll lifestyles. 

 

I generally hate Adam Sandler, but he was perfectly used in the Digital Short.

 

As for Goodman? Yeah, it wasn't anything behavioral, but he's one of those guys who lost weight and just seems WEIRD in that new state.

They only really shot him in profile, but what was up with his eyebrows? They seemed to be crazy shaded. 

Edited February 16, 2015 by absnow54

[editorgrrl]

Did they show a clip of Toonces the Driving Cat?

Jimmy & Justin namechecked Toonces in their opening song.

[Inquisitionist]

The Irving Plaza show got a great review in the NY Times. I thought last night he should have picked a song that fit his current vocal range better.

 

While I agree with that, I also think there may have been a problem with the sound mixing, and that he had to fairly shout to be heard over the instruments. 

 

Seinfeld KILLED with that. As I said upthread it's actually a VERY hard bit to pull off (being the on-stage person throwing to the audience.

 

Seinfeld is always a consummate pro.  I loved what he did with the Q&A as well.

[Fabricationary]

I liked it for the most part, though I missed like an hour in the middle. 

 

You didn't miss anything funny anyway!

 

I only liked a handful of things in yesterday's 3.5 hour marathon - Celebrity Jeopardy, Weekend Update, and...that's about it.  The Wayne's World sketch is a bit before my time (I started watching SNL when I was in high school in the early 00s).  The clip montages were good for longer-term fans of the show, but a lot of them were kind of boring to me because I didn't recognize most of them.

 

I would have preferred if they had structured this differently:

- a 1.5-hour live show with alums, where they come back and do skits inspired by their most memorable characters (perhaps chosen by a fan vote, with newer alums filling in to pay tribute to cast members who've passed away or can't' be there), complete with a regular-length Weekend Update; no extraneous/irrelevant musical guests

- a 1.5-2 hour clip show, aired earlier/later than the live show, or an a different night altogether.

[nowandlater]

-Did Jim Breuer piss someone off to warrant no mention?  I think I've heard something about that in the past.  Would have loved a Joe Pesci show clip or reference.

 

Breuer has spoken many times on the Stern show about being fired from SNL .

 

(He also has spoken many times about how the Joe Pesci impression making it on air was thanks to an intern liking it.

 

Breuer says he feuded with head writer Adam McKay, whom he says would always reject his ideas. (McKay, on Marc Maron's podcast, was like: "Breuer really hates me for something I didn't do..."

 

Anyways, perhaps the mid to late 90s wasn't represented enough.

 

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I got a little sad seeing how much some folks have aged - Dratch, Goodman, Chase, etc - and then I realized - I AM AGING TOO. Ugh. Time. ;-)

 

The special was ok. It was bloated. My favorite parts were Short/Rudolph, Seinfeld's audience question segment (and I typically do not like him), and Jeopardy. I wish there had been fewer musical guests and more sketches. I would have loved to have seen Curtin in some more stuff, though what she did was awesome. I hate The Californians - always have - and this was no exception. Every time they do a Californians I am forced to ask myself - am I the only person who freaking HATES this crap?

[absnow54]

- a 1.5-2 hour clip show, aired earlier/later than the live show, or an a different night altogether.

I know not everyone has cable, but VH1 played 8 hours of retrospectives earlier in the day. That's why I kept on teetering over the clip packages and montages, because while it's always fun to remember favorite moments, there are already tons of specials cataloging them. I thought the reunion special really struggled with the balance, like they weren't quite sure which direction to take it.

[editorgrrl]

I would have preferred if they had structured this differently:

- a 1.5-hour live show with alums, where they come back and do skits inspired by their most memorable characters (perhaps chosen by a fan vote, with newer alums filling in to pay tribute to cast members who've passed away or can't be there), complete with a regular-length Weekend Update; no extraneous/irrelevant musical guests

- a 1.5-2 hour clip show, aired earlier/later than the live show, or an a different night altogether.

Melissa McCarthy as Chris Farley doing Matt Foley & Emma Stone as Gilda Radner doing Roseanne Rosannadanna only served to show how irreplaceable the original performers are. I would not want to see even more of that.

And I kind of liked that the special was structured exactly like the show: bloated, with sketches that went on way too long and musical performance during which one could pee, grab a snack, take the laundry out of the dryer…

[nowandlater]

I only liked a handful of things in yesterday's 3.5 hour marathon - Celebrity Jeopardy, Weekend Update, and...that's about it.  The Wayne's World sketch is a bit before my time (I started watching SNL when I was in high school in the early 00s).  The clip montages were good for longer-term fans of the show, but a lot of them were kind of boring to me because I didn't recognize most of them.

 

I would think that since Wayne's World was a hit movie (and sequel), that future generations would actually be really into it.

 

Or maybe it's that whole thing that Lorne likes to say, "the best cast is from when you were in high school." And that previous casts pale in comparison.

 

I was born during SNL's first five seasons, and I don't find the first cast funny at all. I can't even get into some of their movies, like The Blues Brothers.

[Ohwell]

I would love to see a 50 Shades of Grey parody with Betty White and Bradley Cooper.  It would be a lot more enjoyable than seeing those two lame asses in the movie.

[Kromm]

I'm just watching the in memoriam piece of the show and remembering precisely why pieces like this make me uncomfortable. It's not the whole idea of celebrating the departed, it's the god's honest truth that the audience applause is going to be wildly unequal for various people (in some cases people awkwardly applauding for people they don't even remember). It makes me question why this is ever done with a live mike on the audience.

Although again, Lovitz and his one second was great.

[Growsonwalls]

I thought Celebrity Jeopardy was a hit in every way. I always forget what a great straight man Will Ferrell is. I wished he could have done the Actor's Studio sketch. And all the celebrity impersonations were great. Norm putting the hat on Will Ferrell seemed ad-libbed as well.

 

Other bits that made me happy: 

 

1. CZJ rolling her eyes when Michael Douglas called himself a "sexual icon." Loved that "bitch please" expression on her face. While we're at it I hate Sarah Palin but she took the Q&A thing with Seinfeld with good humor.

 

2. Martin Short saying he and Lorne Michaels were "Robert Blake" close.

 

3. Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey together again. As someone mentioned upthread, they still have great chemistry and are funny together.

 

4. The Digital Short which riffed how many times Fallon/Sanz broke up during sketches. 

 

5. Bill Murray singing the "Jaws" love theme. It was great to see some of the real old-timers like him and Jane Curtin not only looking good but still being funny.

 

7. The "Buh-bye" segment at the end of Californians. That seemed a bit ad-libbed, as if they knew the sketch had gone on for too long and wasn't funny.

 

8. Wayne's World throwing shade at Kanye AND Zach G's Sia wig.

 

9. Maya Rudolph's Beyonce impersonation. Hysterical.

 

10. Not too much Kristin Wiig.

 

Disappointments: so much music, so little sketches or stand-up bits. I think the Jeopardy, Wayne's World, the Digital Short, Operaman, the Beyonce sketch, et al. proved that these people are still naturally funny. All the musical guests were a waste of time. Eddie Murphy segment ... awkward. 

[nowandlater]

Instead of having Paul McCartney singing a song he's sung umpteen times for the umpteenth time, why not do something special, like what they had at the after-party...

 

I generally hate musical performances because they are so repetitive and nothing unique happens (except Kanye's performance).

 

So why does the after-party look so good? And why isn't there any video?

 

UPDATE: I found video. Thankfully, I follow Jerry Seinfeld's wife on Instagram... http://instagram.com/p/zKcrYuxyBS/

 

Edited February 16, 2015 by nowandlater

[Rosemadder]

The high point for me was the brief clip making fun of Faux News & 'Bitsy' Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  Obviously she has some new boobies since the last time I saw her.

[Growsonwalls]

The high point for me was the brief clip making fun of Faux News & 'Bitsy' Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  Obviously she has some new boobies since the last time I saw her.

 

I also thought it was pretty funny that the women of the fake news Weekend Update had chosen more natural ways to age than the plasticky blonds of Faux News. 

[Bees]

Here's a phrase back in the day I never thought I'd utter: "Compare Eddie to Jon Lovitz. Lovitz wins." In what was literally a single second appearance, Lovitz did more than Murphy did in like a minute and a half.

 

 

It's funny that you bring up Lovitz in comparison to Eddie Murphy because while Eddie Murphy should be praised for saving SNL in the early 80s on the heels of that terrible 1980-1981 season, you could actually argue that Jon Lovtiz saved SNL as well during his time on the show. In that awful 1985-1986 season, Lovitz was one of the main saving graces and was the reason SNL really stayed somewhat afloat during that time. Tartikoff was going to cancel the show until Lorne spoke up and Lovitz was one of the main building blocks of the following season along with Dennis Miller (whom I'd consider the Piscopo in this situation) and Nora Dunn (who I guess was also a bit of a saving grace too). It's just interesting that you mentioned Lovitz with Murphy in that instance.

 

(Also a fun fact: Jan Hooks actually auditioned for SNL for the 85-86 season and was considered to be "too old")

 

I'm just watching the in memoriam piece of the show and remembering precisely why pieces like this make me uncomfortable. It's not the whole idea of celebrating the departed, it's the god's honest truth that the audience applause is going to be wildly unequal for various people (in some cases people awkwardly applauding for people they don't even remember). It makes me question why this is ever done with a live mike on the audience.

 

You just made me realize why they do live performances at Award Shows during the In Memoriam segments. It's so that there's no applauding so that there's no unequal rounds of applause which could make some celebrities' families feel bad. I mean I used to hate them and I still kind of do (when they focus way too much on the performer than the montage)  but I understand why they do it now. 

[tinaw]

That Californians bit was way too long. I wish eddie murphy would have done a skit or two. CR does rhis big build up then- nothing.

emma stone as rosanna rosanna danna was good. Better then melissa mccarthy as chris farly. Imo

waynes world was good.

i missed part of the first hour. I did see weekend update which i thought was great. Jane Curtin is great. I do wish akeroyd was there with her though.

i wish they had shown more of the old skits. I thoufht the show was good all in all

[prican58]

Danitra Vance was one of the departed that I was sad to see. She was quite talented and she had a recurring skit based on the old Marlo Thomas show "That Girl" called "That Black Girl". She was funny. She passed away from cancer. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danitra_Vance

 

The Jeopardy skit is never not funny, mostly due to Will and Darrell Hammond. That Connery vs Trebek angle is always a hoot. And yes, Norm as Burt is awesome because he really does look and sound like Burt. Did Burt Reynolds ever host  SNL? I ask because he was a very funny guy and I always enjoyed his talk show appearances. If they can have Robert Blake host, ( and I happen to be a fan of his) why wouldn't Burt.  Just a thoight. 

 

Here's a question...was that Candace Bergen on stage with some youngish guy with weird hair introducing someone.? They were shown at one point in the audience but did not recognize either. I do remember seeing Candace recently on tv and did not know it was her. Always loved her.  

[absnow54]

Did Burt Reynolds ever host  SNL?

He hosted in the 70's, but I'm not sure if he's been back since. Norm always tells the story of how Burt was going to come on during one of the Celebrity Jeopardy sketches, punch Norm in the face, take the podium, and be even dumber than the impression.

[Milburn Stone]

Chris Rock's intro of Murphy felt disproportionate. Yes, Murphy was a key player. Yes, it's probably even true that he kept SNL on the air when the plug would have otherwise been pulled. But there have been a lot of key players over the years, and most of them got the affectionate attention they deserved last night. Murphy was not ten times as important as any of them.

[Kromm]

I only liked a handful of things in yesterday's 3.5 hour marathon - Celebrity Jeopardy, Weekend Update, and...that's about it.  The Wayne's World sketch is a bit before my time (I started watching SNL when I was in high school in the early 00s).  The clip montages were good for longer-term fans of the show, but a lot of them were kind of boring to me because I didn't recognize most of them.

Heh. Is the standard really "I was bored by anything from before me?" Ack!!! I do get not knowing them, and much of it IS dated, but it's a matter of cherry-picking in that case.

I'd suggest finding the "Best of" DVDs. There are admittedly long runs of crap in that 25 year span of the show before you tuned in, but I have to think not ALL of it is inaccessible to younger viewers. More of it than us oldies would like, I'm sure, but not all of it.

[Mumbles]

Starting with #$#%ing Fallon is an insult to the show's long history.

....add Timberlake, and it's even worse.

[Kromm]

....add Timberlake, and it's even worse.

Timberlake is a great singer.

He should stick to singing.

And Fallon? I can't wish hard enough for him to magically get bored of doing The Tonight Show and hand it over to someone who doesn't talk all over everyone, gush like Chris Farley in The Chris Farley Show sketches, and call everybody "pal". I actually like his musical skits fine, to give the man credit, but really he could do that equally well on other platforms besides a freaking nightly talk show.

[TheNewJanBrady]

I get why people wish the musical numbers had been cut for space, but if you read histories of the show (and interviews with Lorne), live music was integral to him as a part of the show--it was part of the groundbreaking nature of the show, per him, to bring on new acts and expose the country to music they wouldn't otherwise have seen (remember, this was pre-Interwebs, when you mostly only heard your favorites on the radio). So many big moments on the show—Elvis Costello, Sinead, Ashlee—have been music-related, and so many show favorites—Paul SImon, JT—are musical. I don't necessarily agree with his choices of guest, but I don't think there was a way Lorne would've structured the show without musical numbers.

[absnow54]

I didn't like Fallon when he was a cast member, but I think he's proven to be a good host, and I really liked the bit they used to open the show. I only wish that they had more recurring characters pop up throughout it, because it was a great way to quickly squeeze in shout outs to the different eras. 

[nowandlater]

Chris Rock's intro of Murphy felt disproportionate. Yes, Murphy was a key player. Yes, it's probably even true that he kept SNL on the air when the plug would have otherwise been pulled. But there have been a lot of key players over the years, and most of them got the affectionate attention they deserved last night. Murphy was not ten times as important as any of them.

 

I think the point of a special tribute to him is that Eddie has avoided all the other reunions, so this has been the 1st chance in 31 years to actually appreciate him on an SNL event.

 

Meanwhile, people like Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Jon Lovitz and Bill Murray, etc, have been appreciated numerous times on SNL.

 

So if you think about it, the tribute was proportionate.

 

But Eddie doesn't have that young comedy guy persona. (Remember, he joined SNL when he was 19. Now he's 53.) So I wasn't expeecting much, and he met my expectations. Maybe his awkwardness is why he's avoided all these reunions. I mean, he resolved the David Spade feud a long time ago.

 

 

Timberlake is a great singer.

He should stick to singing.

And Fallon? I can't wish hard enough for him to magically get bored of doing The Tonight Show and hand it over to someone who doesn't talk all over everyone, gush like Chris Farley in The Chris Farley Show sketches, and call everybody "pal". I actually like his musical skits fine, to give the man credit, but really he could do that equally well on other platforms besides a freaking nightly talk show.

 

I wasn't surprised to see Fallon and Timberlake, but I was disappointed, and I fast-forwarded through their sketch a bit.

 

I don't hate them as a team. But with Fallon's Tonight Show, it seems like we've seen a lot of them. Like, too much, actually.

 

It made the special less unique and, well, special. Timberlake should've been paired with Andy Samberg, but that's not going to happen.

 

It's also like seeing Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig there. Since leaving the show, they've both been on a lot in recent year(s). So seeing them on the special was kind of annoying. (I do love Bill, but still....)

[DrivingSideways]

The first two hours of this thing was incredible!  The old clips had my viewing group absolutely rolling.

 

The Californians to me (I'm from California) is something that is really stupid and shouldn't work, yet I always do laugh a lot.  And we do reference our commutes a lot here.  But Taylor Swift absolutely ruined what was funny for a while.  Like, stomped it and destroyed any comedy in its tracks.  Was her accent Polish?

 

I was really stunned by Miley's performance and it was a great tie in to Paul Simon.  Why exactly did Kanye get to perform his new single.  Why did they keep referencing him in the skits (with his stupid contacts).  We as a society need to ignore him or he's going to continue acting like a fuckhead.

 

'In Memoriams' are usually very maudlin but SNL saved it by inserting Lovitz.  ACTING!!!

Edited February 16, 2015 by DrivingSideways

[jjj]

I have DVDs from the earlier seasons, but watching the old skits in this group setting is part of what makes the show so much fun -- it's the chatter about what worked and didn't, the chance to share the joy and the disappointment, which has been part of the show since it started.  And there is usually something wonderful and a clunker in every episode.  Thanks for re-living some great entertainment of the past forty years here!  Or thanks for seeing it with fresh eyes! 

[Kromm]

Meanwhile, people like Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Jon Lovitz and Bill Murray, etc, have been appreciated numerous times on SNL.

Historically Lovitz doesn't get NEARLY enough credit. But I actually think despite not being allowed to say even a word on this special, it finally flattered him, because that "is he still even alive" joke is a clutch joke they could have done with dozens of cast members, and yet they chose him. And he showed why he's great with just a momentary facial expression communicating more than what far bigger appearances with many other people didn't.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

I was really stunned by Miley's performance and it was a great tie in to Paul Simon.  Why exactly did Kanye get to perform his new single.  Why did they keep referencing him in the skits (with his stupid contacts).  We as a society need to ignore him or he's going to continue acting like a fuckhead.

 

'In Memoriams' are usually very maudlin but SNL saved it by inserting Lovitz.  ACTING!!!

There's an understandable auto-hate for Miley from people that I really DO understand, because she's set herself up in a way as a villain of the Inteligencia, of some people's concepts of morality (not mine personally, but I understand it), and her actual music is usually super-over-produced with emphasis on stage production and pop radio appeal rather than craft.

And for those who only heard the crap she did when a Disney kid, it's no better--the emphasis being on stupid shlock rather than shock and pop crafting.

Between those bookends, in the middle, you can find some stuff she did before she decided on her current course where you can tell she grew her voice from the Disney days, but she discarded a lot of it to be a superstar rather than a star. YouTube search, for example "miley cyrus backyard sessions" and you'll see where she could have gone if singing well had been her priority rather than making a huge splash (and I'm actually not that judgey in truth, because frankly PLANING and executing a deliberate plan to be a superstar and successfully executing it is actually admirable in a different way).

Edited February 16, 2015 by Kromm

[Princess Sparkle]

Cecily Strong did not get mentioned in the list if WU anchors. How rude.

I actually honestly feel like it was a slap in the face to her.  It's not like she was a Horatio Sanz who sat behind the update desk for 2 episodes; she was on it for a season and a half.  I mean, who knows, maybe she asked to be excluded so as not to draw attention to the fact that she was booted from the desk, but I thought it was a pretty noticeable exclusion.  

 

The WU segment reminded me what a BOSS Jane Curtain is, and the quick hit of an OJ joke made me miss Norm McDonald even more.  Every single one of his OJ jokes finished with that sly smirk always cracked me up (though, my favorite will still always be "This just in.  Murder is legal in the state of California").

 

Even though there was a sag in the middle (which, in a 3-hour show is to be expected), I really enjoyed the evening.  The Digital Short really cracked me up, especially when Andy said something like "And then we made a movie and it BOMBED" and Sandler said "Why would you remind people of that?"  

 

I also really liked seeing all the behind the scenes stuff that the SNL account was posting on Instagram last night - how cool to have that much comedic talent all in one place.  I can't even imagine how much of a dream that must be, especially for some of the younger cast members.  Even Michael Che had a picture up of him and Eddie Murphy and Che just looks in awe.  

 

One noticeable absence (at least, to me): for someone who is a 5-time host and friend of the show, I didn't see Ben Affleck anywhere.  Unless I totally missed him.  I don't remember seeing Drew Barrymore either, but there were so many people there that I could've missed her as well.   

[Deanie87]

I didn't mind JT opening the show, but during the credits when the cast comes on stage, he was right there, front and center, and then standing next to Lorne. Ugh, he is great on the show, but he ain't a cast member.

Also not a big fan of the In Memorium applause but it was nice that those from the behind the scenes crew got so many awwws and claps.

[Milburn Stone]

Historically Lovitz doesn't get NEARLY enough credit. But I actually think despite not being allowed to say even a word on this special, it finally flattered him, because that "is he still even alive" joke is a clutch joke they could have done with dozens of cast members, and yet they chose him. And he showed why he's great with just a momentary facial expression communicating more than what far bigger appearances with many other people didn't.

 

I agree it was a great way to give him his "props," but I depart from you a little when you say they could have done it with dozens of cast members. Yeah, there are a lot of cast members who are sort of forgotten. But Lovitz had a comedy persona that was built on being a disrespected loser. Last night's joke was as funny as it was because it was Lovitz.

 

In other news, we kind of felt James Taylor should be there. But maybe he's in Europe or something.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[Growsonwalls]

I actually honestly feel like it was a slap in the face to her.  It's not like she was a Horatio Sanz who sat behind the update desk for 2 episodes; she was on it for a season and a half.  I mean, who knows, maybe she asked to be excluded so as not to draw attention to the fact that she was booted from the desk, but I thought it was a pretty noticeable exclusion.  

 

The WU segment reminded me what a BOSS Jane Curtain is, and the quick hit of an OJ joke made me miss Norm McDonald even more.  Every single one of his OJ jokes finished with that sly smirk always cracked me up (though, my favorite will still always be "This just in.  Murder is legal in the state of California").

 

Even though there was a sag in the middle (which, in a 3-hour show is to be expected), I really enjoyed the evening.  The Digital Short really cracked me up, especially when Andy said something like "And then we made a movie and it BOMBED" and Sandler said "Why would you remind people of that?"  

 

I also really liked seeing all the behind the scenes stuff that the SNL account was posting on Instagram last night - how cool to have that much comedic talent all in one place.  I can't even imagine how much of a dream that must be, especially for some of the younger cast members.  Even Michael Che had a picture up of him and Eddie Murphy and Che just looks in awe.  

 

One noticeable absence (at least, to me): for someone who is a 5-time host and friend of the show, I didn't see Ben Affleck anywhere.  Unless I totally missed him.  I don't remember seeing Drew Barrymore either, but there were so many people there that I could've missed her as well.   

 

Actually I thought Norm MacDonald's appearance at the show was very gracious on his part, and showed the difference between him and Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy had some great years on the show and then he went on to do bigger and better things, like many SNL actors. Maybe Lorne Michaels didn't give him his due or whatever, but would it have killed Eddie to do an old sketch? Mr. Robinson's neighborhood? 

 

Norm MacDonald otoh was canned due to the OJ jokes and the fact that TPTB were (then) buddies with OJ. The fact that he showed up and put on a happy face and participated in the Jeopardy sketch was kind of cool.

[VCRTracking]

 

I only liked a handful of things in yesterday's 3.5 hour marathon - Celebrity Jeopardy, Weekend Update, and...that's about it.  The Wayne's World sketch is a bit before my time (I started watching SNL when I was in high school in the early 00s).  The clip montages were good for longer-term fans of the show, but a lot of them were kind of boring to me because I didn't recognize most of them.

 

I got to watch a ton of SNL episodes when I was a teen in the 90s that were before my time and it was because Comedy Central would air the reruns from 1980-onward. They used to show the full 90 minutes but they were edited down to an hour. The first five seasons Lorne had already put together as a half hour version "The Best of Saturday Night Live" so a lot of fat was cut.

 

 

1. CZJ rolling her eyes when Michael Douglas called himself a "sexual icon." Loved that "bitch please" expression on her face.

It shows how much has changed in the 15 years since the last special in 2:00 minute mark when they were in the audience and she was his adoring young newlywed bride:

 

Edited February 16, 2015 by VCRTracking

[absnow54]

Norm MacDonald otoh was canned due to the OJ jokes and the fact that TPTB were (then) buddies with OJ. The fact that he showed up and put on a happy face and participated in the Jeopardy sketch was kind of cool.

Norm's beef was never with Lorne though. Lorne and the SNL crew fought like crazy for him, and Norm has hosted/made a few appearances since leaving.

[Popples]

I watched and enjoyed it way more of it than I thought I would (thought it was going to be a train wreck). I missed the first 10 minutes, but I loved Steve Martin opening the show with the various interruptions (I thought John Goodman would have been apart of that bit), "Celebrity Jeopardy" and had my fingers crossed that Turd Ferguson would show up, most of "Weekend Update", and "Wayne's World".

 

I haven't regularly watched SNL in over a decade, but that "Californians" sketch was painfully unfunny.

 

I got so misty-eyed anytime they showed Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, and Chris Farley.

 

During Jerry Seinfeld's Q&A, I noticed some guy that looked like Colonel Sanders next to Tom Arnold, then realized it was Jeff Goldblum.

 

Was Rob Schneider there?

[Dancingjaneway]

Last night was a mixed bag. The beginning was good but after Jerrys Q&A with the audience it went downhill. I loved the new Jeopardy sketch, The Weekend Update segment was great. I wish Jane, Tina and Amy would always be the anchors. The Californians was good but went on WAY too long. There were too many musical numbers in the show last night. It should have been just the two Pauls and that's it. I'm disappointed that they chose Kanye and Miley as the "singers" to represent the music of today. When I saw Walken come out I was super stoked and then was let down immediately when I realized he was just introducing Dbag West. Eddie Murphy being there was a waste of time. Talk about an egomaniac! I loved seeing some of the audition tapes(although I wish that had been longer). Mya as Beyonce as always was great and Martin Short blowing away while the wind machine was on was hilarious! I was so happy to see Bobby and Marty Culp(I've missed them), What's up with that including Sudekis was awesome! I would have liked to have seen more King Tut. I was disappointed that Cheri Oteri didn't get to be apart of anything. Norm Macdonald continues to crack my shit up and I loved his OJ jokes. I wish that someone other than Robert DeNiro had done the Ny segment. I get that he's a New Yorker and that he's a great actor but he can't do live t.v for shit and it was painful. Seeing Catherine Zeta Jones in the audience surprised me and then it made me miss the opening we got at the 25th anniversary with Bill Murray singing "Me and Mrs. Jones".  The in memoriam segment had me in tears. I always get so choked up seeing Hartman with Farley, then Gilda, seeing Jan Hooks was tough. I did love the end though with Jon Lovitz. His reaction was brilliant! The segment for Tracy Morgan was sweet and it's too bad that he wasn't well enough to be there. I was super disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Tim Meadows I always really liked him. It was super cool to see Ellen Cleghorn and I'm glad she got to do a little something. I will never not love Waynes World. I wish that it had been on earlier though because I think a lot of people missed out on seeing it and it's a sketch that to me deserves more time than The Californians. I loved the "digital short" with Samberg and Sandler. I'm one of the few people that laughs when the people break and I don't get annoyed by it. Super happy that Kate McKinnon got to do her Bieber impression. Overall the show was actually good. 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Miley was the clear winner in the musical portions, she can really sing.  I had never heard her just sing before.  I don't care what she sang, she did a better job than Paul and both Pauls, man did they do the extended versions of those songs?!  They went on for far too long, I even changed channels to kill time only to find each of them still singing!  LOL  And Kanye, well I can't stand the man or his music but I tried to listen, JUST.COULDN'T.   

 

John Goodman looked like he was reading cue cards from his seat and his red hair..er um ok....Chevy Chase was a ghost of himself both on the red carpet and on the show, maybe he just hated being there but I wondered if he might fall when he came out the door, he looked unsteady and bloated.

 

Eddie Murphy also looked like he didn't want to be there. 

[Vixenstud]

The first ½ was great then The Californians came on and I drifted off.  Same thing happened when Kanye came on and outside of the Wayne’s World reunion I missed the rest.

 

 

I....didn't hate the Miley Cyrus cover of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" I mean it wasn't like the greatest thing I ever heard but...she was actually kind of good.

 

Co-sign….I need a shower now.

 

 

Dan Aykroyd recreating Bass-o-matic was fun too, although he's not quite as good at the fast talking as he used to be.

 

Sounded like he was trying to but gave up after a while.  His singing voice has changed too, it used to be a lot deeper when he did Blues Brothers songs.

 

Jane Curtin looked great, as did Maya as Beyonce….her thighs were sick!  Loved the Jeopardy skit, whoever does Sean Connery was hysterical.

 

Joe Piscopo did Weekend Update too, right?  And how I wish Tim Kazurinsky could have been there….I used to crack up at his Dr. Jack Bradowsky character.

 

Finally, Eddie Murphy….what in the bluedilly fuck was that?!  A nice intro from Chris Rock, then whaaaaaaaaaaa?!  I can see him not doing Buckwheat/Mr. Robinson, etc. but they could have at least put him up there with Piscopo.  That’s 73 seconds I’ll never get back, very disappointing.

 

I wish we could find some after party gossip somewhere.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Vixenstud

[absnow54]

Chevy Chase was a ghost of himself both on the red carpet and on the show, maybe he just hated being there but I wondered if he might fall when he came out the door, he looked unsteady and bloated.

I thought he was pretending to go for the gag fall, but the joke fell flat because it looked like he could legitimately pass out at any moment.

[Princess Sparkle]

Norm's beef was never with Lorne though. Lorne and the SNL crew fought like crazy for him, and Norm has hosted/made a few appearances since leaving.

Exactly,  And even Norm has said that he doesn't actually believe that Don Ohlmeyer fired him because of OJ; he actually does think that Ohlmeyer, independent of anything OJ related, didn't find him funny.  When he was on the WTF podcast, I know he said he didn't actually blame Ohlmeyer all that much.

 

What I do find interesting is that apparently, Colin Jost says he imitates Norm behind the update desk, because he grew up watching Norm at the update desk.  Colin needs to work on his delivery if he thinks he's doing a good Norm imitation.

[Milburn Stone]

I thought he was pretending to go for the gag fall, but the joke fell flat because it looked like he could legitimately pass out at any moment.

 

I agree, I felt this was exactly what he was going for. But the small stumble wasn't quite big enough to put the gag across, and was easily mistaken for an accidental stumble (given his overall presentation of himself).

 

I really felt bad for him in his red carpet moment. He sounded so defensive about leaving the show after a year, and so full of self-recriminations. Chevy, you have nothing to apologize for, and nothing to regret! You left SNL to make some movies that remain comedy classics! It's OK!

[CaughtOnTape]

I never laugh harder at this show then when people break.  It is hilarious no matter when it happens.  The fact that Jimmy Fallon doesn't even bother to try to hide it makes it even funnier.

That break with Rachel Dratch not being able to have children had me rolling.

 

Bill Murray and the Jaws thing also had me rolling.  I love him.

 

I also thought it was funny that Wayne and Garth kept telling Kanye to stay in his seat.  More people need to tell him that.

 

Other than that the show was hit or miss for me.  I always love me some JT and Fallon.....