S40.E00: The 40th Anniversary Special

[vb68]

I just read on something that Phil Hartman's daughter attended.  That's nice to hear.  I remember when she was born.  It was the week Susan Dey hosted in 1992-3.  Susan announced her birth at the end of the show.  Phil was beaming.  I probably still have that on VHS  somewhere.

Edited February 17, 2015 by vb68

[Kromm]

It's also really annoying to see a lot of ageist comments on the internet in regard to the special. Thankfully no one on Previously TV is rude or insensitive about it, but I have seen the "this just shows getting old sucks" and "these people aren't funny because they're old now" comments. Yes, some of them aren't funny anymore, but that's not specifically because they're old, nor does it mean that no older people can be funny.

But that's the thing.  Bill Murray is 64 and shows no signs that he's lost even a step. Dan Aykroyd is two years younger than Murray but seemed to struggle to deliver even a simple sketch.  It's not that getting old inherently causes a problem, but it CAN be getting old that IS the problem, if you get the distinction there. I know it's hair-splitty, but there is one.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Wow that makes Norm sound pretty bad. Although to be fair "You’ll be Fred Astaire, she’ll be Ginger. You’ll give her the comedy and she’ll give you the sex.”, sounds terrible.

I think it should be noted that Norm often says stuff like this sarcastically, and people in the media in particular just don't get (so don't report) that he's joking.  He's had several cases during his career where in that completely dry tone of his he's said something completely outrageous and it goes right over people's heads and they think he's serious.

[nowandlater]

Dan Aykroyd was on Howard Stern for the 1st time this morning, talking all things SNL of course.

 

I was surprised to learn Aykrod is just 1 1/2 years older than Stern.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pddC0T22rIY

[VCRTracking]

 

I think it should be noted that Norm often says stuff like this sarcastically, and people in the media in particular just don't get (so don't report) that he's joking.  He's had several cases during his career where in that completely dry tone of his he's said something completely outrageous and it goes right over people's heads and they think he's serious.

 

I honestly think it might be the same way with Chevy, and that's why he comes off a jerk(I hope). With Norm(especially if you're already familiar with his standup) you know he's kidding just by hearing the tone of his voice, and see that wry smile. Chevy is so deadpan, you just don't know, and he would never let you know like Don Rickles or that Fred Armisen drummer character.

Edited February 17, 2015 by VCRTracking

[scowl]

Plus don't forget that time Rick James destroyed his couch.

 

But Eddie's brother made sure that wouldn't happen again. 

[Growsonwalls]

Actually does anyone know what the deal is with Eddie Murphy? Drugs? Mental problems? Here's someone who was super-talented and had a winning personality and now he seems to have become that weird uncle at the party.

[nowandlater]

Actually does anyone know what the deal is with Eddie Murphy? Drugs? Mental problems? Here's someone who was super-talented and had a winning personality and now he seems to have become that weird uncle at the party.

 

He's introverted:

http://leaderherald.com/page/dataFeeds_parade.display/ID/513072/PID/1/

 

"I'm not geeky, but I've heard people describe me as shy. I wouldn't describe myself as a shy person. I'm an introvert. I play extroverts on the screen, but I'm an introvert. When I meet you, it's not like I shut down and am uncomfortable and stuff. I'm checking you out. I'm just internalizing things."

 

Wait, you may be asking, how can somebody so extroverted on stage be that introverted in real life?

 

Well, a lot of performers are shy and/or introverted. Performing is a way of getting that tension out.

 

I know because I'm totally like that. Though I don't perform, I had a job where I was forced to talk to people and it felt scary yet exhilerating.

 

That thing in the '80s was just a persona he was putting on, a persona that made him feel comfortable.

 

But that persona is long gone, and now he's back to being his awkward self.

[Traveller519]

Actually does anyone know what the deal is with Eddie Murphy? Drugs? Mental problems? Here's someone who was super-talented and had a winning personality and now he seems to have become that weird uncle at the party.

This article by Bill Simmons follows his start through 2011 and Tower Heist (when it was written). It's definitely an outsiders perspective, but it seems like Eddie's a guy who handled his rising star well, but not his setbacks. Anything I'd contribute would be speculation, But it seems to me he feels most comfortable when he's in control and very uncomfortable when he's not.

[Kel Varnsen]

I think it should be noted that Norm often says stuff like this sarcastically, and people in the media in particular just don't get (so don't report) that he's joking.  He's had several cases during his career where in that completely dry tone of his he's said something completely outrageous and it goes right over people's heads and they think he's serious.

Plus depending on how the events went down, Norm could be right. I mean maybe it was pitched from the start as him doing the news with some hot co-anchor where he would be the one doing all the comedy, and she would just be there for eye candy. Because that does sound really stupid and pointless. The way the story is told in that article it is not 100% clear.

[helenamonster]

I'm not surprised he only showed up in the Digital Short, because for as long as he was on the show, he never really had any sort of recurring character, or even really a recurring character in a group sketch - the closest thing is probably being one of the kids in those Scared Straight sketches.  For what it's worth, I do think for what he did for the show, Andy probably was one of the people who helped revolutionize it the most - the Digital Shorts really brought SNL into being a HUGE presence on the internet, and got people talking about the show at a time when it was sort of in a down swing.  I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for that. 

 

And, even though it's not technically an SNL-related achievement, The Lonely Island is usually credited for putting YouTube on the map. Sunday morning, when everyone wanted to show their friends "Lazy Sunday," that was the site they got directed to.

 

Millions of women endorsed that piece of crap, don't ask me why. It's not like men are behind this.

 

To quote Sarah Silverman, "Some of the most misogynistic men I know are women."

 

Jane Curtain's joy to be there was plain as day.

 

Wasn't it just? I forgot to mention that. She killed her delivery of her Update jokes, but it was also nice to see how genuinely thrilled she was to be a part of the whole thing.

[HelenBaby]

Didn't trebek recently bring back the moustache?

He had one for a couple of months but then shaved it again.

[Guest]

But that's the thing.  Bill Murray is 64 and shows no signs that he's lost even a step. Dan Aykroyd is two years younger than Murray but seemed to struggle to deliver even a simple sketch.  It's not that getting old inherently causes a problem, but it CAN be getting old that IS the problem, if you get the distinction there. I know it's hair-splitty, but there is one.

 

It may not be age so much as stretching that comedy or acting muscle.  Murray has been working in film much more than Aykroyd in the last many years.

[roamyn]

Everyone ages differently.

Some people do it well - Iman, Steve Martin, Helen Mirren. And some don't. I would imagine Chevy is one of those.

And he's not been in the publuc eye for many a year, consequently he migh5 not have been as concerned abt keeping up appearances.

[Kromm]

And, even though it's not technically an SNL-related achievement, The Lonely Island is usually credited for putting YouTube on the map. Sunday morning, when everyone wanted to show their friends "Lazy Sunday," that was the site they got directed to.

"Putting YouTube on the map"? That's a heck of a stretch.  YouTube was wildly successful before that video.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Kromm

[vb68]

In the sequel to Lazy Sunday as he was wrapping up his run on the show, Samberg did indeed say he was "Still waiting on  a f-ing  YouTube check."    Helenamonster is correct that they are widely credited with kickstarting it.

Edited February 18, 2015 by vb68

[Irlandesa]

I thought the Eddie Murphy moment was really awkward

It was awkward because it felt like an awards show that fell in the middle of a sketch show.  "Eddie's so great--come out here and speak for a few seconds before we play you off."  I don't know what would have been better but maybe they could have had Eddie Murphy talk about his time at SNL even if they still had Chris Rock deliver it.

 

I honestly think it might be the same way with Chevy, and that's why he comes off a jerk(I hope). With Norm(especially if you're already familiar with his standup) you know he's kidding just by hearing the tone of his voice, and see that wry smile. Chevy is so deadpan, you just don't know, and he would never let you know like Don Rickles or that Fred Armisen drummer character.

But isn't Norm relatively well liked by other SNL castmates in general?  I don't follow the backstage stuff but I always got the impression that people at the show weren't celebrating his firing.  With Chevy...it's just the opposite.  I didn't get a sense of a lot of love for him.  (Heck, even in the later years of Community, his castmates were so very careful about what they said about him.)  Now, he may not always mean what he says but I think his issues extend far beyond a large group of professional comedians not understanding his deadpan humor or sarcasm.

 

Wait, you may be asking, how can somebody so extroverted on stage be that introverted in real life?

 

Plus, for those few who don't know, introverted/extroverted aren't synonymous with shy/outgoing.  Introverted means one gains energy from being alone.  Extroverted means one gains energy from being around people.  I can be quite outgoing when I need to present or deal with people but I need alone time to recharge. 

[nowandlater]

And, even though it's not technically an SNL-related achievement, The Lonely Island is usually credited for putting YouTube on the map. Sunday morning, when everyone wanted to show their friends "Lazy Sunday," that was the site they got directed to.

 

 

YouTube launched in February 2005, had its first video posted in April, went beta in July, then officially launched in November.

 

Then Lazy Sunday came the  next month.

 

I looked it up, and can't see any other big viral hit before that. (I don't remember  YouTube before that.)

[absnow54]

They talk about Lazy Sunday and YouTube in Live From New York! and how instead of buying the site, NBC decided to sue it. Akiva or Jorma's uncle actually started working at YouTube after the video went viral. I'm sure YouTube would have blown up no matter what, but "Lazy Sunday" really put the site on the map. I'm pretty sure the first time I used the site was looking for that video. 

[Inquisitionist]

Does Lazy Sunday parody a particular other song/video or just a general style?  As someone who does not know this genre, I can appreciate the video without context, but I'm sure it's a lot funnier to people "in the know."

[mizkat]

I think the fact that Ferrell sounds nothing like Trebek and Hammond only sounds like Connery if your drunk makes the sketch that much more delightfully absurd. Add Turd Ferguson and the stupidity of every celeb that plays the game, and it's my favorite sketch of all time--and I've been around since the Eddie Murphy days. 

 

Eddie Murphy not dealing well with his setbacks is probably the reason he didn't do anything on stage, IMO. I always got the impression that 3/4 of the cast are introverts, but that didn't stop them from performing. I do think introverted celebrities are what makes talk shows so awkward sometimes, and it's why Fallon (and Conan and Craig, too) are really good talk show hosts, since they feed off the crowd and can bring energy to a stilted interview. 

 

I was reading an article yesterday about how Chevy is pretty much a douchebag and everyone knows it. The same article also elevated Bill Murray to ridiculous heights as a contrast, so I guess a grain of salt should be taken there. Bill's not without his personal faults, either. But Chevy has always stood out to me as the one cast member over the years that has had consistently negative things either plainly said or slyly alluded to. I wasn't exactly surprised by the Community fiasco. 

[scowl]

With all the Lorne worship I guess Harry Shearer couldn't have gotten in! I can't think of any other cast member that clashed more with him or was more willing to explain why he's not the superhuman that many other cast members say he is. That's why I find him one of the most interesting players in SNL history even though he is a footnote.

[Inquisitionist]

With all the Lorne worship I guess Harry Shearer couldn't have gotten in!

 

Thanks for sending me on an Internet search that culminated with learning that Harry Shearer was in the first episode of Leave It to Beaver.  :-)

[nowandlater]

Seth Meyers talks to Bill Simmons about how it all came together....
 

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=12343219

[WendyCR72]

I highly recommend Live From New York, a sort of (written) oral history of every era. Everyone - minus Eddie Murphy, as he refused to participate - is interviewed in this book. And, yeah: Chevy Chase has very few fans.

 

I liked the anecdote of Billy Joel singing on the show while Murray and Chase were having a fistfight backstage while Aykroyd, Belushi, and a few others were trying to break it up. Kind of surreal and absurd.

[helenamonster]

Sudeikis didn't participate in the updated version, which I found odd. Does anyone know what the deal was with that?

[opus]

Sudeikis didn't participate in the updated version, which I found odd. Does anyone know what the deal was with that?

Didn't find that, but stumbled across this:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ae-1005-john-mulaney-snl-side-20141004-column.html

[vb68]

I'm sure Dennis Miller didn't participate either.  I don't know what his deal is, either.  It can't all be personal politics.  Both Palin and Victoria Jackson were there.  I heard Bill O'Reilly was as well.

Edited February 18, 2015 by vb68

[nowandlater]

I highly recommend Live From New York, a sort of (written) oral history of every era. Everyone - minus Eddie Murphy, as he refused to participate - is interviewed in this book. And, yeah: Chevy Chase has very few fans.

 

Here's the (co-)author of that book talking extensively about the special with Bill Simmons..

 

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=12338664

 

And with Dan Patrick...

 

[VCRTracking]

 

With all the Lorne worship I guess Harry Shearer couldn't have gotten in! I can't think of any other cast member that clashed more with him or was more willing to explain why he's not the superhuman that many other cast members say he is. That's why I find him one of the most interesting players in SNL history even though he is a footnote.

 

Janeane Garafolo.

Edited February 19, 2015 by VCRTracking

[wknt3]

With all the Lorne worship I guess Harry Shearer couldn't have gotten in! I can't think of any other cast member that clashed more with him or was more willing to explain why he's not the superhuman that many other cast members say he is. That's why I find him one of the most interesting players in SNL history even though he is a footnote.

I've always found him interesting too. Just for the combination of tremendous talent with being such a huge a-hole. In the same way that I find Keith Olbermann interesting although KO seems to have found some level of self awareness at some point. As far as SNL and Lorne are concerned I don't really find his criticisms that interesting as they all boil down to "I am the only one in the world with integrity and artistic vision and everyone else is a bunch of hacks." And it's the same criticism of every project he's been involved in. I know a Simpsons writer and have heard stories. Anyone who didn't have much good to say about Seasons 4 & 5 of the Simpsons loses credibility with me.

[Galileo908]

Norm MacDonald is currently tweeting the story of Celebrity Jeopardy. It's a very interesting read.

 

And you know how Kenan shows up as Cosby near the end this time around? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EDDIE MURPHY.

 

EDIT: He's still updating as of writing, but it seems Eddie backed out because they were making fun of Cosby, but he was on the fence since they "were making fun of pre-allegation Cosby."

Edited February 19, 2015 by Galileo908

[Kromm]

Norm MacDonald is currently tweeting the story of Celebrity Jeopardy. It's a very interesting read.

 

And you know how Kenan shows up as Cosby near the end? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EDDIE MURPHY.

I wonder.  Murphy's been a Hollywood insider for so long now, I wonder if he's maybe close to Cosby.

[Kromm]

Hmm.  It's a good thing for Norm that Eddie doesn't really have any power in the business anymore, because even though he hasn't presented this as that critical of Eddie, I bet it's still going to piss Eddie off that it's even being revealed.

 

Lorne might be uncomfortable with this kind of info too.

[helenamonster]

EDIT: He's still updating as of writing, but it seems Eddie backed out because they were making fun of Cosby, but he was on the fence since they "were making fun of pre-allegation Cosby."

 

The allegations aren't what made him a rapist. Raping people is what made him a rapist.

[ruby24]

Yeah, I was just going to add that "pre-allegation" Cosby does not make him "pre-rapist" Cosby.

[Galileo908]

That was what Norm said, in Eddie's words. Eddie "didn't want to kick a man when he was down."

[nowandlater]

I didn't know Norm was a Sarah Palin fan.

[ruby24]

That was what Norm said, in Eddie's words. Eddie "didn't want to kick a man when he was down."

I'm sorry, but if the man in question has spent the past 45 years drugging and raping women with total impunity, there's no such thing as too much public shaming.

[peeayebee]

Thanks for the link to Norm's tweets. I used to follow him but got tired of all the golf stuff. Anyway, very interesting stuff.

[Growsonwalls]

Found it interesting that Norm says Bill Murray's participation was up in the air till the last minute. He slipped so easily into the Jaws love theme that you would have thought he always was going to participate. Just goes to show that some people are just very funny on the fly. Bill Murray appears to be one of them. 

[ruby24]

I wonder if we'll ever see Eddie Murphy do anything funny again, honestly. He's not that old, you'd think he'd want to still be in the game and not be treated like a past his prime veteran actor just yet, only hauled out for lifetime achievement style recognition. Plus, just look at other comedians older than him who've still "got it," so to speak (Bill Murray for one). I wonder if the hype is just too high at this point, and he thinks it would all be a letdown, or if he really just doesn't feel the affinity for SNL that these other people do (in which case, why even show up?) I know he's not really affiliated with the Lorne Michaels era at all, he came on during the Dick Ebersol years only- maybe that has something to do with his detachment.

[Kromm]

I didn't know Norm was a Sarah Palin fan.

I never know when exactly to take him seriously on stuff like this.  In this case though, there's really no other context to it, so he probably means it.

 

Yeah, it's a big point against him.  Even forgetting her views, she's also a moron.  Other than the fact that she's good looking for her age bracket, I don't see what else this could be relating to.  Norm's CLAIMED he's apolitical, but cheerleading Palin?  Not so much.

I wonder if we'll ever see Eddie Murphy do anything funny again, honestly. He's not that old, you'd think he'd want to still be in the game and not be treated like a past his prime veteran actor just yet, only hauled out for lifetime achievement style recognition.

Judgment is waiting on if it's actually funny, but in theory Beverly Hills Cop 4 is set for 2016.  It's why, as Norm mentioned, Brett Ratner was the "approach" to Eddie, since Ratner is directing it.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Kromm

[Milburn Stone]

 

...it seems Eddie backed out because they were making fun of Cosby, but he was on the fence since they "were making fun of pre-allegation Cosby."

 

How delusional can Eddie Murphy be if he thought that cutaway to "Cosby" was about anything other than the allegations? The whole joke with the wine only worked because of the allegations.

[Kromm]

How delusional can Eddie Murphy be if he thought that cutaway to "Cosby" was about anything other than the allegations? The whole joke with the wine only worked because of the allegations.

To be fair, we're hearing about this through a third party.  Eddie may have simply been trying to put Norm off with an excuse he didn't think through that well (in other words, he probably never intended to do it at all, so it didn't really matter if some justification for maybe doing it didn't make total sense).

 

I think it comes back to a remaining pressure with black Hollywood (especially black-COMEDIC Hollywood) to revere Cosby, to make excuses for him, and to not be the one stepping out of line to take a shot at Cosby, for fear all your compatriots with consider you a traitor.  It's the OJ thing all over again (who many just plain REFUSED to ADMIT--at least publicly--was guilty until YEARS later, even if they in their heart of hearts knew long before that he was).

[Milburn Stone]

To be fair, we're hearing about this through a third party.  Eddie may have simply been trying to put Norm off with an excuse he didn't think through that well (in other words, he probably never intended to do it at all, so it didn't really matter if some justification for maybe doing it didn't make total sense).

 

True.

[Growsonwalls]

Well ... Chris Rock had this to say about Bill Cosby:

 

 

"I grew up on Cosby," Chris says. "I love Cosby, and I just hope it's not true. It's a weird year for comedy. We lost Robin, we lost Joan, and we kind of lost Cosby."

 

Ouch. No holding back there. But then again Chris Rock is just a straight shooter. 

 

As for Norm liking Sarah Palin ... I HATE Sarah Palin, but she participated in the reunion with good humor. And as someone who's worked on campaigns, I'll just say that many politicians are absolutely nothing like what they are on TV. This goes for people on both sides of the political aisle. Maybe Sarah Palin was fun to party with at the SNL reunion. 

[ruby24]

You know what, due to many things, but particularly after the "Palin Family Bar Brawl" I have a hard time believing she's anything unlike what we've seen of her since 2008.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I didn't know Norm was a Sarah Palin fan.

He said

 

There is Sarah Palin, gorgeous, and you can understand the charisma. She is irresistible

That's really pretty much what Tina Fey said about her.  I wouldn't say that makes him a cheerleader on the basis of that.  

 

It was really fascinating what he had to say about the Jeopardy skit, that Will Ferrell's Trebek was the key to the success of the bit, and also that the  fact that the Reynolds and Connery characters were not much like the real people was part of what made it funny.  

 

Edited to add: thank you Galileo908 for the link to Norm's tweets. I deliberately don't follow Twitter, but that means I miss a lot of interesting stuff.

Edited February 19, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[Galileo908]

And that's where basically current sketches like Celebrity Family Feud falter. They're just trotting out impressions of various quality and nothing more. Unless it's Kate McKinnon as Bieber, that one's always solid (and an obvious choice for Celebrity Jeopardy).